A wee whisky appreciation thread.

[gecko76]

Brilliant. I've got a bottle of Bearfaced from the brother-in-law waiting for dry January (stupid idea) to be over.

[jameso]

I had a bottle of Penderyn and just couldn't get on with it ... not sure why .... the only bottle of whisky I've ever given away

I remember trying some in a bar in Wales many years ago and not liking it. There's more options now, the Madeira edition is one I've enjoyed.

[yourguitarhero]

I have a masters degree in whisky distillation and maturation.
Feel free to ask anything you like.

[Bearlegged]

Please may I have some free whisky?

[Wotsits]

Is there an 'optimum' age for a whisky? Is there a point of diminishing return?

[yourguitarhero]

Is there an 'optimum' age for a whisky? Is there a point of diminishing return?

Chemically, almost all of the maturation flavouring happens in the first 18 months.

The 3 year minimum maturation law is arbitrary. Was put in during the 1920s as a semi-prohibition measure to slow down production.

Older whiskys cost more to produce because a lot of the cost is to pay for the % that has evaporated (a few percent a year adds up over 20 years!) and to pay for the storage warehousing.

Whisky production is quite poorly controlled year on year - depends a lot on the climate affecting both the barley and the maturation. Have always thought they should be sold with the production year on them (like wine) as opposed to the age.

[riderdown]

Have always thought they should be sold with the production year on them (like wine) as opposed to the age.

I thought they mixed the barrels from different years to get a consistent taste, age being the minimum age?

A lot of the "specials" are failed/trial batches that didn't quite work as I understand it as well as being able to sell of younger whisky

[jameso]

I have a masters degree in whisky distillation and maturation.
Feel free to ask anything you like

Why was this option not mentioned to me by careers guidance? : )

Chemically, almost all of the maturation flavouring happens in the first 18 months.

What is it that makes a 15 year old often taste smoother or more ..not sure of the word.. developed somehow, than a 10 year old of the same single malt? I saw some very pricy 25 year old in a shop not long ago, the chap there said it was mostly about exclusivity and he thought they didn't improve much or at all past about 15 years, sometimes deteriorated?

[jameso]

I thought they mixed the barrels from different years to get a consistent taste, age being the minimum age?

That's how I understood it for something like Jonnie Walker Black which is a blend with the minimum age being 12 years old. Some of the content may be older but not up to scratch for e.g. a 15 year old single malt, but it works well in a blend.

[Keith74]

Must admit I do enjoy a good dram. We have been in the habit of going into one of these online whisky shops and buying some random selection of miniature just to try different things which we can then look at getting if we like it.

Current good tipple is lagavulin distillers edition, balvenie week of peat or kilchoman sanaig.

[boxelder]

Sainsbury have Laphroaig Oak Select for £26 (Nectar price). Not sure it's nectar, but it's like a smooth, flowy, trail centre descent of an Islay malt.

[JackT]

Just finished reading The Whisky Roads of Scotland by Derek Cooper with photographs by the legendary Fay Godwin (who also shot images for the classic Welsh drove roads book and a Ridgeway book).

It’s a great read, full of fascinating history and anecdotes. More focused on whisky than roads, and heavily biased towards Speyside. Highly recommended if you can find a copy.

Also reading Raw Spirit by Iain Banks, great fun though I confess to skipping the ample petrolhead discursions.

[boxelder]

Also reading Raw Spirit by Iain Banks, great fun though I confess to skipping the ample petrolhead discursions.

I dipped in and out of it, and have now lost/lent out my copy. As a massive Iain Banks fan, it felt like it was under edited, and that he was given free reign.

[Dave Barter]

Also reading Raw Spirit by Iain Banks, great fun though I confess to skipping the ample petrolhead discursions.

I dipped in and out of it, and have now lost/lent out my copy. As a massive Iain Banks fan, it felt like it was under edited, and that he was given free reign.

I hated it because of the smug car stuff and lazy writing.