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The best Scotch, Bourbon, and Whiskey for a beginner

...Scotch (stay away from blends, true gentleman drink single malt!)
...
do not mix any of these fine whiskies with anything (drink them neat or if you absolutely want to experiment add a single cube of ice) cheers!

Or better yet, stay away from people who tell you how/what you should be drinking. There a lot of great blends out there and a lot of people who get great enjoyment out of mixing things.

A more "gentlemanly" answer would be to try a few sips of any new bottle you buy straight and then with a splash of water so you taste it in its purest form. After that, drink it how "you" like it.
 
Bourbon list

1) Pappy van Winkle ( hard to find but there isn't a close second....really, really, special)
2) Four Roses single barrel
3) Blantons

Scotch (stay away from blends, true gentleman drink single malt!)

1) the Balvenie double wood 12 year
2) Talisker 12 year
3) Glenmorangie 18 year extremely rare

do not mix any of these fine whiskies with anything (drink them neat or if you absolutely want to experiment add a single cube of ice) cheers!

Being that this is a list of scotch/bourbon for beginners, IMHO I think Pappy might be wasted on a new drinker's taste buds, especially given the astronomical price and difficulty of procurement. A beginner doesn't want to start at the top and work his way down. Start with good quality/middle of the road spirits, develop your palette and then move up once you have discovered the styles you like.

For Bourbons, I'd say start with the mid-shelf brands like Wild Turkey 101, Evan Williams Single barrel, Buffalo Trace, etc., then move up to Four Roses, Woodford and Blantons. Then go to some of the truly exotic brands and really refine your tastes.

I fully concur with the scotches on your list.
 
I'd disagree totally that blends dont have their uses. Islay Mist for instance is a great way to see if you like peatier whiskies without plopping down quite as much money needed to buy a single malt.

Old Pulteney 12 is one of my favorite single malts in the $30-35 range.

As for Bourbon, Buffalo Trace is my go to less expensive Bourbon. I also find evan williams single barrel to be a great value, and prefer it over many trendy small batch Bourbons that may cost twice as much.
 
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Scotch
Highland Park 12 yo - Island - Delicious
Jura 16 yo - Island - Another good island to try, kind of a combo of dalmore, highland park, and old puteney.
Dalmore 12 yo - Highland - Good example of a highland whisky
Old Puteney 17 yo - Highland - Nice salty aquatic flavors
Aberlour A'Bunadh - Speyside - Good cask strength to try
Macallan 10 yo - Speyside - Good intro to sherry casks
Auchentoshan - Lowland

Bourbon
Eagle Rare - Good quality, cheap bourbon with tons of flavor
Bernheim Original - Awesome wheat bourbon
Blantons - Expensive, but fantastic
Michters Rye - Really good rye whiskey

As others said above, don't bother with Pappy. You'll pay too much and not really get anything out of it that you couldn't get from middle road bourbons, especially at this stage.

Irish
Tulamore Dew or Powers. Don't bother with Jameson's imo.
 
Knob creek is bourbon

Or better yet, stay away from people who tell you how/what you should be drinking. There a lot of great blends out there and a lot of people who get great enjoyment out of mixing things.

A more "gentlemanly" answer would be to try a few sips of any new bottle you buy straight and then with a splash of water so you taste it in its purest form. After that, drink it how "you" like it.

Absolutely agree. The best way to enjoy any spirit is the way it tastes best to the individual. And even die hard whisky enthusiasts recognise that a few drops or even a splash of water delivers the best experience with certain spirits.

I'd disagree totally that blends dont have their uses. Islay Mist for instance is a great way to see if you like peatier whiskies without plopping down quite as much money needed to buy a single malt.

Old Pulteney 12 is one of my favorite single malts in the $30-35 range.

As for Bourbon, Buffalo Trace is my go to less expensive Bourbon. I also find evan williams single barrel to be a great value, and prefer it over many trendy small batch Bourbons that may cost twice as much.

There are some very good blends out there, particularly single malt blends, but also grain whiskies as well.

I likewise agree regarding Old Pulteney 12, which I quite like, and just about anything that comes from the Buffalo Trace distillery.
 
Blanton's for bourbon—how I learned to like the stuff, having always been a Scotch drinker

You might see if you can get hold of a decent priced Springbank for Scotch—interesting distillery and the only one left that does everything in house, including all of its floor maltings—also distillation is still done the old fashioned way (not a computer in the place). Basicially, they're making scotch the same way they did over 100 years ago, and it is lovely. Springbank is their not much peat/smoke malt. Longrow is their smokey version (and fantastically rounded if not quite as smokey as the Islay heavy hitters).

For Irish, try Redbreast or Green (or Yellow) Spot—these are whiskeys made in a pot still with mixed grains in the mash, like Irish whiskey traditionally was (outside of Bushmills), but they aren't blends. the two spots are made for Mitchell's of Kildare St., an old Dublin wine and spirit merchant, and are thus even distributed in an old fashioned way (not that this affects the taste at all).
 

martym

Unacceptably Lasering Chicken Giblets?
Originally Posted by Capri142
Scotch: Spend the money on the good stuff and you will never drink cheap scotch again.

And you will enjoy slowly sipping a single glass and enjoying it with good friends or alone with a book, movie, or your thoughts instead of over indulging.
Just my 2 pennies
 
I will put my hat in the ring in the whisky category. Get your hands on some J.P. Wiser's LOT 40 100% Rye Whisky. Should be readily accessible across the US. Regionally, depending on where you are in the US, look for Highwood Distiller's products, as they make some great whiskies.
 
Scotch for first timer:
Single Malt- Glenlivet 12
Blend- Johnny Walker Black

Bourbon- Woodford Reserve or Basil Hayden if your drinking neat. Jim Beam or Bulleit if you like it on rocks.

Irish Whiskey- Jameson or Bushmills
Canadian whiskey- Crown Royal
 
Cant go wrong with any Speyside Scotch. Not as peaty or smokey as the other regions...super flavorful and aromatic...it's the only type I'll drink. The Balvenie Caribbean Cask is amazing. Scotch aged in casks that previously contained rum.

Dow
 
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