I think I finally figured out why I like you guys so much and it’s more than the reviews. I lost my dad to cancer a long time ago when I was younger and your relationship is everything I wanted with my dad but never got to have! It’s very comforting! Thank you and keep the videos coming!
I too lost my father before we had a chance to have more than a father/son relationship. I would give anything to have known him like these two know each other. ❤
Small correction, it's not sherry finished. It's spent the full maturation in olorosso casks. But indeed, it's stellar stuff. I had an older batch and it was sublime. Treasured every drop of it.
Scotch is a lot more subtle and delicate in its flavours than bourbon or rye. Unless it's heavily peated or aged in very active casks (e.g. first fill sherry/wine/rum for 15+ years), it won't slap you in the face, but rather it will allow you to detect all the flavours if you give it time, hand warmth and even a drop of water. Bourbons or spirits with a lot of corn in the mashbill and distilled in a column still mainly get their flavours from the virgin oak casks (vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon, toasted oak) whereas Scotch will taste different depending on the type of barrel, the age (think of the rancio in cognac - i.e. flavours that develop due to aging, often irrespective of the type of barrel it's aging in), but also even the type of warehouse, etc..
Great video. Over the years I have become much more of a Scotch fan than bourbon. The variety can't be beat. Bourbon can be very 1 note by comparison. There is so much more than just sweet in Scotch. It can be fruity or smokey or earthy or combinations of all sorts of flavors. The range is so much greater than bourbon
I’m a dedicated peat head and I think I can add some information to the discourse. Laphroaig has used malted barley from the Port Ellen Maltings on Islay, but they supplement that malt with malted barley that they roast in-house. The peat used to roast the barley from the malting floor at Laphroaig comes from an estuary source and it contains decomposing seaweed. The seaweed contains an element that has the flavor of iodine. In contrast, Ardbeg doesn’t have their own malting floor, and only uses malted barley from Port Ellen Maltings. Generally speaking, the whiskies that Ardbeg releases as part of their Committee Release are usually cask strength and later on, they can release a follow up version for the general public that has a reduced abv. I have a bottle of the 46.5% Dark Cove and would love to try the cask strength version for comparison. Ardbeg has a higher PPM than Laphroaig. The wild card in all this is that the Port Ellen Maltings is owned by Diageo, and they have announced going forward, they will restrict the sale of their malted barley to distilleries owned by Diageo because of demand. Diageo owns Lagavulin, Caol Ila, and the newly reopened Port Ellen distilleries on Islay, plus Talisker on the Isle of Skye that also uses malted barley from Port Ellen. Neither Ardbeg nor Laphroaig are owned by Diageo, so it will be interesting where they will source their peated malted barley, going forward.
You have a Dark Cove?? I missed that release by just a few months, but I got to taste it at a whiskey bar. One of my favorite Ardbeg bottles of all time, been hoping I could find one some day.
As a Scotch lover, I think it will hurt to watch someone who doesn't like Scotch drinking varieties I could only dream of trying. Still, love your videos!
So my thoughts of this video. I’m super happy you introduced him to different scotch types. As a bourbon fan, I was blown away by the complexity of the lagavulin 16. Soo much more complexity with a single grain product that I’ve been seeing in many bourbons. I find that Scotch has helped me discover layers and subtleties in bourbon that I would have previously missed. Pro tip, the older Glendronch 2013-2022 12, 15, 18, 21 bottles actually have older stock in them if you can find them . Example. A 2013 12 year actually has 18 year stock, a 2016 15 year has 21 year old stock, a 2019 18 year has 25 year vintage and a 2022 21 year bottle actually has 27 year old whiskey. Worth the hunt
@@xiamengbabyI’m only speculating what @FelipeD55 meant by “single grain”, but only malted barley is used to produce Scotch single malt whisky. Bourbon is distilled from a mash of different grains…most often barley, wheat, rye, and mostly corn. The only limitation to the grains used for bourbon is that it needs to be at least 51% corn. Many different flavors come from the many different grains used for bourbon, but to have such a wide variety of flavors coming from just one grain is extraordinary, and a testimony to the expertise of the head distiller controlling so many intricacies in the distillation process, as well as the differences in the shapes of the stills, lyne arms, etc., plus the interplay of the different kinds of casks used in the maturation. EDIT: for clarity, I added “single malt” to “Scotch whisky” since the favor of Scotch blended whisky comes primarily from the single malt.
@@xiamengbaby “single grain” because the only thing you can use to distill scotch from is Barley. Where bourbon uses Corn,rye,barley or some mixture of different grains.
Traditional Scotch manufacturers use malting houses to malt their barley. Malted barley is what they call a germinated grain (seed). To malt the barley, traditional distillers use peat under the raised floor of the malt house to produce the heat required for germination after soaking. This malting/drying process is what gave scotch that peaty taste because the smoke from the smoldering peat below would rise up through the floorboards of the malting house and infuse the grain. Some distillers created malt houses specifically to allow for the increased infusion of that peat smoke. The rationale for malting the barley is to speed up the fermentation process. Not sure if you know, but Scotland isn't exactly a bastion of temperate weather; it takes a long time to ferment in colder climates, but the malting of the grain speeds up the process. I have been to a fair share of distilleries in the US, and have never seen any of them utilize a malt house, or even use germinated grains in the manufacturing process. In the US, it is more scientific, and a malt is added to the mash just like yeast is; it is a dry, powdered form. Yes it is barley malt, but it is significantly different from using germinated grains as the mash ingredient. Again, malting adds flavor here, but it is primarily used to speed up fermentation. If you are in a good climate for fermentation, it might take 14 days to ferment the mash, but adding malt after the yeast begins to work will yield the same results in 5 days (I'm making up numbers to illustrate a point). The chemical reaction of malt is a distiller's dream when trying to achieve large quantities of beer to distill in a relatively short time. The smokey flavor for US malts is done usually just by smoking the almost dried grain, not using the smoke to promote germination and then drying. All of that just to say the whole reason for malting is to speed up fermentation and allow for more distilling in a time period.
@@jackthepickledhound @jackthepickledhound none that I have seen, but I haven't been to every distillery in the country by any means. The master distillers I've spoken with also have never spoken of malting houses here in the US, but I have to claim ignorance... I just don't know of any malting houses here.
Hillrock in New York grows all their grains and has a malting house where they use peat to smoke their own barley. Absolutely fantastic American single malt.
I hate to be a stickler for detail, but I am afraid your description of the Scotch single malt creation process is not quite right. Re: "Malted barley is what they call a germinated grain (seed). To malt the barley, traditional distillers use peat under the raised floor of the malt house to produce the heat required for germination after soaking". In fact the (100%) barley grains are simply soaked in water then spread out on an unheated 'malting floor' to germinate naturally over about a week (turned regularly to prevent excess heat build up). The resulting sprouting 'green malt' then goes to a kiln (perforated floor above an oven) in order to dry it out and prevent germination advancing any further (in other words more or less the opposite of the role you claimed). Some or all of the fuel used can be peat, thus imparting the highly distinctive smoky and medicinal flavours which Trent reacted so strongly too - definitely love or hate, but one of these things that can suddenly click into place after a few tries (think alcohol in general when first sampled as a youngster). Again sorry to be pedantic but I do think the complexity and number of different stages involved in the whole distilling process, plus marked differences between countries and regions, is fascinating.
@talljohn5350 I must have got a bad bottle. It was almost just vinegar, in a group of 5 malt lovers no one liked it. If I cam just get a glass maybe I'll give another go.
I drank 300 and under scotch for years and unless you are spending 300+, you are regretting every sip. There are amazing bourbon pours from 50 on up and you never have to deal with the peat. That's my take.
In the words of Count Dooku: I've been looking forward to this 😂 Also, not to nitpick but there are some other differences between American and Scottish Single Malt (or Scotch)... 1) American Single Malt just has to have min 51% malted barley in the mash, whereas Scotch must have 100% malted barley by regulation 2) There are like thousands of different strains of barley, but only 10 are used for malting for Scotch distillation (thats not to say all 10 are used in a single distillate, rather 10 industry-wide). American Single Malt distillers take more a craft beer type approach, blending together different malted barley varieties to get some new wild flavours. There are probably more differences, but I'm still learning about American Single Malts myself as the industry grows. Fun researching (and drinking) times ahead. Cheers fellas!
are you sure about the first one? It can't be called a 'single malt' if it has more than one grain in the mashbill, making it no longer 'single', or at least that's what I would think.
@@wudao88 I'm not 100% sure as the guidelines could have recently changed or are in the process of changing, given that it's a developing industry. But the term 'single malt' actually just means that the distillate has to be sourced from a single distillery - traditionally it didn't have much to do with the mash bill, aside from the >51% rule that American ryes and bourbon also adhere to. That being said, there are American distillers that make single malt whisky with 100% malted barley, but I wouldn't take that as a given unless it's stated somewhere.
