"The Classic Laddie" from Bruichladdich (Brew-a-claddie) distillery on Islay. Wonderful unpeated whiskey, in fact the only unpeated whiskey from the many distilleries on Islay including the famous and heavily peated Laphroaig.
Beautiful whiskey and beautiful place.
Last edited by MeatMonster; April 16, 2018, 09:33 AM.
Bought this, it may be power of suggestion but wife & still think we taste a slight hint of smoke. Great stuff though and my wife loves the unique color scheme of the bottle.
Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
About meReal name: Aaron
Location: Farwell, Michigan - near Clare (dead center of lower peninsula).
Occupation:
Healthcare- Licensed & Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at MyMichigan Health, a University of Michigan Health System.
My wife and I did another blind bourbon tasting last night. I used some old Flaviar tasting vials and filled 3 with Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, and Blanton's. We've done this taste test before, but it's fun so we did it again.
Wife nailed all three her first time. Buffalo Trace is easier to pick out of these three, it has more of a burn.
I, on 3 separate occasions, picked Eagle Rare as my favorite. It's kind of tough for me to decipher between the 2 side by side, they're close. Anyway, once this was all complete I decided to do a conscious taste test between Eagle Rare and Blanton's to see exactly what it is about the two that makes me pick Eagle Rare.
My conclusions are that Eagle Rare has a slightly bigger wallup of flavor right away, while Blanton's is a bit more muted at first. However, the Blanton's has a much longer finish that changes and keeps going & going & going, while the Eagle Rare drops of rather suddenly by comparison. So do you want more flavor now or later?
Both! I then had the idea that mixing the 2 together should therefore create a near-perfect bourbon. Success! a 50/50 mix was very good. But what to call it?
I decided to call it Eagleton's. So my newly coined Eagleton's is an incredible bourbon. But I am not finished. I intend to experiment further and try adding some small amounts of rye to Eagleton's and see if I can make my perfect homemade bourbon blend. Rye definitely brings a wallup of 'right now' flavor to a whiskey.
Funny. Haven't tried Four Roses. Just picked up a basic bottle of FR Bourbon and it's damn fine sippin for the $$. Now I'll have to try something more exotic like their single barrel. Oh the pain, the pain ... but someone has to do it
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Bourbon - only one that I’ve found that I don’t like and I’ve tried many! But Blantons, Woodford and Makers are great. Angels Envy is wonderful as well but the price went up quite a bit with the popularity of it so I find its a bit too expensive for every day.
Scotch - I’ve had it once, Macallan 18 and it was pretty good. So question for you scotch sippers - what’s a good one to start out with? Perhaps my bourbon likes can help point me in a direction of a few. Thanks!
My favorite everyday sippin whisky is Famous Grouse, a blended scotch. Most people like Glen Livet for a lower end single malt. My favorite bang for buck single malt is Laphroig, a peaty, earthy scotch.
Of course, I"ve never had a scotch I didn't like other than Cutty Sark!
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So question for you scotch sippers - what’s a good one to start out with?
Choosing a "beginner" scotch is much like choosing a "beginner" guitar or a "beginner" set of golf clubs. If you start out with a cheap inferior scotch/guitar/club, you'll never learn to appreciate or use it properly. Start with something decent that doesn't break the bank ... and in the case of scotch, I personally like Balvenie Doublewood.
Excellent choice, Doublewood is awesome. It is sherry-finished, so it's fairly sweet. Also in that same range is Glenmorangie Lasanta, also sherry-finished, and about 10-20% cheaper than Doublewood, on average.
Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
About meReal name: Aaron
Location: Farwell, Michigan - near Clare (dead center of lower peninsula).
Occupation:
Healthcare- Licensed & Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at MyMichigan Health, a University of Michigan Health System.
So question for you scotch sippers - what’s a good one to start out with? Perhaps my bourbon likes can help point me in a direction of a few. Thanks!
To me Scotch is like pulled pork- there are a few versions of it that are all vastly different but are still called pulled pork by everyone- oven made, crock pot made, or smoked. Some are full of sauce, some smoke, some are just tender tasteless meat. Scotch similarly has a few ways of being made which drastically affects its end result, and not all will work for everybody.
In my opinion, the key difference flavor-wise between Scotch & bourbon is Scotch is creamier and less spicy, while bourbon has that trademark cinnamon spiciness.
Islay (pronounced eye-luh) is an island off southern Scotland that traditionally uses peat smoke to dry their barley, and therefore *most* Scotches with Isaly printed on the label will taste smokey. This is often called a "peated" Scotch. You may like that, you may hate it. Some are very subtle, some are strong enough to curl the curtains.
