Need a Single Malt Recommendation

I'm thinking of dipping my toe (and nose and tongue) into the world of single malts. As I scour the internet I get more and more confused. As a beginner I'd like something that's mild on the tongue and smooth on the throat. I'm partial to vanilla, chocolate and caramel (i.e. sweet) and would be using it as an after dinner or with a cigar. Any recommendation would be appreciated. Oh yeah, I'd like to keep it under $100 a bottle. Thanks.

I think Bowmore 12yr would be a good starting point personally.

For someone with a sweet tooth the Macallan is a great single malt. Bowmore 12yr is also very good. You may want to go to a bar, tell the bartender what you're looking for and compare two or three before buying a bottle.

Bowmore and Macallan would come to my mind, too.
Equally Glenrothes and Highland Park (malty with some very faint smoke), Glenmorangie, Longmorn.

Look out for sherry- or portwood-finish.

Either Bowmore or Macallan would be a great starting point. My favorite for the flavors you describe is Balvenie Doublewood 12 year old, which is not as widely distributed as Macallan but should not be too hard to find.

Auchentoshan may also be a good place to start, a little sweet and caramel/coffee undertones.

Thanks everyone. I have the Auchentoshen triple, the Balvenie double and a few Macallans on my list. I'll look at the Bowmore. That didn't pop up in my searches. Good idea about the bar Mano, I know this can get expensive.

this forum?

i'd go with single malt from japan

Balvenie has 3 or 4 offerings at near the same price point (60ish?). The Doublewood worked for me. The others do not suck.

I agree with the japanese single malt, Nikka line up is delicious .

Hazelburn would be a great one for after diner with cigars

Great hazelnut notes and quite smooth

The penderyn portwood Welsh single malt Also has good sweetness to it as well

As a Welshman, I urge you to avoid Penderyn. Both the Madeira (standard bottling) and the Port finishes are cloyingly sweet. Awful stuff (sadly), and a terrible introduction to malt whisky.

For a sweeter whisky, Glenfarclas 15 y/o would be my highest recommendation (10 y/o if you cannot find it). Highland Park 12 y/o is the best starter (and value) malt out there, imo
Glenmorangie 10 y/o, Dalwhinnie 15 y/o, Arran 14 y/o also solid options.
Balvenie doublewood is a bit too sweet for my blood, but is undoubtedly a good cigar malt.
Macallan latest no age statement offerings are mediocre, imo.

ymmv,
TTB

Macallan is a good place to start. Love the 18' but the 12 is more than adequate. You might also want to check out Oban, which is another good entry single malt.

I knew I came to the right place. Thanks for all your input. I just order a bunch of sample bottles from Master of Malt. They include: Ardbeg Uigeadail, Auchentoshan Three Wood, Balvenie DoubleWood 17 Year Old, Balvenie Single Barrel 15 Year Old, Dalmore Cigar Malt and Highland Park 18 Year Old. They didn't have any Macallans in my price range and the Glenorangie 10 I wanted to try was sold out. It will take me quite some time to get through all these, but I'll let you know where I land (or fall)

Very nice selection to get you going enjoy.

Word of caution, collecting and drinking fine whisk(e)y is never-ending journey in pursuit of the perfect dram. It starts with single malts, then a few small batch Bourbons and further to Ryes. The more you sample, the better developed your palette becomes, leading you to wider ranging styles and expressions. One of the best way's to discover your favorites is to attend WhiskyFest in NYC this October. Several hundred whiskys to sample for one price; it is the ultimate test of one's self-control. Sláinte. -Doug

Doug Seward said:

Word of caution, collecting and drinking fine whisk(e)y is never-ending journey in pursuit of the perfect dram. It starts with single malts, then a few small batch Bourbons and further to Ryes. The more you sample, the better developed your palette becomes, leading you to wider ranging styles and expressions. One of the best way's to discover your favorites is to attend WhiskyFest in NYC this October. Several hundred whiskys to sample for one price; it is the ultimate test of one's self-control. Sláinte. -Doug

Click to expand...

