Good scotch for a beginner? I am really into Bourbon but never ventured onto scotch territory because of price reasons...

OP here.

Ended up going with the Glenlivet 12 year. Will report back with my thoughts tonight, I am excited to try it

Take your pick.
All good entry level single malts.

Is Laphroaig good for a beginner??

Fuck yeah OP! That's my personal favorite. Lucky for me, it's only $23 at the costco near me.

For the Islay whiskeys, yeah.

meh, it tastes a bit "medicinal" and that might scare you off. I would start with Highland Park 12 or Bowmore 12 for a beginner peated whisky.

Have 2 bottles in the freezer right now. Let us know what you think OP

...

Why freeze them?

Just got this in the mail, can't wait to try
who /peat/ here? post your favorites!

I hated this, all Ardbeg whisky is too meme for me

Best choice, user.
go back to /v/ with your memes, you retard.

Tell us what you think.

Jura is a great beginners whiskey because its so smooth and mellow but still nice

> freezing scotch
> not drinking scotch at room temperature
Da fuq
I hope you choke on it

This stuff right here. First single malt ive bought. Its absolutely lovely. I mean that stuff is just made of pure bliss. The aromas and taste are perfect for the late autumn weather outside.

I want to try a bottle of Aberlour A'Bunadh, but more just a little more I could just get yamazaki 12. Has anyone had A'bunadh before?

Yes, it's a very good whisky for the price. They have yearly batches, so it varies a little, but I've tried quite a few of them since 2008 and I've never had a bad bottle. It's a good deal sweeter than most, a typical 'sherry monster', but with enough complexity to match 18-25yo malts.

Hi I don't usually post here what do you guys think of lagavulin?

Tastes like smoked bacon and iodine.

I love it.

I'm sure there are whiskey advent calendars you can pick up that have a different snifter for each day of december.

It's not for beginners. It tastes like drinking a regular single malt while sitting on a windswept Scottish beach and warming yourself around a bonfire of ocean driftwood and seaweed.

Glenfarclas in general is pretty GOAT for single malts. Ages incredibly well so it goes up to very high ages, but they're ALL great, even the lower priced ones- and they're also all pretty reasonably priced. Glenfarclas 15 is my go-to choice for malts, and Glenfarclas 40 is probably one of the nicest drinks of any type I've ever had.

I've had well over 100 makes of scotch. Some of my instant-love ones that aren't $200 or rare special releases etc -

Glendronach 12
Clynelish 14
Laphroaig cask strength (quarter cask is famous, but merely an inferior wannabe of cask; I like this more than ardbeg uigeadail)
Caol ila 12

Glenlivet and Glenfiddich are say, the McDonald's and Burger King of single malt. Yeah you can find them and try them to get away from blends, but you're so much better off trying to find a store with more. I recall coming back to glenlivet again after a couple years actually exploring scotch and getting mad at myself for buying a bottle because it's just so useless; I had to invite some friends over to finish it to get it out of my cupboard.

HP is pretty fucking shit compared to how it used to be. Pulteney is ok, totally does the job. Bowmore is pretty good, but for islays you cannot go wrong with any Ardbeg for the general experience.. or Bunnahabhain. People discount Bunnie because it's not peaty outside special releases (last I checked, which was a while ago), hence just kind of go "meh, maybe later" it when sampling Islays. However it is actually better than just about fucking everything else for the price. That and Clynelish seem to just fit a perfect all-in-one role. Others like caol ila, ardmore, certain speysides etc you have if the mood strikes you.

Glenlivet, is the best single malt scotch I have had. But then again I'm a student so an $80 bottle of scotch is expensive for me.

Oh also you might stumble across people Ralfystuff on youtube. I disagree with him on some ratings a lot, but sometimes his taste overlaps mine.

When you're new to scotch you are likely to just kind of blindly follow the experts, assuming they'll always hook you up with good stuff. The thing is, taste is just so fucking personal and subjective that you won't really know what hits your fancy until you try a variety and discover and home in on what you like best. You may not like anything I listed, or you may love one or two things, or all of it, etc and vice versa for anyone recommending things to me.

Ardmore is interesting, the last Highland distillery that peat-malts its own barley.
I've had three bottles, two were sublime and one was disappointing. It looks like they've just split their production into several different varities though.

It really shines through too; Ardmore is peaty in a subtly different character. It's like a fragrant crude oil, as opposed to Islay being a bitter, sharp asphalt type character. Or, that could just be a result of their not being on the coast. I'd also say it is super strong in oak and tannin, vaguely reminiscent of strong black tea.

Kinda the same thing I'm thinking about with scotch as a beginner like OP. Can anybody provide a good starting bottle for the following scotch regions?

