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On May 03 2013 00:43 Smooth17 wrote:I can't believe I just found this thread! I will try to take my collection out this weekend and snap a few pics! My favorites are smooth highland (specifically speyside) sherry finished scotches. My personal favorites are all the Macallan sherry finishes, the Glendronach 18 (though the 12 is very tasty too) and BenRomach. Show nested quote +On February 10 2013 10:52 ieatkids5 wrote:@Artrey that's a nice collection. hope to expand mine to include more stuff. any good recommendations for a decent strong and peaty whiskey that wont kill my wallet?  If you are looking for a great introductory scotch to the peat world my personal favorite is Bowmore 12, then 18 then 15. They aren't as in your face strong as a Laphroiag or Ardbeg, which I personally do not enjoy. I do thoroughly enjoy the Bowmore's except the 15. For all you peat monsters out there, I tried a scotch called Octomore by Bruchladdich. It is an intensely peaty scotch, I recall at the scotch tasting them saying it was the highest PPM of peat in a scotch you can get. I couldn't handle it, was way too much for me, but it was very interesting to try. My peat monster friends enjoyed it. thanks, ill be sure to check those out. whether i like em or not, itll be a good experience nonetheless, since ive never had anything considered peaty before!
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On May 17 2013 08:21 Abraxas514 wrote:Show nested quote +On May 17 2013 07:18 DisneylandSC wrote: Southern Comfort Whiskey is best Whiskey. pedia: "Southern Comfort is an American liqueur made from neutral spirits with fruit, spice and whiskey flavorings." So no, it isn't :/ Show nested quote +On May 17 2013 07:43 xDaunt wrote:On May 17 2013 07:01 Jamial wrote:On May 17 2013 06:24 DrCooper wrote: Got back from vacation and bought the Glenfiddich 12yo! Thanks for the advice! I gotta say, at the start it smelled and tasted like any other whisky, however after drinking a lot of cheap blended whisky from the hotel bar (it was free), the Glenfiddich was so much nicer! I enjoy every dram a little more and the burning in my mouth after I take a sip is gone. Nosing however, is a lot nicer than drinking it though. Probably due to the alcohol rushing through my nose when I exhale. That will probably disappear aswell. I can already tell though, it's a bit bland and not very complex.
And the 30 yo is about 300 times better than the 12yo! So you're in for a treat if you ever try it.  I think 18 years is the magic number for quality versus price in single malts and other whiskeys. After a couple drinks, 18-year-old scotch is basically indistinguishable from 25-year-old scotch or higher, but will cost you like only 1/4 to 1/3 of what the 25-year-old scotch costs. If you go above 25 years, it gets even harder. I had a glass of 30-year-old Macallan at a club in Vegas several years ago. It was awesome, and for whatever reason, the bartender said it was $18 for the glass (!!!!!!). Still, I am not sure that I would be able to distinguish it from 25-year-old Macallan in a taste off. 18$ for an ounce of Mac 30 in vegas? holy shit that's a steal. And honestly, if you drink old whiskeys without tasking many younger ones first, you won't appreciate the experience. You're much better off sampling all the types of ~12 y/os that exist rather than one of two 30 year old bottles!
Yes, I agree with this very much. I just assumed most people discussing this here, would've tasted quite few of the 12 y/os already. The 30yo Glenfiddich is the smoothest thing I've ever tasted. It's very different from the 12/18 y/o.
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On June 05 2013 21:33 OminouS wrote:Got my Ardbog today. Looking forward to try it out! + Show Spoiler + Please do tell us! From what I read, it sounds like a way too complicated blend for me, with almost everything in there. Being a relative freshman, I like when only a couple flavors are really standing out, but I'd still like to try this one, of course!
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As a gift to myself, I bought a bottle of Aberlour A'bunadh (batch #42). lovely, just lovely whisky. Strong and intense (60,3% alc) and so rich with with flavor.
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On June 05 2013 22:38 aseq wrote:Please do tell us! From what I read, it sounds like a way too complicated blend for me, with almost everything in there. Being a relative freshman, I like when only a couple flavors are really standing out, but I'd still like to try this one, of course!
Interesting, interesting indeed. Sweet and salty, peaty and fruity. Camomile, kiwi and citrus. All with the classic Ardbeg nose and somewhat classic finish. Since I've tasted a few Ardbegs, this one just placed itself in the middle of the bunch, but it's still a really good whisky. Comparing this Ardbeg to any other whisky out there, it's a great whisky, but I would rank the Ardbegs (I've tried) like this:
1. Alligator 2. Supernova 3. Galileo 4. Ardbog 5. Uigeadail 6. Corryvreckan 7. Ardbeg 10 (Standard, not really fair to have it on the list, for its price it's a really good one.)
Would like to try the Very Young, Still Young, Almost There and Renaissance for a better understanding of how the maturing process affects the whisky.
Never had the chance to try Blasda or Rollercoaster either. My friend has a Committee Reserve that I will sooner or later convince him to open...
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How do you guys prefer drinking Laphroaig quarter cast; neat or do you add a few drops of water? For me, it's perhaps a bit too strong, prefer Laphroaig 10 over it at the moment.
