• Home
    • Recent
    • Calendar
    • Register
    • Login
    Iron Heart Forum
    Iron Heart Forum

    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

    Hard Drinkers, Lets Drink Hard (Spirits, Liquors and Cocktails)

    General Chat
    174
    2.5k
    792.6k
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • Jordonf9J
      Jordonf9
      Raw and Unwashed
      Joined:

      Anyone recommend a good scotch? Afraid to try one. I have to find a higher end bar that might have more than 2 to pick from.

      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • tigerpacT
        tigerpac
        Joined:

        bowmore is a nice entry to peaty scotches.  Delicious and easy to find.

        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • mclaincauseyM
          mclaincausey
          見習いボス
          Joined:

          I would go with your plan of sampling them at a bar, last thing you want is to get stuck with a bottle that you hate.

          Think it, be it.

          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • organisysO
            organisys
            Raw and Unwashed
            Joined:

            @Jordonf9:

            Anyone recommend a good scotch? Afraid to try one. I have to find a higher end bar that might have more than 2 to pick from.

            Monkey Shoulder is a good introduction, iirc it's a modern blend of 3 single malts, un peated.

            Pride of Japan :-)

            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • ddtrashD
              ddtrash
              Haraki san Expert
              Joined:

              The standard Highland Park 12yo offering is always a good bet for a first try single malt.  It is a difficult drink to dislike and is in my opinion a very good introduction to malts.

              There is so much variety on offer when it comes to single malts that finding a well stocked bar is a great idea.

              There is no 'I' in team …............ however there are five in 'individual brilliance'.

              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • Jordonf9J
                Jordonf9
                Raw and Unwashed
                Joined:

                Thanks guys. Most bars around me have the low end stuff.

                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • seawolfS
                  seawolf
                  Mod Squad
                  Joined:

                  Glenmorangie is a great intro Scotch. The first one I really liked was Macallan Fine Oak 10.

                  I've been rather fond of Dewar's 12 lately. It's $21/750ml, well-rounded, and nice finish. It' my new "house" Scotch when I'm not having a single malt or bourbon.

                  “Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible” - Don Norman

                  @zeebeeleather

                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • FOXYF
                    FOXY
                    Joined:

                    Buy a bunch of miniatures or go to a bar.
                    Better, attend a whiskey tasting, if possible.

                    Can't go wrong with a Macallan…

                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • S
                      stever
                      Joined:

                      https://www.masterofmalt.com/samples/

                      these guys (amongst others, they just came to mind first) do a variety of tasting packs so you can try out a bunch of drams at your own pace/ in your own bedroom. worth a look-in if you've got limited choices in your area!

                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • FOXYF
                        FOXY
                        Joined:

                        Can only recommend them…

                        (Some of their regular prices of regular/full bottles are a bit over the top, though.)

                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • B
                          bubbapest
                          Raw and Unwashed
                          Joined:

                          @organisys:

                          @FOXY they look interesting. Partial to a G&T and a Vodka/Dry Vermouth.

                          However, this is an all time favourite:

                          http://www.suntory.com/whisky/index.html#%2Fwhisky%2Fen%2Fhibiki%2F

                          actually had another dram of this last night, no ice cube, just some water and i liked it a lot more than my first dram.

                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • B
                            bubbapest
                            Raw and Unwashed
                            Joined:

                            @seawolf:

                            Glenmorangie is a great intro Scotch. The first one I really liked was Macallan Fine Oak 10.

                            I've been rather fond of Dewar's 12 lately. It's $21/750ml, well-rounded, and nice finish. It' my new "house" Scotch when I'm not having a single malt or bourbon.

                            yeah, i REALLY like the glenmorangie 12's esp the double matured ones.  glenmorangie 18 is one of my favs.  if im at a bar and no bourbons are there that i like, my go to bar scotch is Macallan 12

                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • mclaincauseyM
                              mclaincausey
                              見習いボス
                              Joined:

                              @bubbapest:

                              @organisys:

                              @FOXY they look interesting. Partial to a G&T and a Vodka/Dry Vermouth.

                              However, this is an all time favourite:

                              http://www.suntory.com/whisky/index.html#%2Fwhisky%2Fen%2Fhibiki%2F

                              actually had another dram of this last night, no ice cube, just some water and i liked it a lot more than my first dram.

                              Happy to hear–I found a trove of these at a suburban liquor store and will be re-stocking. And also getting a few bottles of AleSmith Speedway 🙂

                              Think it, be it.

