Following the example of Tell Me about Scotch … I’ve noticed over the years that there is a vast divergence of opinion on which scotches are bad and which ones are good.
Blends - IMO all are mildly useful as drain cleaners.
Singles - If I was forced to limit my choices here, I’d pick The Macallan Cask Strength, Talisker, Highland Park 18, The Glen Livit 20, and Glen Rothes for the wife. But it could easily be Glenmorangie, Balvenie, Bowmore 17, Edradour and Cragganmore this afternoon.
Anybody who does more than add a drop or two of water to these should be horse-whipped around the commons and then transported to Her Majesty’s penal colony in Australia, where they can labor and ponder their lack of moral character and righteous upbringing.
My first choice would be Laphroaig, Bowmore would be second. When I’m on the road and can’t find anything else, I’ll go with Famous Grouse.
My sentimental favorite is White Horse because it was my first. When I was in high school a friend was moving and his mother was packing and cleaning out their kitchen cabinets. She held out a bottle of White Horse and said to me, “Do your parents like scotch?” Of course I said yes, and the bottle went directly to the secret hiding spot in my room for further evaluation.
Think The Glenlivet’s misspelled in your poll. Besides Lagavulin (pre-fire, if possible; though maybe it’s just that my tastes have changed?), I’d also throw in Springbank (and their component separately-bottled, Longrow), Talisker (warning, extremely annoying, Flash-heavy, website), Ardbeg, and Highland Park. Auchentoshan too, for you Lowlands fans. As Longrow was Sprinkbank’s attempt to make a mainland Islay, Hazelburn looks like their attempt to make a Lowlands style. Looks interesting.
Probably could add Edradour, Glenrothes, Glenfarclas (the 17 year old is incredible), Glen Garioch (amazingly smoky for a Highlands), Aberlour, Dalmore, Royal Brackla, Bruichladdich and Bowmore without breaking a sweat. Did I miss anyone’s favorite single? That’s still in production, that is. One of these days I’m going to pony up the scratch for a bottle of Port Ellen and complete my tour of Islay. Dallas Dhu would be a good one too.
The Scots have distilleries like the French have cheese, and the Germans, sausage.
Oh, as for favorite, it depends on the mood, but Lagavulin 16, Laphroaig 15, Ardbeg Supernova, Glenlivet 18, and Glenfarclas 17 are hard to beat, IMHO.
I quite liked the oak-cask Glenfiddich, but picked up a bottle of the 18-year-old at a very reasonable price and that is definitely an OK drop of stuff. Used to enjoy Glenmorangie and don’t mind something peaty once in a while - Ardbeg was probably the last. None of them is any the worse for a salt-spoon of tap water but the 18yo is fine without.
Macallen Cask Strength. It’s the default choice, although if I have other scotch drinkers over I might pull out a dozen bottles of high end scotches and we’ll sample and discuss. Of course I’ll also have on hand various ages of the Macallen.
This. I am rather inexperienced at this whole scotch thing so far, but this has been the best single malt I’ve tried yet. The 16 year, mind; I haven’t seen the 12 anywhere for sale here.
As far as blends go, I love the Peat Monster blend; tons more flavor (flavour?) than any other I’ve tried.
I can’t find a single-malt that suits me anywhere as much as a good bourbon. I’ve tried a dozen different recommendations and they all taste like they have a shot of Listerine in them.
Balvenie 21 year old port wood. Was never a whisky fan but had a shot one night on a whim and was smitten. So smooth, so fruity. Like Christmas in a glass. Only trouble is the first bottle I bought was £45 and didn’t seem too extravagant (especially when a bottle lasts me 18 months) but now it is going for upwards of £100 and my natural northern stinginess yells out “no!” (I don’t listen to it though, some things are just worth it)
And no, nothing added. I like it straight and strong.
There is always the “Other” category. Please be specific when you use it.
Am I to infer from the above responses that there is no blended scotch even worthy of being used as a mixer, and no blend whatsoever that might be consumed straight?
But since I don’t drink scotch any way other than neat (or with a dash of water), my opinion on the mixability of any blend is less than meaningless. I’ve heard that Johnnie Walker Green is a decent blend, since it is entirely made up of singles, but since they don’t make it any more, my chances of testing that hypothesis are growing fainter by the minute.
Johnny Walker Blue is quite good, but for that price it better be.
The problem with the poll is that it should have dozens of entries, if not 100’s of them. You can’t just say Glenmorangie without mentioning the 10 different types they sell.
If I had to have one favorite it would be the Balvenie Portwood 21, but there are dozens of other brands and types I’d love to sample.
I certainly don’t agree, but then I go more for “drinkability” as I’m relatively new to Scotch, and to me it’s still a bit of an acquired taste. And there’s no point in using a single-malt in a mixed drink, IMO - but I’m willing to be corrected.
I certainly won’t turn down Dewar’s on the rocks from an open bar at a wedding, for example, and have even been known to drink J&B in a pinch. But, given the choice, I’d prefer a single malt (currently Glenfiddich, since I haven’t “graduated” to others yet).
I suspect there are a lot of folks in my shoes.