I've only tried Ardbeg 10 myself, and while I certainly appreciated its qualities, it did seem to have a bit of a sharp/harsh aftertaste.
This time I'd like to wow someone, who has only tried Crown Royale and Johnny Walker, with something really smooth and tasty (but say, under $200). Any recommendations?
TIA
On 21 Apr 2011 14:17:25 GMT, the alleged anon, may have posted the following, to alt.drinks.scotch-whisky:
At just under the US$200 (US$189.95) price point is "The Macallan 18". Others in the same range, but not price, are "Springbank CV" and "Talisker DE". Your price may vary quite a bit depending upon your country and/or state.
Regards, Rob "$20 Buffalo Trace" Crowe
Hallo zusammen,
anon schrieb:
Monkey Shoulder (very fine blend) or try one of the Irish whiskies, like the Redbreast. At least here in Germany, they sell at around 40 Euro or so.
Thanks. The one thing that concerns me about the Macallan which googling turned up was that they were apparently sold at Trader's Joe's a while back for about a hundred dollars less simply because they had been rebottled for Trader Joe's own label. That kinda makes me wonder if their high price tag is really justified.
I really need a surefire lock here because I probably won't get a chance to taste it myself first.
The name doesn't exactly inspire awe, but thanks. :)
The only Irish whiskey I've had is Bushmills, which, though quite drinkable, is, I imagine, far from the best.
The Trader Joes stuff was different. Not bad, but not matured in Sherry Oak casks. It's hard to beat Macallan 18 in my book - but it's a bit pricey. Macallan 12 would probably suffice - or Aberlour 16. :-)
Gladys.
That's already 2 strong votes for the Macallan 18, so I think I'll go with that. Even if it turns out to be not significantly superior to Ardbeg 10 etc, I'm sure I won't regret trying it.
Those two are very different malts. Macallan, to my palate, is middle of the road, nicely balanced and nuanced, but not especially challenging.
The Ardbeg 10 is very much an in-your-face malt with some breathtaking aspects: tastes of peat, straw, licorice root and "Islaydine" all competing for your attention. For me, it's one of the great malts of the era. Macallan isn't.
My advice would be to try both in whatever order you please. Just don't skip the Ardbeg. It's one of the great ones.
bill
Oh yeah, go for the Ardbeg 10. And if you like that, find a bottle of Caol Ila!
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