Who can school me on the finer points of Scotch?

[vi5]

Personally I've always been a whiskey drinker (Crown Royal to be exact). But I've been looking to expand my pallate a little.

What are the main differences (single malt, double malt, blended)?
What are the price ranges?
What are some brands?

[Hubert Flottz]

1. Never Mix It With Cola!

Never,,,,,Drink Too Much Of It!

[TriadLeftist]

2. Rules of thumb ...

Older is better
Single is better than double
If you want a good scotch, you can't go wrong with either Oban or McCallan

Prices go anywhere from $10 per fifth to $240 a fifth - Johnny Walker Blue, for example. But expect to pay at least $30 for a good bottle.

I'm no expert, but I know what I like in a scotch. Hope this helps.

[FlashHarry]

5. JW Blue is a blend, I think.

At least their red and black versions are. I can't imagine paying that kind of bread for a blended whisky. Then again, I shouldn't put it down if I haven't tried it...

[ProfessorGAC]

17. It Is A Blend

All Walker products are blended. Single malts are unblended and IMO the only way to go.

However, at the 1 year anniversary of a friend's death, we all drank JW Blue. It is, indeed, excellent, in every way.
The Professor

[FlashHarry]

20. I prefer single malts, too.

Laphroaig and Lagavulin, particularly.

[FlashHarry]

3. Well, first of all...

"scotch" is "whisky" and bourbon is "whiskey"

Scotch whisky usually comes in either blended or single-malt form. Single malts tend to be more expensive and more flavorful--however, they can be quite different: some are dark and smoky or peaty. Some are sweet and honey-like. I'd do a google search. I'm sure the Scottish Whisky Board or something has a whole site devoted to the pleasures of their amber nectar...

[vi5]

6. I forgot to include the clarifier "Canadian" before whiskey..

I meant to say I'm a Canadian Whiskey drinker as oppossed to Scotch Whiskey.

[FlashHarry]

11. I think the Canadian stuff is spelled with an 'ey' too.

Be careful, though; scotch whisky can be an expensive, slippery slope!

[sam sarrha]

4. You can go to any A.A. meeting and they will give you ear full of advice

there is no finer aspect to alcohol. One in 8 people are hopelessly addicted upon their first drink. I was a drunk for 30 years and waisted more than half of this precious human life. :spank:

[vi5]

8. Sorry to hear that....

Personally I have only been drunk maybe 3 times in my entire life (I'm 34 years old). Once, maybe twice a month I enjoy sipping a drink. But that is the extent of it.

[sam sarrha]

15. Alcohol addiction is insidious, I rarely ever got drunk, i did not like

to be around drunk people. when i used the term "drunk" it was a AA slang reference to 'addict'. I was a maintenance alcoholic, I sipped alcohol all the time. i was never arrested, never lost a job to alcohol but ran home and and drank a quart of beer after work then maintained the buzz. for decades i tried to quit, AA helped me to understand the nature of the addiction... and helped me to have periods of sobriety... but what finally worked for me was Meditation and finally understand the Four Noble Truths, the foundation of Buddhism. Now i go to Buddhist meetings and cant shake the feeling that i am in an A.A. meeting for people addicted to conventional thought.

[FlashHarry]

7. Check out these sites (Prices and Information)

http://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/

http://whisky.com/

[trof]

9. Never mix Scotch and Dr. Pepper.

;-)
I actually had a date do that once.

I've been a Scotch drinker for over 30 years. My first hard liquor drinks were sweet mixtures like rum & 7UP. Then went to the more manly and southern traditional Bourbon & Branch (branch/creek, i.e. WATER ).

Scotch was considered a more sophisticated, man-of-the-world drink. Naturally, striving for all the cool I could muster, I had to try it. My first drink tasted like medicine. Yuck. I found I liked it better with soda than plain water. There was also the Kingston Trio song "Scotch & Soda", still one of my favorites.

Anyway, I finally got so I liked it. They say it's an "acquired" taste and that was true for me. Bourbon now tastes cloyingly sweet to me, but if it's the only thing available I can drink it in a pinch.

Never met a single malt I didn't like. They are more expensive than the blends like Cutty, Whitehorse, Dewars, Chivas, etc. They come in a wide variety of hefts and flavors. That is sippin' Scotch. Mybe just over some ice, never mixed with anything.
Never heard of double malts.
For everyday I like a blend. Used to drink Johnny Walker red, but they priced themselves out of my market. Found a brand called John Barr that is very similar and about $10 a bottle cheaper. It's a fairly "heavy" Scotch, which I like better than lighter ones like Dewars.

Do some tasting and experimenting and find what works for you.
:toast:

[Cadfael]

10. Good Scotch

should be enjoyed neat

[FlashHarry]

12. or with a drop of water, Brother Cadfael...

Some whisky afficionados think it 'releases' the flavour. I'm not sure about that, though. I've had it neat and on the rocks--I'm not sure which I like better.

[RogueTrooper]

16. It is a teaspoonfull of water

it does release the flavor. Even with a malt. If you put some water in you should feel the whisky warm up slightly from the chemical reaction.

Some random whisky facts...

In response to complaints from the American market the recipe for whisky was changed at the turn of the 20th centuary. Whisky should cloud slightly when water is added. The American market was not to keen on this, so the recipe was changed. You can still buy whisky brands that cloud but they are in the minority.

The reason whisky is brown in color, rather than white, its illegal cousin, moonshine's color, is because it is matured in old sherry barrels.

