Some scotch education if you please

[Doc4]

Glenlivet 12. I poured some over three ice cubes swirled and sipped... and almost gagged.

Can someone wiser than I provide some help? How should I start?

Okay, it's not how you should start, it's how you should finish. Replace "almost gagged" with "really enjoyed" and you have it.






I'd suggest trying it more like the way you drink your gin & tonic ... that is, with a mixer. Scotch & Soda (on ice) is great. Yeah, it's probably a "waste" of a "good single malt" yada yada yada, but it gives you a chance to acclimate yourself to the "it" of Scotch gradually, rather than diving into the (undiluted) deep end.

 

[_MementoMori_]

I drank scotch and sodas for about a week with Johnnie Walker Black. Then I picked up a bottle of AcNoc 12 and started drinking it with just a little cool water. I think "working up" to the single malt with water this way was a good idea.

I also agree that ice somehow befouls the entire experience. I even let my whisky sit until the added water has reached room temperature. I just think it tastes better that way.

 

[mharris127]

Whiskies may not be for the OP. I was the opposite, I couldn't stand beer until I got older but give me a Scotch or Crown Royal with a splash of water on ice and I was a happy camper. If my stomach wasn't so messed up from drinking heavily for years I still would enjoy some Crown Royal today!

Unfortunately the last few times I attempted to drink, one drink and I was retching into the toilet with blood coming out of my mouth. It has been four years since my last drink (I am afraid to try and get back on the drinking saddle again, but I would hope my stomach is healed enough where I could handle a drink today) and I still have times where I have red blood in the toilet after defecating. Moral of this post -- drink responsibly now or you will regret it in your old age!!!!!

 

[Troggie]

I think with any alcohol it is definitely an acquired taste. My dad is a whiskey drinker and really the only reason I have it in my liquor cabinet. I have been trying it on and off for the past 3 years and still can not really get the taste of it. I personally am vodka drinker as well as gin.

 

[Voomie]

Scotch is one of those things that it is an acquired taste. If you dont like it, dont beat yourself up about it. I drink scotch too much but I do get a craving for it once a year on my birthday.

 

[Mvcrash]

If you want to try a "sweet" Scotch look for the Glenlivit 21 which is finished in Rum Casks. Very sweet and very smooth. The "bite" which everyone calls the "burn" is non existent.

I've never known anyone who has tried this Scotch and not enjoyed it. It is in the $150.00 range but for a 21yoa Scotch, that is not bad.

 

[Tripnastic]

I drank scotch and sodas for about a week with Johnnie Walker Black. Then I picked up a bottle of AcNoc 12 and started drinking it with just a little cool water. I think "working up" to the single malt with water this way was a good idea.

This is how I did it. The first time I tried Scotch, I thought "never again". Then after a time I tried it a few of the JW mixer brands and slowly worked my into taking it neat.

 

[Doc4]

... it is definitely an acquired taste.

Scotch is one of those things that it is an acquired taste.

As others have said, scotch is not for everybody.

Can't disagree there.

He's tried it (at full strength) once, and .

He's got the rest of the bottle sitting there, and a nagging desire to "get it" as far as scotch is concerned. He needs to take it slow & easy, without wasting lots of money on expensive new bottles of stuff he may well dislike just as much.

So, he should finish off the bottle in a "baby steps into the shallow end of the pool" way, namely blended drinks, and see if he can come around to scotch when it's not so in-your-face.

 

[Walter Sobchak]

Gotta agree with Doc4. Don't go out buying a bunch of other bottles you might like better.

It's a drink that has a 'training period". Particularly if you're coming over from something like Gin or Vodka. Much like wetshaving. There's a learning curve. Not all of it in the beginning is pleasant. In those cases, you might enjoy backing it with gingerale.

There's a school of thought that you can go with a 40/60 water/scotch mix for a bit. Then when you've come to pick out some nice flavors go to 30/70 for a while...and so on until you get to where you're enjoying it.

The ice sharpens it up and makes it less desirable for those more experienced Scotch drinkers as it robs some of the nuance. If you want an iced Scotch, drink a blend on rocks.

I disagree with the whomever says Scotch shouldn't have water added. It's true that Scotch doesn't necessarily need it. However, there are some Scotches that clearly benefit from a touch of water. The Dalmore, for example, comes 86 proof out of the bottle. The Distiller will tell you that the full roundness of flavors really comes out at about 78 proof. They suggest you add a healthy splash of tepid, clean water to open it up to its deepest offerings. It's like two different drinks. The water added version gives, IMO, a much greater breadth of flavors.

