New to Single Malts

[wlr]

Hello gentlemen and thank you for hosting such a fine forum. I am looking to enter the world world of single malts and am looking for some good entry points. Having started as primarily a rum drinker ( Mt. Gay XO, Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva, El Dorado 15yr, Ron Zacapa Centario 23, etc.) and then crossing to bourbons. Most notably enjoying Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve (Hand select, when available), Four Roses Small Batch, Russell's Reserve 10yr and Single Barrels, Eagle Rare, Basil Hayden and Elijah Craig 12yr.
A few years ago I tried scotch for the first time, Chivas Regal 12. Found it smokey, off tasting and put the bottle away. Recently pulled the bottle back out and found it much more enjoyable as my taste had changed. I have always enjoyed Drambuie and soda though.
While doing some flavor profile research some that kept coming up were Balvenie Double Wood 12yr, Balvenie 14yr Caribbean Cask and Balvenie 15yr First Fill. These were to be less peated, little more honeyed and should be an easier cross over for the bourbon drinker. I believe there was a Dahlwinnie also on the list, if I recall.

I would certainly like to hear from more experienced palates than just the few articles that I have read. You never know whom they may be receiving "favors " from.
Thank you!
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Bill

[TheWM]

Hi Bill,

Welcome to the forum. At a time when many whisky drinkers are experimenting with rum, you're doing the opposite, although it will be interesting how you find your tastebuds deal with the variety of whisky notes that you're bound to get which you don't find in rum generally.

It would appear that given the rums and bourbons you have tried that you're comfortable with a sweet spirit. Given that you're in the US, I'd personally alongside trying whiskies, try some bourbons that have different levels mashbills (% of corn vs rye) and see whether you notice the difference and also, whether you have a preference (I say that as in the UK some bourbons are very expensive so you're already at an advantage to get some decent stuff). Although the bourbons you've listed are very good so you're on the right road.

You've listed Chivas 12 as a whisky you didn't care much for. Just in case you were not aware, this is a blend and a relatively cheap one too. I wouldn't blame you for not liking this - although I can assure you that if you were to try and older Chivas (18 year+) the difference is stark and it's a blend I enjoy.

Reading, as you have done will really help - do your research and you have rightly identified Balvenie as a dram that you'd like - they are a very well respected distillery that do push out great numbers. One word of caution - they do add E150 which does sweeten up this whisky somewhat, although this is prevalent in the rum world, so you may not notice it immediately.

As to what you should be trying. Well anything. If smoke isn't for you then don't have any peated smokey numbers from Islay and stick to Highland and Speyside whisky.

I'd suggest the following distilleries (this list is not exhaustive):

Aberlour
Glenfarclas
Glenlivet
Glendronach
Glenmoranigie
Dalwhinnie
Aberfeldy
Balblair
Ancnoc
Benriach
Benromach

Have a good read around the info contained in the website using the links on the left, get a flavour map and see what styles / profiles you think you'd like to move to as it does help beginners identify whiskies that they may enjoy based of their preference of whiskies they've tried previously.

If I was going to give you a few tips: Keep a diary and revisit every so often drams you have tried to see how your pallet changes and also, start with cheaper bottles and move up the price range (under $75) rather than vice versa.

[William]

Welcome Bill

The Balvenie range of whiskies are very good, you may particularly enjoy the Balvenie 14 Caribbean Cask as it was matured in ex bourbon oak casks fro 14 years then further matured in ex Caribbean rum cask so it is sweet with vanilla and tropical fruity notes.

There are many excellent Scotch single malts to explore without any peaty influence, and you don't need to bust the bank account to do so, a few I would recommend looking at (in no particular order) are:

Balvenie 14 Caribbean Cask
Balvenie 12 Doublewood
Glenmorangie 10
Glenfiddich 15
Aultmore 12
Glencadam 10
Glengoyne 10 & 12
Glen Grant 10 & 12
Glenfarclas 15 & 17
Glendronach 12, 15 & 18
Glenlivet 12 & 18
Glenlivet Nadurra First Fill Selection - this is a cask strength whisky
Tomintoul 16

I could go on but that should keep you going for a while.
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There's no bad whisky. Just good whisky and better whisky.

[opelfruit]

Welcome.

I'm doing the opposite to you at the moment. I've gone from single malt, to bourbon and now to rum (which I've been drinking for about a year now and started a blog on).

With the exception of the MGXO, all the runs you have mentioned have a high added sugar content. You'll find single malt much drier ad nothing other that e150 can be added. It may be worth you sticking to younger ex-bourbon matured single malts to start with as these will feel sweeter, more vanilla and less paled than older stuff.

Things like 10yo Glencadam, 10yo Balblair (they do vintages so it'll be the 2005), Balvenie 12yo single cask first fill, Glenlivet Founders Reserve, anCnoc 12yo, Arran 10yo.

Most of these are also bottled at higher abv and not chill filtered so they have a better mouthful and flavour delivery if you're used to a thicker spirit.
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"Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whisky is barely enough."

[gfspencer]

50 years ago . . . when I was 20 . . . I tried Cutty Sark. (Cutty Sark is a blended Scotch and not one of the better ones IMHO.) That turned me against Scotch for years. Years later, I was fortunate enough to have a good Scotch . . . a good single malt Scotch. I'm glad I got a second chance.

By the way, there are good blended Scotches out there. You just need to look for them. Get educated. Try a lot of different Scotches. Enjoy.

[wlr]

[wlr]

[wlr]

[Ihasadram]

Yo might want to take a look at one of these charts:

http://simplyscotches.blogspot.com/2011/0http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/867328/is-using-drones-other-innovating-tactics-with-deadly-effect1/scotch-flavor-map.html

It should help simplify the task of exploring scotch. Another feature of scotch is often called oakiness, spice, or pepper. Maybe cinnamon, like bourbon. A lot of people confuse it with peat. Aberlour is an excellent entry for someone experienced with rum. It is sweet like Zacapa, and not at all peated or spicy. Some other sweet scotches are Bunnahabhain and Tobermory. The Bunnahabhain adds some spice, and some people say peat, but I don't think so. A rich peated scotch is Lagavulin 16, which was hard to find for a while recently, but is becoming more available again. Lagavulin isn't spicy. If you want peat and spice, I suggest Talisker 18.

[MW Plaster]

As a big fan of bourbon and an even bigger single malt fan, there are a few right off the cuff I can think to recommend.

Balvenie 12 Doublewood, as mentioned. This was the one that did "it" for me. Some say it's a bourbon wanna-be. Not sure about that, but it's delicious.
Macallan 12. I personally love this one and find it is strangely bourbon-like in some ways. Thick, Oaky, Vanilla, Spice and Sherry dryness.
Cragganmore 12. On my first bottle of this from a long list of must-tries. Even at only 80 proof, I'm enjoying this one a lot. Lots of vanilla.

I'd also mention Glenfiddich 14 Bourbon Barrel Reserve. I've not tried it, but it is a US exclusive and was developed with the bourbon fan in mind.

That's just a few quick one.

[wlr]

[wlr]

Purchased my first two single malts this evening; Glenfiddich 14 Bourbon Barrel and Balvenie 14 Caribbean Cask. Decided to begin with ones similar to what I am accustomed to drinking. I'll crack a bottle this weekend for taste testing.
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Bill

[MW Plaster]

Balvenie 14 is a nice one with what I think is a white rum touch. I'm about to kill the bottle I bought back in October. It took some time to grow on me but I ended up enjoying it a lot.

Let me know what you think of the Fiddich 14 is. I almost grabbed one yesterday, but went with the 15 yo Solera instead.