I'm likely just opening myself up to abuse but I feel it's time to ask help from my fellow FISO'ers.

I've tried, for many years, to actually sit and enjoy drinking whiskey. Having read the topic on whiskeys, I know there are plenty of people who do this successfully. Unfortunately I've failed and continue to do so.

I feel like my body and palate should be able to quaff a good whiskey. My body doesn't mind spicy food (can enjoy a good Jalfrezi); can consume large amounts of beer, ales, stouts of varying strengths and tastes; will except pretty much any kind of spirit, whether a shot, with a mixer or sipped straight (although does go a little weak at the knees when smelling Southern Comfort and not a major fan of Sambucca) but simply REJECTS whiskey.

Everytime I sign up to the mate's whiskey tasting evening, I always end up having to drink something, actually anything else, that isn't whiskey. The way my body rejects whiskey is very simple to describe - it's the worst heartburn I've ever experienced. I literally end up in the foetal position, rocking slightly, drinking pints of water until I can breathe again - and then head to the drinks table to pour myself something else. My body simply won't let me enjoy my evening if I want to drink whiskies.

What's even more frustrating is I drink a lot of bourbon. I love a Woodford Reserve; enjoy a Maker's Mark Old Fashioned; will spend evening's on a 9yr old Knob Creek (cue the jokes.....) but can't drink Whiskey.

So my questions really are:
a) Am I truely missing out?
b) Is it possible to grow out of this state of patheticness?
c) Should I just carry on the bourbon path as I'm already cheating on thinking I'm drinking a man's drink, so why bother on the real thing?
d) Or are there whiskies that I can start with that are fairly easy to drink or am I better off starting on blends, say a Johnny Walker Red and moving to the proper stuff later.

I am not really sure a blend will be the answer to your problems as it is just a mixture of single malts in one glass.

You could steer away from the more powerful tasting whisky - anything from Islay for example and steer away also from cask strength whisky (stick 40 proof or there abouts).

I drink it neat though some cask strengths only become enjoyable with a splash of water. I don't think you would mix a single malt with anything else - or rather there is no point - you could just use a cheaper blend for the same result.

Some blends are very good in their own right, Johnny Walker Black label (rather than red IMO) and Chivas regal in particular.

Makes no immediate sense why you like bourbon but not whisky. The former is made predominently from sweet corn, whisky obviously from Barley and bourbon is much younger whereas a single malt is 8 years in the barrel at least - but alcohol content will be close.

You could try some less powerful whisky to kick yourself off:

- Anything from the "Lowlands" - maybe a nice Springbank if you can get it - these are much more delicate in flavour
- Next the northern Highlands - Try a Highland Park or a Glemorangie - well known names - easy to get
- why not try a Dutch whisky : "Millstone" from Zuidam

Steer away from Islay or Speyside for now - see how you get on with these calmer drinks!

Of course it may be that whisky is not for you or your pallete is not quite ready yet.

It is also of course possible that you are the wearer of a big girls blouse

Would 'Straight out of the bottle' be the wrong answer

stuboy,the answer for you may well be a Whisky Mac - a mixture of whisky( a blended one as you're diluting it, pointless wasting money) and Stones green ginger wine(made from raisins and ginger) - usually 2/3 whisky and 1/3 ginger wine,but you can experiment with the ratio to find one that suits you best.

I rarely drink nowadays but when I was younger I used to be able to hold my own with most people when drinking beer,but found that when it came to whisky, the only way I could drink it enjoyably was with green ginger wine.

http://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/St ... e/25576011

http://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/swa/233.html

Only if using a straw!

First off ... Get your spelling correct.

A Scotsman who spells
Whisky with a n ‘e’,
should be hand cuffed
and thrown head first in the Dee.

In the USA and Ireland,
it’s spelt with an ‘e’
but in Scotland
it’s real ‘Whisky’.

So if you see Whisky
and it has an ‘e’,
only take it,
if you get it for free!

For the name is not the same
and it never will be,
a dram is only a real dram,
from a bottle of ‘Scotch Whisky’.

Right, back to the point in question. If you have to dilute Whisky it should only be done with tap water, nothing else should pollute it. In saying that when I drank Whisky during my bevvying years I sometimes drank it with a dash of Green Ginger, or Angostura Bitter.

Nothing wrong at all with drinking whisk(e)y with water, in fact I'd say it's to be encouraged as this sometimes "opens up" the whiskies. Some whiskies will take a lot of water, some will not. Cask Strength mostly should be diluted too!

Really, all down to personal taste. As far as I'm concerned you buy it you can do what you like with it. Although I did wince when I saw an American drink a Macallan 25yo with cola but there you go!

Nothing wrong with Bourbons either, a bit late on the single malt market boom but worth checking.

Blends. can either be a blend of single malts or a mixture of grain and malt whisky. Tons of blends out there but all down to choice.

Was always asked what the best whisky was. Doesn't exist. It's purely down to individual taste....the fun lies in finding out!!

Supermarket bottles that may be up your street include:

Glengoyne 10 yo
Glenkinchie 12yo
Macallan 10yo Fine Oak
Irish malts (may be not Bushmills for your taste?)

Bailie Nicol Jarvie - light clean and zesty (so it says). Easy to drink and a nice intro I'd have thought. Cheap and available in most supermarkets as well.

