Scotch

[noneck]

I was on the selection team for the Seaforth 100 scotch....the 21 year old Highland Park was very good....i say "was", because just about everyone has finished their bottles!

I am with 48th Highalnder, I prefer Irish whiskey for regular drinking, but I am partial to Auchentoshan and Dalwhinnie.

 

[Old Sweat]

Dalwhinnie is my whisky of choice. It's only fault is that it seems to go AWOL too quickly.

 

[wildman0101]

Ballintine

 

[BDTyre]

I was on the selection team for the Seaforth 100 scotch....the 21 year old Highland Park was very good....i say "was", because just about everyone has finished their bottles!

I am with 48th Highalnder, I prefer Irish whiskey for regular drinking, but I am partial to Auchentoshan and Dalwhinnie.

It's far smoother than my off-the-shelf 20 year old Highland Park I grabbed at Heathrow, but fairly similar palate and nose between the two.

 

[Scott]

I wish I hadn't used the wife's camera...

For the Dalwhinnie lovers: I was standing right outside the distillery on Christmas Day during a driving trek into the Cairngorms. What a sweet, sweet smell emanating from that place! So sweet that when we hit the pub later we held our own tasting.

 

[Bluebulldog]

I wish I hadn't used the wife's camera...

For the Dalwhinnie lovers: I was standing right outside the distillery on Christmas Day during a driving trek into the Cairngorms. What a sweet, sweet smell emanating from that place! So sweet that when we hit the pub later we held our own tasting.

...now yer just rubbing it in....

Happy holidays and Merry Christmas indeed!

 

[Good2Golf]

For the Dalwhinnie lovers: I was standing right outside the distillery on Christmas Day during a driving trek into the Cairngorms. What a sweet, sweet smell emanating from that place! So sweet that when we hit the pub later we held our own tasting.

I'll have to do that next time I visit the Isles, Scott. 

Slainte mhath!

 

[Scott]

Indeed! Dalwhinnie is only about an hour north of Perth on the A9, easy to get to and from. It's also so handy of the Highlands, either way. If one hasn't been to Spean Bridge, the Commando Monument and the Commando Bar - they are recommended.

As far as tastings on the Isles go...I'd suggest spending whatever you were planning on tours on the pub instead. Most self respecting pubs in decent sized towns will have a pretty decent list (+/-15 varieties) and prices will be standard, for the most part. Sure, you can do "World of Whiskies" or whatever right outside of Edinburgh castle and ride in the cask around the exhibits, hen get your nosing and palate and all of that, but you're partly paying for the display. But that might be up the alley of some, so have at 'er if you wish. There's no wrong way to do it. I just suggest pubs because of the cost effectiveness ;D

 

[BDTyre]

Here's a surefire way to do a scotch "tour" without worrying about travel:
http://www.scotchwhisky.net/bars/craigellachie.htm

The Quaich bar apparently has 700+ different single malts. Looks like the official website is down though.

 

[Matt_Fisher]

For anybody who's a Scotch whisky aficionado who's at Gagetown, a little known fact is that the Lunar Rogue pub in Fredericton has been awarded a 'Gold' ranking by Whisky Magazine as an outstanding whisky bar in terms of the quality of its whisky appropriate glassware, its range of whiskies, the venue and the staff's knowledge of the whiskys stocked. 

The Lunar Rogue is the only bar in Canada to achieve a Gold ranking.
http://www.lunarrogue.com/find-us/26-whiskey-magazine-award
http://www.lunarrogue.com/our-menu/whisky-menu


Also, another well kept secret is that the annual New Brunswick Whisky Festival is probably THE best value for money anywhere in Canada, if not North America whereby for the admission ticket price of $75 you have unlimited samples from a variety of over 100 single malts (plus nearly that many other spirits such as gin, vodka, rum, bourbon, etc.) PLUS you get a free taxi ride home, and a $10 discount coupon from NB Liquor.  Essentially after you factor in the $10 discount coupon and that the taxi would be about $15, it works out to be about $0.50 per tasting, which in most bars would end up costing anywhere between $7-25 each, depending on the whisky.  There is more liquor at the event available for tasting than any one person could possibly attempt during the course of an evening.
http://www.whiskynb.ca/Fest10/

 

[BDTyre]

Indeed! Dalwhinnie is only about an hour north of Perth on the A9, easy to get to and from. It's also so handy of the Highlands, either way. If one hasn't been to Spean Bridge, the Commando Monument and the Commando Bar - they are recommended.

