Whisky Connoisseurs

[Deleted User]

Inspired by a discussion on the MK Half Thread and Tim is Lightning's visit to Whisky Live, Ladies & Gentleman I give you RW's very own Whisky Forum.

I'll start us off for 10...

Current fave is Glen Ord, a 12 year old malt from the Highlands. Went and had a tour round the distillery 2-3 years ago as well.

Am also partial to...

The Balvenie 10 year old
Glenmorangie 15 year old
Bruichladdich 10 year old
The Bowmore
Ardbeg 17 year old

And blended whiskies are great with ice and Canada Dry Ginger Ale.

Tim - when is Whisky Live on next year? I feel a RW trip on the cards...

[Deleted User]

Here's my two penn'orth

Caol Ila
Glenturret
Talisker
Auchentoshan
Oban

A dash of water in them is lovely.

I've visited the distilleries at Oban, Talisker and Glenturret, so I'm a bit biased towards them.

At the risk of straying slightly off the mark from whisky to whiskEy, I'm a big fan of Jameson and Middleton as well.

Whisky Live ?! When and where ?

[Deleted User]

Excellent. A whisky forum. Far more interesting than boring running.

These are what I've got in the house at the moment:-

Opened:-

ABERLOUR A'BUNADH (Scots single malt)*
BAILIE NICOL JARVIE (Scots malt/grain blend)
CAOL ILA (Scots single malt)
COOLEY (Irish single malt)
DALMORE (Scots single malt)
GLEN GRANT (Scots single malt)
GLENMORANGIE 15YO (Scots single malt)
MACALLAN - 15YO (Scots single Malt)
TESCO SPEYSIDE 1981 (Scots single malt)
THE RICH SPICY ONE (Scots vatted malt)
WAITROSE HIGHLAND (Scots single malt)

And unopened:-

ARDMORE 1985 (Scots single malt)
CARDHU (Scots single malt)
GLENMORANGIE CELLER 13 (Scots single malt)
PENDERYN (Welsh single malt)
TALISKER 20 YO (Scots single malt)*

(* = cask strength)

As you can see, I prefer Scots single malts. However, I will 'dabble' with other whisk(e)ys.

Definately no ice. Definately no water. Definately no mixers. Malt's for drinking as it comes from the bottle. I use a blender's nosing glass, warming the bowl of the glass in my hand. Brings out the flavours far more than adding anything.

"Whisky Live" is usually the first Friday and Saturday of March, at The Royal Horticulatural Halls in London. A £25 day ticket gets you:- a souvenir tasting glass to keep; and goodie bag; and unrestricted access to about 150+ different whiskies (many very expensive).

[Deleted User]

Forgot to mention. Ardbeg (via its website) is running a '3 for 2' offer across its entire range.

I don't really want 3 bottles. However, if you do then this is the deal for you!

[Deleted User]

Does this mean that the MK Half thread's about running again?!

My preference (based on fairly limited experience to date) is for Islay malts - my collection contains:

Lagavulin 16-year old (my favourite and most expensive)
Ardbeg 10-year old
Laphroaig 10-year old

And also:

Glenmorangie 10-year old
The Balvenie Founder's Reserve 10-year old
Highland Park 12-year old
Glen Marnoch 12-year old (from Aldi!)

And add bottles of Grants, Jack Daniels and and an M&S blended whisky just for a bit of variety. But they don't get visited quite as often.

Forum excursion to Whisky Live next year then?!

[Deleted User]

Tim - Impressive list. Don't actually drink much of it, but love the odd wee dram once in a while. For the record in my little collection I currently have (all single malts):

Cardhu
Tobermory
Talisker
Lagavullin (My personal fave beyond doubt)
Macallan
Isle of Jura
Oban
Old Fettercairn

Also got a limited edition bottling of Islay Mist (blend of Ardbeg, Lagavullin I think)

Recently (but sadly now consumed) I had:

Craggenmore
Balvenie (12 yr old)
Laphroig 15 yr - the only one my old Dad didn't like.

