| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers 19:26 - Jan 7 with 3636 views | Chondzoresk |
After today’s marvellous destruction of Rotherham, I celebrated by deciding to crack open a bottle of Laphroaig. First time of sampling this. Good god, it smells awful. My missus said it was like disinfectant. The taste was so, so strong. Now I have had many decent single malts over the years, but nothing so potently smelly. I reverted back to my Jura single malt, still North West Scotland, but much more mellow and refined.
Anyone with any other recommendations?
I have tried the distillery near me, St George’s at Roudham, Norfolk, that is indeed excellent. |  | | |  |
| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 19:28 - Jan 7 with 2934 views | chicoazul |
I like Laphroiag but I know what you mean. I like Talkisker at the moment. And you know what the single malt they do in Aldi is not at all bad and pretty reasonable. |  |
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| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 19:31 - Jan 7 with 2920 views | Hereford_Blue |
So many different Scotch whiskies out there, all with very different tastes.
If you didn’t like the Laphraoig I’d avoid anything from Islay as you’re unlikely to like any of them.
Something from more Highlands way likely to suit you better I’d suspect - Glenmorangie is one I’ve always liked. If you can find their Nectar d’Or that is exquisite - around £50 a bottle.
My favourite is Talisker from the Isle of Skye - quite smoky, but not really peaty like the Islay ones. The smokiness may be a bit overpowering for you though - maybe worth a try if you can find a miniature.
On that note - miniature sets from Amazon are probably worth a go as you’ll get a little bit of several different types without having to commit to a full bottle.
Enjoy - I love whisky from all regions - big fan of bourbons and Irish whiskey too (whiskey in the blood, great uncle was managing director of Tullamore Dew for years and years), but they all have their own distinct tastes. |  | | |
| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 19:32 - Jan 7 with 2916 views | Chondzoresk |
| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 19:28 - Jan 7 by chicoazul |
I like Laphroiag but I know what you mean. I like Talkisker at the moment. And you know what the single malt they do in Aldi is not at all bad and pretty reasonable. |
There’s an idea, never thought of trying Aldi. I’ll have a look next time. I do like Talisker. I did have the special edition I think it was “Storm” from memory. That was strong, but not Laphroaig strong. | | | |
| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 19:32 - Jan 7 with 2895 views | WeWereZombies |
| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 19:28 - Jan 7 by chicoazul |
I like Laphroiag but I know what you mean. I like Talkisker at the moment. And you know what the single malt they do in Aldi is not at all bad and pretty reasonable. |
Glen Marnoch 18yo for £39.99, I haven't opened the bottle I bought from the Donald Mackintosh Way supermarket in Ipswich just before Christmas but it comes highly recommended (and looked like it was being rationed by Aldi.) |  |
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| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 19:33 - Jan 7 with 2894 views | belgablue |
I've been working my way through a Dalmore Cigar malt since Christmas - slow progress as I prefer not to drink it when friends and family are over so as not to have to share it to often. I love it. Highly recommended.
I always enjoyed a Dalwhinnie 15, quite peaty but a great drop. |  |
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| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 19:34 - Jan 7 with 2881 views | Churchman |
Laphroaig is a peat based single malt and very much like it/don’t like it. Personally, it gets the thumbs up from me. I really like single malts because they vary so much. Personal favourites? All of them! In particular: Talisker, Balvennie, Macallan and Glenmorangie. |  | | |
| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 19:35 - Jan 7 with 2870 views | Chondzoresk |
| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 19:31 - Jan 7 by Hereford_Blue |
So many different Scotch whiskies out there, all with very different tastes.
If you didn’t like the Laphraoig I’d avoid anything from Islay as you’re unlikely to like any of them.
Something from more Highlands way likely to suit you better I’d suspect - Glenmorangie is one I’ve always liked. If you can find their Nectar d’Or that is exquisite - around £50 a bottle.
My favourite is Talisker from the Isle of Skye - quite smoky, but not really peaty like the Islay ones. The smokiness may be a bit overpowering for you though - maybe worth a try if you can find a miniature.
