Any Scotch Whisky drinkers out there?

[magellan]

Just tried the Dead Guy Whisky from the Rogue brewery and distillery in Oregon, more famous for their beer. This isn't a bourbon as it's made from barley malt. I just looked up the web site and they had the info below. I would only add that it has a light smokiness, similar to Glen Garioch (although the GG is a much smokier style) and a hint of herbalness, reminiscent of the highland malt, Cragganmore.


Rogue's Dead Guy family has a whole new spirit—Dead Guy Whiskey is distilled from the same three malts as Rogue's Platinum medal-winning Dead Guy Ale. Dead Guy Whiskey, ocean-aged by both the Pacific Ocean and nearby Yaquina Bay.


TASTING NOTES:
Dead Guy Whiskey has a fresh orange citrus aroma with a delicately sweet, rich malt complex. Medium-bodied, flavors of oak and honey give way to a clean vanilla finish.
7 INGREDIENTS:
2-Row, Maier Munich, C15 & Rogue Farms Dare and Risk Malts; Rogue's Proprietary Pacman Yeast & Free Range Coastal Water.
Proof: 80Available Sizes: 750ml

 

[magellan]

Forgot to say that they don't mention if they use any peat or otherwise smoke the malted barley. I suspect the cost of buying and importing peat would be prohibitive, so it could come from some other way of smoking the malt, but I really don't know. The smoke flavor is not that strong. I don't find the orange citrus aroma they mention follows through that strongly on the palate, but the vanilla finish is certainly there. My industrial microbiology is a little rusty at this point, but it's possible the smokiness comes from the non-enzymatic browning process common in beer malt production.

I like to mix it 1 part in 4 with another American whisky, the Corsair Triple Smoke (cherry, beechwood, and peat) to add a little more smokiness. I've found mixing it 50/50 overpowers the somewhat delicate nose and palate of the Rogue but it does sorta give you an American version of the classic smoky style Glen Garioch without the phenolic "burnt plastic" character of some of the Islays. Unfortunately the classic pure smoky style is much rarer these days than 150 years ago.

 

[selfbuilt]

I did a scotch single malt whisky overview on my YouTube channel - giving examples of what I consider good value expressions in each of the major super clusters (as explained on my whiskyanalysis.com site).



Not quite what my subscribers expected, but most seem to be rolling with it.

 

[magellan]

Nice.

The Highland Park is one of my favorites. Have you tried the 18 yr? Very different from the 12.

 

[selfbuilt]

The Highland Park is one of my favorites. Have you tried the 18 yr? Very different from the 12.

Yes, fabulous whisky the HP 18 yo. And very distinctive - actually sits in the middle of the winey/smokey flavour scale, which is extremely unusual for such a complex whisky.

Unfortunately, also rather pricey at ~$200 here at the LCBO. The 12 yo is about a third the cost, which is why I picked it up. Sort of the poor man's 18 yo (although I warrant it doesn't match the sherry-ness of the 18 yo, or its complexity). If I could only have one whisky in my cabinet, the HP 18 yo would be a top contender!

 

[magellan]

Yowser, $200 is pretty steep.

Great whiskey, though. The 12 yr. is often considered the greatest all rounder in the scotch world because it has a bit of everything. And the 18 yr. is wonderful too.

 

[kaichu dento]

Not much concern on my part what others think and I make my own decisions what tastes good to me. I don't care for Glenfiddich in general although the aforementioned Special Old Reserve is one of my favorites and while I absolutely love the HP 18, the 12 is just another scotch, which although I have it in my collection, could easily find itself replaced with a good number of others.

As with all things, there are no 'bests', just 'personal bests' and I'd say it's best to make ones own decisions.

 

[broadgage]

Too bad I have such a low tolerance to alcohol, I'm really missing out
The smell of any of the hard stuff can almost knock me out (burns the nose too).
Me after 1 drink: Mellows right out, maybe a tad happier than normal
2 drinks - Quiets down, looks around for a corner to curl up in like a cat
3 drinks - I'm headed there
No kidding lol I think I've had 1 full drink (glass of wine) in about 2+ yrs

No need to miss out at all, just be cautious and take whisky or other strong drink in very modest volumes.

 

[bestellen]

I like Glenmorangie, and I like Jamiesons. I don't like Bells and I'm not that keen on Jack Daniels.

My favourite supermarket whisky is Islay 10 year old single malt which I think is only available at Asda (not certain)..

