I have documentedly tasted about 300 different Scotch Single Malts, starting from the cheapest ones up to a couple ones a friend has personally filled right from the barrel at the distillery. What I still haven't tasted are the ultra expensive 30 or so years old ones. I've also been quite happy with some cheap blended Scotch whiskies. There's tasty and less tasty ones in both categories.
The way I've been able to taste that many single malts is rather good for your liver: We're a bunch of six and have been gathering together a few times a year for fifteen years. Everyone brings a bottle which is kept secret until the tasting notes have been written. We have small tulip shaped glass jugs for each whisky so we can compare the looks and the nose when they're all on the table and the amount per whisky is only about 2.5 cl so after the first round we're not too drunk. There's also cucumber, dark chocolate and white bread as well as plain water to neutralize our taste buds between whiskies. I can easily afford one bottle every four months but with the group I can taste 18 whiskies a year!
Here's some basic notes from our six man group:
- Price doesn't necessarily tell the taste or quality
- Old age doesn't automatically mean better taste
- Following that path, some are at their best at a certain age, more or less years can be less tasty
- Further, some may be good at several ages with less tasty ones in between
- NAS (No Age Statement) whiskies often are a bit less flavoury (watery) although they may carry the distinctive elements of the older ones
- Maturing in several barrels often improves the complexity and smoothness
- Taste is a personal thing
- The area or even country of origin doesn't tell everything
Ardbeg is a nice yet pricey Islay whisky, Glenfiddich is a common Traveller Retail (=inexpensive) whisky with both smoky and non-smoky variations, the Balvenie is a safe bet for smoothness just to comment the aforementioned ones.
There's also Scotch Single Malts that aren't branded by the distillery. Some are from well established whisky houses and carry the distillery name under the distributor's name and they are as pricey as the distillery bottled ones. But there's also brands that can't be found on the map. Some are for market chains like Lidl or Aldi (both German origin, all over Europe), some can be found at liquor stores. They can even be age specified. The common nominator is that they don't tell who actually has distilled them, only that they are Scotch Single Malts and often also the area like Islay, Speyside or Highlands. The distillery may even vary. But they still are what the label says! Aerstone is one that has both a 'Land fill' and a 'Sea Fill', Finlaggan is another fatherless brand. Grangestone, Ileach, Classic of Islay, you name it...
On the blended side I can recommend a couple relatively inexpensive ones. On the smoky side there's Islay Mist, Monkey Shoulder is a good alternative for Glenfiddich (same company), Bell's is also smooth and pleasing.
