Just returned from a road trip around Scotland. Second time I've been in the highlands. Absolutely love it. Didn't really have a taste for Scotch until I traveled there.

Picked up a few bottles from the Scotch Whiskey experience near the Edinburgh Castle. They have more Scotch than I've ever seen in one room. Picked up some Edradour (smallest distillery in Scotland), some Ben Nevis (which i also hiked on), and some 18 yo BenRiach.

Also took a photo of a 12,000 pound bottle of Scotch. Jesus.

I tried to bring some back you couldn't find at your local ABC store. You can pretty much find all the popular stuff (Glenlivit, Glenfiddich, Laphroaig, Balvenie) in the US. Not to say they aren't bad but just easy to find.

Anyone been to Scotland and go to a distillery?

4/6/2010 6:05:14 PM

the kind that is in my tummy

4/6/2010 6:05:30 PM

thank you for the profound response. i would have to agree with you.

4/6/2010 6:06:31 PM

LunaK = profound

4/6/2010 6:07:31 PM

4/6/2010 6:08:07 PM

^ Yeah, it's better than the alcohol son.

Dat butterscotch.

4/6/2010 6:08:54 PM

ewin mcgregor?

4/6/2010 6:09:21 PM

4/6/2010 6:10:36 PM

nice

4/6/2010 6:10:57 PM

4/6/2010 6:11:32 PM

i knew i should have posted this in the lounge

4/6/2010 6:11:38 PM

Yeah, I honestly do feel your pain son.

4/6/2010 6:12:59 PM

i bought a bunch of mini bottles for the 8.5 hour plane ride back too.

4/6/2010 6:14:39 PM

i like some Glenfiddich 15.

[Edited on April 6, 2010 at 6:24 PM. Reason : sorry, wrong one.]

4/6/2010 6:23:43 PM

i have never had scotch

i think i need to get more manly in my old age

i've always wanted to order scotch on the rocks. but i don't really know what that entails. i don't even know brands of scotch. does it taste good?

hmmmm.

4/6/2010 6:44:04 PM

my mom is a single malt snob.

won't drink glenfiddich or glenlivit (sp?)

drinks lagavulin i'm pretty sure - and some other stuff that's $$texas

4/6/2010 6:46:05 PM

hop

4/6/2010 6:47:27 PM

women can drink scotch too.

i don't typically drink scotch on the rocks. drink it neat (no ice). i think the cold takes away from the flavor. if you've never had it before just order some Glenlivit or Laphroaig at a bar. the wider the mouth of the cup the better. the smell is part of the experience.

Also if you have a gag reflex when it comes to drinking straight alcohol then the best thing to do is inhale, drink, then strongly exhale. the exhale will prevent the gag reflex. learned that from a Polish friend drinking Vodka.

4/6/2010 6:48:26 PM

players retreat has a pretty good scotch selection. Dont know if they are any good or not though.

4/6/2010 6:48:36 PM

i drink scotch neat when at home

but i drink scotch on the rocks when in bars

i've found that most to all bars that do not use a jigger or other shot measurements that you get more volume on the rocks than neat

no, im not being a retard and understand that the ice takes up volume

a thrifty snob, i guess

4/6/2010 6:51:28 PM

i, too, drink it neat at home and on the rocks when at a bar.

4/6/2010 6:56:45 PM

good point. places i usually order scotch the bartenders know me and just fill up the cup halfway. ends up being 2-3 shots.

what i really hate about the UK is they always measure out one British Shot (25ml, less than an ounce) for each drink. compared to the US where they just tip the bottle and count to like four. You seriously get like 2-3 times more alcohol in the US per drink than in the UK.

4/6/2010 6:58:04 PM

Quote :

"Also if you have a gag reflex when it comes to drinking straight alcohol then the best thing to do is inhale, drink, then strongly exhale. the exhale will prevent the gag reflex. learned that from a Polish friend drinking Vodka. "

good call. i do gag when i drink straight alcohol (SOMETIMES). usually not with whiskey. usually yes with vodka or tequila or anything else.

4/6/2010 7:05:40 PM

Quote :

"GAG WHEN GUZZLE"

4/6/2010 7:06:59 PM

Quote :

"Edradour "

some of my favorite, and it's not too expensive either.

4/6/2010 8:04:56 PM

I participated in the Famous Grouse Experience at the Glenturret Distillery in Crieff.

It smelled of peat and Famous Grouse scotch is pretty cheap shit; however, it was cool to see the process and apparently it's Scotland's oldest distillery.

4/6/2010 8:15:07 PM

I've been to the Edradour distillery, and it was pretty neat. Also, the Edradour whisky and cream they sell in the UK is absolutely delicious (way better than Bailey's, imo), but I haven't seen it sold anywhere in the US.

