Just curious if anyone else here is into whisky and single malt scotch in particular. I never thought I'd become one of those guys who sits around sipping whisky in the evening, savoring the taste without necessarily getting drunk, but here I am. I've even visited a distillery when I was in Scotland awhile back, which was a fun experience.

Anyhow, my whisky of choice is Ardbeg 10 Year Old. Any of the older metalheads go from drinking beer and jack daniels to finer beverages?

hey now, Jack Daniels is a fine beverage.

but yeah, i understand what you mean. that's what i'd do with absinthe when i had a bottle. sip it and enjoy while you read a good book or something. enjoy the fine things in life like good alcohol.

Dude, you just got post 666 talking about booze. That's awesome.

I'm kinda curious about Jack Daniels Single Barrel. Might be worth checking out sometime.

Jim Beam is my good friend.

Scotch is great. I usually go with Glenfiddich when I am out and about, or if that is not available the Glenlivet will do. For the past few months I have been on a big Jameson Irish Whiskey kick. Terrific whiskey, my oh my.

Also, Jack Daniels blows. I would rather drink R&R which is less than half the price. Oddly enough most bar tenders/bar owners I know don't drink Jack either.

I used to drink JD, but switched over to Evan Williams bourbon. It's cheaper and tastes quite good to these taste buds, but what do they know, they're shot to hell.

Quite true. Reminds me that I should tell you all a story about my first time with the stuff while backpacking over spring break, when I'm not tired.



Ironically enough, I went straight to it-I really don't like beer that much. Although given my fruity tastes in most other foodstuffs, that's not too surprising.

(Well, I suppose I don't qualify as "older", but close enough.)

You guys would probably like Samuel Adams Utopia; between 40 and 50 proof (20% abv to 25% abv, I shit you not---and it's still beer) and it's aged in bourbon barrels. I'm just saying, though; never had it myself (not sold here ). Just saying there's fine beer out there that can match most whiskeys in priceyness/classiness. Most, of course. Highly unlikely you will ever find the beer equivalent to a $400 bottle of single-malt, of course, though I have seen a $35 single bottle of 12-ounce beer before.



One of these days (when I have more money) I am going to try to get the taste for whiskey. I've had Glenlivet 12-year (pretty much the only Scotch my father drinks these days) and I liked it, so I don't think it should be too hard. The money is the big problem.

The very first time I had whiskey, I drank Jim Beam. I believe I drank a 1 litre bottle in shots, however many that is. The next morning I had alcohol poisoning and the shakes. I never drank Jim Beam again. Oddly enough though, it fueled my obsession with drinking whiskey (not in the sense that I became a fully fledged alcoholic). Jack Daniels became my choice of drink, which is what all the kids seem to do if they take to whiskey. Nowadays, I prefer my whiskey smoother and creamier, as opposed to the bitter-ish taste of JD. *Useless rant*

I love scotch. As the quote from Swingers goes "any Glen will do"

I used to be quite the scotch drinker, but lately I've moved away from it and have reinvented myself as a beer snob. To the OP: there's definitely top-notch beer out there and it's a rapidly-growing field.

Sam Adams Utopias is most likely a waste of money. No other beer is remotely that expensive (when new, anyway) so I get the impression that they're just vastly overcharging for rich yuppies. There are much, much better beers out there for much less money. Top-shelf beers shouldn't cost much more than $15 for a bottle unless they're vintage.

Back to scotch: personally, I like the mellower whiskeys, mostly Speyside scotches. My good friend and fellow Scotch enthusiast is much more a fan of the Islay scotches. My favorite go-to scotch is probably Macallan Fine Oak 15.

I love a Glenfiddich single malt. There is just nothing that really compares to it, and I've tried many whiskys over the years. Good ones too, not just Jack.

All these scientific talks about ...drinking are total shit. Enjoy your life outside of a barrel

I prefer a good cognac myself...

That's a good quote.

Glens, bens, blairs...

