Fill the gap in my education

[Badbadger]

Hi all,
I need some assistance in what to tickle my newbie taste buds with next. I've only been into whisky for the past year or so and am keen to extend my senses. So far my experience is:

Old Pulteney 21 (no prizes for guessing why I picked that one) - personal favourite so far.
Laphraoig q cask - too much peat almost antiseptic
Lagavulin 16 - very good but wasn't sure. Did this mean I wasn't an Islay man?
Talisker 10 - really nice and didn't last long at all
Oban - got me into scotch orignally so I owe it a great deal. Really enjoyable
Dalwhinnie - smooth with the most amazing finish. cheap too which is a bonus
Glenfiddich 18 - bit ot on the sherry but not unpleasant

So then I wondered about the Islays again and took the plunge with an uigedail. And love it to bits.

So with only 3 or 4 bottles in the cupboard I'm wondering what I should grab next.. the talisker 18yo looks rather good as does the Macallans. God knows which though. Aberlour caught my eye too (just batch 37 or 38 easily available atm).

So based on that bunch and with a budget around £50/60, what would complement a uigedail, fiddich and deanston?

Appreciate any help you can give.

[Pudge72]

Hi all,
I need some assistance in what to tickle my newbie taste buds with next. I've only been into whisky for the past year or so and am keen to extend my senses. So far my experience is:

Old Pulteney 21 (no prizes for guessing why I picked that one) - personal favourite so far.
Laphraoig q cask - too much peat almost antiseptic
Lagavulin 16 - very good but wasn't sure. Did this mean I wasn't an Islay man?
Talisker 10 - really nice and didn't last long at all
Oban - got me into scotch orignally so I owe it a great deal. Really enjoyable
Dalwhinnie - smooth with the most amazing finish. cheap too which is a bonus
Glenfiddich 18 - bit ot on the sherry but not unpleasant

So then I wondered about the Islays again and took the plunge with an uigedail. And love it to bits.

So with only 3 or 4 bottles in the cupboard I'm wondering what I should grab next.. the talisker 18yo looks rather good as does the Macallans. God knows which though. Aberlour caught my eye too (just batch 37 or 38 easily available atm).

So based on that bunch and with a budget around £50/60, what would complement a uigedail, fiddich and deanston?

Appreciate any help you can give.

I am hoping to acquire a Talisker 18 in the near future (based strictly on reviews/opinions...I have yet to taste it), so in the "I'm actually putting my money where my mouth is" I would say that the Talisker 18 (at least I'm hoping so) would be a solid pick. If you can find Batch 32 of the Aberlour Abunadh, it is one that really caught my attention (a profile similar to a Cadbury Fruit & Nut chocolate bar, to my mind ). The Abunadh's one of several examples of 'the sherry experience'.

In terms of expanding your knowledge...you seem to be missing a Lowland. I've really enjoyed the Auchentoshan 12 as a 'daily/regular dram' bottle. I have also enjoyed the samples that I have had of the Auchentoshan Three Wood.

[Badbadger]

thanks for the help Pudge. The talisker does have some droolingly good write ups. Better not disappear as quick as the 10 yo or I'll be broke before I know it

[Peat Sampras]

If you don't like the Islay peat style, go for a Ledaig, and Ardmore, a peaty Benromach or BenRiach or a peaty Glen Scotia (if you find a bottle).

Do also try more whiskies of all sorts (including Irish, US, and Japanese - but not European mainland), but preferrably with as many of the following characteristics: cask strength, single cask, no artificial coloring, non-chillfiltered.

Refrain from strange finishes like red wine, tokaj, cognac etc. and stick with whisky that was matured in bourbon casks or, if you like it, sherry casks. Some whisky that was matured or finished in port pipes, madeira casks and white wine casks such as chateau St. Yquëm may be acceptable (or even brilliant).

Don't bother for fancy packaging or raving reviews (unless they are from someone you trust and know he has the same taste as you).

Follow these rules and you can't go wrong However, only straying from the path is fun so just go ahead and taste the strange stuff as well

[Pete Smoke]

Hi Badbadger. I assume as you quoted '£' you are located in the UK.

I could list off dozens of 'beginner' whiskies but i won't. Two that spring to mind, and offer that bit more for your budget would be the Bladnoch 20 (i havent tried this cask yet but the previous two were superb). If you sign up to the Bladnoch forum it's a fiver less there.

http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-16465.aspx

The other is a forum favourite, the Glenlivet Nadurra 16. It offers plenty of life and it never gets tiresome, keep your eyes peeled in Waitrose as they put it on offer occasionally (it isn't at the moment and cheaper here--).

http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-15800.aspx

[Mr Tattie Heid]

The only way to fill the gaps in your education is to try everything! We're all still working on it, too.

