which Scotch?

I was in the drug store today picking up a bottle of jack danniels. I was looking at the scotch because I'v been wanting to try it for some time now. Before I bought a bottle I just wanted to know what is the most popular and best Scotch available in the u.s.a? I'm not looking to pay big bucks, just thirty bucks or under a bottle. any suggestions?

thanks!

Reply to
Von Fourche
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available in the u.s.a?

If you were to ask which is the most popular and the best HAMBURGER available in the u.s.a., the answer to the first part of the question would have to be McDonalds.

Reply to
Douglas W. Hoyt

As Douglas pointed out, the most popular (meaning biggest selling) of anything is seldom the best (meaning the one which enthusiasts really get excited over) just think of pop music, or automobiles, or movies, or anything else you yourself are really "into".

But before someone dares you to try an Ardbeg 10, I want to recommend some mild and widely appreciated whiskies as a good introduction.

You could choose far worse than the Glenlivet 12 year old. It's available almost everywhere, is in or very near your price range, and has a lot of subtle finesse. It's a better choice (in my opinion) than Glenfiddich, which is also very widely available. Glenfiddich probably outsells Glenlivet (I'm not really sure - they are both big sellers) but I think the Glenlivet is the better dram. If I'm remembering correctly, Glenfiddich is the biggest selling single malt in the world.

Another good whisky to begin with is Glenmorangie 10 year old. It is (or was) the biggest selling single malt in Scotland. And who should know better, right?

One more very nice and mild scotch is Dalwhinnie, which describes itself as "The gentle spirit". I would pour any of these for almost anyone; and since you already drink Jack Daniels you shouldn't have trouble with the high proof of scotch whiskies.

These aren't the whiskies that enthusiasts get excited over: they're too mild, and too widely available. We all seek out things that are old, rare, and exotic. Many whisky drinkers also seek out those with big powerful flavors. But I've enjoyed all of the above whiskies on occasion. If you don't hate them, then try some with bigger flavors, more peat, or sherry aging or finishing.

Taste them neat. Or try adding a drop or two (literally) of water, or an ice cube. Or drink them as you do Jack Daniels (unless you mix it with Coke or something). These scotches have more delicate flavors than bourbons, but a lot of depth and a lot of delicate aromas. And enjoy!

Bart

Reply to
Bart

Don't let these "A"holes put you off. The biggest selling regular blend and one of the best in the US is Johnnie Walker Red. Strangely enough, the biggest selling premium blend is Johnnie Walker Black (you should probably begin here). The biggest selling single malt and most like the easiest to understand and appreciate by most everyone is Glenlivet 12 year old.

Jimmy

Don't let the bastards grind you down.

Reply to
Jimmy Smith

Johnnie Walker Red. Strangely enough, the biggest selling premium blend is Johnnie Walker Black (you should probably begin here). The biggest selling single malt and most like the easiest to understand and appreciate by most everyone is Glenlivet 12 year old.

They're all good! And a good place to begin. (I think they're overpriced for what you get, though.)

Reply to
Douglas W. Hoyt

Must be nice to be able to drink a whisky that's as old as you are, eh Jimmy?

-- Larry (with not a single 57-year-old bottle in the house 8;( )

Reply to
pltrgyst

How dare you say that! Next time I see you in my parish........................................... well, you know........

Reply to
Jimmy Smith

I know where you are coming from but I always get exiting about Dalwhinnie. Delicious stuff.

Reply to
Brett...

I agree. It really is a delicious whisky, with some nice sweet floral character in the nose. It was the first Scotch for which I thought to myself after tasting it, "Yeah, I could enjoy drinking that." So I can get a little sentimental about it. Until then I was mostly an Irish whiskey drinker. I had bought Glenfiddich, which was drinkable, and tasted one or two others, but still prefered Irish. For me, Dalwhinnie was a turning point in learning to appreciate Scotch whisky.

Bart

Reply to
Bart

If you want to try a good blend, try The Famous Grouse. Suppose to be the best selling blend in Scotland. And of course, they should know. It's like a "everyday" whisky there where as a single malt is for more special ocassions. Here in the US it's about $21 a bottle. Good stuff.

Reply to
MToomey

Thanks for the info. I might take a list of what you said and try to find one when I have the time tomorrow night. Another question: I drink Jack strait with nothing added. I drink it pretty much to sooth me, and then sooth me to another planet if you know what I mean. Is scotch whiskey just as powerful as Jack Daniel's? A third of a bottle of Jack D. really gets me going. Will scotch do the same? Also, does scotch taste like butter scotch candy lol? Also, what is the purpose of putting a few ice cubs in a glass of scotch? Is it to cool it or water it down? Please don't think I'm wanting a bottle of scotch only to get drunk. I buy about one bottle of Jack a month. Then when I'm in the mood, I pick a Friday night to drink a third of it. Then a few days later I might drink another third. Then a few days later I finish the rest off. And that's it until next month.

Do you think scotch tastes better than Jack Daniel's or similar? I'll be honest, even tho I drink Jack strait It is tough to drink sometimes. I really have to be in the mood to drink it. I used to drink beer, but why in the world drink six packs of beer when only a few shots of whiskey will do the trick? After drinking whiskey, beer almost tastes like piss water. I'm hoping I can find something as soothing as Jack Daniels but with a softer taste. I'm hoping I can find a nice scotch that I like.

