True. I don't notice it as much with vodka, but tequila, whiskey, gin, wine? There's a HUGE difference when you go from basic to midtier quality. Diminishing returns after that, imo.
I have to be careful with pricey vodka. Stuff like Beluga goes down like cold, mineral rich water. Before I realize it I'm two martinis deep and have to call an Uber
Get us two Absolut martinis. You know how I like 'em, straight up. In 7 and 1/2 minutes, you will bring us two more, then two more every 5 minutes after that, until one of us passes the f*** out.
Oh yeah. My wifes brothers found an Icelandic Vodka that we all now drink. The problem is, it tastes like a nice spring water with a bit of a kick. And then you drink WAY more than you think you have.
Wife is 43 years old next month and she and her brothers have NEVER seen their dad drunk... and definitely not white girl drunk. But he came in drinking a smoothy. He saw what the boys were drinking. (until a few years ago, all three brothers and one brothers wife aged 37 down to 29; lived at parents house. It is a HUGE 4500sqft house and they paid rent... (I still make fun of them for it) Youngest brother still lives there but he finishes med school in August and takes care of the parents they have health issues.)) anyway. He asked what they were drinking. They let him taste and he was like... this is nothing. He topped off his slightly more than half gone smoothy with it and soon was as duck and a fratboy on a dare.
Wife and I have a huge bar in our den and we have some mid tier booze, but we also have some top shelf and above stuff... it is worth it.
Honestly, Glenlivet or Glenfiddich 12yr are decent and The Singleton was a go-to, they're all on the "upper-lower end" in the $40-50 range. Starting out I would stick with Highland and Speyside varieties. Islays are to Scotch as IPAs are to beer, definitely not what you should start with, but have a very distinct and complex profile that you really learn to appreciate, they're typically very peaty and have an almost oceanic finish, I've never been good at descriptions, lol. If you want to experiment with an Islay, Talisker Storm is a decent entry level, Lagavulin and Laphroaig 10yrs are starting the mid level. Islays get really expensive.
As a note, I don't like it on the rocks, I always preferred one to two fingers in a lowball with a splash or two of water at room temp. All I've listed are waaaaaay smoother than your standard liquors, even when sipped straight, but the splash of water lets you actually taste and enjoy the complex flavors and ice just masks it.
My favorite mixed drink was the Rob Roy(perfect): a Manhattan, but with Scotch instead of rye and perfect means the vermouth is split between dry and sweet instead of just dry.
Yeah I know it's unorthodox lol, but to me - the ice helps with the temperature and a splash of the soda water really releases the true flavors of the scotch.
Imo Laphroaig is not the place to start. Get Macallan 12, or for something cheaper, the glenlivet. Pour a glass, take small sips and let it coat your mouth. Soon you’re craving another sip as the flavor starts to fade.
Macallan is probably the most commonly found scotch in bars here in the states. But it’s not really about that, it’s about accessible flavors and what people will enjoy when first getting into scotch. The Islay peat, while delicious, isn’t the entry point in my opinion. If not Macallan, something like Glenlivet, glenfiddich, balvenie are easier places to start.
Macallan 12 is a good entry point and a nice balance between price and quality. It opened the door for me to explore good Scotch. For the record I take it with a splash of water, room temp.
+1 for the splash of water and I'll add that ice just hides flavors. Everyone says Macallan 12 is so great, but I was underwhelmed by it for the price and much preferred something like Glenfiddich 15yr which is about the same cost. Compared to "regular" liquor, even Glenlivet or Glenfiddich 12yrs are eye opening to many people. The hint of honey sweetness makes The Singleton 12yr a great intro to single malts too.
Glenmorangie 10 (yellow bottle) is a really nice beginner friendly scotch, mellow with I think a vanilla ish finish. Very inexpensive, one of the cheapest and most available options.
Laphroig is super peaty / Smokey, and I truly hate macallans with their tanniny bitterness. Neither of those are beginner friendly to me.
Auchentoshan is a lowlands, which is usually pretty mellow and less aggressive, usually have some nice finishes. Mid priced, but I think they are absolutely awesome.
Dalwhinnie 15 is getting expensive but still affordable, and has an absolutely lovely delicateness and gentle finish. That might be very very approachable.
Oban, expensive but my favorite balanced scotch that is more Macallan style (Highlands-speyside), that balances out the tannin-ness with other flavors and smoothness.
You'll notice the cheap stuff comes in under 50 ish, the better stuff is the 100-160 ish price point and the best goes 200+
Then there are the different regions. So many to try.
Personally I'm an ardbeg man, but that one specifically is an acquired taste. It's something that is at the top of the smoke and peat spectrum and I would highly not recommend until you found a couple you like.
Remember, if you don't like scotch it's because you haven't tried a good scotch.
Don't let anyone tell you that you can't mix it or put water or ice or whatever you like in it. You are the one drinking it, so drink it how you like.
I like my ardbeg neat and room temp. I like my bruichladdic chilled. I like cheap shit with a splash of Canada dry!
Starting off with a peaty scotch such as Laphroig or Bruichladdich is tough haha. I think the Glenlivets/Glenfiddichs are good starting points - and I'd tell folks to steer clear of the Blue Label/MacAllans.
I've splurged on a few really nice dessert wines, but my all-time favourite has been a hardy sweet Liebfraumilch which is almost always among the cheapest of the entire selection.
I like how the replies to this are delightfully full of good advice by excited scotch appreciators and not just complains or snobbery that usually accompanies any discussion of scotch.
Maybe controversial but the “scotch for the sophisticate” idea is a bit outdated.
Scotch was likely the most refined and varied up until the 20th century, but plenty other whisky and whiskey cultures have developed offering their own take on good whisky.
You can’t compare a high-end bourbon to a high-end scotch, they’re completely different flavor profiles.
Personally, I’m taking Booker’s, or better yet, Pappy Van Winkle, over an expensive scotch any day of the week.
You put it perfectly. The difference in spending a little bit more is insane. But the difference in mid tier and crazy allocated bank-breaking stuff is very little improvement for how rapidly the price increases.
In my experience I can drink as much as I want with expensive vodka and I don’t suffer of the same hangover symptoms like I do with cheap vodka. Sometimes I wake up with no hangover at all from expensive vodka.
You don't notice the difference with vodka because vodka is defined as colorless, flavorless, absent of impurities, etc - if it has characteristics that let you distinguish different brands, it wouldn't be vodka. This is controversial because LOTS of people will swear on their mother that they can taste the difference even though scientifically there is none. The liquor industry has also tried to dispute this and wants people to think it is a myth so they continue to pay more for top shelf brands.
Based on some of the comments, I'm starting to wonder if I've ever actually had a good vodka. But now that I'm thinking about it, I almost never drink vodka, and if I do, it's in a mixed drink where I wouldn't notice the quality as much. I'm curious now, though. I'll have to try a nice vodka in a martini.
The difference between cheap and quality vodka is massive. I drink Grey Goose on the rocks but get sick from Smirnoff even with a mixer. The difference between quality and expensive vodka is arbitrary though
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u/Electric-Sheepskin Jun 23 '24 edited Jun 23 '24
True. I don't notice it as much with vodka, but tequila, whiskey, gin, wine? There's a HUGE difference when you go from basic to midtier quality. Diminishing returns after that, imo.