ralfy review 1019 Extras - Beginner malts & Advanced malts
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
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The best advice. If Ralfy didn't exist, we'd have to invent him.
Similar to travelling by motorbike. Its not about the destination, but the journey itself.
5 years ago I was beginning my whisky journey, and buying bottles I wasn't prepared for. Two of my earliest bottles were none other than Hazelburn 10 (and I bought it by mistake, I wanted a Wolfburn, and the names are similar) and Kilkerran 12 (because I liked Talisker 10 and wanted to try a different peated Scotch). Trust me, this did more harm than good. These bottles confused me so much I just put them in a corner and forgot about them. Only after a couple of years and more than a hundred bottles later, I went back to them and understood them. I consider these two to be very advanced stuff nowadays, and among my all time favorites. As Mr. Ralfy says, it is important to start at the beginning, with simple, light, gentle, friendly, fruity Scotch.
That is a great experience! Almost like you time-traveled and stashed some awesome whisky for your future self 👍
It’s an apprenticeship I remember not enjoying a bottle Springbank 10 and at the same point in time loving Glenfiddoch 15 it takes time to appreciate drams
@@RobertSingleton-dw9yh Exactly. I remember trying Lagavulin 16 for the first time and immediately coming to the conclusion that I preferred Talisker 10. Or trying Ardbeg 10 for the first time and finding it absolutely repulsive. Or even before that, the first time in my life I had two bottles of whisky at the same time (it looked crazy back then...), and being absolutely unable to distinguish them. They were Cardhu 12 and Chivas Regal 12, a single malt and a blend hahahahaha. Training my palate has been a fascinating experience.
@@WhoeverNevermind Haha yes I remember the blind blissful ignorance of my first few bottles of single malt whisky Ardbeg Uigeadail was the first bottle I drank start to finish… Why?
This is sooo overdue Ralfy. i am now sharing this with everyone I know that doesn't understand single malt. Well done and thank you
We diverge with our opinions on this one Ralfy. I enjoy many Speyside whiskies, but not Glen Moray. If I'd started with this, I'd never have got into a real whisky journey. I started with Aberlour, Dalwhinnie, Glen Morangie and Cragganmore, and then the Mull and Campbelltown malts and blends. Glorious days
Delighted to hear this malt mention dear Ralfy! Very kind of you. 👏🇮🇹🥃 Thank you 🙏 as always for your advice and guidance. We all appreciate it. Kindest regards, Sandro
I started with the much maligned Auchentoshan Classic , it was cheap and i liked it. Better than anything Auchentoshan has put out since.
Amazing to think I’ve been doing this for @ 10 yrs now. Feels like less but life is like that as you get older. Time flies by. Thankfully I’ve not been disappointed many times over the years with my purchases. Two such bottle that confused me were Springbank 10 and Balvenie Caribbean cask. Didn’t like either to be honest. I still have more than half of the Springbank gassed and sealed. Since then I’ve had the 12 CS and loved it. So I’ll go back to it at some point and see. Some at first I didn’t like and ended up buying multiples because they grew on me quickly. Laphroaig 10 CS is one. Caol ila 12, and Glen Scotia Victoriana are examples of some that started out not so good and now I consider them great bottles. Some I loved from the first moment. Bladnoch 10, The old Glendronach 15 and 18 are some examples. The whisky journey is personal and unique to us all. Enjoy the ride. It doesn’t hurt to have Ralfy as The copilot.
Very sensible advice,the problem is,you never really know what you’re buying,and it’s only when you take it home,do you find this out.Of course it’s too late then.Stick to the mainstream stuff until you’re ready to experiment and branch out.
Great stuff,keep this coming!
Brilliant advice. I have been serving and drinking single malt for around 20 years but I learn something new all the time. I think your channel is one of the best I have seen. Thank you
I don't even really drink whiskey.. but occasionally look ralfy's channel up just to see what he's up to.. I first watched his videos like 10 years ago and bought some glenfiddich 12 year as well as a bottle of monkey shoulder to try to get into it.. the glenfiddich was good.. but if I am honest with myself it all just tastes like varying intensities of ethanol to me which is not particularly enjoyable for the purposes of flavor
20 Years on the Journey (and somehow, my wife to). Never been in a Club or stuff. I know my taste and the taste of my wife. With the years, Tomatin became sort of the "house brand". But I always have some experimental stuff... And of course, i have my own infinity-bottle.
Sound advice once again Ralfy!! many thanks
The same applies to music.
The first time I heard Frank Zappa for instance, it was noise to me.
Not until I had served my apprenticeship in digging the blues, rock'n'roll, doobop, quite a bit of the classics, and all sorts of unusual time signatures did I start appreciating his music.
I love it now.
Music is an acquiered taste. Very much like some foods and certainly single malt whiskies.
