I can't drink for a whole year but YOU CAN! So here are my Top 10 favourite Whisky's that you can go and seek it and drink whether it be a Blended Whisky, a Single Malt or a Bourbon and even one Tennessee Sour-Mash.
Got my two daughters (aged 10 and 6) watching you George as they keep asking who that man is by the sea (I re watch Sillage and 5 fragrances for nearly an hour constantly)…. They even know your last name and now take an interest in their Dad’s passion for fragrance and want to smell and try all of my collection (22 thus far, and many purchases influenced by you). We are loving the consistent content 🙌🏻🙌🏻
@@TheFragranceApprentice do some weight training...don't give up the brown liquid....dance with the devil....chivas regal 12 is tramp piss.....you have a long way to go lol....get in the gym ffs and enjoy life when you can!!
My favorite blended is Chivas, favorite single is The Dalmore. Here’s some fun info: For Whisky to be called Scotch, it has to be made in Scotland, it has to be aged for at least 3 years, and it has to be aged in a used barrel not a new one. There’s Single, Blended, Malt and Grain. Single means it’s made in a single distillery, it can be and usually is made from different barrels though. To be blended means it’s made in different distilleries. Malt means it’s made exclusively from Barley. Grain means a mix, grains used in making whisky are mainly Malt, wheat, rye and corn. In the US it’s different. Whiskey (with an e), doesn’t have an age requirement. The most common is Bourbon. A bourbon is by law no less than 50% corn. And it has to be made in new barrels. So since in Scotland they must use barrels that have been used before, and in the US the barrels have to be new, American distillers instead of getting rid of their barrels after using them they sell them to Scotch distilleries and you have a win win deal. Neat, Use water, single ice cube or plenty of ice? It’s up to your preference, historically in Scotland they would pick rocks from rivers and water falls that have been chilled by the icy water to cool down the whisky , hence whisky on the rocks. Whisk is 40% proof, it will burn your throat, so you reduce the alcohol to at least 35% so to make it smooth. The higher the quality the less washing down you need. Usually with a great whisky just a few drops of water also releases the oils and you get an enhanced taste and nose, but this doesn’t necessarily works for all whiskies. If you have read this comment to the end means that you’re a true whisky lover and I salute you.
As a recovering alcohol, I actually enjoyed this video. It was like window shopping when you're broke. lol My whiskey of choice back in the day was Black Velvet. Because it was cheap and, like I said, I'm an alcoholic. lol
Jack Daniel's is the Invictus of whiskey. Like fragrance, if you broadly know what to look for, and what you like, the barrier to entry isn't too high. At least, in my opinion. I've had perfectly decent bourbons for under £40 and some cracking single malts for a similar price range. I have tried some more expensive/rarer ones and they are great, but you can get to "good" easily. The finest one I've tried was a 32 year old single malt that I'd bought as a present for a friend and they were gracious enough to let me try.
Going to need to pop over to Arran next spring and try some of these Whisky's! Have you ever had Springbank? It's like the Roja Dove of Whisky's in my eyes 😍
Good call on Eagle Rare. Id been drinking Angels Share and thought ER was more flavorful and $20 cheaper a bottle. Really impressed. 10 whiskeys you forbid us from buying?
You can drop the "sour mash" thing and just say "Tennessee Whiskey" as we do on this side of the pond. Also, if you like Tennessee Whiskey and vanilla I'd recommend George Dickel (number 12). After you go off the wagon again, that is.
Thanks for this review George. I asked for something like this about a month ago. As am coming to Scotland 🏴 to repatriate my parents ashes to reunite with my brother in heaven. Haven’t seen many of these in Australia so have saved this video for when I get there in April. Thank you.
I’m so glad you decided to post this, bc after your niche frag video where you talked about good whiskey, I wondered what you’d say some are. I’ve always wanted to like whiskey-I don’t, but I’m willing to keep trying. Actually, now that you mention it, my dad used to drink Chivas Regal.
