Care to join?

[Dr. Harout]

Anyone care to join me?

[Javelin]

looks cold, bit early in the morning for me though

[David Kilpatrick]

We had a German visitor to our folk session last night. He was using a Pentax K10D, two lenses and flash and took dozens of shots (I know what I look like with my eyes shut and mouth open singing, but I did not demand the handover of his memory card!). He then bought EVERYONE of the musicians and singers a drink - at least 15 of us. He didn't ask, he just got the barman to work out what everyone had, and turn up with a two loaded trays and distribute them. Bad luck for me, because as the organiser, I needed to return the hospitality and bought him the most expensive single malt they had behind the bar. I know it was one of these:

http://www.bruichladdich.com/

But I don't know which one! He stayed until 1.30am and was disappointed that he couldn't buy any more drinks after 12.45am. He turned out to be a journalist, married to a Scots woman but living in western Germany near the Dutch border.

Now all I need to do is to buy every available single malt to do a nice A900 studio photo. Not going to happen, as that would cost many times as much as the A900!

David

[bossel]

Darn - too bad I still have to drive tonight. The wife is dragging me to the doubtful pleasures of ballet Please keep some til I am back!!

[01af]

Oh no! Dr Harout, what have you done!?

Your vodka made David talk about drinks and whisky and point to Bruichladdich's website which in turn made my mouth water, jump up, and hurry out to the local supermarket to get a bottle of fine single-malt Scotch whisky. While supermarkets usually sell just cheap mainstream products, ours has an unusually well-assorted beverage department where some really fine spirits are available ... they even have Scottish gin! Still no Bruichladdich, unfortunately. So I had to resort to a bottle of 10-year-old Ardbeg Single Islay Malt Scotch 46 % ... I hope that's a good brand, too. I'm not familiar with whisky; so far I'm more into Italian wine and Japanese tea. I chose it out of some dozen Scotch whiskies because it was the only one that explicitly said, 'non chill-filtered.' Whatever that means---it's tasty (I'm having one right now).

By the way, while we're at it ... how do connoisseurs have their Scotch? Neat, on the rocks, with water? How much water, at which temperature? After some trying I feel it's best at room temperature, no ice, with a splash of plain water but more whisky than water. Does that seem right?

-- Olaf

[Birma]

Hi Olaf - I sympathise as I'm now sipping a single malt, a glass of Highland Park. I'm sure there are some real connoisseurs of Single Malt on the forum, but while we wait for them, here is my take. Ardbeg is a very fine single malt and rates as one of my favourites. It is a relatively new brand name, perhaps around 10 years old. It was created from buying out an old distillery which used to make single malts for other brands (very similar to photography equipment companies!) so they had a stock going back many years with which to start the new brand. I was lucky enough to visit the distillery on Islay (a mecca to Single Malt fans) soon after they opened it under the new name. One of the finest single malts I have ever tasted is the 25 year old Ardbeg which seems to evaporate on you tongue like of wisp of sweet peat smoke.

There is much debate regarding taking you malt with water or not. Personally I like a small amount of water, typically 50/50 water and malt, but it's a personal taste thing. Both at room temperature. I think ice in a single malt is probably heresy!

Single malts are often categorised by which area in Scotalnd they are produced from. Ardbeg is an Island malt being one of the many from the islands on the west coast. I think Bruichladdich (which I think you pronounce Brook-laddie) is a Highland Malt coming from the central highalnds. The Island malts, especially those from Islay are renowned for being more peaty, that is more flavoured by the peat in the water used to make them.

I would liken taste in Single malts to taste in PP software - there is no right or wrong. My personal favourites are Highland Park (from Orkney), Ardbeg and Laphroig (from Islay), and Talisker (from the Isle of Skye). Talisker is produced a few miles from where my parents-in-law no live on Skye. The distillery is next to a sea loch, where the sea air is meant to add an extra complexity to the malt. Ardbeg is also produced next to the sea.

Well the Highland Park is all gone now, so I'll say Slainte until tomorrow

[bossel]

I know why I am here - there is so much I can learn for life I sometimes drank whiskey when I was younger. IIRC Talisker and Laphroig are pretty smokey, whey you drinkt it feels like you smoke a cigar, forgive me if my analogy is not well expressed. I am sure for the price of tonights ballet tickets I could have bought at least a 20 year old whiskey and have much more pleasure than 2 hrs of strange dancing!! But then you have to do something for the wife sometimes...

Btw, Doc, you still owe us a detailed explanation what's in that bottle!

[David Kilpatrick]

So I had to resort to a bottle of 10-year-old Ardbeg Single Islay Malt Scotch 46 % ... I hope that's a good brand, too. I'm not familiar with whisky; so far I'm more into Italian wine and Japanese tea. I chose it out of some dozen Scotch whiskies because it was the only one that explicitly said, 'non chill-filtered.' Whatever that means---it's tasty (I'm having one right now).

