Since there seem to be a lot of connoiseurs in this thread, I thought I’d ask: How does one get to liking whiskey? I’ve tried it on several occasions (probably the run-of-the-mill brands) but I just couldn’t get myself to drinking any more of it. Now I’ve gone 6 years without having a drop. Is there a secret to it? Do you have to drink it until you get used to it?
See, Beer - I love. Wines can work quite nicely as well. But anything in the 40+ proof area starts to make me yak (though it’s probably by association as I’ve had some bad experiences with liquors).
The local liquor store has 50 year Macallan in a Lalique crystal bottle for the low, low, price of $4995.95
If anyone wants to buy it for me, I’ll save the empty bottle for you
I think you just need to give it a chance, and if you don’t like it after a while accept it. I can’t stand whiskey or bourbon, only scotch. I like vodka and hate gin. I like rum and am indifferent to tequila. I don’t expect any of that to change in my lifetime.
I saw a tv show where some geezer went up to Edingurgh to some specialist award winning Whisky seller.
Yup, this question was raised, and the anwer was a bottle of something or other, and although I can’t remember the price of the full bottle, it worked out are around $3000, yes, you saw that correctly, for one single measure. I think it was somethng like Macallen.
This is differant to the other ultra rare stuff that is generally auctioned, anyone can pop into the shop and buy it. I had imagined maybe getting a case or two, but then I woke up and was being scolded by one of my moggies for sleeping in instead of filling up the food bowls.
Other silly expensive stuff is sold off at charity auctions but at least the reason isn’t actually to buy whisky as such, its more publicity and generosity.
It’s very possible - there are certainly older Macallans out there than the 50 year old one linked in this thread.
It is now according to the Washington Liquor Control Board site. 199.95 a bottle.
I still have the better part of a bottle of Chivas Regal Royal Salute my mother bought me for Christmas one year. I really hate the idea of drinking Scotch that costs so much when there are literally dozens of single malts I enjoy more than the overpriced blend. My daughter hooked me up with this Scotch of the Month Club. There’s some good Scotches out there I haven’t tried, that’s for sure. Last month was a Campbeltown single malt from the Glen Scotia distillery.
They looked it up in a book the last time I tried to get some. Wasn’t there (in 2003). But at 200 bones a bottle, I think I’ll check out the duty free store.
First, recognize that there is an absolutely enormous range of tastes under the rubric “whiskey,” from stuff that is almost as sweet as cough syrup to stuff that, even to some veteran scotch drinkers, tastes worse than paint thinner. So don’t suppose that because you haven’t liked a few whiskeys you’ve tried that there are no whiskeys you will like.
Although I may be abused by other whiskey drinkers for suggesting this, you might want to start with a smooth, “easy” whiskey like Canadian Club. I think most people would find it a relatively pleasant, if not particularly exciting or notable, whiskey. If you like it well enough to drink it fairly often, it may get you accustomed to the basic tastes of whiskey. (I’m not dead set on CC. Although I don’t particularly care for bourbons or sour mashes, if you prefer Jack Daniels or some other American whiskey, start there.)
Once you’ve been drinking some “beginner” whiskey for a while, try varying your tipple a little: sample scotches, Irish whiskys, and so on. The easy way to do this without spending lots of money and risking getting stuck with bottles of stuff you hate is to buy miniatures.
When I was in college, some friends and I had a blind scotch testing. We bought miniatures of a dozen different scotches, and poured each into identical glasses (numbered so that we could later tell which was which). We first sniffed each one, took notes on the aroma, and then took a small sip, and made notes about the taste. We then compared our notes and finally revealed the names. Surprisingly, Johnny Walker Red, probably the best known name among the ones we tested, was at the bottom of pretty much everyone’s list (“smells like dirty gym socks”).
The advantage of a blind test is that you find out what you really like, unbiased by your own preconceptions or clever marketing campaigns. (I suspect if most people who have a favorite brand of vodka ever participated in a blind test, they’d find they couldn’t tell their favorite from the cheapest rail vodka.)
That college test was how I learned that I like single malts generally, and Glenlivet in particular. I also learned that even small sips of twelve scotches is enough to get you pretty drunk. I’d recommend no more than six or eight whiskeys per test.
So if you have a few friends who might enjoy this experiment, give it a shot. Or just bring home one or two new miniatures every time you go to the liquor store.
You guys (girls?) crack me up. Very funny!
I don’t know about price, but the best Scotch I ever tasted was Glenmorangie (sp?) 
Thanks Commasense. Will have to go on a hunt for CC. I’ve tried Johnny Walker at some point and didn’t like it too much, same with Jack Daniels. I mean, sure I could drink it but I didn’t enjoy it at all.
some people like myself enjoy single malts but really dislike blends.
My understanding is that “aged” means “aged” in a casket (not bottle). Aging in wood you lose IIRC 0.5-2% of the liquid volume per year, and this is known as the “angel’s share.”
That’s why aged whiskey costs so much. Here’s a link
Correct. Unlike wine, the aging can’t occur in a bottle.
One of my friends also loves single malts scotch and we spend far too much money on it.