Jameson

If you can't drink that then give up on the whisky

Is Jamesons a bit grim then

No, its as smooth as a whiskey gets

Apologies groomy, I genuinely thought you typed can

I don`t drink it myself but I have been buying it in various kinds for my Brother in law and at least 2 other people I understood were fans, for about 15 years.

I panicked for a bit.

i'm a jameson's man too if i have whisky, which is rare (altho we toasted someone's birthday with some last night )

i like it at christmas and agree it's the smoothest for me. never really got on with scotch but by drinking jamesons it allowed me to get a bit of a taste for whisky and so i can appreciate a good malt every now and then

far from being a connoisseur tho - but i'd advise a Jameson's tester

Put Jack Daniels on the label and I will inhale it or combine it with any horrible sugary death liquid imaginable though.

Like BNJ a lot. Wish it was at my local supermarket!

My blend of choice probably Hankey Bannister

Recently got through a bottle of that and very nice it is to.

I like the Islay ones myself but the thing to do if you find then a bit iffy is to use a bit more water. I rather like to pour mine onto a cube of ice and let it slowly melt as I drink.

Remember to sip not gulp.

I can only drink it straight - no water, no ice, no girlie fruit drink top up.

When I was younger and wasn't as used to it I found it easier to drink a strong drink like whisky if I'd had a couple of beers first. Try that.

If that doesn't work, just snip off your testicles and return them to the soil as you are clearly not man enough to need or deserve them.

Lt. Col. Frank Slade: call up Hyman and tell him I want it wall to wall with John Daniels.
Charlie Simms: Don't you mean Jack Daniels?
Lt. Col. Frank Slade: He may be Jack to you son, but when you've known him as long as I have...

I'll probably get lynched for this, but I reckon the Sainbury's and Tesco own brand single Highland malts are very nice drinks and go down pretty smoothly. Worth trying these rather than shelling out nearly twice as much for a distillery labelled one.

The Tesco Islay's great as well. I tend to have a bottle or two in as a bit of a general purpose quaffing malt

As for how I drink it - generally straight, but sometimes with a few drops of water. A small amount of room temp water softens the edges a bit so I'd probably recommend that for someone new to the drink. I find that cold water / ice doesn't quite have the same effect.

Interesting. I have never considered going for an 'own brand'. Just seemed an automatic NO NO. But thinking about it, a lot of own brand products are actually just as good.

Form previous whisky banter on FISO it's accepted that some of the own brands (the Tesco Islay for example) are actually good whiskies but with own brand labels on. Definitely worth a purchase, what's the worst thing that can happen? You get very pished for twenty quid

I would go further than that I would say a lot of own brand produts are actually identical. Tesco's Islay is a cracker. There are no hidden distilleries on Islay - if you are drinking Islay single malt it has to be from one of the big names, even if it says Tesco on the label. .

For quaffing whisky though I would not even be that strict in that I actually really enjoy Bells and Teachers. In fact I don't think there is such a thing as a really bad whisky - though I actually dont like Glenlivet very much.

Echo'd on the water - a small splash is all I ever take too - but ice I find diverts too much from the taste - I can see why its easier to drink though.

I think you'll find on the previous whisky thread that I identified the distillery supplying under the Tesco label.

Regards how I take it, here's my list:-

o to use up blends that I've been given, normally a Whisky Mac with Crabbies Green Ginger.
o I used to drink neat but now I probably put a splash of tap water in.
o when I'm feeling fruity I'll have a large Rusty Nail with cooking malt (Glenmoranigie or the like) and Drambuie

I'm managed to remain off the drink all week so may throw some of the above dowm my neck this evening whilst watching The Masters

Caol Ila?

Quite right - you did - but I cannot find the thread - the Ledge is right I think that's what it was.

Lots in here.

the-water-of-life-or-well-i-ll-be-dram-d-t2877.html

Thanks for the advice so far - I have now written a comprehensive list of whiskies to try. I'll be venturing to my local Gall & Gall - it's a Dutch off-license that does have a reasonable range of alcohol - to see what I can find. With my mother coming to stay for the weekend, it might just be the perfect opportunity to start trying some new tastes

I have to admit, I've always frowned at Jamesons but not really sure why - think it was a mix of often seeing it as "House Whisky" so presumed it was cheap and nasty plus my father always frowned at it - but he then would drink Johnny Walker Black with Ginger Ale which always confused me.

But it does seem like I'll try and find myself a Jamesons or a Barlie Nicol Jarvine (if they sell that in the Netherlands) or potentially a Springbank or Highland Park.

As for adding water - maybe that will be my saviour. I've always felt whisky should only be drunk neat but it seems that I'm allowed a splash of tap water to help enhance the flavours.

If it still does not work I promise not to pro-create and to just put on frilly, flowery skirts throughout the summer!

Final question, what happens to whisky if you do refridgerate it? Does packing a whisky with ice really ruin the flavour? I heard that by adding 2 or 3 ice cubes and sipping slowly allowed you to taste different aspects of the whisky until it melted and then it was like adding tap water in the first place. I always imagine that the taps in the highlands only produce freezing cold water, so there is no such thing as room temperature (or are you meant to pour into a jug and let that warm up?)