Hello all

Hello to all in the whisky world. New to your site and Scotch. Several days here and the use of the the Search function have revealed lots of advice...thankyou all.

Funny things a neewbe encounters. I think I like this stuff. I'll get another bottle, and another, and another....and so on. After 5 weeks, I now have too many bottles to fit in the ole' alcohol niche (we were not big consumers). So now there are bottles stashed in 3 various cupboards. Solution? I need a Scotch cabinet! So now there is an Amish fellow somewhere building me a "jelly cabinet", 5 ft tall, to hold my precious jams and jellies. Wonder if I should tell him what's really going in it!

A dram before bed makes me a sleepy boy. My only alcohol consumption prior was a rare beer, or glass of Bailey's, maybe once/month (save my teen years). I can not see how I could taste several drams in an evening, as I would be "out".

I have discovered a changing palate in just 6 weeks. Been consuming a dram, usually of a different bottling each night...rotating through stock a couple of times. After a couple times through, I'm letting my taste do the selection. My most "empty" bottles are appearing now....so what do I like vs. what I thought I''d like?....
Probably no suprise a neewb likes Speysides. My standard 12 yr Glenfiddich and Glenlivet are sitting there near full. Can't see me going back to them unless I have a guest request. Just suprised at how "plain" they are. My Macallan 12 is half empty...I thought I'd like it a bit more after reading the initial hype. My Balvenie Doublewoood is 1/4 empty, along with the Glenmorangie Lasanta...they are good, I can enjoy them, but I have better. My young Talisker and Highland Park, JW-Black sit, missing just a couple drams. So what is near-empty then? Strangely enough, my young Cragganmore and JW-Green. I love this stuff. Both of 'em. They will be the first "replacements" I purchase.

A neewb first owns what the liquor store carries. Now I have a wandering lust and my stores carry nothing else, so I'm going to be visiting stores afar when traveling, and am discovering mail-order scotch. Wow...you got to really want a scotch, to pay overseas shipping to the US. $30-$35 shipping/bottle from the UK.

I have not yet become a "scotch snob" and am open to all tasting experiences, including blends. I'm a liqueur fan as well and am thrilled to discover there several whisky-based liqueurs waiting for me to try. A neewb really doesn't know what to try, as there is no prior experience to guide them. So you read forums like this, watch Ralphy on Youtube, and ask alot of questions. So far I really get a kick out of Ralphy (but we don't tatste the same) and I picked several tasters in the MaltManniacs Matrix who seem to like what I like. My first tasting experience was almost my last. On a trip to NYC last year..., "Give me a glass of that Lap-ro-agg"? The one with the 12 behind it. The dram is delivered on the rocks. I almost died! The wife then tried a sip...she almost died. We left our first scotch on the table, quite certain you all were completly nuts for investing any time in this drink! Can't quite see my palate ever developing enough to take me back to Islay.

Ok, I figured a short novella was a way to say hi and introduce myself. I'll be lingering and reading. Thanks for maintaing this site. I'm off to consider a bicycle trip through Speyside.

[jwise]

Ah, Speyside! How I love that region... Check out Glenrothes Select Reserve. It is a fan favorite among my friends.

Frankly, anything from The Balvenie is superb.

I picked up a Scotch Whisky book by Michael Jackson (not the child molester), which is a handy reference guide for tasting notes.

[Dale]

BCD - Welcome. Rotating your drams and drinking different whiskies nightly will make you quite knowledgeable in a year or so - especially if you read a couple books on the topic. Authors whose works you should befriend include Charles Maclean, Dave Broom, Michael Jackson and Phillip Hills. Hills 'Appreciating Whisky' is perhaps the best book I've ever read concerning an adult beverage - and I've been reading about them for 30 years. He makes some pointed commentary about the industry and the crap it sells, striking a chord with me. Anyway, give Glenfarclas, Longmorn, Mortlach and Miltonduff whiskies a try, as I think you'll drink through them quite fast!

Thanks jwise and Dale.

Since that post, I have picked up a Clynelish 14 that has moved to the top of my fav list. It's now the first whisky I've purchased multiple bottles of. My Macallan has moved up my list a bit. Next purchase in that will be a 15 or 18 yr for comparison. JW-Green is still 1st class with me as well.

Recent aquisitions also include a Tomatin 10, Glenrothes Select Res., Cardhu 12. Chivas 12 and a JW-Black are adequate and on par with each other, but not stellar in my book. I'm discovering different trends in Speysides...Grassy's and Spicy's. Definatly like the spice but the grass notes are forgetable on me. Have a few more Speysides coming for comparisson.

I have yet to find a reviewer who I agree with enough to make sound purchases. Still seems quite hit or miss.

I will checkout the Whisky books/authors mentioned. I've already purchased a wall map of Scotland and dreaming of a fall trip down the Spey followed by a tour of the remaining Highlands. Perhaps 10 days?

Thanks again