Talking about Whisky

[Beef Oven!]

Highland Park 70cl 12 YO Waitrose, £22. The Dalwhinnie offer now gone.

I bought a bottle of Highland Park a few weeks ago for £27

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Fhg: I attended a proper whisky-tasting in Edinburgh some years back and this was my conversion to whisky.

The first thing demonstrated was the extraordinary release of extra flavour that a tiny addition of water produces, even with the palest malts. Just how much more water you then add is entirely a matter of personal taste but our 'instructor' was most insistent that the tiny bit was mandatory. Do try it!

Following this suggestion, I added a tiny bit of Highland Spring to my Dalwhinnie last week - superb advice, LMP! Without washing out the flavours, it gave a softer edge to the drink which was quite delicious. I sha'n't be doing this for all of them, but those I've been slightly less persuaded by may well be given this treatment - Highland Spring with Highland Park, for example.

Many thanks for the suggestion - and slainte!

[BBMmk2]

Following this suggestion, I added a tiny bit of Highland Spring to my Dalwhinnie last week - superb advice, LMP! Without washing out the flavours, it gave a softer edge to the drink which was quite delicious. I sha'n't be doing this for all of them, but those I've been slightly less persuaded by may well be given this treatment - Highland Spring with Highland Park, for example.

Many thanks for the suggestion - and slainte!

Hmmm, perhaps I better try this?

[gurnemanz]

Well worth scouring the supermarkets for offers, I got some Dalwhinnie 15YO for under £20 just before Xmas. Aldi has this award winning malt [prob blended] for £12 odd!

https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/product-range/drinks/spirits/spirits-product-detail/ps/p/glen-orrin-malt-whisky/

I was given a bottle of their Glen Orchy [seems to have gone now, also award winning] at Xmas and it was very good, much to my surprise!! All gone now needless to say.

You did well with your Talisker BO, TWE want £32!! Yes, Mr Paterson is a STAR, such cool delivery!

I did a bit of translation from German for someone recently. I was a happy to do it as a favour but he asked me what my tipple was. An easy question to answer. Malt whisky. When it appeared, my heart sank a little bit when I saw that it was from Lidl with the dubious name Abrachan. It is in fact quite drinkable.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Hmmm, perhaps I better try this?

Worth a go, Bbm - but the secret, I think, is not to add too much water: a splash (or, at most, a splash and a drop) is enough.

[Beef Oven!]

I did a bit of translation from German for someone recently. I was a happy to do it as a favour but he asked me what my tipple was. An easy question to answer. Malt whisky. When it appeared, my heart sank a little bit when I saw that it was from Lidl with the dubious name Abrachan. It is in fact quite drinkable.

Sounds like it's a great bottle of whisky you've got there!

Blended malt (used to be called vatted malt or pure malt). A blend of single malts from different distilleries.

Not to be confused with blended whisky as per Teachers, Johnnie Walker, etc.

Is it really only "quite drinkable"?

Surely it's the thought that counts, anyway?

[Beef Oven!]

Worth a go, Bbm - but the secret, I think, is not to add too much water: a splash (or, at most, a splash and a drop) is enough.

The living legend that is Richard Paterson, says whisky should be brought down to 35% abv by the addition of water.

Master blenders tend to bring their tastings down to 20%. This means that the taste buds aren't anaesthetised and the full complexity of flavours can be tasted. I guess it also means they are not larruped by 10.30am!!

Watering or diluting spirits is commonplace. Turkish Raki for example, at 45%, is routinely watered down to 22.5% before being imbibed.

At the end of the day it's all down to taste and there is a consensus that many whiskies are better drunk neat.

Here's what Ralfy Mitchell thinks.............

[Beef Oven!]

Hmmm, perhaps I better try this?

[BBMmk2]

There's no smiley for a whisky glass!!!

[Beef Oven!]

Australians win world's best whisky accolade!!? And Tasmania, to boot!!

