Whisky

[Larry the Leit]

I bought my first ever bottle of bourbon on a recent trips to the U.S. - slightly worried I've wasted my money but we shall see.

[Robin Evans]

Scapa.... 16 yrs old Scapa. ... oh Yeh baby

[longboard]

"Whiskey is liquid sunshine."

[LEEDSLADGONE SOUTH]

Love Laphroig 10yr, probably a little too much according to the misses. Just ordered a bottle of Ardberg 10 yr. Anybody tried/opinions?

[ckn]

Love Laphroig 10yr, probably a little too much according to the misses. Just ordered a bottle of Ardberg 10 yr. Anybody tried/opinions?

Ardbeg is quite nice.  A bit less peaty and a lesser hit than Laphroaig.

[ckn]

My wife bought me a bottle of Bunnahabhain Darach úr for Christmas and gave me it early

[Futtocks]

Just went to get a bottle of Jamesons and also came back with a bottle of Sailor Jerrys rum. This is some good stuff

If we're talking rum, several supermarkets now sell Angostura 1919, which is extremely nice. On personal experience, avoid Havana Club; it tasted harsh and with a metallic aftertaste to me.

[Larry the Leit]

I'm a regular in airports. As one or two of you know, I'm on tour, with my band. Everywhere I go within Europe, and in the US there is massive drive to shift Haig whisky with adverts and stands featuring David Beckham.

Anyon tried it? His endorsement is as authentic as most of the Celtic tattoos seen in Superleague. I reckon he's a Tizer supper.

[henage]

Just had a few to many jim beam honeys , very nice .

[Bearman]

I've been given a bottle of "St George" English whisky for my birthday. It's distiller and matured in Norfolk.

It's a little early to try it but I'll let you know what I think it's like.

[ckn]

I've been given a bottle of "St George" English whisky for my birthday. It's distiller and matured in Norfolk.

It's a little early to try it but I'll let you know what I think it's like.

It'd be interesting seeing someone else's view on this, I've had some and I'll share my opinions later to save me tainting your opinion before you try it.

[Robin Evans]

Tried it... uninspiring is my opinion.

However, Amorik, the Bretton whisky is a really nice drop.

[Tiny Tim]

Has anyone on here ever tried Japanese whisky, I've read about them winning various awards but never given them a try?

[Bearman]

It'd be interesting seeing someone else's view on this, I've had some and I'll share my opinions later to save me tainting your opinion before you try it.

I've had worse and I suspect that with a bit of age some of the corners will be knocked off.

I'm guessing from the pale colour that it's 3 year old and hasn't had time to pick up the colour from the cask.

Having said that, with it not being Scotch does it have to be at least 3 years old like scotch has to be?

There is no mention of which casks they have used for the maturation but there is some sweetness on the palate.

On the box it says that the water is from the distillers garden but on the bottle it says "demineralised" water. Why would you want to use that? Natural spring water must be full of trace elements, which must add some depth to the flavour

So in conclusion it has some novelty value anrd is drinkable. One of the main drawbacks in starting a new distillery must be letting your investment just sit there for x years with no revenue and year on year the Angels taking their share.

I'll try it again when it has a bit of age on it

So what did you think?

[ckn]

Has anyone on here ever tried Japanese whisky, I've read about them winning various awards but never given them a try?

There are some very nice ones, all depends on your taste though, if you only like Islay single malts then Japanese whisky will disappoint you. The best Japanese ones are all Speyside equivalents.  The one I did enjoy when offered was a Suntory, a bit light for my taste but still very nice.  In terms of sheer value for money though, it's a poor offering as you'll typically pay half again what you would for an equivalent Scottish whisky.

[Futtocks]

Has anyone on here ever tried Japanese whisky, I've read about them winning various awards but never given them a try?

I tried one of the cheaper blends, and it was okay, but nothing special. The more pricey ones are well-regarded.

 

My dad has a sampler of a whisky called Valhalla`s Goat. God alone knows what it'll be like.

[ckn]

I've had worse and I suspect that with a bit of age some of the corners will be knocked off.

I'm guessing from the pale colour that it's 3 year old and hasn't had time to pick up the colour from the cask.

Having said that, with it not being Scotch does it have to be at least 3 years old like scotch has to be?

There is no mention of which casks they have used for the maturation but there is some sweetness on the palate.