I've been to Oban and Tobermory distilleries (didn't see Edie McCready etc when I was there strangely...?)

None for me till after FLM that's for sure. Happy tasting all

MiB

[Deleted User]

(And I tend to add a drop of water, but accept that really I should be using the same water as used by the distillery, rather than tap water supplied by Anglia!)

[Deleted User]

I don't always add the water. If I do it tends to be just a few drops from Mrs MiB's supply of bottled water (never buy it myself).

[Deleted User]

tim is lightning,nice collection,dont agree about no water,as it brings out the flavours more with a little,and i only use highland spring water.
aberlour 15
ardbeg 10,17,1975 o b,1975 connos choice
ardmore g&m
auchentoshan,10
balvenie,the,doublewood 12,
benriach,10
bowmore,legend,darkest
royal brackla ,20 rare malts
bruichladdich,10
bunnahabhain,12
coal ila,20 r m ,81 g&m cask
clynelish,82 cask,brora 21 rare malts,82 con.choi,
cnocdhu,knocdhu,21 cask ltd edt.
cragganmore,12dalwhinnie,15,1980 dist edt,centin edit.
glenfarcles,10,105,
glenffidich,spec res,solera,ancient,superior
glengarioch,8,12
glenglassaugh,family silver
glenkinchie,10
glenlivet,12(pre 1960`s 6 bottles left,sold 12) glenlochy ,25 r m
glenmorangie,10,12,cellar 13,18,millenium,port,madeira,sherry,fino
glenmoray(no age)
glen ord,12
glenrothes,1987
glenscotia,14
glentauchers,g&m 1979
glenury royal,28 r m
highland park,12
inverleven,1985 g&m
jura,10
lagavullin,16,1979 dist edt,
laphroaig,10,15,1976,30
linkwood,g&m
macallan,10,10 57 vol,15
mannochmore,12,loch dhu(black whisky)10
northport,19 r m,23 r m
oban,14,1980 dist edt,port ellen,20 r m ,1980 con ch,
rosebank,19 r m
st magdalene 19 r m
scapa,,1986,,87
singlton,10
talisker,10,1986 dist edt
tobermory 10

blends
antiquary
as we get it
ballantines
bels(for visitors i dont like!!)
famous grouse
inverrarity
loch fyne
poit dhbh ,12 40%,12 46%,21
red hackle
scottish leader
te bheag
jonnie walker red(pre1960),black(pre 1960)

dont knock the blends,te bheag is one of the best drinks i`ve tried,and it was poured by sir ian noble`s own fair hand,its really brill.
well im sorry to have gone on,but as you can tell ,whisky is a big part of my life,well booze is...;-)))

[Deleted User]

i`ve also got lots of canadian,american ,irish and other whiskey..

[Deleted User]

oh and i drink whisky almost every night,especially when im reading,or on tiptonnet....always with water,never with anything else,unless im in the claichhaig in glen coe ,the i have a rusty nail,a tradition for me and a couple of my climbing mates....

Mines a Smooth formerly Gareth M

Drambuie Black.....can't beat it!!!!

[Deleted User]

mmm,good call,ive got a guinness at the mo with an ardbeg chaser...should have been an irish whiskey realy seeing as its st pats day......

Mines a Smooth formerly Gareth M

St.Pats on Wednesday...yes???Not today!!
I will be finding an Irish Bar...and there ain't many of 'em here in Valencia!!

TTFN

[Deleted User]

sorry mate been celabrating early in brum today,sundays always the day its done their.

Mines a Smooth formerly Gareth M

Ah...right!
'twas gettin' worried for a second there!
Thought that maybe I'd consumed too much wine & drambuie!!!
Enjoy the rest of the week... I will as I'm off work!!!!