Finished, or "cask finished" Scotches are aged extra time in another barrel or 'cask', such as a used sherry or port cask. These types tend to have a slightly sweeter, and perhaps even a very subtle fruity flavor, and typically are smoke-free. These are my personal favorites.
Then there's the regular ol' Scotch. Aged in ex-bourbon barrels as is the custom and nothing else. These are the middle of the road (flavorwise, not quality wise or importance) Scotches which are essentially more natural. You taste the barley and the barrel.
Me personally, if I were to suggest a great easy drinker, it would be Glenmorangie 10 year, the yellow label. Very easy, smooth, and (to me) a classic Scotch taste. The Glenmorangie (pronounced Glen-MORE'-en-jee) is typically widely available. If you wnat to try the cask finished ones, Glenmorangie also makes a great one called Glenmorangie Lasanta, a burgundy label. Also The Balvenie Double Wood is similar to Lasanta, just kicked up a couple notches. Glenlivet is another widely available one but I personally think Glenmorangie 10 is better. Since you like broubon, a Scotch that I found a little spicier and maybe somewhat closer to bourbon (if you can find it) is The Balvenie Caribbean Cask.
Worthy of note is to be called Scotch it has to be made in Scotland, but France, America, Japan all make "single malt" or "malt" whiskeys that are very similar just can't be called Scotch, and aren't bourbon either if they don't use 51% or more corn and age in new oak barrels. Japan is great at making tasty blended malt whiskeys ("Scotches").
There's LOTS of cool details and things to learn in the world of whiskies!
Please stay away from the available-everywhere Johnny Walker red or black label. While they have their fans, they're not going to be a proper representation of a good Scotch, IMO. Dewar's isn't too bad for a cheapie.
I don't claim to be an expert, and obviously my recommendations are simply according to my own personal taste since you asked....but I hope this helps you a little.
Thank you for taking the time to write this up Huskee. I read most of th thread yesterday on the plane and thought the Balvenie Caribbean Cask May. Be a good one to start with and you said it again. So that will be one I try to find. If not the others you mentioned in that same paragraph will try.
Like everything else personal taste matters. Huskee likes Glenmorangie and it is one of my least favorite scotches, no matter the vintage. I prefer Glen Fiddich 12, but it's not to everyone's liking. I too like Makers & Woodford but found Four Roses sippable and you did not.
Bourbon is "new" to me and I'm enjoying the tasting journey immensely. I don't hold stock in others opinions, but there are several rating services if you're interested. Take the scotch plunge. I now have another choice when I go to the liquor cabinet
Glenfiddich is great too! Yeah it's hard to trust other's opinions. But it's a good starting point I suppose. I rarely trust "pro" opinions. Pros to me can be snobs, and pros tend to rate things I love poorly and things I don't care for highly. The same goes for Rotten Tomatoes when it comes to movie reviews....lol... I find it best to trust the opinions of someone who loves what you love.
One rating service I enjoy reading is Breaking Bourbon. Either their tastes are more similar to mine or they're a little less snobby, but either way I enjoy reading that site.
Favorite bourbon is well its complicated I like Jack Daniels Single barrel select (drinking it right now), but it is TECHNICALLY a Tennessee Whiskey due to the Lincoln county process it undergoes...a subset of American bourbon. As far as traditional bourbon goes STAGG JR. HANDS DOWN. Scotch, well I have had a love affair with an 18 year old MacAllan girl for quite sometime...shh don't tell Mrs. Calhoun.
Stagg Jr is certainly not for a new bourbon drinker. But then again, if they're new and they like it (or should I say if it doesn't kill them ) then everything else will be child's play!
Smokin-It 3D
Weber Kettle with an SNS
Masterbuilt kettle that I call the $30 wonder grill
Bullet by Bull Grills gasser
Anova WiFi sous vide machine
Thermoworks Thermapen and Chef Alarm
Maybe it’s the scotch talking... I may have already answered this but what the hell.
I’m a scotch drinker over a bourbon guy and my tastes unsurprisingly run towards the peaty stuff.
Lagavulin 16 is my favorite and Bowmore Small Batch is my every day drinker.
For bourbon, probably Few cask strength is my current choice for drinking neat. Makers on the rocks at a bar with a poor selection.
That being said, I find most bourbons too sweet and prefer rye over bourbon. Rittenhouse is my go-to for mixed drinks like manhattans and old fashioneds and High West Rendevous or Campfire for drinking neat
) then everything else will be child's play!
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