Scotch or Bourbon?

[Todd]

After a good long while of drinking a variety of ryes, I'm returning to scotch, though of the blended variety.  I got some Johnnie Green, and it is delicious, and the most single malt-y blend I've yet sampled.

[Mr. Three Putt]

Scotch, and Islay whenever possible. Lagavulin 16 is my go to whisky. I built an Irish Pub in my basement and everything is Irish but the malts.

[The new erato]

Scotch, and Islay whenever possible. Lagavulin 16 is my go to whisky.

+1 to both

[Ken B]

Scotch, and Islay whenever possible. Lagavulin 16 is my go to whisky. I built an Irish Pub in my basement and everything is Irish but the malts.

Lagavulin 16 is tops with me too, but I am drinking bourbon almost exclusively these days.

[The new erato]

Lagavulin 16 is tops with me too, but I am drinking bourbon almost exclusively these days.

wow! A wonder you get your spelling right!

[Mr. Three Putt]

Lagavulin 16 is tops with me too

You're now my best friend

but I am drinking bourbon almost exclusively these days.

Unfriended 

[Ken B]

You're now my best friend

Unfriended 

We should try to convince each other. You buy me some Lagavulin 16, I'll buy you some Elijah Craig. 

[Mr. Three Putt]

We should try to convince each other. You buy me some Lagavulin 16, I'll buy you some Elijah Craig. 

You drive a hard bargain. I'll take mine neat.

And for the record, your two quotes are works of brilliance.

[NikF]

We went to the cinema yesterday (to see the Grigorovich 'Giselle'  - featuring a particularly ethereal Svetlana Zakharova) and beforehand had an early dinner in our favourite Italian restaurant. The owner was on the premises and as usual kindly offered me a drink on the house before we left. I chose a single malt in the shape of an ever humble Glenfiddich 12yo. At home we usually keep a bottle of Edradour in case the neighbours stop by because we fear them reporting us to the Residents' association if I offend them by offering my go to old faithful, Whyte & Mackay Special Blend -

[Brian]

Totally clueless about bourbon, but a local bartender I trust recommended Eagle Rare 10 Year. I grabbed a bottle for $25 to use in making old-fashioneds and so far, so good. Wouldn't mind hearing from you more knowledgeable people if this was a good buy.

[Todd]

Totally clueless about bourbon, but a local bartender I trust recommended Eagle Rare 10 Year.

It's good stuff.  I think the local price where I live is $30-ish.

[coffee]

I'm still a newbie. I've no idea about bourbon. I've tried a few whiskeys though -

- Glenfiddich 15 & 18, and so far Glenfiddich 18 is my favorite, though it's only a hair better than Glenlfiddich 15
- Chivas Regal 18, which I also like almost as much as Glenfiddich
- Glenlivet 15 & 18, both very good but it will be a long time before I buy one again if Glenfiddich or Chivas Regal are around 
- Johnnie Walker black & blue
- Jameson, which my brother-in-law likes with his horrible cheap cardboard cigars 
- and of course, lots of Jim Beam and Jack Daniels

I have a story about Johnnie Walker blue. When my wife, then fiancée, and I were going to ask her parents for permission to marry (which was just a formality but we wanted to be polite), she told me it would be a good idea, given that her parents were Korean, to bring gifts. So what should I bring? Flowers for the mom, she said, and liquor for the dad. So I figured, I want to make a good impression on this guy who is going to be my father-in-law, and I got this massive bottle of Johnnie Walker blue. I don't remember exactly how much, but I'll guess it was two liters, and with Korean taxes it cost something like $500. So we get permission to marry. That night her father, his brother, and his brother's son-in-law drank the entire bottle.

What a waste. I should've just given them soju. 

[kishnevi]

In the much better than one would expect for $15 department


And I have been getting into this.

