Dipping my toe in the world of whisky

Hi,

after browsing and reading until my throat got completely dry I finally ordered Balvenie Single Barrel 12 and Aberlour Non Chill-Filtered 12. I followed some advice on what would be suitable for a beginner and nearly got Balvenie Doublewood 12 (the 17 was tempting, but would be probably wasted on an amateur like me), but then though that it would be better to go with two different bottles so that I can get a better idea on how the flavour from sherry barrels changes the taste.

I am really excited

What was your starting point in the world of whisky?

Jameson haha, still is my go-to unfortunately

Jefferson's bourbon. Then, like anything else that interests me, countless hours of reading and investigating and learning. Now I need a spreadsheet to keep track of what bottles I have. It's helped me spend less on knives though!

Glenlivet 12 year old, Laphroaig 10 year old. Far less esoteric.

The Aberlour 12 is a nicely balanced malt, if a little sweet. for my taste. Well made whisky though, no doubt.
Balvenie single barrel 12 is an interesting choice for a starter malt. FWIW I generally think the Balvenie spirit suits bourbon casks better. A lot of the more popular expressions (Doublewood, Caribbean Cask) are a little cloying imo.

Please don't dip your toe in the whiskey. It gives it a really funky smell.

I figured you would be into that. Or maybe just picking up highballs with your toes.

Glenlivet 12 year old here as well. Currently working on a Dalwhinnie 15 and a Glenlivet 15 french oak reserve. Not big on sherry or port barrel versions.

Cheers

It all started with an anonymous little wooden cask sitting on a bar in Scotland. Now I'm stuck on Lagavulin and Laphroaig 18. They both pair well with floating an Oregon river in a drift boat.
I would recommend getting Riedel whiskey glasses, they make good taste great.

Lucretia said:

Please don't dip your toe in the whiskey. It gives it a really funky smell.

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The Aberlour 12 is a nicely balanced malt, if a little sweet. for my taste. Well made whisky though, no doubt.
Balvenie single barrel 12 is an interesting choice for a starter malt. FWIW I generally think the Balvenie spirit suits bourbon casks better. A lot of the more popular expressions (Doublewood, Caribbean Cask) are a little cloying imo.

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I am indeed really curios about these two. I nearly ordered the Doublewood 12, but then found the Single Barrel 12 and it got such glowing reviews (whisky.de) so I decided to try it. Anyhow - these two bottles will be with us for some time - as we drink this kind of alcohol rarely. That was also the reason to get 2 different bottles - just to have 2 different options.

I would recommend getting Riedel whiskey glasses, they make good taste great.

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We have some nice crystal glass I inherited from my grandmother - still packed in the cellar. I guess I will have a good excuse to put it to use

it all started with downing entire bottle of jack daniels at a time in high school. often times waking up with empty bottle in one hand puke on the other.

I quickly gravitated towards Talisker and Laphroaig (quarter cask)

After my toe got dipped some time ago I soon found out that I'm not a island-fan and turned my interest toward sherry finished cask-strengh whiskies.
I guess there is no other way then finding out yourself, really.

As you are located in germany you might want to have a look at http://www.whisky.de.
Lot of useful information and reasonble pricing there.

Indeed - whisky.de was the main source of the information (they also have a nice PDF write-up) and I also used their online shop to order. Let's see whether I made a good choice - personal taste it is and I do not really have much experience with whisky yet. I will give the two mentioned a try and see where do I go from there.

Best advice: read less and drink more

Finding a local whisky tasting (or better still, a whisky festival) is the quickest path to competency :biggrin:

Also taste blind, as much as possible. Minimalising bias (subconscious and otherwise) is very important, since there's so very much of it in the whisky world :biggrin:

I am not sure I can afford blind tasting, but it would be cool to try

The bottles arrived 2 days ago ... and sit unopened in cupboard. I have a heavy flu and probably would not tell single malt whisky from ice-tea right now

I've dipped neck deep in the bourbon and rye whiskey world. The best way to go about it is find bartenders that love whiskey to give you recommendations.

I fell in love with the balvenie 12 yr double wood but I quickly shifted towards Ardbeg and Laphroaig. Talisker Storm is also great.

redbreast is a good choice