Customer service(whisky)

[lew600fazer]

Mick I know were you are coming from. 

[robby boy]

An old distiller once told me there was no such thing as a bad whisky, only some better than others, Balvenie Double Wood is an excellent dram and Aberlour's A'Bunadh is really mellow, I live right in the heart of Speyside so am partial to quite a few of the local spirits.

[Andy FZS]

Think I'll take a dram tonight. Happy Christmas all. Seems like a good reason for a dram.

[VNA - BMW Wank]

Have to admit I am not a fan of Laphroaig myself or Ardberg, maybe I did not give the Ardberg
Uigeadial a chance someone bought a bottle for me son and we tried in November but to me it was like drinking old leather.

Both are hard core.  Uigeadial I thought was something special, combining the hard core smoke and peat with softer sherry hues.

Laphroaig 10yo in my opinion is just disgusting, I mean why not lick a well used ashtray then have a swig of some meths - same taste, roughly the same effect.

The Ardbeg though, it's heavy on the smoke and peat, but the peat, though heavy, is not stale and overly bitter plus you can taste light barley bree and citrus fruits, there is a lightness to go with that OTT peat and smoke.  It's a big hitter but it works.

I actually bought this over priced bottle of Ardbeg (as sadly it is now overpriced in the UK) just to make sure that I really did (still) like it, as my recent purchase of one bottle of Laphroaig made me wonder if after a few years away from the hard stuff that maybe I had gone off it.    But no if you wanna try some hard core smoke and peat then I suggest giving Ardbeg a bash and maybe steering clear of Laphroaig (thought some folks have said to me that the younger unchill filtered Laphroaig's that are now available are far better than the older offerings and one wonders if Laphroaig may be in the process of dumping the chill filtering).

Anyway here's my Flickr review of one of the least good drams I've tasted for a long time.





Laphroaig 10 year old.
 
One of the biggest peat monsters on the block.  A great many claim that this is the finest single malt whisky in the world.
 
It's been many years since I've tasted it, and all I can remember was that I hated it.  But that was many years ago, and considering it's huge popularity perhaps I was mistaken.  Well the supermarket was doing another crazy discount, so why not.
 
On the nose it's unmistakeable peat and smoke.  A quick taste is promising, a big spirity citrus  peaty hit.  But then you notice the bitterness, and that smoke is not bitter sweet, it's more half burnt anthracite mixed in with used diesel engine oil, the peat is shudderingly bitter and dry, oh and there's a hint of stale dentists finger whilst those initial citrus fruits on the tongue become softly stale rotting seaweed.
 
If you are fond of licking used ash trays then you might just like this.
 
As for all those who worship Laphroaig.  Well I guess we are all different, some folks taste buds adore fresh mussels but I hate the things, some folks love mushrooms, but ah cannae stand em.  And so it is, my taste buds dinnae care for Laphroaig wan wee bit.
 
3/10

[slimwilly]

So asking as a non whiskey drinker


Do you drink it neat ? or with what ?


I add my Grouse to a Baileys, that livens it up nicely,  but i just cant quite get any joy from drinking it neat. uurrrrrhhh, shivers down my spine




Oh and i also gave the wife a bottle of Glayva,honey,orange liquer,we like that.

[lew600fazer]

partial to a rusty nails myself, someone gave me a bottle of J W red only way I can get it down me is a wee drop of Drambuie.

Has anyone ever tried Suntory japanese whisky. I was flying home from Tokyo after leaving my ship. So into the duty free and they had a wee taster stand setup  The ships I sailed on were dry so no booze for 4 months. Well had a nip then tried another one , bought a bottle of 12 year old , think it was a blend, bloody expensive as nothing is cheap in Japan, had another nip. My flight was not for another 3 hours so took advantage and had a few more. By the time I boarded the flight I was ticking, good stuff, slept most of the 12 hours, only way to fly.

If you get a chance of a bottle at a decent price have a go you will not be disappointed, like most things the Japanese do it is good.

