Beginner Scotch

sms419

I am wanting to try scotch but dont have a clue what to look for. Never tried it before. I hear it goes great with a good cigar. Any suggestions for beginner scotch if there is such a thing.

madurofan

McAllan 12 year. Affordable, easy to obtain and on the milder side but still very quality.

txjayhawk

sms419:

I am wanting to try scotch but dont have a clue what to look for. Never tried it before. I hear it goes great with a good cigar. Any suggestions for beginner scotch if there is such a thing.

Bowmore Islay...$26. Mighty tasty for thier lowest level scotch.

lilwing88

The Glenlivet 12 yr. Start with a readily available, affordable classic and go from there......

cooch36

Oban 14 yr single malt very tasty not harsh smell is fantastic. $50

robbyras

lilwing88:

The Glenlivet 12 yr. Start with a readily available, affordable classic and go from there......

Glenfiddich 12 is in that same group. A little more expensive but well worth it. I got my last bottle on sale at BevMo for $21... I would personally recommend a single malt. Blends are not really my thing.

kingjk729

If you can find it ........ try Benromach its a Speyside single malt and is really good and iam not a scotch fan ..... you can find it for around 30.00 they also make an organic thats like 60.00 but i've never had it

sightunseen

My first scotch was a Glennmorangie 14 yr and I had a very good impression of it. Towards the end of the aging process, it's put in sherry casks so it imparts a slight sweetness.

Fourtotheflush

Try one of the Glen's 1st and work your way up from there. Stay away from the ones that start with Johnny

dennisking

single malt is the way to go. I started with Glenlivet and Glenfiddich. Both very tasty. I like them with a spicy cigar, like an OpusX

madurofan

dennisking:

single malt is the way to go. I started with Glenlivet and Glenfiddich. Both very tasty. I like them with a spicy cigar, like an OpusX

Thread derailment warning.

You really think the Opus X is spicy? I find it rather lacking in spice with much more earth to it.

dennisking

the ones I've had are spicy. maybe it's just me. not like peppery spice but savory

madurofan

Ahh thats explains it. In this crazy head of mine I associate spicy as peppery but I understand now what you mean. Interesting ...

Hawk55

I was going to follow the derailment and agrree with you on the OpusX as being earthy...but I can also see where he is going with the taste thing.

KCW

This thread couldn't have come up at a better time for me.... I never had a taste for Scotch. Seemed like medicine to me. My very best friend (who unfortunately passed away waaaaaay too early in life a year ago) was a Huge Scotch (& Wine) guy.. Very impressive collection. We made a deal before he passed away that I would teach him Cigars (what little I know anyway), and He'd teach me Scotch (& Wine)... Well, unfortunately we never got that chance. So, now my Father In-Law has all his Scotch now and I'm thinking about learning in my friend's honor. So, the first bottle I saw, I grabbed. A Talisker Single Malt (10 Years).... Mean anything to anyone. Is this the wrong one to start with?

kaspera79

madurofan:

McAllan 12 year. Affordable, easy to obtain and on the milder side but still very quality.

Hey Maddy, I was not a Scotch Drinker and got in a discussion with a long time Scotchy. He suggested the very same McAllan as you did. He said always look for 12+ years as that is when things start to get good in the scotch world. I was happy as this one was a great introduction for me.

cooch36

a little medican tasting to me you will see what I mean a good scotch Ihave a bottle but a weird taste in the middle goes away then comes back. I guess goes away after third glass and comes back next time you drink it. Oban is one of it's cousins listed on back of bottle or packaging all from the same area's. Good luck bottems up!

lilwing88

KCW:

This thread couldn't have come up at a better time for me.... I never had a taste for Scotch. Seemed like medicine to me. My very best friend (who unfortunately passed away waaaaaay too early in life a year ago) was a Huge Scotch (& Wine) guy.. Very impressive collection. We made a deal before he passed away that I would teach him Cigars (what little I know anyway), and He'd teach me Scotch (& Wine)... Well, unfortunately we never got that chance. So, now my Father In-Law has all his Scotch now and I'm thinking about learning in my friend's honor. So, the first bottle I saw, I grabbed. A Talisker Single Malt (10 Years).... Mean anything to anyone. Is this the wrong one to start with?

Talisker is a good one. 7 or 10 year scotches tend to be a bit bitter on the finish. 12 year and up are more smooth. My favorites are Oban 14 yr., Glenlivet 15yr, and Glenfiddich 15 yr....

Sandman1am

I tried and really like Yamazaki Japanese 12 yr. Scotch but it was a bit pricy. I will also drink Famous Grouse which is according to some Scotland's favourite scotch whisky. Some is less expensive then others so becareful what you get. Some really good suggestions here and some I like more than others but that is all due to taste.

SaVas

A fantastic scotch in the lower price range (sub $40) is Balvenie 12 year old. Also notable and quite good (though in the $50 to $80 range) are Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or, and Macallan Cask Strength

madurofan

kaspera79:

madurofan:

McAllan 12 year. Affordable, easy to obtain and on the milder side but still very quality.

Hey Maddy, I was not a Scotch Drinker and got in a discussion with a long time Scotchy. He suggested the very same McAllan as you did. He said always look for 12+ years as that is when things start to get good in the scotch world. I was happy as this one was a great introduction for me.

My step-grandfather is a very big scotchy. He belongs to a very notable scotch club(the name escapes me right now) anyways that was his recommendation to me, verbatim, for my first scotch.

txjayhawk

Well, I have loved scotch from the first time I tasted when I was about 6 or 7 years old after finishing a tour at a scotch distilery. I have loved it from that point on, and have develpoed quite a taste for it too. I came across a GlennParker 8yr the other day. Its a spey side and it was 20 bucks (it screamed to me, "I can be an everyday scotch!! Try me!!"). after the intial shock of a bottle talking to me, I picked it up, and brought it home. It was great! For any of you guys who are trying to break in to the single malts, give this guy a try. Very mellow, mild scotch. Has hints of toasted pecans, caramel, and oak. This will not be the last one of these I get...

Fourtotheflush

Funny caught that one!

Goldy

I fell in love with the Dalmore 12yr and thats now the only scotch I drink. Everything else seems so blan though I havent tried many of the high end ones yet.

bushwood

I strongly suggest you try Laphroaig, a splendid Islay scotch. As with most scotches from the Islay region, it's chock full of glorious peaty, smokey flavor. They have a pretty good web site, too, where you can buy a plot of the old sod by the square foot. It's sort of a marketing deal, but it's fun nonetheless. Enjoy! Here's their site: http://www.laphroaig.com/

xmacro

Can anyone tell me the difference between a single and a double malt scotch? Is there a triple?

mobyallan

agree with the Glenlivet 12 - Also the Glenfiddich 15 will do. This totally makes me think of the move swingers when their ordering scotch at the blackjack table.

"I'll have a scotch on the rocks, please. Any scotch will do, as long as it's not a blend, of course. Uh, single malt. Glenlivet, Glenfiddich perhaps. Maybe a Glengow... Any Glen. Scotch on the rocks."