Scotch Q&A

Hi all, new member here looking to dive back into the world of SMSW. Now, the last bottle I purchased was Laphroaig 10 year old, it came in a white and green container.

And for me it was downright horrendous. I was wondering if anyone could fill me in on other scotches that would be similar to this one so I can avoid them, lol.

With that said what recommendations do you guys have for an affordable regular drink and also in the range of $90 USD for more of a special occasions drink. Thanks ahead for any input.

Originally Posted by Sanchy

Hi all, new member here looking to dive back into the world of SMSW. Now, the last bottle I purchased was Laphroaig 10 year old, it came in a white and green container.

And for me it was downright horrendous. I was wondering if anyone could fill me in on other scotches that would be similar to this one so I can avoid them, lol.

With that said what recommendations do you guys have for an affordable regular drink and also in the range of $90 USD for more of a special occasions drink. Thanks ahead for any input.

Laphroaig is from Islay, whose Scotchs are very peaty. Some other Islay scotchs are Ardberg, Bowmore and Lagavulin.

[GreekGodX]

Originally Posted by kayaker

None of the Macs are cheap compared to scotches of similar age. Did you have the Fine Oak or the regular version of it? Regular version is aged only in Sherry casks, and the Fine Oak uses Sherry and Bourbon Casks. It's been a while since I've had the regular, but I remember it as being quite good. The Fine Oak 18 was very smooth, but a bit underwhelming for my tastes.

It could have been an off bottle, or you just may not like that style. Try one of the younger versions and see what that's like. You should be able to buy a dram at a decent bar.

I found the Balvenie somewhat similar in style to the Macallan. Glenkintchie, Glen Ord, Arran Island are also quite nice. Actually there are lots of great whiskies. The best part is getting to sample lots and lots to find out what you like.

If you find there's something you don't really like, try it again a year later to see if your tastes have changed. Mine have over the last few years. Your mood and what you've eaten recently can also affect the taste of your dram.

Hope this helps.

It was the Fine Oak. I'll give it a shot again in the future. It is good to know some of the stuff to look for as for me it's intimidating staring at all the bottles of scotch with some of the price tags.

Thanks for the help. I'll keep checkin in here

Originally Posted by Wanger

Had some good stuff with a buddy home on leave from Iraq last Friday. Scott's Selection, 1983, bottled in 2004. Haven't been able to find much info on it. It was GOOOD, and paired well with an Opus Petit Lancero. Anyone else tried it, or know anything about it?

Scott's Selection is an Independent Bottler. That means they buy casks of scotch from different distilleries and age and/or bottle the stuff a bit differently than the original distillery.

The distillery name should have been on the bottle somewhere which is the main vital info you need. With the distillery name you can then compare how the the IB presented the scotch versus the Original Bottling. I.e. did they use different casks to age or finish the whisky? Different age? Different ABV? Hopefully the bottle is still around to get that info.

Good luck.

[Tripp]

I generally go for Islays, but decided to try a Speyside the other day, and picked up a cheapo bottle of Lismore Single Malt, which I did not care for. Anyone know if Lismore is on par or close to other Speysides? To my palate, it had an overpowering sherry flavor, almost like it'd been mixed with sherry.

To make up for the bad scotch, I picked up a bottle of Bowmore 12, one of my all time favorites.

Originally Posted by Tripp

I generally go for Islays, but decided to try a Speyside the other day, and picked up a cheapo bottle of Lismore Single Malt, which I did not care for. Anyone know if Lismore is on par or close to other Speysides? To my palate, it had an overpowering sherry flavor, almost like it'd been mixed with sherry.

To make up for the bad scotch, I picked up a bottle of Bowmore 12, one of my all time favorites.

Bowmore is a big favourite of mine. Haven't had Lismore. How much do you want to spend on a Speyside malt?

Speyside has a LOT of distilleries so there can be very big differences in distillery characteristics. I'll see if I can recommend something tasty in your price range.

[Tripp]

Originally Posted by kayaker

Bowmore is a big favourite of mine. Haven't had Lismore. How much do you want to spend on a Speyside malt?

Speyside has a LOT of distilleries so there can be very big differences in distillery characteristics. I'll see if I can recommend something tasty in your price range.

I usually try to stay under $40 a bottle, but a little over is ok.

[spectrrr]

Originally Posted by Tripp

I generally go for Islays, but decided to try a Speyside the other day, and picked up a cheapo bottle of Lismore Single Malt, which I did not care for. Anyone know if Lismore is on par or close to other Speysides? To my palate, it had an overpowering sherry flavor, almost like it'd been mixed with sherry.

To make up for the bad scotch, I picked up a bottle of Bowmore 12, one of my all time favorites.

I just sniffed (and sipped) a bottle of Tamdhu I had kicking around. based on your description above of what you didn't like, I would NOT get the Tamdhu (smells/tastes like sherry)

[yourchoice]

Reviving thread....

What can anyone tell me about Murray McDavid? My local store has a wide selection, but I've shied away. Any general information or thoughts of their products?

Originally Posted by yourchoice

Reviving thread....

What can anyone tell me about Murray McDavid? My local store has a wide selection, but I've shied away. Any general information or thoughts of their products?

