As with many USA natives in recent history, my first SMS was Genlivet
- I'd had some experience with bourbon and canadian whisky, but my favorite at the time was definitely Irish's like Jameson. I'd had some pretty poor Scotch blends in the past, so I thought that I just "didn't like Scotch." Then one day I found myself reading an article about SMS, and I realized that I'd never tried a single malt, and so decided to give it a shot, so to speak.
When I tried the Glenlivet, I immediately liked it. It had the qualities that I prefer in Irish over American Whiskies, and also a hint of smokiness and other flavors lurking in there that I found tantalizing.
My second SMS was Glenmorangie 10, which immediately reminded me of Irish, but with a whole host of subtle citrusy and spicy flavors circling around my palate, but had none of the smokiness that I had caught a hint of in the Glenlivet.
Hearing that Ardbeg was the peatiest SMS, I picked up a bottle of the
- I knew I was in for something completely different as soon as I pulled the cork. I swirled it around and sniffed it gently, and was quite blown away with the richness of it's nose. When I finally tasted it, I found out instantly what "smokiness" and "peat" really mean. It reminded me of everything I had first thought was new and unique when I tasted the Glenlivet, but times about 1000.
I still keep bottles of the Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, but I don't ever really have cravings for Glenlivet anymore.
So, what were your first three SMS whiskys?