In Gaelic Whisky is called Uisga Bhetha ( oo-ee-shga vea-ha ). Which translates as The Water of Life.

http://www.smws.com/

[ProfessorGAC]

18. Sorry, But Not True

There is no chemical reaction in the mixing of water and scotch. There is a tiny amount of heat of dilution, but with a teaspoon of water, it would be so negligible as to only be measured with a thermometer, not by touch. (The calculations for heat of dilution of 100% ethanol and water for 1 oz. of alcohol and 1/3 oz. of water is 0.22 degrees celsisus, and scotch is not 100% alcohol. It's already almost 60% water.)

I've heard this about scotch as well, but i think it's nonsense. All it does it reduce the bitters, which the tongue picks up least well. It then makes the scotch taste marginally sweeter, which is interpreted by most folks as "smoothness".

I would never drink scotch in any way other than neat, at room temperature.
The Professor

[bif]

13. Three basic types

First there are the single malts. They're the most expensive and generally have the most flavor and vary quite a bit. I enjoy Glem Morangie quite a bit.

Then there are the scotches that are blended and bottled in the U.K. They include Dewars, Cutty Sark and J&B. These are the mid-priced ones and range from about $15 to $25 a bottle.

Lastly are the scotches that are imported in bulk and blended and bottled here in the States. These can be decent but can also be quite mediocre. And, they're also the cheapest.

[PAMod]

14. If you like Crown Royal (as do I) start out with a blended

Scotch, like Dewars or Cutty Sark. Both are very smooth (a little bland, in fact) and would be an excellent intro.

An excellent super smooth single malt is The Balmore. Just thinking about it relaxes me (and its only 9am!)

I have worked my way "up" over the last 16 years to The Pinch blended whisky & Laphroiag single malt. They are kick-a** full of smoky flavor (I occasionally smoke cigars & both of these work well with that other bad habit.)

BTW, if you ever get the chance to travel to Scotland, it is amazing, each little hamlet has at least one distillery, and every one is different & unique - it all depends on the water, the peat they burn & the barrels.

I'm on a bit of a Bourbon kick right now - Knob Creek is outstanding (sweet & smooth) and Maker's Mark is wonderful.

Good luck !

[Braden]

19. a good sipping scotch

Dalwhinnie

should cost $30-40 for a bottle. 14 year old, single malt. Fantastic beverage.

[FlashHarry]

21. Yes. Especially as a 'starter whisky.'

It's sweeter and milder than some of the other malts. A great place to start.

[Braden]

25. you know it

what would you reccomend as a step up to the next level.

[FlashHarry]

29. I dunno. That's a minefield!

It's kind of like red wine... there are so many out there, the only way to find out is to try it! Personally, I like Laphroaig. I like Lagavulin, too, but it's pretty severe stuff!

[Whitacre D_WI]

22. 1) Open mouth. 2) insert Scotch. 3) repeat.

Blended Scotch can be a pleasing sipper, but it lacks character. A good single malt has its own character and tastes like nothing else in the world. Much like wine, a lot of this flavor comes from its region of origin:

Islay (and other island) malts generally have a peaty (and often sea salt and iodine) character to them. Prime examples are Lagavulin, Laphroaig, and Bowmore.

Highland malts are the most numerous (and most varied). They range from the moderately-priced ($18-$25) "beginner's malts," such as Glenlivet and Glenfiddich up to $200 bottles of 25-year-old Macallan. Most of the innovation in whisky making occurs in the Highlands, of special note are Glenmorangie's bottlings aged in various casks (those that have previously held sherry, port, or madeira). "Speyside" malts are made in the region around Speyside in the Highlands, which is considered by some to be a separate whisky region of its own.

Lowland malts are a dying breed. There are only a handful of distilleries remaining in the Lowlands; of which the best is Auchentoshan, which tastes like toasted marshmallows.

Lastly, is the town of Campbeltown. I believe there are two malts being made in Campbeltown currently, the only one I have intimate knowledge of is Springbank. This is a somewhat briny, rich, highly refined whisky. It is a truly remarkable tipple, which it damn well ought to be, considering the price.

I'd suggest you start with lower-priced bottlings, in the $20-$30 range, and find a flavor profile you like. Perhaps, like me, you'll find you like them all, but at least you'll know what to look for. One good tasting opportunity is the little "airline bottles" that you can sometimes find some of the premium malts sold in. Happy drinking!

[bif]

23. Cutty Sark

Is a good place to start. It's pretty light. Dewars is a good second. Just a bit smokier in my opinion. Them move on to a single malt.

[dbt]

24. Recommend starting with Pinch

for the novice. Being a Bushmills whisky type myself, I could not appreciate the complexities of Scotch until my first glass a' Pinch. Somehow, it gave me a roadmap (at roughly the same time as it took my car keys).

Cheers!
:bounce:
dbt

[ZenLefty]

26. Do not try Laphroaig

Don't try it until you're certain you really, really, really like scotch.

It's good stuff, but the flavor it...a bit strong.

http://www.maltbank.com/images/laphroaig'10.jpg

[Whitacre D_WI]

27. I love Laphroaig...

...but it does have a certain used-motor-oil quality to it. In a good way, though. One of the most truly distinctive malts (along with Talisker).

[ZenLefty]

28. It's a good, and Unique, drink

Wouldn't recommend it for starters. Some good Macallan or even Isle of Skye would be a good starting place.