scotch suggestion
 

So my oldest friend went way beyond the call of duty recently, navigating the red tape of state govt and serving as the officiant at my recent nuptials. I want to get him a bottle (or two) of some really good scotch. I know very little on the subject. The only hint he gave me was that he prefers sweet over smokey.

Suggestions welcome.

good luck:)

Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 yr.

Aged in used rum barrels. Nice vanilla, less smoke. Sweet for my taste.

May you and your wife make happy footprints in many snows. :) :)

Most good scotches are on the smokey side, so this is a tough one.

Talisker has a nice butterscotch flavor to it, without being overly smokey. Certainly not as smokey as, say, Laphroig or Lagavulen - stay away from those two if he doesn't like the smokey stuff.

HardDrive's advice on the Balvenie is spot on. Actually, any Balvenie tends towards the sweeter, less smokey end of the spectrum. My favorite is their Double Wood, aged in two different casks (I believe sherry casks to be one of them, but can't remember the other).

Balvenie Doublewood would work as well. (Like Jeff said . . .)

Ian

There'll be plenty of suggestions as to what to get- what not to get are the Islay whiskys. These are the highly peated ones - the extremes being laguvlin,laphroig, ardbeg.
Scotch always carries its region on the label- stay from the Islays.

Balvenie, dalwhinnie, macallan, glen morangie- cant go wrong. Speyside and Highland.

And congratulatons.

Another vote for 12 year old Balvinie Doublewood. Or if you are feeling very "well heeled" get him the 21 year Balvinie. The Doublewood does have a nice sweet aroma from being stored in sherry casks. Go to a good bar and give both a try...

I have both in my cabinet and they are reserved for special occasions.

Congrats on the wedding... would have come had I known where and when...

Macallans or oban. Not too peaty. Both very nice

I think you mistyped this. Nothing is smokier than Talisker. It tastes exactly like sticking your head under your bbq lid and inhaling. I love it, but it's super smokey.

Balvenie gets my vote. I'm partial to the 15 yr. old, world of difference over 12 yr.

Macallan. Balvannie. Glenfidditch.

In descending order of awesomeness and price.

Tell him if he wants sweet, order a mai tai with a cute little umbrella, then buy him a bottle each of Laphroig and Lagavulin.
AM

Its true, Lagavulin does represent a high point in human achievement.

Macallan is always a good bet, for a lighter, smoother scotch. Age matters, but the price goes up.

Knew you were gonna...but missed it (if it was posted here)....Congrats Todd!

Very true.

Ian

Come to think of it, I guess you are right. I was thinking in relative terms - it's the least smokey scotch that I tend to keep around. So, Todd, you should probably scratch that one from your list.

Looks like the Balvenies are winning. You really can't go wrong with any of them.

Macallen, Delwhinnie or Oban - can't go wrong on any of these.

Any Balvenie is good. Another really good one is 15yo Glenlivet.

Stay away from any Islay region scotch if you don't want that peaty ("smoky") flavor...even if it means missing out on some of the best scotches on earth.

Don't get anything that says, "Cask Strength". It sounds good and is usually less expensive, but it's not to everyone's taste.

The Macallan is always good, but even better is Clynelish, if you can find it - it's made up north, not far from Wick. About $65 a bottle, last time I looked - a lot more than I spend for a bottle of Scotch. I also like Old Pulteny, about $40 a bottle, would do very nicely for your friend, I should think. It's made right in Wick, just about as far north as you can get in Scotland without taking a ferry over to the Orkneys.