As far as tastings on the Isles go...I'd suggest spending whatever you were planning on tours on the pub instead. Most self respecting pubs in decent sized towns will have a pretty decent list (+/-15 varieties) and prices will be standard, for the most part. Sure, you can do "World of Whiskies" or whatever right outside of Edinburgh castle and ride in the cask around the exhibits, hen get your nosing and palate and all of that, but you're partly paying for the display. But that might be up the alley of some, so have at 'er if you wish. There's no wrong way to do it. I just suggest pubs because of the cost effectiveness ;D

The Bow Bar in Edinburgh probably has one of the better single malt selections (~160 at times); but most pubs will not only have a decent selection of malts, but also of cask ales.

The Scotch Whisky Experience you refer to is kind of hokey in terms of the ride, but the collection of Scotch they have is amazing (it has to be seen) and the shop has a really good selection. Some of the pubs also do their own bottling of scotch.

 

[Scott]

Agreed with all.

Between the three pubs you might find my backside occupying while in Scotland there are between 40 and 50 different single malts on hand. No cask ales in Cupar, however, that seems to be a niche thing and I have only just begun to warm to them. Brew pubs are also starting to become a little more common here and there is a great one in Aberdeen just off of Union Street by the new city building (frig if I can recall the name of it now, but it's got stuff that would knock out an elephant!)

 

[GAP]

Scotch In A Can Hitting US Shelves In February
January 4th, 2012
Article Link

Well, this is fantastic! Alcoholics rejoice, because scotch whiskey is coming to America in cans. The choice to move from bottle to can is an interesting one, seeing as scotch is usually associated with being high priced and being aged and cans are associated with cheap beers that you can drink quickly in mass amounts. Each can is going to contain 12 ounces of scotch–that’s about 8 shots! Scottish Spirits Imports Inc, the company behind the scotch-in-a-can initiative is pretty excited about the endeavor. “There are many brands on the market and most brands are not created equal, but most brands are served as equals in a glass type of vessel. Having something that’s so creatively different — it piques the curiosity,” Scottish Spirits Imports’ Vice President of operations Ken Rubenfeld told The Huffington Post.
More on link

 

[cupper]

Scotch In A Can Hitting US Shelves In February

One more thing that red necks need. :

 

[my72jeep]

Scotch In A Can Hitting US Shelves In February
January 4th, 2012
Article Link

Well, this is fantastic! Alcoholics rejoice, because scotch whiskey is coming to America in cans. The choice to move from bottle to can is an interesting one, seeing as scotch is usually associated with being high priced and being aged and cans are associated with cheap beers that you can drink quickly in mass amounts. Each can is going to contain 12 ounces of scotch–that’s about 8 shots! Scottish Spirits Imports Inc, the company behind the scotch-in-a-can initiative is pretty excited about the endeavor. “There are many brands on the market and most brands are not created equal, but most brands are served as equals in a glass type of vessel. Having something that’s so creatively different — it piques the curiosity,” Scottish Spirits Imports’ Vice President of operations Ken Rubenfeld told The Huffington Post.


OK is it just me or is this just wrong?



More on link

 

[jollyjacktar]

OK is it just me or is this just wrong?

Not a $5/can for what the article says is drinkable scotch.  I picked up a couple of bottles of Famous Grouse at the USCG Px in San Juan for $6.  Wish it was that price here at home instead of $29.  :'(

 

[Scott]

I think I'll stick to the purchases I make every time through duty free and the occasional crock of J&B Rare or the Grouse when the need arises.

 

[jollyjacktar]

I think I'll stick to the purchases I make every time through duty free and the occasional crock of J&B Rare or the Grouse when the need arises.

Alas, I'm not a regular time traveler as you, Scott.  Duty free opportunities don't arise like they used to.  And to rub salt into the wound, the Army did not allow us to get a Duty Free when we rotated home from the sandbox on either of my trips. 

 

[Scott]

I mean to say that I'll get my fix in a way other than tins. There are a couple of blends I like and I treat the expensive stuff as a treat.

 

[jollyjacktar]

I may try one just for sh1ts and giggles if I come across it at that price.  Of course, if I make it back to say Norfolk and the package store, it's glass bottles all the way.