Which whisky for a beginner?

[Pavilionaire]

I was given a bottle of Connemara Irish whiskey as a gift and I think it's the sweetest and gentlest of whiskies I've ever tasted. I'd say that was as a good a starting point as any.

At the age of 18 all I'd ever tasted was blended rubbish like Bells, but when I started uni at Dundee and had my first single malt - Glenfiddich - it was a revelation. My next bottle will be Macallan - I've heard good things about that.

 

[Superphil]

American whisky is generally distilled once, Scotch twice and Irish three times.

Personally I prefer Irish as it tends to be a little smoother. And yes, no fecking ice!

American whiskey is generally distilled twice, first in a column still and then secondly in a doubler still. Almost all bourbon distillers use this method, as do most other American whiskey makers. The thing is that American whiskey is quite fundamentally different to Scotch and Irish whisky. Oddly, much Scotch is matured in bourbon barrels which are discarded by the Americans after one maturation, whereas the Scottish will frequently reuse barrels (bourbon, sherry, port, Madeira, rum amongst others), as they impart both flavour and colour to the whisky.

Depends what you want. Scotch or bourbon? I'm a bourbon man myself so stuff like Jack Daniels and Southern Comfort are good places to start. From there you can move up to stuff like Maker's Mark, Woodford Reserve and Gentleman Jack

Point of order, Jack Daniels is not bourbon. Much like Scotch which can only come from Scotland, bourbon can only come from Kentucky.
That said, I agree with your tasting pointers, Woodford reserve is very nice indeed, and Waitrose often has it on a special offer around £25 a bottle. Don't discount Jim Beam either.

 

[L'hampton Eagle]

I don't drink whisky. I realise that is a mistake, and I'd like to right my wrongs.

Where's an easy place to start?

All about taste I love the Balvenie
http://www.waitrosecellar.com/spiri...gclid=CJaex7GT7MMCFY_MtAodIXUAmQ&gclsrc=aw.ds


A good place to start is a selection miniatures from a supermarket

http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/webapp/...isky-selection-gift-pack-4-x-5cl-7662171-p-44

See you Soon Trig when one of us will have to cough £50 to Remf

 

[Westdene Seagull]

American whiskey is generally distilled twice, first in a column still and then secondly in a doubler still. Almost all bourbon distillers use this method, as do most other American whiskey makers. The thing is that American whiskey is quite fundamentally different to Scotch and Irish whisky. Oddly, much Scotch is matured in bourbon barrels which are discarded by the Americans after one maturation, whereas the Scottish will frequently reuse barrels (bourbon, sherry, port, Madeira, rum amongst others), as they impart both flavour and colour to the whisky.

I think I'll probably have to write to the Jamesons' factory in Dublin then because they claim bourbon is only distilled once.

The tour there used to give every visitor a thimble full of bourbon, Scotch and Irish whiskey so you could realise the difference. Apparently they only now do it for a selected lucky few.

 

[Eric Youngs Contact Lense]

I don't drink whisky. I realise that is a mistake, and I'd like to right my wrongs.

Where's an easy place to start?

I too am a recent convert, not having touched the stuff since my 1st disasterous alcoholic experimentation at the age of 14!! (Now there's a thread to start.. your 1st binge drink??)
I definitely recommend a little water to add, and not being hammered before starting! I found Jameson's fairly smooth and easy going, or Macallan. My favourite now that I can notice some differences between them is a Talisker...

 

[Hugo Rune]

American whiskey is generally distilled twice, first in a column still and then secondly in a doubler still. Almost all bourbon distillers use this method, as do most other American whiskey makers. The thing is that American whiskey is quite fundamentally different to Scotch and Irish whisky. Oddly, much Scotch is matured in bourbon barrels which are discarded by the Americans after one maturation, whereas the Scottish will frequently reuse barrels (bourbon, sherry, port, Madeira, rum amongst others), as they impart both flavour and colour to the whisky.



Point of order, Jack Daniels is not bourbon. Much like Scotch which can only come from Scotland, bourbon can only come from Kentucky.
That said, I agree with your tasting pointers, Woodford reserve is very nice indeed, and Waitrose often has it on a special offer around £25 a bottle. Don't discount Jim Beam either.

The big difference between bourbon & malt scotch is the grain used. Bourbon is primarily (51% or more) made from maize (sweetcorn to us Brits) & single malt scotch from Barley. In my experience, all bourbon pretty much tastes the same (there is always that base taste of sweetcorn & new American white oak) but just gets nicer and smoother the more you spend. However, Single malt scotch can taste of many many different things depending on what barrels it's been aged in as well as many other factors including the size & shape of the still.

I'd start with an Aberlour 10 yr. Generally on offer from as little as £18 and is quite sweet but very nice for the price. As has been mentioned, it's worth trying a few different types in a pub (Wagon & Horses is the Whisky specialist in Brighton) rather than investing in a whole bottle of something you may not end up liking. Good luck on your new hobby.