The one drawback is that it's such an expensive hobby to have. Especially in BC, where they imposed massive taxes in the prohibition era and forgot to repeal them. Bastards.

I fancy myself a Bailey's Irish Cream, not that seasoned of a hard liquor drinker, only 17. All I chug is beer >.<

Ardbeg is mighty fine. I'm partial to the Islay malts, but I like Highlands and Speysides as well. Currently I have a bottle of Caol Ila 12 year, and a Talisker 10 year. Laphroaig and Lagavulin is a big hit with me too. Dalwhinnie is a very nice Highland malt, that doesn't kill your budget (unless your budget look like mine).
I've never been to big on bourbons, although I drink it occasionally. I tend to be snobby and avoid blendeds. I still drink lots of beer though

I'm with you on the Islays...I definitely favor the peat and the smoke. On the last tour I did in the states (roadcrew...I don't play an instrument), we got on a Caol Ila binge. BevMo in California has a special bottling of Caol Ila that turned out to be one of the best we've ever tried from that distillery. So we hit up at least 7 BevMos along the tour route to pick up bottles of it. I think we drank four bottles on the tour and my friend finished the rest after he got home.

Dalwhinnie is probably one of the finest single malts out there. It's so smooth yet flavorful that it can convert anyone into a fan. It's pretty expensive in BC, though.

Lately I've been chasing down whatever I can find from Bruichladdich. They rarely fail.

Speaking of Laphroaig, one of the bartenders at St. Andrew's in Manhattan (a must-go for any scotch enthusiast as they have the largest scotch selection in the Western Hemisphere) informed me that Laphroaig is no longer going to import anything to the US other than the 10 year. So, if you find a bottle of the 15 or 30 in a store, buy it up quick as it will surely begin to rise in price in rarity. I've only seen one bottle of the 15 year since I heard this news. They didn't even have it at St. Andrew's, which is a rare occurrence.

I have heard Diaego (one of the big distribution companies) may pull their line from Canada, which includes Lagavulin, Cragganmore, and a bunch of other really good ones. LAME!

Weird that Laphroaig would pull most of their line from such a major market...

yeah, i was meaning to save that for the Free For All thread, with something like "666th post, whoo!!" but this works out even better. i forgot about how close i was to my 666th post, so it was a total coincidence i posted it here, but this was a good topic for it.

I drink beer most of the time, quite a lot of that really, so my experiences concerning whisky is somehow limited (especially scotch). I really like some Irish whiskys though, especially Tullamore dew, which is affordable and tastes well enough.

From the bottom up...

Clan MacGregor is cheap and tastes pretty good when mixed with Coke Zero and/or sour mix. Most Canadian whiskeys make me sick, so this is pretty much the only whiskey I will mix, and I only mix it.

Jim Beam Black tastes somewhat like you are drinking an oak tree, I prefer this over Jack, it is the bottom line of straight up whisk(e)ys for me.
I also enjoy regular Jim Beam and Makers Mark, I use either for making a Manhattan.
Knob Creek and Wild Turkey are a bit stronger and both very enjoyable.

For scotch, Glenlivet and Lagavulin are my choices, though there are many more I haven't had a chance to try.

I'm not too experienced with the stuff but all the single malt scotch I've had was fantastic. That and beer are my choice drinks. I think the rule of thumb is that barley makes good beverages.

i really need to drink more whisky and those kind of alchool. These times it's pretty much only beer, definitely gonna try one of these as a birthday gift to myself.

Beer started giving me heartburn a lot which is why I turned to other forms of alcohol...as well as the fact that my friends were serious whisky fans and were always pouring me new things to try.

I think I only drink beer on tour, and that happens once a year for me. Something about free Sierra Nevada Pale Ales that I can't resist....

I can't handle the Jack. I mean, I probably can, but last time I did I ended up throwing up out of my friend's window for hours on end.

that means you drank too much. I don't know if it's whiskey, but a friend of mine once got drunk with a bottle which was written: do not drink pure. he of course was sick after.