                              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • urbanwoodsmanU
                                urbanwoodsman
                                Banned
                                Joined:

                                Picked up some Whistle Pig, Mitchers Rye and Larceny(for guests) from BQE liquors. I feel like I saved 20%. Thanks again @bubbapest for telling me about that place.

                                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • NorthernVictoryN
                                  NorthernVictory
                                  Joined:

                                  Favorites right now. For people living in California at least, Costco has Yoichi 15 for $100 USD and Lagavulin 16 at $55 USD (when on sale).

                                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • B
                                    bubbapest
                                    Raw and Unwashed
                                    Joined:

                                    @urbanwoodsman:

                                    Picked up some Whistle Pig, Mitchers Rye and Larceny(for guests) from BQE liquors. I feel like I saved 20%. Thanks again @bubbapest for telling me about that place.

                                    anytime man

                                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • jock1624J
                                      jock1624
                                      Raw and Unwashed
                                      Joined:

                                      Went to a house party tonight , this was my drink to bring .

                                      Mirthing my way through life.

                                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • tigerpacT
                                        tigerpac
                                        Joined:

                                        Just got a bottle of Laphroaig Select.  Anybody ever try it?  I have yet to crack open the bottle.

                                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • jock1624J
                                          jock1624
                                          Raw and Unwashed
                                          Joined:

                                          My quarter cask was very smooth and peaty/smoky on the end to me .

                                          Tigerpac :

                                          With stocks of older whisky becoming more scarce and valuable, many whisky producers in Scotland have begun to supplement their offerings with non-age statement releases that are less focused on the age of whisky in the bottle and more on a specific flavor profile or character. Laphroaig has been a leader in this space, first with their extremely popular Laphroaig Quarter Cask release and then with a series of whiskies that explore the impact of different finishing casks on single malt whisky, including Laphroaig PX Cask, Laphroaig QA Cask, and Laphroaig Triple Wood. Now, Laphroaig has made the next logical step with Laphroaig Select Whisky.

                                          Laphroaig Select Single Malt Whisky is a non-age statement release that brings together many of Laphroaig’s popular releases like Quarter Cask, PX Cask, Triple Wood, and Laphroaig 10 Year into a blend that’s finished in new American oak casks. Select may have the distinction of using the most finishing barrels in a single malt release and feels a lot like a “greatest hits” mix on paper.

                                          Laphroaig Select Single Malt Whisky (80 Proof / 40% ABV, $55) – with all of those finishing barrels in the mix, you’d expect the nose of Laphroaig Select to be heavy oak, but it’s actually Laphroaig’s signature peat that’s the first thing out of the glass. Underneath the peat is indeed oak, but it’s accompanied by honey, vanilla, salt, and iodine. There’s also a hint of dried dark fruit in the mix. The nose of Laphroaig Select is highly aromatic with some really nice complexity and surprising balance. By all accounts this should be an oak-forward nose, but it isn’t.

                                          All the oak in the equation is much more apparent on the entry, which is an odd, muddled mix of flavors with vanilla, caramel, honey, peat, oak, blackberry, peanut, ginger, salt, and pepper all there from the start. There’s absolutely no real integration here, no sequencing of flavors, no balance – you just get it all, at once, a complete cacophony. The midpalate sees an increase of peat, oak, black pepper, and ginger spice. The midpalate still suffers from poor integration of flavors but it’s slightly less messy than the entry. The finish is fairly long and slightly dry with black pepper and peat lingering on the palate. It’s in the finish that the younger malt shows itself with some heat and dryness, but even with all the wood in the mix, the finish isn’t painfully dry.

                                          While we appreciate what Laphroaig is trying to do with this release, Laphroaig Select Single Malt Whisky is a rare strike out for a brand that rarely misses. Each piece of this blend – the PX, Quarter Cask, and 10 year – are really strong products, but together they just don’t work. Laphroaig did such an amazing job with last year’s Laphroaig Cairdeas Release – Port Wood Edition with a whisky that truly brought the brand’s signature flavor profile into a new space, it would have been a better move to elevate that to a permanent offering than try to force an odd “greatest hits” release.

                                          Mirthing my way through life.

                                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • B
                                            bubbapest
                                            Raw and Unwashed
                                            Joined:

                                            so it turns out i like the hibiki 12- any other japanese recommendations (not peaty)

                                            i wasn't the biggest fan of the yamazaki 12 but i could re-try.  looking to expand horizon tho

                                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                            • First post
                                              Last post
                                            Copyright Iron Heart 2025.