Recommend Me a Single Malt....
 

I'm young and fairly new to scotch. My grandpa introduced it to me a couple years back and I've grown quite fond of it over the last year or so.

I'm a law student, so my budget is limited, no 15-18yr aged :(

Here is what I've tried, in a ranking order of how I enjoyed them. Note all range from the 8-12 year range.

Aberfeldy (clear cut favorite, but a tad more expensive than I'd like to continually purchase)
Glenmoraigne (sp?)
Macallan
Glen Garioch
Glenlivet
Benromach
Laphroaig (did not like this one bit)

It seems Islay seems to be the least appealing to me.

Singleton 12
 

I absolutely love Singleton 12...its semi-cheap ($25-32?), tastes great, is very smooth and has a hint of slight smoke. Its opposite of a Laphroaig and should be perfect on your budget. Let me know what you think of this one.

-Daniel

It will be my next purchase, perfect price range. Thanks!

I’d recommend Aberlour 12 year, or Balvenie 12 year Doublewood. I’ve seen both in the upper $30’s to mid $40’s. I like Balvenie between the two, but both are fantastic and good values.

Also +1 on the Singleton 12 year, at the price range (upper $20’s here) it’s one of my favorites.

I'd like to second the Balvenie Doublewood....:D

Glengoyne 10 Year
 

My favorite inexpensive whisky is Glengoyne 10 year. It's a great summer scotch - light and refreshing, but never short on flavor! We have found it "on sale" for as low as $30. :D

Hi,
The glengoyne 10 is a very nice dram, also the singleton is well worth trying, i would also look at Auchentoshan 12 year old, this is one of my favourite drams, and always goes down well....:D

Thanks guys! I'll be going to the liquor store this week and will be getting one of these. Appreciate the feedback, now its decision making time.

For an inexpensive non-Islay, I like to reach for a bottle of Speyburn 10. It's smooth, light and flowery, yet subtly spicey and complex if you let it it be. For the cost of an average blend, $20-$25, you get a pretty nice single.

The Aberlour 12yr is a sherried whisky, which adds a LOT of flavor that a lot of new whisky drinkers appreciate. It goes for $30-ish a bottle, and is one of my all-time favorites (ESPECIALLY in that price range!)

Ended up grabbing the Speyburn 10yr as it was the only recommended one under $40.

For being so inexpensive, I was surprisingly impressed.
Do you all visit special liquor stores for these purchases? I go to Binny's (large retail chain here in Chicagoland area) as they are only one with such an expansive selection. Is there anywhere else I should look into?

That's a great question, and this is what I do.

I live in Western Colorado. Not as much selection or competition around here, so I have a system.

My local favorite liquor store in my town is where I buy my day to day stuff (My favorite Irish blends), and an occasional single malt.

The nearest decent sized town is Grand Junction, about 70 miles away. They have a nice liquor store there with decent selection, so when I’m in town I’ll run by there if they have something specific I’m looking for.

Denver is about 225 miles away. They have 2 liquor stores I visit – one always has Balvenie 12 year at a great price ($35), so if I need some I’ll buy it there. Another has a huge selection, so I’ll stop in there if I want to try something new.

There’s another liquor store between work and home that carries a couple of single malts I really like at a great price, and will rotate a few on sale. They also have my favorite Tequila (Cabo Wabo yummmmmm) for a great price.

The moral of the story is find what liquor stores carry at a reduced price – it seems like some stores just have a much better price on a specific brand or product than everyone else. Keep a list of who has what (on paper, on your phone, in your brain, wherever), so you can plan ahead. This strategy has saved me quite a bit of $$$ while allowing me to keep a decent supply on hand.

You can always look through our whisky.com store ;)

http://whisky.com/brands/

As indicated by my handle, I am a Cragganmore fan. You can find it in the range of $40-45 for the 12 YO, rated at 91 by the now-deceased Michael Jackson (not the singer!). Aberlour was the first malt I bought about two decades ago, primarily because it was in a Top Ten list in the New York Times; all others were priced least ten dollars more. I recently bought a bottle of Aberlour 12 YO (for old-time sake) and rediscovered that it is a fine whisky at a reasonable price.

Hi, NJT. I think a good thing might be to get samplers. Most good liquor stores will have a few distillers' sets of 3 "airplane" bottles each of different age. Balvenie and Glenfiddich are pretty common and I think they'd fir with the list of what you like.

Recommend Me a Single Malt....
 

Hi,

If you are on a tight budget, a good malt that is pleasant and malty and will not break the bank is TAMDHU 10-Year-Old. It can usually be had in the $20 - $22 range.

A word about miniatures. They're good for trying an expression without investing in a full bottle, but remember the price per liter goes up drastically if you drink minis on a regular basis.

Another word. Islay malts are not good beginner malts. The advice I offer on Islays is that you give it a while before breaking into Islays. It takes a while to develop the nose and palate for these whiskies, but when you do, the sensory rewards will be worth the patience. Development of the nose an palate is long-term, not short-term.

Good Luck on finding your staple malt.

I agree with Kenneth, the Tamdhu 10 is a great simple malt. Possibly the best bang for your buck dram in the US (it is not available in the EU, where their NAS doesn't seem to be appreciated as well as the 10 here). If you happen to live in California, Trader Joe's is a good place to pick up the wonderfull Balvenie Doublewood or Laphroaig 10 (both less than $35). They just added the Glen Moray 12 for $19.99. This is a serious contender for the best bang for your buck dram in the US. If you live in the UK or EU and want a good mature dram, you should check out the Bladnoch Forum bottlings. They have great bottlings of 20-30 year old whiskies in the GBP 50 range.

nescio - send me an email when you get a chance - joanne (at) ccin.com :D

Anything by Talisker. The 10 year old is my 'standard' single malt, but I can't comment on availability in the States unfortunately.

+ 1!

Theus

How much does the Highland Park 12yo generally sell for in the US ? Here in Ontario it's $60 a bottle .

I may be making a trip to MI sometime soon and may bring a bottle back .

Thanks again for all these suggestions. My taste for single malts has been evolving. I recently had Laphroaig once again and this time around (about a year 1/2 after the last time I tried it) I found it to be one of my favorites.

I come to you all again, as I will be attending a dinner/drinks event with the following list. There are several I am yet to try and would like to sample 1-2 for the night. If anybody would mind recommending or at least commenting on the following, it'd be greatly appreciated.

Balvenie 12
Dalmore 15
Glenkinchie 12
Oban 14
Talisker 18

They also have Macallan, Laphroaig, Glenlivet, and Glenfiddich (however I have tried all of these, and happen to have two of these handy at my house).

From the above reviews Talisker and Balvenie seem to be hits. I sampled a Dalmore 12 a while back and remember liking it as well. As for Oban and Glenkinchie I know nothing about them.

Have you tried the Highland Park 12 yo ?

From the list you gae, I would recommend the Balvenie and the Oban. I find the Talisker to be way too smokey. I have had it on many occasions. The Balvenie is one of my favorites and the Oban is different than most that you will try and it sometimes has to grow on you. But it is quite expensive so I would recommend sampling it when you have a chance.

I am agree with the above post.I like Dalmore 15,is one of my favorite.I dont know the price of this one but Most good liquor stores will have a bottles each of different age.Try it once it awesome.