I'll concur on the Nadurra recommendation. Try that and get back to us, and we'll go from there.

[DavidUK]

Any Bladnoch at 55%. The new 10yo Sherry matured is gorgeous, although it does need time to 'open up' when the bottle is first opened.

Any Springbank

[Badbadger]

Lots of great advice chaps, thanks a bunch. I have been thinking about some bourbon and Irish as well, so I'll go for the bladnoch or livet in the short term and work my way up.
Reading this forum seems like the way to fill the gap tbh

[DavidUK]

Apart from an outstanding whisky like the Lagavulin 16yo, I almost never buy whisky these days unless they are bottled at 46% or higher, and are not chill filtered.

By the way, you could also try the new Bruichladdich 10yo(Laddie Ten) and the 46.3% Bunnahabhain 12yo. Both are from Islay but little or no peat involved.

[orange_barnet]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

I think it’s really difficult to make suggestions to someone who hasn’t been drinking whisky for very long, ‘a year or so’ in your case, and any recommendations made by individuals are naturally likely to be influenced by personal preferences …

The choice of whiskies ‘out there’ is huge, and I would suggest, besides following up on recommendations from fellow enthusiasts, that you might want to spend a moment considering how you’re going to expand on your experience of whisky. The question of buying vs. trying will probably come into play too…. I usually (but not always) buy bottles of whisky having tried them first, but the more whiskies you have enjoyed the more you will start to feel confident about buying bottles without having sampled the contents. You will be guided by your own knowledge base and probably by trusted reviews. So you might want to start trying as many whiskies as you can without having to buy them by the bottle – in pubs, at tastings, or by requesting samples from various sources etc.!

Then you might want to think about whether you want to simply try whiskies on a random basis i.e. whiskies that are recommended to you and/or that you simply like the sound of, or that you come across in an opportunistic fashion. And this is great fun.

Or do you want to explore whiskies in some sort of systematic way? For example, you may find it interesting to compare / contrast whiskies within a particular flavour spectrum - and this may in part go hand in hand with a whisky producing region – for instance smoky whiskies (from Islay). It is always more of an eye-opener though to discover how dram-atic(!) differences between whiskies can be by e.g. by comparing single malt whiskies from very different flavour profiles e.g. sweet, floral, fruity, malty, spicy, smoky etc…. looks like you’ve already discovered this approach!

Or you might wish to explore the different finishes from a particular distillery (here for instance a readily available comparison set might be Glenmorangie – 10yo original, Nectar D’or (Sauternes finish), Quinta Ruban (port finish), Lasanta (sherried …. watch out, this one tends to get some bad press but possibly worth trying for that very reason!), or Sonnalta PX (widely acclaimed as an excellent Pedro Ximenez finish). Then you will see how different finishes increase the complexity of a whisky and you might get closer to discovering what appeals to your nose and palate.

You might also find it interesting to compare whiskies at cask strengths vs. standard lower strength bottlings from individual distilleries.

But there are no right or wrong ways of exploring whiskies. The reality of your voyage is likely to be a mix of approaches and not just one specific plan of attack. You may also discover that a given whisky appeals to you more / less at different times or in different places. My enjoyment of different whiskies is very much influenced by time, place, mood, situation etc.

You’ve asked for suggestions for a whisky that will complement “uigeadail, fiddich and deanston” …. That’s a hard question to answer , as there are some smoky, sweet, fruit and malty themes going on with this trio. So do you want something similar, or very different? I would suggest try a few more whiskies and make a choice from what you try before splashing out on a bottle! I’m loathe to recommend any particular whisky to you…. but there have been no suggestions already made above that I would disagree with. My own personal preferences would have me agree with either the Bladnoch or the Talisker recommendations most of all. I’d also particularly draw your attention though to Mr TH’s response:

The only way to fill the gaps in your education is to try everything! We're all still working on it, too.

Have fun!

PS By the way, have you been on any distillery tours?

[Badbadger]

I haven't been on any tours yet, but my boss bought a place in the Borders region a year ago and is busy getting it ready to rent as holiday cottage. My suggestion of team building event there has been picked up and I'm scanning for the nearest distillers (btw - its near West Buccleuch and Redford Green).

Lasanta I tried after a meal not so long ago and whilst the sherry kick was huge, I loved it. Maybe it was the setting etc, but I'd give it another go for sure.
I just ordered 3 samples to have a go at, aberlour, Ardbeg and Mac 10 - the glenfarclas 40 was tempting but at £15 a sample it may be a bit much. After all, what do I do if I love it.? I'll lust after a £300 bottle

Also got in touch with the Malt n Copper whisky society down in Brighton, so I'll pop along to their tastings soon.

