Single Malt recomendations.

[kmax]

Hi all I have tried very few single malts in my lifetime and have had some good and bad experiences. I would like some recomendations for a newbie scotch drinker. Thanks!

[COJ]

» Hi all I have tried very few single malts in my lifetime and have had some

» good and bad experiences. I would like some recomendations for a newbie

» scotch drinker. Thanks!

Highland Park 12yr...

I too is low on the learning curve...and thats the one I learned to appreciate the first...

[winelover]

» Hi all I have tried very few single malts in my lifetime and have had some

» good and bad experiences. I would like some recomendations for a newbie

» scotch drinker. Thanks!

These are my favourite, in no particular order:

talisker 10 years

laphroaig 10 years

glenmorangie 10 years

The laphroaig and talisker are quite muscular drinks so I'd say you'd find it hard to go wrong with the glenmorangie.

[Colt45]

On the recommendation of members here, I tried the Macallan 18 and really enjoyed it. It did take quite

some time to open up in the glass, but it was worth the wait - the aromas and flavors were amazing.

Most times though, when ordering scotch, I usually stick with Glenlivet or Glenfiddich.

[Trevor2118]

Hi all I have tried very few single malts in my lifetime and have had some good and bad experiences. I would like some recommendations for a newbie scotch drinker. Thanks!

As you have tried a few, you obviously realise that single malts vary greatly. You really need to try a broad range to see what you like.

I always keep at least 10 malts on hand, comprising a range of malts for friends & my self. (all my are malts from Scotland only).

There a group of 6 malts called the Classic Malts of Scotland, which as a group of six, cover almost the full range of tastes that you will encounter. A good start would be to get a bottle of each and carefully compare one to another as you move through the range ( ie 1 to 2, then 2 to 3 and so on).

They are as follows:

SMOOTH------Dalwhinnie 15yo - mellow / subtle

LIGHT----------Glenkinchie 10yo - dry / intricate

COMPLEX-----Cragganmore 12yo - mature / balanced

RICH------------Oban 14yo - elegant

INTENSE-------Lagavulin 16yo - pungent / potent

POWERFUL---Talisker 10yo - robust / sweet

As I said, I always keep these on hand as tastes do vary.

My taste however falls outside this group. I like the (love it or hate it) Laphroaig range.......a pungent malt with strong sea-side charasticistics....sea-weed, salt, iodine, peat, tar.....found in varying degrees in the:

Laphroaig 10yo - 43% - seaweed / salty / iodine

Laphroaig 15yo - 43% - as above plus tar / peat

Laphroaig Quarter Cask - 48% - as above plus more oak (from small barrels)

Laphroaig 10yo Cask Strength - 55.7% - as 10yo but more medicinal & peat

If you can't find your "sweet-point" in this selection, try Vodka..:-D

[adamg]

Dalwhinnie - absolutely gorgeous! smooth as silk.

[GoodTimes]

The absoulte best single malt I have ever tried by far is the Lagavulin 16yr metioned above. It is so smooth with the most incredible peaty/smoky flavor. I only wish I could afford to drink it exclusively. In fact, I am about to head out to the patio and enjoy a '03 Sir Winston and a glass of Lagavulin...Cheers

[El Presidente]

Great post Trevor.

How would you describe Macallan 18 Year Old.

I enjoyed it immensely in Hong Kong but wonder how it fits into your tasting parameters.

[aavkk]

» Hi all I have tried very few single malts in my lifetime and have had some

» good and bad experiences. I would like some recomendations for a newbie

» scotch drinker. Thanks!

My favorite malt that never seemed to gain much popularity is the Aberlour A'bunadh. It is cask strength so dont forget to cut it a bit ;-)

I think its worth mentioning that I also Talisker 10 Oban 14 and for a few extra bucks Balvenie 21 Portwood. Enjoy!

Alan

[Trevor2118]

» Trevor, how would you describe Macallan 18 Year Old.

»

» I enjoyed it immensely in Hong Kong but wonder how it fits into your tasting parameters.

Rob, I have not tried a Macallan 18yo yet (to my recollection).......but I'll put it on my Christmas list...

[happy1]

» » Hi all I have tried very few single malts in my lifetime and have had

» some good and bad experiences. I would like some recommendations for a

» newbie scotch drinker. Thanks!

