what are the best blended scotches?

"Jimmy Smith" wrote in news:gn1fb.5630$ snipped-for-privacy@bignews6.bellsouth.net:

I like the Dimple Pinch. 15yo blend, big flavor.

pf

Campeltown Loch is the best blend I've ever tasted, specially the 25yo. And I don't really like blends.

Depends, as always, on what flavors you like.

I happen to rather like White Horse which is a blend based largely on Lagavulin which I also like.

So, pick your favorite region and then seek the blend that best typifies that region.

Blends can be very nice. They are a chance for the distiller's skill to shine. They can also be soulless in their consistency. You have to find someone good at blending.

Ethelred

Islay Mist (Royal Mile Whiskies would be my choice. Loch Fyne (Loch Fyne Whisky) is also nice.

Andreas

Jimmy,

I drink malts to savor their complexity and to dwell on the nuances of their flavors. When I drink blended scotch it's usually with much less involvement - I drink a sturdy reliable and inexpensive whisky with a character I find agreeable.

My choice among inexpensive blends is White Horse. Despite its small price tag it's really a flavorful whisky. There is also a 12yo version of White Horse that is extra nice - but it is no longer imported into the USA so it may not be easy to find. White Horse in its standard bottling appeals to drinkers who like a peaty whisky. The

Others prefer Teachers for the same reasons: it's inexpensive, and it has a discernible peatiness - but it gets its peatiness from Ardmore, not from an Islay whisky. The smoky, peaty edge to Johnny Walker Black Lable has traditionally come from malt from Talisker in the blend.

There are some very well regarded blends that unfortunately are not imported into the US. Blue Hanger, Te Bheag, and Bailie Nicol Jarvie have been mentioned by others in this group as excellent whiskies but like the WH 12yo, you probably wont find them on your local retailers shelf.

Some that you might see include Ballentine's 17yo, Mitchell's 12yo, and Putachieside 12yo. (I'm not sure about whether the Putachiside is currently or recently imported to the US or not - the other two are.) The last two are from the owners of Springbank and are usually said to contain a high percentage of Springbank whiskies in them. Another Springbank related blend is Campbelton Loch. A 25yo version of this was imported to the USA, and those lucky enough to locate one have raved about, but it has never shown up in my local market.

I don't have a lot of experience with the high end blends; they usually cost more than single malts of a similar age, with some exceptions. The Campbelton Loch 25 was a steal, and JW black is on a par with many

At the other end of the scale, besides Teachers and my personal preference White Horse, Famous Grouse has its champions and is also worth sampling. And I may be in the minority on this one, but I think Johnny Walker Red Label is quite flavorful and under-rated. If it was priced like White Horse and Teachers I would drink more of it. But it's priced the same as a host of inexpensive malts, and I will almost always reach for the Tomatin 12, Speyburn 10, Bowmore Legend, Glen Garioch 10, or the Signatory Vintage series (especially the Islay) over choosing JWR.

Bart

Fabulous post, Bart. I agree with absolutely everything you said (and learned stuff too).

Uzytkownik "Bart" napisal w wiadomosci news: snipped-for-privacy@texas.net...

Couldn't agree more, Bart. I can only confirm that some of the blends mentioned as unavailable or difficult to get hold of in the States, like Campbeltown Loch, Te Bheag, and Bailie Nicol Jarvie - are fantastic blends. Compass Box Asyla also springs to mind. Although, as you pointed out, if I have a choice of a blend and a single malt at more or less the same price, I tend to go for the single malt.

Cheers, Rajmund

Uzytkownik "Bart" napisal w wiadomosci news: snipped-for-privacy@texas.net...

Couldn't agree more, Bart. I can only confirm that some of the blends mentioned as unavailable or difficult to get hold of in the States, like Campbeltown Loch, Te Bheag, and Bailie Nicol Jarvie - are fantastic blends. Compass Box Asyla also springs to mind. Although, as you pointed out, if I have a choice of a blend and a single malt at more or less the same price, I tend to go for the single malt.

Cheers, Rajmund

I really rate Ardmore as a malt, no doubt it is a lot to do with the peatiness. I've never come across a non Islay/Skye malt that is so peaty. Are there any others?

dans l'article blm6p0$dsoh9$ snipped-for-privacy@ID-97605.news.uni-berlin.de, Brett... à snipped-for-privacy@saltwells.dudley.gov.uk a écrit le 4/10/03 12:18 :

Hi Brett, Sure, try Brora, Ledaig, Longrow, not to mention Ballechin (by Edradour). But the latter is only... 5 month old. Lochside was relatively peated as well, depending on the batches. Same with Clynelish. And I'm sure I forgot quite a bunch. Santé, Serge

OK Serge, let's hear your tasting notes on Ballechin... ;o)

Johanna

Bart, great post!

