The wonderful world of whisk(e)y

I'm a great whisky fan; being responsible for a whole bottle approximately every year!

We have a specialist shop where I live, and every Xmas I buy myself a new bottle. My taste is the lowland malts, light, grassy and sweet rather than the big smoky/briny ones. Far and away my favourite is Clynelish. It is meltingly smooth and fragrant, a really lovely drink (and fine without ice or water, but it actually tastes really good chilled if you fancy it). Auchentoshan is good too, fruity and mellow, and you may find it easier to get hold of if you don't have access to a good shop.

Lots of more avid whisky fans will be along shortly I'm sure, probably with more robust tastes (and bigger habits)!

Bruce

I have always loved Laphroaig with its peaty smoky texture, but not something you can drink a lot of.

If you like Liqueur whisky, try Old Pultney.

I confess I'm addicted to Lagavulin, an Islay malt with the characteristic peaty, iodine taste but a bit less obvious and subtler than Laphroaig.

I too like Laphroaig along with Oban (lighter), Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban (rich and fruity) and Macallan

Prubast - That's like asking for an album recommendation without any musical preferences stated!

Between Bruce's suggestion at the light end to the other three at the "smoky/briny" end there is a huge variety to discover.

As for hi-fi - find yourself a good shop/dealer and start demo'ing

My preference is also Islay malts (Laphoaig, Lagavulin, etc) for the smoky phenolic taste, but I'm also quite partial to Highland malts for a lighter dram.

The Glenlivet

The walk thru heaven starts at 12 years

Then it just gets better & better

I will be enjoying a glass of Talisker shortly.  A great single malt from the Isle of Skye. (mine will have a single ice cube though!)

It's the Macallan for me.

Lagavullin and Talisker and Tamdhu - not mixed 

Thank you all for the recommendations so far - Looking forward to sampling a few (Could be a heavy weekend!)

Personally I am not so keen on the peat & smoke monsters and prefer the lighter honeyed Malts, although after giving up smoking a few months ago the palate continues to evolve so I won't rule the Islay Malts out just yet. 

On the lighter side I still have a soft spot for the malt that got me into it all 20+ years ago - Glenfiddich.

Thanks Maxi Me - My introduction into the realm of the malt also began with Glenfiddich (18 yr and still a favourite). Seems to be quite a lot of support for the Macallan, any suggestions on whether to go for the sherry oak / fine oak / 15yr  / 18yr etc?

On the softer side of Single Malts, try a Dalwhinnie or an Auchentoshan (the Classic, not the Triple Wood). Tomintoul and Springbank (although very different from each other) are very nice too. Old Pulteney is also superb.

My personal favourite is Lagavulin, which has a mildly peaty character but also some sweetness and depth. 

For something really smooth, try to lay your hands on a bottle of Millstone (the one with the black label). It's a Dutch single malt, I kid you not, and it's a superbly mild dram. And with a lot of fantasy it could be called a Lowlands as well, hahaha!

The best, bar none, is Springbank from Campbeltown, available in many iterations.

Prubast,

Yes, all of them, but only one at a time 

Graham

Oooh, yes. Loved Springbank when I tried it, but that was in Campbeltown itself! Does it get much further afield these days? (1997 when I was there and Malt is much more mainstream now)

Thanks Graham -  wow will definitely have to try this from the springbank distillers it sounds fantastic!

Hazelburn 12 Year Old 46%vol.

Colour: Light bronze
Nose: Incredibly rich, the influence of the sherry
casks is immediately apparent. Sweet and
chocolatey, there are also notes of apricot,
orange marmalade, almonds and marzipan.
Palate: Malty, fruity and elegant. A very well balanced
and rounded dram with hints of oak,
figs and nuts.
Finish: A long, lingering fruity sweetness.

For low budget: Bowmore 12 yds with one drop, surprising first but can't live without today. Glenfiddich 10 yds. Oban 14 yds.

Low lights, girl friend on my knees, dog on my feet, cat beside and good music.

Great choice IMHO.  Also consider Highland Park if you want to avoid the peaty/salty whiskys.

An interesting alternative is to try the three "Classic Malts" sets from Diageo. These contain three 20cl bottles for roughly the price of a 700ml bottle. The three sets are themed into supposed common types but contain enough differences to determine favourite flavours.

The three sets are Coastal: Talisker 10yo, Caol Illa 12yo, Clynelish 10yo

Gentle: Glaenkinchie 12yo, Dalwhinnie 15yo, Oban 14yo

Strong: Talisker 10yo, Lagavulin 16yo, Cragganmore 12yo

This is also fairly useful in trying to work out flavours/types you may like. This maps out most major single malts against an two axis of "delicate to smoky" and "light to rich".

https://www.lfw.co.uk/flavourmap/ or

http://www.malts.com/index.php...t-Whisky-Flavour-Map

regards,

Giles

I prefer the peaty/iodine flavour of Islay single malts personally, but Laphroaig cask strength is just a bit too strong for a mummy's boy like me. I love Talisker and Lagavulin, which are peaty too, but not anywhere near as overpowering. Other than that, for something less smokey, Macallan's sherry cask whiskey as mentioned by others is fabulous too. I know you are supposed to 'release the dragon' with a splash of water, but I still prefer mine neat.

Personal favourites in no particular order:

Springbank

Macallan

Glenmorangie

Knockando

Cragganmore

Not a great fan of the peaty monsters but have to confess to liking the odd Lagavulin late at night after building up to it via other whiskies.

Glenrothes is a favourite of mine. Currently drinking a bottle distilled in 1992. A nice treat with some good music.

Springbank

Lagavulin

Macallan

Caol Ila