Great looking bottle, though

[amateur51]

Australians win world's best whisky accolade!!? And Tasmania, to boot!!

Great looking bottle, though

Saddo news from the same article:

"For whisky aficionados plotting to obtain a bottle of the winning whisky, there is bad news.

The winning whisky was drawn from barrel number 525, and only 516 bottles were created and sent some time ago to retailers, making any examples still on shelves or in personal liquor cupboards rare and valuable.

Sullivan's Cove itself has only three bottles from batch 525 left, and will be holding onto them until it figures out what to do with them, Maguire said.

"If there's anybody out there able to run down to the bottle shop and find (Sullivan's Cove) French Oak Cask from barrel 525, get it - quickly," he advised"

How can the world's best whisky be one that's essentially unavailable?

Isn't availability an essential criterion?

Unless you just like admiring the bottle of course

[Dave2002]

I have now tested Lagavulin - very good, but also discovered another one - Auchentoshan - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Auchentoshan...s=auchentoshan There are several varieties, but the 12 year old should be good enough - there is a cheaper one. Definitely worth trying some of these.

Re adding water, at full strength some whiskies (most) have fire, but perhaps are overpowering. Adding too much water reduces the alcohol concentration and possibly makes it a safer drink, but it does lose something - quite a lot - and becomes insipid. Perhaps add just sufficient water to take the fierce bite away?

[Beef Oven!]

I have now tested Lagavulin - very good, but also discovered another one - Auchentoshan - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Auchentoshan...s=auchentoshan There are several varieties, but the 12 year old should be good enough - there is a cheaper one. Definitely worth trying some of these.

Re adding water, at full strength some whiskies (most) have fire, but perhaps are overpowering. Adding too much water reduces the alcohol concemtration and possibly makes it a safer drink, but it does lose something - quite a lot - and becomes insipid. Perhaps add just sufficient water to take the fierce bite away?

A bit early for such tests!!?


I have never had Lagavulin or Auchentoshan (what a great name!).

Those in the know, say that the amount of water that can be added varies between whiskies. A single malt like Aberlour A'bunadh Batch 47 at 60.7% abc, can take as much as 50:50 water, but a blended whisky like Johnnie Walker Black label disintegrates if more than small amount of water id added.

[Dave2002]

A bit early for such tests!!?


I have never had Lagavulin or Auchentoshan (what a great name!).

Those in the know, say that the amount of water that can be added varies between whiskies. A single malt like Aberlour A'bunadh Batch 47 at 60.7% abc, can take as much as 50:50 water, but a blended whisky like Johnnie Walker Black label disintegrates if more than small amount of water id added.

I never touched a drop, ossifer.

Nor did I stay up all night!

Those two are worth looking out for, if you drink the stuff frequently. I was hoping to find somewhere to give me a shot of Lagavulin so that I wouldn't have to buy a bottle, but I couldn't find it anywhere, so in the end I just opted for a bottle on sale at a good price in a garage in the Highlands. The vendor didn't know about it either - when I asked him what it tasted like he replied that he'd never got a taste for whisky. It's at the Laphroaig end of the spectrum I guess, so some may not like it.

The Auchentoshan is on sale on Scotrail sleeper trains - which is where I met it first quite recently. It was better than the Highland Park also on sale, and I knew what all the others they had tasted like.

[Don Petter]

I was hoping to find somewhere to give me a shot of Lagavulin so that I wouldn't have to buy a bottle, but I couldn't find it anywhere, so in the end I just opted for a bottle on sale at a good price in a garage in the Highlands. The vendor didn't know about it either - when I asked him what it tasted like he replied that he'd never got a taste for whisky. It's at the Laphroaig end of the spectrum I guess, so some may not like it.

But not as far along as Laphroaig - Peaty, but less so and more subtle. A good choice for those who think Laphroaig smacks too much of iodine. (I don't, but on balance I think Lagavulin would be my favourite, if I had to plump.)