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Good whiskey, scotch and rye (anything but bourbon)

it is an acquired taste. I acquired it at the age of 19 when a friend and I broke into some of his dad's Glenmorangie 18-year.
 
Rye belongs with the Bourbon thread. The are first cousins and the line between rye & bourbon can literally be 1%. Make this threat scotch, blended whiskey, and rum. Maybe tequila too.

But regardless, the official Rye rankings are:
$1 to $45: Rittenhouse Rye BIB $26 in NC
$45 to $70:pikesville $45 to $50 in NC
$70+: EH Taylor ($70), Whistlepig ($80 I think)
 
Bubble Boy said:
Agreed. I really dig the Foursquare rums. Nice complexity without being overly sweet.
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Foursquare can be found under different labels. I have a Real McCoy 12 waiting to be opened. Have the Foursquare Zinfandel blend which is pretty solid. Passed on 2004 and 2005s a few months ago and now kicking myself.
 
Shooshmoo said:
My favorite Scotch by far in the $60 range is Ardbeg Uigeadail -- Islay and superpeaty and smoking. Smells like a campfire. Regular 10 year Ardbeg and Laphroig 10 are my go-tos for a similar profile, that is a little cheaper.
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What are some scotches that would be the opposite of that?
 
Shooshmoo said:
My favorite Scotch by far in the $60 range is Ardbeg Uigeadail -- Islay and superpeaty and smoking. Smells like a campfire. Regular 10 year Ardbeg and Laphroig 10 are my go-tos for a similar profile, that is a little cheaper.
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Yeah I know next to nothing about scotch but when I do buy it, the peat profile is what I’m after. Laphroaig and Ardbeg are go tos and usually ~$45-50.

A cheaper blend I also get is Famous Grouse Smoky Black which is an easy sipper with a little smoke, not bad for ~$25-30.
 
Dillon Fence said:
Foursquare can be found under different labels. I have a Real McCoy 12 waiting to be opened. Have the Foursquare Zinfandel blend which is pretty solid. Passed on 2004 and 2005s a few months ago and now kicking myself.
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I have a 2004 and it is really, really good - the best of all that I have had so far. I've seen the 2005 at a couple of places down here, but it was $100, which is too high. If I see it for $80 or less I'll probably grab a bottle. I also have the port finished, the zinfandel finished, and a Premise. Foursquare also bottles under the Doorly's name, of which I have had the 12yr, 8yr, and XO. They are OK, but not nearly as good as the more expensive Foursquare labeled rums. At less than $20 at Total Wine, the 8yr and XO have become my go-to dark rum mixers. The Foursquare rums are the most whiskey-esque rum that I have ever had. Not too sweet and more of the barrel influence comes through.
 
Dillon Fence said:
Rye belongs with the Bourbon thread. The are first cousins and the line between rye & bourbon can literally be 1%. Make this threat scotch, blended whiskey, and rum. Maybe tequila too.

But regardless, the official Rye rankings are:
$1 to $45: Rittenhouse Rye BIB $26 in NC
$45 to $70:pikesville $45 to $50 in NC
$70+: EH Taylor ($70), Whistlepig ($80 I think)
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I would throw High West Double Rye into the best under $45 rye category. I love it in a Manhattan, yet it can hold its own consumed neat. I like Rittenhouse in a Manhattan but am not crazy about it neat. Of course Rittenhouse is cheaper than HWDR. I can usually get the DR for $35; however, when we were on the other side of FL for T-giving, I found a place selling it and the HW Prairie Bourbon for $25/bottle. I loaded up, so now I will be enjoying Double Rye Manhattans for the foreseeable future.
 
Found this; thought it might be a decent reference point for others like me that are completely ignorant to scotch.

scotch-internal.jpg
 
Dillon Fence said:
Rye belongs with the Bourbon thread. The are first cousins and the line between rye & bourbon can literally be 1%. Make this threat scotch, blended whiskey, and rum. Maybe tequila too.

But regardless, the official Rye rankings are:
$1 to $45: Rittenhouse Rye BIB $26 in NC
$45 to $70:pikesville $45 to $50 in NC
$70+: EH Taylor ($70), Whistlepig ($80 I think)
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Old Overholt in the cheap category as well. And Willet rye in the midrange (if you can find it, I can't anymore).
 
Shooshmoo said:
My favorite Scotch by far in the $60 range is Ardbeg Uigeadail -- Islay and superpeaty and smoking. Smells like a campfire. Regular 10 year Ardbeg and Laphroig 10 are my go-tos for a similar profile, that is a little cheaper.
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Going to have to try that
 
Start with Macallan 12 and go from there is my advice.
 
BiffTannen said:
Start with Macallan 12 and go from there is my advice.
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Good advice. When ready to upgrade the Macallan 15 is one of the best out there without breaking the bank. I find myself drinking that or Glenlivet 18 most often when I’m in the mood for a scotch.
 
gfspencer said:
Some good basic single malts would include Glenmorangie, Highland Park, The Macallan, and Glenlevit. All three have bottles going from around $30 to $1,500.

If you want a good Scotch with a lot of peat you can go for Ardbeg. A good blended Scotch is Johnnie Walker. A great blended Single Malt is Monkey Shoulder.

A good place to get Scotch in South Carolina is Frugal Macdoogal on I77 at the Carowinds exit. I GREAT place to buy Scotch in South Carolina is Souther Spirits in Indian Land, SC.

Good North Carolina ABC stores for Scotch are in Albemarle (I'm not kidding) and the two in Asheville. (I haven't tried any ABC stores east of Albemarle. There might be good ones out there.)

I'm sure there are people on this forum who know more than I do. If you have favorite Scotches and/or favorite stores let us know. I'm all ears. I would love some input.
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Don't have nearly the experience or collection that you have (only 8 or so bottles on hand right now), but just wanted to second the Monkey Shoulder recommendation, it's top notch for the price.
 
^^^^ All of the above are excellent suggestions.

I would add that if you don't care for peat look for something that has been finished in a Sherry Cask. Many of The Macallans and Glenmorangies are finished in Sherry casks.

Edradour makes some of my favorite Scotch. They are one of the smaller distilleries in Scotland.

Talking about the price of Scotch . . . when I first started drinking Scotch - many years ago - I could buy a bottle of "The Macallan 25th Anniversary" for $100. A year later it was $200. Two years later it was $300. Several years ago I was at the distillery and a bottle of The Macallan 25th Anniversary was selling for $3,000. The price of Scotch has been going up and up for the last 10 years. Nobody was buying much Scotch 10 years ago. Now it is popular. Most of the stuff you are drinking now is 10 years old. There is not a enough of it around so you are paying more. (Simple supply and demand.) A good bottle of single malt Scotch will probably cost you $35 to $50. For example, the Macallan 12 - one of Macallan's cheaper Scotches - is around $50.

  1. Scotch has to be at least 3 years old before it can be labeled Scotch.
  2. If a Scotch is labeled as 10 years old that means the youngest Scotch in the batch is 10 years old.
  3. It is not Scotch if it does not come from Scotland. It can be a good single malt if it comes from Japan but it is not Scotch.
 
One of the descriptions for Monkey Shoulder is pretty inviting "Some say it tastes just like riding bareback on the wild moors of Scotland with a flame-haired maiden on Christmas morning"
 
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