Planning for that special bottle

Always have a warming-up and try to drink lighter, fruity whisky before the Port Ellen. That way, the impact will be bigger.

Good question. I usually start with the good stuff to taste it "clean", so to speak, but would certainly be open to trying something lighter first. Noticed recently that it probably takes about 10 minutes for both the liquid and my tastebuds to get warmed up.

Also, I like to have something on hand to move on to as well. There's usually a point where you focus less on whisky and more on the occasion, so (for me) I try to save the best stuff for later at that point.

YMMV though ;) Nothing to regret from drinking most/all of a very good whisky if the time is right...

@Porrohman. Thanks for the specific tip. I do not have any Rosebank and, after splurging on the PE, I doubt my wife will approve of buying a "warm-up" bottle ;-) However in Glenmorangie I have a Quita Ruban and a Nectar d'Or. Which would you suggest ?

This is a great question.

I tend to think that you could go with any lightly powered malt. Glenlivet, Glenmorangie, any Irish whisky - plenty of good choices. But a few things to consider. Your ability to taste diminishes rapidly, after the first decent size dram you're going to see a drop in your ability to nose and taste. Also, even light malts will leave a big taste impression on the palate, especially if they're CS. A PE is a great whisky, if you've ever had one, you can shed a tear when you think about the silent stills, so just go for it, drink it, enjoy it - and then maybe next time, you can start comparing it to other malts, it's not as if you're going to finish the bottle in one sitting :)