Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to share with you a brief list of suggested entry level single malt scotch whiskies.
No, this is not about garbage like Johnny Walker red label or J&B. These are real scotches and you do not need ice to consume them. Squirt a tiny bit of chilled water into them to open up the flavor and consume with nothing else. Adding ice to your single malt is wasting it and you're missing the point of what it is.
I will be recommending four very different whiskies that all share a very similar price point, that of which generally hovers around $50 USD where I reside, and can be enjoyed by any average Joe without wasting your entire paycheck. While I absolutely love Lagavulin 16 and Balvenie 21 year portwood, those will not be in here, as that is not what this article is about.
Without further adieu, lets start with a long established distillery; Laphroaig.
One interesting tidbit about the purchase of a bottle of Laphroaig. They will give you a code on the bottle that you may redeem to a membership of Friends of Laphroaig, in which they will genuinely give you one square foot on the land of their distillery in the isle of Islay, and it will be your foot of that isle for life until you die, in which it will then return to the distillery.
You can actually visit the distillery and they will take you to the plot of your land, and they will pay you your "rent"; a dram of Laphroaig scotch. While I wouldn't say this makes you a Scottish laird, it certainly is a fun idea.
As can also be seen on the bottle, they tout themselves as being the most richly flavoured of all scotch whiskies...and I certainly do not contest that note. The Laphroaig 10 year is definitely the strongest scotch I have tasted in terms of smoke and peat. I cannot overstate that. It is incredibly, incredibly smoky with heavy peat.
I say this as a warning to those of you who do not like smoky whiskies. This would not be the one for you, but some particularly enjoy that. If you are a cigar aficionado, this would perhaps be a nice scotch to accompany your cigar. I personally find it enjoyable for a change in my usual repertoire, but I would suggest not sharing this with people who are new to scotch, because 8/10 of them will never drink scotch again if this is their first single malt.
Let your friends try a few others and then bring them aside and let them have a drink of it in contrast. You may find someone who tells you that it is just what they are looking for.
Laphroaig 10 year is usually priced around $40 in my experience.
Moving on, we have a rather unconventional offering.
The Bruichladdich Scottish Barley - Classic Laddie.
The first thing you will probably note when looking at this is the strange turquoise color of the bottle. When we think of scotch, we think of brown, wood colored, perhaps even tan or green bottle presentations. When asked, Bruichladdich offered that the blue bottle reminds them of the color of the water when the sun is shining strongly on the shore outside of their distillery.
Bruichladdich is incredibly serious about authentic representation of where they get their barley.
"Scottish Barley" denotes that the barley used to distill this bottle was all produced in Scotland. You will see other offerings from them with Islay Barley hailing from the more isolated isle of Islay, a Port Charlotte Barley, etc. Where you source your barley will have an affect on the taste of the whisky, and they have done a great job of letting the consumer know exactly what corner of Scotland he is drinking from. This is the least specific offering, as the barley is produced from allover Scotland.
Let's dig into the whisky itself now. It has a stronger than average ABV for scotch at 50%. Some would say too strong for the novice, but I find it just fine after a squirt of chilled water. No ice!
It smells a bit of the sea. The taste is incredibly strong with a tad bit of a honey note, caramelized as well. I believe the second drink of this scotch goes down far smoother and you'll taste more of the actual flavors without the attack of the intense alcohol. Be patient with this one to reap it's rewards.
It is generally found at $53 USD.
Next we move on to the Ardbeg 10 year.
Ardbeg is, in my opinion, truly representative of what a scotch whisky is.
It tastes of heavy peat, a good amount of smoke, oak, and the sea, while being somewhat smooth in nature as a contradiction.
It is non-chill filtered and uncolored at 46% ABV.
If you enjoy Lagavulin, try Ardbeg. If you like the idea of Laphroaig but find it too overwhelming, try Ardbeg.
The three distilleries make their whiskies within close proximity to one another on Islay and all compete in the same type of flavor arena.
I have noticed with this whisky that I often taste a rewarding aftertaste after swallowing the whisky. The flavor comes in several different stages, which, once again, I find to be much like a more price competitive Lagavulin. There is no extra attempt made to color this scotch and it's quite light in color. No pretentious bastards here. I also really enjoy the Celtic design of the bottle itself.
I could say a lot about this whisky, but in short it would be a waste of time to say more than this; it is excellent. Try it.
Approximately $46 USD.
This next entry is perhaps my favorite go to scotch on a budget. It is different than the previous three as it has zero peat and zero smoke. It is incredibly smooth and the flavor is rich but not overbearing. It's mildly sweet even, and if I ever see you waste it with ice, I'll fucking kill you...
...Balvenie 12 year doublewood, distilled in both whisky and sherry oak casks.
Pour it into a glass, squirt a small, small amount of chilled water to open up the flavor, and enjoy. It will taste of caramel and honey and happiness after a long day at work.
If smoke and peat and tastes of the sea are not your thing, this is your scotch, and I enjoy it immensely in a different way than I enjoy other scotches. I would say that if you are introducing scotch to a newbie, this should be your first go to for that. Let them try the weirder shit later.
Honestly I won't even bother reviewing this one further, it's simply great. Get a bottle.
Found at $49 USD in my homeland of Texas.
Thank you.
I hope you have enjoyed Scotch 101.