Campbeltown
South Highland
Lowland
Speyside
Island

For Islay, I already know that Ardbeg 10 is a great starting point. I also know that Glendronach 12 is the same for North Highland scotches.

Haha you pretentious faggot

Say whatever you want but I know my fucking scotch. I didn't ask to become like this, I just got fascinated with trying to tease apart what makes them different.

When I first started trying a few different single malts as a noob, I at first thought "they all almost taste the same besides if it's peaty or sherried or not, maybe this is a stupid waste of time" but, after going through a couple bottles of different ones, I couldn't shake that they were actually very different and somehow I just way fucking preferred some over others, and so I sat down to try to quantify the exact flavor profiles without just reading what other people thought, and I was off and going on this.

Laphroaig 10. It tastes like a campfire in your mouth, which doesn't sound appealing to begin with. But, man, this shit is like nectar from God's penis.

I really enjoy the Glenkinchie 12, very delicate and subtle. Go for Dalwhinnie 15 if you like it even more delicate, and Lagavulin 16 if you just want your taste buds to be obliterated.

>$80 bottle

Glenlivet is $80 in the US?? I had no idea scotch was so expensive there. In the UK the Founders Reserve (most commonly available one) is £20 a bottle. Perfectly acceptable at that price if a little uninspiring but no way is it worth more than that.

It is very interesting to see the variation in what different people like in Scotch. I am in a similar boat in that I have been fortunate enough to drink a lot of scotch, living in Scotland means it is easily available and cheap, and my Dad loves it too.

I don't really rate Caol Ila 12 compared to the other Islay offerings, and I think Bowmore is the weakest of the readily available ones. Ardbeg is my go to, or Laphroaig 10. I bought a bottle of the Select when it was on offer and regretted it, such a pale imitation of the real thing. Did a similar thing - had friends round and polished it off to get rid of it.

I was very disappointed when Macallan discontinued the 10, it was good and cheap. The Gold is crap, and you have to spend a fortune to get a good Macallan now. Glendronach is now my go to Speyside, went to the distillery a few months ago, very impressive place (pic related). I also rate the Aberlour A'Bundah very highly, I can't believe you can get such a high quality whisky at cask strength for such a low price.

OP here. Good to see there's some good discussion!

I've been enjoying the Glenlivet 12 for the last couple days, fantastic stuff. Very different from Bourbon, maybe that was supposed to be obvious but I didn't realize how different.

The smell is fantastic, very floral and some nice fruit elements in there. The taste is smooth as hell with honey clearly at the forefront. The taste is different and more complex than Bourbon and it makes me excited to try some other, better scotch. I'll be trying to check out some of the suggestions on this thread

You really should be trying Irish whiskey instead. Much nicer that Scotch (and I was born 60 miles from Scotland).
Smooth, almost honey-like the way it slips over the tongue. Far superior. Try Bushmill's or Powers before the Jameson's or Paddy then you'll never need to even try J's or P's.

I'd rate it a solid 6/10. Nice work, you rarely see this kind of effort these days.

>blends
why are you talking
>and I was born 60 miles from Scotland
?????

memes aside jameson beats the pants off of any single malt up to double its price and blend up to 4x its price

the "low-end" scotch market is a huge joke and only exists because of idiots who want to meme

What is this idiot talking about? Jameson better than single malts? You've clearly never had a single malt. Jameson tastes like garbage in comparison

Who said blends in the same post as 60 miles from Scotland?

Idiot here. I did say that if the OP tried the Powers or Bushmills before the Jamesons, he'd never need to try the Jamesons. That implies that the first two are far superior, and they are.
Jameson's is low end stuff compared.to those two.

Don't buy bottles yet, go to a scotch bar and experiment until you find something that you think is a MUST BUY and is within your budget.
Some good starter drams are:
Auchentoshan 12
Glendronach 12
Springbank 10 (lightly peated)
Craigellachie 13
Old Pulteney 12
Laphroaig Quarter Cask (heavily peated)
Ardbeg 10 (heavily peated)

Try peated whisky if you like bbq flavors and want to drink them in an alcoholic concoction.

>I just got fascinated with trying to tease apart what makes them different.
Dude are you me?

do you have or know a dad

dads usually have a few scotch and will usually give you some to try

>memes aside
Then why do you keep on memeing?
Jameson is very average and easy which surely makes it great mixer and novice drink for someone who hasn't tried whisky and wants an easy introduction to it, but saying it beats proper single malts is a lie or mark of not knowing what you're talking about.

If you like peat get Supernova. It's incredible. I've bought the last few bottlings of it.

Laphroaig 10 cask strength is gorgeous.