Well a little jack from time to time isn't bad but that's not what I'd drink all day. Not pure whiskey, but Southern Comfort isn't bad.

something like Everclear, maybe? i'm sure this was never meant to drink straight, although i've had a shot or two of it on its own. probably not a good thing to drink much of alone, though.

the last time i drank Jack Daniels, i drank too much just to the point of getting sick of the taste, to the point it would make me nauseous to think about it. it's been 2 months since then, and i haven't had anymore since then, but i think i'm over it somewhat now to have another taste.

I once got really sick off cheap tequila and it has kept me away from it for a decade.

I totally understand when someone gets turned off by a type of booze after getting really sick. Fortunately, I'm old enough to drink for the taste and not the effect....although when I got married last month, a few of us spent the evening enjoying the effects of scotch and champagne way more than the taste.

Fortunately, no puking.

Just a miserable next day.

Two nights later I was enjoying my Glenmorangie gift bottle once again.

Yeah usually just the smell turns you off. and congrats for your wedding! Hope you live happy with your love.

I really enjoy the tastes of Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, Aberlour, and Glenrothes.

I also have a soft spot for a Poit Dbudh

That's crazy. I have a friend who had about 8 shots of tequila, and she's only about 115 pounds. She puked mercilessly that night, and gets sick just thinking about tequila to this day.

I only turned 21 six months ago. I have been drinking since I was about 16, so once I was of legal age to buy, I went straight for what I was used to... beer. But in these past 2 months or so, I have really been experimenting with different types of liquor. I am a fan of Jack Daniels, but I haven't tried that Single Barrel varity. It is just a little bit pricy, so i have been a little hesitant in getting it. Has anyone tried it? Is it worth it?

I have very recently been getting more and more fascinated with mixed drinks, and have thought about going to bartender school after my time in the Navy is over...but with the economy the way it is, I will probably stay in for a while. We'll see.

I learned how to make a flaming Dr Pepper a few weeks ago. It's pretty good, but they're SO fun to make My friend thinks I'm some sort of god, because he's only known 2 bartenders who knew how to make it, and suddenly, I came up to him and said "want a flaming Dr Pepper?"

As far as scotch, I've yet to try any. I've heard nothing but good about Glenlivet, and I see it has been mentioned a few times in this thread as well, so I'll probably get some of that. Sorry for the lengthy post. I'm glad someone decided up to bring up liquor, because it is a recent fascination and hobby for me, just making the drinks, sampling, tasting, and the occasional blow out party in my barracks room

I'm curious too. Whisky Magazine says this (by way of Jim Murray, a whisky guru):




I recommend that you do NOT go to bartending school. Most restaurants will not even bother hiring anyone out of bartending school unless they already have some restaurant experience. In fact, you probably won't even get interviews since most places will promote from within. I spent a few years as a bartender but was a server with the place for about a year and a half before that even happened. But the upshot is that I got paid to learn how to bartend. It is a pretty fun job, actually. The money was good and as long as you don't mind being surrounded by drunks most of your waking hours, it's a decent job.



Glenlivet is the brand that really got the single malt interest going. They're definitely a monster in the scotch arena. That said, I don't think they're necessarily the best single malt out there. I'd suggest trying out Cragganmore or Dalwhinnie or Balvenie.

I like a liquor thread too! Whisky is something that has replaced CD collecting (since it's far easier to go all digital with music these days) and I love talking about it.

I haven't heard of this one...they sure don't stock it in the BC liquor stores.

I haven't had a drink in nearly four years. I used to enjoy whiskey, but a bit too much, so I quit.

I find it best to enjoy one, maybe two small drams a night. My body doesn't like being drunk the next day so much.

Yeah, that is pretty epic.

I like to enjoy me a good single malt scotch at the local Irish pub from time to time. Takes the edge off.

Oban 14 year is my favorite of the single malt scotches, it is so smooth and so enjoyable...

Laphroaig 10 year and Talisker 10 year are also awesome.