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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To buy whisky based on year not taste?

76 replies

BoyMeetsWorld · 12/06/2015 20:28

Argh help!

Need special 30th bday present for DH. Who loves whisky. I don't, so know zilch about it.

Bright idea = to buy a bottle of 30 year old, because it's relevant. Is that a really stupid idea? They're certainly expensive. & which to get?!

OP posts:
BoyMeetsWorld · 12/06/2015 21:24

hmmm I've just got a feeling he'd be more "wowed" by one big bottle. if I pick the right one. not sure why the ballantines 30 yr is £200 if blends aren't so good. I think DH has mentioned Dalmore before. But could well be in my head! there's also one by a distillery called cambus, but it's a single grain? he has got & drinks that David Beckham haig something or other single grain though

OP posts:
tabulahrasa · 12/06/2015 21:32

How about the Glenfiddich from a bourbon cask? this one

I'm just thinking it combines things you know he likes?

MistressMerryWeather · 12/06/2015 21:33

Some Dalmore options

SenecaFalls · 12/06/2015 21:35

That Glenfiddich looks like it would be perfect.

BoyMeetsWorld · 12/06/2015 21:47

That Glenfiddich does look really good...shame no bottle engraving option...

OP posts:
Oldraver · 12/06/2015 21:49

I think if he drinks blends then a better quality peaty one may not to be his taste.

The Penderyyn mentioned up thread is a very good light whisky. Its usually around £34 ish or sometimes on offer. There is also a red version

CloserToFiftyThanTwenty · 12/06/2015 21:54

Three bottles of ten year aged bourbon?

Lavenderice · 12/06/2015 22:02

How about one of these

www.amazon.co.uk/Drinks-Dram-Islay-Whisky-Tasting/dp/B00AY0AZEM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1434142873&sr=8-2&keywords=whisky+tasting+set

Drinks by the Dram are great, there's all sorts of sets and they come in the most beautiful wax sealed bottles.

MistressMerryWeather · 12/06/2015 22:09

18 year old Glenlivet?

Engraving option and great reviews. Also has the sweetness.

PavlovaPalaver · 12/06/2015 22:19

How about a personalised bottle of malt? My DH got a bottle for his birthday and was delighted.

shop.glengoyne.com/glengoyne-fifteen-year-old-personalised-highland-single-malt-whisky

It is really lovely "middle of the road " whisky (i.e.not too peaty) which might appeal more to a JD drinker than an Islay whisky.

It's a really lovely distillery too - I know a couple of folks who work there.

Ludoole · 12/06/2015 22:35

The Whiskey Exchange do some lovely personalised bottles Smile

ShakesBootyFlabWobbles · 12/06/2015 22:40

Abelour Abunnadh is very good, about £45 ish (on offer on Ocado now and again)

15 year old Dalwhinnie is too with a stag head on the bottle which really looks good.

DH likes a dram of quality malt occasionally.

ShakesBootyFlabWobbles · 12/06/2015 22:45

Oh yes, Scottish islands malt can be a smoky/peaty almost medicinal flavour

Speyside malt isn't peaty so different taste, better IMO but it all depends on what he likes normally. If he likes a sweeter taste, definitely a Speyside malt is a good bet.

That said, some Japanese malts are excellent too and won the World Whisky award last year.

ShakesBootyFlabWobbles · 12/06/2015 22:48

DH says Cavalan Solist cask strength, a Taiwanese malt , better than Speyside £300 Shock

MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels · 12/06/2015 22:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ShakesBootyFlabWobbles · 12/06/2015 22:53

Four Roses Small Batch bourbon. The limited edition 2014 is better but pricey.

I am going to leave it there have set DH off talking about his favourite whisky geek tipples and am glazing over.

SmartAlecMetalGit · 12/06/2015 22:59

I'd go for a tasting set. I don't know much about whisky (other than my dad likes peaty ones, Lagavulin in particular) but I got him a tasting set for Christmas last year and he really enjoyed it.

I got it from Master of Malt. They do ready made sets and also sell the little taster bottles individually.

They do a bourbon tasting set which might be good.

Yamahaha · 12/06/2015 23:12

I really think that if he likes JD, bourbon, and blends... he's not going to like single malts so much, particularly the Islay ones.
Though I think there's some specials that are 'sweeter' like ones that have heather tangs, or I think there's an Aberlour that's aged in bourbon casks. Old Poultney has a nice salty tang to it, but I think you're better off sticking to something like Jamiesons, or bourbon.
It would be awful to spend £100 on something he hated.

TTWK · 12/06/2015 23:17

OP- JD is NOT a bourbon. It's a Tennessee Whisky, a completely different thing. In order to be called a bourbon it has to meet certain criteria, and JD doesn't even come close because it's...well.. massed produced crap. To be fair to JD, even they don't call their drink a bourbon! Look on the bottle.

