A wee drop of whisky

[woollypigs]

A very good friend of mine is buggering of to the land down under and have donated to the cause erm to me, some of his whisky collection.

So therefore my whisky collection have gone up by 600%

I already had ...

Port Ellen, 59.35%, distilled in 1978, 24 years old, Islay single malt, one of 12000 and numbered. She is my pride and joy, very tasty, does need a wee bit of water to calm her down but boy do the flavours come out. This whisky is getting harder to get hold of as the distillery burned down in '81 (I think) and they stopped distilling it.

Auchentoshan, 43%, 12 years old, Lowland single malt. Peli got that on one of her many trips to foreign bits, never seen or heard about it and is surprisingly very enjoyable.

And I received ...

The Antiquary, 40%, 12 years old, blended (and the only one). Never heard about it and never tasted it either.

Highland Park, 40%, 12 years old, Highland (Island) single malt. Just had a quick sip of it and it is very smoky not as much as the Ardbeg. Think I will enjoy this one.

Ardbeg, 46%, 10 years old, Islay single malt. Smoky, not my favourite (off this lot) but I can drink it if I really have too

Connoisseurs Choice, 43%, 31 years old, Speyside single malt. Never heard about this one but it is distilled at Braes of Glenlivet and the proprietors are Chivas Bros. I'm not a big fan of Glenlivet so I was a little sceptic when I had a sip, but was surprised with it mild and round taste.

Old Pulteney, 40%, 12 years old, Highland single malt. I had a wee sip and I think this is the one that would be drunk a lot when I sit down to enjoy a good movie or book. Dry, smooth with a hint of sherry.

Glenmorangie, 43%, 15 years old, Highland single malt. I think along with the Glenfiddich this whisky is a good starter to get taste of whisky before you move onto "better" tasting ones. Though this one compare to the Glenfiddich is more mild and round and easier to start with.

And to top it off he also donated to me 4 bottles of Czech Boheme Larger, a very good beer (Pilsner) but that is an other thread.

Thank you, mate, I do owe you for this.

[Polar Bear]

Very nice indeed.   If you just can't bring yourself to drink the Ardbeg throw it over here please 

[nuttycyclist]

Oh you lucky lucky lucky lucky lucky lucky git.

Do you feel in need of a thirsty visitor?   

[epa611]

Wooly,

Some info about Auchentoshan.

If every you're up Glasgow way, it's only about 10 miles from the centre of Glasgow and worth a look (and taste ) around 

[Snakehips]

What is it about Ardbeg ? I was given an almost full 1L bottle last week because the owner didn't like it. I finished it off in no time.

[kyuss]

You jammy sod!

That's a nice wee collection. Old Pulteney especially, is lovely.

[Ariadne]

Wow. Lucky you. Where do you live??

[Mr Larrington]

Woolly, I must now kill you.

[Bledlow]

I've drunk The Antiquary, many years ago, & IIRC it's a pretty good blend. But it was a long time ago, Drank a fair bit of Highland Park lin the past (I drink very little whisky nowadays), & as I recall it was excellent. To be drunk slowly, & savoured, I think.

[woollypigs]

I drink whisky slowly, I drink to enjoy not to get drunk on whisky. So that bottle that Peli got have lasted a year now and is still going strong. It's more like a glass once every month or two, so I got a few years worth now.

[bikenerd]

Nice and very lucky!  I got My First Bottle of Scotch this Christmas after drinking (Irish) Whiskey for a good few years.  Usually Bushmills Single Malt or Black Bush but I also like the Jameson's pure pot still one.

Anyway, the Scotch is Speyside, which I like.  Not too smoky, just a hint of peat and pretty smooth.

[Andrew Br]

Very lucky indeed Woolly.
Although you're not a fan of Glenlivet, can I suggest you try the Nadurra ?
It's aged <goes and checks bottle> in bourbon casks and it's <goes and checks again> 48%.
With a drop of water is is officially "My Favourite Whisky in the World (So Far)".
Smoothy and chocolatey. Mmmm.

I wouldn't recommend Glenfiddich to anyone as a starter- it always seems a little harsh to me
Glenmorangie on the other hand.............

My current stock is one bottle each of Glenmorangie 10yr, Scapa 14yr and Nadurra 16yr plus a bottle of Famous Grouse for mixing.
None of them are being touched in January 
I don't feel any better for not drinking.............

[Wowbagger]

The Glenmorangie distillery in Tain is a great landmark on Lejog.

Woolly, you are a very lucky man. You've got Peli and a whole cupboard full of single malts. Do you have any ambitions left?