On the box it says that the water is from the distillers garden but on the bottle it says "demineralised" water. Why would you want to use that? Natural spring water must be full of trace elements, which must add some depth to the flavour

So in conclusion it has some novelty value anrd is drinkable. One of the main drawbacks in starting a new distillery must be letting your investment just sit there for x years with no revenue and year on year the Angels taking their share.

I'll try it again when it has a bit of age on it

So what did you think?

Much the same as you but I was less generous in my views.  It smells and tastes like a barely legal whisky, just over the minimum threshold that allows it to be called whisky rather than "alcohol".  It's poorer in taste than a cheap bottle of Bells blended and has all the stink of unaged alcohol.  It did taste a bit like sherry casks for me but then that might have been wishful thinking.

 

In many areas of England they have to demineralise it because of the excessively high calcium in the water that just ends up polluting the taste of the whisky towards chalkiness.  The finished whisky did taste like it had been over-filtered, maybe it had come out too strong and they wanted to get it to their target ABV for the bottling, either that or they had to aggressively filter it because of the calcium.

 

On your point on investment, surely the backers understand that brand is everything with whisky and that if your first bottling is a bit like meths then that will just stick in the minds of those who might never look at your older aged bottlings in a few years time.  I'd have made it clear that it was either going to be a blend for the first bottling, with a reputable partner for the blend, or it waits until at least 8 years old and preferably 10.

 

Edit: Yes, it has to reach the minimum age anywhere to be classified as whisky in the UK market.

[Futtocks]

I tried one of the cheaper blends, and it was okay, but nothing special. The more pricey ones are well-regarded.

 

My dad has a sampler of a whisky called Valhalla`s Goat. God alone knows what it'll be like.

The Japanese one I had was, I'm pretty sure, a Yamazaki.

[gingerjon]

Much the same as you but I was less generous in my views.  It smells and tastes like a barely legal whisky, just over the minimum threshold that allows it to be called whisky rather than "alcohol".  It's poorer in taste than a cheap bottle of Bells blended and has all the stink of unaged alcohol.  It did taste a bit like sherry casks for me but then that might have been wishful thinking.

 

In many areas of England they have to demineralise it because of the excessively high calcium in the water that just ends up polluting the taste of the whisky towards chalkiness.  The finished whisky did taste like it had been over-filtered, maybe it had come out too strong and they wanted to get it to their target ABV for the bottling, either that or they had to aggressively filter it because of the calcium.

 

On your point on investment, surely the backers understand that brand is everything with whisky and that if your first bottling is a bit like meths then that will just stick in the minds of those who might never look at your older aged bottlings in a few years time.  I'd have made it clear that it was either going to be a blend for the first bottling, with a reputable partner for the blend, or it waits until at least 8 years old and preferably 10.

 

Edit: Yes, it has to reach the minimum age anywhere to be classified as whisky in the UK market.

 

Did you both have the same one?  There seem to be about half a dozen variants of St George out there.

[Bearman]

Did you both have the same one?  There seem to be about half a dozen variants of St George out there.

It's probably all the same but bottled for individual retailers. Mine was Marks and Spencer.

[shrek]

Went to a blind tasting last night, I ended up rating Sainsburys Taste the Difference Highland Malt the highest - will save me a few bob this year!

[Futtocks]

Went to a blind tasting last night, I ended up rating Sainsburys Taste the Difference Highland Malt the highest - will save me a few bob this year!

I spotted that their own-label single malt had made a comeback when I was in there yesterday. I will definitely try the Highland, but I hope they bring back the Islay one too. 

[ckn]

This is where the proper whisky snobs get it wrong, they go by what the label says rather than how the whisky tastes.  If you chose it from a blind tasting then it's irrelevant if it's £20 or £200 a bottle.

[Futtocks]

This is where the proper whisky snobs get it wrong, they go by what the label says rather than how the whisky tastes.  If you chose it from a blind tasting then it's irrelevant if it's £20 or £200 a bottle.

The expensive bottles often cost that much due to rarity, rather than the quality of the contents. I bought a bottle of St Magdalene many years ago for a perfectly normal single malt price. That same bottle would now be offered on sale for hundreds of pounds. The whisky inside hasn't got better; it is just that there are very few left from this now-defunct distillery.

[Futtocks]

I spotted that their own-label single malt had made a comeback when I was in there yesterday. I will definitely try the Highland, but I hope they bring back the Islay one too. 

Just looked at the Sainsbury website. A Speyside is listed as well as the Highland, but no Islay. Yet.