nikesupremedunk Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 My birthday's coming up this Sunday and wanted to step out of the entry level scotch game and try something a bit more high end. I haven't had too much experience with scotch, tried mccallan, glenlivet, and HP all 12 year olds. Also tried a 15 year old glen and it was probably the best I've had so far. I want to try some 18 year old whiskys and see how they differ from the 12 year old versions. I understand that "best" is subjective, but still would like to hear some opinions on which is a must-try 18 y/o scotch. I was thinking of going with the Glen 18 since it is my favorite brand so far, but what would you guys recommend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayedfy Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Shortening a scotch to "Glen" is highly confusing, seeing as the market is saturated by brands starting with Glen (Glenmorangie, Glenfiddich, Glendronach, Glenfarclas etc). But I assume you're talking about the Glenlivet 18. The 18 is the only Glenlivet expression I've had. Many people I've talked to who have done vertical tastings from the 12 through to the 21 say they think the 18 is the best, and I certainly found it tasty. So I don't think you'd make a mistake there, although I think you could do better. Out of the 18 yo expressions from Macallan/Glenlivet/HP, I'd personally go with the Highland Park. HP is one of those distilleries that gets better with age, and the 18 has won awards left right and centre. The Macallan is nice but seriously overpriced. Have you tried any heavily sherried or peated scotch? It seems from your list that you like lighter styles, and if you've decided that's where your preferences lie, that's great. But if you haven't explored much, I would suggest trying entry levels in some other styles before you're sure you want to blow hundreds of dollars on a bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rushman Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 My $0.02. Go to your neighborhood merchant and look at what they have from Cadenhead, which is a specialty bottler. They usually have several bottlings in the 15-20 year range and find a distillery and date you like and give it s try. When I was big into scotch and lived back in the US my liquor cabinet was dominated by bottlers such as cadenhead and Murray mcdavid. --- I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=20.631741,-87.070653 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzz Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Glendronach is my favourite scotch, followed closely by Glenmorangie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanceSchmerr Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Springbank 18 and Laphroaig 18 are both excellent choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikesupremedunk Posted September 27, 2012 Author Share Posted September 27, 2012 Yes, I meant Glenlivet 18 y/o lol. I made a post after trying the HP 12 and it was my least favorite although I hear the 18 is a lot better. If I didn't like the HP 12, would I still like the 18? I haven't tried too many as I've been buying a bottle at a time so it does make sense to try others first. But I wouldn't mind having a nice bottle for special days. I also had no reason to choose 18 y/o, just wanted something higher than entry level without breaking bank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edlye Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 I suggest you try a cask strength expression from your favourite distillery instead as none of us will have identical tastes as you. If you enjoy the taste profile from Glenlivet, please give the 16 year old The Glenlivet Nadurra a go. Likewise for Macallan, give The Macallan Cask Strength (either the 10 Y.O. or NAS) a shot. The best thing you can do to further develop your single malt journey is to locate a specialist whisky bar and have as many tastings as you can to pin down your likes and dislikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justmi Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 If its something special, what about looking at a Gordon and Macphail bottling of Macallan, Glenlivet or Highland Park? They go into the distillery and select barrels with the most promise and lug it into their warehouses. Think of it like a PSP program. I've tried their Speymalt (Macallan) and it was worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khomeinist Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Talisker 18 can be quite good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khomeinist Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Glenlivet 18 is a good product. Talisker 18 is fairly relaxed actually. Not too peaty and a gentle but complex spice component. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayedfy Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Yes, I meant Glenlivet 18 y/o lol. I made a post after trying the HP 12 and it was my least favorite although I hear the 18 is a lot better. If I didn't like the HP 12, would I still like the 18? I haven't tried too many as I've been buying a bottle at a time so it does make sense to try others first. But I wouldn't mind having a nice bottle for special days. I also had no reason to choose 18 y/o, just wanted something higher than entry level without breaking bank. Nothing wrong with having a nice premium Scotch around for special occasions, however I normally save that kind of thing for birthdays or tax returns when there's a little more cash floating around, rather than saving up for a particular bottle. Especially if you go out and treat yourself to a nice whisky for your birthday, it makes it that much more special when you pull it out. I'm still not overly experienced