hi, im looking to buy some 3/5cl minis to have a taste of before committing to a normal 70cl bottle,

im new to whisky's and looking for some solid recommendations. im usually an aged or spiced rum drinker.

previously the only whisky i've had was a woodford reserve which i did not like.

but yea general recommendation would be neat, maybe looking more towards scotches as i have more availability to them. thanks.

Love pretty much all of the ardbegs (wee beastie, uigeadial, an oa) I’ve had, love oban 18yr and little bay, and the bruichladdich 2013. Any recommendations to try? Preferably under or around 100

Hiya!

I’m going to Feis Ile towards the end of it (May 31 to June 3) and looking at what visit options I have! I guess May 31st itself will be tight if I want either Bunnahabain or Jura, and the 1st is already settled for Ardbeg.

Has anyone done “all” or many of them? How are the Laphroaig, Bowmore, Caol Ila, Lagavulin, Kilchoman, Bruichladdich tours? Any others worth mentioning?

I guess while I’m here I’d also love to know about Oban, Arran, and Springbank.

Happy to help anyone with some thoughts on Speyside distillery tours (or perhaps in another thread?)

Has anyone else had bad experiences recently with the auto-mod on r/Scotch deleting posts that you spent a lot of time on? I just spent an hour or so writing a post reviewing the various scotch delivery websites I've used over the past year, which I think could be quite helpful for people looking to order online, particularly if others add their experiences also. It doesn't break the rules. The auto-mod deleted it. I've had other posts I spent a lot of time on deleted recently as well.

Is it just me, or have other people had the same experience? There isn't that much that gets posted on r/Scotch these days. When the auto-mod deletes posts that follows the rules, that's only going to make it worse.

Born in 2003 turning 21 this month and I’ve been getting in to bourbon and scotch.

I’ve had Buffalo trace, and The Glenlivet founders reserve and the 12 year aged double oak, I’ve enjoyed them all

Any Bottles that were birthed in 2003? Or just any of your favorites you might think someone new getting into would enjoy. Thank you all for the time!

Would appreciate your thoughts on something I was thinking of doing, particularly with new bottles that tend to be disappointing until they have been open for more than a few weeks or so.

1. Transfer first 4 ounces from new bottle to 8 ounce bottle and do not use the new bottle until those first 4 ounces have been consumed.
2. Maybe pop the cork on the new bottle periodically, at least perhaps when taking a pour from the 8 ounce bottle, to let out the trapped gasses in exchange for new air.
3. After consuming the first four ounces, consider repeating the process with another 4 ounces if, for example, the first 4 ounces were consumed in a short period of time and/or a taste from the new bottle indicates that the liquid in the new bottle has not opened up as nicely as the last pour from the 8 ounce bottle.

Thanks for your input or suggestions.

So I've been drinking Scotch for quite a while. Probably tasted over 100 different Scotches with some friends and am always interested in trying new flavors. Favorites so far are Bruichladdich the laddie, Ardbeg 10, Lagavulin 8 and the Glenrothes.

I've been trying to expand my horizon again and opened Scapa Orcadian Skiren for the first time. Each time I drink this Scotch, I feel like hit by a truck the next morning and the feeling lasts the entire day. Whether its a small glass or a few larger ones.

I haven't experienced this with any other Scotch. Have an Aberfeldy open as well, which I can drink without any problems.

Does anybody know if Scapa uses a special way of creating its Scotch? Or uses a exclusive ingrediënt of some sort?

Which of these two would you pick? I see Islay Mist 8yr is half the price of Johnnie Walker Red and have been reading some good things about it.

First let me say I'm new to scotch, long time bourbon drinker
After first trying Talisker storm I realized I liked the peated, smoky scotch. Today, I tried Ardbeg 10. It's still early, there's plenty of time for my opinion to change, but I don't think I'll be falling down the Pete rabbit hole. I'm still going to try other Islay brands but I definitely won't be getting Octomore

Thanks everyone for the suggestions in my last post

What's so special about the distinction that a scotch comes from one single distillery? Also, what technically counts as a "single distillery?" Does that mean a single physical geographical location? Because don't some distillers have some of their still pots in location A, and some in location B a few miles away? Also what if you own and control two distillers, that are basically the same but marketed under two different brands? Are you not allowed to call it single malt if you combine barrels from the two?

Update: A quick Google search shows that the actual legislation regulating the actual use of the term "single malt scotch" wasn't passed until 2009, so this is prob definitely a modern/recent distinction too....

Edit: Wth, why are my comments getting a zillion downvotes lol? I was genuinely curious about why single malt is distinct/unique..... wasn't trying to troll or disparage single malt, just asking the question, sheesh...

Wasn’t the worst! Went to a very fancy restaurant with the misses! Decided to giver a go, I usually drink cheap whisky when I go out to the bar, like Gibsons or that type of thing usually always mixed

Do you guys have any suggestions on what a starting type of scotch would be? Sorry if that’s kinda vague but I’d love to get more into it

IM NOT RICH fyi haha, not sure what a “good price” would be? But like I’d spend 50-100$

Oh tell me oh wise ones please just tell me

I was looking at Bowmore 12 year. I'm a bourbon guy and I don't do scotch very often. Anyway Total Wine has it for $68.99 but with tax it goes up to $86.