On that note - miniature sets from Amazon are probably worth a go as you’ll get a little bit of several different types without having to commit to a full bottle.
Enjoy - I love whisky from all regions - big fan of bourbons and Irish whiskey too (whiskey in the blood, great uncle was managing director of Tullamore Dew for years and years), but they all have their own distinct tastes. |
Yes, I might try Talisker again. Bowmore is one I have always hankered after.
Never thought of miniatures. That’s a great shout. Thank you. | | | |
| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 19:40 - Jan 7 with 2807 views | chicoazul |
| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 19:31 - Jan 7 by Hereford_Blue |
So many different Scotch whiskies out there, all with very different tastes.
If you didn’t like the Laphraoig I’d avoid anything from Islay as you’re unlikely to like any of them.
Something from more Highlands way likely to suit you better I’d suspect - Glenmorangie is one I’ve always liked. If you can find their Nectar d’Or that is exquisite - around £50 a bottle.
My favourite is Talisker from the Isle of Skye - quite smoky, but not really peaty like the Islay ones. The smokiness may be a bit overpowering for you though - maybe worth a try if you can find a miniature.
On that note - miniature sets from Amazon are probably worth a go as you’ll get a little bit of several different types without having to commit to a full bottle.
Enjoy - I love whisky from all regions - big fan of bourbons and Irish whiskey too (whiskey in the blood, great uncle was managing director of Tullamore Dew for years and years), but they all have their own distinct tastes. |
Yeah miniatures are a great idea. | |
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| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 19:43 - Jan 7 with 2792 views | Chondzoresk |
Thank you all of you for your input. All extremely helpful. | | | |
| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 19:43 - Jan 7 with 2793 views | brogansnose |
I do like Bunnahabain as a distillery and are mainly affordable.
Master of Malt is a good website which has decent prices and gives tasting notes.
Edit; Robert Graham too is a good place to buy whiskies and cigars. The bloke who runs the Cambridge shop is a Towen supporter too. [Post edited 7 Jan 2023 19:45]
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| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 19:54 - Jan 7 with 2733 views | azuremerlangus |
Benriach
Glenlivet
Aberlour
Are all worth trying - all with little or no peat (which is giving the TCP effect in Laphroaig). |  |
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| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 20:05 - Jan 7 with 2692 views | Churchman |
| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 19:54 - Jan 7 by azuremerlangus |
Benriach
Glenlivet
Aberlour
Are all worth trying - all with little or no peat (which is giving the TCP effect in Laphroaig). |
Three good selections there. Love Glenlivet!
Aberlour is nice too. A good place to look is both Amazon and actually the supermarkets. They often do good reductions, which gives the none too picky like me an opportunity to try different ones.
As has been pointed out, interesting single malts are not restricted to Scotland. I’ve had some great ones from Ireland too.
American Bourbon is nice and again they vary enormously. All good fun. | | | |
| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 20:09 - Jan 7 with 2665 views | clive_baker |
Go on then, I’ll have a wee dram with you.
I tend to drink Bushmills, only because I went to their distillery once, and really like the taste, so don’t tend to deviate from it. |  |
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| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 20:11 - Jan 7 with 2656 views | ArnoldMoorhen |
I don't like Laphroaig much, either. Some people are sensitive to the pine resin type flavours in some smoky whiskies, others describe them as being like petrol! So your wife is not alone in her view!
There is one smoky, peaty Islay whisky that I do love, and that is Lagavulin 16 year old (16yo).
My recommendations for those starting out would be Dalwhinnie 15yo or Old Pulteney 12yo, which I would describe as having echoes of Butterscotch and Salted Caramel respectively. Both quite smooth and more warming than burning of the mouth, which some harsher whiskies do to me, anyway!
Aberlour 12yo has fruit cake flavours, Glenmorangie is genuinely a bit orangey.
Macallan 12yo is smooth.
