December 02, 2006

It is during this time of year that I truly enjoy a good single malt. I have often wished to that I could go on a tour of some of the legendary distilleries.

I ran across the very interesting Ladybank Distillery Diary, and the blog related to this new venture. I'm thinking about becoming a member.....I think it would be in my best interest.

posted by Darshon 18 years ago
  • Interesting... here in the U.S. a few months ago I got an urge to try a good Scotch whisky. The only non-blend I could find at the liquor store was a $30 bottle of Glenlivet, which was coincidentally was the most expensive whisky they had. I've read that Glenlivet is barely passable for a "real whisky" and I'm not willing to go into the stratospheric price ranges, so I decided to just chalk it up as an interesting treat and go back to beer.
  • Single malts are wonderful, but I have reservations about this project. They say it will be good because they are "working with the industry's best chemical analysts", and that the strange choice of location is OK because the quality of the water is irrelevant if you have modern chemistry. I don't like the sound of that. If you want to join a club and you like the peaty stuff, you could consider this.
  • > I've read that Glenlivet is barely passable for a "real whisky" I'd consider the Glenlivet 12-year-old to be a fairly good introduction to single malts. It's nice enough to demonstrate the benefits of single malt Scotch over blended Scotch (note that I don't include Irish whiskey here). Whoever is saying that it's barely passable has developed a certain amount of Whisky snobbery. If I was going to invest money in a distillery at this point, I'd invest in Irish single malts, preferably established ones. The market for Scotch might have already peaked, the market for Irish has some years left.
  • I like crappy whiskey. When I drink Whiskey I want it to burn. Conversely when I drink tequila/vodka/gin I want it smoooooth. I want my beer thick and wheaty, and I want my Irish Car Bombs filling the entire pint glass.
  • *wonders if an irish car bomb is as charming a drink as a black and tan...*
  • Well you drink a Black and Tan. You shoot an Irish Car Bomb.
  • Well, where I come from, we shoot the black and tans, but we set... Oh well, y'know yerself...
  • Oban has always been a personal favourite, but you won't ever see my turning down a glass of Laphroaig. Nope, not ever. On homunculus' link; oh brother, that's just pathetic. Could they not even have come up with a plausible lie versus telling the truth??? Americans........we are such idiots.
  • Remembering a baaaad night that started with lots and lots (and lots) of car bombs. roryk, a car bomb is a half a pint of Guinness, into which one drops a shot that is half Baileys and half Jamesons. Then you chug it.
  • I used to live in a town that had a fairly bad restaurant with a really good single malt menu. When we had a couple of extra bucks in our pockets, we'd go there and tip a few. Good times.
  • Mr. Glencannon, Chief Engineer of the Inchcliffe Castle - "He found MacCrimmon's Very Old to be distinctly creditable stuff — as good, in some respects, as The Laird's Selected Relics, Clammarty Royal Tartan Blend and Dunleven Particularly Choice. But none of them, of course, could compare with Duggan's Dew of Kirkintilloch — most gorgeous of all liquids that ever dripped golden from the nozzle of a still to mingle its perfume with that of the heather in the cold Highland mists."
  • Oban has always been a personal favourite, but you won't ever see my turning down a glass of Laphroaig. Nope, not ever. Personally, I'd never turn down Oban, but my fav will always be Lagavulin. But, it's much too expensive for it to be found on my shelves -- I have to depend on the kindness of strangers for it. Laphraoig is an entirely satisfactory second choice. And at half the price, a regular feature of my liquor shelf. Haven't tried all the other Islays, but Caol Ila I found to be a pale imitation of Laphraoig. Ardbeg was a big disappointment -- it exists purely in its aftertaste, which is a very strange phenomenon. And it didn't taste all that distinctive. Of the blends, my favourite proved to be a long-shot contender -- a 700 mL bottle of Loch Lomond picked up at the Buffalo duty free for FOUR BUCKS. Bought it because of the Captain Haddock connection, and expected much burning action, but man oh man, was it ever nicely balanced.
  • roryk, a car bomb is a half a pint of Guinness, into which one drops a shot that is half Baileys and half Jamesons. Then you chug it.
    What a cruel and unusual thing to do to the Guinness and Jamesons. The Baileys is probably improved by the process.
  • (Also, still haven't had this, it still being seriously cost-prohibitive. And I like 'em peaty. Which this isn't.)
  • ~150 year-old Scotch sold for 14.8K GBP.
  • When I first moved to this state of Wisconsin, I asked for a car bomb when I was out. They gave me a hard ball glass full of guinness with a shot glass of Jameson. My response: "What the fuck is this?"
  • Damn. I've been looking for Loch Lomond for ages. I've always just assumed it would taste like crap, but just wanted to try it because of the Captian Haddock connexion. Can't get it in Ontario or Quebec.
  • Four bucks, man. I'd easily pay twice that.
  • And $4 too. Cheaper than mouthwash, but won't leave your breath quite as minty-fresh.
  • A few years ago Lagavulin vanished from the shelves of my local store. Now it's back but at 55e a bottle, I'm not buying, although I admit that it is very good. Ardbeg, Laphroaig, Talisker, Highland Park, all equally excellent in my opinion and cheaper. I don't really know anything about good blends, but Johnnie Walker Red Label is really not bad at all, especially if you compare it to Bell's, Ballantine's or whatever. By the way, that maltwhiskey.com is an excellent site, thanks.
  • Oh yes, while I'm here I should recommend Redbreast, by far the best cost:quality ratio of any Irish whiskey I've tasted. It's become more expensive recently, as the brand has become more established, but it's still a bargain in quality terms.
  • I bought a bottle of Redbreast (mentioned above) a few weeks back. Think I'll open it tonight. Yay!
  • Just drink what you're given. Don't make 'em drop more bombs.