# Scotch Whiskey **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** liquor-alcohol\ **Created:** [September 23, 2009, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-whiskey/511300 "2009-09-23T22:13:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![\_xiao\_wenti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/b782af/32.png) [@\_xiao\_wenti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_xiao_wenti)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-whiskey/511300/21 "2009-09-24T21:57:12Z")
It is as much a thing of personal taste as wine. Well, maybe not as much. I am perfectly happy with Bushmills and water. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-whiskey/511300/22 "2009-09-24T22:04:21Z")
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned Blackadder yet. That stuff is liquid gold. I love their Islay scotch when I can get it. Link: [http://www.blackadder.com/](http://www.blackadder.com/) ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-whiskey/511300/23 "2009-09-24T23:22:31Z")
If you want even more smoke, Clear Creek Distillery’s McCarthy’s Oregon Whiskey is like Ardbeg used to be. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-whiskey/511300/24 "2009-09-24T23:32:18Z")
If it’s peat, and not just peat smoke you’re looking for see if you can find a Springbank. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-whiskey/511300/25 "2009-09-25T01:20:54Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The Cardhu you knew and loved is gone. Diageo has “repositioned” the label as a “vatted” malt, which means it’s a blend of single malts from different distilleries. Alas. ☹ Guess I’ll nurse the last half of the bottle I bought a decade or so ago… ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-whiskey/511300/26 "2009-09-25T08:31:13Z")
For people who don’t like whisky because they prefer something smoother/sweeter, I’ve found the Glenfiddich Malt Liqueur to be a nice compromise - still has a good whisky taste, but sweeter and syrupy (I find it a bit more “whisky-tasting” than Drambuie or Irish Mist) ---
**Author:** ![Hallucinex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba9def/32.png) [@Hallucinex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hallucinex)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-whiskey/511300/27 "2009-09-25T10:37:08Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > I think Bowmore is a really good value. But if you are saying that you like Lagavulin in particular but not Scotch in general, then I can’t promise you’ll like it. FWIW, I went on what I assume is the same whisky tour msmith537 mentioned in Edinburgh (the scotch whisky experience, just near the castle), and would definitely recommend it. I tried some of the Bowmore there and really liked it, and found it quite smooth to drink (my mum found that one pretty easy to drink as well, and had the same problem as you with most of the others) ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-whiskey/511300/28 "2009-09-25T11:30:37Z")
On a side note, how is “Lagavulin” pronounced? I’ve been hearing “luh-GAH-vuh-lin” in my head; is that even close? I don’t wan’t to sound like an idiot if I decide to try some next time I’m out… ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-whiskey/511300/29 "2009-09-25T12:27:26Z")
It starts with lah (as in _laparoscopy_), nut luh. [http://www.thewhiskystore.de/dist/lagavuli/lagavuli.wav](http://www.thewhiskystore.de/dist/lagavuli/lagavuli.wav) ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-whiskey/511300/30 "2009-09-25T12:38:03Z")
If you’re looking for a Scotch with lots of smoke and peat and all-around character, but you’re on a budget, Teacher’s Highland Cream is definitely the way to go. It’s a blended Scotch, but it’s got more malt in the blend than other blended whiskies, and it’s quite reasonably priced. About the same as a bottle of Dewar’s. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-whiskey/511300/31 "2009-09-25T12:57:43Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > If you’re looking for a Scotch with lots of smoke and peat and all-around character, but you’re on a budget, Teacher’s Highland Cream is definitely the way to go. It’s a blended Scotch, but it’s got more malt in the blend than other blended whiskies, and it’s quite reasonably priced. About the same as a bottle of Dewar’s. Oooh - I’ll have to try that. I really can’t deal with Laphroaig’s massive peatiness (it’s like licking Scotland!), but I think I could deal with a blended. For anyone looking in this thread for a scotch recommendation that doesn’t taste like band-aids, I’ll recommend Balvenie DoubleWood, a wonderfully smooth single malt. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-whiskey/511300/32 "2009-09-25T13:00:11Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > On a side note, how is “Lagavulin” pronounced? > I’ve been hearing “luh-GAH-vuh-lin” in my head; is that even close? I don’t wan’t to sound like an idiot if I decide to try some next time I’m out… As with most whisky names it’s an anglified spelling of a Gaelic name. Lowlanders in Scotland generally pronounce it with the stress on the 3rd syllable (‘voo’), but that’s no indication of how the unanglified name would be pronounced by Gaelic speakers on Islay. By the way, most people pronounce ‘Glenmorangie’ with the stress on the 3rd syllable, but locally (an area where Gaelic is no longer spoken) the stress is on the 2nd. For homework, get your tongue around ‘Bunnahabhain’, which is one of the few that uses a Gaelic spelling. "Bh’ is pronounced ‘v’ and I think the first ‘h’ is silent. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-whiskey/511300/33 "2009-09-25T13:04:43Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Glen Garioch If you’re interested, ‘Garioch’ is a Lowland placename which is pronounced ‘Geeree’ (with a hard ‘g’). ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-whiskey/511300/34 "2009-09-25T14:05:16Z")
Check out [this pronunciation guide](http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/home/jhb/whisky/pronounc.html). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-whiskey/511300.md?page=1)