# Straight Dope Single-Malt Society **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 13, 2006, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615 "2006-09-13T23:28:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615/21 "2006-09-14T14:01:30Z")
I used to drink a lot more single malt. I’m not sure why I’ve gotten away from it. I drink a lot more wine nowadays and I’ve started a cellar. The prices really went berserk for a few years. I’m able to share wine with the wife, but she doesnt’ like whisky, so that makes a difference. Still, now that the cooler weather is here, I plan on picking up a bottle of Laproiag some time soon. That’s a nice collection, **silenus**. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615/22 "2006-09-14T14:11:23Z")
Probably not worth a separate thread, so, can someone explain “cask strength” versus what I buy at the liquor store? ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615/23 "2006-09-14T14:23:23Z")
[QUOTE=Jackknifed Juggernaut] Probably not worth a separate thread, so, can someone explain “cask strength” versus what I buy at the liquor store? [/QUOTE] You get standard whisky by diluting what comes out of the cask. It seems like it’s generally up around 55% alcohol/volume, and has a much stronger flavor than you get with the normal variety. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615/24 "2006-09-14T14:26:07Z")
“Cask Strength” is just what is says…bottled directly from the cask, with no dilution or chill filtering. Most of the stuff you get at the store has had one or both done to it before bottling. Cask Strength gives you a chance to taste _everything_ the whiskey has to offer. These are the ones that really open up with a splash of water in the glass. Some like them because you can dilute them to your preference, not the companies, but I always figured they knew better than I did what proof tasted best. Then I tasted a few. Now I get them whenever I can. Awesome flavors and aromas. ---
**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 14, 2006, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615/25 "2006-09-14T14:49:48Z")
> [@](#): > > Talisker, Highland Park These are high on my “sippin’ Scotch” list. I’ve also been enjoying the Aberlour a’bunadh, though it’ll anesthetize your palate if you’re not careful. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615/26 "2006-09-14T15:02:27Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] … Cask Strength gives you a chance to taste _everything_ the whiskey has to offer. These are the ones that really open up with a splash of water in the glass. Some like them because you can dilute them to your preference, not the companies, but I always figured they knew better than I did what proof tasted best. Then I tasted a few. Now I get them whenever I can. Awesome flavors and aromas. [/QUOTE] Are you supposed to dilute these yourself, or drink tham at cask strength? Thanks. ---
**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 14, 2006, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615/27 "2006-09-14T15:31:46Z")
[QUOTE=Jackknifed Juggernaut] Are you supposed to dilute these yourself, or drink tham at cask strength? Thanks. [/QUOTE] Either way. The notion is that you get to decide what’s to your taste, versus having the Corporate Scotch Bottling Cabal decide for you. I don’t always water the same Scotch to the same extent; it depends on time of day, what else I’ve been eating or drinking, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615/28 "2006-09-14T15:35:14Z")
My collection is bare bones right now. All I have is Lagavulin 16 and Lagavulin Distillers Edition (1988). I also have an minibar sized bottle of Skibo 12 year old. I sense a trip to the liquor store in the near future. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615/29 "2006-09-14T16:15:30Z")
To be honest, I was never much of a fan of the Scot’s whisky. Until one day, stuck in the middle of a frozen lake, ice fishing with a friend that had brought a flask of Bunnahabhain. I was hooked and I still love that whisky. I believe I am inclined toward Islay scotch because of it. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615/30 "2006-09-14T16:19:23Z")
I forgot to include the link to a site from my Bookmarks [“A Classification of Pure Malt Scotch Whiskies”](http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/home/jhb/whisky/lapointe/text.html) More information about Scotch than you probably needed. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615/31 "2006-09-14T16:38:10Z")
[QUOTE=August West] I forgot to include the link to a site from my Bookmarks [“A Classification of Pure Malt Scotch Whiskies”](http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/home/jhb/whisky/lapointe/text.html) More information about Scotch than you probably needed. [/QUOTE] I’ve made my imbibing decisions based on that study, and I think their classification is pretty far off. Does anyone really think that Aberlour is much more similar to Laphroaig than Caol Ila is? ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615/32 "2006-09-14T17:21:25Z")
[QUOTE=Shoshana] Either way. The notion is that you get to decide what’s to your taste, versus having the Corporate Scotch Bottling Cabal decide for you. I don’t always water the same Scotch to the same extent; it depends on time of day, what else I’ve been eating or drinking, etc. [/QUOTE] Last question, I promise. Do you use regular tap water or a specific brand? As you know, the taste of tap water can vary by region. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615/33 "2006-09-14T17:24:48Z")
Exactly. It depends on your tap water. Personally I use bottled water, but that’s because we have it around the house, not as a slam on my well water. If your tap water is very hard or reeks of chlorine, use bottled. If you drink tap water all the time because it tastes so good, use tap. Questions are a good thing, really. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615/34 "2006-09-14T17:27:42Z")
[QUOTE=Jackknifed Juggernaut] Last question, I promise. Do you use regular tap water or a specific brand? As you know, the taste of tap water can vary by region. [/QUOTE] Try it. Try it with tap. Try it with bottled. Try it with distilled. Try it neat. You’re the one drinking it. The cask strength I’ve had were closer to gasoline than scotch. The alcohol REALLY dominates. I definitely think they need some distilling. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615/35 "2006-09-14T17:32:14Z")
. . .diluting. ---
**Author:** ![Coach\_Naked](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Coach\_Naked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coach_Naked)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615/36 "2006-09-14T17:32:36Z")
Currently, I have on hand: a bottle of Laphroaig Quarter-Cask (most recent purchase) Oban 14- favorite Caol Ila -nice, but I’d rather the Oban ---
**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 14, 2006, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615/37 "2006-09-14T17:33:56Z")
Has anyone used the Riedel nosing glasses? I hate to say it, but I think they do make a positive contribution to the thing. Michael Jackson touts a similar glass, with a lid. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615/38 "2006-09-14T17:51:29Z")
I have a couple of tasting glasses that are shaped like the Riedel. Pretty much anything that narrows towards the top will concentrate the aromas. If I’m tasting a new malt for the first time, I’ll usually use a Sierra Nevada snifter. Large, narrow top, perfect for swirling around the malt and getting at all the nose has to offer. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615/39 "2006-09-14T17:51:36Z")
[QUOTE=Jackknifed Juggernaut] Last question, I promise. Do you use regular tap water or a specific brand? As you know, the taste of tap water can vary by region. [/QUOTE] If you want to be a true snob, you should use the water from the same spring that the whisky was made from. Or just do as others have suggested as experiment with tap, distilled, bottled, or neat. ---
**Author:** ![Coach\_Naked](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Coach\_Naked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coach_Naked)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615/40 "2006-09-14T18:36:40Z")
[QUOTE=Shoshana] Has anyone used the Riedel nosing glasses? I hate to say it, but I think they do make a positive contribution to the thing. Michael Jackson touts a similar glass, with a lid. [/QUOTE] I have a set of these- they were a gift, but man, I think they do add to the experience. Although, I think you’d probably get the same effect with a brandy snifter, which can multitask. But, it works for me cause I don’t like brandy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-single-malt-society/372615.md?page=3)