Need some single malt advice

[cameraman]

I'm not a huge single malt fan but the wife is. Oban and Dalwhinnie are the everyday single malts. Which leaves me wondering what to get as a present. Since I don't have time to drive to Wyoming/Idaho/Nevada I am limited to the local selection. This is a bit of an apples to oranges comparison but if you had your choice which of these would you choose?

Aberfeldy Single Malt Highland Malt Whisky 21 year
The Balvenie Portwood 21 year
The Glenlivet Archive 21 year
The Macallan Single Malt Scotch Fine Oak Series 17 year
The Macallan Single Malt Scotch 18 year

[Don Quixote]

The Macallan Single Malt Scotch 18 year You can buy it at costco for about 50% off liquor store prices. Yum. But not everyday.

[cameraman]

You can buy it at costco for about 50% off liquor store prices. Yum. But not everyday.

Not in Utah...

[TravelGal]

Not in California either. That's because our local store prices are pretty good.

Of the choices, I only know Glenlivet and Maccallan and would go with the latter all the way. Prolly the 17 year Fine Oak Series but then, I'm a sucker for a vat of most anything.

[cameraman]

Ironically enough the more expensive the bottle the better the deal at the Utah State liquor stores. Utah has one % markup for everything so the Boone's Farm gets priced at the same percentage that they mark up Aberfeldy. You go elsewhere to privately owned stores and you will find that the markup on the high-end liquors are much higher than Utah's. The mass market stuff is terribly over-priced here and the really good stuff is often a screaming deal.

[dando]

I'm not a scotch guy, but my former boss was and he swore by Glenlivet. Me? I'd rather drink gasoline. ;) Give me some Knob Creek or Maker's Mark and I'm in heaven. Bombay Saph on the light side. :thumbup:

Sounds like UT is about as screwed up as OH. @ least they finally allow liquor sales in stores now. Used to be that you had to go to the 'State Store' for liquor. Back in the day when you also went to the Ma Bell store to get yer phone. :saywhat:

-Kevin

[cameraman]

The Utah legislature just went on a rampage and rewrote the liquor laws to make things vastly more screwed up than ever. First thing they did was move all of the 3.2% flavored malt beverages out of the grocery stores and into the state stores. So now the stores will have to discontinue a bunch of wine & liquor to make room for Mike's hard lemonade:flame: :flame: :flame:

The only thing you can buy in a grocery store or 7-11 now is 3.2 beer. It has to be explicitly labeled beer.

They also have micromanaged the way bartenders can make drinks and it is now impossible to get a martini or long island ice tea in Utah. There is a huge list of drinks that you simply can't make within the new amazingly complex rules. A straight gin and tonic will now vary, at the bartender's discretion, anywhere between a shot and a shot and a half. It seems that mixing two kinds of liquor in a drink is now illegal. The law runs something like 150 pages so who knows what all they did.

The take home is bartenders are generally suicidal right now.

[Ankf00]

well you do get to upgrade from the 1oz martini to the 1.5oz martini :)

[cameraman]

well you do get to upgrade from the 1oz martini to the 1.5oz martini :)

As long as you don't want any vermouth in said martini.

[dando]

The Utah legislature just went on a rampage and rewrote the liquor laws to make things vastly more screwed up than ever. First thing they did was move all of the 3.2% flavored malt beverages out of the grocery stores and into the state stores. So now the stores will have to discontinue a bunch of wine & liquor to make room for Mike's hard lemonade:flame: :flame: :flame:

The only thing you can buy in a grocery store or 7-11 now is 3.2 beer. It has to be explicitly labeled beer.

They also have micromanaged the way bartenders can make drinks and it is now impossible to get a martini or long island ice tea in Utah. There is a huge list of drinks that you simply can't make within the new amazingly complex rules. A straight gin and tonic will now vary, at the bartender's discretion, anywhere between a shot and a shot and a half. It seems that mixing two kinds of liquor in a drink is now illegal. The law runs something like 150 pages so who knows what all they did.

The take home is bartenders are generally suicidal right now.

Jeebus. That's almost as insane as SC requiring serving of the mini bottles for well drinks. :saywhat:

-Kevin

[dando]

As long as you don't want any vermouth in said martini.

Just holding the glass next to the vermouth bottle is fine with me. :)

-Kevin

[cameraman]

Just holding the glass next to the vermouth bottle is fine with me. :)

-Kevin

That will be illegal in next year's amendment

[Ankf00]

aren't the bar owners trying to push their own referendum now?

[Wheel-Nut]

Mormons. :shakehead

[cameraman]

aren't the bar owners trying to push their own referendum now?

Oh please, club owners trying to get something through the legislature? :rofl: :rofl:

They rate right up there with kiddie porn producers in the eyes of the legislature.:shakehead :irked:

[Ankf00]

do referendums in UT require leg involvement?

[cameraman]

do referendums in UT require leg involvement?

Not worth the effort, you see the Utah legislature doesn't like the unwashed masses getting involved in the running of their state. Thusly according to Utah law, if a bill passes by two-thirds majority, it cannot be subject to a referendum and lord knows, liquor legislation always passes by more than a two-thirds majority. Welcome to my world...

[KLang]

Did they loosen up the rules for the olympics?

[Indy]

Mormons. :shakehead

No, that's MormAns.

[Indy]

I'm not a huge single malt fan but the wife is. Oban and Dalwhinnie are the everyday single malts. Which leaves me wondering what to get as a present. Since I don't have time to drive to Wyoming/Idaho/Nevada I am limited to the local selection. This is a bit of an apples to oranges comparison but if you had your choice which of these would you choose?

Aberfeldy Single Malt Highland Malt Whisky 21 year
The Balvenie Portwood 21 year
The Glenlivet Archive 21 year
The Macallan Single Malt Scotch Fine Oak Series 17 year
The Macallan Single Malt Scotch 18 year

My opinion, based on what you say she likes, is to choose the Balvenie Portwood 21, with the Aberfeldy 21 being second choice. My reasoning has to do with flavor profiles and with my basic mistrust of brands which are produced in great quantities (the Glens and Macallan).

Lucky lady. :thumbup:

[stroker]

Why don't you guys buy a town and secede from Utah? That's the sort of thing that's admired up there, isn't it? Or am I thinking of Idaho?

[eiregosod]

Glenlivet, had the pleasure of tasting it a few years back. would warm ya up on a cold day.