Author Topic: A wee drop of whisky  (Read 39010 times)

Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #125 on: 15 March, 2021, 03:43:21 pm »

citoyen

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Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #126 on: 15 March, 2021, 03:45:02 pm »
Have had great success with these two

https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/
https://www.masterofmalt.com/

I haven't tried to order online here but this is my local shop for such things

https://wineandwhisky.co.uk/

Excellent, thanks!

Quote
As for recommendations it all depends, honestly, but for your budget you can get a good drop, so don't worry too much there. I for one don't like the Laphroaig much but I know others do.


Just browsing both sites, they have almost too many interesting options to choose from!

This one looks fun and modern and suitably hipsterish:
https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/seaweed-and-aeons-and-digging-and-fire/seaweed-and-aeons-and-digging-and-fire-10-year-old-whisky/
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

citoyen

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"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Mr Larrington

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Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #128 on: 15 March, 2021, 04:01:18 pm »
Laphroaig, together with nearly all the other Islay malts, is something of an acquired taste, and one that I never did manage to grasp.  Too medicinal for this Unit.  Bruichladdich being the honourable exception.  Even Miss von Brandenburg likes Bruichladdich, or “Bruchlandung*” as her mother read the label.

* crash landing
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Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #129 on: 15 March, 2021, 11:49:49 pm »
(I have no idea where the recipient's tastes lie on the whisky spectrum.)

Do they like whisky? Can you sneak a look at their drinks cabinet? A couple of brand names might suggest which way their tastes lean and could be expanded. Maybe the new(ish) Cotswold whisky or the recently launched Aussie one (Starfield, something like that? I had a taste of the new make, too young to be called whisky legally, a couple of years ago and it was actually pretty decent, belying its youth) would both be interesting and fall outside someone's preconceptions of the Scotch they are used to.

As Mr L hints, I'd be reluctant to give someone a Laphroaig unless I knew it was a taste they'd already acquired.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #130 on: 16 March, 2021, 12:15:11 am »
Do they like whisky? Can you sneak a look at their drinks cabinet?

Yes. No.

It's a bit of a last-minute request - trying to come up with an idea for a leaving gift for a colleague and I remembered he liked whisky from when I worked with him elsewhere some years ago. We're a small team, hence the low budget. Not a sign of his unpopularity. I don't know him well enough to know what whisky he likes though.

I like whisky myself, but I've never got into it in any serious way. Though I do know enough to appreciate why Laphroaig might not be to every whisky lover's taste.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

woollypigs

  • Mr Peli
    • woollypigs
Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #131 on: 16 March, 2021, 07:23:14 am »
Don't let the budget make you think that you can't get a good drop. I refer you to https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=13715.msg2449368#msg2449368

Here's a few that's within budget - Monkey Shoulder, Copper Dog, Sheep dip - just different and not the "normal" names of whisky, but nevertheless tasty and enjoyable.
Current mood: AARRRGGGGHHHHH !!! #bollockstobrexit

Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #132 on: 16 March, 2021, 12:35:03 pm »
OK, connoisseurs, where's a good place to buy whisky online? whiskyshop.com looks like it has a decent selection but I've never used it and can't really claim to be knowledgeable enough on the subject to make a well-informed decision.

It's for a gift, budget is £35, so any recommendations would be welcome too. I thought this one looked decent - is it?
https://www.whiskyshop.com/laphroaig-select

(I have no idea where the recipient's tastes lie on the whisky spectrum.)

An Cnoc would be a good choice. Its hard not to like it. Sweet, honeyed, unpeated.

woollypigs

  • Mr Peli
    • woollypigs
Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #133 on: 16 March, 2021, 12:41:57 pm »
Agreed, I've forgotten about that one.
Current mood: AARRRGGGGHHHHH !!! #bollockstobrexit

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #134 on: 16 March, 2021, 01:50:04 pm »
Here's a few that's within budget - Monkey Shoulder, Copper Dog, Sheep dip - just different and not the "normal" names of whisky, but nevertheless tasty and enjoyable.

An Cnoc would be a good choice. Its hard not to like it. Sweet, honeyed, unpeated.

Thanks for these suggestions. I've passed them on to the person responsible for purchasing.

For a gift, there's definitely something appealing about going for something that isn't one of the "normal" names, which would be another reason to avoid Laphroaig.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #135 on: 16 March, 2021, 04:58:37 pm »
Hence An Cnoc. There's nothing specific in it that will offend, but it is really nice, all dried fruit and honey.

Used to be called Knockdho or something. Not to be confused with Knockando.

John Stonebridge

  • Has never ridden Ower the Edge
Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #136 on: 18 March, 2021, 11:25:22 pm »
the whisky section of my mother in laws drinks cabinet has effectively been my responsibility since my father in law died in 2016.  He always offered me a dram as soon as I set foot inside the house and he knew his stuff.   :'(

Anyhow my difficulty is that its about 130 miles from where I live and our visits are relatively infrequent but weve been here at our extended household in Covid parlance this week on annual leave. 

The aforementioned whisky section of the drinks collection took something of a dent last night due to a bereavement in the street where she lives.  Very mild weather and the consumption of a number of al fresco deoch an dorises helped avoid illegality.  A very nice cask strength purchase from SMWS bit the dust. 

So today I purchased a bottle of M&S 12yo single malt which i believe is Auchentoshan, and a 10yo Glengoyne.  Both pleasant if a little tame but ideal for the drinks cabinet purpose.

The Auchentoshan looks to be a few quid cheaper than the branded version. 



woollypigs

  • Mr Peli
    • woollypigs
Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #137 on: 25 May, 2023, 08:57:48 am »
I couldn't have planned it better, by a stroke of sheer luck (no point in playing the lottery, I've lucky'ed out for sure)

Ferry booked to Islay, whisky festival starts the very next day, weather for the next week is looking to be sunny, even talk about hitting 21c !!!!