[richfzs]

There was a thing on the news a few weeks back, the Japanese cleaned up at the annual scotch awards!

They've been making good stuff for years, apparently - probably mostly in an attempt to get it cheaper than importing from Scotland. I recall when I was at the edradour distillery, they said the largest export market they have was Japan, despite the massive import tax that the punter in Japan has to pay. Think they said there was more edradour single malt sold in Japan than Scotland. Which is a little bit bonkers!

[VNA - BMW Wank]

Do you drink it neat ? or with what ?

Mostly neat.  I'll add water, a tiny drop at a time, if I'm trying something new, helps you pick out the flavours.

Beware that if you cool whisky you much reduce the flavour.  So ice can kill some drams dead, but some I do find can work with a drop of ice.

So yeah drink it as you please, but I mostly drink it neat even the cask stuff.

Has anyone ever tried Suntory japanese whisky.

Yes, I've had a few nips, it's good stuff.

The Japanese love whisky, they have been making whisky commercially for coming on 100 years.  And it's Scottish whisky they are obsessed with and their distillers have gone to great lengths to emulate our dram.

There was a thing on the news a few weeks back, the Japanese cleaned up at the annual scotch awards!

Well strictly speaking that's not possible, as only whisky made in Scotland can be sold as 'Scotch'.   But 'Scotch' is nothing but a cheap marketing term, a word I refuse to use, it's what Americans call our whisky.  America is also why 99% of the whisky made in Scotland is chill filtered.  Many moons ago a large consignment of whisky delivered to New York was rejected and returned to Scotland.  It was sitting on the dock in New York waiting to be picked up.  When the buyer inspected it one freezing cold morning he rejected it because it was cloudy.  No amount of reassurance from the distillers and blenders would convince him that whisky turning cloudy in the cold was normal.  Americans know best so they returned it.  Also others in America rejected whisky cos it would go cloudy when ice was added.  So the biggest customer got what the biggest customer wanted, chill filtering which removed all the oils and impurities from the dram (and along with it half the taste).   Which meant we all got chill filtering.  It wasn't until the mid 90's when Glenmorangie (who are also responsible for all the fancy wood tom foolery) bought the decommissioned Ardbeg distillery that we once again saw a distillery operating with a zero chill filtered output and Ardbeg went from bust to become a global cult whisky and 24/7 production.

Some would say that Glenmorangie are possibly responsible for the resurrection and wild success of not just Ardbeg but Scottish Whisky as a whole.  They understood marketing, that fooling around with wine, sherry, port,run, fresh wood casks can make great whisky and also that chill filtering generally sucks. 

Jim Murry.  Self publicist, self appointed world whisky expert, brings out his 'Whisky Bible' each year and what better way to further publicise himself than to pick controversial whiskies for The Whisky Bibles global whisky of the year.  Having shocked everybody by naming Ardbeg as the undisputed best whisky in the world, why the next year he decided that the Japanese made the best whisky in the world.

But seriously, there is good whisky been made all round the world now.   Certainly Scottish Whisky is massive cash rich industry and still expanding rapidly after decades of decline but yeah the distillers better watch out, quality counts more than anything, and there are plenty of countries round the world now producing top notch barley bree. 

[lew600fazer]

I think whiskey/whisky as a whole is expanding there share in the drinks market, love them or loath them Diagio has had a hand in marketing. I know the likes of Bushmills and Jamesons are now Diagio brands and their sales are going through the roof.

[VNA - BMW Wank]

It is Lew, the quality end of the market has taken off.  Scotland can't build the malt distilleries quick enougth.

But then if you compare Whisky to Vodka, well over the decades we have been left for dead.  Missed opportunity. 

Production is expanding now, but overall growth has been slow and the industry was almost on it's knees in the 90's. 

Diagio suck.  They just literally print cash with Johnny Walker, but they pissed all over their loyal workers when they turned their back on Kilmarnock (the home of JW).  Not only that they stuck their fingers up at our parliament and Scots as a whole.  And of course our parliament didn't have the powers to stop them and Westminster doesn't want to 'interfere' with the market.

