Reply #16: Avoid the ten-year-olds, in general. [View All]

[smoogatz]

They always seem a bit raw, for my taste. Ten years is the minimum aging time for whisky in Scotland (before that it's legally considered raw spirits). I find that I generally prefer the 12-18-year-old varieties; much smoother. I tend to prefer scotches that fall in the middle in terms of their "peat" quotient: Lagavulin is very good; I also like MacCallen (the 18-year-old is spectacular) and most of the Balvenies. Talisker is great if a bit raw, Dalwhinnie is very nice--heathery and light. Don't dismiss the blends out of hand; there are excellent blends like Walker Black that represent very good value in the current overpriced market (the currency exchange will just kill you right now). I'm a bit of a philistine--I enjoy an ice cube or two in my single malts; brings them down to something closer to Scots room temperature.