Calling all Whisky Lovers - Advice please

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Hopefully this won't cause too many arguments....

I'm having a Burn's night supper at the end on Jan and we need to toast the haggis, so I'm looking for some suggestions from those in the know, as trial by error could be a bit expensive.

We're looking for a whisky that will appeal to the non-whisky drinker (if there is one), preferably a single malt, not extortionate but we don't mind pushing the boat out a bit. No imitations like Jack, Southern Comfort or Glayva.

Ideally, if anyone knows of a place in the Northeast that does tasting sessions with a view to purchase please let me know too.

We're predominately wine drinkers if that is any help with regards to the taste of the dram.

Cheers
L
:thinking:
 
A nice bottle of Laphroaig is all you'll be needing:thumbs:
 
Because it's like an angel dancing on your tongue:thumbs:

First time I tried it I really wasn't a whiskey lover in any way, shape or form....one taste is all it takes:notworthy:
 
i hate hate hate whiskey its the one spirit i wont touch... i thin k i had a whiskey liquor thou..... it tasted of raisons, like a club bar so it couldnt have been a whiskey yuck but my dad drinks it. he drinks teachers or some turkey one
 
Ashers said:
stuff
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Theres whiskey and then theres whiskey......Teachers is neither:shake: I good single malt makes you want to keep drinking it until you fall over in an ungainly heap:lol:
 
Anything from Islay or Speyside and you won't go too far wrong :thumbs:

Mind you a drop of Talisker is nice too ;)
 
The medicinal peaty-smokiness of an Islay malt like Laphroaig will probably be a bit hit-or-miss for non-whisky drinkers. I'd suggest a softer Lowland or Speyside malt, perhaps a Tamdhu if you can find one at an acceptable price.

You might want to contact these people in the deepest lowlands of Central London - http://www.milroys.co.uk - they are the great specialists. Their prices go sky-high, I mean the rare bottles over £1,000 are hidden away, not on the shelves in the shop, but they will offer advice and they will have the best malts from quite reasonable [normal supermarket] prices.
 
Yamazaki 10yr single malt - very light, sweetish Japanese whisky. The tiniest dash of water and it's as mellow as they come. £22 from Tesco
 
Another place you could try that I stumbled (hic) across on holiday this year. The guy is very knowledgable and friendly - gave me some great recommendations.

http://www.weedram.co.uk/
 
I must admit i am a whiskey lover and i cant think of a single whiskey that wouls appeal to everyone :thinking:

As pxl8 said your best bet may be an islay, though i dissagree with Talisker, personally i love it but i know so many people that dont.

if you want to se the best range of whiskey i have ever come across, check out:

https://www.lfw.co.uk/

the website doesnt look like much but they know theyre wiskey. anything from £10 to £1000+ a bottle.

if any any doubt give them a ring, they are great people to deal with and will happily give advice
 
nahh ill stick with my bittr, guiness, larger, tequila a vodka :) and my favorate moonshine :D
 
I can't stand the stuff myself,but Kiasdad recommends Knockando or Glenlivet which are "gentle" for the non-believer...
 
I'm not a big whisky drinker, but my F-I-L is, but his preference is for Irish whisky.

What I would recommend is a tasting session. There are places all over the country which offer a tasting service, they're called pubs! I would expect there to be whisky clubs as well dotted around.
 
I don't reckon there's a Whisky that would appeal to everyone. Best bet (probably) is to get a reasonable one and let the guests like it or lump it. After all, not everyone likes Champagne but swills it down (or sips it politely!) at weddings etc.

Since it's more of a symbolic gesture, make sure it's a proper Scotch Whisky, not a Japanese one (although some are supposedly very good, they're NOT Scotch!) or any of the whiskEys that are available.
 
if you want whiskeys go to liverpool line street station then get the subway to moorcroft, outside there across the road to the right is a pub with over 50 whiskeys, which start from 1.50 a measure to over 20 pounds a measure,
 
StuntMonkey said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whisky

this could turn into the color Vs colour conversation lol
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No real ambiguity in all honestly. It is spelt Whisky if it is distilled in Scotland, Whiskey if it is Distilled anywhere else.