Bank account will moan.

Didn't know about the festival at all, honest gov.
Current mood: AARRRGGGGHHHHH !!! #bollockstobrexit

Wowbagger

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Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #138 on: 04 December, 2023, 07:02:32 pm »
I have just seen an advertisement for Cotswold whisky. That got me looking around to see what other non-Caledonian production sites there are. I was aware of Penderyn, as Dez and I had a tour there in 2014 (our first major trip in our first Nissan Leaf), and when I retired, the Welsh head teacher of my final school presented me with a bottle. It's rather good, despite being sold quite young. I now find that there are no fewer than 6 in Wales, including one near Llandysul (Basil!), which is run by a Dutch family.

So far as England is concerned, I thought I read, around the time that it opened, that the distillery near Thetford was the only place where English whisky was produced, but Wikipedia tells me that there are now no fewer than 46 distilleries.

I rarely imbibe these days, and my "collection" has reduced to two bottles, one of The Singleton, and another of Tamnavulin, both on special offer from the supermarkets concerned.
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Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #139 on: 04 December, 2023, 07:11:46 pm »
including one near Llandysul (Basil!), which is run by a Dutch family.

They're more well known for their gin, which is actually quite good.
Mrs B is partial to a glass of Penderyn.  There are many versions, including the sherry barrel, which is also quite good.
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #140 on: 04 December, 2023, 07:14:36 pm »
I rarely imbibe these days, and my "collection" has reduced to two bottles, one of The Singleton, and another of Tamnavulin, both on special offer from the supermarkets concerned.
This reminded me of what happened to my whisk(e)y collection.
The night I left the first MrsC, she poured it all down the sink, probably a dozen bottles (although not all were anything like full).
I suppose to partly make up for this, my parents gave me a gift box of three Glenmorangies for Christmas that year.
When the current MrsC and I finished the last of these, we realised it had taken us a whole decade to do so. Since then we have rarely had more than one bottle in the house at a time. It's not worth it.
I've not really gone off the stuff, it's just that there are usually other things I'd rather be drinking.
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Mr Larrington

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Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #141 on: 04 December, 2023, 07:39:52 pm »
I am disappointed to learn that Sheep Dip, which advertised itself as being “enjoyed by the villagers of Oldbury-on-Severn”, is in fact a blended Scotch and not from Gloucestershire at all.
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Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #142 on: 04 December, 2023, 07:56:47 pm »
I am disappointed to learn that Sheep Dip, which advertised itself as being “enjoyed by the villagers of Oldbury-on-Severn”, is in fact a blended Scotch and not from Gloucestershire at all.

I've never had Sheep Dip, nor was I aware of the story which is that the blend was first created by a publican in Oldbury.

I ride through Oldbury relatively regularly and a few years back I called in at the pub. He was a whisky enthusiast and had a full whisky menu.

I still have maybe 20 bottles in my cabinet, but I almost never drink it these days. Having said that, I'm going to have one now.

chopstick

  • aka "freiston" in other places
Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #143 on: 04 December, 2023, 10:50:02 pm »
I have just seen an advertisement for Cotswold whisky. That got me looking around to see what other non-Caledonian production sites there are. I was aware of Penderyn, as Dez and I had a tour there in 2014 (our first major trip in our first Nissan Leaf), and when I retired, the Welsh head teacher of my final school presented me with a bottle. It's rather good, despite being sold quite young. I now find that there are no fewer than 6 in Wales, including one near Llandysul (Basil!), which is run by a Dutch family.

So far as England is concerned, I thought I read, around the time that it opened, that the distillery near Thetford was the only place where English whisky was produced, but Wikipedia tells me that there are now no fewer than 46 distilleries.

I rarely imbibe these days, and my "collection" has reduced to two bottles, one of The Singleton, and another of Tamnavulin, both on special offer from the supermarkets concerned.

I've had a bottle of Cotswold Whisky (only 2 or 3 years old, iirc), a Welsh one (can't remember which one) and I have a vague recollection of buying a Lake District one a couple of years ago or so.  I visited a Cornish distillery shop where they had nothing old enough to call "whisky" but to keep some revenue coming in, they were selling very young stuff labelled as "moonshine".

I definitely reckon that drinking the young stuff helps develop the palate, as it gives a reference to changes that ageing makes, and allows a "less adulterated" taste of the base flavours.  saying that, I'm no connoisseur but I know what I like (just about anything).

As far as having a whisky collection goes - I could only manage collecting the empty bottles but I gave those away to someone who collected them.  I find that full ones don't last very long at all.  I now only collect the lids to the cardboard tubes - they're handy for putting on top of glasses to stop the flies getting in.

Mr Larrington

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Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #144 on: 05 December, 2023, 12:49:41 am »
Apparently the Italians much prefer the younger stuff to whiskies aged for decades in butts of malmsey or whatever.  Weirdos.
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Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #145 on: 05 December, 2023, 12:53:15 am »
Apparently the Italians much prefer the younger stuff to whiskies aged for decades in butts of malmsey or whatever.  Weirdos.


What did you expect? They drink grappa.

Mr Larrington

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Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #146 on: 05 December, 2023, 12:54:24 am »
Apparently the Italians much prefer the younger stuff to whiskies aged for decades in butts of malmsey or whatever.  Weirdos.


What did you expect? They drink grappa petril.

FTFY :demon:
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Re: A wee drop of whisky
« Reply #147 on: 05 December, 2023, 08:40:21 am »
Apparently the Italians much prefer the younger stuff to whiskies aged for decades in butts of malmsey or whatever.  Weirdos.


What did you expect? They drink grappa.

And Limoncello  :sick:
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