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If your mother told you that scotch is nasty and tastes like iodine (and you are old enough to remember what iodine is) then she has done you a gross disservice. You need to slap her on the hand and say, "Bad. Bad mother... no cookie," and then you need to give what the Scots call a "wee dram" a real chance. If you are a dyed-in-the-wool,
"I only do bourbon" drinker, then check out my Bourbon
Page.
I'll admit it. I drink. (How does the old saying go? I drink to forget... I don't remember what, so I must be doing it right.) But I only drink a little. As in, about 3-4 drinks a month is my average while at home. But when I go out to dinner or when we travel, especially to Scotland, I drink. And I drink malt whisky. Single malt whisky almost exclusively. Most of the really bad "Scotch" is blended by people who really don't care what the final beverage tastes like. I guess they assume that you will water it down, or worse yet put so much ice and soda water into the glass, to the point where you won't be able to taste the actual liquor. If you can't stand it when sipped straight, then it isn't drinkable!
Then there are the Irish whiskies. These run the range from blends — most of what we get over here is blended — to the few single malts available. The best being available only in Ireland. Of the Irish available in North America, seek out Red Breast. Buy it, take it home, and enjoy the experience. Yummmmmm. And Green Spot, almost impossible to get unless you go there to pick it up, is to die for. Even France, the Czech Republic, The Netherlands, India and Thailand have malt whisky distilleries. I have imbibed several of the Thai whiskys in the past and, although they are not as refined as their European and Japanese bretheren, they can be enjoyed.
Whereas single malts come from a single distillery, in rare cases even from a single barrell or more frequently from a very limited number of barrels all produced about the same time or even from the same batch. They can differ from bottling to bottling by small degrees. I find that single malts tend to have more character and have the widest range of tastes. Here is a list of some of my favorite Scotish single malts that should be available all over (most of) the U.S.:
Many of these distilleries have more than one age of whisky. If you are new to all of this, try the younger, usually an 8 -10 year old product — and usually the least expensive. If you are looking for adventure, try some of the 15 year olds. Glenfarclas puts out a 105 Proof (called Glenfarclas 105) that is about as strong as you can find but still a wonderful drink.
If you are looking for something light and friendly, try Knockando. But between here and there lie hundreds of wonderful drinking experiences. The lowland malts are different from the highland malts, and the Islay malts are typically really really different from the rest. One of the brands I try to stay clear of, unless it is the only single malt available at a friend's or a restaurant, is Glenfiddich. While it is just about the most readily available single malt around, it is kind of the Coca Cola of single malts. It never varies and is never really interesting. You might like it, and it isn't actually a bad introduction to single malts, but you owe it to yourself to try others with greater ranges of characteristics. Do yourself a favor. If you are going to Japan, or know someone going there or coming from there, get them to buy you a bottle of Nikka Distillery's Single Cask Yoichi 10 year old, or Suntory Distillery's Kioke Jikomi. These products of Japanese distilleries come from people who love single malts and have learned the art of creating them. US Single Malts In the last 2-3 years a handful of distilleries here in the US have begun producing their own variations of single malts. The top three that come to mind are:
The folks at Anchor Steam also have a small batch Gin that is very, very nice; not like the overly juniper-tasting gins you normally find. And look for any of the botanical "gins" from St. George. I had the opportunity to taste a test batch of a gin that was flavored with cardomom. Amazing. And another distilled with fresh botanical herbs. Absolutely to die for!!! Of all the single malts I have sampled from around the world, the only one I would tell you to steer clear of is Sullivans Cove from Australia. It tastes like a dirty wet sheep smells. Cor, blimey. That's some foul drink, mate! Aren't Single Malts Expensive? Well, if you want something that you can splash half a can of soda water into, then stay with the moderate-priced blends, of which I can only recommend The Famous Grouse or Johnny Walker Black Label. Those will set you back around $20.00 - $30.00 a bottle. If you want a pleasant blended for sipping straight or with just a few drops of water, try the Compass Box Hedonism (about $70) or their Eluthera (around $50) very small batch blends. They have limited availability in the US but you can find them. There are many very palatable single malts that can be found in the $20-$25 range. If you live near a Beverages and More or a Trader Joes or a Total Wines store, you can find good buys on several single malts. Of course, there are some of them that can run you in the hundreds of dollars, too. Are they worth it? Well, if you only ever drink water and can't stand the taste of stronger drinks like milk and lemonade, then perhaps single malt whiskies are not for you. But if you want a taste experience that can be as satisfying each time you partake as it was the first time, and that provides you with a more varried experience than any other type of hard liquor, then the answer is YES. It is definitely worth it. Whisky Shows; A Must! Do yourself a huge favor. If you are any sort of fan of single malts, or if you want the widest variety of tastings possible under one roof, find one of the tasting events and shows that occur several times a year on both the east and the west coasts. I have attended the Whiskies of the World Expo seven of the eleven times it has been held (in San Francisco). Another great event is Whisky Fest held in New York.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There are a few links you might wish to avail yourself of to learn more, including:
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If
you have experienced cheap scotch with a label featuring a drawing
of someone wearing a kilt, squeezing a haggis with horns, and
had a name like "MacFeinstein's Fine Olde Scotch" or
"Scottsman's Pride Prime Drinking Whiskey" then the
time has come to give real malt whisky a chance (notice the lack
of an "e" in the correct spelling). And if you have
ever been forced to drink some supermarket's $6.00 a bottle house
brand of scotch (I once found one in a grocery store that listed
its contents as "a blend of purified Scoch whiskey
and other fine ingredients") then I will say a prayer for
you, you poor, poor soul.