»

» As you have tried a few, you obviously realise that single malts vary

» greatly. You really need to try a broad range to see what you like.

»

» I always keep at least 10 malts on hand, comprising a range of malts for

» friends & my self. (all my are malts from Scotland only).

»

» There a group of 6 malts called the Classic Malts of Scotland,

» which as a group of six, cover almost the full range of tastes that you

» will encounter. A good start would be to get a bottle of each and

» carefully compare one to another as you move through the range ( ie 1 to

» 2, then 2 to 3 and so on).

»

» They are as follows:

» SMOOTH------Dalwhinnie 15yo - mellow / subtle

» LIGHT----------Glenkinchie 10yo - dry / intricate

» COMPLEX-----Cragganmore 12yo - mature / balanced

» RICH------------Oban 14yo - elegant

» INTENSE-------Lagavulin 16yo - pungent / potent

» POWERFUL---Talisker 10yo - robust / sweet

»

» As I said, I always keep these on hand as tastes do vary.

»

» My taste however falls outside this group. I like the (love it or hate

» it) Laphroaig range.......a pungent malt with strong sea-side

» charasticistics....sea-weed, salt, iodine, peat, tar.....found in varying

» degrees in the:

»

» Laphroaig 10yo - 43% - seaweed / salty / iodine

» Laphroaig 15yo - 43% - as above plus tar / peat

» Laphroaig Quarter Cask - 48% - as above plus more oak (from small

» barrels)

» Laphroaig 10yo Cask Strength - 55.7% - as 10yo but more medicinal &

» peat

»

» If you can't find your "sweet-point" in this selection, try Vodka..:-D

I'm at work reading this and am dying for a Scotch neat!!!

[anacostiakat]

Not an expert on scotch but here are the ones I have been enjoying lately:

Bruichladdich 10 yr.

Auchentoshan 10 yr.

Highland Park 15 yr.

Lagavulin 16 yr.

Forgive any misspellings. :-P These are all reasonably priced IMHO.

[wp2]

All these guys now have me drooling in anticipation of arriving home & pouring a dram.

Glenmorangie today I think.

[winelover]

Second the Laguvullin 16 years plug, also don't overlook the Oban 14 years.

[kmax]

WOW Thanks for the recomendations guys I now have a nice list to try for the holidays:-)

[sleeper]

There are lots of great malts depending on your mood, but Lagavulin is far and a way my favourite. The smokiness and peat compliment a full cigar(can overpower lite marcas) better than any other that I have found.

I have a wide range of malts in my bar and there are good recomendations above. Highland Park 12 and up, Balvennie DW or 15, Ledaig 15, Bowmore Mariner and 17, Talisker 18, and Springbank 10 and 15 are other good selections with a wide range of bodies and tastes.

IMO, it is less than ideal to compare most any 10 yr old malt to a 15yr to a 20yr old, and so on. Much like tobacco, age smooths out rough edges and has a pricetag that goes with it. Fortunately, we can buy and age our young cigars without the premium. I am willing to pay the premium for older Scotch b/c, like a Trinidad or Cohiba, I think it is worth the extra jingle.

[IShotAManInReno]

For newbies, I always recommend shooting for something in the 15/16yr Age Statement. Anything older will be rich/expensive. Anything younger will be higher alcohol taste/burn which will become more appealing later as you develop a taste for it, but not the best for beginners. Also, avoid Glenlivet (its like the Budweiser of scotch).

Having said that, here are my top 6:

Laphroaig 15yr

Lagavulin 16yr (my favorite all around)

Highland Park 18yr

Talisker 18yr

Macallan 18yr (expensive but worth it)

Highland Park 34 yr (extremely expensive, but worth it, try binnys)

Lagavulin 16yr is very peaty (smoky) and has turned on many a newbie (including myself years ago) to the wide world of Scotch. Like sex, you always remember your first. Highly recommended.

[effinwill]

i prefer bourbon, but i'll second the oban, macallan, and surprisingly, the auchentoshen.

as scotch is an acquired taste, i'd buy less expensive, lighter malts for a while - including the glen-whatevers and speyside whiskies.

[phxkev]

I will concur with IShotAManInReno and recommend the Talisker 18 YO.

