Whisky Survey

[golden-bastet.livejournal.com]

Cowley often talks about fine malt scotch, but - what specifically is he talking about / drinking? I'm trying to track down the "category" (and any more specifics I can get).

I'm not a scotch drinker, so I don't know how in the world scotch is categorized; any help is greatly appreciated. (The aim is to go into a store and buy an appropriate bottle.)

Some things I've been able to find so far:

Generalities:

1. Strong, peaty whiskies
   • Islay
   • Lagavulin
   • Bruichladdich


2. Medium bodied rich whiskies aged in sherry or European oak casks
   • ?


3. Light fragrant whisky with a touch of sweetness
   • Knochando
   • Jura
   • Glenfiddich
   • Glenkinchie

Specifics:

1. Glenturret 10
2. Tullibardine
3. Glenfiddich
4. Springbank 10
5. Benromach 15
6. Dunkeld Athol Brose
7. Glenfiddich Solera 15
8. Glen Farclas 12
9. Glenrothes 1992
10. Drambuie (this I know about)
11. Highland Park 12
12. Balblair 10

Comments

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

I did some background research a while ago.

It started with a similar query here: http://the-safehouse.livejournal.com/819241.html

Then I got a little interested in the topic *g*
http://kiwisue.livejournal.com/132591.html

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

Also the whole obsession with single malts hadn't really developed yet. Glenfiddich which is a drinkable single malt of no particular virtue ("they're all good") was one of the first to become popular. It's reasonably accessible if you'll actually be drinking the stuff. If you can't stand it neat, a little water (not ice) will smooth things.

Ageing in sherry, port, oaked casks is a more modern expression of the whisky-maker's art AFAIK.

Most of the whiskies shown in the show are blends - and there's nothing wrong with that :)

[golden-bastet.livejournal.com]

Keeeewl. (This is where I need a Cowley icon.) Thanks for all that useful info; I think I'll be revisiting that again in the future!

I'm starting with a small bottle of J&B, and I'll see where that goes. (I really wanted something fancy, but...)

[murphybabe]

Ooh, ooh, ooh, please miss, me miss!

Erm - sorry. Malt whisky is one of my passions. KWS is absolutely right, the cult of single malt was less widespread then, and Glenfiddich is one of the most accessible, 'easy' malts.

Are you looking to buy a bottle for someone/an occasion/yourself?

[golden-bastet.livejournal.com]

It's a bottle for someone / an occasion / by extension myself; but if I tell you more, that kind of reveals more than I should, so...

LOL, that's pretty obtuse.

[mysteriousaliwz.livejournal.com]

Gah, I typed out a long comment and LJ lost it when I tried to post!

Anyway, to recap:

Malts are usually categorised by regions (see wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speyside_Single_Malts#Regions)

Islay malts are very strong and peaty, with a hint of iodine from the sea air.

Speyside malts are popular - smoother, lighter - and include some of the best-known such as Glenfiddich and Glenlivet. My favourite style of whisky. (Of course my Mum was born in Glenlivet, so I may be biased!)

Most of the malts I'm familiar with are matured in oak casks, so that's not particularly a feature. Those matured in sherry casks (like some of the Glendronach whiskies) are less common, and it adds a lovely fruity flavour.

Drambuie isn't classed as a malt whisky. It's a whisky-based liqueur.

[golden-bastet.livejournal.com]

Some of the stuff I'm finding out is actually pretty interesting - who knew there were that many malt scotch whiskeys?

I'd like to explore this more; I'll see how the first couple of go-rounds work out. Can I contact you to sort out any confusion? :-)

[mysteriousaliwz.livejournal.com]

I'm far from being an expert, but if you have questions, I'd be willing to attempt to answer! My mum worked as a tour guide for Glendronach distillery after she retired from teaching, so I can always ask her if I'm stumped.

There are indeed a lot of whiskies out there :)

Interesting snippet: while the whisky is maturing in the casks, some of it (about 2% I think) is lost in evaporation - the whisky that evaporates is called "the angels' share". :)

[mysteriousaliwz.livejournal.com]

This site might be useful: http://www.scotchwhisky.com/english/about/index.htm

[golden-bastet.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the extra info! :-)

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

I'm fascinated by it since I don't drink! Most alcohol tastes horrible to me but I love reading about it and doing this kind of research. :)

[golden-bastet.livejournal.com]

LOL, I'm very much a basic wine person, rarely come near the hard stuff, but you're right - this is pretty fascinating to find out about.

[franciskerst.livejournal.com]

Interesting indeed. I love Scotch whisky (pure single malt of course) but because of the soaring prices, most of the time I content myself with a nice but rather basic Islay I buy in my supermarket. Cowley would have a much larger choice but I see him as favouring peaty whiskies.

[golden-bastet.livejournal.com]

I might try a botgtle, but it seems like the good stuff here is in large bottles that start at $60-70.

...I would not do Cowley proud. :-(

[franciskerst.livejournal.com]

Too much taxes: in Paris I can get a decent one for 24€.