My First Impressions of Some Recommended Scotches

[bluesbassdad]

Just a footnote or two to my earlier comments:

Last night I didn't notice anything that I would call a "medicine" taste.

Compared to the Teacher's Highland Cream that I drank the day before, the JW is fuller, richer, and less lively on the palate and at the finish. The finish is much more persistent (and consistent) as well.

The most remarkable thing I noticed is the distinct aroma of gingerbread. I was drinking from my Glencairn taster's glass, filled to just below the fattest part of the bowl, and I was sniffing from an inch or two away from the top of the glass. I found that the distance was critical in detecting this aroma.

Finally, as I sat, sniffed, and sipped, I couldn't help but notice the elegance of the JW Black Label bottle and how it conveys a very different image than the Teacher's bottle, with its stark label. I don't want to fire up the "blue collar" discussion again, but it's pretty clear to me that the JW is aimed at a different consumer, one who may well be a connoiseur of fine whisky, but who also wants to make sure that even the uninitiated will know it when they look at his liquor shelf.

Yours truly,
Dave Morefield

[Marvin]

Dave,

I can appreciate the fact that you try other whiskys, other than bourbon, and there are a few scotchs that I am very fond of-Johnny Walker Black is an excellent scotch but is not my favorite by any means. I am particularly fond of Abelour 21 YO, port finished, and A'bunadh, and of course McCallan. All ranges of these suit me just fine. I think I will give you a toast as I am drinking A'bunadh right now! There is times when nothing will do but a wee little dram of scotch. But having said that I must be honest with you, bourbon has them all beat, hands down.

Cheers,
Marvin

[Marvin]

Jim,

A while back I had 17 people visiting from Scotland and let me tell you, you couldn't get them to drink scotch if you held a gun on them. All they wanted was bourbon and they could not imagine why bourbon is not advertised any more than it is. One other thing I noticed, when they started drinking bourbon it seemed to me they moved up a notch. They also found out they got a "litte tipsy" a lot quicker.

Cheers,
Marvin

[Marvin]

One too many drinks-my apologies- I meant to say Balvene instead of Abelour on my last post. OH!!!!!!!!!BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!Life sure gets confusing after a few drinks, while thinking of one and drinking another.

Cheers,
Marvin

[Bob]

Speedy John,
Balvenie Double Wood is a very good Single Malt. It has a very nice flavor profile. It's the only product from Balvenie that I've tried thus far tho.

Bob

[Bob]

Marvin and Dave,

I think that any of the Single Malts have all of the blends beat by a mile! When I first started drinking Scotch, I drank blends, especially Johnnie Walker Red and Black. Once I tried Single Malts, there was no going back. I just find that the Singles provide a variety of interesting taste profiles that the blends lack, in my opinion. Whether it's Macallan, Springbank, Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Laphroaig, Bowmore (I love Islay whiskies!), Aberlour, Dalmore, Talisker...well, you get the picture. If you like (love) Scotch, go for the Singles!

These Singles, I think compare with the best of Bourbons. We observe, and seek, the wonderful flavors of the best Bourbons. I also do that with Single Malts.

Bob

[cornsqueezins]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
There is times when nothing will do but a wee little dram of scotch. But...bourbon has them all beat...

[/QUOTE]

Couldn't agree with you more Marvin. I've lately been enjoying wee drams of Bowmore 12 yr., Glenmorangie 10 yr., and Black Bush Irish. I was purposefully avoiding bourbon for several days to accommodate more carefully my palate to foreign whisk(e)y.

But then a couple of nights ago I poured a big glass of Knob Creek and, after the first sip, I almost broke into a Kentucky fit! Knob Creek has sort of dropped out of my list of favorites as of late but, after drinking the Irish and Scotch, there was no mistaking the rich power of this small batch bourbon. Straight bourbon whiskey is still the best.

Btw, that Bowmore is gonna take some getting used to. It's my first Islay malt. And from what I've heard, it's one of the milder, more balanced of the Islay varieties. Wow, if this is mild, I'm almost afraid to venture toward Ardbeg or Lagavulin. Call me a peat novice....I find the Bowmore interesting but it will probably need to grow on me a little more.

-Troy

[Bob]

Troy,
I think that Bowmore 12 YO actually has quite a bit of peat influence. I'm looking back on some of my tasting notes that I have for it and I noted that the aroma has lots of peat. Flavors included peat (of course), salt, honey and citrus. I think it has a smooth, fairly long finish.

After you get acclimated to the peat flavors, I recommend Lagavulin or Laphroaig more than Ardbeg. Also, Bowmore has lots of different varieties, all of which are good (except Legend). Ardbeg is somewhat expensive, and the quality of their products diminished when they were sold in the mid-70's. Don't get me wrong, I still like Ardbeg, but I think the other 2 are better (IMHO).

Bob

[cornsqueezins]

Bob, thanks for the info. Yes, the impressions I get from Bowmore are almost identical to yours.

Certain comments I read here on this forum or elsewhere led me to believe that Bowmore was a moderate Islay malt. That's why I decided to initiate myself with it. But it's actually good to see some strong peat influence in this bottle. All this talk about Islay malts has got me curious and I know that acquiring a taste for them will definitely be a challenge.

-Troy

[Bob]

Troy,
If I remember correctly, Lagavulin was the first single malt that I tasted. I immediately loved the flavors. One of the things that I also noted, was that although strong in flavor, there was no harshness. Very smooth. That has been a big criteria for me with single malts, and bourbon. Good flavors, and smooth. Strong is fine, I don't like the burn. Stagg is a great example of a very strong bourbon, but it's SOOOO smooth, it's amazing. Keep on exploring the Islays. If you like the Bowmore, I think you'll like trying others from Islay. Let us know what else you try, and what you think.

Bob