Whats the best scottish whiskey to drink and hows it best to take it?!
Whats the best scottish whiskey to drink and hows it best to take it?
I want to try a few scottish whiskeys but dont have much idea about them.A simple guide would be appriciated,thanks.
Answers:
The best way to drink whiskey is with a drop of pure spring water. The best Whiskeys are the single malts and then it is a matter of taste as to which you choose. A good tip is to read the description on the label however don't be fooled into thinking the more expensive the better. Start of with some of the blended Malts first a good one I found is from Sainsburys costing ￡9.99. there are also some very good blended whiskeys on the market as well a couple that come to mind being Grants Sherry Cask and Morrisons Best. I hope this helps. Enjoy the experience.
They're all good. Dewars is probably the most popular. Most clubs have a bottle open. Glenlevit and Glenfiddich are a couple of reasonably priced single malts. These are good starting points.
Johnnie Walker!
Black label is best when it comes to taste/cost ratio. $30/bottle approx.
Red label is the cheapest.
Blue labels and gold labels are expensive.
Drink scotch straight up without ice to enjoy all the flavor. But for beginners its good to dilute with water or 7-up.
Laphroaig whisky is nice on its own.
Famous Grouse is usually the main one in pubs
Johnny Walker is a good make.
Glenmorangie is nice.
If you are going to visit scotland I suggest trying out some of the distilleries whilst you are there!
Most beginners would probably want to start out with anything from the Highlands or Speyside and work your way south from there to Islay, Cambeltown and finally Lowland. If you start off with Lowlands you may not like the peatiness and character that it entails. A nice one to start with is Macallan or Dalmore or even Glenmorangie. I personally am not a big fan of Glenlivet, it lacks any type of character unless you buy the aged variety.
Drink these neat if possible with maybe a little water if it is too strong. If your just starting out add a cube of ice or two which not only helps with the temperature but also adds some water. Don't use mixers!!! If you want to add soda you may as well buy a cheaper blend like Dewars.
To begin with Scotch whisky is spelled without an e and no other whiskey is allowed to be spelled without an e. Blended whiskies are distinguished from malt whiskies and there are many famous names of the former; Bells, Haig,Teachers,Johnny Walker etc. The only way to test it is to taste it neat. If you add water the alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream more quickly and will therefore affect you more quickly. I am sure you will find much more info on the net.
It's all down to experimentation. To fully appreciate whisky, it should be a single malt, drunk neat ( NO ICE!) or with a little Scottish spring water.
There's quite a difference in whiskies depending on which part of Scotland they come from, but here are some of my favourites.
Laphroaig, Talisker, Glenfiddich, MacAllan & Glenmorangie.
Most of the major supermarkets (in UK) do a range of malts, which are pretty good too.
Famous grouse or Highland Park I think the latter still turn the barley manually to give the unique flavour.
Go into any bar in Glasgow.
Pull out your wallet.
Shout 'drinks are on me'
Sample as many whiskeys as you can afford before you pass out.
Take a poll of passing folk when you wake up.
The judgement of Glaswegians is legendary !!!
My favourite is Lagavulin, a single malt from Islay, an island on the west coast of Scotland. When you are buying Scotch, try to taste single Malt Whiskys rather than the blends (like Johnny Walker), and try to get one that has been aged for as long as possible.
I drink whisky with a tiny splash of water, this loosens the flavour, and stops it from being too harsh.
I'm going to go pour one now.
2 other good whiskys to try are Oban and Talisker. Those three brands are all owned by Diageo and are in most supermarkets.
I love these questions! First of all, it depends on how much you want to spend. For 20-30$, you can get a nice blended. I prefer The Famous Grouse because they use a blend of Highgarden, The Macallan, the Glenturret (and others). I've tried Grants', but didnt care for it. Also Cuttysark....didnt care for that either. If its a cheap blended, I add one to two ice cubes....especially since its summer and I'd like something cooler. Always use purified ice, like the kind you buy. Tap water has Cl and other impurities that will throw off the taste.
Now....when I have a little more money burning a hole in my pocket, I will go to the single malts. Honestly, I will always take a single malt over a blended. This weekend I was drinking Bowmore Legends (also labelled as 8 year old).....far more smoky than the 12, but for 19.99$, I wasnt going to complain. I'm not a big fan of smoky/peaty whisky's however. I prefer something a little smoother. For 33-38 $ (US), I like Highland Park (12), the Glenlivet, or the Macallan.
Other favorites....Aberlour a'bunadh (very sweet though), Cragganmore (12). These two are running 45 to 60$. A friend of mine brought over a bottle of Tallisker, which was amazing. That cost him 68. It was smoky, with a slight peppery taste at the end.
With all my single malts, I try a sip neat first. This helps me assess the nose and body and get an idea how much water to add. Again, purified water. Depending on the whisky, a teaspoon or two will suffice. The Aberlour I mention above has a higher alcohol content and I use more water.
I also bought Michael Jacksons' 5th edition, Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch. Has a good history, tasting notes, and distillery descriptions. It helped me alot with deciding what to buy and how to drink.
Salud!
Best advice I can offer is to buy a few minatures. Then, invite a few mates to do the same and have a great night sampling them.
Don't over do it though!!
http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/
Its all a matter of personal taste. My personal preference is The Talisker from the isle of Skye, followed bu The Jura single malt.
Tske with a small amount of springwater (approx 5 parts single malt to 1 water)
If you are going to sling rubbish like coke or lemonade in it you're better off buying Tesco's (other supermarket chains will do!!!!) own brand as thes will mask the subtle taste differences.
If you are camping in the area there is a fantastic site at Granttown on Spey where you can base yourself, within easy reach of many of the Highland and Speyside distilleries. Including Glenfiddich, Glen Ord, Glen Morangie and Grants. Each of which did an excellent tour when I visited last year. I think it was the Glen Ord team who wer able to provide samples from sister distilleries showing the differences between Highland, Lowland,Island and Speyside Malts.
For a different comparison try the Irish blend John Powers Gold. (My favourite blend from Ireland)
(Glen Ord is about 20 mins from Inverness heading North)
try a dalwhinnie if you can find it..it is probably the best scotch whisky around, its not cheap but its not a scotch to be guzzled,its a fine sipping whisky and tastes fantastic.
recommended !!!!!!