Unlike most araks, it is made from molasses, not grapes ( which allows them to avoid the restrictions involved with kosher wine) by Barkan, one of the biggest wineries in Israel (possibly the biggest )

[Mr. Three Putt]

I'm still a newbie. I've no idea about bourbon. I've tried a few whiskeys though -

- Glenfiddich 15 & 18, and so far Glenfiddich 18 is my favorite, though it's only a hair better than Glenlfiddich 15
- Chivas Regal 18, which I also like almost as much as Glenfiddich
- Glenlivet 15 & 18, both very good but it will be a long time before I buy one again if Glenfiddich or Chivas Regal are around 
- Johnnie Walker black & blue
- Jameson, which my brother-in-law likes with his horrible cheap cardboard cigars 
- and of course, lots of Jim Beam and Jack Daniels

I have a story about Johnnie Walker blue. When my wife, then fiancée, and I were going to ask her parents for permission to marry (which was just a formality but we wanted to be polite), she told me it would be a good idea, given that her parents were Korean, to bring gifts. So what should I bring? Flowers for the mom, she said, and liquor for the dad. So I figured, I want to make a good impression on this guy who is going to be my father-in-law, and I got this massive bottle of Johnnie Walker blue. I don't remember exactly how much, but I'll guess it was two liters, and with Korean taxes it cost something like $500. So we get permission to marry. That night her father, his brother, and his brother's son-in-law drank the entire bottle.

What a waste. I should've just given them soju.

This might sound (look) crazy but I prefer the 15 to 18 in both Glens, and prefer the 'livet to the 'fiddich. I've also found Old Pulteney to be a decent option as they offer some interesting limited releases. I do enjoy Blue Label but do not find it 3x better than my beloved Islays. And speaking of the Blue, my bottle is open but mostly full, in large format, and awaits your arrival, dear friend. If that last sentence had too many commas, chalk, it, up, to, the, whisky. I have no problem with us destroying it in one night, yet my liver may have certain conditions. It's the least I can do.

[Ken B]

Totally clueless about bourbon, but a local bartender I trust recommended Eagle Rare 10 Year. I grabbed a bottle for $25 to use in making old-fashioneds and so far, so good. Wouldn't mind hearing from you more knowledgeable people if this was a good buy.

Probably. They make small batches so the variance between bottles can be high. Sounds like you got one you like. But, straight or on ice!

[Elgarian]

Ralfy on Youtube warns that A'bunadh isn't quite as special as it used to be.

https://www.youtube.com/v/1-yj61VPPnY

Interesting review....and it may explain why I didn't have an Elgarian-type whisky epiphany with the bottle I purchased (batch 45).

Sarge

I'm halfway down a bottle of A'bunadh Batch 49, trying to determine whether there's been a 'falling-off' such as described above. It's so hard to decide, because there's no solid ground for comparison - just memories. It may be a little fiercer than it used to be; maybe not quite so 'long'. But has the whisky changed significantly, or it is me? After all, I'm older than I used to be, I'm drinking it in different company, after different food, on different days, and not always in the same place. There is no 'standard' whisky-drinking experience that I can reliably refer to.

What is certainly still there in abundance is that rich caramel luxuriousness, and the long warm resonant glow that's not like any other whisky I've tasted (there's an Aberlour 16-year-old that's been around for a few years, and which I've dallied with, but it's obviously a second-best, re-tasted now and then more in hope than faith). The upshot is that A'bunadh is still, by some distance, my whisky of choice (among those I can afford).

[Karl Henning]

I'm halfway down a bottle of A'bunadh Batch 49, trying to determine whether there's been a 'falling-off' such as described above. It's so hard to decide, because there's no solid ground for comparison - just memories. It may be a little fiercer than it used to be; maybe not quite so 'long'. But has the whisky changed significantly, or it is me? After all, I'm older than I used to be, I'm drinking it in different company, after different food, on different days, and not always in the same place. There is no 'standard' whisky-drinking experience that I can reliably refer to.

What is certainly still there in abundance is that rich caramel luxuriousness, and the long warm resonant glow that's not like any other whisky I've tasted (there's an Aberlour 16-year-old that's been around for a few years, and which I've dallied with, but it's obviously a second-best, re-tasted now and then more in hope than faith). The upshot is that A'bunadh is still, by some distance, my whisky of choice (among those I can afford).

Many thanks for your earnest report, dear fellow!

[Karl Henning]

In the much better than one would expect for $15 department

Note taken . . . .

Thread Duty:

At the suggestion of our local purveyor.

[Mr. Three Putt]

You've all convinced me to revisit bourbon. Granted, it doesn't take a huge amount of prodding to make me try a new liquor but still. Results coming in the near future.

[Elgarian]

Many thanks for your earnest report, dear fellow!

You're most welcome. It was hard, Karl, working through that half bottle. But a man has responsibilities to his friends, you know? And no matter what it cost me, I felt I just had to take the job on. To go out there, yet again, and report back from the whisky edge ...