If he likes JD he has a long way to go in his education and now's a great time to start.

Buy him a bottle of something like Makers Mark, at around £25-£30. If he likes JD, then MM will blow his mind!

MistressMerryWeather · 12/06/2015 23:29

Is that the one with the melted wax TTWK?

I didn't realise it was so good. DH also loves JD and has a birthday coming up, can you describe the difference in flavor?

Toadinthehole · 12/06/2015 23:35

I love whisky when I can afford it but I mostly drink Scotch single malts.

It is advisable to look beyond age-statemented whiskies (ie "ten year, 30 year" and so on). Lots of quality distilleries are now putting out bottles that are blends of different years of their own malts. These bottles do not have an age statement, but typically the whiskies will be no younger than 10 years.

Age statements are becoming less common because worldwide demand for whisky has increased significantly, and distilleries are finding ways to be more flexible with their stock so they can meet demand. Accordingly they have begun to blend their own stocks into a non-age statemented product, and the results are extremely good. Being a peat fan, I would be far more grateful of a bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail than an Ardbeg 10 yr or even a 16 or more from most other distilleries.

Also there is also absolutely nothing wrong with a good quality blend. They will just generally have a less distinctive taste than single malts.

The best two whiskies I've tried in the last 6 months have both been non age-statemented single malts - one Scotch (Glenmorangie Tusail), and the other Tasmanian (Sullivan's Cove).

If I were you, I would contact a very decent whisky shop and get some advice from them. They are usually very helpful. Also, unless your DH like to collect rather than drink, I wouldn't bother with a 30 year old, you could get a number of extremely good bottles for the same price.

teamboleyn · 12/06/2015 23:41

A single malt means it's from one distillery not one cask, a blended malt will be a blend of two or more single malts from different distilleries. A blended scotch is a mix of single malts and grain whiskies. The better the blend the higher percentage of malts the mix. When a single malt only comes from one cask it will state on the label; single cask. Often stating the bottle number ie 18 of 326.

Unreasonableandpetty · 13/06/2015 08:02

Dp like JD but like a single malt as well.
Glen Order is quite a sweet whisky if he like a more sweet flavour. Same area of the Highlands as Dalmore as well.

TTWK · 13/06/2015 08:33

Is that the one with the melted wax TTWK? I didn't realise it was so good. DH also loves JD and has a birthday coming up, can you describe the difference in flavor?

Yes, the one with the red melted wax stopper.

Looking at my post, it comes across quite snobbish. But I get irked when people call JD a bourbon. It's like driving a Fiat and calling it a Ferrari, just because it's an Italian car. Not all Italian cars are Ferraris, and not all American whiskies are bourbons.

Makers Mark is, in my opinion, a massive step up from JD in terms of quality. The first thing he should notice is the smoothness. There's no catch in the throat when swallowing, and it doesn't make you feel like you want to cough. Just a warmth in the throat from the product. The flavour is hard to describe. A bit of toffee, and maybe banana, but it isn't sweet at all, not syrupy.

It should be drunk neat, or with ice but don't let the ice melt and dilute it too much. A good supplementary gift for the OP, if he likes ice (as I do) would be some whisky stones. They are reusable stone cubes that go in the freezer. You put them in the whisky to cool it just like ice, but they are stone so don't melt. When finished you wash them and put them back in the freezer for next time.

I recommended Makers Mark as it's a high quality product at a mid price point, around £30. Others similar worth looking at would be Woodford reserve or Knob Creek. Personally I think MM is better but that's just me.

You can spend over £100, but the step up in quality from MM to a £100 bourbon is not as noticeable compared to the step up from JD to MM.

Problem is it's so individual. Comparing MM with JD is like comparing a freshly caught and prepared Dover sole with fish fingers. But some people love fish fingers, and there's nothing wrong with that. So OP might spend £30 on something that her husband doesn't like. And he may prefer JD Hmm

Anyway, good luck.

BoyMeetsWorld · 13/06/2015 08:44

Thanks everyone, really appreciate your thoughts.

it's tricky!

for any other birthday I'd def take lots of these suggestions & go just on taste...I usually do get him a JD, like Gentleman Jack etc for his bdays. just wanted something specific to 1985 or 30 because it's his 30th.

plus although he enjoys drinking them (he has whisky stones already and has a little drink most eves), he likes collecting and nice bottles too which is why I don't mind spending £100-£200...not for the sake of being flashy but to get something that looks impressive for his little collection. I'm only getting him 3 prsents (as his main one is really big) so I wanted it to be a bit more than just a £30 "extra"...

I do still like the Glenfiddich Bourbon idea though, nice box too. still wondering if he might like the Ballantines 30th though, or the Dalmore King Edward Third...

OP posts: