Help from whisky experts pls. Recommend me my next whiskys
Discussion
I love them, but I wouldn't recommend a whole bottle purchase for someone who's just discovering his tastes.
As mentioned above, there are some Islay distilleries who produce less extreme variants, but unmistakable Islay, all the same.
I'm a huge fan of Bruichladdich. 'The lighter side of Islay', as they call it. They also happen to do some excellent stuff which is (annoyingly) duty free, if you happen to be passing through a decent airport anytime soon.
As mentioned above, there are some Islay distilleries who produce less extreme variants, but unmistakable Islay, all the same.
I'm a huge fan of Bruichladdich. 'The lighter side of Islay', as they call it. They also happen to do some excellent stuff which is (annoyingly) duty free, if you happen to be passing through a decent airport anytime soon.
Evening all,
Just a little update on my whiskey progress... Having had some crappy weather lately it's been the perfect excuse for sitting in front of the fire having a few glasses.
I'm still working out what's going on with all the flavours, and I've not tried anything too heavy duty yet,
So far I'm working on..
Balvenie Double Wood, VERY good, bit fruity, bit spicy, very nice indeed.
Talisker Storm, (got this cheap at costco), again very good, salt/brine taste, not as good as the Balvenie.
Glenlivet Founders reserve (just opened this one), a bit crap, especially compared to the other two, I got this one super cheap at costco £22 compared to £38 online, definitely NOT work nearly £40, compared to the Balvenie which was similar money from Waitrose. Dont feel too aggrieved as I didnt pay full whack.. think this one may be going for mixing with coke.. There's just nothing to it... nice enough I suppose but no real distinct flavour. Not like the other two.
gone back to the last of the Balvenie for tonight, will probably get a bottle of Ardberg to try next weekend.
Just a little update on my whiskey progress... Having had some crappy weather lately it's been the perfect excuse for sitting in front of the fire having a few glasses.
I'm still working out what's going on with all the flavours, and I've not tried anything too heavy duty yet,
So far I'm working on..
Balvenie Double Wood, VERY good, bit fruity, bit spicy, very nice indeed.
Talisker Storm, (got this cheap at costco), again very good, salt/brine taste, not as good as the Balvenie.
Glenlivet Founders reserve (just opened this one), a bit crap, especially compared to the other two, I got this one super cheap at costco £22 compared to £38 online, definitely NOT work nearly £40, compared to the Balvenie which was similar money from Waitrose. Dont feel too aggrieved as I didnt pay full whack.. think this one may be going for mixing with coke.. There's just nothing to it... nice enough I suppose but no real distinct flavour. Not like the other two.
gone back to the last of the Balvenie for tonight, will probably get a bottle of Ardberg to try next weekend.
I would recommend getting along to a whisky festival.
We have one in Stourbridge twice a year, it's a great event with hundreds of different types of whisky to taste for nothing more than the entry fee plus 'dream drams' which are more rare/expensive drams for a £5 a time. There are also a number of workshops also included in the entry fee you can sign up for on a first come first served basis.
http://whiskyfest.co.uk/
I've discovered loads of whisky I wouldn't otherwise have chance to try which I love (and also not spent money buying bottles I, despite all pointers, didn't like).
We have one in Stourbridge twice a year, it's a great event with hundreds of different types of whisky to taste for nothing more than the entry fee plus 'dream drams' which are more rare/expensive drams for a £5 a time. There are also a number of workshops also included in the entry fee you can sign up for on a first come first served basis.
http://whiskyfest.co.uk/
I've discovered loads of whisky I wouldn't otherwise have chance to try which I love (and also not spent money buying bottles I, despite all pointers, didn't like).
AlfaPapa said:
I would recommend getting along to a whisky festival.
We have one in Stourbridge twice a year, it's a great event with hundreds of different types of whisky to taste for nothing more than the entry fee plus 'dream drams' which are more rare/expensive drams for a £5 a time. There are also a number of workshops also included in the entry fee you can sign up for on a first come first served basis.
http://whiskyfest.co.uk/
I've discovered loads of whisky I wouldn't otherwise have chance to try which I love (and also not spent money buying bottles I, despite all pointers, didn't like).
Nice one, I had no idea they existed (although given the size and scale of our frankly fWe have one in Stourbridge twice a year, it's a great event with hundreds of different types of whisky to taste for nothing more than the entry fee plus 'dream drams' which are more rare/expensive drams for a £5 a time. There are also a number of workshops also included in the entry fee you can sign up for on a first come first served basis.
http://whiskyfest.co.uk/
I've discovered loads of whisky I wouldn't otherwise have chance to try which I love (and also not spent money buying bottles I, despite all pointers, didn't like).
king massive beer festival I shouldn't be surprised!)I've looked at a trip to Edinburgh for a weekend to do some tasting too.
I'm not sure where else they are on such a large scale. We're really lucky to have a fantastic independent whisky (and wine) importers in the town who run the festival. It seems to attract a lot of people from all over the country, which for £40 and a night in the local Premier Inn is probably a pretty good deal (until you start adding in the amount of money we've seen folks spend buying bottles on their way out in a 'jolly' state!)
If I can make a suggestion here...
I did a similar journey, JD to Jim Beam black, to bourbon to Scottish whisky. Fairly early on I bought a copy of Jim Murray's Whisky Bible. I also started listening to Whiskycast, reading the occasional copy of Whisky magazine and bought the rather excellent 101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die.
Having the whisky bible is a great way of calibrating what you taste against an expert, and then using his opinions to guide on future whisky choices. That way when I see a new bottle in a supermarket, or hear it discussed on Whiskycast, I can then look it up and see if it's something that might interest me.
Also if I try a whisky, I'll have a look and see what other distilleries are in that area. While different distilleries can have different characters, a single region tends to have similar characteristics.
God, I make something quite fun sound really boring, don't I?
In my head I keep a running list. Things I've tried, things I want to try, and things to avoid! I'll admit, when faced with a well stocked bar, there's plenty I've not heard of, and quite a few I've heard of and can remember absolutely nothing about! It's fun to try pot luck sometimes!
Also, a good bar is a gold mine as has already been said. You can discover new gems, but also try stuff that's been on your radar. It was a chance sighting of a bottle of Tin Cup that meant I could try it, be rather underwhelmed, and not buy a whole bottle...
I did a similar journey, JD to Jim Beam black, to bourbon to Scottish whisky. Fairly early on I bought a copy of Jim Murray's Whisky Bible. I also started listening to Whiskycast, reading the occasional copy of Whisky magazine and bought the rather excellent 101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die.
Having the whisky bible is a great way of calibrating what you taste against an expert, and then using his opinions to guide on future whisky choices. That way when I see a new bottle in a supermarket, or hear it discussed on Whiskycast, I can then look it up and see if it's something that might interest me.
Also if I try a whisky, I'll have a look and see what other distilleries are in that area. While different distilleries can have different characters, a single region tends to have similar characteristics.
God, I make something quite fun sound really boring, don't I?
In my head I keep a running list. Things I've tried, things I want to try, and things to avoid! I'll admit, when faced with a well stocked bar, there's plenty I've not heard of, and quite a few I've heard of and can remember absolutely nothing about! It's fun to try pot luck sometimes!
Also, a good bar is a gold mine as has already been said. You can discover new gems, but also try stuff that's been on your radar. It was a chance sighting of a bottle of Tin Cup that meant I could try it, be rather underwhelmed, and not buy a whole bottle...
Gassing Station | Food, Drink & Restaurants | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff