The Scotch thread

Deleted.

Scotch makes me crazy! I haven’t touched it since that time when I . . . .

[David M. Bueker]

I enjoy Lagavulin 16 year old as my go-to Scotch. I also have a soft spot for Scotch aged in PX Sherry casks.

I drink single malts....MacCallan 12 is my house scotch.

[Robin Garr]

We like Talisker, a Skye malt, but save it for special occasions. I guess we've had the current bottle for a year or more.

I have a couple of brands of Scotch in my booze inventory, but I'm really not a fan.

I don't drink spirits except on very rare occasions. But I bought Dear Husband a single malt Scotch a few years ago for our anniversary. Glenfiddich. He enjoys that, as a special treat.

I've been known to use inexpensive whiskey on meats in the slow cooker. And once when I was ill DH made me a drink with Pisco and lemon as a hot toddy. One night only. It did help the congestion.

Hey, whatever works. Sure wasn't driving.

I enjoy several single malts. Lavagulin 16yr and Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14yr are my two favorites. I was delighted to see Mortlach Rare Old in the local NH State Liquor Store and bought a bottle. Very nice. The last time I saw Mortlach for sale was in 1986, at Slim Cowell's Caledonia Shop, a shop specializing in Scottish clothing and other goods (including single-malt Scotch), located in Hamburg, Germany of all places.

Apparently the Mortlach Rare Old is part of a trend among Scotch distillers away from specific year-age designations. I hadn't heard of that before. It also says on the label that it is distilled 2.81 times. As I guessed, this means that most of the spirit goes through the usual double distillation process used for Scotch, but some is triple-distilled. There's a detailed description of the process here: https://scotchwhisky.com/magazine/ask-the-professor/7498/the-mortlach-conundrum/

-Paul W.

Deleting this post, thanks to Jenise.

I just wanted to point out that it's OK to discuss spirits in the wine forum. This topic would probably get a wider audience there.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Scotch makes me crazy! I haven’t touched it since that time when I . . . .

That made me laugh out loud. When I was younger I had to avoid gin. Made me too friendly.

Apparently the Mortlach Rare Old is part of a trend among Scotch distillers away from specific year-age designations. I hadn't heard of that before.

My understanding is that global demand is outstripping the supply of aged scotch. It's hard to quickly ramp up supply of 20-30 year old spirits! So, they are increasingly resorting to various other ways of attracting consumers, like touting multiple spoofy cask finishes and other silliness.

Scotch is obviously a phenomenal spirit but as a casual drinker it's a tricky market because there has been so much consolidation into big brands and the resulting loss of quality control that you would expect. So, Scotch is not my most frequent spirit consumed, but I like to keep a bottle or two on hand. Right now it's the Springbank 15YO, which is very full of character but also nicely balanced. Very pleasing.

My preferred Scotch is from Islay, whose peaty and iodine flavours I adore. This taste is not, however, shared by Germaine who describes it as fishy. I'm not so keen on most other Scotch, even Speyside, where I find a certain underlying coarseness. There is a mini surge in French made whisky, some of which seem quite promising.

The spirits which I drink most frequently are Cognac, Armagnac, Calvados and Alsatian eaux de vie blanches (=dry clear coloured fruit brandies).

Scotch used to be my regular tipple.

I started with Johnnie Walker (with ice & ginger ale), with Black Label on special occasions (there weren't any other JWs then), and Glenlivet for my single a
malt.

I transferred my affections to Bells for blended, and when I found out the flavour of Bells came from Inchgower, I seeked out the Inchgower single malt. I could get that only in Scotland so whenever business sent me to Edinburgh I would come home with a bottle of Inchgower.

I can't remember when my spirits consumption was replaced by wine, but a few years ago I gave all my unopened spirits to a charity tombola, used the open bottles for flambeeing and kept Inchgower. I have a glass of Inchgower once or twice a year.

I am a dedicated single malt sipper (as opposed to drinker) and have maybe 50 different ones, which sounds a lot, but bear in mind that a bottle might last me a decade or more. Drinking blend is a much rarer thing for me but has been known to happen.

Other than in a malt tasting event, I never have more than a dram (which is a useful term, as aside from the apothecary definition which would give you barely enough to wet the inside of a glass, as it is a variable term, rather like fingers. I like two fingers of malt - but my fingers, not little kiddie fingers. I have, however, learned not to ask Jenise to give me two fingers as it has in the past resulted in inappropriate responses.

I am a dedicated single malt sipper (as opposed to drinker) and have maybe 50 different ones, which sounds a lot, but bear in mind that a bottle might last me a decade or more...

Bravo. How big is your spirits collection overall?

My spirits collection pretty much IS the single malts, although I have cooking spirits, the odd summer only (G&T) and a handful of decent Cognac, Armagnac and Calvados.

Big fan of single malt, having spent a number of years living in Scotland. Islay was long my favorite region as I prize that peaty, brininess you get from the islands. My favorite might be Caol Ila and many of the offerings from Ardbeg have been great.

Over the last few years, I started trying many of the small batch rarities that K&L direct imports (often for a song) and these have been so unique and special that I stopped drinking the standard releases even from favored distilleries. These have made me rediscover the joys of a fruity, malty Speyside scotch. Alas, no way to legally ship spirits across state lines anymore, but I pick some up whenever I’m in CA.

Let me take the opportunity to lament the yuppification of single malt.

In the GOD (good old days) you got several ages from a given distillery but today you get a half dozen different woods and treatments (Manzanilla cask, Madeira finish, Pedro Jimenez, .Bourbon cask, double wood, triple wood......ad nauseum.

And then there is Game of Thrones Malt.....

I am completely disinterested in all the foo-foo crapola they are using to try and sell to the relatively young, just give me good old single malt.

[David M. Bueker]

You can still get good old single malt. Plenty of ages and without special finishes. Maybe there’s distribution issues in BC.

Oh, we can get 'regular' malts here, but the proportion of yuppie versions to normal ones is irksome.

[David M. Bueker]

You do realize that "yuppies" was the 1980s.

You do realize that "yuppies" was the 1980s.

Yup - and that's exactly the demographic that is into single malts.

According to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, in 2015 almost a quarter (22.6%) of American Scotch whisky drinkers were aged over 65, making them the largest age demographic for the category.

Since then the younger segment has increased - guess it is becoming a sophistication 'thing' and a bunch of the younger formerly beer geeks have joined up, apparently.

I went through a Scotch phase when I was in my early twenties, and have fond memories of hitchhiking through Scotland, including several days in the Highlands in the mid 1980s - Scotch wasn't hip yet and the facilities to do tastings were much more basic and less commercial. And far fewer distilleries back then!