with Scotch myself and there's a lot I haven't tried, however here are a few good entry levels that won't break the bank and will introduce you to some of the different styles: Sherry: While a great number of Scotch is matured in ex-bourbon casks, many distillers love using barrels that previously held dessert wine in their maturation, either as a finishing cask, or for full maturation. Probably the most popular are sherry casks. Glenfarclas 12 and Glendronach 12 are two great introductions to the style. I've heard reasonable things about the Aberlour 10 as well, and it's certainly very affordable. I've yet to try anything from Aberlour though, so can't comment either way. Peat: Another common tradition among Scotch distillers is to dry their malt over peat fires, giving it a really unique earthy/smoky character. It's an acquired taste, but if you give yourself time to appreciate it, there is a lot of brilliant whisky to be enjoyed in the style. I'd start off with a bottle of something more lightly peated like Talisker 10 or Caol Ila 12, and if you gain a taste for it, move up to some of the stronger expressions from the likes of Ardbeg or Laphroaig. As a side note, if you decide you do want to stick to the lighter style, Balvenie is one that instantly springs to mind as something you would enjoy. They have some fantastic older expressions that would make a fine "special occasion" bottle as per your original purpose, but their youngest whisky ("Double Wood", 12 years old) wouldn't disappoint you either. I'm also seeing lots of recommendations here for independent bottlings (Cadenhead, Gordon and MacPhail). As a new Scotch drinker, I'd stay away from these for the moment. Being single cask bottlings, they can be really hit and miss, and you have to really know your stuff to know if you're going to get a winner or a dud. Better to get to really know the ins and outs of your favourite distilleries via their official lines, and then branch out into the IBs once you have a solid footing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khomeinist Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 I stand corrected then. I assumed it was similar to the 10, which I enjoy, but is very medicinal and strong. No problem. Yeah. Some people actually prefer the Talisker 10. It is definitely a bolder spirit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maverickdrinker Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Great responses so far. I am still a relative newbie in the scotch world. My favorite 18 so far is Highland Park, followed by Glenlivet 18. Have fun on your journey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLC Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Just tried this for the first time the other day and was quite impresses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusguy Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Yamazaki 18. You can thank me later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadianbeaver Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Dalwhinnie 15... cannot go wrong. Scapa 16, my go to fave. Glenfiddich 19, newest addition to my collection, fancy schmancy box presentation but yet to try it. Fantastic resource about our favorite liquid, whether you are a noob or veteran http://www.maltmadness.com/malt-whisky/beginners-guide-01-basics.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winelover Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 No problem. Yeah. Some people actually prefer the Talisker 10. It is definitely a bolder spirit. I'm in that camp. The 10 yo is my favourite Talisker. I've only otherwise had the 15 yo which was too mellow for my liking. The excitement of the 10 yo is a unique and special experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptrthgr8 Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 I *really* like the Glenfiddich 18 year old. Lots of honey and cinnamon spice with some fruitiness. I've had more of the Balvenie types than anything else - and I really like them all (though the Doublewood leaves me feeling ho-hum) - but the Glenfiddich 18 year is defintiely one of my top 3 favorites. Cheers, ~ Greg ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikesupremedunk Posted September 28, 2012 Author Share Posted September 28, 2012 Hm...so many diff ones to try...but I can't buy a bottle for each one lol. Thanks everyone for the recommendations, it seems like the best option would be to try to find a sampling session somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winelover Posted November 25, 2012 Share Posted November 25, 2012 I *really* like the Glenfiddich 18 year old. Lots of honey and cinnamon spice with some fruitiness. I've had more of the Balvenie types than anything else - and I really like them all (though the Doublewood leaves me feeling ho-hum) - but the Glenfiddich 18 year is defintiely one of my top 3 favorites. Cheers, ~ Greg ~ I have some of the Glenfiddich 18 right now and it is very pleasant indeed. lt is so much better than the Glenfiddich 15 Solera which I find very disappointing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BENN Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 The Macallan fine oak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangedog Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Hm...so many diff ones to try...but I can't buy a bottle for each one lol. Thanks everyone for the recommendations, it seems like the best option would be to try to find a sampling session somewhere. what did you end up getting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assassin Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Highland Park 18 a favouriteof mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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