I started my whiskey journey with Irish, then everyone tried to get me into Scotch and I didnt mind it but I just never fell in love with it (And I had tried some really expensive stuff). Then I started trying Bourbon and it was like BOOM!! it was love at first sip and Ive never looked back. Bourbon all the way for the win.
Not a Scotch fan, but I appreciate you guys branching out and doing something other than Bourbon. Have especially been enjoying your American Single Malt episodes, keep em coming.
I have the Ardbeg Dark cove, paid $135 CDN for it back when it was released. Its my absolute favourite scotch that I own. My second is a 1994 17 year Glendronach. Both hold special places in my heart!
Some people have a hard time getting past the malt funk. For me it was a bit of a journey. The first single malt I picked up was a Balvenie Doublewood and I didn't care for it but I pressed forward to Glen Morangies and Glen Dronachs then went back to the Balvenie Caribbean Cask and loved that. Eventually I dipped into Lagavulin, Port Charlotte, Laphroig and Ardbeg. I prefer Scotch to Bourbon these days. I guess I graduated.
I would imagine the widespread use of a pot still for Scotch vs a column still in the US would play a factor in the difference compared to an American Single Malt.
Most American single malt also goes though pot stills. I think the biggest difference is cask aging. Many American single malts use new oak barrels while Scotch is 99% used barrels. I do have a Balcones Mirador that is 100% used barrel aging and it tastes very similar to Scotch.
I wouldn't say most ASM uses new barrels. But a spirit aged in new charred oak is going to have a lot of bourbon characteristics which can overpower barley.
Trenton, try some Lowland single malts (e.g., Auchentoshan), they will be more delicate in flavor, often with fruit, heather and flowery notes in them. Speysides may work for you also as they are "known for being frugal with peat and full of fruit." The Highland, Islay and Campbeltown are often more smoky and peaty and thus more strongly flavored. You can grow into them.
Hello, according to an interview with a Scottish master distiller the yeast used for fermentation has an important role in obtaining its orchard fruit flavors
I love the description of the smell as a band-aid. That's exactly the words my wife used to describe Ardbeg Wee Beastie. My go-to Scotch is Oban. I haven't had any of their bottles that were bad.
LOL...I was once gifted a bottle of standard Laphroaig and I always thought it tasted like a wet Band-Aid. Nobody ever understood what I was talking about. Then, one night I was watching The Blacklist and Red asked someone to buy him a bottle of single malt. Then he said "But none of that Islay stuff. Their water tastes of seaweed and iodine." I pumped my fist and yelled "YEEEESSSSS!". I felt vindicated.
Trent I know you will LOVE the Glen Scotia Victoriana. It’s a higher proof bourbon lovers type of pour. It’s not extremely expensive either. It is not peated. Full of flavor, rich texture, long finish.
Dark sherry in the context of Cark Cove is that their sherry matured whisky is likely matured in Amontillado sherry casks. Most Sherry maturation occurs in PX casks which are cheaper and easier to source than Amontillado so Dark cove gets some of those jammy perhaps even slightly porty deep red fruit notes from that influence on the final product. It really is spectacular stuff I was happy to have tried it a few years back. Great video by the by, I'm much more into scotch than bourbon these days, so it's nice to see some more Scotch content among all the Bourbon.
2:50 I like Laphroaig 10, which is the only peated Scottish whisky I've had, and I have to agree with Trenton. The peat can overpower a following whisky, especially if the following glass is only 80 or 90 proof, or is something mild like an unpeated Scotch or a corn whisky (e.g. Mellow Corn). I make it a point, when the Laphroaig comes up, to make it the last glass unless the other bottle is something powerful like Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof or Old Grand-Dad 114. 7:09 I'm an a Texas hick, so I eschew British terminology in favor of American. Thus I say sprouted barley, barley whisky, vat, barrel, and so on. The Brits have their variety of English and so do we, and I just can't feature using theirs when ours is so colorful and expressive. 🙂 13:31 Scottish whisky is a different breed from bourbon. It uses different mash bills, different stills, different barrels, different rick houses, and a different climate. And so it's likely to be strange, perhaps even unpleasant, to someone whose preference and experience is bourbon. I prefer bourbon myself, and one of the reasons I have so little experience with Scotch is that while I like it, I don't like it enough to drink it regularly. That Glenmorangie is mighty dark for Scottish whisky, but then it's over a quarter of a century old. 🙂 21:35 The 10 year is so good that I expect the 25 year is wonderful. Trenton, be careful - I'm a Friend of Laphroaig, and I might have to exile you to my tiny plot of land on Islay. 🤣🏴 30:24 Egad, Trenton, I never even heard of a seedless grape till I was in my teens! 🤣
Love the Scotch content! I’ve recently gotten into Scotch after drinking Bourbon and Rye for a few years and am happy I did! Bunnahabhain 12 was my entry point, give that a shot, Trenton!
Expanding on the pot still vs column still a bit more... Pot stills are notoriously more sensitive and temperamental compared to column stills. In the world of single malt Scotch, the shape, size, and design elements of the still(such as the width of the collar, angle of the line arm) play a big role in the flavor/character of that single malt(Glenmorangie are known for their tall stills, whereas Macallan are known for their small stills, and Lagavulin for their fat, squatty stills). Some other elements that are known to make a difference are: if the still is direct fired or not, if they use wormb tub or shell & tube condensers, how hot they run the stills, and of course, how narrow or wide the cuts are. Add to this, they tend to use, and know how to use, a much wider array of barrel/barrel types from around the world(sherry, port, madeira, various wine casks, cognac, rum, etc etc.); and, their length of experience means they tend to know how to make their own particular single malt work with those various casks(IMO, the American single malts I've tasted, even the decent ones, definitely show their lack of experience). Finally, traditional single malts all tend to showcase their terroir. I say "traditional," because giant conglomerates such as Diageo are known to centralize the warehousing of all of their various single malts, chill filter, and bottle at an anemic minimum ABV, thereby erasing the unique terroir and richness of character that the single malt was known for(for example, official bottlings of Lagavulin, Talisker, Dalwhinnie, Clynelish, Oban, etc...have all been neutered, and are a shadow of their former glory). At any rate, American single malts are mostly just barely dipping their toes in the ocean of possibility. They don't seem to have the experience or the aged stock to present the variety and depth which exists in Scotch. There are a few good ones, but they are still fairly young and simple, imo. However, I have high hopes for the future of American single malts, just like I do for the myriad of "craft" bourbon distilleries. Annoying fact: GlenDronach was purchased by Brown-Forman in 2016, and around 2020, began to chill filter their lineup. Also, their core range doesn't contain older stock like it used to, so it's not quite the glorious single malt that it used to be. Those 15, 18, and 21 year GlenDronach's from before 2019 or so are worth hunting down.
Peat smoke is actually used to stop the germination process and dry the malted barley once it has reached the optimal stage. Very few distilleries do the traditional floor malting these days. Ones that still do include Highland Park, Balvenie, Laphroaig, Springbank, Kilchoman, and a couple others. (And even then, usually only a portion of the malted barley comes from the floor malting.) Most now source malted barley from large producers who use kilns to dry the barley. I took a tour at Highland Park last year and it was educational to see all the work that goes into traditional malting.
I'm a scotch lover, and I prefer my $85 caol ila 12 over things like George t stagg, weller cypb, four roses LE 135, ECBP C923, etc. So for my taste buds, the super premium scotches are untouchable for almost all bourbons. I'm the opposite of Trenton haha. The balvenie tun on your video is my 4th favorite whisky of all time. The only black art I tried was 10.1, and that was my 3rd favorite of all time. The laphroiag 25 (mine was 97.8 proof) was tied (with ardbeg 25) for my favorite of all time. I did NOT like stranahan's. I found their sherry cask and some snowflakes to be tolerable, but the rest are drain pours for me. Westland was alright, but I prefer bourbon much more than westland. All that said, PLEASE try ardbeg hypernova. It looks and smells outrageously peated, but it's shockingly balanced on the taste. One of my friends strongly dislikes peated liquids, but he loved it and couldn't believe it nor explain why. It's one of his favorites now, and he still hates basically all other peated stuff.
I'm not a big fan of heavy peat either so I tend to go toward lowlands and speysides like balvenie. I've not tried this particular balvenie but the Caribbean cask is currently my favorite scotch.
I was thinking the same about Laphroaig 10! PPM decreases with age, so a 25 year Laphroaig (while probably awesome), isn't going to be as peaty. Maybe get him some Ardbeg Wee Beastie. :)
I was honestly just nodding along until you broke out the Black Art. I'm officially jealous. Bruichladdich is my favorite label of scotch, and I know that I'll never have a Black Art of my own. I've resigned myself to the Port Charlotte Heavily Peated 10-year, no regrets. The Classic Laddie in the blue/green bottle is their un-peated offering. Which is amazing, and actually tastes kinda peat-ie.