There may be better brands, but I haven't finished trying 'em all ye

 

[selfbuilt]

Given the holidays coming up, I thought I'd bring this thread back up - and plans for special purchases/gifts? :santa:

I've given out my list for friends and family (although I've emphasized gift cards for our state-run liquor stores, as easier to consolidate for a few nice bottles that way). I've also posted a holiday gift guide on my whiskyanalysis.com website. Basically, I've pulled out of my whisky database the highest scoring whiskies that have reasonable availability where I live - broken down by flavour class (with an emphasis on single malts).

 

[martinaee]

I don't drink much and when I do usually it's just a beer or two, but I do have a bottle of Bulleit bourbon and I've tried their rye version as well. I think honestly my favorite thing about whiskey even more than having a little sip sometimes is smelling it. I don't really like to drink hard liquor ever to get tipsy/drunk so it's usually just to sip and enjoy the taste.

A question though for those really into it and willing to spend crazy cash on it: Do you find some of the really high end whiskeys/bourbons are objectively "better" than a lot of the more inexpensive ones or is that you just can't get the same tastes that you can out of whiskeys that have gone through careful selections, processes, and aging? I've only had what I guess it the low end pricing wise so I'm just curious.

 

[smokinbasser]

Aberlour is my current scotch in my bar but like Irish whiskys it's fun finding how many different scotches there are out there

 

[kaichu dento]

Balvenie 15 and 17 are my two favorites out of their lineup. Very different, both excellent.

 

[wacbzz]

Love the whiskyanalysis.com site! I cannot wait to get deeper into it...

I prefer most Islay's over all any day of the week; the smokey peat monsters are for me, where it's at. In general, Ardbeg>Laphroaig>Bunnahabhain>Lagavulin. The only thing that I dislike about scotch in general is that there is no real tasting; one must certainly purchase a bottle to determine if it is right for you and then if you don't really care for it...well, you're really SOL!

 

[CLHC]

A small sampling of my household "bar."



On said Whiskey/Whisky/Scotch, I mostly post on M4C, USN and AS for the individual bottle acquired. Of course not shown, Vodka.

Enjoy!

 

[kaichu dento]

I prefer most Islay's overall any day of the week...The only thing that I dislike about scotch in general is that there is no real tasting; one must certainly purchase a bottle to determine if it is right for you...

Caol Ila too! I've only had the 12 so far, but it's different enough from the others to merit a place on the shelf.

Keep your eyes open for scotch tastings and check with your better liquor stores. If they think there's enough interest they'll put one on. The ones I've been to have been anywhere from $40 to $100. You get to try some new stuff without having to buy a bottle and also meet others with the same interests.

Lagavulin, try to find the 12, it's far and away their best!

A small sampling of my household "bar."

One of the best!

I see some Yamazaki and Hakushu back there too! I guess you've already had the Hibiki 12, but if you can get your hands on the 17, go for it!

 

[CLHC]

I see some Yamazaki and Hakushu back there too! I guess you've already had the Hibiki 12, but if you can get your hands on the 17, go for it!

Some really nice "Whisky" from the Land of the Rising Sun. Two (2) of my fellow co-workers have the Hibiki 17, 21, and 30 Year Olds. Now I've got to get over to their place for a sip! :drunk:

 

[kaichu dento]

Some really nice "Whisky" from the Land of the Rising Sun. Two (2) of my fellow co-workers have the Hibiki 17, 21, and 30 Year Olds. Now I've got to get over to their place for a sip! :drunk:

I think the Hibiki 21 is the only one of the lineup that I don't like so it'll be interesting to hear your take on it.

The 30 is predictably good, which you would hope for at $1,000 a bottle, but the 17 is excellent and affordable, if you happen to be over there. In fact it costs about the same as you pay for the 12 over here.

If you're in Japan and can get over to the Osaka/Kyoto area, the Yamazaki distillery is right in between and very easy to get to. The various components of the Hibiki series are available for tasting and the mizunara is so good, makes you wish it was available by itself, which unfortunately it's not.

Hakushu distillery is the exact opposite of Yamazaki, being at least an hour of fast walking to get there from the closest train station, but really worth the visit.

Make sure and post back here after your tasting session!

 

[GLHunter]

J&B, or JW black label for me.

Aside from scotch whisky, I prefer Canadian whisky to American whiskey... Bourbon is just not on my drinking list.

 

[kaichu dento]

J&B, or JW black label for me.

Aside from scotch whisky, I prefer Canadian whisky to American whiskey... Bourbon is just not on my drinking list.

If you like the Black Label I'd suggest springing for a bottle of the Double Black Label next time around.

I'm with you on the Canadian whisky and Crown Reserve is the only non-scotch that I try to keep around.