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Random query - what kind of whisky should I buy for someone that likes nice whisky? I don't want to totally break the bank, but I don't drink it myself, so suggestions are welcome...

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There are 14 comments on this entry. (Reply.)

Do you know if they like very heavy smokey whiskies? Are there any types of flavour you know they like or dislike?

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I think they like laphroaig, but otherwise I'm pretty ignorant...

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If you dont want to get them a laphroaig then another Islay might work. Ardbeg is very heavily peated, bowmore comes in different cask finshes and prices and is a nice rounded whisky, caol ila is quite oily and smokey, lagavulin is a mix of peat and smoke. Or there is talisker which can be very peppery and highland park which can be have a sweet peatiness.

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Bruichladdich is quite nice too. Not the raging disinfectant that Laphroaig is (L is one of my favourites, so that's not meant as an insult to it) - a bit lighter.

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Isn't there a story that Laphroaig was allowed to be imported into the US during prohibition as a 'medicine', because Customs officials couldn't believe that anyone would want to drink it?

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There is such a story. I saw it on a card advertising a whisky evening at the Sanger. It may be true.

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Do you know whether they drink Speyside or Islay (lighter or smelly)

On the smelly side, I like Jura at the cheaper end. Bruidlaiddaich (or however it's spelt) is good at midprice and still a small business. And I also like Caol Ila, of the slightly more expensive stuff.

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I work on the anything but Laphroaig basis, usually, to be honest, but then I hate Laphroaig's aftertaste :)

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Jura, AIR, is very nice. Not really like the Islay malts - much fruitier.

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This sounds like 'ask them' time, even if it's just 'would you like a favorite or something new?'

I know the various single malts taste different, but...

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I seem to remember whisky shops in your city sell anonymous malt-only blends of various specified ages which are pretty good and much cheaper than they would be if the malts were named.

Otherwise, I think the suggestions you have had are good ones.

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If you want a cheaper alternative, one of the Off Licence chains bought up the stocks of a number of small distilleries when they were swallowed up by the Big Nasty Companies. The Big Nasty Companies bought the name, but weren't interested in the whisky. So the 'own-label' single malts were actually very good whisky indeed but tend to go for more like £15 a bottle instead of £20-£30. They're also easier to choose if you don't know whisky very well since they're usually labelled in the style of the whisky (Lowland, Highland, Islay etc). Laphroaig is an Islay so a bottle of that might suit.

Unhelpfully, I can't remember which of the Off Licence chains it was ... sorry!

The other suggestions look pretty good to me too, although if it were me I might try to see if we had a mutual whisky-loving friend who might have a bit more inside knowledge about their particular loves.

[For the record, should anyone reading this ever find themselves puzzling over a bottle for me, anything would be welcome, but I particularly love unpeated Lowland malts, and Macallan.]

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My personal favourites are the Auchentoschen three wood, the Aberlour Abuna and the cragganmore - all are quite woody, honey, vanilla, kinda swet whiskys, from £20-35 in cost.

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Bruichladdich is my favourite but I have never heard anyone turn down Highland Park - Dalwhinnie is nice too. Or as I believe someone mentioned above get thee to Cadenheads(Bottlers) on the Canongate -it will tell you the style of whisky(Speyside/Islay/Highland/Orkney) but they don't tell you the brand.

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purplerabbits

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