I'm interested in trying out scotch but I don't really know where to start...

I'm interested in trying out scotch but I don't really know where to start. Which one would be a good one to try if I've never had one before?

I'd say Glenfiddich 12yo; affordable and representative of most standard offerings on the single malt market. If you prefer something a bit sweeter, I'd try Glenfarclas 12yo. If you don't mind trying smoky / peated whisky, I'd suggest Bowmore 12yo. You may also want to try blends first; generally smoother and more approachable for someone who's never tried scotch. In that respect, you could try Famous Grouse 12yo, similar to the Speyside/Highland style of single malts but with a touch less bitterness than most. If you're looking for something more of an all-rounder, I'd suggest Highland Park 12yo, which encompasses both the sherry sweetness of aged single malts, but with a touch of peat & smoke.

Lagavulin. Don't look back.

This guy right here

Your pic right there. It's similar to what recommended but people usually find it slightly more interesting on average.

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overrated as fuck for its price.
almost meme tier.

>almost an element of a culture or system of behaviour passed from one individual to another by imitation or other non-genetic means tier.
Cretin

Funnel, nice and hot

thinking about trying some Jura this weekend
what bottle do yous guys recommend?

Laphroaig

Bunnahabhain. Its a mild scotch.

The only true answer in this thread so far. Got very drunk off of this while smacking my dick against my brothers old gerbil cage.

$70 for a 16 year old scotch sure thing kiddo

OP this guy knows his shit, glennfiddich 12 is a great start, smooth and absolutely delicious once you develop your pallet

I started with Johnny Walker black, but even as a blended whisky I think it is more strong than glennfiddich

I started off on those two and gradually developed a better taste for scotch, but people will never think their shit smells so just buy around, look for deals and sales and try different blends and shit, just don't ever mix scotch with anything but water and don't get shitfaced off of it, if you want to get drunk start off expensive and end cheap

Also for your first time use some good clean ice and Let it soak, don't put too much ice, it'll water it down, but you'll get the hang of it, it took me a couple months to finish my first bottle, then it took 2 weeks to finish the next

JWR is trash, I can taste the bad quality when I drink it

>while smacking my dick against my brothers old gerbil cage
What did he mean by this?

Honestly, I've heard that Glenfiddich is a great starter scotch, but I've never had it. In all honesty, you have to know what kind of flavors you prefer in your alcohol. If you Like Fruity flavors go for a Speyside scotch. If you like smoke and peat flavor go with Islays. Aromatic? Highlands. Grassy scotches? Lowlands. I'm a speyside guy so I like Aberlour 12 yr.

THIS. Tastes like liquefied charcoal. Delicious.

if you smoke a cigarette before drinking jack daniels, it tastes like apple juice

Bruichladdich

scotch to me tastes like shitty whiskey. I don't really get it.

If your phenol tolerance is poor then get Laphroaig and drink 4 bottles like a beast. After that you'll be able to enjoy Lagavulin. Talisker, Ardbeg and all the Islay Scotches are what scotch is.

You drink a Macallan, you're drinking a scotch that is basically a brandy.

What about Jura?

I like this one. I'll usually go for a bourbon, though.

Johnny Walker Black

Not the best scotch. But damn good and available the world over.

Use a splash of San Pelligrino as the delivery vehicle.

12 year single malt Aberlour is a good start

Agree. I'd throw this into the mix.

that is what i started with and never looked back. I cant stand johnny walker...

>use some good clean ice
Um, no.

Islay malts are my favorite type but honestly I don't think it's a good choice to start with. That peaty almost iodine-like flavor can be pretty overwhelming for a beginner.

That said I'd suggest Macallan 12. It's a good Highland aged in Sherry casks so it gets a nice semi-sweet flavor. Kinda like vanilla.

For a beginner? I used ice when I first started drinking, it's retarded to start drinking without softening the blow, I'm experienced and chase my shit with ice water

as an alchoholic i can't tell you if it's scotch or just some blend but after a large collection of whiskeys and gifts and buying and importing. Buchanan 12 year blend is like 37 bucks and fucking delicious.

