What Wee Dram are you enjoying now?

[ILLfarmboy]

For the second week in a row I've had a single malt with dinner on Friday nights. This last time I had Highland Park 12 with enchiladas and loved it. I don't seem to choose beer at home lately and I have never drank much wine.

I often like whiskey/whisky with a meal. With Scotch I realy like anything garlicky, things like shrimp scampi. I've had Tequila with Mexican dishes but I cant recall having had whiskey/whisky.

[boss302]

I often like whiskey/whisky with a meal. With Scotch I realy like anything garlicky, things like shrimp scampi. I've had Tequila with Mexican dishes but I cant recall having had whiskey/whisky.

I find it rather odd that Scotch seems to go remarkably well with Italian food, especially pasta dishes. A dram of Glenfiddich 12 somehow compliments baked penne at a local restaurant I eat at from time to time...

It's also interesting that I know many old Italian men who love scotch.

In fact, Giacomo Justerini emigrated from Italy to the UK for his love of scotch, hence his company Justerini & Brooks, or "J&B", for short! :cool:

[PAspirit1]

I often like whiskey/whisky with a meal. With Scotch I realy like anything garlicky, things like shrimp scampi. I've had Tequila with Mexican dishes but I cant recall having had whiskey/whisky.

My current theory is that different scotches go with different meals. The more powerful foods and scotches would go together and a speysider would go with a lighter flavoured meal.

[ILLfarmboy]

I find it rather odd that Scotch seems to go remarkably well with Italian food, especially pasta dishes...

Indeed.

I like my wife's Seafood Portofino (a copycat of that found at The Olive Garden) with a nice glass of JW Green.

[JamesW]

Started with Canadian Club SR 12 yr, moved on to Macallan 12 and now Chivas 12. The Chivas was the best of the night... not much competition though, just trying to kill a few bottles and lay off the good stuff for a night.

[LeoDLion]

I have a glass of scotch before dinner and another one after dinner. Everyday. Sometimes, I would drink wine instead but seldom. Last night I opened a bottle of A'bunadh batch #21. I still have a bottle of batch #14 opened and this one is very good, much better than the #21 so I try to keep it as long as I can.

[boss302]

Started with Canadian Club SR 12 yr, moved on to Macallan 12 and now Chivas 12. The Chivas was the best of the night... not much competition though, just trying to kill a few bottles and lay off the good stuff for a night.

I am one of the few who find Johnnie Walker to be overrated and Chivas severely underrated. The Chivas 12-year has a touch of pleasant smokiness. There is definitely some island and coastal malts in there, according to my palette...

[Gillman]

It's a good point about scotch whiskies going well with Italian and (I suggest) other Mediterranean foods. Scotch (all types) are very popular in Italy and Spain, for example, and in the Southern and other parts of France. Part of the reason may be an affinity with certain of its foods.

I think the lightly smoky and briny taste some scotch has may account for this since a good part of the countries mentioned have a coastal character and a cuisine that results from it. Most of the scotch consumed there would be blended, which tends to exhibit (some of it, the better brands) some coastal qualities such as sea spray, light smoke or a certain astringency one might say.

Sherry, for its part, refects the coast or its influence, I would say.

Arak and its analogues seems popular in the Mediterranean basin and of course beyond - its origins may be mountainous from what I have read, though.

A drink such as grappa, or Cognac, strikes me as more of an interior drink. So is gin, except it characterises some estuary cities such as London famously, Bristol and others (New York is a similar case).

As for rum, its coastal connections are historical and undoubted.

Gary

[callmeox]

I attended a single malt tasting at my favorite watering hole this evening and I had generous pours of Singleton 12, and a quartet of Glenmorangie exprssions: Lasanta 12, Quinta Ruban 12, Nectar D'or 12 and Glenmorangie 18. The Lasanta was my favorite pour of the night as there was some very pronounced vanilla on the nose and the kind of mouth feel that you would expect from a non chill filtered spirit.

After it was all over, a friend surprised me with a dram of Ardbeg 10 and the peat was nearly overwhelming. Interesting, but in a "keep your distance" sort of way.

[JamesW]

I am one of the few who find Johnnie Walker to be overrated and Chivas severely underrated. The Chivas 12-year has a touch of pleasant smokiness. There is definitely some island and coastal malts in there, according to my palette...