 

[BensGrandad]

Threshers perhaps or maybe Oddbins.

Are either still in operation?

 

[BensGrandad]

Bit of useless information if you visit the Jack Daniels distillery you cannot sample the goods as it is situated in a dry state., so my brother tells me as he visited it.

 

[Yoda]

If you want a good single malt Scotch then go for the 12yo Glenfiddich. I wasn't a fan of whisky (thanks to only trying Bells, Grant's & JD previously) until I tried this and omg do I love it. I've been told (but yet to try myself) good things about Jura & Oban (although the latter is a tad pricey at over £50)

 

[midnight_rendezvous]

Point of order, Jack Daniels is not bourbon. Much like Scotch which can only come from Scotland, bourbon can only come from Kentucky.
That said, I agree with your tasting pointers, Woodford reserve is very nice indeed, and Waitrose often has it on a special offer around £25 a bottle. Don't discount Jim Beam either.

Very true re JD but I find it's a good place to start if you're going down the bourbon or American whiskey trail as its smoother than most scotches (IMO) and is relatively cheap and easy to aquire.

 

[BensGrandad]

My wife once served a girl a whisky and coke and seeing the standard whisky asked if we had anything better, so wife said Glenmorangie or Chivas Regal whereupon the girl said she would have Chivas Regal in a large bowl glass (12oz Paris Goblet) with a lot of ice and then put a full can of coke into it. What a waste of a decent scotch.

 

[Change at Barnham]

I've never acquired the taste of whiskey but I also feel it's something I should be able to enjoy.
Last summer I went to the Glenfidditch distillery and had the full tour followed by a tasting session.

We were given 3 single malts to try, a 12 year old, a 15 yr old and an 18 year old. The 18 yr old tasted much smoother and bearable than the 12 yr old which tasted like medicine to me. I'm off to Bushmills in Northern Ireland this summer for another distillery tour followed by tastings.

 

[Superphil]

I think I'll probably have to write to the Jamesons' factory in Dublin then because they claim bourbon is only distilled once..

You probably should write to them and tell them, as they are clearly wrong. Then again, they're probably saying it in the hope you then think their product is superior. Whilst at the Glenturret distillery tour we were on it was mentioned that Auchentoshan Scotch is triple distilled, this was because after 2 distillations it isn't smooth enough to drink, therefore it needs the third to smooth it out. I tend to try and point out what are perceived as weaknesses in my competitors products too when I'm selling.

... it's worth trying a few different types in a pub (Wagon & Horses is the Whisky specialist in Brighton) rather than investing in a whole bottle of something you may not end up liking. Good luck on your new hobby.

It's also worth saying that the Great Eastern is also a whiskey specialist in Brighton, it tend to concentrate on American whiskeys, but also with Scotches and Japanese malts.

 

[BensGrandad]

A Whisky taster from Bells at an LVA do said from 30 different whiskies if he got 15 right it would be luck but he could pick Bells out from the rest.

I believe in a recent tasting A Welsh and Japanese whisky came out tops above all Scotch.

 

[Gwylan]

I'd sign up with these people and go on one of their tasting evenings - you'll get to try a whole new world
http://maltncopper.com/

 

[Superphil]

A Whisky taster from Bells at an LVA do said from 30 different whiskies if he got 15 right it would be luck but he could pick Bells out from the rest.

I believe in a recent tasting A Welsh and Japanese whisky came out tops above all Scotch.

I can believe it with a a Japanese whisky, but no way at any tasting, anywhere on the world but in Wales would Penderyn win a tasting, unless it was against maybe Bells or Grouse, and even then I'd probably prefer the Grouse.

 

[BensGrandad]

I can believe it with a a Japanese whisky, but no way at any tasting, anywhere on the world but in Wales would Penderyn win a tasting, unless it was against maybe Bells or Grouse, and even then I'd probably prefer the Grouse.

I do not drink whisky but I am sure that I read that.

 

[grubbyhands]

Are either still in operation?

I probably should've done a bit of research before I posted methinks.

 

[Cian]

Cardhu is my preferred Speyside, if Speyside is what you're going for (on the suggestions above anyway). Decent introduction - not that its priced as entry level - and not overly peaty.

 

[soistes]

As most have said on here, single malts are the pinnacle of the whisky world. Unlike most of the posters, however, I'd recommend the Island malts rather than the speyside or highland malts mentioned so far.
Most of them come from the island of Islay, but Jura whisky is also categorised as an Island malt. Whereas Jura has only one distillery, the neighbouring Islay has eight active distilleries each with a distinctive malt -- they are hugely different in subtle ways, but what they all tend to have in common is a smoky, peaty taste. It's an acquired taste, but once you've acquired it, you'll never regret it. My favourites, in addition to the well-known Laphroaig, are Bruichladdich, Lagavulin and Coal Ila, although I currently have a 12 year old Bowmore on the go.