For Islays, I'd probably pick Lagavulin first, then, Laphroaig, then Ardbeg. Talisker doesn't taste like much, and the rest sort of fall off the real peatiness from there.

This shanty Irish nonsense must be stopped.

>Laphroaig cask strength (quarter cask is famous, but merely an inferior wannabe of cask; I like this more than ardbeg uigeadail)
You can't compare Uigaedail to Laphroaig. Despite both being on the peaty side, they are so fundamentally different in taste and smell - it's like comparing a Dalwhinnie 15 to a Lagavulin 16.
This leads me to believe you actually never tasted it and your entire post is you talking out of your ass.
Why lie on the internet?

>and you have to spend a fortune to get a good Macallan now
Macallan has become such a fucking meme distillery. They are so god damn overhyped and overpriced, Versage wished Ardbeg could even reach 1/10 of Macallan's meme status.
They are trash and should be avoided at all costs. Not worth the money, unless you want to be part of the meme club. What a fucking disgrace they have become. They are the Apple of the whisky industry.

Uige is also a sherried peat not oak and bourbon peat like Laphroaig so its an unfair comparison.
Also saying using QCs are garbage to regular casks shows that he knows nothing about maturation processes.

>mfw enjoying a Four Roses small batch.
>friend ask me why i drink "whisky for kids"
>ask him what he think is good whisky
>answer is Macallan

le maccalan is what real grown-ups drink!

FRSB is pretty good bourbon though, and well priced!
The 12 Sherry Macallan I had was bland and your friends sound like pretentious middle aged rich fucks who likely aren't even that rich since Macallan 12 is like $65 US which is bottom of the barrel for single malts.
However I hear that the Cask Strength Macallan 10 was some good shit (and was reasonably priced) until they discontinued it because Macallan hate their buyers.

>Macallan has become such a fucking meme distillery

Agreed. It really annoys me as the 10 was really good and cost £25 in Costco. Even the current age statement ones are so expensive, pretty sure the 12 is nudging £60.

Used to be my Dad's dram of choice so he bought a bottle of 18 a couple of years ago for £120 - it was really good but not worth that. Just looked it up now and it is over £200. Utter fucking madness.

Oh well, least we have other Speysides which are better and cheaper. Hope no one else goes down this path. I have no issue with no age statement whisky if it isn't overpriced and tastes good, Talisker have been doing a reasonable job with the Storm and the Skye.

looks really interesting! but it's quite expensive and hard to find in my country, maybe one day..

>me 12 years old playing lego in my room
>mummy knocks on door and says bedtime
>tidy up lego and climb into bed
>mummy comes over and tucks me in
>tell mummy i need to speak to her about something very private
>mummy reassure me i can talk to her about anything
>tell mummy about problem where peepee go big and stiff very irritating
>mummy says is normal but needs tickle from time to time
>ask whats that
>mummy says she will show me how to
>take off pyjama bottoms and sit on mummys lap
>mummy gently stroke peepee and it go hard again
>kiss mummy and touch her boobies
>mummy unbutton her dress and let me suckle
>suddenly feel rush and peepee start pulsing
>hold on to mummy tight and yogurt comes out
>start to cry
>mummy ask whats wrong but just tell her i love her lots
>mummy says she loves me too and very proud of her big boy

Patrician's choice.

Yeah, it's pricey. Baby sips on special occasions.

liquid with 40% alcohol doesn't freeze at freezer temperatures if that's what you're thinking. People keep liquor in the freezer so it's cold when they want it.

however if you're asking why you would drink decent scotch at freezer and not room temperature, then you're asking the right questions.

the flavors and aromas of a single malt come out to play when served at room temperature, while keeping in the freezer is my usual way of enjoying cheap stuff

>Aberlour A'Bunadh
yeah I got it as a gift once, honestly cask strength was a lot of alcohol to try to get past in trying to enjoy the flavors of the scotch.

IMO stronger isn't better, and this stuff is boozy at 60%

Glenlivet is an excellent place to start. My first scotch was a glenlivet 18. 12 is great too. it's mild and not going to rape your face with smoke.

They also sell smaller bottles of Glen 12 for like $20.

>I keep scotch in the freezer

heres your (you)

I almost never drink scotch because although I like it I can't appreciate the nuances enough to warrant the price. But I want to say I actually preferred The Glenlivet over HP. I haven't actually had Glenfiddish so I can't compare them.

Have you ever licked a piece of oak? Because that's what scotch tastes like. It's very different from bourbon.

Also, don't fall the "Johnny Walker Black" meme. It's just a blend. It tastes basically the same as Johnny Red, except it's marginally smoother and has a slight vanilla flavour. Save your 60$ and buy a real single malt.

