I started drinking whskey “on the rocks”. I’m tired of beer’s volume and the sugar in mixed drinks.
Thus far, I’ve tried Glenlivet (12) and Glenfiddich (12). So far, I like Glenfiddich better. So what’s your favorite?
Dalwhinnie is a good highland scotch you might like, and Laphraig is an island scotch that may take a little getting used to. Laphraig is very “peaty.” I prefere Dalwhinnie, but those are two more you can try.
I drink them on the rocks, with a splash back. In fact, my bottle of Laphraig came with a little glass specifically for the water.
I’m not a fan of water (in liquid or ice form) in my whisky; but that’s a matter of personal taste.
I like my malt peaty; Laphroaig (an Islay whisky) is my overall fave–it’s like sticking your head in the smoke from a peat fire. Ardbeg, also an Islay is a close second.
I wrote this after my first good experiences with good spirits…Most of the Scotch in this is top shelf, all are very good. So and ode to good spirits!
A week ago my friend Johnnie Walker introduced me to a Scotchman named Glenn. We spoke and drank and snifted through the afternoon talking about linage and coats of arms. Mr.Glenn Kinchie showed us (my snifter and I) all the family names on the linage list. Cousins if you will with odd eccentric names such as first cousin Dalwhinnie his brother Cragganmore and sister Talisker and her new son Lagavulin and his pet bear Oban. We sat in jest all afternoon and into the evening imbibing this light brown concoction then I formally left after my checkmate and bid
Threads like this make baby MacJesus cry.
Talisker no rocks, no water, in a Brandy glass to get the best of the peaty scent.
Jamesons.
Or if you’re more of a savage, Bushmills.
Oh my god! Don’t drink single malts on the rocks. Dilution ruins the scotch, and if you’re paying $12 a glass at the kind of bar that has a decent single malt selection, you’re definitely throwing away your money by ordering it on the rocks. If it’s too strong, order it with “water back” and sip on that.
My favorite is Oban, a nice balance between the smooth and the peaty. Most places that have good single malt selections will carry Oban.
I also like Talisker and Laphroaig, especially if I’m going to enjoy a cigar with my scotch. Glenfiddich is a mass-produced single malt, and is too sweet for my taste, but it’s still better than any blended whiskey out there.
Here’s something amazing: So, you’ve got a good single malt, and have tried a few sips, and are settling in quite nicely. Take a glass of water and drizzle in a few drops… Not a splash! Just a couple of drops. Now keep sipping - see how the flavor changes? Somehow the addition of just a tiny bit of water brings out another bouquet, without diminishing the complexity.
I love single malts… it’s one of the world’s purest pleasures.
My favorite whiskey isn’t sold in America, but I love it all the same. Its called ‘Connemarra’ and its a peated, single-malt, potstill whiskey. The few that I share my private stash with know better than to let an icecube get within 10 feet of it, or they’ll be leaving my house ‘business class’ with a curbside check-in.
ARDBEG!!!
For those who love Laphoraig (count me among them), you will WORSHIP Ardbeg. SO Smoky. SO smooth. SO good by itself. SO good when you do the water thing Bughunter mentions above.
Ah, my sweet Ardbeg, how I covet thee right now. Diet vanilla coke just isn’t cutting it.
I prefer a nice Johnny Walker Red on the rocks. Black is best in a glass or with soda if you must.
I must fall into the “more of a savage” category…Bushmills 16 yr old single malt, but please, no ice.
On the rocks? Woodford Reserve or Blanton’s maybe, but then we’d be talking bourbon.
I certainly second the suggestion of Irish whiskey, but I’d recommend Powers. The best. Big flavor, lots of pot still character, just wonderful.
And then Bushmill’s. I never could work up much enthusiasm for Jameson’s.
As to Scotch whisky, try Teacher’s. It’s a blended Scotch, but it has a lot of smoky character, lots more than most blends, including Johnny Walker. It’s reminiscent of Laphroig (at least to my uneducated palate).
Loch Dhu [‘The Black Whiskey’] out of Mannochmore Distillery, Scotland. Used to be readily available here, then suddenly disappeared. Stuff is only ten years old and looks like flat coke, but has a nose… mmm. Been nursing my final bottle for the last year- in a stemless brandy snifter, no ice, no water, no nuttin’, cradled in both hands to warm the chocolate brown nectar as the fumes curl around and over the rim.
if anyone knows of a good importer?
There is a very nice single malt being made in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada called Glen Breton…very smooth. Johnnie Walker Black is a nice blend.
You’ve had the Cape Breton single malt? And here I was under the impression it had just been laid down in casks in the last year or two, and wouldn’t actually be available for another 8 years…
I’ll have to see if I can get me some and be all patriotic-like…
As to the OP, how dare you profane the sacred nectar with ice? heathens… 
On a more serious note, I hate playing favourites. And spending more than $40 or so on a bottle is a bit of a rare occurrence, so so far I’ve liked all the more spendy ones I’ve had the fortune to mooch of my profs, and have found several tolerable less spendy ones. But I’ll try something new over something I’ve done before any day of the week, so I tend to not always remember what each one tastes like…
I should have bought stock in Justerini & Brooks. Been drinking the stuff almost exclusively for over thirty years. Always with a splash of h2o though.
Once in a blue moon, I’ll partake of a Carlos-I, neat, followed by a good cigar.
Definately.
What bughunter said. Don’t ruin single malt scotch by putting ice in it. If you must have it cold, refrigerate it for about five minutes, then pour it. If you must add water, it shouldn’t be more than 4-5 drops (yes, from an eyedropper) per 1-ounce shot, just before drinking. If you must have something over ice, then go for something else (I’ll add a third vote for Jameson’s).
Hey, I like those single malt scotches, but it’s hard to beat Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Neat, rocks, or even (gasp) with a mixer.
I’m in the no ice and no water camp. I finished the last of my Ardbeg last night. When I finish a bottle, I chuck the cork into my junk drawer. Here’s what I could find that had names on: The Macallan, Glenkinchie, Glen Moray, The Balvenie, Gavul, Bushmills, Jameson, Bowmore, Laphroaig, and Glenmorangie. For a blended I usually go for Famous Grouse.