Posted on 01/22/2009 1:15:02 PM PST by Daffynition
Take a load off with one of these wonderful scotch whiskies.
[1]Johnnie Walker Black Label Perfectly rounded, deep and full, this is the blended Scotch most admired by blenders. If I had to take only one whisky to a desert island, it would probably be this one. 40 per cent ABV
[2]Lagavulin 16 Year Old The prince of the Islay malts, this is deep and dark, with notes of fruitcake and sweet seaweed. A voluptuous texture and a fragrant, smoky finish. For drinking with poetry, late into the night. 43 per cent ABV
[3]The Glenrothes 1985 A big, rich Speyside, with notes of dried fruits and peel and some spicy or tannic dryness. Drink with roast Aberdeen Angus beef. The last remaining drops of this vintage have now been bottled. 43 per cent ABV
[4]Old Pulteney 12 Year Old An elegant malt from Wick in the far north of Scotland, this has a lightly "maritime" character and goes well with fish and seafood. The distinctive bottle features a traditional Wick herring drifter. 40 per cent ABV
[5]Clynelish 14 Year Old A North Highland malt, from the coast of Sutherland. Fresh and heathery, with waxy notes reminiscent of a High Church. Drink from the deep freeze in chilled glasses with dessert ? you will be amazed! 46 per cent ABV
[6]Auchentoshan 18 Year Old A triple-distilled Lowland single malt, from a distillery overlooking the River Clyde. Refreshing, even invigorating, and light in style, this makes an excellent apéritif. 43 per cent ABV
[7]Asyla An uncommon (and uncommonly good) blended Scotch, from the Signature Range of the artisan whisky maker Compass Box. Sweet and delicate, this is ideal as an aperitif. 40 per cent ABV
[8]Highland Park 18 Year Old bA distinguished, rich, complex and slightly smoky malt from the Orkney Islands, to accompany coffee, dark chocolate and cigars. A most satisfactory balance of sweet and dry, with dryness winning in the finish. 43 per cent ABV
[9]Bailie Nicol Jarvie An entirely different creature ? light in style, clean and zesty. Easy to drink, this is a blended whisky from the Glenmorangie distillery in the Highlands, named after a character in Walter Scott's novel, 'Rob Roy'. 40 per cent ABV
[10]Talisker 10 Year Old From the Isle of Skye, this is THE malt to accompany haggis (and many other dishes). Sweet and lightly smoky, but watch out for the chilli-pepper hit in the finish. Robert Louis Stevenson regarded Talisker as "the king of drinks". 45.8 per cent ABV
Laphroaig or die.
Ping for the Bourbon List
I like Dewers for a blended Scotch.
Prefer bourbon myself, but if I had to pick a Scotch, I’d probably take Laphroaig.
Pinch AND Johnnie Walker Black, neat
How about Blagojevich Scotch Whiskey? The proof increases every day.
We prefer Aberlour or Glenfiddich - the Islay malts are too peaty, including Lagavulin... yuk!
Where is Oban?
And if he is talking about the best scotches, why include black label and not blue label?
Glenfiddich. Got to tour the distillery and try ‘a wee dram’. Mmmm.
Laphroaig is great, especially the Quarter Cask (my personal favorite).
Apparently, somebody thinks Johnnie Walker Black is better. (?)
This topic demands a sea shanty!
OOOooo, whiskey is the life of man,
Whiskey, Johnny!
I drink whiskey when I can
Whiskey for my Johnny!
Whiskey from an old tin can,
Whiskey, Johnny!
I’ll drink whiskey when I can.
Whiskey for my Johnny!
I drink it hot, I drink it cold,
Whiskey, Johnny!
I drink it new, I drink it old.
Whiskey for my Johnny!
I thought I heard the old man say,
Whiskey, Johnny!
I’ll treat my crew in a decent way.
Whiskey for my Johnny!
A glass of grog for every man,
Whiskey, Johnny!
And a bottle full for the chanteyman.
Whiskey for my Johnny!
Whiskey makes me pawn my clothes.
Whiskey, Johnny!
And whiskey gave me this red nose.
Whiskey for my Johnny!
YEA HAY! CHEERS!
