Advice to get into Whiskey
Hello to all of you
From the nature of the people on this forum, I think I could get some very good advice on how to start getting into the world of good whiskies.
I did my DD and got a few bottles recommended for beginners.
What kind of whisky should I start with, and how to make it more enjoyable at first?
My father always pushed me towards it by I was more of vodka on the rocks guy
The best way to get into whiskey is to go start taking tours of your local distilleries. They will usually have a handful of things for you to try and learn more about. Don't have a distillery go to a local whiskey bar and usually they will have some recommendations for you to try. A single pour might be more expensive, but it is cheaper than a bad bottle you don't like.
I live in Frankfurt so destilliries ain't an option.
I will take your advice and mix my single malt tasting with some trips to a decent bar for some recommendations.
Problem with Frankfurt: most bars are either the crappy German shirhole bar like Moe’s or super top fancy bars to hang out after work, I am searching for middle points.
What bottles did you get? Any you liked or didn't like?
I'd pick a fancier bar or whatever bar has a decent selection and frequent that. Building a relationship will help in trying, getting tastes, etc. Frankfurt I'm not familiar with, but surprised there isn't at least a few places for you to go to.
My recommendation is to identify something you bought that you liked - and then when you go out, ask for recommendations similar to that. I'd also start with adding a few drops of water (that just helps generally to 'open it up') and use a cube, the dilution will help cut the alcohol making it a bit more palatable vs. neat.
I've heard Whisky is good too.
You are right, I was talking about Scotch so it is Whisky
Nice username haha
So I like scotch...you really can't go wrong with whatever is in your local liquor store in nyc.
Some favorites for the price point:
Bunnahabhain - 12 year
Glenfarclas - 12 year
Bowmore - 10 year
Glenfiddich - 12 year
If you really want to just dip your toe, start with Dewar's on the rocks...lots of ice.
Frankfurt not NYC (I pay less for liquor)
I got a Glenfiddich 12, Talisker 10 and JW Gold
sounds like you are rounding the bases on flvor profiles....
Suggest Glenfarclas and Bunnahabhain, although here in NY the latter went from ~$60 scotch to $80 in the past couple of years.
Squeeze some grapefruit in with the whiskey. The bitter / sweet will balance out and you’ll get used to whiskey by itself over time.
You can do small things like letting the whisky breathe or add couple drops of water to alter the profile a little. Just do a rotation of base offerings from distilleries which have good reputations across the regions. If you find one that works for your tastes, then branch out to another of that distillery's offering which a close profile and find suggestions from there.
I prefer peat, so Islays, Skyes, or some West Higlands like Oban.
Start small and niche so that you can get a baseline understanding of one area of whisky, then move onto other categories progressively. I recommend starting with scotch and trying 3-4 whiskies by region (highlands, islay, lowlands, speyside, and campbeltown) so that you can develop a decent palette. Most of all, have fun with it!
Since it hasn't been mentioned, I'm gonna say to try some Japanese stuff too from Suntory. Toki is a good light one and makes delicious whisky highballs. Hibiki is stronger. Yamazaki is their flagship single malt and is on the pricier end.
Bourbon is the way
Scotch my man…
I practically just got into whiskey a year ago so cant offer much help however my favorites right now are Angels Envy Rye, Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, and Suntory Toki. Definitely suggest giving them a try!
Given it is in my name...
As someone suggested, go to a "fancy" bar, whatever that means. I do not recommend starting whiskey straight. Start with mixed drinks and you will eventually develop preferences.
Almost similar to wine, most can detect the common pineapple, cherry, whatever notes, but deeper appreciation takes years.
Don’t, it’s an expensive hobby
The best way to get into whiskey is to buy whiskey and drink it. The idea that there is some huge complex process to discovering what you like is a joke. Don't buy spirits as an investment. Odds are you won't get lucky, and even if you do there is a higher odds that you will improperly store it thus diminishing the perceived gains.
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