Got my first bottle of scotch.

Brothers of Briar

Help Support Brothers of Briar:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
i.keenum

i.keenum

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 12, 2011
Messages
1,984
Reaction score
0
Got a bottle of johnnie walker red label and I have to say that I am thoroughly enjoying it. Nice light caramel taste with oak and spice in the back ground. Don't drink often Its either once every month or so when I get time to see my friends and then it is beer. When I do it on my own I normally get whiskey or rum to drink slowly. Good stuff, any good suggestions for a good bottle of scotch for around the 30$ range for a 750ml bottle?
 
Glen Livet 12, Auchentoshan, or The Singleton 12 are all favorite $30 +/- scotches of mine.

Congrats on your first bottle of scotch--even if I hate Johnnie Walker. :lol:
 
Kyle Weiss":13wpvmwk said:
Glen Livet 12, Auchentoshan, or The Singleton 12 are all favorite $30 +/- scotches of mine.

Congrats on your first bottle of scotch--even if I hate Johnnie Walker. :lol:
Click to expand...
Well, you hate the one he likes...so what good is your recommendation? :lol!:
 
You know, the grocery store brand is just re-labeled versions of the good stuff--you just pay for a name. :p Heheheh.
 
A really good affordable Speysider - Aberlour 12 year double cask matured. This has become my absolute favorite reasonably priced single malt. I can get it at one of the big box stores for $32, helluva deal. This stuff is so amazingly better than any blended scotch out there and for just a few dollars more, it's ridiculous. Has a sherry influence and notes of dried fruits and baking spices.

If you don't like the sherried Speyside whiskies, a really nice, mellow Highlander that is consistently good is the standard 10 year bottling from Glenmorangie. Again, big box price here is $29, and you get a lot of refinement for that $29. Not a big bold multidimensional powerhouse, but a damned sight better than any blend you'll find out there.

If you like huge, in your face "I am malt, hear me roar" whiskies, Laphroaig 10 year, the standard peat bomb from Islay. $32 at Trader Joes.

I don't know how you usually drink your scotch, but get a small glass and drink it neat, adding only a few drops of water and let it breathe. You'll find there's a world of refined layers of flavor in there, not the one dimensional needs soda water or sumthin tatse of Jonnie Walker (or those other mass made blends). The big blending houses use grain spirits (corn whisky) as a base and add single malt scotch sourced from other distilleries to make their blends. Once you try a good single malt as described above, you'll start to notice that unmistakable grain whisky taste in those blends and you'll have a tough time going back.
 
I usually spend on Scotch. Here in NC that means between 50-90 a bottle. Oban, Balvenie, and 18 year old Chivas. The 18 year old is much better then then 12 year old and is only a blend of two whiskeys. Incredibly tasty.

For $40 or less I hit the bourbon. Elijah Craig 18 year old is $40 a bottle and if you find it, buy it. They are discontinuing the 18 year old and coming out with a 20 year old at a price point $100+. Evan Williams Single Barrel is reasonably priced and also very tasty.
 
For $30 a bottle where I live its hard to beat Glenmorangie original (10yr), a very nice malt imho
 
keen smoke":tb5lvm0j said:
For $30 a bottle where I live its hard to beat Glenmorangie original (10yr), a very nice malt imho
Click to expand...
Looks like I'll need to try this one...
 
Thanks guys. Gonna have to look into those. I an not a big fan of jameson I know its irish but compared to the scotch out seemed too monochr omatic and pure, I like the stuff I drink to be drank straight so it needs a good bit of flavor for my untrained palet.
 
Sounds like you should go with the Laphroaig. If that isn't enough flavor for you, you can't be helped :lol:

Harlock, you being the scotch lover, I'm amazed you haven't tried Glenmorangie yet. That's like a redneck saying he hasn't ever tried Coors :lol: . It's actually the #1 selling single malt in Scotland.
 
Puff Daddy":26psorn9 said:
A really good affordable Speysider - Aberlour 12 year double cask matured. This has become my absolute favorite reasonably priced single malt. I can get it at one of the big box stores for $32, helluva deal. This stuff is so amazingly better than any blended scotch out there and for just a few dollars more, it's ridiculous. Has a sherry influence and notes of dried fruits and baking spices.

