Nah. Bong water is way better.
I dunno, I haven’t tried many Scotches before I tried out the Laphroaig 10 on a whim at a bar, and from the first sip I immediately knew that my favorite whiskies were going to be the peaty Islay ones.
But after seeing what some other posters were saying about them, it just reinforces the point you made at the beginning about one man’s trash being another man’s treasure.
My personal taste goes to Ardbeg or a spicier bourbon but to the op.
The advice about Irish whiskey being the safe bet would lose if I was the giftee. Too smooth for my palate. Not disagreeable but nothing I’d reach for on my shelf when I feel like a drink.
But while I prefer some Scotches a pricier bourbon would be a safe gift bet as something I would not get for myself but would enjoy. I might prefer one with more spice but none would disappoint.
Any time I’ve tried bourbon it always seems too sweet to me.
I might have said the same thing 10 years ago; now I am very much a bourbon-lover. I used to hate gin; lately I’ve found at least a couple brands that I really enjoy.
People’s tastes do change. If you tried something once and didn’t like it, try it again. You might be pleasantly surprised.
(Not directed specifically at Northern_Piper - just general advice.)
Years ago, when smoking was allowed in bars, my local watering hole was a nice little pub. Among us regulars were a group of cigar smokers (I was one) who often lamented that we couldn’t smoke cigars in the place. Well, the owner valued our patronage, so he declared that Tuesday nights after 6:00 PM were cigar nights. (Tuesday nights were typically slow, and he saw this as a way to attract business on Tuesday nights.) He made it clear through a sign on the notice board that listed upcoming events, so nobody who hated cigar smoke would walk in on Tuesday nights.
Great! But then we encountered another problem: our cigars were premium handrolled Havanas, Dominicans, and similar; and the pub had no beers that could really stand up to our cigars’ flavour. Smoking a strong, earthy Bolivar corona and drinking Molson Canadian made the Canadian taste like water.
One of our group, a Scotsman, asked about Scotch whiskies one night. The pub’s offerings were fairly standard: Johnnie Walker Red, Cutty Sark, and the like. The Scotsman was not happy. He told the owner that what he needed in the way of Scotch was … and he rattled off a list of names. The owner didn’t get them all, but he got some.
Thereafter, Tuesday nights became “Scotch and Cigar Nights.” The Scotsman would select a Scotch for us to enjoy with our cigars. One Tuesday, we might explore Highland malts, on another, we might try the Islays. The Scotsman knew them all, and taught us their characteristics, and how to enjoy them.
Many of those Scotches, while great, I don’t remember. One that I do remember was Laphroaig. Absolutely exquisite when served neat, though one single ice cube did it no harm. And the perfect accompaniment to a strong, earthy Bolivar, or a leathery Partagas, or a steely Henry Clay Brevas Finas cigar.
I wish I had been there. Sounds great. My kind of place.
Someday when I grow up, I’m going to talk like this!
…
(but it’s taken me almost seventy years to even get to the point where I can stand smooth whisky and smelling a cigar from across the room… so it’ll be a race to get a refined palate before I croak)
It just occurred to me that, whilst it’s not exactly an “agreed metric”, taste maps for whisky might be an interesting thing to post - so I googled them. Here’s an example.
That particular map, or variants of it, appears to crop up a lot - and here’s a thing: going back to the fierce (but well-mannered) Laphroaig debate (and granted the map just includes the 10), the map says in images exactly what I would say in words: Laphroaig is one dimensional - it’s just smoky, and that’s compounded by its lack of richness. Talisker, which I like a lot, is also rather smoky but is a much richer flavour.
Here’s another interesting link re taste maps (which fairly harshly criticises the simplicity of the approach used in the first link).
j
Just had a talk with the local “Let’s try something new” guys in my neighborhood. We’ve been avoiding the local pub (we’re convinced it’s about to go viral, thanks to old clueless maskholes). But we were planning our next outing… in 2021.
And it reminded me of this thread, because we often tell the bartender what we like, and have him surprise us (that’s how we ended up with a pitcher of Salmon Pants IPA).
So this is all by way of saying “Find a friendly bartender. Tell them you want to try new whiskys.” It got to the point where I’d walk in and the barkeep would say “Okay, we’ve covered the Highland Malts. So it’s a logical step to try some Irish tonight.”
That’s how I discovered Redbreast, if you’re in the mood for really smooth…
I adore Redbreast; I first discovered it in the early '90s, when it was difficult to get here in the U.S., but a friend had brought a bottle back from Ireland. Sometime in the past 20 years, they started importing it here in quantity, and it’s my go-to sipping whiskey. You’re right, it’s smooth (as whiskies go), but I really enjoy the flavor.
I think I’ll have a glass tonight, in fact. 
I was in Trader Joe’s today, and picked up a bottle of Trader Joe’s Kentucky Bourbon Straight Whiskey. A review I just found from 2013 says:
The Trader Joe’s bourbon offers a kick of spicy rye flavor, but it’s wrapped in char and bitterness that keeps it from going down smoothly. You could certainly sip this slightly-rough spirit in spiked cider or in any number of cocktails, but it’s not the smoothest sipping bourbon you can find.
As I said earlier, I generally drink Maker’s when I drink bourbon. (And Bulleit for rye.) I’m hoping this is tasty. But for $16.99 plus $2.83 sprits tax, I don’t think I’ll be complaining.
As to both Bourbon and Rye, I’m partial to Basil Hayden’s. $30-40 a bottle at mainstream liquor stores and well priced at that.
Digging into their website I now see they’re launching down the road to brand extension, with various 10 year, reserve, etc., specials. I’m only familiar with their basic two products.
I think Redbreast is wonderful. Still, though, when it comes to Irish whiskey, I always come back to plain old Powers. Huge flavor, still quite smooth. Nothing like it. Beats them all.