I had a patient yesterday who flies commercially and was headed out to Scotland. It got me thinking about Scotch and perticularly Scotch in Scotland. Is it any different there than what we get here? I know some beers that are imported here supposedly taste different than they do where they are brewed. Just wondering. Thanks.

Brett

Brett, my understanding is that there are many small distilleries in Scotland that do not make enough Scotch to export. Is it any different? I do not know but would love to have some native stuff to sample. I tried to arrange for someone who was working in Scotland to get me as many local distillery scotch years ago, but it never happened. Good luck.

Why would anyone want anything different than Laphroaig 10 year cask strength and Lagavulin 16?

It would make no difference to me, as ALL scotch tastes like battery acid to my palate.

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:
Why would anyone want anything different than Laphroaig 10 year cask strength and Lagavulin 16?

I would add Laphroaig Regular 10 Old to that list as well.

GOOD, and GOOD FOR YA.

N E 450 No2...Nah! Why add water?
I drink my scotch and bourbon neet! No ice, no water.

Anyone else drink Bookers bourbon neet?

Feel the warmth all the way down.

I am a purist

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:
Why would anyone want anything different than Laphroaig 10 year cask strength and Lagavulin 16?

I would add Laphroaig Regular 10 Old to that list as well.

GOOD, and GOOD FOR YA.

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:
Why would anyone want anything different than Laphroaig 10 year cask strength and Lagavulin 16?

....because it tastes like the extract from a peat moss and black olive concoction. Other than that I can't think of a reason either. For my money MaCallan, Oban, Dalwinie, and Glenkinchi are pretty hard to beat!

Brett

I like mine with ice.

Lagavulin forever!

The local Total Wines has a concoction called The Peat Monster that is just SCREAMING for me to try it (I LOVE that smoky peat flavor!)!

Glenmorangie....
( neat...goes without saying.)

quote:

boom stick:Why would anyone want anything different than Laphroaig 10 year cask strength and Lagavulin 16?

And Macallan 12 & Talisker 10, all in my pantry, all served on a small amount of purified ice. But I have not tried any single malts that disagreed with my palate, thus I will accept whatever is served.

Every bottle that I have ever bought across the pond was cheaper here in the US!

Why drink only one type of wine? Same holds true for Single Malt Scotch. Fine Single Malts can display many of the same characteristics of a fine wine. They have a nose, bouquet, a start, a middle, and a finish.

What is wonderful about Single Malts is that they do vary from region to region. With a splash of branch water they blossom and release all the wonderful complex flavors that go into the making of the whisky.

Why on earth would you want to limit your experiences to only a couple of fine Whiskies?

Agreed! I have a lot of fun buying new ones when I see them.

Brett

I love variety and have spent way too much money on fine Scotch and Bourbon. Talisker 10 is good and I find the Macallans smooth and perfect but may I say almost boring. I love to try the older and older Scotch but when you get past 25 years you start to get into the many hundreds and even thousands of dollars IF you can even find them.

I just have found a home in those two. One my true love and the other the expensive mistress

I try to have many regions in the cabinet at the same time, but there are almost always a bottle of Glenmorngie and Lagavullin in thee.

At one time the Scotch (ex-china) cabinet housed 43 different distilleries--now down to 16.

Sad times.

Joined this in 1984,

http://www.smws.com/

life has never been the same--in a grand way.

If you like Laphroaig then try the Caol Ila or Bruichladdich.
Both from the same island but different.

quote:

Is it any different there than what we get here?

Yes. You can at least find a whisky that hasn't had half a ton of caramel added to give it that (false) "traditional whisky" colour!

In England unless you go to a specialist shop you'll pretty much get what you'll probably find in Alaska.

In Scotland?

A wider selection from the smokey Islay malts (Lagavulin and Laphroaig - not always a favourite with everybody) to the traditional light (almost clear in colour) lowland malts that are seldom seen outside Scotland.

Plus of course the well know and found almost everywhere highland malts.

Personally I'd maybe ask for a lowland whisky as it is something I think that you won't find in the USA.

quote:

Originally posted by enfieldspares:

quote:

Is it any different there than what we get here?

Yes. You can at least find a whisky that hasn't had half a ton of caramel added to give it that (false) "traditional whisky" colour!

In England unless you go to a specialist shop you'll pretty much get what you'll probably find in Alaska.

In Scotland?

A wider selection from the smokey Islay malts (Lagavulin and Laphroaig - not always a favourite with everybody) to the traditional light (almost clear in colour) lowland malts that are seldom seen outside Scotland.

Plus of course the well know and found almost everywhere highland malts.

Personally I'd maybe ask for a lowland whisky as it is something I think that you won't find in the USA.

Thank you very much for that post. That's the kind of feed back I was looking for.