Again I've had a bunch of whiskey in my day huge collection up on a shelf at my parents which is only gotten into by me during thanksgiving and christmas. I've had super high shelf fancy shit I've had shit tier rot gut whiskey and scotch. Buchanans 12 year blend stood out as the best bang for buck alchohol. [spoiler]not trying to impress anyone with my alcholism but i used to spend 120 dollars weekly over the course of 2 years while travelign for work buying whiskey to taste and collect.[/spoiler] I just wanted to chime in since I like whiskey a lot. When I buy just to be an alchoholic I usually get makers in the winter and then a rum in the summer but when I want a nice sipping yummy drink buchanans 12 year is so goddamn good.

Johnny Walker is not a good starter scotch. I'm definitely biased as I don't like any of the JW line. I have a bottle of black red and blue but I would probably only drink them if company asked for it specifically or I had nothing better on hand.

even with your expanded definition of meme what he said still makes sense, I hope you trip, fall and crush your own nutsack.

Glenlivet was the first single malt I tried because it's relatively cheap and easy to find. Definitely not bad to start off with but I guess you could also go with something like Dalwhinnie or Oban if you're not looking for something peated. Lagavulin or Laphroaig if you are. My personal favorite after trying several various single malts is Talisker but it's probably not for everyone.

I'll agree that it isn't a good start, but I enjoy me some JW, it's weird, I've had blue that has been okay and blue that has been stellar, JW's taste differs bottle to bottle

My first sip of Ardbeg was like, "Wow, that's weird as fuck."

My second sip was like, "Hey, I think I like this."

Since then my love has only grown.

Once OP decides whether he likes peat or not, there's no need to ease himself into it. It's extremely hit-or-miss right from the get-go.

Don't get Balvenie if you're sensitive to butyric acid, though. Balvenie and Monkey Shoulder both smell like half-digested plum vomit to me.

Buy Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey instead

meme drink.
>hurr look how masculine i am, i can drink the most vile shit in the known universe

You can sometimes find it at Costco for around $60

I always suggest Glenfiddich to newbies. It's a smooth mild whisky and they usually like it.

After that I guess they can move on to more characterful ones. Maybe Tallisker Storm isn't too aggressive but still much more complex than Glenfiddich.
The endgame is of course Laphroaig.

Brandy is distilled wine, and whiskey is made from a grain mash.

Back 2 Reddit

Not this.

no shit, idiot. I'm talking taste, not source. How do you people have computers?

How many Caribou went into that blended scotch? Cripes.

I bought it because I just had to know how bad it was.
I am 98% certain it was just cheap vodka with fake scotch aroma added. I could TASTE the caramel the used to colour it.
It wasn't even that cheap.
I just have a strange curiosity about the really cheap stuff.

Funny thing is, cheap, non name shit here in Canada ends up being higher quality because they're trying to carve out market share. Soups, generic staples are competing with Kraft and Campbell's etc. They need to be better than the rival, while the name brands are trying to cut costs so their shit tastes like composted garbage often times. It's counter intuitive.

Generally can't go wrong with pic related imo

He's saying whisky aged in wine casks tastes similar to brandy.

One time I dropped an entire 750ml bottle of JWR on the floor of a hotel room and it shattered. Room smelled like smoky blended scotch the whole weekend. Never got charged for it.

try the lasanta if you get a chance

Hand down my favorite of all the scotches I have drank. Longmorn 16 yr generally around 100.00 US per 750 ml. Drink the entire btl and get no hangover. Warning scotches and Irish whiskeys seem to oxidise and get a horrible flavor after the bottle has been opened an extended amount of time. Sometimes its best to try these whiskeys at a more up-scale bar.

But wouldn't they be more shitty in a bar setting? Unless they open a new bottle for every drink.

I don't find that it ruins the flavor unless 1) it's a really expensive bottle or 2) you let it sit for more than 6 months opened

I drink $40-60 bottles and they usually stay good for a month, just cork it immediately after, bars do the same thing so there is no difference

Will do, I'll keep an eye out for it. I've had the Quinta Ruben and it was very good.

On an unrelated note, I finally got my hands on some Blanton's this year. Really good.

forgot pic

Mclellands is really great for beginners. It's also cheap.