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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

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

    General Chat
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    • 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
                                      • tigerpacT
                                        tigerpac
                                        Joined:

                                        nikka 17 is my favorite Japanese scotch I've been lucky enough to try.  Delicious!

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

                                          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.

                                          “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
                                          • xtcclassicX
                                            xtcclassic
                                            啓蒙家
                                            Joined:

                                            I'm a bit late to the Bourbon party but I quite like this…

                                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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