Welcome to new members

@casualtorture I'm not a fan of the more subtle malts. I guess when I think about the foods I enjoy, lots of them are full flavoured too (I drink my coffee strong and black). So the whiskies I've tried and enjoyed most so far are the likes of Highland Park 12, Ardbeg 10, Talisker 10, Lagavulin 16. I like something with a decent hit of sherry - but not as much as the more peaty, smoky malts. Still not a fan of Laphroaig though, haha - too medicinal for me. Any recommendations for me based on these? Cheers Hewie

@Hewie Welcome to the site. If you want a pure sherry hit with big flavour Aberlour A'bunadh will give you it in spades.

For something that plays to your preference for peat but with a sherry finish Talisker Distillers Edition would fit the bill, basically the 10 with a sherry finish usually 10 - 12 months.

Obviously depends on availability and pricing in your part of the world.

Welcome

@Hewie I second the A'bundah. Intense sherry.

@Pete1969 Thanks everyone for the welcome.Yes, I've tried the Tali DE and really enjoyed it - richer but more restrained than the 10. And yes, A'bunadh is on my wish list. Top of that list though is Uigeadail. I guess that's part of the lure of it - so many different bottles to explore.

Looking for an answer to two questions:

Why are most Irish whiskeys triple distilled and most single malt Scotch whiskeys are double distilled-simply a matter of taste preference, or perhaps tradition???

Why does Irish Redbreast single pot still add unmalted barley to their malted barley?

@Rothgar, I don't know the answer to your first question.

The combination of malted and unmalted barley in Irish Whiskey is the very definition of Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey. Like no unmalted barley in Scottish malt, the Irish custom seems to have also been a matter of the continuation of a business plan tor the reduction of taxes. So romantic!!!...like those illustrious Scottish whisky taxing regions still defining Scottish whisky styles, and most other things whisk(e)y.

@Rothgar , I don't know why Irish whisky came to be triple-distilled originally, but its continuation is, I'm pretty sure, a matter of tradition. As the story goes, Auchentoshan in Scotland was founded by Irish folks to produce whiskey for Irish folks living there, and it too is triple-distilled. Irish tradition.

Now, that all said, I think the story of Irish triple-distillation also involves the near-collapse and consolidation of the Irish whiskey industry in the 20th Century. You should confirm this somewhere if it really matters, but I want to say that back when Ireland had a lot more distilleries, there was more variety in their production methods, including some double-distillation. But when they got down to just ~3 distilleries late in the century, it so happened that they were all triple-distillers. And here we are.

(Yes, I could Google this to confirm or correct my dusty memories. But then, so could have Rothgar. And shaky speculation is always so much more fun!)

I'm so glad there is triple distilled whisky. When in the right mood ( hot summer day with friends ) that crispness triple distilled whisky offers is very welcome and refreshing.

Good day to all of you fine folks. I'm new here. I have a silly little blog (link in my profile) but I'm also looking to connect with other malt-heads. I'm no professional, so my opinions are just that, amateur opinions. I shan't comment on any of the pricier offerings as I live in Ontario, Canada where even an "entry-level" scotch costs quite a bit. I'm always open to recommendations and I've never had a scotch (or Irish whiskey) I didn't like....though I did like some better than others. I tend to gravitate to Islay and other peated, smoky malts.

Welcome to Connosr @OdysseusUnbound

@OdysseusUnbound welcome! @nozinan we found you another neighbor.

@casualtorture, "neighbor"? Did you establish that @OdysseusUnbound lives in the GTA? (Ontariospeak= Greater Toronto Area) Maybe he lives in Thunder Bay, Ontario, which is a 14 1/2 hour drive from Toronto. With all of that @OdysseusUnbound blogspace talk of 'urban hipsters' sounds to me like he may live in Thunder Bay.

Joking aside, Ontario is a pretty big place. @OdysseusUnbound, if you do live in the GTA you have lots of Connosr company. Welcome! You might even see me up there once in a while.

@Victor LOL, no, actually I'm closer to Barrie, Ontario. I've only been to Thunder Bay once. In January. And I don't recommend it.

@OdysseusUnbound I had lunch in Thunder Bay...once.

Part of a 1 day marathon from Kenora to Calgary in 1995.

@OdysseusUnbound, Barrie is a lovely town. In fact my sister and I expect to visit it soon. See the private message I have already sent you.

We have Flying Monkeys Brewery glasses in our cabinet.

...Thunder Bay is a pretty area, but I still remember the smell of the wood-pulp mills which made the place hard to take. That was 1977, though. Hopefully things smell better now. I loved Old Fort William. At that time my first wife, sister-in-law, and I stayed at a motel about 50 yards from Kakabeka Falls for about $ 20.

my Canadian geography knowledge is pretty lacking. If its not Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottowa or Nova Scotia then I'm lost. Oh and Prince Edward Island...Anne of Green Gables haha.

@Victor Thunder Bay seemed like it might be a nice place, but it is miserably cold in January. I only spent a week there. Very nice people, though.

@casualtorture I'm about 170 km (105 miles) north of Toronto. It's a great city, though. Nice restaurants, pubs, bakeries etc.

Hi, my name is Dave. I'm very new to the whole whiskey thing. Actually I never even tried whiskey until about 5 years ago and pretty much just drank beer for the last 35 years. I drink mostly Gibsons or 40 Creek. I'm now ready to venture out and see what else is out there that I can enjoy. My wife has a great wine collection and she has encouraged me to start my own small whiskey cabinet. I basically joined to learn about whiskey and maybe get some advice when I need it. Cheers eh.

@TA462 welcome I only started with the intention of a small selection of bourbon a couple of years back. Then tried Scotch and £3000+ later fast approaching 75 bottles, best wishes with the small cabinet.

@TA462 , welcome!

Is there anything in particular you'd like to ask the group? Post it here, start a new discussion, or feel free to resurrect any old discussion thread if it already touches on something you want to dig into. You'll find lots of knowledgeable & friendly folks on here.

Seventy five bottles, wow. I don't think I'll have that much but who knows in a few year, lol. Right now I have 8. All the popular cheaper reasonably priced brands. I do have a small bottle of Jack Daniels I bought on my 19th birthday 33 years ago and some bottle of Canadian Club that's 27 years old. It was some sort of anniversary I think and is in a black bottle.

Hi Ol Jas. I'm going to look around the topics and I'm sure I'm going to have a lot of questions afterwards.

Welcome to Connosr, @TA462. Based on the Gibson's and Forty Creek comment, I'm assuming you're Canadian? What part of Canada? You'll find there's a reasonably large Canadian membership here on Connosr, as well as people from all over the world of course.

Thanks Nelom. Yes I'm Canadian. I live in a little town called Port Hope in Ontario. It's right on the shores of Lake Ontario and is an hour east of Toronto.

Seriously? I'm in Cobourg.

(for those unfamiliar with the area, Cobourg and Port Hope are neighbouring towns)

Lol. No way. I was just at the liquor store their about an hour ago, lol.

I bet you can tell where I took that avatar picture, lol.