By the way, while we're at it ... how do connoisseurs have their Scotch? Neat, on the rocks, with water? How much water, at which temperature? After some trying I feel it's best at room temperature, no ice, with a splash of plain water but more whisky than water. Does that seem right?

-- Olaf

Arbeg at 46% is more than just good, it's on the way to a 'cask strength whisky' (or it contains a high proportion of old cask whiskies - they get stronger as they age). Normal single malt is 40%. Cheaper 'aged' whiskies like Jura Superstition are 43% - I like that, but some people think it has a rough edge. 10-year and 46% indicates a good cask, because a lot of 10-year is only 40%. The 'age' always means the youngest whisky used. A single malt is not just one cask, but a mixture of malt of the same distillery, of different ages - one whisky (single) but always carefully improved by adding small amounts of older, stronger casks. So 10 yrs and 46% probably means a high proportion of older years added, and a very good whisky - especially for a supermarket.

You can drink it absolutely any way you like if your local water is sweet and has no chlorine - with or without water, with or without ice. That's personal taste. But it is worth having one without ice, in a warm glass, like brandy, to get the full aroma. I prefer ice to water with most fuller-flavoured island malts, but I guess it would add no more than 25 per cent water. I would usually add water about 1:1 if I wanted whisky with water. Scottish pubs will give you a jug of water. Some locals will add much more and drink it very weak, the same way the French add water to pastis. But our water is totally different to water in London - I would not add ANY water or ice to whisky in London, the water is so bad to taste.

David

[pakodominguez]

But I don't know which one! He stayed until 1.30am and was disappointed that he couldn't buy any more drinks after 12.45am.

what?
I thought Brits were more civilized...

[pakodominguez]

Can I bring my own bottle?
http://www.estirpeperuana.com/
I'm ready to share!

[01af]

I sometimes drank whiskey when I was younger. IIRC Talisker and Laphroig are pretty smokey ...

Except that Talisker and Laphroig are not whiskey

Btw, Doc, you still owe us a detailed explanation what's in that bottle!

It's vodka (that much kyrillic I can read) ... but from where? It must be from a country where they write in kyrillic letters obviously, so it's not from Scandinavia or Poland.

... Jura Superstition are 43% - I like that, but some people think it has a rough edge. [...] I prefer ice to water with most fuller-flavoured island malts ...

Well ... ice tends to round off rough edges (if there are any) and generally makes strong spirits smoother and thus easier to consume. But in my opinion it also takes away a bit from the subtleties of the flavours---rather than drinking expensive stuff with ice, I feel one could just as well have a cheaper variety of the same stuff (well, not quite as well ... but close). Anyway, I'm glad to learn that a few ice cubes in a fine single-malt Scotch is not considered barbarism

Some locals will add much more and drink it very weak, the same way the French add water to pastis.

Now that's interesting! Never heard of this way to drink Scotch ... but it's good! The highly diluted whisky is very soft and smooth in the mouth but the lingering aftertaste is almost as strong and persistent as from the neat stuff (well, not quite ... but close). This adds another way of enjoying whisky---now I have to make up my mind which way I like the most ...

-- Olaf

[Dr. Harout]

The bottle is indeed a vodka one (Russian vodka called "Khlebnaya doroga", which means bread route). Inside is, of course, vodka... but not the original one. The original was drank long ago. So my relatives distilled their own vodka from mulberry (that practice exists here, even from different fruits and berries, of which the leader remains the apricot vodka).

[01af]

The plot thickens ... I just found out you cannot enjoy a Scotch to the utmost unless you're using a glass with a lid. When lifting the lid, there will be a sweet and fruity fragrance which after a few seconds will turn into a peaty and smoky scent. Replacing the lid and waiting for a minute will restore the fruity nose---again for just a few seconds. That's intriguing ... never knew how much fun you can have with a glass of Scotch without even drinking it.

-- Olaf

[[SiC]]

I'm not that very fond of whisky, but I'm trying to learn
Haven't tried that many because of this but I have one I'm quite fond of - Strathisla Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky aged 12 years.
Has anyone tried this "my favourite", and if so - do you have any recommendations for similar brands I should try?

Thanks in advance!

BR,
/Zeb!

ps. was on a local irish pub (The Leprechaun) this saturday celebrating a friends 30'th birthday, no whisky though - mostly Spaten and Staropramen beer (I was a bit heavy headed yesterday...)

[Dr. Harout]

From a properly distilled beverage you shouldn't have any headache. If you do, then change it (I mean the liquor, beer, whatever... not your head )