How/Where to began drinking whiskey

rider4life said:

Many apologies for being "that guy", I must correct you sir. Per Scottish law (yes, actual LEGAL DOCUMENTS) Scotch may contain only three things:

1) water
2) yeast
3) barley

Scotch must also be aged in oak barrels. No other wood is allowed.

Should any of the above not be met then the spirit is not allowed to be called Scotch, but must be called whiskey or some other derivative.

Otherwise nice amount of information.

Cheers

M.

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It is also permissable to add E150 (caramel) colouring. Many whisky purists, me included, would rather this was not the case.

If Scotch is your tipple, I'd recommend anyone to start with a Highland or Speyside whisky, perhaps a Glenmorangie or Aberlour. I started my journey with Aberlour but the first bottle I really enjoyed was Glenmorangie. They are two of the least complex malts and are palatable for novices, with a splash of water to take some of the nip away, in my opinion.

The first time I attempted to taste whisky, I took a fairly big sip which swiftly ended up in the kitchen sink. My advice, to familiarise yourself with the whisky, would be to sip just enough of it to coat your tongue and then swirl it around your mouth. This should help to prepare your taste buds for a more enjoyable second serving. By doing this, you'll also be diluting the whisky with your saliva, so it will not taste as harsh as neat whisky being swallowed quickly would. It also means you can savour your drink for a little while longer.

The natural progression, for me, was moving on to the whiskies that were influenced a lot by their locations e.g. the salty sea of Old Pulteney and the medicinal peatiness of Laphroaig. Once you can handle Laphroaig, no other whiskies should be imposing to try, so you'll be able to begin your own whisky exploration!

August West said:

Try Red Breast neat.

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Just had my first Redbreast, neat. It was wonderful!!!!!!!!!

eezee said:

Just had my first Redbreast, neat. It was wonderful!!!!!!!!!

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Kazeryu said:

No apology required, so long as you don't mind me turning it back on you.


You are thinking of "Single Malt Scotch Whiskey".

from http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/2890/regulation/3/made :



--> Note that "Single Grain Scotch Whiskey" does not have the "only water and barley" requirement.

I will acknowledge, however, that most people mentally translate 'Scotch' into 'Single Malt Scotch', so the confusion is understandable.

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chris.hale said:

It is also permissable to add E150 (caramel) colouring. Many whisky purists, me included, would rather this was not the case.

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Gentlemen;

You are both correct. I was assuming single malt Scotch and yes, the colouring that none of the distilleries admit but most use. Cheers to you both.

Cheers,

M.

rider4life said:

... single malt Scotch and yes, the colouring that none of the distilleries admit but most use.

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Occasionally they will admit its existence elsewhere, when they describe their own bottle as "no colour added" ... but yes, I've never seen them admit "we added colour to this one".

And for the record, no, we do NOT need the added colour ... scotch looks wonderful all on its own!!

Single malts of the milder flavor varieties from the better makers, e.g. Glenmorangie, Macalan, are very palatable. A drop of water, is mandated. I prefer to get that drop from a tiny ice cube.