SLB Classics 0:13 Trenton starting strong with bandaid notes 0:47 gotta tell the🤑 secrets to mom 😮 whoops 1:51 trenton is “enthused” 2:06 Trenton learns some definitions of scotch 2:32 Kurt takes it easy and doesn’t peat them all 3:33 Trenton is even more enthused about the blind 4:33 Kurt did his homework and rattles it off like a champ 5:01 clearly Trenton doesn’t listen to Kurt 6:03 a call to action, please tell us more about scotch whiskey 7:06 Trenton tries pronouncing stuff incorrectly 7:53 Kurt did the homework and doesn’t fail us again 8:41 hopefully mom got a nice Valentine’s Day gift 🤑 9:53 FUDGE! 10:39 FUDGIE!! 11:31 the research can only go so far 12:25 disappointment in the amount of disclosure 13:13 Trenton has some house issues 13:40 Trenton does his super focus on sniffing 14:05 Trenton’s hot take, pears are bad 15:31 Kurt breaks out the readers 16:14 Trenton is practicing his hand modeling 16:48 Kurt got a “good deal” 17:06 well there goes the budget 18:25 throw back to the markers we could actually smell 19:04 Trenton takes everything Kurt said and throws it away 19:48 Non-chill filtered makes its appearance 21:21 here comes the early sign off 21:37 Trenton looks ready to cry 22:05 Trenton tries to hide the burp 22:23 Trenton owns up to it 22:47 lol hot dog water smelling notes 23:19 Trenton is trying to get disowned 23:45 Kurt has to savor the good stuff 23:53 lol bandaid to burnt bandaid 25:08 Trenton nosing face 25:40 Trenton made a huge deal on a scotch 25:56 Trenton is a predator for finding whiskey 26:41 Trenton does real research on pricing 28:03 Trenton hides some more burps 28:59 mom looking out for how to lineup looks 29:35 Trenton realizes what he sounds like with Kurt’s notes 30:18 yes they have seeds, make grape pies too 31:24 should take Trenton about a week to find it 32:40 MVP Josh 32:54 nice little TB smack talk 33:25 nice sign off, Trenton thinks “nice” scotch tasting though
Trenton, happy you are opening up to scotch. I was introduced to scotch whisky before bourbon and other types of whiskey. As a result, it has a special place in my heart. Some of my favorites are Lagavulin 16, Highland Park 18, and Dalmore. Many, many more good ones besides those.
I also introduced to scotch prior to bourbon. It's tough to get bourbon drinkers into trying single malts. So, it is good to see him opening up to them.
I would say to do GlenAllachie 15 personally over Glendronach 18, but I don't think you're going wrong the Glendro. You'll save a good amount of money sticking to the 15 though. I did a bunch of blinds and oddly enough the 15 Glenallachie beat out the 18 and 25 consistently.
Anyone who knows anything about Scotch knows there is no one who categorically hates Scotch. Of the multitude of brands sold all over the world, the tastes vary so widely, there is, al least, one Scotch that will entice one's tastes. On another note, this is the best spirits rating page on UA-cam. These guys are light years ahead of all the others I have watched.
Hi there. Greg Vangsness here, an enthusiast and a Magnificent Bastard from the Whiskey Tribe. I enjoy your episodes; though I have never commented before. Bourbon is my main go to comfort whisk(e)y. Wild Turkey Rare Breed would keep me happy enough for the rest of my life; and then there was Lagavulin 16... Whisky can be like olives and anchovies! Whisky is an acquired taste. I wish I had been there to taste some of those! Cheers.
Yeah I’m in agreement with pops. I love scotch. It holds flavor throughout because of the primary grain in scotch is malted barley. But love watching your father and son combination. 🙏🏾
Further, to your question at about the 5 minute and 40 second mark, the coffee bean flavour, as I understand it, is produced in the charring process of the barrel staves. Oak, in particular, when toasted, produces, amongst other chemicals, one called 'furfural.' This can often lead to a chemical compound being produced known as 'furfurylthiol.' This furfurylthiol is the component which can produce strong coffee, or coffee beans, or coffee grounds notes in a whisk(e)y in either nosing or palate. Hope this helps. You can research it more if you like! Cheers again. :)
The Kentucky Owl video is the video that started it all for me. I started watching the channel a few months later and a few months after that purchased my first bottle of whiskey. All because of that one video.
Great video, last two are my favorite scotch distillerys. Love me some peat whiskey, the laphroaig cask strength are my favorites. Thanks again for the review.
End your night at a Taco Bell? I know I'm a lot older than Trenton, but the only way to finish off a night of enjoying your favorite beverages is at White Castle!!!
@@sandmanlam7973 Yeah, we used to call them Rat Burgers back in the 70's before they came out with the Slyders name. Back then we could head out with 8 or 9 dollars in our pocket and drink all the beer we could hold and still have enough money at the end of the night to buy a sack of rats on the way home.
Trenton will enjoy the GlenDronach 18 `Allardice` particularly if he can get a Billy Walker version probably pre-2019 as Brown-Forman took over after that time. Billy went to GlenAllachie & has been weaving his magic there, so I`d also recommend any of their 10 yr old CS sherry-bombs particularly batches 3,4,5,6. Nice vid guy`s thanks.
Love this content, Englishman in Mexico but scotch is in my blood . Please try port Charlotte 10 yr heavy plated . It’s better than the 25 yr in my opinion nut the dark cove is amazing . The cost is out of my range for most here but for 70 bucks max the port charlotte is incredible and is a world bearer to a lot of real scotch experts for the money . Trento won’t go for it , the bacon in there is fantastic but I did not like smoky scotch until I was in my 50s ,, he has plenty of time ,, enjoy and can’t wait till Fridays blind, keep the scotch coming , one a month 0lease
For non-pleated scotch, my suggestion would be Balvenie 12 yr first fill single barrel. In drying the malt for this scotch, the grain is isolated from the peat fires, only using using it for the heat and thus the barley has no exposure to the smoke {peat-reek). What you smell and taste in the final product are only the influences of barley and barrel.
This was fun! Trenton's feedback was an interesting perspective of Scotch from a bourbon drinker. I believe that it is easier to switch from Scotch into Bourbon, than the other way around. Glendronach 18 is one of my favs, as it is the Ardbeg Ugi. Both are great expressions, delicious and unique. I am also getting into American single malts, and bought a Balcones virgin oak cask strength last year that I really enjoy. Will keep trying more in the future for sure.
I might suggest this. Malt whisky (barley) is made from fermented barley, which is brewed like beer but without the hops then distilled 2-3 times. I think British beer is traditionally different from American 6 if that's your starting point for single malt, you would figure the finished new distilled product is different.
Laphroaigh and Ardbeg both have a rubber bandaid note that lingers for myou palette. I get many of those notes stated. Can understand why others love it. But when the bandaid note shows up its over for me. There are a couple of peated bottles I dig. Liberty Pole peated bourbon and their Rye.
I will happily take that most expensive scotch and frankly any of these! Nothing comes close to delicious single malt Scotch!! Loving this video!! You guys are hilarious!! Huge scotch lover here and especially peated scotch! I'd love more single malt reviews!! I do prefer single malt Scotch to U.S. single malts. I think scotch requires a sophisticated palette! It's amazing to be able to discern the spectacular flavours!! Go for a Lagavulin 16! It was my gateway into peated scotch!! Spectacular!! Cheers guys!! 🙂
Bacon in a glass at the right time is excellent, but to each their own. With the peat for me, it's always about the sense memory of grilled and smoked meat and BBQ. Just passing by a smoker or an outdoor grill typically triggers the thought of great scotch for me. Heavenly! One of the Ardbeg limited editions I really wanted to get but missed was called BizarreBQ, created to be paired with BBQ.
I picked up a Balvenie Tun 1401 3rd batch in 2011 for $250. I wish I had bought a back up because prices really started to skyrocket after batch 3. Same story on the Black Arts. I purchased batch 3 for $285. Black Arts batches are some of my favorite scotches. I think Trent would really enjoy the Glendronach 15 Year Old Revival and msrp is only $85. Kurt, if you can find Ardbeg Rollercoaster, buy it.
I have the Laphroaig 10 yr...very peaty... iodine aroma..may go back to it.. been a while since I had it...was a little bit harsh for me. Yet McClellan Islay(Laphroaig is an Islay) is very nice...
Laphroaig 25 does not taste like hot dog water! Yikes! Trenton! This particular expression is bliss and delicate! This particular Ardbeg expression is outstanding and for a peat head and scotch lover it's mind blowingly delicious!! The Dark Cove is 50-55 ppm. The Laphroaig 25 is 53.4ppm.