Meanwhile one of the other big players the Edrington group (Grouse, Highland Park etc)continues to give away large proportions of it's profit to charity and good causes.

[YamFazFan]

A (very) small souvenir from Oban,west coast,Scotland.One of the most friendly & beautiful places I've been to .

[robby boy]

A (very) small souvenir from Oban,west coast,Scotland.One of the most friendly & beautiful places I've been to .

A souvenir bought in Oban, I think the Oban distillery is owned by Diageo, William Grants is part of the Glenfiddich group.

[YamFazFan]

A (very) small souvenir from Oban,west coast,Scotland.One of the most friendly & beautiful places I've been to .

A souvenir bought in Oban, I think the Oban distillery is owned by Diageo, William Grants is part of the Glenfiddich group.

Yeah,it came from the gift shop round the other side of the harbour.

[BIG MAC]

I am a Jock who canaae abide whisky....

[lew600fazer]

I know the Irish whiskey industry nearly went tits up as they thought the home trade was enough to support it, Also they thought with the mass exodus of Irish moving to America, Canada and Australia they could just start exporting to those markets. It took them that long to get off there backsides the USA had their own brands, mainly being made by folk who had moved from our own shores.
Living in Spain now I do find whisky hard to drink during the summer months, more of a G&T person then especially as I can stroll down the garden for my own lemons.

[bigralphie]

daughter no1 bought me a bottle of 10year Glenmorangie   ,Seeing off my 12 year Old Pulteney at the moment , Used to live in Campbeltown so Springbank is a particular favorite .
I prefer the lighter hue,s but be a cold day in hell when I refuse any single malt

[richfzs]

Dunno if anyone's mentioned Aberlour in this thread, but bought a cask strength bottle to take round to friends last night - God but that's beautiful stuff. Best dram I ever tried.

[VNA - BMW Wank]

Aberlour?

The usual ten year old is, well not very good to honest. 

Aberlour a'bunadh is gaining a lot of fans.  They seem to be churning it out too as it's popping up in duty free and supermarkets.  But it seems to appear in batches.  I wanted a bottle for Christmas and I'd seen the stuff in the supermarket (thinking ah ken whit I'll get fae.....) but it vanished in the few weeks running up to Christmas.

Anyway the idea is to get back to basics, making proper whisky, no chill filtering, straight ot the cask (sherry butt) and no waiting donkies years to drink it, this is full strength, unfiltered young whisky matured in quality sherry casks.  It sounds foccing great.  Nor should it cost a fortune either (will attract extra tax sadly)

It will also vary from batch to batch, like proper malt whisky should. 

So yeah lucky you richfzs.  Darn it.  Enjoy.

[richfzs]

Aberlour?

The usual ten year old is, well not very good to honest. 

Aberlour a'bunadh is gaining a lot of fans.  They seem to be churning it out too as it's popping up in duty free and supermarkets.  But it seems to appear in batches.  I wanted a bottle for Christmas and I'd seen the stuff in the supermarket (thinking ah ken whit I'll get fae.....) but it vanished in the few weeks running up to Christmas.

Anyway the idea is to get back to basics, making proper whisky, no chill filtering, straight ot the cask (sherry butt) and no waiting donkies years to drink it, this is full strength, unfiltered young whisky matured in quality sherry casks.  It sounds foccing great.  Nor should it cost a fortune either (will attract extra tax sadly)

It will also vary from batch to batch, like proper malt whisky should. 

So yeah lucky you richfzs.  Darn it.  Enjoy.

Aberlour a'bunadh
[/size]
[/size]Aye, that's the stuff. Batch 49 I believe, at 60.1% straight from the cask. Wax sealed, with a wood top to the cork, made even opening it a nice experience - and then it was so smoooooooth, and wonderfully warming.
[/size]
[/size]Hope you find some, its well worth it. Cost me £41 for the bottle, in a shop not famed for being the cheapest around