Single Malt Whisky

[BJ.]

I thought I'd better mention it as I'd hate to see anyone with a caber shoved up his Ayr hole.

[Bill W (2)]

Bill's suggeston of Talisker is very nice but i've gone off it recently as it is quite smokey .

To quote from its publicity: "a powerful peat and sea-salt nose; smoky sweetness and warm, peppery finish."

[Suz]

The Whiskey Mouse is a good shop for ideas.
http://www.whiskymouse.com/shop/gate.php

[tigerburnie]

Whisky is a drink of at least a hundred faces,it really depends on your personal taste.Some like me prefer the smokey,robust island whiskies,Islay(pronounced eye-lah)being the most popular.Bunnahabhain(bunna harven)and Bruichladdich(brook-laddie) are considered the lightest,whereas Laphroig,Lagavulin,Ardbeg and Bowmore are more peaty.If money is no object then try and track down a Port Ellen,which sadly is now closed as far as distilling is concerned(I paid £140 for my last bottle).
Other Islands include Mull,where Tobermory or Ledaig come from.Highland Park and Scapa from the Orkneys,Talisker from Skye,Jura from Jura(funnily enough) and Arran(from......).There's an island on Loch Lomond,but I don't think theirs count,but Croftengea is worth trying to find.
An area that misses a lot of people is Cambletown(Mull of Kintyre)makes some excellent drams,Longrow,Glen Scotia,Hazleburn and Springbank are well worth looking for.
Speyside would be for those prefering something less robust and less peaty(in the main,though they're all making different tastes these days)You'll know the popular Glenfiddich,Balvenie,etc that are found in the supermarkets.Try the smaller specialist shops for the unusual, Longmorn is favourite of mine.Glenglassaugh and Mortlach from Dufftown are superb too,silky smooth but with character.
Highland whisky can vary a lot in style as it covers a vast area of the land,to me Old Pultney has a slight "island" character,so does Oban,yet Glenmorangie(rhymes with orange-y)is different altogether.Glencadam and Fettercairn(my "locals") are closer to some speysides.
Finally the lowland malts are what I would class as light apperitif type whisky,perhaps for the first taste of malt,Auchentoshan is readily available and so is Glenkinchie,both of which are lovely.
Hope this helps.

[Bill W (2)]

Excellent Tigerburnie. Many thanks.

Now if anyone on here is desperately trying to think of what to buy me for Christmas, the Talisker 57 degree North Flask would be much appreciated!!

http://www.malts.com/index.php/en_gb/Ou ... Gift-Packs

[Gate]

Really it depends on what the folks you're buying for will like. If they're not peat monster fans, Ardbeg and the like are out of the question; and if they want something a bit off the beaten track, all the big-name Speysides and Islays, etc., are too well known. Also, if the budget's tight, they're expensive. At the real budget end, you can do a lot worse than Glen Moray; but a few quid more, and there's a lot to be had. Old Pulteney if you like dry and very smooth; Royal Lochnagar for the rich slightly smokey style; Ardmore as a fairly peaty alternative; Strathisla is a good all-rounder; Glengoyne nice in the lighter vein; Mortlach can be simply wonderful in the right bottling and is very reasonably priced, ditto Dailuaine.

Best mail-order outfit for my money is Loch Fyne Whiskies:

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

[dj_joem]

Wow, thanks for all your replies, I knew I could count on everyones knowledge. Thanks again Joe

[Kinoulton]

For me at has to be Laphroaig if I need my throat burning and my head woken up.

Dalwhinnie is a lovely smooth one.

[Gate]

Springbank is my personal favourite - when it's good, there's nothing to touch it. Not so convinced by the heavy-peated version, Longrow - that just comes over as trying a bit too hard.

[Kinoulton]

Not so convinced by the heavy-peated version, Longrow - that just comes over as trying a bit too hard.

The X Factor contestant of Whisky!

[tigerburnie]

Not so convinced by the heavy-peated version, Longrow - that just comes over as trying a bit too hard.

The X Factor contestant of Whisky!

Paying homage to their nearby neighbours on that island,makes sense if you're going to make more than one whisky from the same distillery,albeit in different sized and shaped stills.Have you tried their Hazlebank,it's an old recipe from a nearby closed distillery,maybe more to your taste.

[Gate]

Not so convinced by the heavy-peated version, Longrow - that just comes over as trying a bit too hard.

The X Factor contestant of Whisky!

Paying homage to their nearby neighbours on that island,makes sense if you're going to make more than one whisky from the same distillery,albeit in different sized and shaped stills.Have you tried their Hazlebank,it's an old recipe from a nearby closed distillery,maybe more to your taste.

Hazelburn is indeed a nice dram - kind of a Lowlander, really (I love Rosebank, although it's like hen's teeth now and shockingly expensive - just as well I laid in a few bottles when it was unregarded ). I had a bottle of the early 8-year-old, but "had" is the operative word. I was wondering about dropping heavy hints about the 12-year-old for future presents. Worth it?

[Headers]

At the end of the day its all down to price get what you can aford its the thought that counts

[Bill W (2)]

At the end of the day its all down to price get what you can aford its the thought that counts

Price?? Cost??

What has that got to do with anything?

[tigerburnie]

http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/B-40-Rosebank.aspx

Have a look here,I've had the "flora and fauna series one,very nice.