Hard Drinkers, Lets Drink Hard (Spirits, Liquors and Cocktails)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Thanks guys. Most bars around me have the low end stuff.
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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!
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@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.
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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
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@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
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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.
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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).
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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
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Went to a house party tonight , this was my drink to bring .
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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.
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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
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Picked up a bottle of Lagavulin 16 yesterday. It's big, smoky, and smooth. The smoke and iodine will take a bit of getting used to, but I can absolutely see this stuff growing on me. I tried a Bowmore a couple years ago and it tasted like Band-aids, so I've been a little nervous about Islay whisky ever since.