100% with Kurt on the Uigeadail being an amazing shelf bottle of Ardbeg. I left a bottle of Uigeadail over at a friends house one time and when I went to pick it up, he had put it in his freezer. Needless to say, I was pissed. It hasn't been the same ever since.
I find 92ish proof Scotch to have far more (and better) aroma and taste than many higher proof bourbons. What is really hard to understand is how Scotch with a 12+ year age statement, being malted barley only and come from across the sea can be had for the same or better price than non age statement corn mash from Kentucky! I originally started on the bourbon journey, then discovered Scotch and haven't looked back.
If you ever wondered if your Dad loves you, then after this you know he does. That was a very impressive line up. I've not had the pleasure to try that morangie or that old of a glen dronach, but the rest of those are superb.
Scotch is so much different than bourbon or rye. You can have 5 different scotches that you would never guess were the same category of spirit. Unlike bourbon or rye, just because a scotch is expensive, you definitely can't assume you'll like it.
dig around the outside of the foundation and smear straight Portland cement then hot tar over the cement and in a day backfill in. Should be able to dig this by hand.
“Why are they so low proof” - Bourbon has, compared too Scotch, a comparably small range of flavours, but the flavours are bold and strong. Bourbon needs a higher proof in order to showcase those flavours. Scotch Single Malts have a wider range of flavours and a greater complexity. It’s another philosophy, and in my opinion most Single Malts work really well at 46%. Furthermore, many Scotch lovers are using water proofing the whiskey down and helping the flavours to show up. I got a feeling Trenton would go crazy if someone told him to put some water into his Bourbon ..
This channel got me into bourbon and whiskey in general, and I enjoy scotch waaaay more than bourbon. I have yet to find a bourbon I'm excited about as any scotch I've had.
I dream of the Laphroaig 25 and Ardbeg Darkness Cove! Trent, I didn’t like peated Scotch when I first tried it either, now I’m a dedicated “Peat Head”!
@@BluegrassDaimyo my first sip of peated whisky was Laphroaig 10. It blew my mind that whiskey could be salty and savory in addition to sweet. Love it. I'm real big into barbecue (TX) and that's what it reminded me of.
With regard to Glendronach 23 - Scotch has to be aged a minimum of three years in Oak casks - Oloroso Sherry casks are, in fact Oak casks - Oloroso is made from Spanish grapes fortified with a distilled grape spirit (brandy) and aged in Oak casks. These barrels are highly valued by whiskey distillers because of the richness they add to the end product. Maybe I was confused because it sounded like you indicated it wasn’t aged in Oak at all. Cheers and carry on with your fine presentation. I love it.
Always great to see you both. One slightly negative comment, if the Scotch has a high value why share it with someone that doesn't enjoy that type of Whiskey? There are so many subscribers that dream of that type of experience who do enjoy Scotch. Love you both and thanks "Always" for your videos!
Like your dad says. Scotch will have the standard malt taste. And its really the malted barley that you taste. Barley is nutty,bready and coffeeish this carries over into the liquid. It doesnt matter what type of scotch you get, there's always going to be these notes that you will find. These notes are not present in bourbon, this often then first note bourbon drinkers will catch because it is very present if you're not use to it. So to answer the question. It's really the malted barley that you taste
I have a Strannahan's Single Barrel store pick from down here in Southeast Louisiana. I find it to be very dependent on the condition of my pallet or my mood. Some days it is nearly up there with a Macallen 15 then other days all I get is Ethanol. I often wonder if that is my reactions to the malted barley. Trenton will enjoy a nice Macallen 15 or even better an 18. Most of the Highland and Speyside Scotch's will be enjoyable by most people, if you like the notes from Malted Barley. In regards to Ardbeg vs. Laphroaig... both are from Islay but they are so totally different it's insane. I sort of like Ardbeg but I get nothing but bandaid from Laphroaig. The only other Islay I enjoy is Bunnahabhain. Bunnahabhain is not peated but it is an Islay Scotch. The 18 is outstanding but the 12 is still nice.
Ardbeg Dark Cove is so expensive now because it was a limited release years ago. They basically don't exist anymore. It's also the one Ardbeg limited release that seems to be everyone's favorite. That being said, I picked one up in an auction about 2 years ago, and I definitely didn't pay anywhere near $1,500.
Clearly there is a need for many transitional drams needed in order to work up to top shelf! I did snicker a few times and hope your son eventually learns to appreciate all whisky/whiskey! Baby steps
Kurt.....Scotches get weaker in ABV as they age due to the colder temperatures, so while most bourbons increase in ABV as they age, the angel share of scotch is alcohol evaporating. In fact some older barrels have to be mixed with newer barrels in order to be legally sold at the minimum of 40% ABV as per regulations. Bourbon angel share seems to be mostly water, so the alcohol percentage goes up as it ages due to hot weather storage.
Appreciate the single malt videos!!! On your recommendation i picked up a local Orange county NC barrel pick of the Westward ASM cask single barrel that you raved about last week…oh my .what a lovely dram…and on sale for $65!!!
I’ve yet to have an American Single Malt that compares to the worst Scotch in my collection. Not sure why this style is exploding at the moment. As people have said below about the scotch difference: lack of corn in the mashbill, pot stilled vs column, and I think the biggest is the used barrels vs charred new. I just think there is infinitely more craftsmanship in Scotch.
I’ve been drinking and loving Scotch since I was introduced to it in the 1980s. I love Bourbon as well, and have been leaning toward Bourbon more lately. The only type that I’m not much fan of is the Islay whiskey. I’m with you bro!
Kurt is braver than all of us. Telling his wife the true prices of whiskys is a bold strategy
I think I finally figured out why I like you guys so much and it’s more than the reviews. I lost my dad to cancer a long time ago when I was younger and your relationship is everything I wanted with my dad but never got to have! It’s very comforting! Thank you and keep the videos coming!
I too lost my father before we had a chance to have more than a father/son relationship. I would give anything to have known him like these two know each other. ❤
Aberlour A'bunadh is my favorite sherry finished Scotch. Highly recommend it.
Some batches are better than others, but in general A'bunadh is fantastic
Small correction, it's not sherry finished. It's spent the full maturation in olorosso casks. But indeed, it's stellar stuff. I had an older batch and it was sublime. Treasured every drop of it.
Scotch is a lot more subtle and delicate in its flavours than bourbon or rye. Unless it's heavily peated or aged in very active casks (e.g. first fill sherry/wine/rum for 15+ years), it won't slap you in the face, but rather it will allow you to detect all the flavours if you give it time, hand warmth and even a drop of water. Bourbons or spirits with a lot of corn in the mashbill and distilled in a column still mainly get their flavours from the virgin oak casks (vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon, toasted oak) whereas Scotch will taste different depending on the type of barrel, the age (think of the rancio in cognac - i.e. flavours that develop due to aging, often irrespective of the type of barrel it's aging in), but also even the type of warehouse, etc..
Great video. Over the years I have become much more of a Scotch fan than bourbon. The variety can't be beat. Bourbon can be very 1 note by comparison. There is so much more than just sweet in Scotch. It can be fruity or smokey or earthy or combinations of all sorts of flavors. The range is so much greater than bourbon
This is the most envious I've ever been of an SLB tasting.
SAME
Agree
I’m a dedicated peat head and I think I can add some information to the discourse.
Laphroaig has used malted barley from the Port Ellen Maltings on Islay, but they supplement that malt with malted barley that they roast in-house. The peat used to roast the barley from the malting floor at Laphroaig comes from an estuary source and it contains decomposing seaweed. The seaweed contains an element that has the flavor of iodine. In contrast, Ardbeg doesn’t have their own malting floor, and only uses malted barley from Port Ellen Maltings.
Generally speaking, the whiskies that Ardbeg releases as part of their Committee Release are usually cask strength and later on, they can release a follow up version for the general public that has a reduced abv. I have a bottle of the 46.5% Dark Cove and would love to try the cask strength version for comparison.
Ardbeg has a higher PPM than Laphroaig.
The wild card in all this is that the Port Ellen Maltings is owned by Diageo, and they have announced going forward, they will restrict the sale of their malted barley to distilleries owned by Diageo because of demand. Diageo owns Lagavulin, Caol Ila, and the newly reopened Port Ellen distilleries on Islay, plus Talisker on the Isle of Skye that also uses malted barley from Port Ellen. Neither Ardbeg nor Laphroaig are owned by Diageo, so it will be interesting where they will source their peated malted barley, going forward.
If you build it they will...
You have a Dark Cove?? I missed that release by just a few months, but I got to taste it at a whiskey bar. One of my favorite Ardbeg bottles of all time, been hoping I could find one some day.