You may dislike it first, but it may grow on you.
Or not, wwhich is fine.
Taste is a very personal and temporal experience.
Exposure, curiosity and some guidance go a long way.
Thanks Ralfy, for providing the latter.
@)0:08 - Are you sure it's not "Sandro Fazzolari", Ralf? -If not, I've been deceiving myself all these years in reading the comments 😒
Always good advice well delivered Ralfy. Whisky is all about time....time in the cask, time in the glass, time with the right bottle. No rushing...Become a ' Meandering Malt Memory Maker'....(could be a malt mention😉)
And time in the bottle too. It's mind blowing how much a whisky can improve in a few months.
Absolutely time in the bottle...the difference in the first few drams from a new bottle to 6 months later half way down is huge.
Christ Ralf I've had some terrible Glen Morays, so many i'll never touch it again.
Yes, I've heard tales. He captivates men by the hundreds, and if he were here, he'd conquer palates with blazing glares from his eyes and thunderous roars from his soul. I am Ralph, the world's foremost authority on single malt whisky, and I behold an entire legion of my brethren here, in defiance of mediocrity. You've come to taste as free men, and free men you are. What will you do with this freedom? Will you sip? Yes, sip and you might be overwhelmed. Run, and you'll live, at least for a time. And lying on your deathbeds, many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance to return here and tell our foes that they may take our lives, but they will never seize our passion for whisky!
Ralfy & friends , maybe im being very naive , but heres the question - after going on a distillery tour i bought a bottle of 12yo malt & really enjoyed the experience (wont name it ) but afterwards i e-maied them to ask " is there any way to decipher the actual bottling date fron codes on the label/bottle " ? But sadly ive not had a reply , do you know ralfy ? or do any of you "wee whisky wallowers " know ? 😊👍
Indeed: these whiskies like Glen Moray or Glenfiddich are not bad whiskies, they just aren't overly complex and have a "low" ABV.
Colouring should be left out of Whisky at all times. The 40% mark ... well, I can understand it. And for some people this is already at the upper end of acceptable strength.
I started my whisky journey 3yrs ago when the Wife got a bottle of Hakushu for myself.
I’d never really tasted single malt and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to drink.
So I’ve got 8 bottles of different malt whisky.
1st bottle I purchased myself was Arran 10 which was recommended by my local whisky shop in Shrewsbury.
I used to buy mini bottles of different brands just to get an idea of different tastes.
Some I admit were pretty awful for my pallet.
I love Irish spot whisky and Islay peated.
Keep up the great work Ralfy
Thanks for the reality check, Ralfy! 😊
Why do I feel like Ralfy is offering us the red pill and the blue pill?
We love you Ralfy ❤.
We wait you all time.
Cheers from Lebanon.
Paul
Hi Ralfy ! Wonderful Chanel. This ! Have you ever added a few drops of Px to a Bourbon Cask Malt ? What do you think about?
. . .yes, it can be a game-changer.
Ta Ralfy. Drinking from the well of your wisdom makes me grin.
Exellent advice. May I suggest Speyburn. Consistent. Gently delicious. At my liquor store it is by far the cheapest single malt. When I serve it to non scotch drinkers, the crowd goes wild. Oddly enough, the scotch that started me down the rabbit hole was Laphoaig.
+1 for Speyburn. I was bummed that they replaced the 43% 10yo with 40%. Also snagged a couple of Arranta bottles. A bit young, but it's nice to try a high-abv Speyburn. And Speyburn 15 is an integrity bottling, I haven't opened mine yet. Great value. I haven't tried Bradan Orach yet, it's their budget NAS, I think it should be somewhere on par with Glen Moray's "Elgin Classic", both price- and quality-wise. Glen Moray also has a cheap peated version of Elgin Classic, fairly decent for price and not monster-peaty, just enough to decide if you like it.
I didn't mind Glenlivet 12 or Glenfiddich 12. I had them for years. As in, a couple of bottles would last me 10 years along with a bottle or so of Ballantines Finest(😂) for mixing. Being from Ontario, I'd also drink whiskies from Forty Creek. Jameson (standard) was another one I'd have on hand. For a quarter century I would even consider any bourbon unitl I went to a party about five years ago and tried Woodford Reserve and that opened the bourbon world to me.
The funny thing is tha Glenlivet Founder's Reserve was the first bottle I bought on current journey. Next up was Bowmore 12 and then I was gifted McClellend's Speyside. My next bottles were Balvennie 12DW, Dawhinnie 15, and Oban 12 then I was gifted Arran 21. What a journey!
I like Armagnac too. Plus, I have found great value there. I've bought thirty year old Armagnac for the equivalent of £80.
Forty Creek is decent. Lot No. 40 is excellent rye, wish I could get the cask strength. World needs more Canadian rye whisky. And less turdeau.
