Today is the “Shopping for the Christmas Hootch” Day! A very fun day indeed. Aside from the known variables of wine and gin, I am looking to buy a relatively cheap (under $40.00 CDN) bottle of Scotch today, and I can’t decide which I would prefer…
Things to know about me:
I am a very new and occasional scotch drinker. Pretty much everything I have had has been poured for me by friends.
There is a 15 year Dalwhinnie under the tree for the Mrs.
This is a reading books and enjoying a evening Scotch
Me and Mrs. Prefect prefer it neat.
The best Scotch we have ever had was Oban.
The options are:
The Glenlivet 12 year. - I like it’s nose, but it is harsh in the throat.
Glenfiddich 12 year. - I have had this, but don’t recall my thoughts
Auchentoshan 10 year. - Never had it, but it fits the price range.
I’m not fond of the Auchentoshan. The Glenfiddich is ok, but I prefer The Glenlivet (only I drink the 22 year old expression.) Try Glen Rothes or Cragganmore, if you can find them. Better yet, get the Highland Park!
I like Lagavulin, Talisker and Bunnahabain if I’m drinking malt, which is rarely. Otherwise I’m fond of Famous Grouse and Stewarts Cream of the Barley (which is also rarely). I can hear the Scotch lovers screaming already.
Truth be told most whisky drunk in Scotland is blended or one of the common malts. All this double-wood finish and rare bottlings is for export to people who are willing to pay way over the odds.
Which is why “Cheap” was the first word in my title
One question about the Grouse, is it the most commonly drunk whiskey because it is just that good, or is it like Lucky beer in my neck of the woods? Most people aren’t proud to drink it, but do because it is a cheap drunk.
Sometimes popular and good are not synonymous. But the price is right, the liquor store has the 750 ml bottle for $25 and change.
I don’t know about “good” compared to some of the single malts, but Grouse is fine, it doesn’t have much in the way of subtlety, but it’s a nice warming whisky and pretty much every pub has it. It’s robust enough to stand being mixed, if someone wants to do that. There are some horror cheap scotches out there like Cutty Sark, but they are genuinely nasty.
Honestly, if you want to be authentic (like an old scots man sitting in a pub who’s been drinking whisky (no e) for the past thirty years) you’ll be on Grouse, Bells, Black Bottle or Whyte and Mackay.
But just sample stuff, there’s far too much faux-snobbery surrounding whisky. Just drink what you like, and if someone prefers it with lemonade or ginger ale more power to them.
Incidentally, $25 dollars and change is only a dollar or two more than what you’d pay over here for a bottle of Famous Grouse.
I notice that you didn’t list either the Glen Garioch 8 year old or 10 year old–was that an oversight or intentional? If it was an oversight, I’d recommend it over the Glenlivet or Glenfiddich.
Well, in typical IMHO fashion, instead of cutting my list of options shorter, it is now about five times as long!
I will be jotting these down for future explorations! Off to the liquor mart!
Merry Christmas to all and echoing Struan Slainte!
I always thought Johnny Walker Black Label was very nice for the money. It also provides for one-stop-shopping if you need to offend people with Red, or remove stains with Green.
According to the link in the OP, a Laphroaig 10 year-old is about $50 CDN, which is well over the price limit. It’s my favorite whisky, but I don’t think I’d ever describe it as cheap.
Oh, $50 canadian. Mea culpa. Runs about $44 here in the midwest, which is a bit on the high side in canuck money. But - the dollar is tanking against other currencies, tho not sure if that makes any difference in the price of scotch whisky.
If you like Oban, you may want to spring for the Talisker. It’s also slightly peaty, slightly salty (they’re both Highland malts, but Talisker is produced on Skye).
I can’t speak personally to the Glen Garioch, but Jackson rates the 8- and 10-year olds as 76 and 75 respectively, whereas Talisker 10 is a 90 and Oban 14 is a 79.
