Alden Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 I've had Glenfiddich and Glenlivet, quite a lot. While they are both respectible SMSs they are not in the same league as some of the peaty Islays and etc. I've not tried Glenmorangie, but I see they are one of the biggest distilleries. Is Glenmorangie just another version of the typical Glen scotch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 No, it's in a class of it's own. The barley is lightly peated, they use a house yeast that imparts it's own bouquet, the local water of Tain is very hard, the stills are the tallest of any Scottish distillery which produce a very clean spirit, aged exclusively in Bourbon barrels, which the late Michael Jackson referred to as "a delightful and complex whisky of the lighter, drier type". At least that's it's history and what made it the largest selling single malt whisky in Scotland.In the last decade or so Glenmorangie continues to age it's new spirit in American oak but has developed a line of 'finished' whiskys using sherry, port, maderia, saturnes and other wine casks to produce these expressions. Given a choice though I will always reach for the original 10 year for what Jackson referred to as it's "sheer drinkability". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alden Posted May 19, 2013 Author Share Posted May 19, 2013 Michael Jackson? The pop star? He drank scotch? (mind-blown)Anyway, that sounds very good. Talisker is another one I saw today that I know nothing about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostBottle Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Talisker is another one I saw today that I know nothing about.This is a situation you need to remedy posthaste. The Talisker 18 is one of my very favorite pours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Talisker, "The King 'o drinks" as Robert Louis Stevenson famously said, is another classic. If you've tried Johnnie Walker you've tasted Talisker which serves as the core malt of the JW blends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wryguy Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Michael Jackson? The pop star? He drank scotch? (mind-blown)Alden, this is the Michael Jackson that was being discussed:http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson_(writer) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Surely Alden was not being serious, or at least I did not take it so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alden Posted May 19, 2013 Author Share Posted May 19, 2013 Alden, this is the Michael Jackson that was being discussed:http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson_(writer) I imagine him writing whiskey reviews with Thriller playing on his stereo in the background... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebo Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Talisker, "The King 'o drinks" as Robert Louis Stevenson famously said, is another classic. If you've tried Johnnie Walker you've tasted Talisker which serves as the core malt of the JW blends.I thought Caol Ila was the core malt in JW? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wryguy Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Teaninich, Talisker, Caol Ila, Clynelish, Mortlach, and others make their way in, right? As to the core malt, I suspect that has shifted as a result of availability of stock and the blenders' needs, but it probably varies from the gold to the black to the blue. I've just heard of many different SMS being in the JW blends. Is there a definitive source on this info?Alden, in my head I thought of this commercial when I saw your initial Michael Jackson post. http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=WxBBN3ZnYeU&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DWxBBN3ZnYeU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAINWRIGHT Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Squire's first post is an excellent overview of the Glemorangie as whole to of which I really can't add much.I do very much so agree that the Glen 10 is just a great straight forward pour on the drier lighter end and a great example of their house style with out all the gimmicks.The 10 is a crisp well rounded profile at a very approachable price a great malt for beginners and one I always get people to try when first entering this hobby and it's always well received. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebo Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 I only ask because I'm sure there is a Ralfy vlog where he mentions Caol Ila as the main malt in JW. I would guess it's highly possible that JW being a blend, that things do very in the process depending on availability of certain malts. But, it's my understanding that most of the distilleries produce whisky for the blend market and sell a limited quantity as SM. So, if that is the case, why would Caol Ila be in short supply to JW? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alden Posted May 19, 2013 Author Share Posted May 19, 2013 Squire's first post is an excellent overview of the Glemorangie as whole to of which I really can't add much.I do very much so agree that the Glen 10 is just a great straight forward pour on the drier lighter end and a great example of their house style with out all the gimmicks.The 10 is a crisp well rounded profile at a very approachable price a great malt for beginners and one I always get people to try when first entering this hobby and it's always well received. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAINWRIGHT Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Yeah, I think you guys have talked me into trying it. :cool:It's affordable too, so I might just pick one up today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChainWhip Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Not shilling for any one store, but you can try the core Glenmorangie line via minis like this one:https://www.thepartysource.com/express/item.php?id=34914 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Ralfy is an entertaining fellow who sometimes films a review while subsumed by drink. He may be knowledgeable about some current movements in the trade but I don't think he claims to be an historian on the subject.Neither am I for that matter, interested amateur at best. I'm under the impression that post WW2 Walker whiskys used Talisker as a key note constituent of their blends. Indeed, up into the 1980s Walker print ads emphasized their brands contained up to 40 single malts in the blend and prior to the 1986 merger that eventually became Diageo the Walker brand and Talisker were owned by one group while Caol Ila was owned by another. Brands used malt whisky from their own distillerys then and now that Diageo owns a bunch they can pick and choose depending on circumstances of the time. Truth is how many of us can tell if the Islay note in a blend is Ardberg or Talisker, Caol Ila or Lagavulin for that matter. I can't but I'll sure buy a drink for anyone who can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 I know, I know, Ardberg isn't owned by Diageo, just like the sound of the name and it is exemplar of the Islay style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alden Posted May 19, 2013 Author Share Posted May 19, 2013 (edited) Ain't peer pressure a bitch?:lol:Be sure to let us know what you think,it truly is a great value for what's in he bottle.It's sitting in the pantry now, waiting to be opened. Beautiful bottle, in my opinion. Not shilling for any one store, but you can try the core Glenmorangie line via minis like this one:https://www.thepartysource.com/express/item.php?id=34914I just saw some of those loose. I may pick up a handful and try them all. Edited May 19, 2013 by Alden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 That's the spirit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alden Posted May 19, 2013 Author Share Posted May 19, 2013 That's the spirit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Liquid Sun light, the pause that refreshes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alden Posted May 19, 2013 Author Share Posted May 19, 2013 Just had a little taste. This is a Highland scotch. Here we go:Pale straw colored --Medium body --Nose is light, mostly just alcohol with a little white cake (like birthday cake) --Taste is sweet, yet dry at the same time, a lot of citrus, vanilla, oak, but no peatsmoke --Finish is short and sweet. Not much lingers on the tongue.I would say this is an excellent everyday type of SMS, but not a "special occasion" scotch. A good intro into the single malt world scotch. It's very good, better than most blends. The dominant flavor is citrus, sort of orangy-lemony flavors rolling around. My next one will have to be a smoky Islay variety I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Can't read your post my friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alden Posted May 19, 2013 Author Share Posted May 19, 2013 Can't read your post my friend.Why can't you? I can see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alden Posted May 19, 2013 Author Share Posted May 19, 2013 It occurs to me that this would go very well with an orange-chocolate dessert of some kind, like a mousse or cheesecake. It's a bit like Cointreau. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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