If you want a ballsy Scotch heavy with peet (like those of Islay), smooth and smokey, try the Bowmore 18 YO.

I find the Glenmorangie 18 YO brings out the wood notes and nuttiness of a cigar. If you like licorice (though still flowery and light), try this one.

[marco polo]

Thanks for the post! I've never even tasted scotch before, but

I will have to give it a try now :-)

[Curt]

» Hi all I have tried very few single malts in my lifetime and have had some

» good and bad experiences. I would like some recomendations for a newbie

» scotch drinker. Thanks!

All the previous were excellent recommendations.

I am partial to Campbeltown Malts, Springbank which has the coastal briny quality with little iodine and the richer more peaty Longrow.

[BlackFriar]

Well I'm glad to see you are staying away from blends! That's the first step in the right direction. Next thing to ask yourself is what you like in the way of the taste of a spirit? I myself have a low tolerence for anything that is sweet. Single Malts when you scratch the surface are much like wine, the regions somewhat dictate what you get. With that in mind I myself prefer Islays.

In general Islay's tend to have a refreshing saltiness. (Don't quote me, but much of that comes from the maturation process in barrel houses practically at the foot of the sea). Another aspect of Isleys I love is the intense peatiness (smoke).

Try a 10 year old Laphroaig, they are not to hard to find and range in price from 30 to 45 USD depending on where you buy. Beware though, as Single Malts go this is probably the most in your face and takes a bit of getting used to. Even the nose is an experience. I can assure you though that as Single Malts go, Laphroaig has few comparisons. If you like it, branch off into a Taliskar (smoother with a hint of sweetness from the sherry casks) and Laguvilin.

[Ken Gargett]

» Well I'm glad to see you are staying away from blends!

i find that a really interesting comment. i'm not much of a scotch drinker myself, preferring good rum and occasionally gin, bourbon, cognac etc, but the concept of single malts (and i do like lap and the mccallan on the rare occasions i venture there) is a little like the concept of single vineyards in wine. only speculating here but i suspect tat the very best of the blends in scotch must surely be of a similar quality, though different flavour profile, to single malts. grange for example is a great wine but a blend of grapes and vineyards. hill of grace is the single vineyard/varety. both great wins but different.

i wonder if it is because the vast majority of scotch found in the lower price points is blended that its overall reputation has been tarnished.

i may be completely off track here but i wonder if anyone has any thoughts. would be very interested if anyone does enjoy the very best blends. johnny walker blue and chivas aged have always seemed excellent scotches to me but as i said, not a regular or knowledgeable scotch drinker.

[BlackFriar]

Well as for blends, I have never been very fond of any of them. To me they are just to bland. There is a world of diference from plonck such as the medicinal stuff most of us drank in our youth. But consider Johnnie Walker. Red, Black, Green and Blue. The diference between Red and Blue is dramatic. The diference between Green and Blue? Not much to my palate, but quite a bit to my wallet! Guess it comes to the point of diminishing returns. I can no longer discern a difference that is worth buying to me.

Another thing that has to make you wonder is age. Your a cognac drinker so you probably are familiar with the process of long-term barrel ageing and the mixing of multiple vintages to get that VS, VSOP, and XO taste. But honsestly what is the discernable difference between an XO and a Louis XIII? The stuff is getting to the point of being chemically stable by the time it has been aged that long. If you put it in a bottle, spirits are pretty much inert. Why is Madeira "cooked?" A: So it would not spoil. I think when you look at a 15+ bottle of Scotch, you need to do some serious research to see when it was bottled. If it was kept in a cask the entire time great, but I suspect if you took to two 10 year aged bottles that were produced 20 years apart and ran them through a gas chromatograph, you will find the differences to be less than you would initially think.

Wines are so much more fun! Hell, I miss just comparing German and Alsatian Rieslings and getting blown away by the differences in the same damn grape. Distilled Spirits to me are rock solid; you pretty much know what you are going to get every time.

(Forgive my spelling errors, I have let MS Word correct my errors for far to long)

P.S. Please shut me up at any time when I wander to far into your area of expertise as a professional wine critic! :-) . Some of my best times have been drinking other's great collections and learning from them (Roger Voss). Still have MUCH to learn.

Chris

[Ken Gargett]

»

» Wines are so much more fun!

could not agree more!! spot on!!