Glenfiddich, Singleton and Glenlivet are all decent.
The above are all big brands, available in supermarkets.
The one thing to look out for is that a lot of distillers are now producing "special editions" with a lot of fuss being made about the cask that they are matured in. They are often sold at the same price as their 12yo, or even higher. However many of then don't have an Age Statement. Basically the longer a whisky is kept in oak, the smoother it should become, and other flavours should mature and develop. But if a whisky is 12 years old, that meant that the distiller didn't get any return on their investment for 12 years. But these new Special Editions may be as young as
3 years old, the minimum age by law for a drink to be named "Scotch Whisky".
Lots of distillers also now make gin because there is no age requirement and so they generate cash flow more quickly.
There is nothing wrong with a good blended whisky, either. Johnnie Walker's blends at different price points either emphasise style (smooth or smoky) by different coloured labels, and their higher priced brands are blends of Single Malts of significant age or rarity. |  | | |
| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 20:16 - Jan 7 with 2636 views | MedwayTractor |
I opened a bottle of 12 year old triple distilled Auchentoshan recently - a present from one of my sons - didn't know much about it, seems that it's a lowland whisky from the northern edge of Glasgow.
After a little warming in the glass, I got a superb full rich toffee/butterscotch flavour, so it's a keeper for special occasions, definitely for celebrating promotion! |  |
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| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 20:19 - Jan 7 with 2605 views | Basuco |
Tamnavulin and Bunnahabhain are both very smooth and pleasant spay side single malts with a decent finish, both well worth trying. |  | | |
| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 20:27 - Jan 7 with 2575 views | Pablo_Counago |
If you're looking for less peaty whisky's at a more affordable range I've got a good few suggestions:
Balvenie Doublewood: A bit sweet, vanilla and nuts. Also try the Caribbean Cask version if you like it sweeter (£45)
Tomintoul 16: Classic speyside whisky and more on the sweeter end of things (£50 ish pounds)
Bunhabhain 12: A personal favourite for me. Sweet and lovely spice notes. Available in lots of shops too (£40)
Glendronach 12: Absolutely excellent single malt. Fruit notes with a bit of spice. Fairly complex (£50)
Glenallachie 12: Again, quite classic speyside. Very sweet
Want something a bit more special? Tamdhu 15 is excellent as well.
Also well worth a try to anyone who likes bourbon or other american whisky: Adnams Rye Whisky. Won an award as best British Rye whisky and is well worth a go. Only £45 as well |  | | |
| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 20:27 - Jan 7 with 2574 views | jontysnut |
| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 20:11 - Jan 7 by ArnoldMoorhen |
I don't like Laphroaig much, either. Some people are sensitive to the pine resin type flavours in some smoky whiskies, others describe them as being like petrol! So your wife is not alone in her view!
There is one smoky, peaty Islay whisky that I do love, and that is Lagavulin 16 year old (16yo).
My recommendations for those starting out would be Dalwhinnie 15yo or Old Pulteney 12yo, which I would describe as having echoes of Butterscotch and Salted Caramel respectively. Both quite smooth and more warming than burning of the mouth, which some harsher whiskies do to me, anyway!
Aberlour 12yo has fruit cake flavours, Glenmorangie is genuinely a bit orangey.
Macallan 12yo is smooth.
Glenfiddich, Singleton and Glenlivet are all decent.
The above are all big brands, available in supermarkets.
The one thing to look out for is that a lot of distillers are now producing "special editions" with a lot of fuss being made about the cask that they are matured in. They are often sold at the same price as their 12yo, or even higher. However many of then don't have an Age Statement. Basically the longer a whisky is kept in oak, the smoother it should become, and other flavours should mature and develop. But if a whisky is 12 years old, that meant that the distiller didn't get any return on their investment for 12 years. But these new Special Editions may be as young as
3 years old, the minimum age by law for a drink to be named "Scotch Whisky".
Lots of distillers also now make gin because there is no age requirement and so they generate cash flow more quickly.