What are the top 5 blended scotch for beginners ?
Looking back I wish I could've started with single malts. Blends are too... noisy. Grain alcohol distracts from malt IMHO. Some are nice, like JW Gold Label or Dewar's 12 or 15, but at those prices you can get nice single malts. A good value is Compass Box's two budget blends - Artist Blend and Glasgow Blend. Artist is unpeated and could compete with the likes of Dewar's or Chivas Regal, or dare I say JW Gold. Glasgow has some peat and could compete with Teacher's, JW Black or Double Black. IMHO a serious and determined beginner is better off with a simple single malt, as Ralfy recommends (Glen Moray, Speyburn 10, Glenlivet 12, Glenfiddich 12), or one of the well regarded "blended malts", such as JW Green Label, various bottlings from Douglas Laing and Compass Box. I also enjoyed the 2 blended malts from Mossburn, with "cask bill" on the label. These are a bit overpriced, but I got them on sale, so I was happy. The "Speyside" is fruity and the "Island" is a bit peaty (contains Torabhaig).
I like single malt but am no expert. Truth is I never spend more than £45 or so on a bottle.
which is better in your view..Glenmorangie Lasanta or the Quinta Ruban 14 ??
@@mucky1957. I'm not Ralfy, but if you are interested, I liked both, Lasanta and Quinta Ruban. I've even compared them with older versions, when I first tried them, Quinta Ruban was 12yo. IMHO it's not a question of "better", it's whether you prefer sherry influence or port. I'll also say that Glenmorangie quality has fallen somewhat. When Nectar d'Or lost its 12-year age statement, I compared them, old to new, and new was noticeably worse. Ditto the 10 year. So I've stopped buying Glenmorangie, it's a cool distillery, but managed by people who design handbags, they are more focused on packaging than contents. But I think Lasanta and QR remain among their better bottles. Lasanta used to be 46% and non-chill filtered. Sigh. Glenmo 18 was ok, not worth the money. Ditto their perennial NAS releases (I call them "Tale of NAS"), a total swindle.
Been away for a long while...good to be back with ya Ralfy
Im sipping on a Irish Powers and revisiting your channel...still the best... cheers from Canada!
I highly disagree, Glenfiddich 12 is borderline undrinkable and after trying it as a beginner, it put me off of trying scotch again much longer than otherwise, because single malts are my favorite whisky now. Glenfiddich 12 has a funky speyside off note that I also find in Balveine Double Wood. Actually Speysides in general the malt flavor is kinda weird, and some highland scotches are way better for beginners. Upgrades for that friendly fruity apple flavor are first Glenmorangie10 and then Glenlivit12, but they've both lost their mind with price, so actually Suntory Toki for bourbon cask the apples jumped out of the glass on that, and alternatively Naked Malt for sherry cask both at $30
Spot on! One thing worth mentioning is don't be upset if you've bought a bottle which is bit too "advanced" for your taste. Just put it aside and get back to it after some time. If it's still not your thing just repeat the process. Most whisk(e)y tend to get better after opened so you're probably doing a favor to yourself anyway.
I had drunk whiskey in the past, but then didn't drink for many years. When I came back to whisky I started with Ardbeg Uigadail and fell in love immediately. I stuck to official distillery bottlings for quite a while, but I never shied away from bottles that people called "challenging". I don't know if my early experiences with whisky helped me along, but those flavors didn't intimidate me. About a year in, I'm looking for great indy bottles, particularly of Caol Ila.
Back in the 90s I did a lot of homebrewing of beer, so I suppose it's possible all the palate development I did back then helped.
It was in 1981 my introduction to scotch was a cask strength Laphraiog, which I choked it down and thought “scotch, not so good” luckily a few years passed and in Dunoon I was introduced to GlenMorangie ten year by a grizzen old Scot named Tuffy, who showed me how to add a little water, sip it and enjoy the taste. Meanwhile my coworkers were throwing back their heads and looking for pocket change to hire a cab to ride a half mile to their hotel. Thanks Tuffy! RIP
Haha Blair Athol F +F with Ledaig Rioja works for me matey. That time of the year with a few quarter filled bottles and having some fun.
Let the good folks know Glen Moray do so great stuff ;-)
Great advice for the neophytes! Not patronizing or condescending, but rather "evangelizing", as Roy Duff calls it. I try to do the same for my friends who show interest. I don't want to be a gatekeeper, I want more people to become interested, knowledgeable and involved. And those who "don't get it", I'm ok with that too, it's their right, I never push it.
The only thing I have against mass produced whiskies is the added colouring. Surely that can affect the flavour.