[andrew_s]

I already had ...
Port Ellen, 59.35%, distilled in 1978, 24 years old, Islay single malt, one of 12000 and numbered. She is my pride and joy, very tasty, does need a wee bit of water to calm her down but boy do the flavours come out. This whisky is getting harder to get hold of as the distillery burned down in '81 (I think) and they stopped distilling it.

I don't think 1981 can be right for the fire, as I've got a bottle of 1982 (13yo, 57%). Very nice, strictly for occasional savouring.

Others are Talisker, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Highland Park, Jameson & Powers
I did have a bottle of Ardbeg, but that only lasted an hour or so as I took it to an Antarctic reunion weekend at Ingleton youth hostel, and it got killed along with 3 other bottles of whiskey, about a dozen bottles of port and 2 polypins of Dent Aviator.
Generally I get a bottle when they are going cheap in the run up to Christmas - this year's was the Talisker.

[little miss mac]

You might like Iain Banks's tour round the distilleries if you're a whisky man. A very enjoyable read.

Personally I can't stomach the stuff 

[woollypigs]

Woolly, you are a very lucky man. You've got Peli and a whole cupboard full of single malts. Do you have any ambitions left?

Yup life is very good

I don't think 1981 can be right for the fire, as I've got a bottle of 1982 (13yo, 57%). Very nice, strictly for occasional savouring.

Just had a quick google and it closed in 1983 but I can't find anything about the fire, which I read in one of my whisky books, which I also can't find

[Adrian]

You might like Iain Banks's tour round the distilleries if you're a PetrolHead. A very enjoyable read.

Personally I can't stomach the stuff 

still at least he has now seen sense.

[Valiant]

I like Ardberg, I might have a tipple when I come over now lol, should I bring cigars? I had a gorgeous speyside single the other day, smokey, a little bit peaty but smooth.

[Fixedwheelnut]

 "Hello Wooly, I luv you" 



 All I can say is you lucky sod 

 I thought Highland Park was a very smooth Whisky rather than a smokey one in my memory.
 That is quite a collection you have going there 

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

I wish I liked whisky, cos I think there's something very sexy about women drinking whisky, but it's a taste I don't think I'll ever acquire.

[woollypigs]

With wine you have find a meal that suit the wine, with whisky yo have to find one that suit your mood. And the taste is something that you have to "work" on as there will be one that you like and you can even "modify" the taste with a little drop of water in it.

[little miss mac]

You might like Iain Banks's tour round the distilleries if you're a PetrolHead. A very enjoyable read.

Oi, stop fixing that for me 

I don't think he mentioned cars too much. He was probably too pissed to drive.

[ScumOfTheRoad]

Auchentoshan, 43%, 12 years old, Lowland single malt. Peli got that on one of her many trips to foreign bits, never seen or heard about it and is surprisingly very enjoyable.

Me! Me! I come from the town of Clydebank, which is just to the west of Glasgow on the Clyde. The Auchentoshan distillery is in the town, just below the Old Kilpatrick hills, and takes its water from a burn which comes down from those hills. When I was at school, nothing much was known about the distillery, as it was closed to the public, and as you say the whisky wasn't that well known - if I'm not wrong a lot of it went to blending in the nearby Chivas Regal etc. plants.

Recently it has opened a visitors centre, and it looks jolly nice. The other connection is that Clydebank built the Queen Elizabeth II in the shipyard there. Auchentoshan produced a special whisky, which was only sold on board. They are now selling off the last stocks in the visitor centre - I got a bottle for a wedding present to a friend.

The other thing is that the word Auchentoshan has a rather shameful connotation for me... there is a 'special school' next to the distillery, and a childhood taunt in the playground was that someone was going on the Auchentoshan bus. As I say, a bit shameful.

To give you a flavour of the place, Clydebank is, shall we say, post-industrial and gritty. The distillery itself is in green space just below the hills, and is quite a nice spot, just near the Erskine Bridge and the A82 if anyone recognises the area.

[Andrew Br]

I wish I liked whisky, cos I think there's something very sexy about women drinking whisky, but it's a taste I don't think I'll ever acquire.

Try lots of different ones Kirst- the taste varies so much between distilleries (and between different whiskies from the same distillery).
I started with minatures of the United Distillers range (Cragganmore, Oban, Dalwhinnie, Talisker, Glenkinchie, Lagavulin). There's quite a range of tastes in there and you may find one that you like. After that, there's a lot of further testing to be done.

[ScumOfTheRoad]

My advice to Kirst - and anyone else really, is to try drinking whisky like you do vodka.
Put a bottle into the freezer for a day or two, and pour it in small shots when it is like treacle.
Mmmmm....

Before I am lynched from the nearest lamppost, I'm not advocating you do this with your finest peaty malts. Try it with a blended whisky - at the risk of sounding a sexist, pmppous oaf, somewhere I remember that women are said to like Teachers whisky. Me, I like it too.