As a Scotch lover, I think it will hurt to watch someone who doesn't like Scotch drinking varieties I could only dream of trying. Still, love your videos!
Same my first love will always be scotch
Yup, those were all out of my price range! And as a peat-lover, the ending of this video WAS especially painful.
@@skramzy6628 yes Trenton’s “note profiles” hurt lol
Trent’s sad little shake of the head after every taste except the first one 😂. Hot dog water must have hit the Scotch lovers hard
Everyone who loves scotch has to try it multiple times before loving it. You are upset with the process of acquiring a pallet?
So my thoughts of this video. I’m super happy you introduced him to different scotch types. As a bourbon fan, I was blown away by the complexity of the lagavulin 16. Soo much more complexity with a single grain product that I’ve been seeing in many bourbons.
I find that Scotch has helped me discover layers and subtleties in bourbon that I would have previously missed.
Pro tip, the older Glendronch 2013-2022 12, 15, 18, 21 bottles actually have older stock in them if you can find them . Example. A 2013 12 year actually has 18 year stock, a 2016 15 year has 21 year old stock, a 2019 18 year has 25 year vintage and a 2022 21 year bottle actually has 27 year old whiskey. Worth the hunt
Lagavulin 16 is my favourite scotch and was my gateway into delicious peated scotch! Perfection!! 🙂
I'm confused by the single grain product comment.
@@xiamengbabyI’m only speculating what @FelipeD55 meant by “single grain”, but only malted barley is used to produce Scotch single malt whisky. Bourbon is distilled from a mash of different grains…most often barley, wheat, rye, and mostly corn. The only limitation to the grains used for bourbon is that it needs to be at least 51% corn. Many different flavors come from the many different grains used for bourbon, but to have such a wide variety of flavors coming from just one grain is extraordinary, and a testimony to the expertise of the head distiller controlling so many intricacies in the distillation process, as well as the differences in the shapes of the stills, lyne arms, etc., plus the interplay of the different kinds of casks used in the maturation.
EDIT: for clarity, I added “single malt” to “Scotch whisky” since the favor of Scotch blended whisky comes primarily from the single malt.
@@xiamengbaby “single grain” because the only thing you can use to distill scotch from is Barley. Where bourbon uses Corn,rye,barley or some mixture of different grains.
@@11thstalley96exactly! Well said!
Traditional Scotch manufacturers use malting houses to malt their barley. Malted barley is what they call a germinated grain (seed). To malt the barley, traditional distillers use peat under the raised floor of the malt house to produce the heat required for germination after soaking. This malting/drying process is what gave scotch that peaty taste because the smoke from the smoldering peat below would rise up through the floorboards of the malting house and infuse the grain. Some distillers created malt houses specifically to allow for the increased infusion of that peat smoke. The rationale for malting the barley is to speed up the fermentation process. Not sure if you know, but Scotland isn't exactly a bastion of temperate weather; it takes a long time to ferment in colder climates, but the malting of the grain speeds up the process.
I have been to a fair share of distilleries in the US, and have never seen any of them utilize a malt house, or even use germinated grains in the manufacturing process. In the US, it is more scientific, and a malt is added to the mash just like yeast is; it is a dry, powdered form. Yes it is barley malt, but it is significantly different from using germinated grains as the mash ingredient. Again, malting adds flavor here, but it is primarily used to speed up fermentation. If you are in a good climate for fermentation, it might take 14 days to ferment the mash, but adding malt after the yeast begins to work will yield the same results in 5 days (I'm making up numbers to illustrate a point). The chemical reaction of malt is a distiller's dream when trying to achieve large quantities of beer to distill in a relatively short time. The smokey flavor for US malts is done usually just by smoking the almost dried grain, not using the smoke to promote germination and then drying.
All of that just to say the whole reason for malting is to speed up fermentation and allow for more distilling in a time period.
I can't believe that they're not floor malting the barley here in the US.
@@jackthepickledhound @jackthepickledhound none that I have seen, but I haven't been to every distillery in the country by any means. The master distillers I've spoken with also have never spoken of malting houses here in the US, but I have to claim ignorance... I just don't know of any malting houses here.
Hillrock in New York grows all their grains and has a malting house where they use peat to smoke their own barley. Absolutely fantastic American single malt.
I hate to be a stickler for detail, but I am afraid your description of the Scotch single malt creation process is not quite right.
Re: "Malted barley is what they call a germinated grain (seed). To malt the barley, traditional distillers use peat under the raised floor of the malt house to produce the heat required for germination after soaking".
In fact the (100%) barley grains are simply soaked in water then spread out on an unheated 'malting floor' to germinate naturally over about a week (turned regularly to prevent excess heat build up).
The resulting sprouting 'green malt' then goes to a kiln (perforated floor above an oven) in order to dry it out and prevent germination advancing any further (in other words more or less the opposite of the role you claimed).
Some or all of the fuel used can be peat, thus imparting the highly distinctive smoky and medicinal flavours which Trent reacted so strongly too - definitely love or hate, but one of these things that can suddenly click into place after a few tries (think alcohol in general when first sampled as a youngster).
Again sorry to be pedantic but I do think the complexity and number of different stages involved in the whole distilling process, plus marked differences between countries and regions, is fascinating.
@talljohn5350 I must have got a bad bottle. It was almost just vinegar, in a group of 5 malt lovers no one liked it. If I cam just get a glass maybe I'll give another go.
These are world class whiskys, in my opinion they leave bourbon in the dust. This is where you arrive at the end of your whisky journey.
Wow lol
I drank 300 and under scotch for years and unless you are spending 300+, you are regretting every sip. There are amazing bourbon pours from 50 on up and you never have to deal with the peat. That's my take.
@@dmkelly5491what's wrong with peat?
@@raphael.cavalcanti3301absolutely nothing
@@raphael.cavalcanti3301 He is probably a dessert person.
This Glendronach is amazing - proof, sherry influence and complexity is on point!
In the words of Count Dooku: I've been looking forward to this 😂
Also, not to nitpick but there are some other differences between American and Scottish Single Malt (or Scotch)...
1) American Single Malt just has to have min 51% malted barley in the mash, whereas Scotch must have 100% malted barley by regulation
2) There are like thousands of different strains of barley, but only 10 are used for malting for Scotch distillation (thats not to say all 10 are used in a single distillate, rather 10 industry-wide). American Single Malt distillers take more a craft beer type approach, blending together different malted barley varieties to get some new wild flavours.
There are probably more differences, but I'm still learning about American Single Malts myself as the industry grows. Fun researching (and drinking) times ahead. Cheers fellas!
are you sure about the first one? It can't be called a 'single malt' if it has more than one grain in the mashbill, making it no longer 'single', or at least that's what I would think.
@@wudao88 I'm not 100% sure as the guidelines could have recently changed or are in the process of changing, given that it's a developing industry. But the term 'single malt' actually just means that the distillate has to be sourced from a single distillery - traditionally it didn't have much to do with the mash bill, aside from the >51% rule that American ryes and bourbon also adhere to.
That being said, there are American distillers that make single malt whisky with 100% malted barley, but I wouldn't take that as a given unless it's stated somewhere.
I started my whiskey journey with Irish, then everyone tried to get me into Scotch and I didnt mind it but I just never fell in love with it (And I had tried some really expensive stuff). Then I started trying Bourbon and it was like BOOM!! it was love at first sip and Ive never looked back. Bourbon all the way for the win.
Not a Scotch fan, but I appreciate you guys branching out and doing something other than Bourbon. Have especially been enjoying your American Single Malt episodes, keep em coming.
I have the Ardbeg Dark cove, paid $135 CDN for it back when it was released. Its my absolute favourite scotch that I own. My second is a 1994 17 year Glendronach. Both hold special places in my heart!
Some people have a hard time getting past the malt funk. For me it was a bit of a journey. The first single malt I picked up was a Balvenie Doublewood and I didn't care for it but I pressed forward to Glen Morangies and Glen Dronachs then went back to the Balvenie Caribbean Cask and loved that. Eventually I dipped into Lagavulin, Port Charlotte, Laphroig and Ardbeg. I prefer Scotch to Bourbon these days. I guess I graduated.
I would imagine the widespread use of a pot still for Scotch vs a column still in the US would play a factor in the difference compared to an American Single Malt.
You're right on that. Scotch single malts need to go through a pot still. Scotch whisky made with a column still is known as grain whisky.
Most American single malt also goes though pot stills. I think the biggest difference is cask aging. Many American single malts use new oak barrels while Scotch is 99% used barrels. I do have a Balcones Mirador that is 100% used barrel aging and it tastes very similar to Scotch.
I wouldn't say most ASM uses new barrels. But a spirit aged in new charred oak is going to have a lot of bourbon characteristics which can overpower barley.