Great choice on Eagle Rare, really sublime sip! Absolute favorites, in no particular order: Eagle Rare and Buffalo Trace, Elijah Craig Small Batch, Bulleit and 10 Year, Four Roses Single Barrel, Old Forester, Evan Williams Single Barrel, Ardbeg 10 Year, Deanston Virgin Oak and 12 Year, Aberlour 12, Bushmills only wish they had higher proofs, and last but not least Nikka From The Barrel and Coffey Malt. Definitely am a bit more of a Bourbon fan. Still Mugler Pure Malt and Tom Ford Tobacco Oud might be the most sublime yet. Cheers!
Great video. Thank you for this. I knew this was video was coming. You have been dropping whisky references for awhile. My prediction: you will finish your reviewing journey with fragrances and then you will become the whisky apprentice. Whisky reviews forthcoming.
Basil Hayden Dark Rye, Hatozaki Small Batch, and Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or are the three whiskeys that I’ve been blown away by the last couple years. Recommend all three to anyone!
Great video George! Agree with you on the Glenmorangie. Don’t know if you’ve tried it but can really recommend Laphroaig Quarter Cask NAS Single Malt - Just wow! 🥃
i like a wiskey now and then i got oban and it tastes pretty nice but my favorite is jack daniels single barrel to drink staight and the bottle is also ver nice and mt favo mix now is jack daniel honey with ginger ale
Interesting to see your favourite whiskies. My all time favourite category of Whisky is scotch, so much variety, so much to explore. Bourbon a close second, then the ol Irish. My all time favourite whisky is Laphroaig 10yr. So many good memories with it the smell overwhelms me. Other favourites are bruichladdich the classic, ardbeg 10yr, wild turkey 101, highland park 12, jameson, jameson black barrel, woodford reserve, talisker 10yr, glengoyne 12, any a shed ton more.
Makers Mark is almost ALL corn mash, no Rye so it's vanilla and buttery smooth. If you like ER, you may like that. BONUS, you may have seen the bottle in a cute little Xmas jumper on supermarket shelves too at this time of year :)
Scotch whisky must be aged in oak barrels for at least three years, not eight, Bunnahabhain is pronounced bu-na-ha-venn, replace the ice cube with a drop or two of water, ice dilutes the flavour , water amplifies it but it's all subjective of course, all but the age and pronunciation. Greetings from Edinburgh, love you to bits George!
Another excellent video George! I am not as familiar with scotch as I am with bourbon and I look forward to trying your recommendations. Woodford Reserve and Baker’s are a couple of my favorite bourbons you should give them a taste if you have not done so already. Good luck with going the full year on the wagon, once you make it past the holidays I am sure it will go pretty quickly. Personally I do a dry Lent and I find that pretty helpful. Take care.
Well this was different, I like it 👏🏽👏🏽👍🏽. What whiskey category would you recommend as a beginner? I keep hearing Irish whiskey is light and smooth so would that be an option?
Just bought a bottle of Eagle Rare this week from Tesco for £30. Belting Bourbon. Another I love is Four Roses Small Batch which is equal to Eagle Rare imo..Old Pulteney 12 well worth a try. £25 at Tesco at the moment. Another belter if your not into peat is Aerstone Sea Cask.👍👍🥃🥃. For a real cheapie but goodie try Label 5 from Morrison's. They usually have a deal on at £16 for 1ltr. Great value if like me you like a decent Whigsky to chug on a night neat without breaking the bank..👍🥃
I'm a whisky snob and have been since way before I became a fragrance snob. Both are rabbitholes w.r.t. to cost and sophistication (becomes harder to enjoy simple mass market scotch once you go high-end). Maybe you can do the reverse (: Buna 12 is a timeless classic. Arran likes age more so than other distillates (age=|quality) - if you can get your hands on either the new or old 18yo, it's a treat, and not that costly for its age category. You should also try anCnoc (Knockdhu distillery; the older the better) and Glengoyne (again better with age but the youngest 10yo is very good as well and dirt cheap for a single malt of provenance). Slainte (when you decide to)!