I agree completely about the smokey peatiness. It really quite surprised me to be honest. It also has a touch of sherry cask but not too much. An interesting pour after the others and one which I'll start paying more attention to in the future now that you also mention it. I was thinking this last time I had it that it was a surprising blend.

[boss302]

Glenmorangie Original 10-year. The vanilla and cinnamon notes are obvious, but, oddly-enough, I'm starting to pick up a few raisin-y notes now. I did with the former 18-year as well.

Could this be a distillery characteristic?

[Megawatt]

Forty Creek Barrel Select. Good stuff; black walnut, raisin, a bit of toffee. The sherry is very obvious. Unfortunately, it is cheap Canadian sherry and not the good Spanish stuff. That is obvious, too; it has an aroma that reminds me of sweet vermouth, not the luscious fruitcake nose that you get from a Oloroso cask-matured malt.

[Megawatt]

Here's a good, cheap blended Scotch: Ballantine'e Finest. I was impressed with this right away; the nose shows some nice fruit and gentle smoke. The flavour confirms that this is a balanced whisky. It's smooth and gives equal weight to the smoke, grain, and sherried malt. So far, one of my favourite entry-level blends.

[Jono]

Trying my first Famous Grouse...

Very light color...urine is the most accurate.

Light nose..somewhat sweet

Taste..light...nice...but no complex notes.

Overall...a little less than I was expecting...almost Canadian light in style.

"The Famous Grouse blend include The Glenrothes, Highland Park Single Malt and Macallan Single Malt."

The Glenrothes may be predominant.....just a guess.

http://www.whisky-pages.com/notes/distillery.php?id=grouse

"Fruity, with a touch of smoke. Brittle toffee and spices, along with a hint of grain, in the medium finish."

Seems pretty accurate...other than the brittle toffee.

[ACDetroit]

Here's a good, cheap blended Scotch: Ballantine'e Finest. I was impressed with this right away; the nose shows some nice fruit and gentle smoke. The flavour confirms that this is a balanced whisky. It's smooth and gives equal weight to the smoke, grain, and sherried malt. So far, one of my favourite entry-level blends.

Found a Gallon tax stamp bottle of this the other day! Do you feel it's worth picking up? I've never had it but do enjoy Johnie Walker Black. I looked at it and said "Well you don't see Gallons any more"

Just thought I'd ask since you were drinking some.

Thanks

Tony

[Jono]

Moving on to White Horse...with Lagavulin as the main single malt....

Nose...detect the Laguvalin....briny, iodine, some smoke.

Compared to Famous Grouse...White Horse is much more reflective of a single malt....a very cost efficient way to enjoy Lagavulin....maybe some Talisker as well.

http://www.whisky.com/brands/white_horse_brand.html

[Megawatt]

Found a Gallon tax stamp bottle of this the other day! Do you feel it's worth picking up? I've never had it but do enjoy Johnie Walker Black. I looked at it and said "Well you don't see Gallons any more"

Just thought I'd ask since you were drinking some.

Thanks

Tony

It is not as good as Johnnie Black but I rather like it. It is a lighter-bodied whisky than JWB, perhaps a bit smokier. I would buy it again.

[JamesW]

Drank scotch all weekend. Glenfiddich 12 at a friends on Sat. (not too bad but it gets boring when that's all there is for the evening). Enjoyed a really nice pour of Highland Park 18 when I got home. Last night it was Macallan 12 (killed off the bottle), and some Redbreast 12. The Redbreast 12 was much nicer than the Macallan.

[AVB]

Redbreast is Irish (lol!)

Drank scotch all weekend.

...... and some Redbreast 12. The Redbreast 12 was much nicer than the Macallan.

[JamesW]

Redbreast is Irish (lol!)

Of course, I should have said drank mostly scotch all weekend . Let's just say I was overseas for the good part of the weekend! :grin:

[Megawatt]

Aberlour 10. A nice entry-level single malt. Lively fruit and spice aromas. Full and creamy on the palate with a good kick. I don't mind drinking this stuff at all...

[Slob]

Rittenhouse BIB 100. I'm loving the spiciness. I'll be giving bottles of this out at Christmas.

[lohssanami]

I just finished a helping of Ardbeg 10 (2007 bottle).

[Yellowjacket]

A wonderful pour, the Ardbeg 10. I haven't tried any of the recent releases. How does it compare to some of the earlier releases?

Bob

[Megawatt]

I've never tried Ardbeg and probably never will, now that the 10-year-old expression has gone from $77 to $99!