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.

Maybe give Auchentoshan a try. Not too smokey & very smooth. As other have suggested, The Macallan & Glenfiddich are also good tasting scotches. Just by way of interest, I was in a liquor store in Calgary last week & saw a (750 ml) bottle of 50 yr. old Glenfiddich retailing for $22,838 Cdn. - certainly outta my league & he'd have to be a very good buddy indeed. Congratulations & best of luck to you & your new wife.

Cheers
JB

I had a pelican recommend the Balvenie double wood two weeks ago and it was superb. I went with the 12 since I can't stomach paying all that much.

Amazon.com: Balvenie 12 Year Doublewood: Grocery & Gourmet Food

I will third (or 5th?) Macallan 12yr. "The single malt against which all others must be judged"

Not smokey, and quite buttery and sweet (a bit too much for my taste).

Another vote for Balvinie Doublewood... Bevmo has the best price on scotch I have found.

If you find/afford the Balvinie 18 YO it is sublime...

What? You got married and didn't ask our advice? :D

Congratulations!

SmileWavy

Balvenie, Glen Fiddich, Glen Morangie , Macallan. But the Balvenie Doublewood is a no lose purchase.

Then there are a bunch of American small batch whiskey producers making some very tasty stuff, but you would have to buy a bunch of bottles and taste them to find the right one.

I volunteer to drop by and help with the tasting!

+ for balvenie, but also highland park make some very nice whisky

"NOT SMOKEY BUT SWEET" is going AGAINST the GRAIN with this type of Whiskey. It would be better to try an American Whiskey (Corn) that are done in small batches as described above. Some of them can be quite pricey as well. Or maybe give him a coupla diffferent varieties...YOUR WELCOME.

I guess Notstatus got tired of being Pelican Pecked and decided to be Hen Pecked instead? At least with a Hen he gets some, at least once in awhile...

[QUOTE=tabs;6928588.....I guess Notstatus got tired of being Pelican Pecked and decided to be Hen Pecked instead? At least with a Hen he gets some, at least once in awhile...[/QUOTE]


Wow Tabs...that's pretty damn harsh if ya ask me....


































I wonder if she'll let him come back to this thread :).

Ps: I know Todd can take the keeding...I still remember what it was like when I first discovered this place many years ago.

OK Tabs... you bring the cigars and you are invited to the tasting.

Macallan 18 is fantastic. I'm not sure what price range you're looking for, it's probably about $130 per bottle.

Ohhh He11 just put sum Kerosene in a bottle with some Shoe Polish (Coal Tar) for colour and aging and use a Magic Marker to scrawl "MacCallan" "25 years old" on the bottle and call it good..Then tell em that it is a "SPECIAL LIMITED RESERVE"

BTW//TABS just EDITED his own next comment....

Sooooooooo........... not a fan of The Macallan, huh? I'm sure there are better Scotches out there, but this is the first time I've heard anybody call it kerosene. I guess that's why they say "YMMV".

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1345677794.jpg

Macallan +!

Thanks for the suggestions. Looks like Balvenie is going to be the winner, somewhere between 15 and 21 years old.

The new spouse puts up with me and knows what to expect.

Must...

Not...

Post...

:D

She's seen about $30K worth of basses pass through the house over the past few years and gone to probably half of the 300 or so shows I've played (glutton for punishment). If I came home with another 911 she'd say, "cool, when's the next track day?"

3rd time is a charm.

He would love aberlour a'bunadh. It's cask strength and has very complex flavor. It is on the sweet side. This is my"everyday" scotch.

Or three strikes and your OUT...But seriously best wishes..

Your an Azzhole Nostatus but your a good man...but join the fking club of the human race. Remeber that your capacity to LOVE. is your saving grace...