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i randomly came across a bottle of pig's nose scotch at my mom's for some reaosn. someone must have left it there. but pretty good stuff for 30 something a pop
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On July 10 2013 01:49 Manijak wrote: How do you guys prefer drinking Laphroaig quarter cast; neat or do you add a few drops of water? For me, it's perhaps a bit too strong, prefer Laphroaig 10 over it at the moment.
What a coincidence, I just got a bottle of quarter cask 2 days ago. I think the whole water thing is a fad actually: it's supposed to decrease the speed at which stuff evaporates as you increase the strength of the water bonds. That will decrease the amount of ethanol in the vapour, which will allow you to smell more of the other compounds. The 'opening up' doesn't change the taste, it just dilutes the whisky slightly.
Here's a biased source: http://www.theneatglass.com/GlassComparison.html
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On July 10 2013 03:01 aseq wrote:Show nested quote +On July 10 2013 01:49 Manijak wrote: How do you guys prefer drinking Laphroaig quarter cast; neat or do you add a few drops of water? For me, it's perhaps a bit too strong, prefer Laphroaig 10 over it at the moment. What a coincidence, I just got a bottle of quarter cask 2 days ago. I think the whole water thing is a fad actually: it's supposed to decrease the speed at which stuff evaporates as you increase the strength of the water bonds. That will decrease the amount of ethanol in the vapour, which will allow you to smell more of the other compounds. The 'opening up' doesn't change the taste, it just dilutes the whisky slightly. Here's a biased source: http://www.theneatglass.com/GlassComparison.html
Actually, what you are doing is forcing certain elements out of solution. It increases the proportion of ethers and lipids (and countless other chemicals of course) in comparison with the ethanol and water evaporating.
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On July 10 2013 03:01 aseq wrote:Show nested quote +On July 10 2013 01:49 Manijak wrote: How do you guys prefer drinking Laphroaig quarter cast; neat or do you add a few drops of water? For me, it's perhaps a bit too strong, prefer Laphroaig 10 over it at the moment. What a coincidence, I just got a bottle of quarter cask 2 days ago. I think the whole water thing is a fad actually: it's supposed to decrease the speed at which stuff evaporates as you increase the strength of the water bonds. That will decrease the amount of ethanol in the vapour, which will allow you to smell more of the other compounds. The 'opening up' doesn't change the taste, it just dilutes the whisky slightly. Here's a biased source: http://www.theneatglass.com/GlassComparison.html
From personal experience, I've always found it changes the flavours significantly. Even if it just allows you to explore the favours better because of a lower alcohol content, it definitely does make a difference, and I always smell, try, add a few drops of water and repeat.
I don't know for sure if it changes anything chemically apart from watering down the alcohol (although a lot of people would suggest that it does) but I think the effects of lowering the alcohol content to a more palatable level is important. This is particularly noticeable if you're drinking something that is much stronger than average, Cask strength bottlings at 50% ABV (100 proof), and the fact that the distillers water down to very specific levels for bottling can't be a coincidence (bottlings at 42% instead of the minimum 40% are an example of a clear decision by the distiller to water it to that point for a specific flavour rather than watering it further to maximise profit)
The link you've providing is mostly talking about scent, as they're looking at specific glassware and how it effects smell. And I completely disagree with what they're saying. Lowering the alcohol content makes that specific scent (which can be quite over powering) less significant, allowing you to fully explore the scent.
I'd say the best example of why you should add water is either: Because you personally like it better (this is the most important thing) or, following expert advice. Whisky tasters who judge etc add water usually to bring the alcohol level to about 32% ABV (64 proof).
Anywho, as has been reiterated in this thread before, it comes down to what you love! I'm personally a fan of adding water, and I feel that it does a lot for stronger whiskies, like the Laphroaig Quarter Cask.
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I'll try adding a few drops I guess.48% was a bit to much for me.
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Just tried single malt whisky for the first time ever. Dalwhinnie 15. Apparently this is a beginner's one and I find it really strong, guess I'm just a rookie XD
Tastes good though!
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Zurich15313 Posts
I have amazing friends :D Birthday present, a scotch that is as old as I am! Yay!
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Just bought that for not to much. It seem nice and I like the Macallan brands. Should be a good one
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infinity21
Canada6683 Posts
Went to Chicago over the long weekend and grabbed two bottles of Dalwhinnie 15 and a bottle of Talisker 10. All for a bit under $200 so I'm pretty happy :D
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infinity21
Canada6683 Posts
Oh, and I got to try Oban 14 while I was in Chicago. I liked it but I'm finding it hard to justify spending $110 for a bottle. Maybe I'm just a whisky noob and can't distinguish all the subtle flavours in it.
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On September 04 2013 12:31 infinity21 wrote: Oh, and I got to try Oban 14 while I was in Chicago. I liked it but I'm finding it hard to justify spending $110 for a bottle. Maybe I'm just a whisky noob and can't distinguish all the subtle flavours in it. I'm no expert myself, but I'd agree on this. There are plenty of good bottles in the $50-$80 range like 10 - 16 yr old Islay and Highlands whiskys. I'd only pay those amounts if there was something really special about it (and I don't care much about 'limited editions'). Btw, is that the normal 14 yr old Oban? I think that costs about 40 eurodollars over here. I know whisky is a bit more expensive in the US (multiply by 1.5 to get amount in $) but $110 seems way too high.
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Zurich15313 Posts
Haha I also neeeever liked the Oban 14, still not after several tastings. Find it totally bland.
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