Supermarket whisky
- Thread starter antdad
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RE: Supermarket whiskey
In the case of the stuff Aldi's selling, because the name on the bottle is not that of an actual distillery, you're taking more of a gamble than you would with a recognised distillery's own bottling under their name as you don't know where it comes from (which distillery produced it). As it's a single malt, it must have been produced by a distillery somewhere in Scotland, and, as was said in the article, the malt anoraks will have a fair idea. If you don't mind the idea of getting whisky by home delivery, there are recognised online sellers who (mostly) have a large whisky shop somewhere as well. If you want a list, the best person to speak with is probably Ralfy Mitchell at ralfy.com, or the guy who runs whiskywhiskwhisky.com. If you're looking for something from a supermarket, do a bit of online price comparison and you can find some good deals - stick to non-fancy finishes; some distilleries, such as Glenmorangie, do unusual finishes (port wood, madeira wood or wine casks) well, but many distilleries will finish an unbalanced or plain poor whisky in a weird cask type to mask the inferiority of the spirit.
EDIT: Apparently the mystery Aldi malt is a Speysider, and the description sounds typical of whiskies from that area in that they are matured in European oak (old sherry butts) and tend to be fruity, rich and deep in character. Typically of an older Speysider, the oak has influenced this malt heavily, hence references to oaky tannins, and the typical nosing/tasting notes for aged Speysiders of fruit cake, marmalade and, sometimes notes like aged leather, dusty bookcases, wood shavings etc. It sounds like a malt for winter evenings - hopefully it won't have too much E150a (caramel) added, being 40 years of age and shouldn't have been too heavily chill-filtered, as aggressive chill-filtration is a more recent abomination.
In the case of the stuff Aldi's selling, because the name on the bottle is not that of an actual distillery, you're taking more of a gamble than you would with a recognised distillery's own bottling under their name as you don't know where it comes from (which distillery produced it). As it's a single malt, it must have been produced by a distillery somewhere in Scotland, and, as was said in the article, the malt anoraks will have a fair idea. If you don't mind the idea of getting whisky by home delivery, there are recognised online sellers who (mostly) have a large whisky shop somewhere as well. If you want a list, the best person to speak with is probably Ralfy Mitchell at ralfy.com, or the guy who runs whiskywhiskwhisky.com. If you're looking for something from a supermarket, do a bit of online price comparison and you can find some good deals - stick to non-fancy finishes; some distilleries, such as Glenmorangie, do unusual finishes (port wood, madeira wood or wine casks) well, but many distilleries will finish an unbalanced or plain poor whisky in a weird cask type to mask the inferiority of the spirit.
EDIT: Apparently the mystery Aldi malt is a Speysider, and the description sounds typical of whiskies from that area in that they are matured in European oak (old sherry butts) and tend to be fruity, rich and deep in character. Typically of an older Speysider, the oak has influenced this malt heavily, hence references to oaky tannins, and the typical nosing/tasting notes for aged Speysiders of fruit cake, marmalade and, sometimes notes like aged leather, dusty bookcases, wood shavings etc. It sounds like a malt for winter evenings - hopefully it won't have too much E150a (caramel) added, being 40 years of age and shouldn't have been too heavily chill-filtered, as aggressive chill-filtration is a more recent abomination.
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RE: Supermarket whiskey
When you consider the single malt single cask Penderyn Welsh Whiskey sells for £289 a bottle I would say that's super value. But on saying that the Penderyn single malt is such a super tasting whiskey without the mega cost of it's big brother. here's one of the reviews, dont you just love the description.
An incredible powerhouse of a dram. Nothing subtle here. Incredibly velvety and smooth for such a strong whisky. Chocolate and cinnamon with notes of creme brule. A sensual dram, like a dark, fiery lover. Incredible.
http://www.penderynstore.com/port-wood-single-cask.aspx
Jamie
When you consider the single malt single cask Penderyn Welsh Whiskey sells for £289 a bottle I would say that's super value. But on saying that the Penderyn single malt is such a super tasting whiskey without the mega cost of it's big brother. here's one of the reviews, dont you just love the description.
An incredible powerhouse of a dram. Nothing subtle here. Incredibly velvety and smooth for such a strong whisky. Chocolate and cinnamon with notes of creme brule. A sensual dram, like a dark, fiery lover. Incredible.
http://www.penderynstore.com/port-wood-single-cask.aspx
Jamie
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RE: Supermarket whiskey
Is the Aldi stuff single cask, though, Jamie? You always pay a premium for single-cask malts.
pugh-the-special-one said:
Is the Aldi stuff single cask, though, Jamie? You always pay a premium for single-cask malts.
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RE: Supermarket whiskey
Well Chris i'm not sure if the Aldi whiskey would be single cask, but as you say it certainly knocks the price up indeed.
Jamie.
chrisbell said:
Well Chris i'm not sure if the Aldi whiskey would be single cask, but as you say it certainly knocks the price up indeed.
Jamie.
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RE: Supermarket whiskey
Apparently the malt enthusiasts are suggesting it's a Glenfarclas - I've never tried their malts but they are renowned as being a very consistent distillery in terms of quality. I wondered if it might have been an old Aberlour, but, apparently, the 24 year-old they're selling under a different name is too woody and rather bitter, masking interesting notes and flavours which should have been given a chance to come through more. Pity.
pugh-the-special-one said:
Apparently the malt enthusiasts are suggesting it's a Glenfarclas - I've never tried their malts but they are renowned as being a very consistent distillery in terms of quality. I wondered if it might have been an old Aberlour, but, apparently, the 24 year-old they're selling under a different name is too woody and rather bitter, masking interesting notes and flavours which should have been given a chance to come through more. Pity.
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:icon_lol::icon_lol:antdad said:
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RE: Supermarket whiskey
That's piqued my interest a bit more. Glenfarclas is one of my favourites.
chrisbell said:
That's piqued my interest a bit more. Glenfarclas is one of my favourites.
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RE: Supermarket whiskey
whats glenfarclas like? the only one ive tried was a couple months ago (auchentoshen) at there distillery in cyldebank
Yellow Jim said:
whats glenfarclas like? the only one ive tried was a couple months ago (auchentoshen) at there distillery in cyldebank
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I suppose it's worth a punt, especially if you like Glenfarclas and are prepared to take a punt on it. If I want a nice Speysider, I'd go for Aberlour A'bunadh, but that's because I love it.
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My daily tipple around 5pm is usually from a cheapie bottle from Tesco my wife keeps replacing. One of these days I'll take my whisky drinking a bit more seriously and look for good deals on some better quality stuff. So thanks.
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Fido said:
Actually, some of the supermarket own-brand blends are quite good, especially good value. That said a nice malt is a more subtle, complex beast. What sort of flavours and aromas do you enjoy in a spirit?
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Tony, sorry for not being very clear; I actually aimed the question at Peter, but, if you're not being facetious:icon_razz:, I'd go against the Lasanta, as what Glenmorangie does best isn't big sherry flavours. If you fancy something in that line, you might be as well to try Aberlour 10 year-old, or a young Glenfaclas. In the Glenmorangie range, the Original (their basic malt) is one of their best (I love it), but it's a more subtle, delicate malt.antdad said: