New to this world.

[Mr G]

Greetings everyone. I am hoping some of you might be able to give me some guidance as I discover this new world. As I have grown older I have become less tolerant of the loathsome creatures that I see spilling from the clubs and bars. I stopped drinking about 10 years ago and did not miss the booze at all, I had ceased to enjoy the headaches and stomach cramps after a heavy night and also the company in the bars I felt culturally obliged to attend. A few years ago I married and we celebrated the evening of our big day in a wonderful hotel cocktail bar where I discovered the wonders of quality spirits. Gins I had never heard of, rums that I had never seen and I have since been intrigued by an old favorite of mine, whiskey.

Last christmas I was bought a bottle of Jack Daniels, I kind of enjoyed it but it still reminded me of drunken nights trying to convince taxi drivers to take me home. My wife noted my complaints and in the new year, and after a little of her own reseach, I was presented with a bottle of 10 year old Laphroaig. Well I soon realized what I had been missing.

The remains of the Jack Daniels, now tasting like liquid candy bars to me, was poured down the drain and I began to savour the flavors of my future. My problem now is where next. I am not a wealthy man so 30-40 pounds on a bottle is a big treat so i do not want to make a choice to far of the mark.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the Laphroaig very much, the empty bottle some weeks later testimony to that but...

It was not quite right, I found I enjoyed the aroma more than the taste. I enjoyed the smokey undertones but the overpowering iodine flavor did not suit my palette and I am now looking to move on but have no idea where to go. Any advice would be much appreciated and will, with my inexperience, determine my next purchase. A visit to Scotland is a while away yet although I do intend to return for a tasting, but for now this forum is all I have to judge.

Thank you for reading my thoughts and please post your thoughts.
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The small print giveth and the large print taketh away.

[sorren]

Hi there,
I am in no way a expert in the different whiskys but my choices are Auchentoshan classic which is around 20-23 pounds a bottle, or glenmorangie 10 year old which is a little more, i also love the taste of glenmorangie quinta ruban and lasanta. these whiskys are all very smooth and dont have the smokey or peaty tastes, also they are easily found in supermarkets and are on offer regulary, I also love the auchentoshan 12 year old, 15 year old glenfiddich,18 year old glenfiddich and 18 year old glenmorangie. As you will see all these are run of the mill whiskys and are easy to find. im sure others will give you many more choices that will blow your mind, whatever you choose just enjoy it..... good luck

[Charlie]

Hi Mr G and welcome to the world of malt whisky. I out grew the pub culture a quite a few years ago now and found my way to the world of malt whiskies. I find Jack Daniels sickly and couldnt even imagine buying a bottle now knowing the quality Scotch whisky i can have instead. There is a huge and varied range of Scotch whisky to choose from to suit every palate and budget. You may find the single malt whisky flavour map useful see here www.scotchmaltwhisky.co.uk/whiskyflavourmap.htm

You seem to have started with and enjoyed one of the most pronounced flavoured smoky whisies that you can get and you enjoyed it. There is a huge amount of quality whisky within your price range for you to try.

A few really good quality whiskies for your money in my opinion which i would recommend are:

Talisker 10 year old which is a bit smoked, sweet, malty and spicey.
Highland Park 12 year, probably the best all round malt with a bit of everything.
Balvenie Doublewood a lovely sherried whisky but not overly sherried it has been matured in both a bourbon and a sherry barrel.
Dalwhinnie 15 year old which has a little bit of everything peat, honey a little saltiness, creamy.

Charlie

[Mr G]

Thank you Sorren and Charlie for your advice. I hope to try many of your suggestions over the years, I now have a good Birthday wish list. However I did treat myself today, before reading your posts, to a little more of Islay. I enjoyed the Laphroag 10 as it came and was very disappointed in my shiny new bottle of Ardbeg 10, Wow! So spicey, so peppery, I found it harsh and aggressive. This, of course, was in haste and a second dram with a splash of mineral water was a different story. Wonderful.

Now I need a Laphroag 10 by it's side for comparison.

Thanks for the link charlie, a very useful map.
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The small print giveth and the large print taketh away.

[Manc]

Giving how much you enjoyed the Laphroaig and the Ardbeg you will probably really enjoy the Lagavulin also.