Review one whiskey

[bd8802]

This is quickly becoming an obsession.



After being much heralded, I tried Oban 14 while out with friends this weekend. The first thing I noticed is that it was much deeper of a color than the Macallan that I had previously, also had a much stronger nose. When I say stronger I do not mean that in a bad way. Another thing I noticed is that glasses do matter. The brandy glass that I was using was MUCH better than the glasses i used at home. I got a much better smell of the scotch.

It's taste was not as silky as other that I have tired. It was a little more coarse. It was really different but also interesting and refreshing. I noticed maybe a hint of mint on the tip of the tongue which really went well with the peat and earthy flavors at the back of the mouth.

I liked Oban 14 so much that I think I drank about 6 more over the course of the night. Also over the course of the last couple weeks I have not added any ice or water to my scotch drinking. This has made a huge difference. As a noob I was told to add some ice, what a mistake.

One last piece of good news. I acquired a bottle of Balvenie Portwood 21 for 83$ today. I am excited to crack it open at the next special occasion.

[Maulik]

guids,

For budget, consider:

. Far superior to Wild Turkey, Jack, Jim. For my review, coming this weekend: BOWMORE ISLAY Scotch Whiskey, 12 year.

ED: Maulik, I am gonna let that one slide, pretending that that is a really crapass review of bulleit. BTW, for about the same price as Bulleit, WL Weller 12 ($23.99 BevMo http://www.bevmo.com/productinfo.asp?sku...p;area=spirits) gets WAY better reviews, often way up there w/ $50 bottles.

[MrWookie]

Last night, there was a bottle of 1792 Ridgemont Reserve Bourbon floating around the party I was at, and I was lucky to get to try some of it before it evaporated.



This runs $30 at bevmo.com, so you non-Californians will probably pay more in your respective liquor stores. This bourbon tasted somewhat smooth, but not as much as the Eagle Rare. It had some good woodiness and some hints of classic bourbon flavors like apple and vanilla. Really, though, this one wasn't all that deep or exciting. I much preferred Knob Creek and W. L. Weller, and they both cost less. I'd definitely recommend anyone shopping for a mid-level bourbon to look elsewhere.

[dcasper70]

Went to dinner at the in-laws tonight. When I mentioned my increased desire for scotch, mom-in-law fetched from the garage an unopened bottle of Ballentine 12yo that she had been given BACK IN 1984!!!! If only it had spent that extra 23 years in a cask...

Not a bad drink. A honey/amber color, sweet smelling (caramel, vanilla). Mild to the tounge and a nice creamy feel in the mouth. A fine honey oak finish.
Compared to my last 3 reviews, I definitely prefer peatier, but I would happily drink this again.

[milesdyson]

Eagle Rare 10yr Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

I drank about 1oz of it neat tonight. It is probably the smoothest I've ever had. Sweet and slightly "oaky." Not quite as sweet as JD single barrel but close if I recall correctly.

Price is about $30-$40 or so - very good bourbon.

[JoseRijo]

Isle of Jura - Single Malt Scotch
A few years ago, my dad traveled regularly to Scotland on business. He brought back a ton of different scotches, and this one is my favorite. I'd describe it as the anti-Laphroaig: it has a sweet taste with hints of orange and butterscotch. But this is a real scotch with a smooth but discernable scotch (oak?) finish.

I'd recommend Isle of Jura to novice Scotch drinkers because of its smoothness, and to regular Scotch drinkers because of its complexitity and originality.

[dcasper70]

[ QUOTE ]
Talisker 10 (52$ at bevmo, about the same locally here)



After drinking Balvenie Doublewood 12 and Macallen 10, I wanted to try something a little different that was not a Highland scotch. I am very much a novice scotch drinker, so I do not have the command of the flavors that others do, but you can instantly tell that this scotch is not like the ones i have drank before. It has a much stronger bite to it. I would assume that is because of the peatyness of this scotch over the others I have drank. I still found this very drinkable and enjoyable. It might not be as smooth as some, but I think it has some distinct characteristics that make it stand out from the crowd. I would recommend trying it as a third or fourth bottle of scotch a novice would buy.

[/ QUOTE ]
Enjoying my first taste of this right now, but coming from a different perspective.
Having entered the scotch world throu Oban, Laphroaig and Lagavulin, this Talisker seems milder to me.
Seems to be relatively dry (if that's a scotch description), and the flavor doesn't linger as long as the others I've reviewed.. Still a good peat-smoke flavor, which I like.
$44 in CT

I had no clue I'd like scotch so much.... [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Los Feliz Slim]

Bowmore 25 year



Sweet caramel-honey aroma, very drinkable and a great recommendation for a high-end Scotch that a relative novice might appreciate. A lot of "older" Scotches are pretty challenging and pungent, this one is quite drinkable. Not very peaty; not much iodine, rather quite smoky. Very, very, solid, and a great Scotch to offer someone as a celebratory drink.

[Spellmen]

Went to the liquor store today to pick up a Scotch on some recommendations here. My aim was the Oban 14 year, but when I spotted it the pricetag was $60. I'm a real scotch noob, so I really didn't want to jump into anything above $40 quite yet. We kept looking and my friend called his father for some recommendations. I spotted the Bellvanie 12 yr for $41, but his father recommended we start out with McClelland's highland scotch, which was only $24. He basically said any highland would be best for a beginner, so we grabbed the McClellands and some other junk and checked out.

It had a pretty mild aroma from what I can tell (I haven't smelled many other scotches and have tasted even fewer). I poured myself a bit and added some ice. Nothing really spectacular jumped out at me upon tasting and I'm still not really picking anything up. It is pretty mild, so I don't mind drinking it, but other all it is very bleh.

For $24 I guess it's ok, but nothing I would recommend. Not offensive, but not really great. My roomate is a bit more experienced and says it has a nice smokey aftertaste.

Anyone have any recommendations for me? Should I have definitely gone with the Belvanie? I am mainly looking for something that is pretty smooth (at least to start with)but still has some nice flavor

[Grasshopp3r]

Clontarf Reserve Irish Whiskey
$24 at my local liquor store

This Irish is shockingly good for the price. Very smooth and malty. This one was reviewed in Money magazine and I tried it on a lark.

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/...mag/index.html

I also like George T Staggs bourbon, which is cask strength like Bookers. It is $65 or so. It has lots of flavor and is smooth.