As to my favorite scotches, I have a bottle of The Macallan 18 Year that I keep for special occasions; that's my gold standard. Another excellent special occasion one I've had is the Highland Park 25, but I don't have a bottle of that right now. For "nice" scotches, my favorites are the Glenlivet Nadurra edition, the Macallan 12 Year, the Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or edition, and Dalwhinnie. For cheaper bottles $20-30, I like some of the blendeds, like Dewar's 12 Year Black label; I also like the Balvenie 12 Year Doublewood.

If you like really smoky, peaty whisky, Lagavulin 16 is king, but it's not my personal cup of tea. I like peaty scotches if they're a bit tempered by something else, so my personal favorite of that type is the Bowmore 15 Darkest Sherry.


Shame you didn't make this thread before your trip, I could have made some other recommendations or placed an order. Everything I mentioned above should be findable at a high-quality liquor store, but I'm not in NC so your mileage may vary on some of the special editions.

[Edited on April 6, 2010 at 8:27 PM. Reason : ]

4/6/2010 8:25:02 PM

Talisker 10 and Bowmore 12

4/6/2010 11:16:52 PM

pdrankin ITT

4/6/2010 11:17:25 PM

HAHAHA. Took that in Edinburgh. Atleast you get 2 pounds off!!

4/7/2010 5:08:18 PM

Yeah, I've been to that museum, too. Some of the bottles they have there are insane.

4/7/2010 6:12:39 PM

Ooohhh. This is tough to answer.

I've become a fan of Aberlour and Laphroaig as of late.

[Edited on April 7, 2010 at 6:26 PM. Reason : Good thread, please move to the Lounge.]

4/7/2010 6:25:33 PM

Quote :

"Good thread, please move to the Lounge."

Yeah my bad. Move to lounge.

Quote :

" Shame you didn't make this thread before your trip, I could have made some other recommendations or placed an order. Everything I mentioned above should be findable at a high-quality liquor store, but I'm not in NC so your mileage may vary on some of the special editions."

Thanks! Yeah i can't find too much at the ABC stores in Charlotte. I'll have to shop around. I have a friend who lives in Edinburgh so I guess I can get him to ship me some but it's pricey.

About to crack into the Edradour I brought back.

4/7/2010 6:32:26 PM

Quote :

"Yeah i can't find too much at the ABC stores in Charlotte."

Go to State Line Beverage Warehouse? in Fort Mill, that place is the shit.

4/7/2010 6:56:28 PM

^awesome thanks man. I'll have to check it out.

Wait. Is that different then:

http://www.southernspirits.com/

[Edited on April 7, 2010 at 6:59 PM. Reason : s]

4/7/2010 6:58:10 PM

Yeah, that's a different place.

(btw, I'm not such an alkie that I have a photographic memory of every liquor store in the SE or anything, it's just that a friend of mine lives in the apartments behind there.)

4/7/2010 7:03:12 PM

haha nice. Guess the two best places are in Fort Mill.

4/7/2010 7:03:45 PM

Aberlour 12

4/7/2010 7:27:39 PM

^lemonpop is back?

4/7/2010 7:31:52 PM

4/7/2010 7:33:55 PM

Can you find benriach in the us?

4/7/2010 11:36:34 PM

There's a bar near my house that has the Benriach 20 Year Old, but it's a whisky bar with a pretty extensive selection, so who knows what strings they pull to get it. I don't recall seeing it on the shelves at either of the wine shops I frequent.

4/8/2010 12:07:45 AM

Scotch is possibly my single greatest weakness. If you told me to kill my roommates right now and I'd get a half fifth of McCallan's for it, I'd probably drop those fools in a heartbeat.

4/8/2010 12:47:39 AM

Wow, half?

4/8/2010 12:56:08 AM

I may not have adequately portrayed the depths of my poverty.



[Edited on April 8, 2010 at 12:57 AM. Reason : or my hatred of my roommates ]

4/8/2010 12:57:07 AM

(Poverty + alcoholism) * scotch = murder

4/8/2010 1:03:14 AM

All depends on which Macallan you'd get for it.

4/8/2010 1:10:41 AM

Its a bitch to find though. Hasnt been made in a while

4/8/2010 1:12:12 AM

Quote :

"(Poverty + alcoholism) * scotch = murder"

Holy shit. I may get this tattooed across my chest.

Or my dick. Depending on how drunk I am.

4/8/2010 1:14:16 AM

Think we're taking a trip down to Fort Mill on Saturday to stock up and see what they have.

4/9/2010 11:56:44 AM