Brett

Both Glasgow and Edinburgh airports have good selections of whisky after you go past security. My choice would be either the 1 litre bottles of 16 year old Tomintoul (about £30) or the 21 year old Glenfiddich at about £50. These are pretty good prices. The Glenfiddich is a great whisky and I personally really rate the Tomintoul as well. The 18 year old Macallan is also a really excellent whisky and it is available at a good price in the airports, though it would be more expensive than either of the two listed above. Of course it all depends on your taste.

There may be some issue with the import of the 21 Glenfiddich into the USA as it is aged in Cuban barrels, I've no idea if that is true or not but don't say I didn't warn you. For me the 21 Glenfiddich is the current best buy in the Scottish airports.

Oh, it used to be that Edinburgh airport had a great whisky selection and Glasgow had a very small selection. This is no longer the case and the selections and prices are now similar, or even exactly the same.

I'm sorry; Scotch has nothing to do with hunting or shooting. There are other sites that cater to this sort of thing so if this discussion is continued you might be banned.

On the other hand, if you would just take a photo of a rifle or handgun with a bottle of Scotch, it would probably be OK.

Ah, but you see Grumulkin, Brett is HUNTING for a good Scotch and we are giving him advice on how best to TRACK DOWN a variety of the beast.

You are not poking fun at Walter and Saeed are you

quote:

Originally posted by Grumulkin:
I'm sorry; Scotch has nothing to do with hunting or shooting. There are other sites that cater to this sort of thing so if this discussion is continued you might be banned.

On the other hand, if you would just take a photo of a rifle or handgun with a bottle of Scotch, it would probably be OK.

Who? Me?

I like most single malts but particularly enjoy the coastal distilleries with the whiff of sea weed!

Michael Jackson's book on single malts was a real education. Pity he died last year.

quote:

Originally posted by Grumulkin:
I'm sorry; Scotch has nothing to do with hunting or shooting. There are other sites that cater to this sort of thing so if this discussion is continued you might be banned.

On the other hand, if you would just take a photo of a rifle or handgun with a bottle of Scotch, it would probably be OK.

UHH, this is Walter's forum, and that pretty much makes it an anything goes part of this great website.

As for single malts, I like The Balvenie double wood 12 year old.

Try the Balvenie 17 year Madiera cask if you are a fan of them. One of the best I have had.

quote:

Originally posted by DLS:

quote:

Originally posted by Grumulkin:
I'm sorry; Scotch has nothing to do with hunting or shooting. There are other sites that cater to this sort of thing so if this discussion is continued you might be banned.

On the other hand, if you would just take a photo of a rifle or handgun with a bottle of Scotch, it would probably be OK.

UHH, this is Walter's forum, and that pretty much makes it an anything goes part of this great website.

As for single malts, I like The Balvenie double wood 12 year old.

boomstick, and tenmikemike...

I am sipping a "little" Lagavulin 16 year old as I type this.

While not as Peaty as Laphroiag 10 year old, it does definately have more of the taste of the SEA...

Nakihunter, you might want to give Lagavulin 16 year old a try.

Also, I just do not like a Scotch that has been in a wine barrel...

And I do like red wine.


EDITED TO CLARIFY:

I should not say "I just do not like Scotch that has been in a wine barrel."

I should say I do not like it AS MUCH...

I have not tasted a Scotch that I "hated".

Yes, not a peaty but more a smoke flavor. A good sipping Scotch. Neet for goodness sake. You can taste the luxuriousness of it.

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
boomstick, and tenmikemike...

I am sipping a "little" Lagavulin 16 year old as I type this.

While not as Peaty as Laphroiag 10 year old, it does definately have more of the taste of the SEA...

Nakihunter, you might want to give Lagavulin 16 year old a try.

quote:

Laphroaig

This stuff really kills me with heartburn it generates 4-5 hours after drinking it.....but I still love it!

It does if you drink ten drams worth!

quote:

Originally posted by tendrams:

quote:

Laphroaig

This stuff really kills me with heartburn it generates 4-5 hours after drinking it.....but I still love it!

The more Laphroaig I drink the better I feel, the smarter I get, and the better I look.

And the better I shoot.

Although in Africa I tend to favor Gin and Tonic, at least before dark.

A good friend of mine married a Scottish lass and they travel there every year or so. He always makes a point of hitting as many distilleries as he can, many of them of the small non-exporting variety. He's brought back some real dandies, most of which you can't pronounce without a pound of phlegm in your throat.

That said, anything from the Higland Park distillery in the Orkney Islands gets high marks from me. Their 25 is especially fine, but it ain't cheap.

I am enjoying a wee bit of Glenfiddich special reserve as I type. Aged twelve years by them, and about three by me. This glass will only age about twenty-four more hours...

