# Recommend me a Scotch! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 18, 2017, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scotch/786935 "2017-05-18T16:48:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scotch/786935/41 "2017-05-23T18:44:20Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Glad you liked it! Unfortunately, it was just an accident that that’s the one I mentioned, as (in the later post), it turns out it was the Bunnahabain 18 I had. Also worth checking out. Bunny Brains! 🙂 We have that, and love it. My late sister, **AK Dog Doc** tells (told) a funny story about Bunnahabain. She and my mother were on their way to Kenya, and they stopped in the Duty-Free shop at Heathrow (IIRC), and my mother yells out “they’ve got Bunny Brains!” My sister, being a veterinarian, and very tired, went into mental vaporlock trying to parse that sentence into _anything_ that made sense. _Edit_: Oh, and: Happy accident, then. 🙂 I’ve stumbled upon more than a few excellent whiskies that way. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scotch/786935/42 "2017-05-23T19:10:04Z")
> [@Tranquilis](#): > > Bunny Brains! 🙂 We have that, and love it. My late sister, **AK Dog Doc** tells (told) a funny story about Bunnahabain. She and my mother were on their way to Kenya, and they stopped in the Duty-Free shop at Heathrow (IIRC), and my mother yells out “they’ve got Bunny Brains!” My sister, being a veterinarian, and very tired, went into mental vaporlock trying to parse that sentence into _anything_ that made sense. > _Edit_: > Oh, and: Happy accident, then. 🙂 I’ve stumbled upon more than a few excellent whiskies that way. 🙂 Of course, now I have to find the Aberlour A’Bunadh for myself. Damn y’all. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scotch/786935/43 "2017-05-23T20:08:32Z")
🆒 It’s _VERY_ different. I mean REALLLLY different. In a way I like… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scotch/786935/44 "2017-05-23T20:37:23Z")
> [@SingleMalt](#): > > But for the desert island, nothing can hold a candle to the Scapa 16. That one is now discontinued, and I will miss it. I have a few bottles put up, and will be sorry to see those go. I was coming in to recommend this one, and am depressed that it’s gone. I missed my chance to stock up. I like a good peaty Islay, but this was unique - phenols from the water soaking through the bogs, but no peat used to dry the barley. Have you tried Scapa Skiren? Any other whiskeys you’d compare to Scapa 16? ---
**Author:** ![SingleMalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/singlemalt/32/3961_2.png) [@SingleMalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SingleMalt)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scotch/786935/45 "2017-05-23T21:32:13Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > I was coming in to recommend this one, and am depressed that it’s gone. I missed my chance to stock up. I like a good peaty Islay, but this was unique - phenols from the water soaking through the bogs, but no peat used to dry the barley. > > Have you tried Scapa Skiren? Any other whiskeys you’d compare to Scapa 16? I have been looking, but the Scapa 16 remains unique. Most of the Scapa output is destined for the various Johnnie Walker offerings, and the distillery couldn’t keep up with demand for their single malts. To try to extend the sales life of their older barrels, they have tried blending with newer whisky into a couple of NAS offerings, the Skiren and the Glansa. When the Skiren was first released, it was selling for about $90 a bottle, and met very mediocre reviews. I see that it is now selling in some places for \< $50 a bottle; it may be worth that price, but not much more. A very pale shadow of the greatly-missed 16. I have not yet tried the Glansa. Once bitten, and all that. The Ben Nevis 10 is probably pretty close, at least in spirit, but it would really need that extra 6 years of aging to be sure. One whisky I finally tried recently was the Loch Lomond 12 (what can I say? There are _a lot_ of whiskies). This whisky was a very pleasant surprise! Full and rounded, with a lot of pear and apple, and a nice, lingering, sweet finish. I’m definitely keeping that on my shelf. ---
**Author:** ![SingleMalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/singlemalt/32/3961_2.png) [@SingleMalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SingleMalt)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scotch/786935/46 "2017-05-23T21:40:24Z")
> [@Tranquilis](#): > > Found the Auchentoshan 12 locally. It’s… _Friendly_. Superficial, polite, a bit warm and personable, but ultimately just a nice Scotch you met in passing, and won’t remember in a few minutes. I’d drink it at a baseball game. 😛 Generally my impression, as well. Auchentoshan is one of the few Scotches that is triple-distilled, like the Irish whiskies (maybe the only? The only other one I can think of is the Hazelburn offering from Springbank). I find that the triple distillation softens things up a bit too much. You might try the Three Wood sometime. The extra sherry finish adds a bit more flavor to the palate. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scotch/786935/47 "2017-05-24T04:10:34Z")
> [@SingleMalt](#): > > I find that the triple distillation softens things up a bit too much. You might try the Three Wood sometime. The extra sherry finish adds a bit more flavor to the palate. That would be welcome - The 12 has no bottom to it; it’s all ‘up front’ and nothing to back it up. ---
**Author:** ![SingleMalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/singlemalt/32/3961_2.png) [@SingleMalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SingleMalt)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scotch/786935/48 "2017-05-25T16:30:23Z")
The 2017 Laphroaig Cairdeas was just announced; it’s released every year for the Feis Ile festival on Islay, the last week in May. This year’s offering is a cask-strength release of the Laphroaig Quarter Cask. Though the Quarter Cask is not my favorite Laphroaig, I certainly wouldn’t turn it down. Richer than the 10 year, but the smoke comes through more in the finish. A cask-strength version would certainly be worth trying. Unfortunately, the Feis Ile release is UK only. The export releases won’t be bottled until closer to the end of summer, and should start showing up on US shelves somewhere around early September. Slàinte mhath! ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scotch/786935/49 "2017-05-25T16:57:12Z")
> [@SingleMalt](#): > > Unfortunately, the Feis Ile release is UK only. The export releases won’t be bottled until closer to the end of summer, and should start showing up on US shelves somewhere around early September. > > Slàinte mhath! That’s OK - State Line Liquors will allow me to stake a claim in anticipation. They know me. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2017, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scotch/786935/50 "2017-05-25T17:08:51Z")
It occurs to me that I could’ve give the Aberlour A’Bunadh a more clear review: The current batch is 57; It varies a bit year by year, but should be similar to my Batch 47 - It’s reputedly quite consistent (I’ve been investigating! 😃 ) . SUPER strong Sherry taste, with the taste of dried fruit and cinnamon & butterscotch; like drinking a good fruitcake. It’s STRONG - ~ 59% ABV (118 proof). Some people call it a ‘sherry bomb.’ It’s smooth, silky in the mouth, and lingers; don’t rush it. Despite being a Highland malt, it’s low on smoke and peat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-scotch/786935.md?page=2)