Scotch

[alia]

Are there any scotch whiskey fans out there? I've recently been enjoying the full gamut of the Islay's, but I think my favorites are the Lagavulin 16 year, the Laphroiag Quarter Cask, and the Finlaggan. I recently got a bottle of Kilchoman and it is really good! Kilchoman is the first new distillery to open on Islay in 124 years, and only back in 2005. They released their first vintage in 2011...which is remarkably short, though with the peat the best time I think is to have the scotch around 8-12 years. Anyway, I also enjoy Deanston and then Glens for the highlanders, and who doesn't like Talisker?

Alright - if you're a fan, share what you're drinking currently and maybe we can pass some ideas around.

[Frosted]

Oh man. yes!

My favorite is easily Bunnahabhain 12 year. Followed by Macallan 12.

When I graduated from college I spend a few hundred on some 21 yr glenfiddich and macallan 18 year. Jesus those were good.

There are a few others I've had over the years that were really, really good that I cant remember. before I moved out of FL my buddy from scotland had a whisky tasting at his place. Great scotch, lots of different styles and brands. Laphroiag (he actually had a customized bottle with his picture on it for when he got his PhD. was pretty good) was a bit too much for me though.

how do you normally take yours? I tend to like mine neat or at RT with maybe a teaspoon of water.

[alia]

I've never heard of bunnahabhain - I'll be on the look out! And yeah, I like mine neat with varying amounts of water based on the alcohol content. 40-46 is no water, 47-50 is a teaspoon, and 50+ is as required. I got a bottle of the Ardbeg uigeadail and 2-2.5 teaspoons of water per dram does AMAZING things to the flavor. It's unbelievable unless you've tried it.

Hah, I started drinking scotch and I would drink like Dewars and have it half water, half scotch, over heavy rocks. I knew I liked what I was drinking I just couldn't handle it. Over the years I've settled into a more "refined" taste but oh man, it is still as delicious as ever.

And also, yeah, RT is perfect. A friend got me those scotch stones, those rocks that you put in the freezer that will chill a scotch without diluting it, but I don't actually like it like that, and the harshness of the freezing rocks ruins the flavor, and with good reason! This shit has been sitting in a barrel for 12+ years, and then in a bottle for who knows how long. It's filled with the most delicate of flavors and adding a freezing substance all of a sudden does not do good things imo.

[Kver]

I'm not really a scotch drinker myself, but my father is and I tend to give him a good botle of Glenfiddich sometimes. He seems to enjoy it.

I've never actually liked dilluted scotch, but this is probably where you tell me I am doing it wrong :p

[nathyiel]

I was never able to choose between Lagavulin or Talisker.
But I try other too. I think my next bottle will be a Jura.

[alia]

Not diluted really. If you add a teaspoon or less of water to a glass it doesn't really "dilute" the scotch as much as open it up a ton. Imagine a rubber band with text written on it, but the text was written when it was stretched out. You can attempt you read it in its normal state but the letters are all jumbled together and there's hardly any white space between them. Stretch it out a bit and the whole experience becomes much more enjoyable. High alcohol scotches are also typically non-chill filtered and at cask strength so they have a ton of flavors all floating around together.

"Regular" 40% scotch is made to be that way by adding water after the distilling process. Scotches that are available at slightly higher than this (the 40-46ish % range) are made to be that way on purpose - the makers have taken their scotch out of the cask and then diluted it to a specific percent they believe was the best for that year. These should be left alone. Scotch that is higher than, say 55%, is cask strength and is not meant to be enjoyed that strong, IMO. Adding some water and allowing it to breathe a bit really adds a lot to the flavor, and changes as you add additional water. It's best to start with a quite small amount and then continue to add until you find a "sweet spot".

...I like scotch.

[nathyiel]

I wanted to try the ice cube think. Could be good for cooling it off a little. Good for summer day.

[Berlinia]

jameson would be my favorite scotch. It's not technically scotch as it comes from the Irelands but who cares. It's good stuff.

[Figdan]

my go-to