BarnsleyBrewer
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Hope Eddie doesn't find out........ :pray: :pray:dennisking said:
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Scottish Whisky ---- Irish Whiskey ??
- Thread starter BarnsleyBrewer
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Tim_Crowhurst
Landlord.
dennisking said:
And that's bad because...?
:whistle:
dennisking
Regular.
Tim_Crowhurst said:
You don't want to know
Try a few different ones and see what you like is my take on whiskys.
I prefer scottish to irish, and I don't mind the American Bourbon/ Canadian Rye whiskys. Quite often drink a buffalo trace with an ale if I'm in a wetherspoons.
Macallan 10 year is my usual "one of an evening" whisky at home, lovely stuff.
I prefer scottish to irish, and I don't mind the American Bourbon/ Canadian Rye whiskys. Quite often drink a buffalo trace with an ale if I'm in a wetherspoons.
Macallan 10 year is my usual "one of an evening" whisky at home, lovely stuff.
Bourbon is almost a completely different category of drink from Scotch and Irish whisk(e)y.Megaross said:
There's little point, IMHO, comparing bourbon to Scotch (or Irish) whisky. Not that bourbon isn't as worthy as Scotch or anything; it's just a totally different drink.
Bourbon has a character not found in Scotch or Irish whiskies and vice versa.
Tim_Crowhurst
Landlord.
jarenault said:
This is probably because the main grain used for Bourbon is maize, which isn't generally used in Scotch or Irish whiskey at all.
Maize is widely used in Scottish grain whisky produced by the continuous Coffey process.
This is far quicker and much cheaper than the pot still process used to produce malt whiskies. The resultant spirit still has to be matured in bond for at least 3 years before it can be sold as whisky, but it matures faster as it is a more neutral tasting product.
It is rarely bottled on its own, although there are a handful of single grain whiskies, and most of it goes towards blended whiskies such as Bell's, Famous Grouse, that other one beginning with a T, and hundreds more, which are typically around 30-40% malt and 70-60% grain.
This is far quicker and much cheaper than the pot still process used to produce malt whiskies. The resultant spirit still has to be matured in bond for at least 3 years before it can be sold as whisky, but it matures faster as it is a more neutral tasting product.
It is rarely bottled on its own, although there are a handful of single grain whiskies, and most of it goes towards blended whiskies such as Bell's, Famous Grouse, that other one beginning with a T, and hundreds more, which are typically around 30-40% malt and 70-60% grain.
I'm not a whisky person by any stretch of the imagination but I always had it in my head that PROPER whisky was always the Scottish variety. If you wanted a lighter, easier to drink variant then you go with Irish and if you want a really easy to drink sweet "whisky" then go with an American bourbon.
Not being a whisky man I find the American stuff the most palatable for me with the Irish stuff coming in second due to it's lighter taste. For me to enjoy the Scottish stuff it has to be pretty good as the smooth taste of a well aged single malt is very hard to fault.
The blends are too rough and harsh for me to take any enjoyment out of at all but single malts and decent whisky is completely wasted on me as I would happily exchange one for a decent vodka lol.
Perhaps that's the reason why the American & Irish variants are more popular, they are more palatable to the regular bar punter. Everyone I know that's into their Whisky prefer Scottish single malts to anything else available. Costly drink to be into though lol.
Not being a whisky man I find the American stuff the most palatable for me with the Irish stuff coming in second due to it's lighter taste. For me to enjoy the Scottish stuff it has to be pretty good as the smooth taste of a well aged single malt is very hard to fault.
The blends are too rough and harsh for me to take any enjoyment out of at all but single malts and decent whisky is completely wasted on me as I would happily exchange one for a decent vodka lol.
Perhaps that's the reason why the American & Irish variants are more popular, they are more palatable to the regular bar punter. Everyone I know that's into their Whisky prefer Scottish single malts to anything else available. Costly drink to be into though lol.
I had a single dram of BB DO NOT CLICK THIS LINK -1980 Port Ellen, and I can confirm that it was truly outstanding . .. The best Islay malt bar none . . . Last bottle I considered buying was £AOOW MUUCH!! . . . . Translated from the Yorkshire as £160.DirtyCaner said:
If anybody would like to try a good blended Whisky (Yes They exist) then the Johnnie Walker Black Label is pretty good . . . and the Double Black resembles quite a fine Islay malt
Just spoke to one of the guys I work with, who really enjoys his Whisky, to get his take on it.
Irish Whiskey:
He reckons triple distilling actually makes the drink a bit harsher and all the character is lost in that third distil. The flavour is minimised giving the light taste etc which is associated with Irish Whiskey. He also mentioned Jamiesons and said that it's actually a blend? It's not his thing at all but he can see how non-whisky drinkers would find it easier to drink than, in his words, proper whisky.