@@jackthepickledhound I'm not sure who you're replying to but the last guy said many ASM use new oak, not most. He said most use a pot still.
Trenton, try some Lowland single malts (e.g., Auchentoshan), they will be more delicate in flavor, often with fruit, heather and flowery notes in them. Speysides may work for you also as they are "known for being frugal with peat and full of fruit." The Highland, Islay and Campbeltown are often more smoky and peaty and thus more strongly flavored. You can grow into them.
Totally agree. Auchentoshan was my intro scotch. Love the 12 year and 3 wood to this day.
Hello, according to an interview with a Scottish master distiller the yeast used for fermentation has an important role in obtaining its orchard fruit flavors
I love the description of the smell as a band-aid. That's exactly the words my wife used to describe Ardbeg Wee Beastie. My go-to Scotch is Oban. I haven't had any of their bottles that were bad.
As I commented above, Red Reddington on The Blacklist once described Islay single malt as tasting of seaweed and iodine..
@DSTsucks I agree. Being from the PNW I love it.
My wife describes my peaty scotches as smelling like a sharpie marker.
Thumbnail was perfect. I am with Trent, bandaid + burnt peat
Same
Yep
LOL...I was once gifted a bottle of standard Laphroaig and I always thought it tasted like a wet Band-Aid. Nobody ever understood what I was talking about. Then, one night I was watching The Blacklist and Red asked someone to buy him a bottle of single malt. Then he said "But none of that Islay stuff. Their water tastes of seaweed and iodine." I pumped my fist and yelled "YEEEESSSSS!". I felt vindicated.
@DSTsucks lol i keep trying to find a scotch thats passable as whiskey but my palate is just to accustomed to sweet flavors of bourbon
"...this smells like hot dog water!!" 😂
Ugh.
Killing me with his comments
".....but in a good way"
He’s got an infantile pallet, actually embarrassing for a guy who does Whiskey reviews
Trent I know you will LOVE the Glen Scotia Victoriana. It’s a higher proof bourbon lovers type of pour. It’s not extremely expensive either. It is not peated. Full of flavor, rich texture, long finish.
Dark sherry in the context of Cark Cove is that their sherry matured whisky is likely matured in Amontillado sherry casks. Most Sherry maturation occurs in PX casks which are cheaper and easier to source than Amontillado so Dark cove gets some of those jammy perhaps even slightly porty deep red fruit notes from that influence on the final product. It really is spectacular stuff I was happy to have tried it a few years back. Great video by the by, I'm much more into scotch than bourbon these days, so it's nice to see some more Scotch content among all the Bourbon.
2:50 I like Laphroaig 10, which is the only peated Scottish whisky I've had, and I have to agree with Trenton. The peat can overpower a following whisky, especially if the following glass is only 80 or 90 proof, or is something mild like an unpeated Scotch or a corn whisky (e.g. Mellow Corn). I make it a point, when the Laphroaig comes up, to make it the last glass unless the other bottle is something powerful like Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof or Old Grand-Dad 114.
7:09 I'm an a Texas hick, so I eschew British terminology in favor of American. Thus I say sprouted barley, barley whisky, vat, barrel, and so on. The Brits have their variety of English and so do we, and I just can't feature using theirs when ours is so colorful and expressive. 🙂
13:31 Scottish whisky is a different breed from bourbon. It uses different mash bills, different stills, different barrels, different rick houses, and a different climate. And so it's likely to be strange, perhaps even unpleasant, to someone whose preference and experience is bourbon. I prefer bourbon myself, and one of the reasons I have so little experience with Scotch is that while I like it, I don't like it enough to drink it regularly.
That Glenmorangie is mighty dark for Scottish whisky, but then it's over a quarter of a century old. 🙂
21:35 The 10 year is so good that I expect the 25 year is wonderful.
Trenton, be careful - I'm a Friend of Laphroaig, and I might have to exile you to my tiny plot of land on Islay. 🤣🏴
30:24 Egad, Trenton, I never even heard of a seedless grape till I was in my teens! 🤣
Love the Scotch content! I’ve recently gotten into Scotch after drinking Bourbon and Rye for a few years and am happy I did! Bunnahabhain 12 was my entry point, give that a shot, Trenton!
Expanding on the pot still vs column still a bit more... Pot stills are notoriously more sensitive and temperamental compared to column stills. In the world of single malt Scotch, the shape, size, and design elements of the still(such as the width of the collar, angle of the line arm) play a big role in the flavor/character of that single malt(Glenmorangie are known for their tall stills, whereas Macallan are known for their small stills, and Lagavulin for their fat, squatty stills). Some other elements that are known to make a difference are: if the still is direct fired or not, if they use wormb tub or shell & tube condensers, how hot they run the stills, and of course, how narrow or wide the cuts are. Add to this, they tend to use, and know how to use, a much wider array of barrel/barrel types from around the world(sherry, port, madeira, various wine casks, cognac, rum, etc etc.); and, their length of experience means they tend to know how to make their own particular single malt work with those various casks(IMO, the American single malts I've tasted, even the decent ones, definitely show their lack of experience). Finally, traditional single malts all tend to showcase their terroir. I say "traditional," because giant conglomerates such as Diageo are known to centralize the warehousing of all of their various single malts, chill filter, and bottle at an anemic minimum ABV, thereby erasing the unique terroir and richness of character that the single malt was known for(for example, official bottlings of Lagavulin, Talisker, Dalwhinnie, Clynelish, Oban, etc...have all been neutered, and are a shadow of their former glory). At any rate, American single malts are mostly just barely dipping their toes in the ocean of possibility. They don't seem to have the experience or the aged stock to present the variety and depth which exists in Scotch. There are a few good ones, but they are still fairly young and simple, imo. However, I have high hopes for the future of American single malts, just like I do for the myriad of "craft" bourbon distilleries. Annoying fact: GlenDronach was purchased by Brown-Forman in 2016, and around 2020, began to chill filter their lineup. Also, their core range doesn't contain older stock like it used to, so it's not quite the glorious single malt that it used to be. Those 15, 18, and 21 year GlenDronach's from before 2019 or so are worth hunting down.
Peat smoke is actually used to stop the germination process and dry the malted barley once it has reached the optimal stage. Very few distilleries do the traditional floor malting these days. Ones that still do include Highland Park, Balvenie, Laphroaig, Springbank, Kilchoman, and a couple others. (And even then, usually only a portion of the malted barley comes from the floor malting.) Most now source malted barley from large producers who use kilns to dry the barley. I took a tour at Highland Park last year and it was educational to see all the work that goes into traditional malting.
I fucking died when he said you could put your pet hamster in it. 10/10 review
“Like if you burned a bandaid”. “On the struggle bus”. Two comments today that made me laugh hard. Love this channel!!
I'm a scotch lover, and I prefer my $85 caol ila 12 over things like George t stagg, weller cypb, four roses LE 135, ECBP C923, etc. So for my taste buds, the super premium scotches are untouchable for almost all bourbons. I'm the opposite of Trenton haha.
The balvenie tun on your video is my 4th favorite whisky of all time. The only black art I tried was 10.1, and that was my 3rd favorite of all time. The laphroiag 25 (mine was 97.8 proof) was tied (with ardbeg 25) for my favorite of all time.
I did NOT like stranahan's. I found their sherry cask and some snowflakes to be tolerable, but the rest are drain pours for me. Westland was alright, but I prefer bourbon much more than westland.
All that said, PLEASE try ardbeg hypernova. It looks and smells outrageously peated, but it's shockingly balanced on the taste. One of my friends strongly dislikes peated liquids, but he loved it and couldn't believe it nor explain why. It's one of his favorites now, and he still hates basically all other peated stuff.
I'm not a big fan of heavy peat either so I tend to go toward lowlands and speysides like balvenie. I've not tried this particular balvenie but the Caribbean cask is currently my favorite scotch.
I would pay money to see the look on Trenton’s face trying an Ardbeg ten!😄
One of my faves!
Nah, Corryvreckan for a real punch.
I was thinking the same about Laphroaig 10! PPM decreases with age, so a 25 year Laphroaig (while probably awesome), isn't going to be as peaty. Maybe get him some Ardbeg Wee Beastie. :)
I was honestly just nodding along until you broke out the Black Art. I'm officially jealous. Bruichladdich is my favorite label of scotch, and I know that I'll never have a Black Art of my own. I've resigned myself to the Port Charlotte Heavily Peated 10-year, no regrets. The Classic Laddie in the blue/green bottle is their un-peated offering. Which is amazing, and actually tastes kinda peat-ie.