>Save your 60$

For a 70cl of JW Black? Fuck, that is a LOT. It is £23 here and even that is a bit much, can't believe it is practically double over there.

I think it is a perfectly acceptable drink and a decent introduction, but it is creeping up and up in price these days. When I started drinking scotch (about 6 years ago) it was £15 a bottle which was fine. Even here it is more expensive than some single malts, just marketing.

is tomatin good? it's the cheapest scotch with a number on it at my local liquor store.

I really, really enjoy Old Pulteney 12, especially for the price.

If you're ever looking for a salty, sea spray, northern product, look no further.

This is my terrible whisky selection. Not pictured: garbage guest-pleasers like JD, JB white and fireball.

I enjoy that Buillet rye. Try Rittenhouse too. Cheap and good.

What number? Also yeah, you can't go wrong with Tomatin.

How does Bulleit compare to Elijah Craig 12?
I'm a Scotch drinker and the Craig 12 was my first excursion into Bourbon. I was disappointed. It's rather one dimensional, with little depth.
Reminds me of fresh glue on an old and moldy piece of furniture - the kind your grandma used to have for 80 years. Not worth the price in my opinion, although it's considered as one of the better Bourbons out there.

The Bulleit Rye is peppery, above all. Also has a slight fruit and liquorice taste. I haven't had Bulleit Bourbon in a long time, so I can't say for sure, but I remember it being very good for the price.

Elijah Craig is a very woody bourbon, so I kind of get what you mean. I feel like "glue and moldy furniture" is something of an injustice, but you know what you tasted so I can't really argue. Elijah Craig was definitely disappointing, though. I liked it, but I've had far better ones for cheaper.

The important thing I've found is that you can't judge bourbons and scotches by the standards of the other. They're very different styles of whisky and need to be gauged by their own merits. You'll get caramel, wood and spice more predominantly in bourbon than in scotch, at least in my experience. If you really want to test the waters with bourbon, the holy trinity of starters I'd recommend is Buffalo Trace, Bulleit Bourbon (not the rye, very different beast) and Four Roses.

Thanks for your elaborated reply. I was going to buy Knob Creek next. I might get something from your recommendation instead.

Happy to help, user. I started off on the opposite foot to you; I began with bourbon and started venturing into scotch, and found it difficult to get over the vast differences between the two styles. Eventually it just clicked that I was trying to find a scotch that was basically a bourbon, and that kind of defied the entire point of branching out into something new in the first place. Now my favourite variety of scotch is islay, which couldn't be further from bourbon territory if it tried.

Knob Creek is one I haven't tried, actually. I've been curious, but I always hear mixed things. Out of the three, I recommend Buffalo Trace or Four Roses. Both very clean, simple bourbons that are hard to go wrong with. Not complex, but pleasant, comforting drinks you can't really go wrong with.

If you can find Buffalo Trace, then get it for cheap amazing bourbon.

What I'm saying is I'd pick Laph cask over Ugie if I could have one or the other, because they are similar in cost and I know the average newcomer will likely get only one of those looking for a teaching experience of what high tier Islay is. OP probably won't spend an extra couple hundred differentiating Islays and he likely will be told to get Uigeadail (someone plugged it in this thread already) and I must point out Laph 10 cask's existence, which I also would say is a better teaching tool for getting to know peat. QC isn't even in the running and again, a noob might think from its memetic praise online, that QC is like a bargain somewhat comparable to those other two, and obviously it's not.

>If you can find Buffalo Trace, then get it for cheap amazing bourbon
I polished off a bottle last week, actually. Good shit.

No, it easily beats every awful lower end people buy while also costing less. Everything like Glenmorangie 10, Glenfiddich 12, Glenlivet 12, and every blend under $100 are all terrible while Jameson is fairly smooth, distinctive honey and vanilla undertones while avoiding the sickly sweetness many scotches fail with, and only costs $20

not mad

just disappointed

interested in any description of talisker(not tried) vs laphroaig(tried and liked).

Good, low cost scotch with a lot of sherry influence?

Look up the "Bourbon Family Tree", it will give you a better idea of the landscape. There's no substitute for exploring on your own, in my opinion.

>ctrl + F
>"oban"
>0 results
you people disgust me

I tried Oban 14 and thought it was pretty mediocre for the price.

any opinions on Talisker?

Glendive 12 is widely available, reasonably priced, and pretty easy drinking. Would recommend for a beginner single malt or a daily drinker single malt.

Laph PX is my jam.

It's the best thing Laphroaig put out. I prefer it to the uigeadail and the corryvreckan. But they're all good. Peat4lyfe.