Quote:
Originally Posted by cran
i'd like to put a bottle of scotch on a table at my wedding where I believe a few scotch drinkers will be sitting. i'm looking for a recommendation within the $40-$60 range. i've heard the following is good:
Aberlour a’bunadh
Talisker 10 yr
Macallan Cask Strength / 12 yr / 18 yr
Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Balvenie Doublewood / 15 yr single barrel / Portwood
what's my best bet?
also...since i'm not a scotch drinker myself...is putting a $40 bottle of scotch at a table of (high end) scotch drinkers akin to giving bud light to a beer lover?
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Some $40 whiskies are akin to a mass produced beer and some are not. The whiskies you list above are pretty widely available in the U.S. and are pretty standard whiskies, a few are better than others (depending on one's likes/dislikes) and some are more mass produced then others. That said, they are probably what most of the scotch drinkers at your wedding will know (or should). I'd suggest the Laphroaig and Talisker are risky due to their peat levels and may be fine for a few of your scotch drinking friend but possibly not well liked by a few. Balvenie, Macallan and Aberlour are all from Speyside, have somewhat similar profiles, and are overall generally pleasing and satisfactory whiskies - especially for a group. I would think you wouldn't go wrong with any of them.
Another idea, since it is your wedding and a very special occasion, you could look for a single cask bottling from an independent bottler like Signatory Vintage or Gordon Macphail and give your friends something to drink they likely won't find anywhere else. The bottle would be a one of a kind, hopefully similar to the way you feel about your bride, and you could have all the scotch drinkers sign the bottle and you'd have an interesting keepsake from your wedding. I did something similar with a jeroboam of Krug Champagne at my wedding; six years later, I still have the bottle and my wife and friends continually comment about how great it was, and cool it was that we all drank a Champagne toast out of the same bottle. Anyway, just a thought, and congratulations on the nuptials.