Reply to
Von Fourche

We sure have a lot of children showing up here these days. Wonder why?

Jeff

Reply to
Beans

Personally, I've been wondering which 18yr malt best complements huffing paint thinner, or better yet if one could huff malt fumes and drink paint thinner? The nose on most commercial grade paint thinners leaves something to be desired. Perhaps a link to alt.jello-shooters, and another to Eminem's website would be befitting?

Reply to
J Derby

Yes, but the question is, which single-malt goes best in jello? I actually have a Tomatin here, that seems to have been aged 10 years in a jello cask.

Reply to
Douglas W. Hoyt

"Douglas W. Hoyt" wrote

Funny you should ask, as I reside in Utah, the jello state. Other than crackpots (you'd have your work cut out for you here--high teen suicide), we lead the nation in jello consumption, or at least we did until recent. Logic tells me that of the several thousand food items available to humans, this is hardly commendable. What is interesting, though, is that Utah is rumored to be on par with the nation in terms of alcohol consumption. The faithful like to blame this on we "gentiles" (Mormon for "non-Mormon"). Maybe J. S. (Smith, not Bach) and his cronies reside here as well.

John

Reply to
J Derby
[snip]

Alcohol is alcohol (as long as it's ethanol!). It's effects are dependent mainly on how much you drink and how quickly it enters the bloodstream. In terms of strength Scotch is on a par with JD. Some Scotches will be much higher in alcohol by volume (ABV) but those tend to be considerably more expensive.

Drinking a third of a bottle for its effects seems a bit excessive; but I suppose many readers have done that, especially if they were whisky drinkers in their university days - I wasn't.

But for such an endeavor price may be more important than the subtleties of taste. The main reason for choosing Scotch whisky over other sorts of liquors is the taste. Nothing else tastes like it; there is really no substitute when you develop a preference for that flavor profile. Generally speaking the only difference between the cheapest bottle on the shelf and the hundred dollar bottle is the taste. If you're not drinking it to enjoy that difference there's no reason to spend the extra dough.

Many people sip their Scotch undiluted as it comes from the bottle. Some add a very tiny amount of water. The water drops the ABV a little so the whisky has less alcoholic "burn" and allows the taster to taste the whisky better. It also releases some subtle aromas that may not have been noticible before. Adding an ice cube does the same thing - it adds a little water - and in addition cools the whisky a little which may inhibit some flavors and aromas but that also makes the whisky seem a little "smoother". It's just a matter of personal preference as to whether any of these are right for you.

I don't think it tastes similar at all. Are football and baseball similar? They're both games, they both have teams, and they're both played with a ball, but no, they're really very different. Same with comparing bourbon whiskey and scotch whisky. I don't drink bourbon much, so I think that most scotches are better than JD, but that's just my opinion based on the *taste* I prefer.

Scotch may not be the answer. Scotch can come with some powerful challenging flavors. Try a shot of Irish whiskey or Canadian whisky. Try them in a bar and you don't have to buy a whole bottle.

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

I won't pass judgement on your drinking style. That's between you and your doctor (and your banker, and the dept. of motor vehicles, and your significant other, etc...) But it seems you have been taken for a bit of a troll. When I re-read your posts it seems to me that you're sincere. And probably relatively young? You drink JD, you've been thinking of trying scotch (maybe for the first time?), so you thought you would ask these scotch guys about it? And you assumed that we all drink in much the same way for much the same purpose; as we all assume that others think and behave much as we do ourselves.

If you're fooling me, then ha! ha! But I'm an easy target. I'm not even trying to get out of the way. I'd rather be "fooled again" than pre-emptively rude. a.d.s-w has grown big enough and old enough to have attracted a bit of trolling lately, and people are watching for it I suppose. If you are sincere don't be intimidated. It's really a fairly friendly place. But people aren't much interested in talking about getting drunk.

Bart

proving that some Texans don't encourage pre-emption

Reply to
Bart

Yea, I know. I finished off the last third a few nights ago. At 3am thru it all up. Went to bed feeling fine. Then woke up around 6:30am with my stomach all in uncomfortable knots. Threw up again and felt better. Man, I was really wishing I hadn't drunk so much. What is it about whiskey that puts stomachs in knots? After that, I told myself "no more whiskey for a month or so" but, I'm getting that feeling again. I do love as much as hate the burning of whiskey going down the throat. I figure tomorrow on my way home I will pick up a bottle scotch and drink it slowly, getting to know it a few drinks a night at a time.

Do scotch drinkers like beer? Or are they above that? I just can't see drinking beer anymore. Why get a big beer belly drinking six or seven packs of beer when a third or so of whiskey will do the trick?

By the way, how many calories are in whisky? It can't make you fat, can it?

Thanks!

Reply to
Von Fourche

"Von Fourche" wrote

Excellent point. You will definitely want to stay thin, because a guy who has had forty-two alcoholic beverages *and* is fat might have a tough time picking up college chicks.

Reply to
J Derby

Oh well, fooled again.

Bart

Reply to
Bart

It was interesting to read your point of view nevertheless.

Raymond.

Reply to
Raymond

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