Oh we are so jealous of your tour.... a taste tour no less! ;^)
If you like blends and j walker try the Gold or Blue
A really nice single malt 16 yr Glenfiddich
Oddly enough, I like Johnnie Red better than the Black. But either one is definitely the best blended Scotch. Actually, I like the Green best of all, even better than the Blue - which I have only had on one occasion - but for an everyday Scotch, JW Red or Black are the best.
My other faves are Laphroaig and Lagavulin.
We need a Scotch List. Can you imagine the Freeper Distillery Tour? LOL!
Hehehe! Of course! It’s funny tho....when you go to the Jack Daniels one, you have to drink lemonade. Dry country! LOL!
I’d say Green and Gold are by far the best for the money. Red and Black contain grain whiskies that in my mind seriously taint the taste. Blue is good and all, but there’s no way I can justify what it costs. I paid $120 at a duty-free shop and even that was way out of line (especially since Gold was $37).
It ain’t a Scoth, but I like Bushmill’s.
Éire go brách
Lagavulin... Islaylite.
I don’t hate Talisker myself, but there are better.
I’m a big Oban fan-that’s good stuff.
FWIW, any Scotch fans who come to NYC should stop in at either Keen’s on W. 36th or St. Andrews on W. 44th. The best retail selection is at Park Ave. Liquors, which is actually on Madison (near 40th)
Cheers.
My “house” scotch is the 16 Year Old Lagavulin.
^county, sry.
Our tastes are very similar. I mostly agree with you.
My uncle says Bells ....
Erin’
Oh, and to follow up on my previous post-I prefer JW Red to Black, as well-Hell, Churchill drank Johnny Walker Red—if it was good enough for him....
I think my favorite blend is Famous Grouse—good stuff.
I enjoy both JWalker Gold and Blue. Never been much of a Black fan.
McAllen used to be my favorite, but as of late, my favorite has been Balvenie. Been working my way through a bottle of 21 year Bal, and it’s been wonderful.
I prefer bourbons but I do have a dumb question. Are all Scotch whiskeys made in Scotland? Is the term Scotch used to define a style or where it is made?
The best Scotch is paid for by someone else!
“If you like blends and j walker try the Gold or Blue”
I concur.
It’s almost impossible to find and I have no idea how much it costs now (I haven’t had a drink in 18 years, but it was about $100 a bottle back in 1990) and it’s a blend, but Usquabach is the best Scotch I ever tasted and I used to drink a lot of Scotch.
I’ll stick with my bourbon. Not only do I find it enjoyable, I’m patronizing a uniquely American product to boot.
I like Johnie Black. As a matter of fact I have an unopened bottle at home. Maybe I’ll have some tonight.
They all taste like shite to me.
I’ll stick to my Guinness Extra Stout.
You can save some money on Guinness by just putting a cigarette out in a bottle of Budweiser.
agree, i like the moors scotches too, altho i prefer glenmoragnie. its a touch smoother than glenfiddich, not overly sweet like glenlivet.
altho some of the islays are good with a robust cigar.
I’ve never had the Gold. Or even seen it here, for that matter!
But I agree, the price for the Blue is insane.
You can save some money on Guinness by just putting a cigarette out in a bottle of Budweiser.
All Scotch whiskeys are from scotland.
That said, they do have a common style, much like all Bourbon whiskeys are from Kentucky — and have a common style.
Bourbon choice is Knob Creek.
Guinness is best in a somewhat grungy pub, smelling of roast lamb, in Dublin on a rainy night. But you do know that Irish babies were brought up on a mixture of Guinness with sugar and milk, right?
you a scotch guy?
HUBBY SAYS he can’t afford what he likes so he drinks Balvenie. He like laphroig or whatever it is called.
We’ve got to get the Freeper Scotch Tour going!
Where are you at? I used to see it in PA (I think it was $80) and it’s here in VA now (around $90). I saw it in both NC and NJ, too. Only NJ was not a state store, which might affect the selection. It’s worth trying if you like blends. I actually think it’s better than the Blue.
I’ve been tempted to actually fly to San Juan solely for the purpose of stocking up at the duty-free shop. You have to “leave the country” to get the prices, but for them it doesn’t even matter - anybody leaving the island is considered leaving the country (even if you’re just flying to Miami). Also, their rules are “all you can carry” though it may have changed since the whole liquids-are-bad thing in the airports.
I have to show that to my Johnnie Walker Red buddy next door. He will enjoy that one!
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