If you don't like the sherried Speyside whiskies, a really nice, mellow Highlander that is consistently good is the standard 10 year bottling from Glenmorangie. Again, big box price here is $29, and you get a lot of refinement for that $29. Not a big bold multidimensional powerhouse, but a damned sight better than any blend you'll find out there.

If you like huge, in your face "I am malt, hear me roar" whiskies, Laphroaig 10 year, the standard peat bomb from Islay. $32 at Trader Joes.

I don't know how you usually drink your scotch, but get a small glass and drink it neat, adding only a few drops of water and let it breathe. You'll find there's a world of refined layers of flavor in there, not the one dimensional needs soda water or sumthin tatse of Jonnie Walker (or those other mass made blends). The big blending houses use grain spirits (corn whisky) as a base and add single malt scotch sourced from other distilleries to make their blends. Once you try a good single malt as described above, you'll start to notice that unmistakable grain whisky taste in those blends and you'll have a tough time going back.
Click to expand...
This entire post +1,000. 8)
 
Puff Daddy":v4ln7ba0 said:
Sounds like you should go with the Laphroaig. If that isn't enough flavor for you, you can't be helped :lol:
Click to expand...
Are you trying to hurt the guy, PD?! :affraid:
Actually I can see Keenum trying it and saying, "Yeah, that was ok, but I'm looking for something a little peatier." :p
 
Gotta start some where. The first time you try something is the best till the next best thing.
 
I picked up a bottle of McClelland's Islay a couple of weeks back because the local ABC Store (The state liquor stores here in NC) had it on sale for $21.99. That's the last time I do that. I have to put several ice cubes in just to make it drinkable, at least for my palate. I looked it up, and it appears it's only aged 5 years.

So next time I'll spend the extra $20 and get something decent.
 
Puff Daddy":ya3gldun said:
Harlock, you being the scotch lover, I'm amazed you haven't tried Glenmorangie yet. That's like a redneck saying he hasn't ever tried Coors :lol: . It's actually the #1 selling single malt in Scotland.
Click to expand...
That'll be remedied soon... :cheers:
 
Perfect time for a quote from a great movie:

"I'll have a scotch on the rocks, please. Any scotch will do, as long as it's not a blend, of course. Single malt, Glen Livet, Glen Galley, perhaps, any Glen."

In addition to all the "Glens" I'd recommend Oban 14. It's one of my favorites. There's a story behind this scotch which might be why it's my favorite....


I walk into a bar...duh-dump, ching. Really, it was a ratty pool hall. Every one with me was drinking pitchers of beer, but I was thinking scotch. I walk up to the bar and the bartender says, "what'll ya have?". After surveying the counter trying to see if they even have scotch, I see this dusty rack with even dustier bottles of scotch. They look like they've been there for years untouched...probably for looks more than anything else.

So I tell her, "I'll try the Oban 14, neat." She say's, "So, you want a shot of scotch?" Thinking she's going to put it in a shot glass I say, "No, I'd like it in a rocks glass please." "You want it on the rocks?". "No, I want it neat,...in a rocks glass."

At this point I've confused her and she grabs a rocks glass and starts pouring the house scotch...having forgotten I asked for the Oban. I inform her I'd rather try the Oban. So she finally grabs the right Scotch and the right glass (without ice) and fills it up almost to the TOP!....and says, "That'll be $7."

The guy sitting next me leans over and say's..."I'll have what he's having..." :D




 
I've never met an Oban I didn't like. They aren't typically $30, though. 8)
 
I haven't tried Oban yet either, but it's on my short list. I only buy those +$50 bottles every now and then.

I think my 2 favorite +$50 single malts thus far are Ardbeg 10 year and Springbank 10 year. I usually try to get much closer to $30 though, and even then it's only a few times a year.
 
PD, any of the Oban line is woooonnndddeerrrffffuuullll! Occasionally you can see the younger ones get down to $40 around fall.

On the other hand, Ardbeg is one I haven't tried. I think I know what my traditional yearly "nice scotch" purchase this year will be. 8)
 
You wacky bunch of peat-loving scoundrels.

Skip the peat and go Irish, my man, go Irish! Jameson is very affordable and widely popular, though I personally prefer Bushmill's (both of which are well within your price range).
 
Top