Single Malt Scotch
Sorry for the lack of posts lately--I've not been watching movies or reading any books worth noting. I have, however, been drinking scotch. Over the course of the past year, that is, at a rate of about a glass every other evening or so. My scotch consumption has in no way been *concentrated*, shall we say, and is not to blame for any incapacitation, keeping me from, for example, watching movies or reading good books. But anyway (now that perhaps I hath protested too much), I thought I'd write something about some scotches I like, and some I don't. I've not made a systematic survey. My choices are governed by the spotty selection at local PA state liquor stores (damn Quakers!). If anyone has other suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
My favorite scotch thus far is Balvenie Founder's Reserve (10 yrs old). It has a lot of smokey flavor but is still fairly light and without a harsh finish. It's also a fairly good value, costing about $35. It's better, I think, than some of the more expensive (and still very good) Balvenie products--the Double Wood (12 yr) has a more complex mix of flavors, but they're all crowded up in front and the finish is rather harsh; the Single Barrel (15 yr) is too heavy and too expensive. All the Balvenie products are worth trying, though.
Another good and fairly cheap scotch is McClelland's Highland (5 yr). A nice strong flavor that combines woody and peaty tastes. The Highland Park (12 yr) is also very nice and reasonably priced.
Laphroaig (10 yr) is a little pricey--around $50--and has a very odd flavor. I didn't like it at first. It has a very slick, vapory, sort of mediciney flavor. But I developed a real affinity for it for some reason. The flavor was so distinctive, there was something almost addictive about it. It began to remind me of the smell of ocean air--salt water, seaweed, and tide pools, with a hint of marine diesel. Don't ask me how to pronounce it ("laf-royg"?), but I think it's a good scotch.
A couple scotches I will avoid from now on are Macallan (12 yr) and Glenfiddich (12 yr). The Macallan is heavy and syrupy with a dull charcoal taste. I got the Glenfiddich because it was all that the store had available at the time--as a general rule, I avoid products that are heavily advertised, and you can hardly open a magazine without seeing a Glenfiddich ad. It was exceedingly thin in flavor, easily overwhelmed by even a single ice cube.
A few other scotches did not make a strong impression one way or another. The Glenmorangie (10 yr) was okay; the Macallan Cask Strength not good enough to justify the price. Aberlour (10 yr) is well-priced, but not among my favorites.
My favorite scotch thus far is Balvenie Founder's Reserve (10 yrs old). It has a lot of smokey flavor but is still fairly light and without a harsh finish. It's also a fairly good value, costing about $35. It's better, I think, than some of the more expensive (and still very good) Balvenie products--the Double Wood (12 yr) has a more complex mix of flavors, but they're all crowded up in front and the finish is rather harsh; the Single Barrel (15 yr) is too heavy and too expensive. All the Balvenie products are worth trying, though.
Another good and fairly cheap scotch is McClelland's Highland (5 yr). A nice strong flavor that combines woody and peaty tastes. The Highland Park (12 yr) is also very nice and reasonably priced.
Laphroaig (10 yr) is a little pricey--around $50--and has a very odd flavor. I didn't like it at first. It has a very slick, vapory, sort of mediciney flavor. But I developed a real affinity for it for some reason. The flavor was so distinctive, there was something almost addictive about it. It began to remind me of the smell of ocean air--salt water, seaweed, and tide pools, with a hint of marine diesel. Don't ask me how to pronounce it ("laf-royg"?), but I think it's a good scotch.
A couple scotches I will avoid from now on are Macallan (12 yr) and Glenfiddich (12 yr). The Macallan is heavy and syrupy with a dull charcoal taste. I got the Glenfiddich because it was all that the store had available at the time--as a general rule, I avoid products that are heavily advertised, and you can hardly open a magazine without seeing a Glenfiddich ad. It was exceedingly thin in flavor, easily overwhelmed by even a single ice cube.
A few other scotches did not make a strong impression one way or another. The Glenmorangie (10 yr) was okay; the Macallan Cask Strength not good enough to justify the price. Aberlour (10 yr) is well-priced, but not among my favorites.
posted by Ambivalent_Maybe at 6:41 AM
2 Comments:
The Balvenie 10 year old scotch has also been my scotch of choice for the last decade or so. I bought the 12 year old variety this last new year, and agree that it isn't really an improvement on the 10 year variety. I have from time to time stepped outside this selection, only to find other single malts not quite so likable, sometime downright un-likable.
Interesting. Maybe we can hit up the folks at Balvenie for some advertising dollars, or at least some freebies.
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