With a new Scotch, I always start neat. Sometimes a add a splash of water if I'm not enamored of the taste taken neat.

Anyway, it's all about what makes your mouth happy. Enjoying Scotch is a personal experience, I think. If you want to add grenadine and a twist, go for it...as long as you like it and have a fat wallet!

 

[k1ng]

As others have mentioned scotch is definitely one of those drinks that grow on you. I only recently started liking scotch/whiskey and now I'm working on a bottle of Glenlivet 15 and Glenfiddich 12. Of the two, the Glenlivet is what I grab for 99.5% of the time.

 

[jakko]

or you drink it like some japanese do. They call it the mizuwari style. Where you take 1 part of whisky and mix it to 2 parts chilled water with some ice. It really brings out the floral notes and the burn isn't there as it is too diluted.

here's a link on how to make it:

http://nonjatta.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-to-make-mizuwari.html

 

[Psychmike22]

I have been baby stepping it by using it very dilute. I will also try it as a mixer to get a better handle on the burn. Thanks for the recommendation mvcrash. You are describing what I like and now I know what to hint around about for the holidays. I have friends that like scotch so at the very least I am prepared for impromptu visits. There happens to be a nice restaurant near me that has a fine list of whiskey and single malts. Thank you all for helping me on this journey. I tip my glass to you.

 

[Glassjaw]

Stick with it! Like everyone said, very few people like it at first. I actually kept smelling it in a snifter until I started to pick up some simple notes (like sweetness, fruit, smoky, etc. i'm not one of those people who can smell morning dew, summer dandelions, barqs root beer, and seaside rain storm in the whiskey). I found that as I started to like the smell of whisk(e)y, I started to like the taste better. Maybe its all in my head, but whatever I enjoy it more now and thats what counts.

 

[RolandofGilead]

It's OK *not* to like Scotch too.

If you were turned off by the flavors of a somewhat subdued Scotch brand (especially when they were further muted by the ice), then it may not be your drink. And that's OK. I'm not sure of your age, but one thing I can say is that often people develop a taste for Scotch as they get older.

As for recommendations.... most people do not put ice in single malts such as Glenlivet. Just a little water, if anything. I'm afraid that if you don't use ice, and hence release the full flavors, you may like it even less, but.... if you want to try another single malt, maybe try something with more of a sweeter, sherry note, like The Macallan. It doesn't sound like you want to go down the smokey road at this time. If you want the muted taste of Scotch over ice, try a good blended Scotch like Johnnie Walker.

This is good advice. I hate Glenlivet...but Macallan is amazing IMO. Sweet, with vanilla and sherry notes. Delicious.

 

[Psychmike22]

How old on The Macallan?

 

[RolandofGilead]

How old on The Macallan?

The Macallan 12 is a staple for me. I'll be getting a bottle of 18 as well for special occasions, I've had it before and it is smooooth and good!

I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to try some 30 yo as well (it runs $700-1,000 a bottle!) it was amazing!

The 12 imo is still very very good, for a reasonable price (about $40) and it's my every day go-to scotch. It's very easy to drink, and not very hard to aquire a taste for...great for beginners, as well as more experienced drinkers.

 

[dgilman]

It's very easy to drink, and not very hard to aquire a taste for...great for beginners, as well as more experienced drinkers.

I feel the same way about Auchentoshan. Psychmike22, you may want to work up to taking scotch neat/with a splash/etc., but when you're ready for that, try a dram of Auchentoshan. It's very light and sweet, as scotch whiskies go, and I enjoy flavor notes in it that I just don't taste in other whiskies. It's a Lowland scotch, so I find it much more floral and gentle on the tongue than, say, an Islay that can slap you upside the head with peat and brine. Good stuff by the glass.

 

[Psychmike22]

Based on your recommendations I picked up a bottle of The Macallan 12. I am drinking it with water and like this much better than the Glenlivet 12.

It is smooth and somewhat sweet. I will start weening off of the water next.

Thanks again.

 

[RolandofGilead]

Glad you like it...once you start taking the water away, concentrate on those sweet notes and it will get easier to drink...until one day, you'll discover that you love the stuff (that's my experience anyways)

 

[tbress]

My first experience with single malt was an Aberlour. I too almost gagged, I thought it tasted like kerosene. I was then given a bottle of Dalwhinnie for Christmas and found it much easier to drink and appreciate. After that I picked up another bottle of Aberlour and was amazed at how much that brand improved over such a short time!

Keep at it. The reason I didn't give up is because men that I know and respect had a great love for scotch. I wanted to see why they liked it so much, even if I didn't get it at first.