any providers out here that drink Scotch?

I just started drinking scotch tonight. Sampled some Johnny Walker Black, some Glenlivet 18 year, and a Macallan 12 year.

For those who drink Scotches...any suggestions on what I should try and why? Trying to sample bottles under $100, but I may go spring on a JW Blue if I acquire the taste of scotch here...tho that would mean I'd have to give up a session?

I love a good scotch.

I would go ahead and spring for the JW Blue. I love it!

GN

The brand you prefer depends on your palate. Some are clean, some are smokey or peatie (refers to peat in the soil where the barley is grown), some are in between. The southern regions produce the clean taste. The northern regions produce the smokey or peatie taste.

Chivas Regal is a blend that is a little of all three. 12 year is a good value.
Glenlevit is a single malt with a clean taste. 12 year is good enough, unless you are a snob.
Highland Park is my fav. It from the Highlands of Scottland and is a peatie scotch, which I prefer.
Johnny Walker is also a blended scotch. Red is a little rough. Black is 12 year and quite good.

My standard is whether it is smooth if drinking on the rocks and sipping. Clean, in between or peatie is a matter of personal preference.

I liked the Glenlevit..the Macallan was nice too. Haven't tried a blended one yet.

Thanks for the info

My favorite is Glenmorangie. 12 and 16 year are under $100/bottle and IMHO tastes better then older versions of other brands.

Glenkinchie 12 Yr is a good bottle.

Slightly more expensive than most 12 yrs out there, but tastes "smoother" than most 14/16 year scotches.

What you have to understand with scotch is that every region has a very different taste. As a starter I would suggest finding what you like and sticking with that for a bit. I started on Speyside scotch, which is usually the most commonly found (Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, and Macallan being the popular choices). Then started buying some Highlands, moved on to Lowlands (Glenkinchie, bought as a gift for me), and now I'm venturing into the Islay whiskeys which is not for the faint of heart LOL. The Islay is extremely peaty (i.e. smokey), if you like smokey then you may actually take a liking to it from the get go.

/off my whiskey rant...

JW Blue isn't worth the added expense, IMHO. At some point, the concept of diminishing returns has to kick in. Is JW Blue at ~$250/bottle really 6 times better than JW Black at ~$30/bottle? I don't think so... Never tried the Green, but the Gold is a little spicy and unrefined for my palate, I prefer my scotches smoother with caramel notes and a peaty finish is nice. Besides, those are all blends and while there's a some skill in mixing finished distillations together for a consistent flavor, it pales in comparison to making a killer bottle in a single malting.

Try the Laphroig 10yr, its a solid drinkable bottle and should only run you about $40 at Specs. It has the strongest peat flavor of any scotch I've tried to date, without being overwhelming.

I also like The Balvenie because they do interesting finishes to some of their bottles, though they can get a little pricey and hard to find. I particularly like the Sherry, Port and Madiera finishes, but they're very hard to find -- especially the Port. (If you see a bottle of the 21yr Port, BUY it. Don't look at the price tag, just buy it.) Their 12yr Doublewood is their staple bottle though and its very good and among my favorite scotches, runs about $50/bottle.

Talisker's 10 yr is also one of my favorite scotches. It has a briny flavor and a peaty finish that is wonderful and is about $60/bottle. The other offerings of theirs are very, very expensive and not all that remarkable, IMHO.

Good luck, scotch-drinking can get very addictive. Don't be afraid to like what you like. Scotch drinkers can be snotty and superior, especially if you're critical of their favorite bottle. You don't have to be able to articulate every sip, but you know what you like. For my money, JW Black is as solid and drinkable a scotch as there is. It's cheap, pleasant and sold in just about every bar in America, therefore its my favorite scotch.

I liked the Glenlevit..the Macallan was nice too. Haven't tried a blended one yet.

Thanks for the info Originally Posted by bashful1

you have...the johnny walker you tried was a blend. their only single malt is green label.

all these suggestions are great. add "oban" to your list. it's not too expensive.

Althought I'm a bourban man myself, when I do switch up I do enjoy the Johnny Walker Black and Chivas Regal as my second choice, but 12 yrs or older is my preference as well on any thing .....good luck to the OP on finding the right Scotch.....

Johnny Walker Blue, is one of my favortie scotches, expensive but worth it. Red is very rough, Black is acceptable;. Blue however is extremely smooth. When my mood is for a single malt then it is Glenlevit 21, even though 18 is still quite nice. I don't drink often but when I do I prefer the good stuff.

CHIVAS REGAL ONLY WHEN I CAN SPIT IT IN SOME IDIOTS MOUTH FOR A SIP

You know I do.

I had Thor the other day. It wasn't THAT great, but stupid expensive.

http://www.whiskyofthegods.com/who-is-thor

I like Thor. It could have been root beer and I would have been all over it.

Based on my handle, I have to chime in here. I have a strong preference for the single malts, obviously, and don't believe that Johnny Walker Blue is anywhere worth the price. My favorite is probably Oban. It has a nice smooth finish, a little fruity on the aftertaste. It's a very approachable scotch.
My avatar is is also a favorite of mine, and is almost the opposite of Oban. Very strong and peaty. It grabs your tongue and gives it a good shaking.
Craggenmore is a very nice Speyside. I've been enjoying it quite a bit lately. You can never go wrong with Macallan, as long as you stick to the 12 year or older. Personally, I don't care for the various finishes.
Brat, I would live to have you spit some scotch in my mouth sometime.

Thanks everyone for the feedback

And thanks brat for the bratty comment

Yes Katie. I know you do... And what is it that you prefer??

I suspect I'm going to be spending a lot of money sampling scotches over the next few weeks. Hobby budget and scotch budget. Hahaha. Now if only my date for tonight would hurry up and get here!!