SLB Classics
0:13 Trenton starting strong with bandaid notes
0:47 gotta tell the🤑 secrets to mom 😮 whoops
1:51 trenton is “enthused”
2:06 Trenton learns some definitions of scotch
2:32 Kurt takes it easy and doesn’t peat them all
3:33 Trenton is even more enthused about the blind
4:33 Kurt did his homework and rattles it off like a champ
5:01 clearly Trenton doesn’t listen to Kurt
6:03 a call to action, please tell us more about scotch whiskey
7:06 Trenton tries pronouncing stuff incorrectly
7:53 Kurt did the homework and doesn’t fail us again
8:41 hopefully mom got a nice Valentine’s Day gift 🤑
9:53 FUDGE!
10:39 FUDGIE!!
11:31 the research can only go so far
12:25 disappointment in the amount of disclosure
13:13 Trenton has some house issues
13:40 Trenton does his super focus on sniffing
14:05 Trenton’s hot take, pears are bad
15:31 Kurt breaks out the readers
16:14 Trenton is practicing his hand modeling
16:48 Kurt got a “good deal”
17:06 well there goes the budget
18:25 throw back to the markers we could actually smell
19:04 Trenton takes everything Kurt said and throws it away
19:48 Non-chill filtered makes its appearance
21:21 here comes the early sign off
21:37 Trenton looks ready to cry
22:05 Trenton tries to hide the burp
22:23 Trenton owns up to it
22:47 lol hot dog water smelling notes
23:19 Trenton is trying to get disowned
23:45 Kurt has to savor the good stuff
23:53 lol bandaid to burnt bandaid
25:08 Trenton nosing face
25:40 Trenton made a huge deal on a scotch
25:56 Trenton is a predator for finding whiskey
26:41 Trenton does real research on pricing
28:03 Trenton hides some more burps
28:59 mom looking out for how to lineup looks
29:35 Trenton realizes what he sounds like with Kurt’s notes
30:18 yes they have seeds, make grape pies too
31:24 should take Trenton about a week to find it
32:40 MVP Josh
32:54 nice little TB smack talk
33:25 nice sign off, Trenton thinks “nice” scotch tasting though
5:01 was so good lol
6:44 classic fridge kicking on 😂
@@thebrianfosteridk why but I never hear it. Maybe cause I’m on my phone? Good catch though.
@@JordanG_3031 I'm on earbuds. I don't care, but I only notice it bc Trenton makes such a big deal out of it lol
Happy to see the scotch content!
Trenton, happy you are opening up to scotch. I was introduced to scotch whisky before bourbon and other types of whiskey. As a result, it has a special place in my heart. Some of my favorites are Lagavulin 16, Highland Park 18, and Dalmore. Many, many more good ones besides those.
I also introduced to scotch prior to bourbon. It's tough to get bourbon drinkers into trying single malts. So, it is good to see him opening up to them.
I recommend arran 10, deanston 12. Arran is fruity light oily. Deanston is dark fruit, funky oak. Both need a try.
As someone who doesn't drink scotch, the Arran 10 was quite nice. Really smooth and not aggressive.
Fellas, Scotch is aged in used barrels where American single malts are frequently aged in new oak barrels. That’s another difference between the two
I would say to do GlenAllachie 15 personally over Glendronach 18, but I don't think you're going wrong the Glendro. You'll save a good amount of money sticking to the 15 though. I did a bunch of blinds and oddly enough the 15 Glenallachie beat out the 18 and 25 consistently.
That was a 25 year old 1993 vintage Glendronach.
Anyone who knows anything about Scotch knows there is no one who categorically hates Scotch. Of the multitude of brands sold all over the world, the tastes vary so widely, there is, al least, one Scotch that will entice one's tastes. On another note, this is the best spirits rating page on UA-cam. These guys are light years ahead of all the others I have watched.
Hi there. Greg Vangsness here, an enthusiast and a Magnificent Bastard from the Whiskey Tribe. I enjoy your episodes; though I have never commented before. Bourbon is my main go to comfort whisk(e)y. Wild Turkey Rare Breed would keep me happy enough for the rest of my life; and then there was Lagavulin 16... Whisky can be like olives and anchovies! Whisky is an acquired taste. I wish I had been there to taste some of those! Cheers.
“Like a bandaid” Trent is my brother from another mother! 😂😂😂
Yeah I’m in agreement with pops. I love scotch. It holds flavor throughout because of the primary grain in scotch is malted barley. But love watching your father and son combination. 🙏🏾
Further, to your question at about the 5 minute and 40 second mark, the coffee bean flavour, as I understand it, is produced in the charring process of the barrel staves. Oak, in particular, when toasted, produces, amongst other chemicals, one called 'furfural.' This can often lead to a chemical compound being produced known as 'furfurylthiol.' This furfurylthiol is the component which can produce strong coffee, or coffee beans, or coffee grounds notes in a whisk(e)y in either nosing or palate. Hope this helps. You can research it more if you like! Cheers again. :)
The Kentucky Owl video is the video that started it all for me. I started watching the channel a few months later and a few months after that purchased my first bottle of whiskey. All because of that one video.
Highland Park 25 yr. If you can find it, buy it if you have deep pockets. Gorgeous.
Great video, last two are my favorite scotch distillerys. Love me some peat whiskey, the laphroaig cask strength are my favorites. Thanks again for the review.
As a scotch guy first (and huge fan of Ardbeg!), I still can't get past trading an Elmer T Lee for a Dark Cove 😂😂😂
That's like winning the lottery!!!
End your night at a Taco Bell? I know I'm a lot older than Trenton, but the only way to finish off a night of enjoying your favorite beverages is at White Castle!!!
Rat burgers
@@sandmanlam7973 Yeah, we used to call them Rat Burgers back in the 70's before they came out with the Slyders name. Back then we could head out with 8 or 9 dollars in our pocket and drink all the beer we could hold and still have enough money at the end of the night to buy a sack of rats on the way home.
By the way, the Marine Corps was founded in a place called “Tun Tavern”, imagine that! Semper Fi to my fellow Marines!
Yesssss!!! Just started watching the episode but I’m excited for the outcome!!!
“Have you ever burped and it smells like a latex balloon “ killing me Trentom
Wow! It’s been a long minute since I had time to chill with you guys. Great video! Thanks, as always. Informative and fun.
Trenton will enjoy the GlenDronach 18 `Allardice` particularly if he can get a Billy Walker version probably pre-2019 as Brown-Forman took over after that time. Billy went to GlenAllachie & has been weaving his magic there, so I`d also recommend any of their 10 yr old CS sherry-bombs particularly batches 3,4,5,6. Nice vid guy`s thanks.
Love this content, Englishman in Mexico but scotch is in my blood . Please try port Charlotte 10 yr heavy plated . It’s better than the 25 yr in my opinion nut the dark cove is amazing . The cost is out of my range for most here but for 70 bucks max the port charlotte is incredible and is a world bearer to a lot of real scotch experts for the money . Trento won’t go for it , the bacon in there is fantastic but I did not like smoky scotch until I was in my 50s ,, he has plenty of time ,, enjoy and can’t wait till Fridays blind, keep the scotch coming , one a month 0lease
For non-pleated scotch, my suggestion would be Balvenie 12 yr first fill single barrel. In drying the malt for this scotch, the grain is isolated from the peat fires, only using using it for the heat and thus the barley has no exposure to the smoke {peat-reek). What you smell and taste in the final product are only the influences of barley and barrel.
This was fun! Trenton's feedback was an interesting perspective of Scotch from a bourbon drinker. I believe that it is easier to switch from Scotch into Bourbon, than the other way around. Glendronach 18 is one of my favs, as it is the Ardbeg Ugi. Both are great expressions, delicious and unique. I am also getting into American single malts, and bought a Balcones virgin oak cask strength last year that I really enjoy. Will keep trying more in the future for sure.
I went from Bourbon to Islay.
I might suggest this. Malt whisky (barley) is made from fermented barley, which is brewed like beer but without the hops then distilled 2-3 times. I think British beer is traditionally different from American 6 if that's your starting point for single malt, you would figure the finished new distilled product is different.
Laphroaigh and Ardbeg both have a rubber bandaid note that lingers for myou palette. I get many of those notes stated. Can understand why others love it. But when the bandaid note shows up its over for me. There are a couple of peated bottles I dig. Liberty Pole peated bourbon and their Rye.
Sorry Trent doesn't have a palette other than 60% of sweet profiles and 20% peanut, woody, grassy, and 20% gag reflex.
I will happily take that most expensive scotch and frankly any of these! Nothing comes close to delicious single malt Scotch!! Loving this video!! You guys are hilarious!! Huge scotch lover here and especially peated scotch! I'd love more single malt reviews!! I do prefer single malt Scotch to U.S. single malts. I think scotch requires a sophisticated palette! It's amazing to be able to discern the spectacular flavours!! Go for a Lagavulin 16! It was my gateway into peated scotch!! Spectacular!! Cheers guys!! 🙂
You both need to try and review Aberlour A’bunadh scotch. bottled at cask strength you BOTH will love it
How fortunate for you that you can purchase these. I would love to try them. I love peated Scotch.
