A Whisky thread

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Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 80 total)

  • DavidGrodentz
    Participant

    There is also Thai whisky. But only good for rugby tour fines or 7 Eleven tours

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    capetonianm
    Participant

    I was given a bottle of Welsh whisky, I think it’s called Pendryn and it was a limited edition matured in sherry barrels. As far as I’m concerned and without being too critical, it can stay limited!

    I agree that Spanish whisky is best avoided too.

    There is at least on ZA whisky, it’s called Bains and is distilled with herbs and flora from the Table Mountain National Park. Apart from the nostalgic value, it’s not unpleasant but I don’t find it anything special. For sentimental reasons I always keep a bottle.


    K1ngston
    Participant

    [postquote quote=998202][/postquote]

    We use it to clear the drains 🙂

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    K1ngston
    Participant

    [postquote quote=998202][/postquote]

    Or for when Martyn comes around, he’ll drink anything 🙂

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    Cedric_Statherby
    Participant

    [quote quote=998201]What about Welsh Whisky, anyone tried that?[/quote]

    Ah yes, Welsh whisky. The only one I know is Penderyn – for years it was the only distillery in Wales full stop but I think there are some new ones starting up now.

    Penderyn is unusual because they use a continuous or Coffey still rather than the traditional pot stills that all Scottish single malt distilleries use (and most others the world over too). Coffey stills are column stills and are widely used in the grain whisky industry, but they are usually considered only practical for large volumes, which Penderyn is definitely not.

    It results in a whisky which is definitely different, and something of a “love it or loath it” taste. I know people (and they are not all Welsh!) who think it is really interesting and it has a loyal following who think it is delicious. But it is also true that more than most serious whiskies, there is a large body of people who really do not appreciate it at all; so much so in fact that the last time I was at the distillery (just under a year ago) I noticed that they were quietly installing two pot stills as well to enable them to make “Scottish style” whisky (their words).


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    [quote quote=998206]Or for when Martyn comes around, he’ll drink anything 🙂[/quote]

    So, my preference, when I have a decent drinking partner that can stay the course, is slanted towards Islay and the more peaty flavours. Lagavulin 18 and certain Taliskers.

    I will be brave amongst so many whisky aficionados and admit to enjoying one particular blend. Elements Peat. Heavy peaty flavour & also heavy in strength. I enjoy taking the recommendations from a barman, one regular London haunt is Milroys in Soho (London) which has over 300 different whiskys. I am never scared of trying something new.

    I have found a couple of exciting bottles in airport lounges (remember them) over the year, especially in Helsinki and HKG.

    The one whisky I have never understood is the JW Blue label. Only tried it in the T5 lounge, perhaps if I had paid for it it would taste different.


    ontherunhome
    Participant

    [postquote quote=998209][/postquote]

    Dear Cedric, thank you. The TV programme I mentioned, had a good explaination of the two different type stills, and how Irish Whiskey production was decimated by industrial production in Scotland, and the creation of the Irish Free State.


    Cedric_Statherby
    Participant

    [quote quote=998215]I will … admit to enjoying one particular blend. Elements Peat[/quote]

    Martyn

    No need to apologise – blending is a serious business and some are delicious! Do you know Smokehead, also a peaty smoky Islay bottling?

    I didn’t know about Milroys, and being a Londoner I must look into it when we are allowed to again.


    canucklad
    Participant

    Actually , people loving Japanese whiskey is in a way a back handed compliment to its Scottish relatives. And their ability to find & replicate the conditions of Speyside on Hokkaido (If memory serves)

    Personally I love a Glenkinchie lowland malt, preferably an 18year old , a ( greedy) taste acquired through the talking doors, upstairs in the Diamond lounge in T1 — downstairs it was a 12 year old . Macallans 12 year old is my beered out choice after playing Friday night football -a nice way to begin the weekend binge ! (back in the day)

    My favourite whisk ( E ) y stories are linked to Japanese tipples. Asking my dad what he wanted back from HK , he replied a good whisky . At the Duty Free , I had a brainstorm and decided a Japanese Whiskey would be a welcome alternative. Not knowing much about Rising Sun nectar I went by price point . Not extortionate nor rot gut cheap I opted for a middling $700 HK bottle. Transiting Manchester I proudly shared my loving logic with the security screener inspecting the sealed bag …. “That’s not a 40% Whiskey- it’s a 17% Plum Liquor”. Never ever got around to complaining to the Duty Free shop !

