Talking about Whisky

[LeMartinPecheur]

The question is, what do I try next? I'm not (yet) keen on the strong peaty Islay style, so may stick with Speyside and the Highlands for now.

K: are you sure you're taking against peatiness per se? I'd have said that the unique taste of Islay malts is iodine, allegedly coming from sea spray blowing inland and into the island's fresh water, thus giving that distinctive hint of hospital disinfectant

Santa slipped up slightly this year and bought me a bottle of Glen Marnoch, a blend of Islay malts Still, it slips down pretty well with Match of the Day. Retest of this theory very imminent

[Keraulophone]

Many thanks for the suggestions, Bœufy and ferney. I feel very new to this form of nectar, but am enjoying the voyage of discovery. The more you limit my choice the better, as I don't really wish to spend the whole afternoon stuck at the back of a grocery in a remote Cornish village. I'll take a snap to reveal how many of the listed 867 are actually stocked on the groaning shelves.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The Tomatin in Keraulophone's link is described as ".......matured in a combination of new American oak and Bourbon wood. This combination gives the whisky a lovely sweetness with creamy notes and a touch of spice on the finish", so I assumed it isn't peaty. But I haven't tasted any Tomatin.

The Tomatin 12 yr-old is fresh in my memory from last night - it has that smokey/peaty flavour that I love in a single malt, but not as intense as, say, Laphroig (which is too much like creosote for me) - and a little sweeter than Lagavullin (my favourite).

That's a good price on the Penderyn in the link you provide.

Not bad - but it's only a 35cl bottle.

Have you had all those whiskies you mention!!??

Well, I started when I was 19 - so nearly 36 years of experience: I usually sample whiskies through miniatures, before spending big money on 75cl bottles.

36 years! My god, I'm so OLD!!!!!

[Beef Oven!]

The Tomatin 12 yr-old is fresh in my memory from last night - it has that smokey/peaty flavour that I love in a single malt, but not as intense as, say, Laphroig (which is too much like creosote for me) - and a little sweeter than Lagavullin (my favourite).

That's a different Tomatin to the one in Keraulophone's link - the one I saw is the 43% AVB Tomatin Legacy, not the one you were slurping last night

Not bad - but it's only a 35cl bottle.

Oops! That's expensive then!

Well, I started when I was 19 - so nearly 36 years of experience: I usually sample whiskies through miniatures, before spending big money on 75cl bottles.

36 years! My god, I'm so OLD!!!!!

You appear to be a few months older than me, and I seem to have only been at it for only 10 years!

[Dave2002]

You guys seem to be having fun, and drinking more than me! We've only made modest inroads to the bottles of Talisker Storm and Glenmorangie round here. I prefer the Talisker, though I do wonder if I don't actually prefer the old style Talisker - from the days many years ago when we went round that distillery.

Tomatin eh - very small location - we went there briefly a few months ago, but didn't find the distillery. Not to be confused with Tomintoul, which is a little distance away, and we have a bottle of that which we are working through slowly.

Has anyone tried Muir of Ord, which isn't available, except as an export tipple, or at the distillery? Could it be worth the visit?

[HighlandDougie]

The Otto Klemperer of Single Malts

http://www.drinkfinder.co.uk/springbank-10-years-old-46-70cl.html

and, no, not in a manic way. They malt the barley themselves, don't chill-filter and produce a very fine whisky. Alas, older bottlings have become rather expensive (a bit like OK's fee) and - unlike OK - they have succumbed to fashionable bottlings. But the 10 year old is a lovely dram.

[Beef Oven!]

The Otto Klemperer of Single Malts

http://www.drinkfinder.co.uk/springbank-10-years-old-46-70cl.html

and, no, not in a manic way. They malt the barley themselves, don't chill-filter and produce a very fine whisky. Alas, older bottlings have become rather expensive (a bit like OK's fee) and - unlike OK - they have succumbed to fashionable bottlings. But the 10 year old is a lovely dram.

I've never tasted Springbank, it has a mighty reputation. Why Otto Klemperer?

[MrGongGong]

Many thanks for the suggestions, Bœufy and ferney. I feel very new to this form of nectar, but am enjoying the voyage of discovery. The more you limit my choice the better, as I don't really wish to spend the whole afternoon stuck at the back of a grocery in a remote Cornish village. I'll take a snap to reveal how many of the listed 867 are actually stocked on the groaning shelves.

