'Classic' whisky recommendation

My favorite "straight" right now is the Bruichladdich Classic. Not the Laddie 10, but the Bruichladdich Classic. Blue bottle. It is also one of the few whiskies that I enjoy with a bit of water.

Royal brackla 18 from signatory was great...clynelish is another good one. I think highland whiskies generally fit the bill

@Max Not sure about the "classic" designation, but Deanston Virgin Oak, Benromach Organic are both great examples of virgin oak aged malts - they are really interesting in that you get to experience "pure" flavours without any influence at all from any prior barrel contents.

I hear the Bruichladdich Organic range is tops too (yet to try it myself). Glengoyne 10 for pure, unadulterated barley (albeit with a "coal gas" bite) but they probably use refill bourbon casks. There are quite a few malts around that use "weak" third and fourth fill bourbon casks so essentially you end up with mild, delicate flavours where the barley is really allowed to speak freely.

Within my cabinet, I would go with Glengoyne 10 (for a Scotch whisky) as there is no peat or smoke from the drying process as their malt is air-dried. To me it represents the essence of malt whisky, in a largely unadulterated form. As well, being a 10 yo, the interaction with, and influence of, the wood is reduced.

If you can get an American craft distillery offering, a couple I would recommend would be the Old Potrero 18th Century 100% Rye whiskey (a must try experience!!!), or the Koval Lion's Pride line as it is also a 100% single grain whiskey offering (they bottle 10 variations using five different grains...oat, wheat, rye, spelt, and millet). There are others that will be mentioned, but those are the ones that I have had repeated exposure to. Both are aged less than three years, in smaller than normal casks.

I'd have to go with Talisker 10 yr old or Old Potrero 18th Century Rye! Both awesome!

@Max, the purest, most unadorned malt I have ever encountered is Clontarf Single Malt Irish whiskey. It is barley, barley, and more barley. It is made at the Bushmills distillery.

Thanks, guys! Unfortunately not all mentioned whiskies are available here, but I think I can get Bruichladdich Classic and Benromach Organic and Glengoyne 10

@Victor I'll keep looking for it, but never spotted something like this so far(

@SquidgyAsh Talisker 10 is more on the peated side) I've got a bottle in my cabinet. It's very nice, good balance, but too flat for my liking

never actually managed to try clontarf but petty interested in doing so. how did you find out where it nis made. I always assumed it was jameson as the clontarf battle happened in around there. @Victor

@Sroberts86, online research, vendor information...also Jim Murray lists it under the 'Old Bushmills' distillery whiskies in his Whisky Bible.

talking of classic whisky, I just looked at the most popular whiskies by ownership on the site. I cant believe how relatively unpopular the bowmores are!

wow there are also none in the top 50 by rating. Seems crazy.

It seems to be trendy to knock Bowmore these days. The big whisky boys have led the way by repeatedly slagging Bowmore's core expressions. I have always liked the standard 12 yr. old, (so does Jim Murray) and many people (not Murray) give the 15 Darkest good reviews. The very inexpensive McLelland's Islay comes from Bowmore and gets 88 points from JM. It's on my to buy list.

@Max: +1, what @pudge72 said. Any of the Glengoynes are magnificent - Here in Australia, we were getting a superb 12yo. @ 43% but alas it was reduced to 40% abv. It seems to still be available in other markets @ 43% abv: For a special treat, you could shout yourself a bottle of the fantastic 12yo. Cask (57.2%) which is a no-nonsense, straight forward, 'bloody good' Whisky, which, considering the quality, is surprisingly affordable!

Slainte!

Old Pulteney works for me when I want a smoke-peat-free dram. Cragganmore is good too.

@BlueNote Thx for that response. Didn't know this. I am also not following the whisky scene in a whole, mostly hanging around here ;)

But sometimes it's interesting how legends are made. This is another topic, but I also noticed for myself, that taste can be influenced very subjectively by hype. I guess I have to try more Bowmore ;)

@Wodha. I have resisted buying the Cragganmore for a long time. It always seemed like there was something else to buy. I finally bought one a while ago and cracked it last night. I have to agree, it's a nice one and would be suitable for most occasions.

@BlueNote Same here, I know I ought to try it some time, but there's always been something else more interesting (as far as my perception goes, anyhow) to try instead. I'll get to it, eventually!

@systemdown...I'm in the same spot...Cragganmore 12 does have a great nose, but the palate has been hit/miss for me. I hope to resolve the need to acquire a bottle by picking up the Strong Malts collection that has 200 mL bottles of Talisker 10, Lagavulin 16, and the Cragganmore 12.

@Pudge72 I got one of them packs not long ago, they are great value

@Pudge72. Apparently the Cragganmore DE is very good and a considerable improvement on the standard 12 yr. You might find it on your side of the country. Have yet to see it here in Vancouver.

In my humble opinion, when I don't want one of my Laphroaigs or Ardbegs, I turn to Macallan 12 or Highland Park 12. Both very smooth and good for any occasion. On the bourbon side, for a smooth sipper, Booker's is my go to bottle.

Hm. You don't want peat, sherry nor bourbon. How about a glass of water? :) But seriously folks...I enjoy the Glenfiddich 18 Year Old, Glenlivet XXV, Jameson 18 Year Old, Old Pulteney 21 Year Old and Highland Park 18 Year Old. Those are all classics as far as I'm concerned, with some oak present but not heavy finishing.