I agree with all this Ralfy! I went from blends like Johnnie Walker Black to single malts, Glenfiddich 12, Glenmorangie 10, then to Highland Park 12, Laphroaig 10. I didn't like the Highland Park but loved the Laphroaig. I then started on higher ABV single malts like Arran 10 and Ardbeg 10. If I had started with some of the whiskies, I am drinking now my palette wouldn't have coped. My first taste of Glen Scotia Victoriana was a bit of a shock. I am enjoying it now though. Cheers!
ha, interesting vid. thanks Ralphie. Hope all is well, greetings from here in beautiful central Pa. U.S.
Thanks Ralfy for sharing your advice. Always good advice. I’ve discovered Bladnoch thanks to your visit to Springbank when you spoke to a young lady there at the distillery.
Ralfy, totally agree with this vid! Glen Moray Travel Retail is actually 48% NCF. The Classic, 12 & 15 are available that way. Neal
I know that I can enjoy this cheaper whiskys If i sit with them for a while and I try hard to get the flavors but I'm not in the mood of having random cheap whiskys that are gonna be on the shelve for ages. I feel like its a waste of money. I'd rather expend 70€ on a great bottle than having three bottles like Glenfiddich 12 or Glenlivet 12
Invaluable advice. And thanks for your insight into Glen Moray. I was wonding whether to try it, being such a well-priced whisky.
Good Morning 😊 Thanks for the chat , Awesome Buddy 👌🏽 Have a wonderful day & Greetings from South Africa 🇿🇦
I just joined SMWS. I am at a point I can truly appreciate the difference and the added experience. In my 4th decade of scotch. It is a journey. Take it slow; let yourself evolve, and enjoy!
I bought a Glen Moray for $9 at Walmart awhile ago...for my "guests"
Many thanks for this video, Ralfy. You are the best. Greetings from Brazil.
love the channel...... no nonsense /facts and bloody great advice , if your just starting the journey or well into it.
Please teach me everything about life😂😂😂. I love how you add in societal views.
Sunday March 24th, Happy Birthday Mr. Ralfy
bought a bottle of glen moray to neck at the camp fire last year - was pleasantly surprised
I kinda started out on Glenfarclas and Glenmorangie 10 yr. Glad I did.
Have serious issues with peat. I have a lagavulin 16 and enjoy it but anything with higher peat is just not something I can drink. So looking for alternatives that are similar to the 16 and maybe slightly peater. I am a big bourbon and rye guy and scotch is something I have on a few days a month at best. Main bottles are the standards maccallen and glen Levitt spelled wrong my phone is auto corrected. But you get the idea. Glenfiddich I had a bottle of that and that was pear juice all day. Thank you for your input.
I don't like peat either for the main flavor, peat was dialed back in a Highland Park as just one of the coastal notes. That was a discontinued sherry release called "dark origins," I'd bet one of their other offerings are good too though
Off your subject but, I do not buy whiskey that is bottled at less than 50% nor do I watch the reviews.
You should buy Scotch whisky rather than Irish or Americn Whisk🔑
Enjoying the ride. 🇺🇸
Had the courage to open up a bottle of William Peel blended scotch and give it a chance, when suddenly your video popped up. And look what you say... To be honest, I like this better than The Glenlivet founder's reserve per se.
I liked Glenlivet 12, it got me into sipping whisky, but the one time I tried Founder's Reserve, it was vile. Possibly the worst "single malt" experience and I rarely think a whisky is bad, I don't look down on budget bottles and try them on purpose. So I wanted to confirm your experience :)
@@alexk3088 Well, I guess that's part of the journey as Ralfy sometimes says. 😆
🙂☕👍
❤🥃👍
Some malts are worse than some blends glenfarclas 12 for example, is worse than chivas 12 👎
Taste is subjective :)
@@alexk3088 im just giving a honest opinion
What do you mean by “worse” ? if you mean you don’t like the taste, it might be that you don’t like the flavour of something that is generally regarded as a very good product, but that it does not suit your palate as it is now. I personally have never been able to like any of the Chivas products. Blasphemy, I know but you don’t have to like single malts !
I had the yuck moment 30 years ago when introduced to Monk, put me right off !
@@CrimeVid I love single malts is just that i've tasted a recet bottle of chivas 12 from 2022-2023 a couple o months ago and was pretty surprised of how good and diferent was from a 2017 version i had a few years ago, this glenfarclas the 12 is a bit spirity and no very disinctive imho it smells cheap, even singleton 12 for me is better but ofc various factors come into play, the sample i've got , the tasting glass affects too in how we percieve a whisky, i use an identical glass that of ardbeg with stem tulip that im assured is pretty neutral( doesnt amplify the aroma too much) compared to other glasses. Other things like mood,water ,room temperature come into play also but im confident with my opinion as i have a couple of years of experience.
@@osvaldotararira me too, over 60 years