scotch question

[PressureD41]

Scotch is a drink you have neat or on the rocks only, correct?

What are the difference from a few brands?

 

[1maGoh]

Scotch is a drink you have neat or on the rocks only, correct?

What are the difference from a few brands?

I can say definitively that scotch and Coke is gross.

 

[SteezyEndo]

On the rocks. Goes well if you smoke cigars also.

 

[PressureD41]

what is a good starting scotch to try?

 

[SteezyEndo]

what is a good starting scotch to try?

Chivas Regal.

 

[Mike]

It depends how much you want to spend.

 

[Deac]

Used to run a cigar bar. Partial to Balvenie Doublewood myself. If you go with ice, get a gentleman's cube. Its a large ice cube just small enough to fit in a Highball glass. Its so big it melts slowly, not watering down your scotch.

 

[FaulkSF]

The best correlation I've heard is it's like concentrate. Everyone likes it with a little different amount of water. Also depends on what you're drinking too.

I mostly drink bourbon, but enjoy a splash of the doublewood @Deac and Beam Blue, which I'll drink straight up. Most of the others I try I need to cut with a rock or cube. There really isn't much of a wrong way to drink, it's up to you.

 

[OldSchool]

Scotch is a drink you have neat or on the rocks only, correct?

What are the difference from a few brands?

Depends on the Scotch to be honest. Some you just do neat some you take rocks with it same with bourbon in my experience.

 

[PressureD41]

I'm a crown and ginger guy, can't do Crown straight up. So I will pick up a bottle and mess around w/ it (neat v rocks)

 

[OldSchool]

I'm a crown and ginger guy, can't do Crown straight up. So I will pick up a bottle and mess around w/ it (neat v rocks)

Crown's just too sweet for me and I know a lot of people that love it but it doesn't do it for me.

 

[fearsomefour]

Johnny Walker Blue is my go to.
Have some other ones from Scotland and other places too.
Just on the rocks usually.

 

[IowaRam]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FUtIALVE6w

 

[PressureD41]

I like a little sweet, I pour 50/50 w/ all hard liquor. Need to taste it but cut it w/ ginger or 7-up

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Cutty Sark is cheap but still good, so is J&B. Highland park is a little better quality without being absurdly priced. My favorite is Laphroaig quarter cask. Its not blended. I like the stronger flavors of the single malts. But I wouldn't turn my nose up at any scotch. Blended scotch is more consistent from bottle to bottle. They are all good though. I'd never turn any of them down. It sucks here in PA. Booze is more expensive with the state controlled stores. Due to the pandemic many scotches have nearly doubled in price.

For me the best part of all whiskey, besides the effects on my brain is tasting the subtle flavors. That's done best with just water. Drinking it straight is okay but the overpower alcohol taste masks the beauty of the craft. To really taste it you need to cut the alcohol. But don't cut it so much that you dilute the subtle flavors. Start with roughly 20% water to Scotch, then you can figure out the best amount for you. Even the expert tasters use there own titraters/droppers to get the amount of water to their exact liking which varies for each of them. There is no set rule.

I used to drink scotch with ice. If you're new to it it isn't a bad way to go. But then I read that the cold dilutes the flavors. They are better appreciated at room temperature. I tried it with just water and agree. If its cheaper scotch then its not as much of a waste to over dilute, mix, or ice up. But if you are paying for an $80 bottle then you should drink it to appreciate the craftsmanship.

I have some Glencairn whiskey glasses. I really like them. Part of the experience is the smell. Its like tasting wine. You smell it first. Breath it in before tasting. The glencairn glass is narrow at the top so it is well suited for that purpose. They were specifically designed to capture the aroma. You can get them on Amazon.

Years ago I bought a book about the best whiskeysof the world. The author is a real connoisseur and he gets very detailed with his descriptions by talking about the subtle differences in each brand that he recommends. It helps me to choose brands because I figured out what I like most. Some scotch is fruity, others earthier, many in between. I prefer peaty, and smoky scotches. So if I'm going to splurge, (which is $50-$80 a bottle for me. I like the stuff but I can't bring myself to go into the hundreds for a drink) then I target my favorite flavors. The book covers many varieties, so if you like bourbon, vodka, whatever, it covers them all. It has some I'd love to try but cannot get because booze cannot be shipped to my door in PA. I'll have to look up the name of the book tomorrow. But I'm sure its not the only one of its kind.

 

[PressureD41]

@Elmgrovegnome yes please leave the book details.

All this scotch talk has me thinking of the movie "Swingers"

 

[OldSchool]

I've been told, but haven't tried it, that Connor McGregor's scotch Proper 12 is actually pretty good. I'd need first hand accounts around here to verify that claim though.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I've been told, but haven't tried it, that Connor McGregor's scotch Proper 12 is actually pretty good. I'd need first hand accounts around here to verify that claim though.

I read that Sam Heughen who plays Jamie Fraser in the Outlanddr series, has his own Scotch brand he calls Sassenach, which he calls his wife in the story and means Outsider or Englander in Scottish

I looked it up. Its $99 a bottle on Reservebar.com. It got great reviews. He only released it this past November.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

@Elmgrovegnome yes please leave the book details.

All this scotch talk has me thinking of the movie "Swingers"

The book I have is by Ian Buxton.
‘101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die’.

it’s small like a novel. Its a great resource if you like liquor.

101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die (Revised and Updated): 4th Edition
View: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1472258266/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_vJF.FbMHCRHZT

 

[Faceplant]

I was given a bottle of Glenmorangie single malt recently and I love it. Whistle Pig is also delicious, but it is a whiskey.