3 years for scotch not 8, ardbeg wee beastie 5 year for example. Whiskey neat is also one of best drinks for on a diet. I enjoy a small dram every other day hard to stop. Bunna 12 is great! Love whiskey!
The nicest whisky I've ever had is Edradour, 10 year old. It's apparently from the smalled distillery in Scotland, but it's beautiful. I never really understood whisky until I had that. I used to drink Bells purely to get drunk. I find that mixing it with a little water (a couple of table spoons) really helps dampen the alcohol taste and helps bring out the other notes, both in the smell and the taste.
Single barrel = malt whisky from one barrel Single malt = malt whisky from one distillery Vatted = several malt whiskys and can be from several distilleries Blend = malt whisky + grain whisky
Having grown up in a largely German home, I grew up drinking fine German lager and pilsner on my grandpa's knee. I've been to hundreds of vineyards and distilleries over the years and, while I've had great time socializing...well, I just don't really like the taste of fermented grapes or sour mash when left rotting for years in an oak barrel. LOL! I can drink it, but I just don't enjoy it like I do a great German bock, a stellar English brown ale (e.g., Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale or even a Newcastle Brown Ale) along with quality cigar. Okay, I do admit that I have found a couple whiskey's that I don't mind (cheap - TX blended whiskey; expensive - The Dalmore Highland Single Malt Scotch), but I only have one or two with a couple quality biers. I'm not a big drinker, so 2-3 drinks and I'm good. Anyway, I just ordered a bottle of Highland Park 18 Year since the 25 Year is harder to find here in the States...and it's more reasonably priced too. Cheers!
Also a whisky fan, and want to give you some serious encouragement for your abstinence; been reducing my intake a lot lately as well as I'm trying to take control of my health. Interested in your thoughts on Canadian/Rye whiskies? Appreciate that you actually talk about whether to blend a particular whisky in mixed drinks (for the people). It's just plain fun to hear you talk about your passions. Good call on the tangerine cocktail!
Good stuff George. If you like vanilla I highly recommend Michter's Small Batch American Whiskey. Angel's Envy Bourbon also very much worth a try. Cheers!
Great list. As an american 20 mins from Kentucky with a lot of bourbon distilleries I can say anything from the buffalo trace distillery is amazing, does Blantons,ER, Buffalo Trace, Weller, Stagg. Absolutely been going back and forth on picking up some Highland Park to try out, love me some Glennmorangie.
Great vid as always George. Back when I use to drink I drank Elijah Craig which was a more budget minded whiskey but punched way above its weight IMO. Also like Buffalo Trace and Longbranch at certain times. When it was celebration time I got out the bottle of Pappy Van Winkle. If you haven’t heard of it, look it up. Most likely the best spirit I have ever had in any category.
George I urge you to try Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt. (2014 release) I had it and I kid you not it was the highlight of my day. This is the Japanese Whisky that you need to know about. Nikka do Whisky more in the style of Scotch while Hibiki do a Japanese style of Whisky
More good Bourbons If you can get them. Four Roses Single Barrel. Weller 12 year Reserve. E.H. Taylor. Elijah Craig. Eagle Rare is one of my favorites! Trying to get into Scotch Whiskey but the Smokey flavor is a little hard to get use to.
Great Video mate! I love whisky and been to distilleries in Scotland and love everything about it. I love speyside whisky which is sweeter than the other regions. If you really love sweeter whisky try Monkey Shoulder blended with Balvenie, Kininvie, and Glenfiddich single malt whiskies and the price is very reasonable. Will definitely try some of your recommendations.
Oh lord the Highland Park 25 bring back some memories… Got it as a gift when I changed employer. Didn’t think much about it in terms of price. Ended up downing the bottle with a friend infront of some crappy football game. Realised the day after that it was so damn good that I needed a new bottle. Saw the price and had instant regrets.
The name Bunnahabhain is an anglicisation of Bun na h-Abhainne, Scottish Gaelic for ''Mouth of the River''. Thank you for this video. I really enjoyed it, just like ''Uisge Beatha''.
