I thought there was a whiskey thread

[Tupac Shakur]

What else is in the Diageo lineup?

* Beer: Guinness, Tusker, Smithwick's, Red Stripe, Harp Lager, Kilkenny, Kaliber (non alcoholic)
* Scotch whisky: Johnnie Walker, Buchanan's, Cardhu, Justerini & Brooks (J&B), Bell's, Black & White, Caol Ila, Vat 69, Oban, Talisker, Lagavulin, Glen Ord, Glenkinchie, Dalwhinnie, Cragganmore, Singleton, Haig, Royal Lochnagar, Glen Elgin, Knockando
* Baijiu: Shui Jing Fang
* Vodka: Smirnoff (Smirnov in Russia), Cîroc, Silent Sam, Popov, Ketel One
* Gin: Gordon's, Tanqueray, Gilbey's, Booth's
* Rum: Captain Morgan, Bundaberg, Pampero, Myers'
* Bourbon: Bulleit
* Canadian whisky: Crown Royal, Seagram's, Black Velvet
* Irish whiskey: Bushmills
* Tennessee whiskey: George Dickel
* Schnapps: Black Haus, Goldschläger, Rumple Minze
* Mixed drinks: Archers, Pimm's, TGI Friday's
* Liqueur: Baileys, Sheridans, Yukon Jack, Godiva's
* Wines: Sterling Vineyards, Piat d'Or, Barton & Guestier, Beaulieu Vineyard, Blossom Hill, Canoe Ridge Vineyard, Acacia, Moon Mountain, Dynamite, Chalone, Provenance Vineyards, Hewitt Vineyard, and Rosenblum.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diageo

[SlowwHand]

Tanqueray also makes vodka.

[BlackCat]

Tanqueray also makes vodka.

Why do you want texas to be nuked ????

[Supr49er]

Bourbon is Whiskey. Why aren't we talking about that. Or Rye?

Actually Sazerac makes an awesome Rye - but it's hard to find and very $$$$

[SlowwHand]

I don't know what Tanqueray making vodka has to do with Texas.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

What should I get then?

What tastes do you prefer?

Some pointers- sweet, spicey, light, smokey, peaty, grassy, floral, mineral. Which sort of qualities attract you?

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Given that I don't know enough to translate most of those qualities into tastes, who knows. Sweet, light, and smokey all sound reasonable, but that's completely uneducated and probably contradictory to how somebody would describe the one I mentioned above. Scent is irrelevant for me (other than as impacts taste) since I lost that sense a while ago. I did enjoy the texture of the Wild Geese, though. You'd probably get more from reading what people who actually know what they're talking about said about the bottle I liked than from asking me questions:

Bright gold whiskey with a fruity corn syrup, spiced nose. Big, smooth with a slightly sweet personality.
Elegant cinnamon and nutmeg spice finish replays the initial aromas in the finish.

A clean fresh nose of citrus and floral notes with a rich malty aroma and a slightly peppery overtone.

The taste has a silky smooth mouth-feel at the start, a warm malt flavour developing with a slight mouth- watering effect. The deep rich malt taste with suggestions of citrus and oak and a little bite from the grain gives a well rounded full bodied whiskey, and results in a finish that is long, sustained and loyal to the taste.

The nose is full and smooth. Plenty of cereal sweetness and barley with oaken dryness and a little zest. The palate is quite full and smooth with oaken cereal notes and citrus zest. The finish is of medium-length with a little oaked heat

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

OK- the impression I'm getting from that is that you'll go for the sweeter/spicier end of the malt range. That means Highland/Speyside is the best place to start. The two I'd always recommend first from there are Glenfarclas (which is a real Speyside legend among afficionados) and Aberlour (underrated but brilliant). Aberlour is a very attractively-priced one, incidentally.

Another one to try is Glenrothes, although that's harder to track down.

I wouldn't recommend an Island malt at this point, because they're a very different taste.

[MRT144]

Actually Sazerac makes an awesome Rye - but it's hard to find and very $$$$

That's what I've heard from some bartending friends in NYC.

[BlackCat]

Yeah, with that description, I agree With Bugs, avoid the islands for a while. Still with the description in mind, you could try Black Grouse. Yeah, I know it's not something fancy, it's blended and it comes for half the price of single malts. It's like a Dalwhinnie, but a bit more spicey.

Hopes Bugs doesn't beat me too severly.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Aberlour

Ordered, will report back with results.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Aberlour is gone (well, has been for a little while); it was indeed better overall, though it felt a bit thinner than the first one I mentioned and I did miss that a bit. Glenfarclas next?

[SlowwHand]

http://www.thefiftybest.com/spirits/best_single_malt_scotch/

http://www.maltmadness.com/malt-whisky/best-whisky.html

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

"Thinner" in terms of flavour, aroma, or alcoholic hit?

The 15-year-old Glenfarclas is the one to go for. If that's out of your budget, try Royal Lochnagar instead.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

I don't believe in trying to ascribe a single points ranking system to malts. Take a look at that maltmadness one- it's got Laphroaigs right next to Glenfarclas, but they're profoundly different drinks. It's like going "What's better- Saturdays or Italy?"

It's fatuous. The way to approach it is to decide what flavour you're in the mood for and pick the malt to match it.