Scotch/Whisky/Bourbon Lovers...

So I've been gradually getting more and more excited about scotch, whisky, bourbon as I get older ...

I remember the days when it was Vodka & Tequila, but as my tastes have changed .. now I find myself enjoying a good scotch a whole lot more.

Some of my favorites:

Glenrothes 91
Macallan 17 Fine Oak
Glenfiddich 15
Oban 15


I'd love to try out more... give me some of your top choices!

Right now my new favorite is scotch is Balvenie. Don't remember how old it is, but they do a secondary or tertiary aging in barrels that were previously used for sherry. S-M-O-O-T-H.

I have a bottle of Laphroaig and I use it for cooking when I need a smoky taste. I'm never going to finish that bottle.

Oooh yes, I totally forgot about Balvenie 15yr... thats a greatttttt drink. I havent had some in a while now, may need to pick some up soon.

Laphroaig and Lagavulin, those are MANLY. Need a hairy chest to handle those!!

I had my first Bourbon, Maker's Mark, last summer on a trip to Louisville, Ky. If you are every in that part of the country you should consider the Bourbon Trail.
http://www.justaddbourbon.com/planavisit/bourbontrail.aspx

Next time I see a good fare to SDF, maybe I can convince hubby to go for a long weekend. He is currently working on a bottle of Knob Creek. We keep Buffalo Trace as the 'well bourbon' in our house.

Buffalo Trace is indeed a good one.

I'm a peat fan and love Ardbeg. I once had the fortune of finding (and buying) an Ardbeg 25 yr in Scotland. Now I'm drinking Ardbeg 10yr with occasional tastings of Supernova or Ulgeadail. I also enjoy Balvenie 15 yr.

The Balvenie for me. 15 year old.

Old Laphroaig....before it was sold...

My two favorites.....

1.) Blantons (Buffalo Trace)
2.) Woffords Reserve
3.) Gentleman Jack
-- down south way Jack/Coke is aka SweetTea.

Love Woodford Reserve, the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby..

Good stuff.

A monarchs hockey fan!

I will be trying Woodford Reserve, heard lots of good things about it recently

I'm a recent convert to Scotch...a couple of my employees started talking about it, so I decided to try a few...I'm generally in the $30-50/bottle range until I develop the taste sophistication to appreciate a finer vintage.

These are the ones that I've tried...

Glenfiddich 15
The Glenlivet 15 and 18
Macallan 12
Tomintoul 16 (picked up today and pretty smooth, but tastes like I added a splash of water, even though I didn't)

The Glenlivet 18 so far was the best of these IMHO.

I've tasted a couple others, that were in the ~$150/bottle range and they were mighty tasty, but don't remember the names (one was a Irish Whiskey carried over from Ireland)

Sounds like I need to give the Balvenie a try.

Anyone pickup the Kirkland Signature by Macallan 18 years with a sherry cask finish at Costco when they had them? I think they were $60.

Ah. I guess I'm off the hook, then. The only Islay I've tried and liked is Bowmore.

And now, to stir the pot... What is the obsession that people have with not putting water in their scotch? Take your favorite scotch, and add a teaspoon of distilled water. Hold it up to your nose and you can immediately smell the flavor profile become more complex. Keep adding a teaspoon at a time, until you hit nirvana. I could bore you with the chemistry of what's happening, but you have to try it to believe it.

Ice? No way.

I keep Buffalo trace as my table bourbon. For better nights I go with Rowan's Creek or Noahs Mill. Noahs mill is one of the best I have found at the sub-60 price point. If you're in the mood for something a bit sweeter try Templeton rye. Best bourbon I have ever had though was a hand picked bottle of uncut Willard family reserve that I got in bards town. Would fly back in a heartbeat to get another bottle

Big fan of Knob Creek after getting it for my birthday last year. My dad has a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue I'm trying to get a taste of, but so far he still refuses to open it.

A Kings fan too

I see your from LA so take it your a Kings fan as well.

Big time =)

I will put Noah's Mill on my "to try" list. Have not heard of it previously.

JW Blue is a delicious drink, but its just overpriced (as all JW products are) because of the name brand recognition and marketing efforts. Good to try, but I'd never considering spending that kind of $ on it when I can get better options for less..

1) Glen Ellen 1978. Too bad the distillery closed, and the prices now, if one finds it at all, are stratospheric
2) Balvenie 21. I am a sucker for deep, smooth, earthy peat.
3) Almost any Bowmore. Like #2 but cheaper
4) Johnnie Walker Double Black. We are on MP, after all. We must have a "Duty Free only" choice here somewhere.
5) for these or any other. World of Whiskys LHR T3. I am biased to the main T3 WoW because I have been buying there for decades. They've the best whisky selection I find anywhere.

For those who love Bourbon, you must try Pappy Van Winkle. It's a very small batch distribution, and can be hard to find, but it is totally worth it.

Just read about them the other day. Need to be on the lookout for it.

I like Woodford Reserve for a special occasion but I'm OK with Evan Williams for all other occasions. Not a big Jack Daniel's fan for some reason.

Used to be a big single malt Scotch fan but they've kind of fallen out of favor on my Top Ten beverage list.

You can grab a small 200ml bottle for around $40 if you want to just try it.

Or some places you can get it in a bar cheap enough to try.

Best place to buy it by the glass I know is actually Princess Cruises where its only $12 a glass.

Dalmore 12
Dalmore Gran Reserva
Jura Prophecy
Glenfarclas 21
Lagavulin 16
Oban 14
1993 Oban Distiller's Edition
Laphroig Quarter Cask
Glengoyne 17