The last vatting of Blue Hanger was produced by BB&R a couple of years ago, it is difficult to find even in Europe now. Maybe they will vat some more in the future, but who knows? Te Bheag Connoisseur's Blend (to distinguish it from the similarly-named filtered blended) is available in Canada. BNJ is a limted production, Glenmorangie-based "reverse blend" (i.e. more malt whisky than grain whisky) but still generally available in Europe.

That's a pretty good list. AFAIK, Putachieside is still made, but in the US it is controlled by Preiss Imports in CA. I don't think he is bringing it in any more. You can still find old stock on the shelves from time to time and it is worth seeking out. It's no secret the B17 is one of my faves, but again this one that has been dropped by the US distributor and it is difficult to find even through European online e-tailers. Apparently Allied Domecq have made a mess of their distribution net in the U.K. too, judging by Richard Joynson's comments on the LFW site. Good prices on this blended can be had in Canada. Campbeltown Loch 25 is an incredible whisky and a good object lesson to those who think that a blended whisky can't possibly hold its own against a single malt.

One that hasn't been mentioned is Buchanan's 12yo. I got reacquainted with this whisky over the summer and it is fast becoming one of my faves. It's priced about the same as JWB and is cut very much from the same cloth, stylistically. To my sensibilities, it hits on all the same cylinders as JWB, they are just of a bigger bore. Both whiskies get a smoky kick from the same two malts, Caol Ila and Talisker, but there is just a "moreish" quality to the Buchanan's. I'd have to give JWB the edge on complexity and a slightly longer finish though.

Because of the complexities involved in sourcing and vatting, you don't see many new blends coming onto the market. It is much easier to bottle a new expression of a single malt than it is to launch a blend. However, I tried a new blended recently, the Arran-based Robert Burns World Federation Blend. Sounds like a whisky to be drunk while watching a wrestling match. It is a n.a.s. whisky bottled at the 40% standard and priced right around the JWB mark. It's really not all that great, a little thin with slightly bitter grain and too much vanilla. Hopefully as the Arran malt matures, they can feature it more prominently.

Sláinte, Bushido

No problem, Johanna! I tasted some plain and pure BPS, some 5 month old "refill-sherry or Bourbon", and some 5mo Burgundy cask matured. All of those were very interesting, I think, especially because they were very different from the south-shore Islayers. Of course, Ballechin isn't "coastal" at all, and perhaps it's to the in-land countryside what the Islayers are to the sea. Stable-litter, hay, stout beer... An anti-Port Charlotte, if you prefer. It's much too early to say whether it'll be a great SMSW, but nothing could make me think it won't, and it's always thrilling to see the birth of something really new and original. Like Andrew told me: "remember Edradour is a farm-distillery".

Santé

Serge

dans l'article snipped-for-privacy@singleminded.ca, Johanna à snipped-for-privacy@singleminded.ca a écrit le 4/10/03 15:31 :

I forgot about Compass Box Asyla. I had a bottle of the Asyla earlier this year and liked it very much. It had a crisp citric quality; no other whisky has put me in mind of oranges so strongly. John Glaser, if my faulty memory recalls his name correctly, has gone on to produce an orange infused whisky (which I suppose isn't technically a "whisky") which I have never tried but is probably pretty interesting - he seems to understand how to combine the whisky and orange flavors.

Cambelton Loch is available locally, but only the standard N.A.S. bottle. The 25yo was either not offered in Texas by the distributor, or the local retailer simply didn't order any if it was. When I asked about it the manager had never heard if it. But that doesn't mean a lot. Texas is a big state - it may be available in Houston or Dallas or elsewhere. I only know the local stocks.

Bart

I thought I had seen Putachieside before, but I don't know of any on the local shelves now, or even in the last couple of years. The Mitchells and B17 are still available locally, but I've never tried the B17 - it's quite pricy here at around $80 to $90 USD, too much for me to drop on a blend especially without having tasted it before. I've never seen it offered at a bar where I could try a single shot.

I'll put that under my hat. I've had Buchanans long ago, but I don't have any distinct memories of it at all one way or the other. It was before I was much of a scotch taster. It's reasonably priced, and I have seen it on the drinks list at several bars so I can easily try it without too much committment.

I like JWB, but I like the red label too, maybe even more than the black. I attended a UDV sponsored tasting once and the stars of the show were the six classic malts. But afterwards as a bonus they poured Johnny Walker Red, Black, and Gold. It was a bit of an anti-climax after Talisker and Lagavulin, and by the end of the show I had imbibed nine(!) shots, but what I noticed was that mirroring the increment in price the whiskies became gentler and softer - and I couldn't help but think lesser. More delicately complex, maybe, and the JWB was the smokiest, but I found myself liking the big flavors of the red label even if it was a little rougher and more aggressive. "It wasn't afraid to offend someone with flavor." It's not "great", nothing to get excited over, but head to head I think it's better than it's usually given credit for.

Bart

Bailie Nicol Jarvie is very good indeed. (If you are in the UK you're lucky, as Safeway are currently promoting it.)

Isle of Skye is another good one.