I know many people who want to start enjoying scotch more, but don’t really know how to start.
There are really a couple of ways to start enjoying scotch if you are new to the whisky world. For most of my bourbon drinkers I tell them to go through Ireland. Meaning, try an Irish Whiskey first. Most Irish Whiskey is made in a continuous, or column still, just like they use for bourbons. (There are some exceptions of course.) Plus, many blended Irish Whiskies are blended with corn and aged in bourbon barrels so there are many similarities. Try blended Irish Whiskey for awhile then switch to an Irish single malt, such as Bushmills, Red Breast, or even Michael Collins (made for the American drinker).
If you want to go straight to Scotch, then you could always try a blend, but be careful, many of the lower priced ones have very little barley malt. If you try a blend, go for a good named brand, especially one that is aged. Dewers 12 yr old, any Johnnie Walker (except Red), Famous Grouse 12 yr old are a few.
If you chose to go straight to Single Malt, well my first advice is to find a place that offers tastings (checking the internet will lead you to tastings in your area). Here in St. Louis you can find at least one every six weeks or so. In a tasting you will usually try 6 to 8 single malts for about $20 to $30. This will save you from buying a bottle that you end up not liking.
A lot of people ask me if The Glenlevit is the ” Cadillac” of scotch, mainly because of brand recognition and it is easily available for a good price (around $30 for the 12 yr old). To me, it is the “Honda Accord” of scotch. Good product for a good price, but there are much better products out there for a little more in price that are much better in taste.
A good way to find a bottle at a decent price is to go the BevMo’s website: www.bevmo.com Click on “pick up” (upper middle of page) and just pick a location (Arizona has cheaper prices than California). Click on “Spirits”, then on the left click on “scotch”, then click on “single malt”. BevMo has the option to narrow your choices to price and ratings. Click on the higher ratings at a lower price and you should do okay.
Many people have asked me to recommend a bottle as a gift for friend or relative. That is actually a little trickier. I usually ask what the person normally drinks and go from there. Many people don’t realize that there are many regions in Scotland and each region has a different taste. Even in our whisky club many of the members do not like the peated whiskies, especially from the Islay region (I am not one of them!!). By far, most of this club likes the expressions that are matured in sherry butts. So, if they don’t know what to buy I usually recommend a brand that may have a little of everything, such as Highland Park 12 yr old(a little sherry, a little peat and a little smoke…a rather tasty dram), or anything from Glenmorangie (you can’t beat the standard 10 yr old expression).
I hope this helps a little bit. Entering the whisky world is a lot of fun and a great adventure. Cheers!
Mark