This is the Independent Bottling division of Bruichladdich. They (like other IBs) buy casks of new make whisky from other distilleries and age it how they see fit.

Like their own house malt, the Murray McDavid offereings are non-chillfiltered and non-caramelized.

I've had a few of these bottlings and enjoyed them. Your best approach to these may to see if they have a bottling of something you already like.

Hope this helps.

[Pete]

Interesting read. Your experiences may differ.

Scotch ratings

[yourchoice]

Originally Posted by kayaker

This is the Independent Bottling division of Bruichladdich. They (like other IBs) buy casks of new make whisky from other distilleries and age it how they see fit.

Like their own house malt, the Murray McDavid offereings are non-chillfiltered and non-caramelized.

I've had a few of these bottlings and enjoyed them. Your best approach to these may to see if they have a bottling of something you already like.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the reply. I think I may make a Murray McDavid bottle my next purchase. Has anyone had any that are on the peaty side? Otherwise I would just pick something from an Islay distillery that I know I like.

[spectrrr]

Originally Posted by Pete

Interesting read. Your experiences may differ.

Scotch ratings

very interesting....

[wolfandwhisky]

Originally Posted by yourchoice

Thanks for the reply. I think I may make a Murray McDavid bottle my next purchase. Has anyone had any that are on the peaty side? Otherwise I would just pick something from an Islay distillery that I know I like.

The whisky in the bottle will be from other distilleries, so you may find a M&M bottle of Laphroaig, Caol Ila, Bowmore, etc. In fact, I think I just had a 40yo Bowmore that was an M&M bottle... but it may have been Ducan Taylor... can't remember.

So any Islay distillery is fine - it will be their whisky in an M&M bottle.

HTH...

[wolfandwhisky]

Originally Posted by Pete

Interesting read. Your experiences may differ.

Scotch ratings

Thanks for sharing... I've always been a fan of Michael Jackson's notes as opposed to Jim's. Did it say who the other two tasters were? I missed it.

Not sure I agree entirely with the list, well, not really at all. But that is part of the fun of whisky and notes.

[WyoBob]

Originally Posted by Sanchy

Hi all, new member here looking to dive back into the world of SMSW. Now, the last bottle I purchased was Laphroaig 10 year old, it came in a white and green container.

And for me it was downright horrendous. I was wondering if anyone could fill me in on other scotches that would be similar to this one so I can avoid them, lol.

With that said what recommendations do you guys have for an affordable regular drink and also in the range of $90 USD for more of a special occasions drink. Thanks ahead for any input.

My first bottle of Scotch was Laphroaig 10 year. The initial taste reminded me of the stuff my dentist used to use to deaden an injection site. After a few more sips, the taste mostly went away and I kind of liked it. My father-in-law mentioned he liked Scotch so I gave the mostly full bottle to him.

Weeks later, I was talking to a friend who runs an art shop/cigar/pipe store here about Scotch and he invited me in on a Fri. afternoon to sample some of his collection. My favorite was Balvinie double wood. (Can't remember the other two. I have it written down someplace. I also had my wife drop me off and pick me up.) So, I bought the Balvinie and really enjoyed it. My wife just went to Nebraska and I sent the Balvinie along and had my wife tell my f-i-l if he liked it better to send the Laphroaig back with my wife. So, I've got the Laphroaig to sip on for awhile. He much preferred the Balvinie.

The shop is sponsoring a BBQ/smoker/Scotch tasting April 25th. It includes a BBQ supper, two cigars, a cutter and two drinks out of big selection of Scotch for $40.00. You bet I'm going to that!

WyoBob

Originally Posted by WyoBob

The shop is sponsoring a BBQ/smoker/Scotch tasting April 25th. It includes a BBQ supper, two cigars, a cutter and two drinks out of big selection of Scotch for $40.00. You bet I'm going to that!

That sounds great.

[forgop]

Tried scotch for the first time last night-it was Singleton 12 year. Anyone really like/dislike this compared to other scotches? I thought it was pretty good for my first time.

[Starscream]

Originally Posted by forgop

Tried scotch for the first time last night-it was Singleton 12 year. Anyone really like/dislike this compared to other scotches? I thought it was pretty good for my first time.

I bought my first bottle of scotch last night. Johnnie Walker Red Label. Before you get all "that stuff sucks" on me, I thought it was a good introduction to scotch blends. Pretty sweet and not much burn. Now I'm ready to move on to JW Black label and others. I thought it was a good intro to scotch. Drank it neat, and once again with a 1/4 tsp. of water. Better with the water.

[Bill86]

Originally Posted by Starscream

I bought my first bottle of scotch last night. Johnnie Walker Red Label. Before you get all "that stuff sucks" on me, I thought it was a good introduction to scotch blends. Pretty sweet and not much burn. Now I'm ready to move on to JW Black label and others. I thought it was a good intro to scotch. Drank it neat, and once again with a 1/4 tsp. of water. Better with the water.

Ain't nothing wrong with Red Label. I actually prefer the red over the black

I would skip the black and go with green. I haven't had gold, swing or blue yet though. Too pricey IMO.