Rather than potentially waste lots of money on whiskies I wouldn't necessarily like, I've been tasting, trying, and testing some of the cheaper blends recommended by Ralfy in his youtube vlogs to see if I like certain flavours in whisky (and therefore am willing to buy a bottle of SM) as well as to train myself in discerning flavours and enjoying it more.
I ended up buying all that I could find locally except for Monkey Shoulder
- Ballantynes 12 YO
- Teachers Highland Cream
- Vat 69
At first I couldn't discern much difference between the three, I could just taste "scotch". But now with numerous tastings and comparisons I've managed to tease apart some flavours / sensations and found that they are quite different.
- Ballantynes 12YO is the one that first struck me as being different from the others. I found a distinct sweet, fruity / sherry scent and taste to it that has grown more prominent now I know what I am looking for.
- Teachers Highland Cream doesn't have the sherry flavour at all, but still has some fruit, and introduces a very light peat smokiness which I didn't find as offensive as I thought I might.
- Vat 69 has been a bit more troublesome for my palate, although now I am starting to find a bit of a honey sweetness to it, with a very slight smokiness. If the three this has been my least favourite so far.
I think I have listed them in my favourite order. The sherry fruit of the Ballantynes really has started to stand out to my taste, so I have (as mentioned previously) decided to "invest" in a couple of that style Single Malt whiskys (in the post above).
However I had my head turned this weekend. A friend bought me a bottle of Glenmoranjie Original (which I already have a bottle of) and a couple of Glencairn glasses to go with it for doing him a few favours recently. While I was at his place we had a little tasting of that and a couple of his recent birthday presents - a Select Cask Laphroaig and Laguvilin 16. I nearly rejected the Laphroaig on first sniff as I got a whiff of used ashtray which really was unpleasant, but persevered and was surprised to find my preconceived notions were different. The peaty smokiness wasn't totally overpowering and I couldn't taste the tcp medication flavour that I have always associated with Laphroiag since I first tasted it years ago. The Laguvulin surprised me in a pleasant way as well. I've not tried either enough to talk about specific flavours within, but I've tasted enough to know at some stage I will investigate further. I do still prefer the Glenmoranjie, but the divide between that and a peaty whisky is not the divide it once was.
I presume its a placebo effect, but the Glencairn glass seems to have concentrated scents and flavours far more than I would have given it credit for, especially when I keep the glass in a stubby holder in the freezer (sans liquid) and add the whisky / room temp water to it.