It's a drink for contemplating things over.

Rich

Speaking of old Scotch

http://www.guardian.co.uk/life...antarctic-shackleton

Whisky on Antarctic ice: Shackleton's scotch comes in from the cold

Crate of scotch dating from around 1896 found in hut belonging to explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton to be opened
A crate of Scotch whisky that was trapped in Antarctic ice for a century was finally opened today – but the heritage dram won't be tasted by whisky lovers because it is being preserved for its historic significance.

The crate, recovered from the Antarctic hut of renowned explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton after it was found there in 2006, has been thawed very slowly in recent weeks at the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The crate was painstakingly opened to reveal 11 bottles of Mackinlay's Scotch whisky, wrapped in paper and straw to protect them from the rigours of a rough trip to Antarctica for Shackleton's 1907 Nimrod expedition.

Though the crate was frozen solid when it was retrieved earlier this year, the whisky inside could be heard sloshing around in the bottles. Antarctica's -30C C (-22F) temperature was not enough to freeze the liquor, dating from 1896 or 1897, and described as being in remarkably good condition.

This Scotch is unlikely ever to be tasted, but master blenders will examine samples of it to see if they can replicate the brew. The original recipe for the Scotch no longer exists.

Once samples have been extracted and sent to the Scottish distiller Whyte and Mackay, which took over Mackinlay's distillery many years ago, the 11 bottles will be returned to their home – under the floorboards of Shackleton's hut at Cape Royds on Ross Island, near Antarctica's McMurdo Sound.

Michael Milne, a Scot who runs the Whisky Galore liquor outlet in Christchurch, described the rare event as a great experience.

"I just looked at this [crate] and honestly, my heartbeat went up about three paces. It was amazing," he said. "The box was like a pioneer's box with the wood and nails coming out."Although Milne said he'd give anything to have a taste of the whisky, "it is not going to happen and I am not going to get excited about it," he said. "But if there was ever an opportunity, it could be a wonderful one to have."

Nigel Watson, the executive director of the Antarctic Heritage Trust, which is restoring the explorer's hut, said opening the crate was a delicate process.

The crate will remain in cold storage and each of the 11 bottles will be carefully assessed and conserved over the next few weeks. Some samples will be extracted, possibly using a syringe through the bottles' cork stoppers.

I'm a great fan of malt whisky and indeed malt whiskey (the difference being the former is Scottish and the latter Irish).

All are good but my favourites are probably the Islay malts and I'm particularly fond of Ardbeg.

Of course, whatever you drink, it's your malt and you can drink it any way you like but might I suggest you guys do me the favour of trying what the Scots call 'releasing the dragon'

Here's how you compare a malt with the dragon released with the same malt without the dragon.

Take two (tulip shaped) wine glasses and pour a little of your favourite malt into each. Then add a little good quality spring water to one. About 25-40% is ideal.

Now SMELL the undiluted one for a few seconds........ then SMELL the diluted one for a similar time.

You'll notice the diluted one has a far more complex and stronger aroma.

Only when you've compared the smell of the two a few times should you then taste them...... again, go for the undiluted one first and you'll realise the flavour of the diluted one is again considerably more complex, interesting and I hope, enjoyable.

I personally also find that ice kills ALL the subtlety of malt whisky & whiskey completely.

Let me know what you think!

Shakari,

Agreed 100%. Neat whisky just doesn't compare to that which has had a bit of good, clean water added to it. The best water to use is that which the distillery uses in producing the whisky, though that's usually not available.

Many think that diluting the whisky in the slightest detracts from it. On the contrary, it enhances it, by allowing it to open up a bit and share all of its secrets and intricacies. Much in the same way that a decanted bottle of wine does.

I agree also, that ice is a total killer of the essence of a single malt.

The glass from which you drink, as you pointed out is also important. I usually choose a large brandy snifter or a tulip shape, as you suggest. High quality scotch glasses are available from Riedel.

As for blended whiskys (Famous Grouse is my preffered everyday whisky) I will often add a few cubes of ice and some water, or even ice and soda with a twist. Very refreshing.

My wife is from South America and her uncles drink their blended scotch with ice and mineral water and it is very nice. I will add in a bit of Perrier or the like to my Famous Grouse occasionally.

But, single malts should be consumed at room temperature with a bit of cool, but not cold water from an appropriately shaped glass.

My favourite blend is J&B and I do sometimes put ice in that.

The Japanese also have a thriving malt industry and they recommend you drink that with ice but I've never had the chance to try any, so don't know how it compares. A lot of people speak highly of it though.

No Ice
Not only is the flavor better but after years in Montana who wants to freeze from the inside out.
Ice is for tea---any Brits to argue?