    Best ever, was the occasion in The Sandman Hotel , Newcastle . I was in the company of 7/8 colleagues ,most of whom were big wigs up from London. I recall vividly upsetting a Lady Director when I politely pointed out that her harping on about , what she thought was her & her team’s most pivotal and exciting role in the project was a boring exaggeration of the reality . and anyway , we weren’t here to yak about work ! That was met with “here, here” from paygrades well above who up to that point were to sooky to raise the obvious ! Another Toff Top Dog with Marbles in his mouth thought it a good idea to share his love of single malts . Setting the rule that we all had to choose a different one when it came to our round. And so it started, most of the company signed off their own expenses so all good and well, I knew I could it explain it away to my boss, so all good !
    Finally it came to a young lad who was there only for his systems knowledge and was in well over his depth. And for a boy from Fife hadn’t a clue about whisky. Previously I had been trying to figure how to rescue him , without letting on to the others that he was but a lowly soldier and should be exempt from his rather expensive round. To no avail. Whether it was Single Malt Scotch Dutch Courage or the pressure from the southern softy eyes staring in his general direction he reluctantly called our waitress over . If any of you know the Sandman you’ll know that the staff in the adjoining Shark Club have certain attributes. Safe to say even the boys are pretty . Our lad now faced with having to choose a whisky , had the naïve idea to ask our waitress for advice. To her credit, it disproved the dumb blonde stereotype as she suggested we move east of Speyside, Far east as it happened ! Through his eyes I swear I could see the windmills turning wildly in his mind. Before I could interject and at least limit the damage to his expenses , our lovely scantily clad waitress smiled and bent over in such a manner to best show off her finest assets directly in his sight line . No more hesitation , just a bold cleavage (magnificent) motivated pronouncement ……… “ 8 please”

    I never did pluck up the courage to email his manager on his behalf to explain the circumstances !!

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    GivingupBA
    Participant

    Some friends and I polished off a part-bottle of Bhutanese whisky in 1996.

    Out of politeness I shall refrain from describing the taste.

    Perhaps it’s improved since then.


    Cedric_Statherby
    Participant

    Probably the oddest named whisky in the world is made in, of all places, London. In a back-alley shed in an industrial estate in Park Royal – heather-clad Highlands it ain’t.

    The whisky is proper whisky, made on a micro scale (actually, I thought too micro to be legal…), and matured on site. No such thing as a bonded warehouse, nor even a spirit safe. I doubt whether an Exciseman has been anywhere near the place! The proprietors are Poles, they certainly know their stuff, and the whisky is called Bimber. See here: https://www.bimberdistillery.co.uk/home. It actually tastes very good.

    Oh, by the way, Bimber is a Polish word, best translated as … hooch, or moonshine!


    Tramor01
    Participant

    [quote quote=998215]The one whisky I have never understood is the JW Blue label. Only tried it in the T5 lounge, perhaps if I had paid for it it would taste different.[/quote]

    Martyn – In the dim and distant past I used to work for the owners of JW (and others), and, if I remember correctly, Blue Label (followed by Green Label) was initially developed (it’s a blended whisky) for the Japanese market, and in particular for the “gifting” market.
    At that time Japanese whiskies were available across a wide range of price points, and was thus good for gifting, because you could give a bottle of whisky befitting of the recipients’ standing/position in their company etc.
    Unfortunately, other than the individual distillery single malts, the Johnnie Walker brand itself only had blends, i.e. Red Label, Black label, and Swing.
    Other than Swing, there wasn’t anything at the “top end” of the market which would be suitable to give to a company Chairman etc., so, lo and behold Blue Label, and then Green Label came to be “developed”.
    The selling point used to be that Blue Label contained an element of whisky in the blend that was at least 50 years old.
    Moving on to today, Johnnie Walker now markets a plethora of whiskies from Red Label up to the ÂŁ600 John Walker and Sons Private Collection Or ÂŁ2000 for the Baccarat Bottle

    As an aside, in recent years I’ve lost count the number of times I’ve been in a bar/club in Vietnam etc. where someone has bought a bottle of Blue label for the table, only to see the non discerning members of the party liberally drown it in Coca Cola 🙂

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    cwoodward
    Participant

    So much interesting information and amusing anecdotes!

    This set me to wondering who serves a decent drop in business class.
    JAL serves mid market Suntory Royal / Nikka Kingsland along with a couple of mass market Scottish whiskeys While ANA serves Blue Label as well as a couple of good Japanese drops that seem to change from route to route.
    BA it seems serve Johnny Walker red label. A poor offering in my opinion which I find difficult to believe although the information is from their web site.
    Cathay does a little better with Johnny Walker Gold Reserve and Chivas Regal 12 Years Old and on offer in business.
    Qantas has a pretty ordinary selection in general but with on some premier routes to the US The Glenlivet 18 year old
    ANA looks to be the leader at this point ?


    capetonianm
    Participant

    I find JW Blue palatable and pleasant but nothing memorable about it.

    When anyone asks me for whisky I ask them what they want with it. If the answer is anything other than a couple of drops of water they get the cheapest stuff I have, which at the moment is a bottle of JW Red which I was given. If the answer is ‘Coke’ I tell them to go to the shop and get some.


    Montysaurus
    Participant

    I had JW Blue Label a few years ago on a BA flight back from SFO. Thank goodness I didn’t have to pay for it, it was pretty average. My favourite whisky (not that expensive) is Benromach Organic.

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