Bacon in a glass at the right time is excellent, but to each their own. With the peat for me, it's always about the sense memory of grilled and smoked meat and BBQ. Just passing by a smoker or an outdoor grill typically triggers the thought of great scotch for me. Heavenly! One of the Ardbeg limited editions I really wanted to get but missed was called BizarreBQ, created to be paired with BBQ.
I picked up a Balvenie Tun 1401 3rd batch in 2011 for $250. I wish I had bought a back up because prices really started to skyrocket after batch 3. Same story on the Black Arts. I purchased batch 3 for $285. Black Arts batches are some of my favorite scotches. I think Trent would really enjoy the Glendronach 15 Year Old Revival and msrp is only $85. Kurt, if you can find Ardbeg Rollercoaster, buy it.
I have the Laphroaig 10 yr...very peaty... iodine aroma..may go back to it.. been a while since I had it...was a little bit harsh for me. Yet McClellan Islay(Laphroaig is an Islay) is very nice...
Laphroaig 25 does not taste like hot dog water! Yikes! Trenton! This particular expression is bliss and delicate! This particular Ardbeg expression is outstanding and for a peat head and scotch lover it's mind blowingly delicious!! The Dark Cove is 50-55 ppm. The Laphroaig 25 is 53.4ppm.
Glenmorangie 10 yr. Glenscotia double cask are nice single malts
I love it! Trent just downed 5-6 expensive scotches and he’s talking about hitting Taco Bell on the way home!! Awesome!!!
This is the main video from this channel I have been waiting for.
It turned out like I expected. Trenton hates Scotch, as do I. He was very polite about it.
100% with Kurt on the Uigeadail being an amazing shelf bottle of Ardbeg. I left a bottle of Uigeadail over at a friends house one time and when I went to pick it up, he had put it in his freezer. Needless to say, I was pissed. It hasn't been the same ever since.
Love all of the videos, but these scotch videos are such an awesome bonus. 🥃
Anything Glendronach is 👍🏻👍🏻
I find 92ish proof Scotch to have far more (and better) aroma and taste than many higher proof bourbons. What is really hard to understand is how Scotch with a 12+ year age statement, being malted barley only and come from across the sea can be had for the same or better price than non age statement corn mash from Kentucky! I originally started on the bourbon journey, then discovered Scotch and haven't looked back.
If you ever wondered if your Dad loves you, then after this you know he does.
That was a very impressive line up. I've not had the pleasure to try that morangie or that old of a glen dronach, but the rest of those are superb.
Scotch is so much different than bourbon or rye. You can have 5 different scotches that you would never guess were the same category of spirit. Unlike bourbon or rye, just because a scotch is expensive, you definitely can't assume you'll like it.
dig around the outside of the foundation and smear straight Portland cement then hot tar over the cement and in a day backfill in. Should be able to dig this by hand.
These videos are always informative and good fun . Thanks fellas.
“Why are they so low proof” - Bourbon has, compared too Scotch, a comparably small range of flavours, but the flavours are bold and strong. Bourbon needs a higher proof in order to showcase those flavours.
Scotch Single Malts have a wider range of flavours and a greater complexity. It’s another philosophy, and in my opinion most Single Malts work really well at 46%. Furthermore, many Scotch lovers are using water proofing the whiskey down and helping the flavours to show up. I got a feeling Trenton would go crazy if someone told him to put some water into his Bourbon ..
This channel got me into bourbon and whiskey in general, and I enjoy scotch waaaay more than bourbon. I have yet to find a bourbon I'm excited about as any scotch I've had.
I dream of the Laphroaig 25 and Ardbeg Darkness Cove! Trent, I didn’t like peated Scotch when I first tried it either, now I’m a dedicated “Peat Head”!
Funny how that works. I was already a malt whiskey drinker but I've been a peat head from the very first sip.
@@jacobflores8666I think it was An Noa that had me scratching my head when I tried it. How could anyone enjoy this? Now I love it!
@@BluegrassDaimyo my first sip of peated whisky was Laphroaig 10. It blew my mind that whiskey could be salty and savory in addition to sweet. Love it. I'm real big into barbecue (TX) and that's what it reminded me of.
There are about 50,000 dusty bottles of Heavens Door Homesick Blues Bourbon that you would love in the U.S.!!!!
With regard to Glendronach 23 - Scotch has to be aged a minimum of three years in Oak casks - Oloroso Sherry casks are, in fact Oak casks - Oloroso is made from Spanish grapes fortified with a distilled grape spirit (brandy) and aged in Oak casks. These barrels are highly valued by whiskey distillers because of the richness they add to the end product. Maybe I was confused because it sounded like you indicated it wasn’t aged in Oak at all. Cheers and carry on with your fine presentation. I love it.
Always great to see you both. One slightly negative comment, if the Scotch has a high value why share it with someone that doesn't enjoy that type of Whiskey? There are so many subscribers that dream of that type of experience who do enjoy Scotch. Love you both and thanks "Always" for your videos!
Like your dad says.
Scotch will have the standard malt taste.
And its really the malted barley that you taste.
Barley is nutty,bready and coffeeish this carries over into the liquid. It doesnt matter what type of scotch you get, there's always going to be these notes that you will find.
These notes are not present in bourbon, this often then first note bourbon drinkers will catch because it is very present if you're not use to it.
So to answer the question.
It's really the malted barley that you taste
Nice video ❤ Can you do a where to start video for Scotch? With some beginner recommendations? I would find it helpful to hear your take / journey ❤
Glenmorangie signet would be right down Trentons street. Chocolate espresso cocoa coffee notes ..about $250
I was thinking the same thing!
I have a Strannahan's Single Barrel store pick from down here in Southeast Louisiana. I find it to be very dependent on the condition of my pallet or my mood. Some days it is nearly up there with a Macallen 15 then other days all I get is Ethanol. I often wonder if that is my reactions to the malted barley. Trenton will enjoy a nice Macallen 15 or even better an 18. Most of the Highland and Speyside Scotch's will be enjoyable by most people, if you like the notes from Malted Barley.
In regards to Ardbeg vs. Laphroaig... both are from Islay but they are so totally different it's insane. I sort of like Ardbeg but I get nothing but bandaid from Laphroaig. The only other Islay I enjoy is Bunnahabhain. Bunnahabhain is not peated but it is an Islay Scotch. The 18 is outstanding but the 12 is still nice.
Ardbeg Dark Cove is so expensive now because it was a limited release years ago. They basically don't exist anymore. It's also the one Ardbeg limited release that seems to be everyone's favorite. That being said, I picked one up in an auction about 2 years ago, and I definitely didn't pay anywhere near $1,500.
He just sipped and said
“No dude.”
Hahahaha I’m right there with you man.
Clearly there is a need for many transitional drams needed in order to work up to top shelf! I did snicker a few times and hope your son eventually learns to appreciate all whisky/whiskey! Baby steps
Kurt.....Scotches get weaker in ABV as they age due to the colder temperatures, so while most bourbons increase in ABV as they age, the angel share of scotch is alcohol evaporating. In fact some older barrels have to be mixed with newer barrels in order to be legally sold at the minimum of 40% ABV as per regulations. Bourbon angel share seems to be mostly water, so the alcohol percentage goes up as it ages due to hot weather storage.
Kurt, great line up line up, really enjoyed your comments.
Lol! Im the opposite.. Much prefer Scotch over Bourbon..
Peated whisky is either loved or hated. For me, it's the top of the heap.
Appreciate the single malt videos!!! On your recommendation i picked up a local Orange county NC barrel pick of the Westward ASM cask single barrel that you raved about last week…oh my .what a lovely dram…and on sale for $65!!!
I’ve yet to have an American Single Malt that compares to the worst Scotch in my collection. Not sure why this style is exploding at the moment. As people have said below about the scotch difference: lack of corn in the mashbill, pot stilled vs column, and I think the biggest is the used barrels vs charred new. I just think there is infinitely more craftsmanship in Scotch.
Kurt is braver than all of us. Telling his wife the true prices of whiskys is a bold strategy
Many women drink expensive scotch (I am peat head - Islay!!) so we know the cost!!
@@christinecamley My wife doesn’t drink whiskey. So she thinks I paid $70 for my Jack Daniels Coy Hill 😅
Yah, and I thought I had a pair
Yeah - “Kurt seems to treat himself very well” - didn’t bode well…😬😂
@@supervillan326 lol
I’ve been drinking and loving Scotch since I was introduced to it in the 1980s. I love Bourbon as well, and have been leaning toward Bourbon more lately. The only type that I’m not much fan of is the Islay whiskey. I’m with you bro!