Well for this festive season I've spent quite a bit of money on Scotch (throughout the year I've spent a stupid amount of money on Scotch but outdid myself this christmas).
I bloody love the stuff. The firey peated warmth of 16 year old Lagavulin with its spiced nose and dark almost cocoa palate is my idea of heaven.
For a very decent standard Scotch I go with a Laphroaig or Ledaig; Laphroaig is pretty firey with a hint of peat and a sea-air saltiness which evaporates from the back of the palate into your nostrils and Ledaig is a much smoother beast but still peaty and with hints of chocolate and spice.
Another good staple would be Glenfiddich, its very commercial as the biggest selling single malt in the world and you can taste it but it is still pleasant and the mix of Bourbon and Sherry Cask maturation can be quite delicious. Glenmorangie is another very commercial scotch but they produce some absolute crackers, their Quinta Ruban is a perfect winter scotch with a spicy warmth almost as good as a Talisker.

For the xmastime I've bought a '71 Clynelish, '89 Glenkinchie, '93 Talisker, '91 Lagavulin, '90 Laphroaig and four bottles of peated Ledaig and am very much looking forward to drinking them.

Any Scotch lovers want to share their favourites?

It really doesn't get much better than Johnny Walker Blue label for me. It's not even that expensive compared to its quality. Laphroaig Is excellent although it is fairly heavy on the peat.

JW Gold Label chilled until Ice Cold is a nice treat and is pretty cheap.

When i was in Germany this summer I picked up a bottle of Glenfiddich 30 year old. I am not a whiskey drinker,.

After tasting this, I can honestly say I will never, ever drink Canadian Club again.

I like scotch plenty but lately I've been getting into bourbon more. Bulleit is my current favorite, being relatively inexpensive and totally delicious.

I'm huge into Scotch and would be more than excited to share some of my favorites.

In no particular order of course:

Auchentoshan Three Wood
Bowmore 17 yr.
The Glenlivet 15 yr. French Oak Reserve
The Glenlivet 16 yr. Nadurra
Glenmorangie 12 yr. Burgundy Finish
Glenmorangie 12 yr. Port Finish
Glenmorangie 12 yr. Sherry Finish

These are pretty much all in the $55 to $75 per 750 mL range.

Oh and someone mentioned bourbon.

All I have to say is, "Maker's Mark."

Bourbon, you say? Recently, a buddy from down south came back with this shit called Booker's. It's made by the same kind folks behind Jim Beam with one extreme exception: it kicks like a goddamn mule. I think it's around 65%. Not a bad tasting bourbon either, but a surefire way to end up doing things you'd rather not have.

As for whisky, I gotta say Bushmill's. Nice and smooth. I think it can get pretty pricey depending on where you live though.

Bourbon, you say? Recently, a buddy from down south came back with this shit called Booker's. It's made by the same kind folks behind Jim Beam with one extreme exception: it kicks like a goddamn mule. I think it's around 65%. Not a bad tasting bourbon either, but a surefire way to end up doing things you'd rather not have.

Booker's is excellent bourbon, but it must be mixed with a bit of water unless you're up for a fight. Mineral water works best for this purpose, and you really don't need a ton of it, either.

To whoever said Maker's...it's definitely not bad, but IMO, it's overrated, and also overpriced. It used to be a lot cheaper before it picked up on popularity, too. If you're looking for good bourbon on a budget, look into Elijah Craig 12 y.o., Eagle Rare or Evan Williams Single Barrel.

But I'll shut up about the whiskey in a whisky thread now since I don't really know jack shit about scotch....yet.

McWilliams, best stuff you'll ever drink. Highly underrated.

To whoever said Maker's...it's definitely not bad, but IMO, it's overrated, and also overpriced.
Overrated is a matter of personal preference regarding taste, however I'm going to point out that Maker's Mark was introduced in 1958 for $7 per bottle. In modern monetary terms that's nearly $50 per bottle, which is more than a half gallon of the stuff costs today.

$7 per fifth in 1958, or $50 in today's money

vs.

$26 approx. 750mL today

$45 approx. 1.75L today

Got a Caol Ila Cask Strength on my desk right now. Wonderful, and with 60% ABV it really kicks. Goes well with cigars.

..because alcohol content dictates quality.

Auchentoshan Three Wood
Bowmore 17 yr.
The Glenlivet 15 yr. French Oak Reserve
The Glenlivet 16 yr. Nadurra
Glenmorangie 12 yr. Burgundy Finish
Glenmorangie 12 yr. Port Finish
Glenmorangie 12 yr. Sherry Finish


Those are pretty tasty favourites, if I recall correctly the Auchentoshan is the only Scotch whisky which is triple distilled in the Irish style of whiskey, I tried some straight from a cask in June and it was pretty damn oaky and smooth.

Laphroaig is a pretty peaty one alright, joe. I tried a quarter cask one recently and it was like firey bog water which had been kept by the sea for twelve years. Adding good water to about a quarter to a third of the volume of whiskey can really help the cask strength whiskies or any overly firey ones, it brings out the phenols and can allow other flavours to the fore which might not come out when drinking straight.

To cowboy of the apocalypse: cask strength whisky isn't so important because of the strength but because it has been bottled straight from the cask and retains more of the flavours imparted by the cask.

I have yet to try the caol ila but certainly will get around to it soon :D

if I recall correctly the Auchentoshan is the only Scotch whisky which is triple distilled in the Irish style of whiskey
You would be correct in that statement.

Scotch is really gross when it's the cheap stuff, even for mixing.

I don't really have any brands to recommend though, I prefer a good rye. Old Overholt is delicious I recently found a two year old bottle I forgot about and that stuff was heavenly drunk neat. Definately recommend. If it was good enough for George Washington...

Evan Williams Single Barrel.


I heartily agree with this sentiment. EW is the shit.

I heartily agree with this sentiment. EW is the shit.
My only beef with Evan Williams and other single barrel bourbons is the fact that they're often a hit or miss proposition. The distillers often claim to only bottle the best but I've picked up bottles from multiple distilleries producing single barrel or small batch bottlings and they're typically either really good or leave me wondering how they came to the conclusion it was worth anything more than blending.

I've been drinking a lot of bell's recently, my livers a little shit nowdays so I cant just down a quart of glen's (cheap vodka) anymore. I've been sticking with baby bottles, you know trying out the whole drinking responsibly thing (my social life is much improved). So yeah, bell's is buff, I may try famous grouse sometime, as for bourbon, I think I've already had jack daniels but I cant really remember.

southern comfort I also wanna try (i think its a bourbon init?)

There is nothing better than a glass of Johnny Walker Black and a Camacho Triple Maduro fine cigar.