Liquid gold – my favorite Single Malts

Image via Wikipedia

Not too long ago, I belonged to that large group of people who’d only heard of Glenfiddich and Glenlivet..of course those were the days I hardly travelled and single malts had not yet hit Indian shores.

And then one cold evening in Cincinnati changed all that! It was crazy cold, we’d just finished work and were walking around, looking for a place to eat, when my boss said, let’s have a single malt, and this one’s on me.

We got into an Irish pub downtown and he ordered a Lagavulin. The peaty flavour, the warm trail it burned down my throat on a cold day, I was a convert for life! From then on, everytime I travelled abroad, I looked for a bottle. Took me 5 years before I found some, in Sri Lanka duty free.

So today, I thought I would dedicate time to writing about this wonderful golden nectar, that brings me so much pleasure! Here’s my list of my favorite Single Malts. Having said that, this is not definitive, list. I’m sure it will grow with time. I’m sure there are many others I have yet to discover, and I encourage you to add to this list, and make it more complete for single malt lovers to find and explore.

So in no particular order, here goes:

Lagavulin: Peaty, warm and very very smooth. If you like the smoky flavor, then this is a must have.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagavulin_Single_Malt

The Balvenie Doublewood : For scotch lovers, you couldn’t find something better, if you love the Johnnie Walker Black Label or the Chivas, then you will love this one. Heavy flavour, smooth finish.

http://www.forpeatsake.com/The+Balvenie/The+Balvenie+Doublewood+12+Year+Old/1

Image via Wikipedia

Bushmills : Single malts from Ireland? That’s what I thought when I saw this one. And trust me it is awesome! Only 10 years aged, but smooth and a lovely sweetish aftertaste. I love this one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Bushmills_Distillery

Knockando: My uncle introduced me to this one. Very Speyside, has a very smooth finish, goes down so easy, you can finish a lot of it before you know you’ve had too much. Lovely light salty aftertaste. One of my favourites!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knockando

And now for the 2 which I have discovered recently.

The Macallan 1851 Inspiration: Was introduced to me by Monisha, I remember sipping it while we sat on her balcony, with a cold breeze blowing, as we saw the Sealink being built, inching towards completion. I fell in love with it, I remember we drank it 2 more times, and I was on the lookout for it. Found it at the Bombay Duty Free. It’s mellow, well aged, and very very good. If you find it, buy it.

http://www.spirituosen-superbillig.com/Macallan_1851_Inspiration_English.html

And last, but my most recent and my most favourite:

The Strathisla: Elusive taste, that gets you! The minute I sipped this whisky, the first words out of my mouth were  - WOW! Just added a second bottle to my bar. Buy it. Don’t think!

http://www.whisky-distilleries.info/Strathisla_EN.shtml

Image via Wikipedia

So what are your favourites? Leave a note. Add to this list. Do us all a favour!

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