Top dog:
The Isley malts are the best he has ever tried. It's not something he gets to enjoy very often but in his experience they really are the top dogs. I didn't really follow much he said about this topic as a lot of names etc were mentioned that I don't remember lol.
Recommendations:
Lastly, he recommends Glenmorangie to anyone. He says that it's about the best you will get for that kind of money and it has loads of characteristics to get the palate working overtime. It has a peaty, smokey and slightly sweet flavour all in the one. Easily his favourite bottle for the cash.
Irish Whiskey:
He reckons triple distilling actually makes the drink a bit harsher and all the character is lost in that third distil. The flavour is minimised giving the light taste etc which is associated with Irish Whiskey. He also mentioned Jamiesons and said that it's actually a blend? It's not his thing at all but he can see how non-whisky drinkers would find it easier to drink than, in his words, proper whisky.
Top dog:
The Isley malts are the best he has ever tried. It's not something he gets to enjoy very often but in his experience they really are the top dogs. I didn't really follow much he said about this topic as a lot of names etc were mentioned that I don't remember lol.
Recommendations:
Lastly, he recommends Glenmorangie to anyone. He says that it's about the best you will get for that kind of money and it has loads of characteristics to get the palate working overtime. It has a peaty, smokey and slightly sweet flavour all in the one. Easily his favourite bottle for the cash.
graysalchemy
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Aleman said:
Black also isn't bad either again plenty of islay. Marks and spencers used to do their own brand 'black label' which wasn't far off Johnny Walker.
Black Bottle was my chaser of choice when I lived on the west coast of Scotland 20 yrs ago, it helped the Guinness go down :thumb: :thumb:
Totally agree with ScottM's post.
My favourite is Ardbeg from Islay. I currently have a bottle of Talisker from Skye but it aint lasting long.
I've enjoyed cask strength whiskys at 56-62% ABV. Don't add anything to them. Just sip gently. You can try retaining the whisky in your mouth for the same number of seconds as it has had years in the cask. It brings out the flavour a treat.
My favourite is Ardbeg from Islay. I currently have a bottle of Talisker from Skye but it aint lasting long.
I've enjoyed cask strength whiskys at 56-62% ABV. Don't add anything to them. Just sip gently. You can try retaining the whisky in your mouth for the same number of seconds as it has had years in the cask. It brings out the flavour a treat.
Tim_Crowhurst
Landlord.
One of my favourite cocktails is caribou blood - three parts red wine, one part Canadian rye whisky, one part maple syrup. It'll sound like heresy, but it's well worth trying with a dram of Ardbeg or Laphroaig instead of the rye. It's a bit like pepper on strawberries: it sounds vile, but somehow it works.
That said, maple syrup does go well with smoky flavours. One of my favourite marinades/cooking sauces is maple syrup, garlic and smoked paprika. It's especially good with chicken breasts wrapped in smoked streaky bacon.
That said, maple syrup does go well with smoky flavours. One of my favourite marinades/cooking sauces is maple syrup, garlic and smoked paprika. It's especially good with chicken breasts wrapped in smoked streaky bacon.
BarnsleyBrewer
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:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:Aleman said:
Curiosity got the better of me... :cry: :cry:
They are different drinks in the way stout and ale are different drinks.jarenault said:
Same sort of process, different ingredients, but all sort of relevant to the discussion if the discussion was beer.
It's all whisky to me, different flavours but still nice.
Moley said:
Master of Malt used to sell a single cask, single grain from North British. It's worth trying at least once. There's a lot of people who disparage grain Whisky as inferior to single malt; I'm just as guilty of it at times. But decently matured grain Whisky has just as much depth of flavour as a decent malt.
That said, Octomore Orpheus has be the best thing I've tasted in my life.
BarnsleyBrewer said:
Worth every bloody penny, mate. Port Ellen made the best whisky on Islay, bar none. Then they tore the whole place down in the 80s, so only a handful of casks are left in existence.
Sad story; if you've ever visited a distillery, you'll have seen the Spirit Safe where the stillsman separates the feints from the foreshots. They're a legal requirement now, but Port Ellen had the very first one in existence, made by a chap called Cornelius Fox (if memory serves). It promptly disappeared when they tore the place down, most likely it's being used in gin production somewhere far away.
alanywiseman.
Landlord.
Has anyone had the Yamazaki Malt Whiskey? It is a very pleasent drop :thumb:
I have tasted a couple of single grain whiskies but never actually bought a bottle. However, I would be glad if someone could explain this:Dack said:
Famous Grouse is my favourite âeverydayâ blended whisky (which I drink with mixers) as it contains both Highland Park and Macallan malts, both of which I would include in my personal Top 5.
Black Grouse is a luxury blend containing a higher percentage of malts and has a distinctive Islay note.
Snow Grouse is a blended grain whisky.
Grain whisky is quicker and cheaper to produce than malt whisky, uses some malted barley but a lot of other grains, so why is Snow Grouse more expensive than Black or even Famous?