WhiskeyFest looks very interesting, but at $245 a pop I'll have to see how I react to the samplers I bought first. Who knows, I may go back to cream soda

Japanese Yamazaki 12yr single malt. Superb,Smooth and tasteful. Easy to drink without that alcoholic burning feel u get from many whiskys. around 50-60$ for a bottle. once you try that im sure u wanna try the 18 year old that is even more spectacular. but cost abit more.

As a fellow malt enthusiast I would recommend Ardmore (if you can get your hands on it.... not that it is expensive but it's rather rare) and Knob Creek single barrel (I know it's a bourbon but it packs a lot of flavour but at 120 proof I recommend quite a bit of water!) If you like smokey highland whisky without peat you could also try Glen Garioch!

In my book there are 3 Signs that the stuff in the bottle is good
-Try to buy stuff with an ABV higher than 40%
-Unchillfiltered spirits are generally of higher quality
-The color of the spirit: if the color is too much of an "deep amber" it might be a sign of the distiller or the bottler adding some colorant (caramel e150 is used to give cheaper whisky that desirable rich amber color and in my experience it adds an unpleasant bitterness at the end)

Oh and here are a couple of good websites for reviews:
http://www.connosr.com/
http://www.whiskyreviews.blogspot.ca/

Thanks everyone. Keep those suggestions coming. I'm really looking forward to getting those samples that I ordered and one of these days I might just check out Keens. I will certainly report back after I've had a few drams.

I second the Glenmorangie 10-year-old recommendation. Very approachable to the palate and the pocketbook.


“Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans ... are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit.” ― Anthony Bourdain

http://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/hakushu/hakushu-25-year-old-whisky/

My Grail.

Master of Malt is crazy expensive!

Good luck with the search. Some good options already thrown out. Enjoy the exploration and at least make sure you give the peatier ones a try.

It's taken a while, but I wanted to be as thorough as my pocketbook would allow. I ultimately went through 11 samples:

Dalmore Cigar Malt, Dalmore 15, Dalmore 18, Highland Park 18, Auchentoshen 3 wood, Glenmorangie 10, Glengoyane 18, Glendronach 18 Allardice, Balvenie Double Wood 17, Balvenie Single Barrel 15 and the Ardbeg Uigeadail.

It was an interesting process, first comparing one against the other (i.e. I like this one better than that one). After a while I started to lose track and had to go back for another sip (it's a tough job, but someone has to do it). A sample bottle is about 2/3 of a shot, so there wasn't that much to go around. I must tell you that none of them were terrible. Even in the time I sampled these 11 my palate was getting an education and during the process a friend brought over a bottle of Glenfiddich 12 and I found a bottle of Johnny Walker Red hiding in my closet, that made 13!

I think I covered a lot of ground, although I know there's a very big world out there. I know I should have taken notes to keep track, but I didn't. Anyway, I finally narrowed the field down to 2: The Highland Park 18 and the Dalmore 18. I also really like the Glenmorangie 10 so there's definitely a disconnect with price there. The Glenmorangie is about $35, while the other two are over $100. Of course they would wind up being at the top of my list right? You get what you pay for (most of the time).

And the winner is..............The Dalmore 18. It's just about dead on for my palate and my nose. The bouquet is delicate, but definite. It smells like oranges with a hint of chocolate and....aww never mind, it smell delicious! On the palate it starts out by lighting up my taste buds with fruity spices, hints of cinnamon, honey and toffee. Then it starts to smooth out and settle in for a finish that has a malty flavor with a touch of peat (just enough for me at this point), while the spices start to recede, hang around for a nice complex, slow end.

It's my birthday in a couple of days and guess what I'm getting for my birthday.

Oh, I almost forgot. A special thanks to Son who started all this by sharing his "hootch" with me at a KKF dinner a few months ago. Son, yours is right up there with the Dalmore, if you should ever want to get into business. How long is yours aged? :doublethumbsup:

Glad you found your favorite. I don't know all of the ones you listed, but very likely would have put the Ardbeg in the top spot, just because I love the Islay character. Don't remember having the Dalmore, but the Highland Park 18 is definitely an excellent malt. Too bad it's so pricy. Enjoy, it should get you through those cold winter evenings

Stefan

Thanks Stefan. The Ardbeg was at the top of the list until I tasted the Highland Park and the Dalmore. And what do you know about "cold winter evenings"?