A wee introduction after a few wee drams!

[Carl Hagen]

Happy New Year everyone!
Very happy to have found this forum, after very recently becoming fascinated with Single Malt Scotch Whiskies. My main interests at this time are watches and whiskies:



Growing accustomed to a new single malt whisky like Laphroaig, is like getting to know a new friend. Sometimes, you like him right away, sometimes it takes a while. I have never been a conformist, and I have found that things - and people - in life that take time to grow used to are, in the end, the most worthwhile. So it is with Laphroaig. I don't believe in "trying" a dram in a bar, I want to get the whole bottle and take my time getting to know it. The Quarter Cask is the one that intrigued me the most, and turns out is the only one available right now locally. The other day, the residue in my glass from the night before smelled like a dirty ashtray. I got through that, and am getting a fondness for this whisky like never before. To me, a part of all this is also knowing the history, the location and the people who make it and endorse it. I have always been a great fan of the Prince of Wales and the Royal Family. If it's good enough for him, it certainly is for me! I have always felt that he is a kind, humble and hard working individual, like the folks in Islay!
My first whisky ever was at home as a child. As my father drank Johnny Walker Red, that is the first I tried. And I just assumed that all scotches tasted like that, so I was completely put off! Years later, I bought a 12 year old Ballatine at a duty free shop for my brother, and after tasting it my attitude to scotch whisky improved. Later, I tried the Glenfiddich and the Glenlivet, and also a couple of Irish Whiskies. Last month, I got the urge to try a good single malt, and bought the Macallan 12 Year Oak Cask. I quite enjoyed it, but realized there must be a lot more to single malts, so I got the Laphroaig. The other day, I got a bottle of Higland Park 12 year and a bottle of Aberlour a'bunadh. The Aberlour a'bunadh is the closest thing I have tried to bliss in a bottle!
I won't ramble on any more on this thread. I want to save more comments for other threads and the other forums.
Cheers,
Carl Hagen
_________________
"Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death." Auntie Mame. - Mame (Rosalind Russell) in Auntie Mame (1958).

[John]

Happy New Year Carl and welcome to the SMW forum.