I'm a beer guy, looking for suggestions to ease my way into Scotch, Whiskey, Burbon..

You are in luck. I can provide you with the roadmap to a PHD in single malts. And with my help this is easier than an online degree.

Think Single Malt. That's a true art form. If your starting out go with the sweetest and mildest: Speyside.

Then you can move your way across from east to west as they get smokier and peatier.

Learn these regions (uh, hmm... write this down, you'll thank me later).

Speyside
Highland
Coastal Highland
Lowland
West Highland
Sky
Islay

That's my advice. You can keep it simple by starting with the best: "single malt" and then you don't have to worry about all the blends. Try only 7 (one from each region) and you're done.

Really, 7 ounces of the right liquor and you will be the biggest Scotch expert in town.

My Dad's been drinking scotch for 45 years and I know he can't name 3 of those regions.

There is a standard for each region. One Scotch that is the benchmark. Also, these are well known (it will help you speak the language of scotch if others are familiar with the same label). Familarize yourself with these malts and you will know what scotch is all about. Here is what to try:

Speyside: Cragganmore
Highland: Dalwhinnie
Coastal Highland: Clynelish
West Highland: Oban
Lowland: Glenkinchie
Skye: Talisker
Islay: Caol Ila

Don't worry about blends... do you want to be here all day? Try everything, and it will be years before you are an expert. Print this out and take it to your bartender. You'll be profecient in Scotchese by 5:30.

I mean, can it get any easier than that. I should charge money for this.

This is way easier than the ins and outs of Cigars or Wines.
 
mspringfield said:
As pointed out Gentleman Jack is a good place to start. Jack Daniel's Single Barrel is close to a good Scotch. Mac 12, as previously mention is a nice Scotch to start with. At the $30 mark look at The Dalmore Cigar Malt. Try it neat (no ice) or with no more than 3 cubes (after the pour). You also might want to mix it with a little water or club soda. Just be careful if you do it in some bars. I know a bartender who almost beat the crap out of a guy for ordering 25 yr old Macallan and Coke just to impress a date. Of course if I had of been there I would have had him give the the Mac 25 and mix the idiot's Coke with Cluny. He would have never known the difference.
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Gentleman Jack is awesome. Great smooth flavor. I highly recommend this with cigars.

Scotch will have the flavor of Peat that Tennessee whisky doesnt have. Depending on region it will also be smoky. Gentlmen Jack wont require the "aquired" taste that some scotch will.

I'd refuse to serve a single malt mixed with a soda in my bar.

It is perfectly acceptable to ad a spoon of water though. It helps oxegenate it. The industry term is "cracking the spirit". Ice works the same way.

Soda is acceptable because it won't impart a flavor. But I'd save even that for a blend.
 
bwalker2us said:
Some people are just not cut out to drink whiskey. My favorite drink is Gentlemen jack, its smoother then regular Jack Daniels. When I was younger I hated whiskeys but I had friends that like them and they showed me how to get started. This worked for me so here goes.

One way to learn how to drink/sip a whiskey or bourbon is to order it on the rocks. Put a shot of whiskey in a glass with lots of ice. Let the ice melt, try sipping it, if it’s to strong, let it sit a little longer as the ice melts it will dilute the whiskey or bourbon. At some point it will reach a point where you can drink it. Over the course of time you will find that you need to wait less time before you can enjoy it and at some point you will no longer need the ice at all and will be able to sip whiskey without that undesirable effect you get. Don't know if that works for all alcohol but it does work for whiskeys and bourbon’s. That is how I learned and now I can sip whiskey and enjoy it with or without ice!
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Start with Gentlemen Jack, It goes down SMOOOTH..
Or start with Makers Mark.. A good tasting drink to start..
 
beauregard said:
I'd refuse to serve a single malt mixed with a soda in my bar.

It is perfectly acceptable to ad a spoon of water though. It helps oxegenate it. The industry term is "cracking the spirit". Ice works the same way.

Soda is acceptable because it won't impart a flavor. But I'd save even that for a blend.
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I totally agree. Heck. I get upset if the ice cubes are added wrong. There has to be no more than 3 and they have to be added after the pour not before. I used to date a bartender several years ago and she taught me two very important things about drinking. Her quotes were as follows:

1) "Intelligence is inversely proportional to the number of ingredients in the drink"

My response: "Scotch, Single Malt, neat"

2) "The Testosterone Rule of Alcohol - A real man never orders a drink with more than 2 ingredients unless it is a Bloody Mary before 2 in the afternoon"

My response: "Scotch, Single Malt, neat"

Now that I think about it that is my response to most everything.

BTW. Great Scotch Lesson!!! Dalwhinnie is one of my absolute favorites and would be a great start for anyone because it is smooth as silk. Talisker is an adventure that every Scotch drinker should experience at least once. It is quite peaty and I am still trying to get my palate used to it after 10+ years of drinking Scotch but the complexity of the flavors is nothing short of marvelous.

Michael
 
kgoings said:
So I LOVE beer, but my waistline doesn't!