As for my recommendation, I would agree with Laphroaig and also Highland Park is a personal favourite.
 
oooh Laphroaig. i have a bottle of that here somewhere...


is it too early? :shrug:
 
its gone 11 thats good enough for me! :D
 
Mmmm, Laphroaig. Working my way through a bottle of 30 year old at the moment, very nice indeed.

As has been said, it'll be difficult to find one that will appeal to non-whisky drinkers, but The Macallan 10 year old is a smooth whisky that will have less of a bite for those who don't normally partake.

Another Speyside that's worth considering is Glenlivet, although this has more of an aftertaste, so might not be as welcome.

Once toasted, feel free to send the remainder to me! :thumbs:
 
For non whisky drinkers, the sweeter/milder ones may be best as there are some with very distinctive flavours of peat and smoke, which are an aquired taste.

Macallan 10yo ( amber coloured box) is a nice smooth whisky. The sherry barrels which the whisky is matured in are only used once or twice, imparting a sweeter flavour. Other distileries re-use the barrels 6 or 7 times. The macallan fine oak 10yo ( silvery box) is also very nice, but not as sweet as this is finished in a mix of sherry and bourbon barrels. Its also harder to find. £25 - 28 for either of these.

Second choice would be one of my favourites, Dalwhinnie 15yo. They finish the whisky in sherry/bourbon casks as well, giving a sweet flavour with a hint of peat and smoke at the end. £30 - 35

You can probably find any of them at a supermarket or offy.
 
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I'd recommend:

Macallan 10yr old
Glenrothes select reserve
Tamdhu unaged
Highland Park 12yr old
Glenturret 10yr old
Famous Grouse (Not a single Malt but a decent blend)
Famous Grouse Malt (A blend again but only malts in it)

These are the main whisky's the company i work for produce and there all decent with Macallan and Highland Park being the stand outs

PM me if your interested as i get a staff discount:)
 
why not just buy a whiskey beer :D problem solved :D then you got the best of both worlds :)
 
My partner is a fan of Lagavulin. Personally I think it taste like drinking sick whilst smoking a cigarette but then I am apparently a heathen!!
 
I've never really liked whiskey, the smell alone turns my stomach. Then I met my wife, who loves the stuff.
Out of all the brands she's sampled, I've found two that I can actually drink.
One is Highland Park, the other is an organic single malt called Benromach.
I actually quite liked the Benromach.
 
Away into ASDA's and buy their own brand Islay malt, one of the nicest Islay malts you will ever taste and only £15 odds!
 
I'm surprised Yv hasn't turned up in this thread - a hint of the Water of Life is normally enough to wake her up!!!

My earlier use of the E in whiskEy was to differentiate between Scotch and Irish/American products. Personally, I prefer mine with the e but am happy without it!
 
Not tried the local whiskys yet but told the Ledaig Malt is quite a nice one and if you want a cheaper option then Tobermory Malt is always been a big seller.

Got a bottle of Oban malt in the cupboard which I won in a photography competition and it is quite a nice drink.
 
Yves Geza said:
The medicinal peaty-smokiness of an Islay malt like Laphroaig will probably be a bit hit-or-miss for non-whisky drinkers. I'd suggest a softer Lowland or Speyside malt, perhaps a Tamdhu if you can find one at an acceptable price.
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I sooo agree. I love the peaty Islay stuff (Laphroaig, Lavagulin, Ardbeg, etc), but there are lots of people who hate it - I wouldnt risk it with unsophisticated pallets.

Macallan would get my 2nd vote - smooth enough to be acceptable to all and easily available.

However my first vote would be to chose as many differnt ones as there are people/couples coming - pick the names from a hat and instruct everyone to bring that bottle.

Do your own tasting. taxi or hotel needed.
 
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