You might like this one?

(Manders built it)

http://bompasandparr.com/projects/view/the-flavour-conductor

[HighlandDougie]

I've never tasted Springbank, it has a mighty reputation. Why Otto Klemperer?

Ah, because OK was imbued with a respect for the music he conducted but was not afraid to plough his own furrow when he thought that to be necessary. Springbank is in many ways a very traditional whisky but, because it has stuck to what its owners believe in, it continues to surprise with that almost radical quality. I might have said the Hans Knappertsbusch (whom I greatly admire). Extending my rather flip analogy, Highland Park might be the John Barbirolli with Adrian Boult being, well, Glenfarclas.

[Beef Oven!]

Ah, because OK was imbued with a respect for the music he conducted but was not afraid to plough his own furrow when he thought that to be necessary. Springbank is in many ways a very traditional whisky but, because it has stuck to what its owners believe in, it continues to surprise with that almost radical quality. I might have said the Hans Knappertsbusch (whom I greatly admire). Extending my rather flip analogy, Highland Park might be the John Barbirolli with Adrian Boult being, well, Glenfarclas.

Interesting analogies!

May I offer Herbert von Karajan as the Johnnie Walker Black or Blue Label?

[ahinton]

Interesting analogies!

May I offer Herbert von Karajan as the Johnnie Walker Black or Blue Label?

This seems to follow in the tradition of assocating works with wines as Frank Ward does in the recently published book of writings by David Matthews in which he seeks to link each of his seven symphonies to a particular wine (he's not included the eighth as that hadn't beenm finished at the time of writing); I'm not sure about the validity of this kind of exercise, given the personal taste factor in both music and its performance and wines and their effect, but it's a curiosity, I suppose.

Someone once described a work of mine as high-octane, high-calorie, high-cholesterol and high-carb with a risk of inciting arterial furring, to which the only response that I could think of at the time was that I'd not asked him to try to eat its score...

[Nick Armstrong]

The Otto Klemperer of Single Malts

http://www.drinkfinder.co.uk/springbank-10-years-old-46-70cl.html

and, no, not in a manic way. They malt the barley themselves, don't chill-filter and produce a very fine whisky. Alas, older bottlings have become rather expensive (a bit like OK's fee) and - unlike OK - they have succumbed to fashionable bottlings. But the 10 year old is a lovely dram.

Springbank is I think my favourite malt whisky of all. I was once given a bottle of the 21 year old and have never forgotten the oral felicity

It seems to unite all the virtues of various malts (smooth, sweet, peaty, all in balance).

I think I see why you mention Klemperer, although it's not the first name which would have sprung to mind.

I'd say Springbank is the Claudio Abbado of whiskies

Interesting analogies!

May I offer Herbert von Karajan as the Johnnie Walker Black or Blue Label?

C Kleiber = Talisker

Haitink = The Macallan

Tennstedt = Laphroaig

Sinopoli = Caol Ila

Rattle = Glenfiddich

&c. &c.

[MrGongGong]

According to one of the presenters of late night noise on R3
Talisker was John Cage's favourite whisky (Wrong glass I know, can't we have some different ones?)

[Dave2002]

Springbank is I think my favourite malt whisky of all. I was once given a bottle of the 21 year old and have never forgotten the oral felicity

It seems to unite all the virtues of various malts (smooth, sweet, peaty, all in balance).

I think I see why you mention Klemperer, although it's not the first name which would have sprung to mind. G

I'd say Springbank is the Claudio Abbado of whiskies



C Kleiber = Talisker

Haitink = The Macallan

Tennstedt = Laphroaig

Sinopoli = Caol Ila

Rattle = Glenfiddich

&c. &c.

What happens if you reverse the mappings, and start with the whiskies?

E.g. Chivas Regal

Do you get the same results?

[Nick Armstrong]

What happens if you reverse the mappings, and start with the whiskies?

E.g. Chivas Regal

Do you get the same results?

I was sort of thinking that way round anyway.

Chivas R would be... mmmm ... Zubin Mehta? Been around for ages, probably overpriced, nice and smooth but...