Quick question - I found a glass or two of talisker (10) left in the bottle at the back of the cupboard the other day. Perhaps it was the spicy food I had, but it tasted pretty bad - I thought I smelt and tasted sulphur. But doesn't sulphur show up first rather than develop?

thanks again

[DavidUK]

I haven't been on any tours yet, but my boss bought a place in the Borders region a year ago and is busy getting it ready to rent as holiday cottage. My suggestion of team building event there has been picked up and I'm scanning for the nearest distillers (btw - its near West Buccleuch and Redford Green).

Lasanta I tried after a meal not so long ago and whilst the sherry kick was huge, I loved it. Maybe it was the setting etc, but I'd give it another go for sure.
I just ordered 3 samples to have a go at, aberlour, Ardbeg and Mac 10 - the glenfarclas 40 was tempting but at £15 a sample it may be a bit much. After all, what do I do if I love it.? I'll lust after a £300 bottle

Also got in touch with the Malt n Copper whisky society down in Brighton, so I'll pop along to their tastings soon.

Quick question - I found a glass or two of talisker (10) left in the bottle at the back of the cupboard the other day. Perhaps it was the spicy food I had, but it tasted pretty bad - I thought I smelt and tasted sulphur. But doesn't sulphur show up first rather than develop?

thanks again

The place you mention is quite some way from any distillery I'm afraid. The closest would probably be Glenkinchie which is South-East of Edinburgh and Bladnoch near Newton Stewart.

[scotchio]

I've got a cracking GM Mortlach 15 if you want to learn about sulphur. I'll swap a sample for anything unsulphured.

benromach and Bladnoch are very good calls,also available in smaller bottlings if you dont want 70cl. GM Linkwood 15 (also 35cl) is a very good sherried malt which looks and tastes a lot older than 15yrs(assuming the bottling is the one available 18months back) if you want to try creamy small still style Glencadam 15 is excellent and of course sample swapping is a good way to expand horizons.

Do check Bladnoch out though. Their range is well priced and they do 20cl bottles. And they are all pretty good.

[Johnny Murgatroyd]

noooo! Fling that Mortlach devil-thing into the fiery furnace from whence it came! Don't spread its foul influence around! lol

Badger, it sounds like you have a taste for lightly peated/unpeated Highland malts, maybe west coast. You therefore have excellent taste, lol.

Recommended:
Bowmore 12 for lightly peated spicy Islay
Clynlish for Highland honey-and-beeswax similar to Dailwhinnie
Bruichladdich Resurrection Dram - lightly peated Islay

[Badbadger]

Almost run dry now so the Bowmore's in the cart and reckon I need one other. How's the 18yo laphroig (sic)? May go for the Quinta ruben but worried in may be a little over the top. The fiddich 18 was heavily sherried and one of my faves so should be a safe bet in theory.

Thanks for your help folks. Had a trip to Wales recently, sorry the penderryn was a shocker in my book

The Springbank 10 and 15yo revival Glenn dronnach were superb though.

Plumped for a Bowmore and a Longrow cv. Dangerously looking towards a trip to Scotland later in the year

[ColSanders]

Even as a fan of (some) Finishes... I'd skip the Quinta Ruben early in the career... it's good but... eh... nothing that special personally.

Laphroaig 18 though...

Sherry wise... Glenfarclas hasn't appeared on the list yet at a quick glance as having been bought (I'd say go for the 12, granted I haven't had the 15, which you do have easier access to), for a delicious sherry monster... Need to buy another bottle here...

[Pudge72]

Even as a fan of (some) Finishes... I'd skip the Quinta Ruben early in the career... it's good but... eh... nothing that special personally.

Laphroaig 18 though...

Sherry wise... Glenfarclas hasn't appeared on the list yet at a quick glance as having been bought (I'd say go for the 12, granted I haven't had the 15, which you do have easier access to), for a delicious sherry monster... Need to buy another bottle here...

I would highly recommend the Glenfarclas 15...lots of fruit and baking spices blend together really nicely!

[Badbadger]

I managed to grab a bottle of the 17 yo Glenfarclas at the airport. Loved it. The most important part of my education was to join a local whiskey society and go along to tastings. Just one so far on islay's (Lagavulin 12 yo was a star of the show for me).
Next one is in a week and focussed on japanese, hibiki 17 (or maybe 15) and Yamazaki 18 were right at top of my list so really looking forward to that.

Was a little shocked at how smashed I was at the end of the night though

[Pudge72]

Yamazaki 18 is awesome, imho! Possibly the best Japanese that is at all available in North America (very limited selection in the first place, unfortunately) based on reviews that I have read.