Regards

[Deleted User]

sat here looking at a bunch of heathens talking about whisky without mentioning the smoothest most enjoyable one. Am I the only civilised forumite to drink Jamesons. The purest Irish whisky available ! !

tsk tsk do I have to educate you all?

[Deleted User]

No snail, we have to educate you. Jamesons is whiskey, whereas for the most part we're talking about whisky!

fat face

There is a pub near Widnes in Cheshire that has about 300 different Scottish whiskys and a large range of Irish whiskys. Whenever I go in there I wish I liked the stuff, but I really cannot stand it. The smell of it makes me shudder.

Suffolk Punch

I could go on for ever about whisky and whiskey. but I have a training class to take!

B*gg*r!

[Deleted User]

I've got a bottle of Dallus Dhu but i'm not going to open it cos it's worth about £50

partial to a drop of Glenmorangie and Glenfarclas, Talisker and Oban .

[Deleted User]

Slainte

Have you all those dozens of expressions 'in the house' at the moment, or is that you're 'one that I've tried' list?

I try never to have more than about 10 open at a single time, as there's a view (hotly contested by some) that oxydisation starts to take a toll.


To you all

What type of glasses (whisky, not specs) do people have?

Also, how many of you are in the MK area?

[Deleted User]

I'm in MK (as you know, but I thought it'd be polite to respond...)

I don't have a proper tasting glass so just use a small tumbler that narrows nicely at the top.

[Deleted User]

I drink my Whisky from a crystal tumbler.

I am a marathon's distance away from MK, but I travel through it every Monday morning and every Friday evening. And I will be there this Sunday for the race.

Gavo

Looks like I'll have to educate FF on my next trip up there. Only got about 6 bottles in at the moment and am one of the "no water, no ice" crew.

Dave The Iron Ex- Spartan

Usually got Tobermoray and Ledaig on the go at home, also rather like Springbank

[Deleted User]

all bottles in house,about30 open,the rest stored,and i drink from a tulip glass,and i give away the last 5 or 6 measures to a friend who cant aford to try whisky at this level,
if i posted every whisky or distillery ive drunk or been to yuod be board stiff before you finished reading the post.(just as you are now i suppose!)
wheres m k ?
gavo ,try with a drop of water,it really does make a diference.
ive also got about 100 or so collectables but thats not for posting is it,......

[Deleted User]

Slainte, that's MK as in Milton Keynes - one of those abbreviations you take for granted if you live here!

[Deleted User]

Dave the Spartan's got good taste drinking "Springbank". I sampled the 10yo at Whisky Live. It was delicious.

My next purchase is likely to be "Glengoyne Scottish Oak Finish". It was a limited edition bottling in 2001(?). I still know where I can get it at retail.

Has anyone tasted the "Penderyn" Welsh Single Malt? I'm loathe to open my bottle, as it was part of the first commercial batch (ie vatting of Casks 5-99).

Is anyone in a whisky circle. I've heard of people 'getting together' and jointly buying an expensive bottle to sample. (Bit like teenage boys huddled around a Playboy)

Dave The Iron Ex- Spartan

Thanks Tim... first time anyone has ever said I've got taste ! lol

When we stayed on Mull a couple of years back, the hotel had 30 or so single malts behind the bar, so 4 of us decided to sample them all ( by trying each others, not having 30 singles each !) ended up drinking a hideously expensive Macallen 40 year old ? was costing £12 a measure. only problem was we had to be seriously pi$$ed to spend that much on one drink, and couldn't taste it after all we had drunk before anyway !! rather a waste

[Deleted User]

Fantastic thread.

I'm a whisky fan, although only got into it in the last year or so, and definitely a rank amateur compared to some of you.

I'm a big fan of Laphroaig, and very partial to Oban, Talisker and most definitely Lagavulin (keep meaning to buy a bottle). Normally drink mine straight, but occasionally add a few drops of water for a bit of variety.

I definitely want to visit Islay some day. Failing that, Whisky Live sounds like a damn good idea!