An Introduction to Whisky, part two.

To-day we come to a brief listing of assorted single malt whiskies that serve as good introductory beverages for the neophyte whisky drinker. Earlier I made note of how to drink whisky (aka Scotch), and now I will explore the drinking of the Scotches. As already noted, I’ll be covering Glenmorangie, Glenfiddich, Ardbeg, Laphroaig, and Bunnahabhain.

Glenmorangie is about the best-selling whisky in Scotland, at least it was when I was first introduced to it. It is exceptionally smooth, with all the peaty goodness one could expect, yet modulated for those who might find an Islay too challenging. I recommend it as the whisky for a beginner because it goes down easily with a little water and can taste quite refreshing. That said, the shops make it confusing by offering this very popular whisky in a variety of ‘casks’ and years (10, 15 and 18 typically). The other casks (Madeira wood, Port wood, Burgundy wood, etc) do not taste as smooth as the basic Glenmorangie 10 year. It is the gold standard of whisky in both look and taste. The older one goes, the nicer the taste, but yet not enough to justify the extra dollars per bottle.

Islay whisky, on the other hand, is very dark and peaty and is often the sort of whisky that people have had impressed upon them and then turned away from with wrinkled nose and sputtering lips. It is the prototypical Scotch whisky and as such is a very acquired taste. I will discuss two of what I consider the best directly after mentioning a couple more sedate non-Islays.

Bunnahabhain is a wonderful step forward after one’s gotten comfortable with the ‘basic’ Glenmorangie and perhaps tried a few of the alternative casks (the Madeira is nearly as good as the original). It is just a smidge darker and duskier, but yet retains a lot of the delicate smoothness that marks Glenmorangie. Again, the 10 year is the way to go, even if older is available. And this holds true for someone baby-stepping into the world of whisky. Any 15 and 18 year whiskies are just costlier, while the 10 and 12 year ones taste much the same and in some instances are better. Whisky doesn’t age quite so well as other alcohols past about the 12th year or so, unless it is very old.

Glenfiddich is a non-Islay single malt that I personally do not care for, but which is well-liked by many other whisky drinkers. It is most commonly found in bars if one is wishing to experiment with whisky in a public setting. It is a grainier, rougher take on Glenmorangie overall, but less bad than the usual blends classed as Scotch at standard American bars.

And on that rough note we wander back towards Islay territory. Among the darkest, moodiest, Islay’s Islay stuff one can get is Laphroaig. It comes in cask strength (about 135 proof or something similar) and regular. I figure if a newb is going to drink an Islay like this one, that newb might as well go with cask strength. It smells like petrol, and the very bottle itself begs the drinker to ONLY take it with water. But once a finger is poured with an equal amount of water, cask strength Laphroaig reveals itself to be a beefy and wonderful Islay. The water is essential, but with it, a beautiful unravelling of peat and dark and alcohol unspools in your mouth. This effect is less intense with the ‘regular’ Laphroaig, but still it is strong stuff, and not to be undertaken as lightly as, say, Glennie (Glenmorangie).

Ardbeg, though, is about as close to a ‘light’ Islay as one can get. It is a good bridge whisky if one has mostly been drinking more mellow ones and would like to sample the Islay branch of the whisky family tree. I like it quite well, but it is hard to come by in bars, alas.

And in this fashion I come to an end of rattling on about whiskies I have loved and drunk more than a little of.

Later, I may deign to describe a few blends, but I have not decided firmly on that yet, so we’ll end this introduction to whisky for now….