There is nothing wrong with a good blended whisky, either. Johnnie Walker's blends at different price points either emphasise style (smooth or smoky) by different coloured labels, and their higher priced brands are blends of Single Malts of significant age or rarity. |
I've some Aberlour indoors and it's a fantastic everyday (well, not quite every day) malt. As someone mentioned earlier Aldi or Lidl own brands are a good gateway to exploring other regional whiskies. There used to be a bar on Trafagar Square (Albannach?) that did £6,000 bottles or about £350 a shot. I'm glad I never went in when I was pi££ed. |  | | |
| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 20:58 - Jan 7 with 2492 views | Pinewoodblue |
Currently have 19 year old Ben Bracken on the go, Lidl we’re selling it pre Christmas for less than £40. Regular favourite Langavulin 16 or any of the many good whiskeys in Highland Park’s Viking range. |  |
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| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 21:20 - Jan 7 with 2426 views | Bucklebury_blue |
Irish whiskey every time. Try Black Bush by Bushmills for a smoother taste! | | | |
| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 22:12 - Jan 7 with 2287 views | BlueandTruesince82 |
Try whiskey barrel originals, they quite often have limited runs that are a good tipple. |  |
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| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 22:16 - Jan 7 with 2275 views | Tractorchef |
I’m not a Laphroig fan either. At one restaurant I worked at we used to serve a laphroig whisky ice cream with chocolate fondant, it’s so potent that even the ice cream was too much to take for most people! I’ve done a bit of work with The Balvenie so I have a good stock of that! The PortWood is especially good! |  | | |
| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 22:17 - Jan 7 with 2271 views | SaleAway |
Highland Park for an easy drinking malt.
Scapa for something a bit more interesting. | |
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| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 22:30 - Jan 7 with 2244 views | You_Bloo_Right |
Just on Laphroaig and the more peaty malts, some people suggest a drop of water with these (or even an ice cube) will markedly alter the taste. You might find you still don't like it much but that may help you get through the bottle. *hic* |  |
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| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 22:35 - Jan 7 with 2231 views | WeWereZombies |
| Single Malt Whisky Drinkers on 20:11 - Jan 7 by ArnoldMoorhen |
I don't like Laphroaig much, either. Some people are sensitive to the pine resin type flavours in some smoky whiskies, others describe them as being like petrol! So your wife is not alone in her view!
There is one smoky, peaty Islay whisky that I do love, and that is Lagavulin 16 year old (16yo).
My recommendations for those starting out would be Dalwhinnie 15yo or Old Pulteney 12yo, which I would describe as having echoes of Butterscotch and Salted Caramel respectively. Both quite smooth and more warming than burning of the mouth, which some harsher whiskies do to me, anyway!
Aberlour 12yo has fruit cake flavours, Glenmorangie is genuinely a bit orangey.
Macallan 12yo is smooth.
Glenfiddich, Singleton and Glenlivet are all decent.
The above are all big brands, available in supermarkets.
The one thing to look out for is that a lot of distillers are now producing "special editions" with a lot of fuss being made about the cask that they are matured in. They are often sold at the same price as their 12yo, or even higher. However many of then don't have an Age Statement. Basically the longer a whisky is kept in oak, the smoother it should become, and other flavours should mature and develop. But if a whisky is 12 years old, that meant that the distiller didn't get any return on their investment for 12 years. But these new Special Editions may be as young as
3 years old, the minimum age by law for a drink to be named "Scotch Whisky".
Lots of distillers also now make gin because there is no age requirement and so they generate cash flow more quickly.
There is nothing wrong with a good blended whisky, either. Johnnie Walker's blends at different price points either emphasise style (smooth or smoky) by different coloured labels, and their higher priced brands are blends of Single Malts of significant age or rarity. |
Worth keeping an eye out for the Old Pulteney 12yo in supermarkets at the moment, I got a bottle as a thank you for someone just before Christmas and it only set me back £25.50. Think I saw it even cheaper the next week when I was down south. | |
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