The perfect all-rounder

Mattmerize

Hello everyone,

Glad to see everyone's enjoying their scotch. I have a question for everyone which may divide us in certain camps, but I think it is a worthwhile question.

You are most likely all familiar with the benchmark Islay and Islands single malts that are really powerful and strong - Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Talisker, etc. - and have decided for yourselves your favorite. The same probably goes for light and sweet Speyside or Lowlands or even Highlands single malts - Glenmorangie, Cardhu, Dalwhinnie, etc.

However, there is something in-between, neither too sweet nor too strong, and this category is where my question lies: what is the perfect all-rounder, that is a lovely harmony of sweetness, oak, spiciness, smokiness, saltiness; you know the flavors. The problem is however that all-rounders are dangerously close to lacking sophistication: all the flavors could cancel each other out and create a dram that doesn't have anything special anymore: it's become "just fine" or "okay" (which is the case in some if not most blended whiskies, in my opinion). So, to rephrase my question: what single malt whisky has a beautiful balance of all kinds of flavors and aromas, whilst still being incredibly complex and rich?

Some contenders that I'd like to propose are Highland Park 12y, Glenfiddich 12/15y, Oban 14y, Balvenie 12y DoubleWood, and Glenlivet 15y. In my search, these were found the most on people's lists and these are all around 30 euros in Europe.

pasvraiment

Oban 14 and HP 12 are all rounders, I would also put Talisker 10 in the list and blends like Poit Dhubh 12, but not glendfiddich nor Glenlivet, except maybe the 18... All-rounder is a weird concept...

ben_2

For me the perfect all-rounder would be a bit older. Most whiskies just pick up so many more aromas over the years. For me it was the Highland Park 25

SuperDrams

Talisker I would second. Particularly the Distillers Edition, though the 10yo is nice.

Maximilien

"ben" wrote:
For me the perfect all-rounder would be a bit older. Most whiskies just pick up so many more aromas over the years. For me it was the Highland Park 25

cant be. no smoke in 25 YO HP

ben_2

Yes the smoke in the 25yo is almost untraceable. I just don't like smoke unless it's heavily peated.