I love the idea of sipping on a glass of a (enter Scotch, Whiskey, Bourbon here) but I can't choke it down. I went to a Scotch and Bourbon tasting event (along with Ashton cigars) and tried some Knob Creek on ice. It wasn't bad, does all sipping liquors have that feeling after you sip it...where you can kinda feel the vapors in your mouth???

Call me a puss if you like lol just never been a hard alcohol kinda guy.
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Switch to "Light" beer and start exercising :r problem solved!
 
SmokeyJoe said:
To "go off the board" a bit, another liquor that is good for sipping with a cigar is a nice rum. Doesn't have some of the burn of whiskey, (I enjoy "Gentleman Jack" and Knob Creek... and Glenlivet Scotch) but the rum also pairs well with a smoke.

MANY good rums to choose from, but one I am enjoying right now that is fairly available is Zaya. Excellent sipping rum! :ss
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Bobb said:
:tpd:
Zaya is the most amazing liquid ever invented!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :dr
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After reading these two posts I grabbed a bottle. I have to say this is the best Rum I have ever had.
 
Mr.Maduro said:
I could've added these.....

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search-1.gif
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:r elitist prick
 
Saw a program on single malts, a master distiller said not even to add ice cubes. They effect the single malt. Splash of water is all.
 
pistol said:
Try the Macallan 12 year over a couple of rocks, and I promise you'll love it. I can't even tell you how many Scotch haters I've turned into Scotch lovers with a small dram of Mac 12. I don't have a taste for sipping bourbon, but I love Scotch. Do yourself a favor though and buy a decent ($40-60) bottle of single malt right away. It's been my experience with Scotch (way more than cigars, I've enjoyed inexpensive cigars. Cheap Scotch is just nasty.) that you get EXACTLY what you pay for.
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:tpd:...your right great value,seems like every bottle I get is almost empty...
 
So I went out and bought a bottle of Glenfiddich 12 yr. Tried it last night while smoking a cigar...not sure if I like the two together yet. Since the scotch was a new taste it kinda took away from the cigar. I will try another sipper tonight alone.
 
mspringfield said:
1) "Intelligence is inversely proportional to the number of ingredients in the drink"

My response: "Scotch, Single Malt, neat"

2) "The Testosterone Rule of Alcohol - A real man never orders a drink with more than 2 ingredients unless it is a Bloody Mary before 2 in the afternoon"

My response: "Scotch, Single Malt, neat"

Now that I think about it that is my response to most everything.
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Brilliant!

So, beer drinkers are the smartest? Or, does this apply just to liquor?

When I'm not working for the government (Weekends) I bartend. I agree with your girlfriend.

If a guy comes up to the bar and orders anything you make in a blender I immedately ask for an ID.
 
kgoings said:
So I went out and bought a bottle of Glenfiddich 12 yr. Tried it last night while smoking a cigar...not sure if I like the two together yet. Since the scotch was a new taste it kinda took away from the cigar. I will try another sipper tonight alone.
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You're right.

I got so excited about Scotches I didn't think to tell you that they may not be the best thing to pair with cigars. I love both but rarely have them together. Actually, I can't think of anything that would go well with scotch except water or maybe a pretzel.

The Scotch from Skye and Islay are very smokey. And most have a good bit of peat. The Speysides have a honey flavor.

When I drink liquor with cigars I have Burbon or Tennesee Whisky. Rebel Yell or Gentleman Jack. I don't recommend the Rebel Yell, except on a dare, it's not for everybody. Basil Hayden, Elijah Craig or Makers Mark (really, it's hard to find a bad Burbon) would be good. Jack is well filtered... smooth.

I also drink light beer and wine with cigars. Red wines can be hard to pair with cigars though. I taste a few different reds with each cigar before I make a decision and fill my glass.

Good Luck!
 
Is rum a consideration? If you haven't tried a good sipping rum you really ought to give it a 'shot'. Zaya and El Dorado 15 are a great place to start.
 
kgoings said:
So I LOVE beer, but my waistline doesn't!

I love the idea of sipping on a glass of a (enter Scotch, Whiskey, Bourbon here) but I can't choke it down. I went to a Scotch and Bourbon tasting event (along with Ashton cigars) and tried some Knob Creek on ice. It wasn't bad, does all sipping liquors have that feeling after you sip it...where you can kinda feel the vapors in your mouth???

Call me a puss if you like lol just never been a hard alcohol kinda guy.
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I have always heard that scotch is an aquired taste. my dad was a scotch drinker . i tried to aqire a liking to that nasty stuff for thirty years , I still hate scotch. I am a gin man the good stuf is fine but I can drink cheap gin and enjoy it just as much. last week my nephew tried a sip his eyes rolled back and he made that funny face I always did with scotch. I told him its an aquired taste, Man i sound just like my old man. Pat
 
pcozad1 said:
I have always heard that scotch is an aquired taste. my dad was a scotch drinker . i tried to aqire a liking to that nasty stuff for thirty years , I still hate scotch. I am a gin man the good stuf is fine but I can drink cheap gin and enjoy it just as much. last week my nephew tried a sip his eyes rolled back and he made that funny face I always did with scotch. I told him its an aquired taste, Man i sound just like my old man. Pat
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Took me about 30 years to finally appreciate brown liquor. But I DID IT!!!
 
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