While everyone reading my blog is a watch fan in some shape or way, many of us are into other fine things that life offers, besides handmade leather watch bands. There are cars, nice homes, yachts, chocolates…..but one stands between all of these to me, and that is Single Malt Scotch! I have picked up over 7 bottles in the past month, ranging from 10 year olds to 30. I just wanted to give you some thoughts on my single malt collection and what to look out for. As I am not an expert in this field [working hard to get there though! ], but I have sampled quite a bit of scotch and would love to offer my opinion on the world’s perfect drink. I am going to give you my opinion of my current top 5 favorite Scotches.
The first is my favorite go-to scotch, which does not include much smoke or peat, but is just extremely enjoyable to drink, it retails for around $150 USD and is Glenfarclas 25 yo. It has a very nice body with a gorgeous smooth finish and some sweet syrupy flavors. For being a 25 yo scotch, its extremely reasonably priced and will most likely go up in price over the next few years. I am personally going to be purchasing another 1-2 bottles in the next year.
The second is a lighter scotch that is absolutely perfect for the newbie to the scotch world. It is smooth (almost like a blended scotch), costs around $30 USD and is called the Singleton 12 yo. It is an extremely good value for what you pay and tastes amazing. I promised myself to keep at least one bottle around at all times. Its the go-to scotch for when friends come over and are not “single malt scotch drinkers”. It has a tad of smoky flavor and is just amazing….go buy one now and you will see!
My third choice is getting more intense for the Islay malts. It is aged for 10 years and would not be my first choice for a non-scotch drinker. It retails for around $55USD and has a very smoky flavor, is extremely peaty flavored, while having quite a bit of warmth as it goes down your throat. This was purchased and drank today, so the flavors are very recent and easy to remember. It takes a few sips to get used to, but after you do, it may quickly become one of your favorite go-to scotches for when you want a little bit more smoke and peat in your scotch. This is called Ardbeg 10 yo scotch.
My fourth choice is a classic single malt that is definitely for the the well developed palette of a seasoned single malt drinker. It has an insane smell, which includes smoke, peat and bacon. The price keeps increasing and is around $80USD for a bottle. When you first drink it, you get a lot of smoke, and peat flavor with many others and it lingers around in your mouth for a long finish. Its very smooth for how intense the flavor is and has a pretty full body. The name of this scotch is Lagavulin 16 yo. This is another one that will always be found in my scotch cabinet and I am currently on my second bottle.
The last, maybe best in my small review is simply called Laphroaig 30 yo. It used to retail for around $220USD, but recently has been seen for around $500USD and up. It is a SUPER intense drink, perhaps the most insane drink I have ever encountered in my life. People say it tastes like Iodine while having medicinal qualities/flavors. The smell is amazing too! It is a discontinued scotch and will be literally extremely difficult to find, while costing in the neighborhood of around $500. I HIGHLY recommend trying this if you see it anywhere near you in the foreseeable future.
To wrap things up, I would recommend the Singleton 12 for a friend that is new into the single malt world. I would purchase the Ardbeg 10 if you want an amazing smoky scotch that has a vibrant personality, for yourself. The Lagavulin 16 would be a nice scotch if you want another smoky, peaty beast that will be tasted 1-2 times per month. For specialer occasions you can purchase the Glenfarclas 25, which should be treasured at the current price. Lastly, is the expensive, ultra-intense, medicinal scotch that you should consider yourself lucky to ever even try it, Laphroaig 30.