To be avoided at all costs

While I'm sure some of my fellow Kentuckians will crucify me for saying so, I would suggest Woodford Reserve be avoided altogether. It seems to have a strong following here in Louisville for some reason. The nose is pretty great: it smells like a lovely wood varnish or furniture polish. Unfortunately it also tastes like it tbqfh.

Although folks on your other thread recommended a few of these, don't buy these (at least not until you have a chance to try a mini or a nip in a pub to see if they work for you):

Any Bowmore younger than 18.

Any McClellands

@Beelzebozo Thanks for the tip. I've not really sample many American spirits other than JD and occasionally Jim Beam. Maybe I'll avaid Woodford after reading your comment. what does tbqfh mean? Cheers.

@two-bit-cowboy Ok thanks for the info, I shall beware. Cheers

@IainVH, I'd caution against reading one man's thoughts about a whisk(e)y, trusting them blindly and adopting them as your own. You're assuming you'd have the same experience as Beelzebozo, that your palate is identical. I know mine isn't - I find the Woodford Reserve a very decent, if unspectacular, drop. Responding to your original point, I really didnt enjoy Bruichladdich Rocks and dont expect to bother with it again, but I wouldn't really actively discourage others from trying it. One man's meat is another man's poison, so they say!

I have to agree with @dougwatts on this one, every person on the site will have a whisky to avoid, but another may well love it, so you have to be careful when taking someones opinion and trusting it with all your heart. No disrespect intended to those memebrs already mentioned in this topic! I may have a whisky i avoid, but wouldnt actively say to others that they should avoid it, as they may well try it and love it!

@dougwatts and AlanJP. Not trying to be controversal or confrontational, I was just wondering if there was one whisky that was universally regarded as rubbish, the Austin Allegro of the whisky world ( I bet someone will come on and say Austin Alegros were great!), apologies to none British members who probably have no idea what one was. If no such whisky exists then I will bear that in mind in future. Cheers

@IainVH well maybe the Loch Dhu (was it the black whisky) is the only thing of which I've only read bad things, but such bad that I'm almost interested in trying it...:) apart from that, all the rest comes to personal preference I suppose (I quite like my woodford reserve for example)...

@two-bit-cowboy

Absolutely spot on.

All McLellands I have ever tried are rubbish.

Fireball cinnamon whiskey from Canada. We usually buy this as a gag gift or a prank.

@two-bit-cowboy Bowmore younger than 18yo is perfectly fine. It would be more precise to avoid the distillery releases bottled with the old labels (late 1990's until 2007, especially Claret but also Mariner, Dusk, Dawn, Darkest, Legend...) or any Bowmore distilled between +/- 1980 and 1990 (regardless of age).

The only ones that I have seen universally, or nearly so, panned are:

• Loch Dhu (as previously mentioned)
• McClelland's Speyside
• Glen Parker (the cheapest single malt that you can get at the LCBO in Ontario, by a fairly large margin ($10 or so)...that should be warning enough)

Everything else would be up to personal taste...

DYC Spanish Whiskey. Picked up a bottle on a trip to Spain out of curiosity. Best served as a mixer. Ugh.

Jim Beam sells it, so someone must like it ... but Red Stag is the most awful bourbon concoction I have ever tasted. And, I would love to unload my bottle of Hirsch Selection Special Reserve 20 year American Whiskey.

Then there are Auchentoshan Classic, Tobermory 10 and Glenkinchie 12 ... any of which are up for trade.

And as in indication of how subjective our tastes are ... I, and many others, very much enjoy Woodford Reserve and Bruichladdich Rocks, and now and then, I find Bowmore Darkest 15 intriguing, and Bowmore Dawn very intriguing and novel ... may not do a repeat, but glad I tried them.

My Dad brought me 'Gold Cock' (what's in a name?) from the Czech Republic. It is awful and only to be used to clean your barbecue grill or car motorblock, believe me. And then, of course, there is the incomparable 'The Auld Stag' from Egypt... gross!

@whiskyshiba I agree about fireball. I don't think it tastes that bad (probably because it was a staple of highschool and university parties) but it really butchers everything that whisky is supposed to be.

@Mikerocosmos Don't judge DYC on their regular NAS expression alone! It costs 8 euro and if you're lucky it comes with a free bottle of Coke, what did you expect? The DYC 8yo and 10yo single malt are actually quite nice and still extremely cheap.

@WhiskyNotes RE: DYC I'll admit I haven't tried the premium versions but If I do get back to Spain I will give them a try. I should also say, the nose on the bottle I have isn't half bad, tropical fruits, caramel and some marshmallow (but all watered down). Sadly, my bottle didn't come with a free can of coke :)

Red Stag. Yick.

@WhiskyNotes I agree with you but that comment on Bowmore came awfully close to mentioning the officially unmentionable 3 letter acrronym (starts with an F).

At one point I would have said Glen Moray 12 Year, but after coming back to my bottle recently, it actually isn't too bad.

bowmore legend. It leaves a strange taste in my mouth.

@Andrew For my and other 'beginners' benefit whats the accronym?

FWP, French Whore Perfume...

FWP.. French Whore Perfume, a never proven but much discussed "attribute" of some Bowmore offerings.. once an incredibly contentious topic in alt.drinks.scotch-whisky and other forums.

The first time I had Jack Daniels was also the last time I had Jack Daniels. Not a fan of the taste.

Ardbeg 10 year old is the worst whisky I have ever tasted.

I'd unrecommend "Double Eagle Premium Whisky" - largely because to drink a second glass you need to be fairly drunk to begin with, which means you'll probably end up finishing the bottle, and then get frustrated trying to work out what the bloody hell your frantic scribbles were about the next day.

Not entirely unrelated: www.flickr.com/photos/scribe/157830877/

Teachers is rough mind you its not all, bad my parents had some Teachers maramlade once that was quite nice.

One man's "worst ever" is another man's "all time favorite".

Try them all, decide for yourself.