Can anyone recommend a really good bottle of Scotch?!
Can anyone recommend a really good bottle of Scotch?
Answers:
Well Trail Guy is right BUT
Laphroaig is a great choice ONLY if you enjoy a very pungent iodine, salty and smoky style. It about as far to one end as you can get.
There are various styles of Scotch: blended, vatted or pure malts and single malts. Blendeds and vatteds are the least intense but single malts are as varied as wine. Highlands whether it be eastern, western or Speyside are generally right in the middle of the peaty, smoky spectrum. As you get closer to the coast the salty, briny character bumps up. The Lowlands are unique in that they use wood instead of peat to malt the barley. They are mild but quite interesting. Islands like Skye, Orkney, Jura, Arran will show much more sea character and varying levels of peat. Islay (the home of Laphroaig) is home to the monsters. Smoke, peat, salt, the works. Campbeltown is a unique area with only a handful of operating distilleries.
There are hundreds of good bottles of Scotch but without knowing preference its difficult to name one for you. Here's a short list of reasonably priced ones that are easy to find:
Highlands: Pulteny 12yr, Dalmore 12, Glen Garioch 15yr
Speyside: Glenfarclas 12, Aberour 16yr, Macallan Cask
Campbeltown: Springbank 15yr , Glen Scotia 12yr
Islands: Talisker 18yr, HIghland Park 12yr, Ledaig 10yr, Arran 10yr
Islay: Ardbeg 10yr, Lagavulin 16yr, Bruichladdich 15yr, Caol Ila 12yr
Blends: Johnnie Walker Black, Famous Grouse Gold, Dewar's 12yr
Vatted: John, Mark and Robo's any, Signatory Hogshead.
Hope this helps.