Hooray! It rather horrifies me how unpopular whisky is in a general sense. I mean, to those who enjoy it, it's *obsessively* popular, but I do see a lot of 🤢-style emojis online whenever it's mentioned. Such a tragedy! What other drink can you sip for 4 hours at the back of the pub and not feel oddly cheated in realising you've nursed just one shot of whisky the whole time? A universe of flavours.
And thank you for saying that adding water isn't a crime. Best way to get used to it (and also separate out the flavours, if you want to be a bit more analytical).
I was actually started on single malt scotch - some reprobate Scottish friends gave my innocent studying abroad self both Glenmorangie and Talisker to try, and I instantly fell for both of them!
To this day whisk(e)y is my favorite autumn/winter drink. I'm in New York right now and found that the Irish bar around the corner from my hotel has a very deep Irish whiskey shelf - planning to do some sampling while I'm here. If anyone has any suggestions for bottles to try, I'd welcome them - my knowledge of Irish whisk(e)y is negligible at best.
First Scotch whisky 60 years ago was Dewars Ne Plus Ultra when I was ~20 years old. Have never looked back. At home now is Balvenie Doublewood 12 yrs and Bowmor 12yrs for the taste of Islay.
Canadian Club (or CC) is a good starter whisky too. It’s a huge subject though. For sipping I like Bushmills Black Bush. Bourbon in cocktails, but rye in a Sazerac. I do like a peaty smoky Islay or two as well, and Teacher’s and Drambuie make the beat Rusty Nail.
I’m a big fan of Laphroaig although I know it’s not to everyone’s taste. I love it’s distinctiveness. I have a bottle of their 15 year old that I bought just before they stopped producing it. Bought two bottles in fact, one drunk about five years ago. It was gorgeous. I will open the second one in April on my sixty fifth birthday.
I'm not a big whisky connoisseur, as it tends to give me a headache. The first whiskey I drank was Glenmorangie on a camping trip to Scotland. I've sort of kept it as my go-to, as it's my namesake. Never sure whether to drink it with water or ice, as the Americans do, as is often frowned on by afficionados.
+1 for adding a bit of water.
Doing that was something I always scorned, until I bought a bottle of cask strength Laphroaig (in Tesco, of all places).
Well. I think "challenging" would be a diplomatic way to describe the drink as it was in the bottle, so I thought I'd try adding a bit of water.
What a revelation. The flavours, subtlety, complexity, all opened up. Plus it no longer melted my teeth and chemically stripped away my tastebuds.
And as an extra bonus, it made it cheaper to drink. What's not to like.
Lastly, in reply to Angela, no ice. If you like your drink slightly chilled, just keep a bottle of still spring water in the fridge, and add that.
Hooray! It rather horrifies me how unpopular whisky is in a general sense. I mean, to those who enjoy it, it's *obsessively* popular, but I do see a lot of 🤢-style emojis online whenever it's mentioned. Such a tragedy! What other drink can you sip for 4 hours at the back of the pub and not feel oddly cheated in realising you've nursed just one shot of whisky the whole time? A universe of flavours.
And thank you for saying that adding water isn't a crime. Best way to get used to it (and also separate out the flavours, if you want to be a bit more analytical).
I was actually started on single malt scotch - some reprobate Scottish friends gave my innocent studying abroad self both Glenmorangie and Talisker to try, and I instantly fell for both of them!
To this day whisk(e)y is my favorite autumn/winter drink. I'm in New York right now and found that the Irish bar around the corner from my hotel has a very deep Irish whiskey shelf - planning to do some sampling while I'm here. If anyone has any suggestions for bottles to try, I'd welcome them - my knowledge of Irish whisk(e)y is negligible at best.
First Scotch whisky 60 years ago was Dewars Ne Plus Ultra when I was ~20 years old. Have never looked back. At home now is Balvenie Doublewood 12 yrs and Bowmor 12yrs for the taste of Islay.
Canadian Club (or CC) is a good starter whisky too. It’s a huge subject though. For sipping I like Bushmills Black Bush. Bourbon in cocktails, but rye in a Sazerac. I do like a peaty smoky Islay or two as well, and Teacher’s and Drambuie make the beat Rusty Nail.
I’m a big fan of Laphroaig although I know it’s not to everyone’s taste. I love it’s distinctiveness. I have a bottle of their 15 year old that I bought just before they stopped producing it. Bought two bottles in fact, one drunk about five years ago. It was gorgeous. I will open the second one in April on my sixty fifth birthday.
I'm not a big whisky connoisseur, as it tends to give me a headache. The first whiskey I drank was Glenmorangie on a camping trip to Scotland. I've sort of kept it as my go-to, as it's my namesake. Never sure whether to drink it with water or ice, as the Americans do, as is often frowned on by afficionados.