• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Great Eight Friends
  • Gr8 Food ∞
    • Appetizers
      • Dips and Spreads
    • Beverages
      • Adult Beverages
      • Non-Alcoholic Drinks
    • Bread
      • Quick Bread
      • Yeast Bread
    • Breakfast and Brunch
      • Egg Dishes
    • Desserts and Snacks
      • Cakes and Cupcakes
      • Candy and Confections
      • Cookies
      • Fruit
      • Pies and Tarts
      • Snacks
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • 130+ Main Courses
      • Beef
      • Fish
      • Lamb
      • Meatless
      • Pork
      • Poultry
    • Salads and Dressings
    • Sauces Salsas Marinades
    • Side Dishes
      • Pasta
      • Potatoes
      • Rice and Grains
      • Vegetables
    • Soup
  • Gr8 Friends ∞
    • Gr8 Dinners
    • Gr8 Holiday Ideas
    • Other Occasion Parties
  • Gr8 Fun ∞
    • Debbie's Craft Corner
    • Gr8 Trips
      • Field Trips
      • Vacations
    • Other Gr8 Stuff
      • Our Favorite Kitchen Tools
    • Restaurant Reviews
  • Who We Are
    • GR8 Party Outlines
    • Become a Gr8 Friend!
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Become a Gr8 Friend!
  • Main Courses
  • Appetizers
  • Beverages
  • Bread
  • Breakfast and Brunch
  • Desserts and Snacks
  • Instant Pot Recipes
  • Salads and Dressings
  • Sauces Salsas Marinades
  • Side Dishes
  • Soup
  • Gr8 Friends
  • Gr8 Dinners
  • Gr8 Fun
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    National Scotch Whiskey Day - July 27

    July 27, 2015 by Phil 3 Comments

    In honor of National Scotch Whiskey Day I decided to review three of the single malts in my collection.

    I chose one from three of the five regions in Scotland: Speyside, Islay and Highlands. In the future I will include the other two: Lowlands and Campbeltown.

    Whiskey preference, like wine, is all up to individual taste. My review of these three Scotches may very well differ from your own personal experiences and likes.

    Originally published July 27, 2015

    Three bottles of Scotch Whisky with a glass in front of each sitting on a stone in a yard.

    I will describe the color, nose (smell), and flavor of each; which should provide you with some insight into each one.

    All three were tasted ‘neat’ (no ice or water added) then tasted again with a small ice cube added to decrease the temperature and add a little water.

    Montgomerie’s Tobermory Rare Select Whiskey 20yr

    • Aged in oak casks
    • 46% alcohol
    • Island/Highland region
    • Straw color with a wet hay nose
    • Very light flavor profile with a little vanilla hint at the end, there wasn't as much depth of flavor as I usually expect from a 20 yr old, but probably a good intro for Scotch beginners, however, the price point is a little high.

    Aberlour A’Bunadh Cask Strength

    • Aged in Spanish Oloroso Sherry Butts (casks)
    • 60% alcohol
    • Speyside region
    • A’Bunadh means ‘of the origin’ in Gaelic
    • Burnt orange color with a fruity nose.
    • Starts strong due to the cask strength (high alcohol content) but smooths out quickly due to the sherry cask. Complex flavors with a sweet, almost cherry finish. One of my personal favorites, but probably not for beginners due to the front end heat.

    Lagavulin 16yr

    • Aged in oak casks
    • 43% alcohol
    • Islay region- known for their peaty/smokey profiles. This region burns the peat to smoke/dry the barley.
    • Caramel color with a peaty/smokey nose.
    • Starts off with the peaty/smokey flavor with a hint of salt, but soon mellows into a sweeter profile with a faint toasty finish. The Islay style is typically not my favorite, I usually prefer the sweeter mellower styles, however, Lagavulin is a truly amazing Scotch which I have grown to love.

    Tasting Notes:

    When I added the small ice cube to each Scotch, it seemed to help mellow the front end heat of the high alcohol Aberlour. The ice also brought out a little more hidden flavor/depth in all three that I tasted.

    Some Scotch drinkers only have their pour served ‘neat’. I prefer mine with one large ice cube, to add a little water and to cool the Scotch as well. To each his own.

    Overhead shot of large cube ice tray with a glass and a jigger.

    Gr8 Tips:

    I realize I have only scratched the surface of the numerous choices in the Single Malt Scotch Whiskey world. Next time you are out, many restaurants/bars offer a ‘flight’ of three different styles to sample simultaneously; a gr8 way to explore the many different regions in Scotland without having to board an airplane.

    Although a distillery tour through Scotland would be a great trip too. How about to celebrate National Scotch Whiskey Day?

    Also, instead of using several small ice cubes, which can dilute the whisky quickly, you can purchase a silicone ice tray that forms large individual cubes or spheres.

    More Tastings

    A couple years after the writing of this article, I did another Scotch tasting with the rest of the Gr8 guys. You can find our favorites here.

    And if you're into vodka, Vince conducted an informal tasting on his patio one Sunday afternoon.

    Slainte!

    sm 7/28/19
    « Great 80 - Happy Birthday!
    Breakfast in a Barn? »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mary

      July 27, 2015 at 5:12 pm

      Hi Phil. I emailed your review to Tom. I know he will enjoy reading it.

    2. Claudia Kerns

      July 27, 2015 at 12:50 pm

      Well done Phil!! Makes me be more willing to try a brown liquor!!

    3. Brenda Perlin

      July 27, 2015 at 9:18 am

      Very nice post. Thank you for sharing! Cheers 😉

    Be a Gr8 Friend and tell us what you think! Cancel reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Be a Gr8 Friend!

    Talk With Us!

    • Debbie on Layered Vegetable Pâté Recipe
    • Charles Ayash on Layered Vegetable Pâté Recipe
    • Kyle on Easy No Bake Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
    • Kyle on Warm Spinach Potato Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette
    • wonderfulcook.com on Warm Spinach Potato Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette
    my foodgawker gallery

    Need More Servings?

    Our recipes will do the calculation for you. Just hover over the number of servings then move the slider to the number desired. (Please be aware: this will not change pan or bowl sizes, so you may have to adjust for that.)

    It's Grilling Season!

    ThermoWorks Thermapen Mk4

    Footer

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Our Party Outline

    As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright ©2022 Foodie Pro on the Foodie Pro Theme