His go-to is Finlaggan. I'm thinking about just eating the cost anyway. Any suggestions?

Just listened to this fantastic podcast and thought I would share. It’s a look back at single malts. The history is much shorter than you would think

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p074sllg?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

Hope you can’t listen to this out side the UK

Apparently there weren’t a lot of single malts widely available until 80s. Glenlivet and a few other family owned distilleries had some for a lot longer but most was going into blends. Cardhu started doing a widely available single malt and then Glenmorangie in 1983.

Apparently in 1978 MacAllan were preparing to start single malt sales, their first year marketing budget £50.

Guys do know which EU based e-shop carry these editions? I want to buy the new Caribbean one as a gift and need it to be shipped to central/ eastern EU but so far I found only a shop in Netherlands or UK :/

Thanks!

https://preview.redd.it/414syc2r0j0d1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=46649c140b3fafc9f6f9edb9fc28e142b4929bc5

Ballechin 2004 - 19 Year Old Madeira Casks

Price Paid: £172 

Distillery: Edradour

Age Statement: 19 years

Strength: 53.5% ABV

Cask Makeup: Madeira puncheons (cask numbers 184 and 189)

Details: Here comes my first review! After reading so many glowing reviews of Ballechin on this subreddit, I decided to pick up a bottle while on a trip to London last month. I’m a big fan of peated whisky, but I’ve mostly had experience with Islays, so I was excited to try a peated offering from the Highlands. I also quite enjoy fortified wines–madeira, port, and sherry are my drinks of choice outside of whisky. I haven’t had much experience with madeira cask maturation when it comes to whisky, so I was extra excited about picking up this bottle and trying it out. Alright, let’s get to it. 

Nose: Honey hits first, followed by leather–like a new baseball glove. Damp wood burning, dark fruit–cherry, maybe. I also get this strong note that I can best describe as old books or a musty library, in a very pleasant way. Some cinnamon and mulling spices as well. There’s some smoke but not a lot here on the nose. 

Palate: This is where the smoke comes in. I’m surprised at how peaty it is for its age. It’s also very savory and nutty. Almost like peanut butter. BBQ sauce. There’s a little sweetness–honey and those dark fruits hanging out in the background. After letting it sit a while I get some ginger and those mulling spices, and a hint of anise.

Finish: Long and smoky, with that musty, old book note coming out again as well. 

Final Note: This is a delicious whisky. It makes me wish I’d picked up a few more bottles of Ballechin while I was in London! After a month of revisiting, this might be my favorite whisky in my collection. I was surprised at how different it is from scotches I’ve had with sherry cask influence. The fruit is there but it’s in the background. This is much more savory, salty, and meaty. 

Saw the review from u/Braythor_ after seeing an add for this on SipWhiskey so I fell in love with the idea of it and added it on! A bit pricey for what it is, but Palo Cortado finishes are rarer and it's a limited from Glen Scotia.

Glen Scotia Distillery Campbeltown Aged 12 years 51.4% ABV NCF Natural color Palo Cortado finish $150

Rested for 25min

Nose: creamy, rich sherry notes - definitely not an olorosso or PX. If I had to guess I would probably guess Palo Cortado. Has a certain something that other bottles have of the same finish. If you reach past the sherry you get those sharp, briney Campbeltown notes but they are well balanced. Smelling a bit farther from the glass gives you toasted salted caramel - very promising.

Palate: came off a bit hot (not surprised at 51.4%) but intense bursts of smooth sherry. Drier, tannic wine influence come forward before the finish. It comes of sweet on the "landing" but underneath it's not sugary - more of a bitter syrupy thing. Adding a splash of water smoothes out the ethanol and the other flavors just get a bit more prominent. I don't get anything new. Not quite as chewy as I was hoping for but pretty darn close.

Finish: long - shines for me here...the gently spiced sherry notes pop out (more like a mulled wine maybe?) and the tannic wine notes come to the forefront as the finish dissipates.

Thoughts: I wouldn't say it's really complex but it doesn't have to be - lets the finish stick out. Which is unique and quite good. I'm not disappointed at $150, but I think that's pushing it for most people's expectations. Hard knowing that you can add on a pretty nice bottle for the price from the likes of TWB (if you're already paying shipping) but the PC finish is tasty and something different. Haven't had finished Glen Scotia before but I don't think quite as much of the distillates character is present - but it shines through in doses.

Just from letting a second pour air out I feel like the whisky is opening up a bit more - I think revisiting after more pours and a couple months, this would score higher. Definitely improves with a splash of water to quench the heat.

Score: 85

And Yes I stopped my shenanigans with the .1 scoring and will just give a 50-100.

Hi all. My wife and I are heading to Scotland for the first time the first week of August. We will only have one week regretfully. The only anchor is the last two nights will be in Edinburgh. Our thought was to focus on Highlands and Speyside. Would love recommendations on “must visit” distilleries and tours during our limited time. Thanks!

Fairly new 5-6 months into scotch, with a dabble into bourbon.

I really enjoyed Glenfiddich 18 year and 21 year. Balvenie 12 year also enjoyed for the speyside scotch.

Being in Canada were definitely limited a little more but if someone has some input would love to hear.

Which independent bottlers offer the best quality for the lowest price?