I
think that the best, and most interesting are the single malts.
There are a few blends, such as Chivas Regal, Johnny Walker Black
Label (I stay away from the "red" label as it is just
too nasty for my tastes) and The Famous Grouse which are quite
nice. And a new entry, Compass Box with their Eluthera and Hedonism
bottlings also provide a great blended whisky experience. For
the most part, blends are the same, each sip and each bottle.
Single malts can change from sip to sip – I suggest you try
Laphroig or Ardbeg or Bowmore's "Darkest" to see how
drastic the change can be from your first sip to the second and
even the third. They have a broader character to them that I haven't
found in blends. Some single malt are even more complex and enjoyable
(to me) than the finest cognacs.
Did
you know that you can find single malt whiskys all over the world?
No, I don't mean that you can buy scotch all over (even though
you can). I mean that many different countries have their own
single malt spirits. Some, such as those from Japan (Suntory and
Nikka come immediately to mind) are peated just like scotch whisky
— that's what makes for the smoky aroma and taste of single
malts from Scotland — and some are more of a gentle beverage
with little peat for smoke but are still made from malted grain.
Canadian whisky is made from malted rye. It is so gentle and ordinary
tasting that most people use it as a mixer with cola or ginger
ale. It just doesn't have the body to stand on its own.
What,
you might ask, is a single malt? Well, that is a whisky that is
bottled from a single output of a distillery. The best way to
make that clear is that the blends (Johnny Walker, Chivas Regal,
The Famous Grouse, etc.) are made up from the outputs of many,
even dozens of different distilleries. The blend master takes
all of the different source casks, tastes them, and comes up with
a mixture (blend) of all of them that can be recreated over and
over and over again.
By
the way... Bruichladich is back and recently celevrated their 10th aniversary! Horray! After years of sitting
in mothballs (sounds painful and stinky) this distillery was revitalized in the early 2000's and is back in production. They have purchased
back a number of their casks that were sold when the distillery
went dark, and have begun releasing new bottlings while they
continue to produce new spirits for ageing and future bottling.
And
another "hurrah!!!" to Isle of Arran Distillers and
Douglas Davidson. I had the opportunity to sample their
whiskies early on and have become the proud owner of bottle number 96 of
305 of their first "cask strength" bottling (from a
single cask, no less). This treasure will not be opened for anything
less that a very special celebration! But their regular bottling is wonderful,
and I will be enjoing that bottle until it is empty, and then
another, and then another, and then....
If
you are looking for someting that will knock your socks off, try
Ardbeg, Laphroaig, or one of the darker Bowmore's. These are from
the island of Islay and have the most smokiness that you may ever
find in a single malt. I especially like to give Laphroaig 10-year
old to guests and watch their faces as they try the first sip.
Eyes bulge out and the general comment is "it tastes like
something that caught on fire and burned to the ground."
I urge then to try another sip. That one brings up looks of amazement
as they discover that the same thing that tasted of almost pure
smoke the first time now tastes slightly sweet and salty. And
the third sip brings on even more taste sensations. Add a few
drops of water nd it changes again. It is quite a drink!
Of
the above, I recommend the Clear Creek product first since it
is most like a very young peated single malt from Scotland. The
next two have distinct differences but are to be enjoyed for their
uniqueness. The Anchor Stream one costs $90.00 or so a bottle and
I am just not ready to make that kind of outlay for a bottle of
whiskey. They have a couple whiskies including one primarily made
of rye. I find rye-based products too light and dry tasting. Also,
I read somewhere that Old Portrero is a very young whisky (like
maybe a year or so...?) Oh, well.