Comments on: glenlivet 12 year vs johnnie walker black

By: Cash

Cash — Fri, 02 May 2008 18:21:15 +0000

Argonaut in Denver tends to have some decent prices on Scotch, and even feature sales on occasion. Welcome to UM Fenriz, thanks for stopping by.

By: Fenriz

Fenriz — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 04:32:50 +0000

Ah, a peat lover. Good man! I second (and third, if you’ll allow) Lagavulin and Laphroiag. (I happily throw Ardbeg into the mix, too, but really that’s just throwing more fuel onto an already glorious peat fire.) This post has put me in the mood and I have the pleasure of sipping the Laphroiag 15yo at this moment.

Macallan is certainly good, but I feel it coasts more on reputation these days than superiority. It won’t give you any smoky peat, it’s a classic sherried Highland (or Speyside if you want to get your Scotch geek on). Resist the tempting price tag on the Fine Oak expressions, they offer nothing novel.

Two greats I will throw in are Talisker and Highland Park. Both are Island malts so they’ll give you the peat, sea salt, and iodine. Of the two Talisker is a mega peat monster, and a primary component of JW Black and Blue Labels — most of the smokiness you get from JW Black is because of Talisker. Highland Park I would call the most balanced of the Island malts, with plenty of good peat but not monstrous like the others mentioned. A perfect marriage of Island and Highland, IMO.

I just Googled upon your posts today and I’m loving them, especially since I’m a Denverite too (well, Westminsterite technically, but my spirit is with Denver). And don’t pay the prices mentioned above. We’re in a good liquor market here and you can have the stuff for a lot less. I’m sure there are good places in town (Applejack?), but up here I shop at Total Beverage and the Lagavulin is $75, Talisker 10yo $43, Highland Park 12yo only a mere $35, and my beloved Laphroiag $32 with their club coupon! Scotch ain’t cheap, but those are some awesome prices.

By: Cash

Cash — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:39:17 +0000

I tried the Dalmore 12 last night.. very smooth. Not quite as peaty as I prefer, but I think that has something to do with it being a Highland?? Anyway, I’m debating doing a full review post on Dalmore, stay tuned.

By: Cash

Cash — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:45:14 +0000

Thanks to everyone for the awesome suggestions.. I’m putting together a list and will try to comment on my favorites as I sample them.

By: Brian R

Brian R — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:13:55 +0000

I amazed nobody’s mentioned Aberlour or Balvenie.

Aberlour is a lighter, more approachable drink, and relatively cheap for a single malt.

Balvenie makes a number of different single malts, all of which are worth a taste. They are one where I’ve found that you get what you pay for, in the sense that their basic 12-year is good, but the more expensive Doublewood, 15-year, and 18-year Portwood are worth the price bump.

By: Bob P

Bob P — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:54:38 +0000

I got all geared up for Oban, so I ended up picking up the last bottle on the shelf on my way out of the store last night. After all the chatter, it was a nice way to end the evening.

Scott, you’re welcome to join me for a drink, cheers indeed!

By: drew bomb

drew bomb — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:03:39 +0000

Go with a Dalwhinnie 15 year old single malt scotch…. the trick is to drink it room temp….but drop just a hint of water…. two or three drops in it to release the bouquet. Some of the best drinking of my life.

By: Scott

Scott — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:56:31 +0000

I was all geared up at work to come home, have a nice glass of scotch, and write a well thought out response.

Bob P totally stole my thunder. Cheer’s to you sir.

By: Bob P

Bob P — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:22:25 +0000

Ben - make friends with some guys that own a liqour store. It helps a lot.

What year of Lagavulin did you find stronger than the Laphroaig? the 16 Ive found rather smooth while still maintaining character, but I couldnt drink the Laphroaig without water, it was too intense in the nose.

on the bold beverage tip - MacCallan markets a Cask Strength bottle that you can water to your desired taste… and if you dont… WOW. Don’t make plans for afterward.

Another one that just came to mind, and which I haven’t had in far too long is Oban. it’s a very balanced malt with just enough of everything to sit right in the middle of the spectrum, IMO. I think I’ll grab a bottle tonight.

For those on the west coast, there is an annual whiskey festival that brings all the major and not so major distilleries to the yard - my buddy Jeff went last year and brought home stories the likes of which no beer festival can ever top.

Amongst them - “How’s the Johnny walker black label?” “Oh.. no one’s even asked for it yet, would you care to try it? ” ” sure, why not?” *un cork followed by a 6 Oz Pour*

needless to say, its an event for which you arrange transportation to and from.

OH and a correction: the URL for further reading is in fact WHISKY.com , not whiskey as I had typed in error.

By: goat

goat — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:26:07 +0000

by the power of google a quick search of denver brings up Pint’s Pub has an excellent scotch selection. My recommendation is go there and see if you can do a “flight” of scotches. Barring that try to see if any of the wait staff have some suggestions.