Talking about Whisky

[Gordon]

Sorry, - no!

This site has an Ardbeg for just under 70 Euros - so not cheap, but maybe it's cheaper than it would be in the UK.
http://www.wine-calais.co.uk/213-mal...-cellar-calais

Tesco want £47 for 10YO Ardbeg http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Produ.../?id=252695960.

At £0.82 to the Euro that's a lot more!! Unless there is another Ardbeg, or I am counting in NEW Scottish Pounds?

[Beef Oven!]

Tesco want £47 for 10YO Ardbeg http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Produ.../?id=252695960.

At £0.82 to the Euro that's a lot more!! Unless there is another Ardbeg, or I am counting in NEW Scottish Pounds?

Makro on-line store want £40.79, but minimum spend is £60 (so you'll have to but two ) free delivery thrown in.

[ahinton]

How do French hypermarkets stack up for whisky? I've got a trip coming along soon. Are there any supplies of decent malts or decent blends within striking distance of channel ports?

Pretty well, in my experience; the French love fine Scotch whisky (as of course they should!)...

A little water in Scotch is fine - even in single malts (though of course not necessary in them!), but good Scottish bottled mineral water is vastly preferable to tap watere especially when the latter is heavily chlorinated; I have a water dispenser on my American style fridge-freezer with a reverse osmosis water treatment unit between it and the mains water supply so I don't need bottled water but, without such a facility, bottled water's essential if you want to add water to whisky!

[Beef Oven!]

Pretty well, in my experience; the French love fine Scotch whisky (as of course they should!)...

What's your fave, ahinton?

[HighlandDougie]

I freely admit to knowing almost SFA about classical music, other than liking most of it, but I do know just a little about whisky (two six week spells of "nosing" 10 different samples per weekday as part of a research project in a Scottish university was something of an education). Adding the merest splash of water brings out the - with apologies for the pretentious word - bouquet. Despite snooty comments about it being sacrilegious and after some extensive experimentation, my vote goes to Strathmore, preferably the sparkling variety (try it).

My small local Carrefour sells decent whisky (Talisker, Knockando etc) at a good price - and, if I need something posher, it's a good excuse to go to Eurobooze in Ventimiglia (the Italians used to be one of the best export markets for whisky). I imagine, therefore, that Calais would be pretty good. And a whisky I often buy in Scotland is the Co-op's 12 year old Single Malt - Dalmore by any other name - which is great value (as is the 25 year old Islay if you are a member of the Wine Society).

While I can't blame the Scotch Whisky industry for ramping up the hype about whiskies (a swift perusal of the shelves of the duty-free in Heathrow T5 produces all sorts of pretentious names, cask-maturing and other nonsense bollocks, all at ludicrous prices), I do sometimes yearn for the old days when it was all so much more simple. While being a whisky bore is nothing new (aieh, those Malt Whisky Society tastings in the 1980's), you-tube has clearly turned it into an art form, if Mr McTumshie.com is anything to go by.

Enough ranting - back to something edifying. Ernest Ansermet conducting trashy 19th century French overtures, accompanied by a not-too small glass of Springbank (now that's a proper malt for you).

[ahinton]

What's your fave, ahinton?

I can't say that I have one single(!) fave - there are so many wonderful ones - but the best of the Lagavulin and Bruichladdich ones that I've tasted have been amazing and, from another part of my great country, Glendronach is one that I find immensely satisfying, the 12-y-o being a gorgeously rich experience and the 18-y-o (if one can find it!) more subtle but even finer...

[Beef Oven!]

I can't say that I have one single(!) fave - there are so many wonderful ones - but the best of the Lagavulin and Bruichladdich ones that I've tasted have been amazing and, from another part of my great country, Glendronach is one that I find immensely satisfying, the 12-y-o being a gorgeously rich experience and the 18-y-o (if one can find it!) more subtle but even finer...

Have heard of them, but never tasted! Always interesting to get the view from a native!

[Beef Oven!]

I freely admit to knowing almost SFA about classical music, other than liking most of it, but I do know just a little about whisky (two six week spells of "nosing" 10 different samples per weekday as part of a research project in a Scottish university was something of an education). Adding the merest splash of water brings out the - with apologies for the pretentious word - bouquet. Despite snooty comments about it being sacrilegious and after some extensive experimentation, my vote goes to Strathmore, preferably the sparkling variety (try it).

My small local Carrefour sells decent whisky (Talisker, Knockando etc) at a good price - and, if I need something posher, it's a good excuse to go to Eurobooze in Ventimiglia (the Italians used to be one of the best export markets for whisky). I imagine, therefore, that Calais would be pretty good. And a whisky I often buy in Scotland is the Co-op's 12 year old Single Malt - Dalmore by any other name - which is great value (as is the 25 year old Islay if you are a member of the Wine Society).

While I can't blame the Scotch Whisky industry for ramping up the hype about whiskies (a swift perusal of the shelves of the duty-free in Heathrow T5 produces all sorts of pretentious names, cask-maturing and other nonsense bollocks, all at ludicrous prices), I do sometimes yearn for the old days when it was all so much more simple. While being a whisky bore is nothing new (aieh, those Malt Whisky Society tastings in the 1980's), you-tube has clearly turned it into an art form, if Mr McTumshie.com is anything to go by.

Enough ranting - back to something edifying. Ernest Ansermet conducting trashy 19th century French overtures, accompanied by a not-too small glass of Springbank (now that's a proper malt for you).

[Dave2002]

Have heard of them, but never tasted! Always interesting to get the view from a native!

What's with the Mrs Blair fetish, BO?

[Gordon]

What's with the Mrs Blair fetish, BO?

I was going to say, is there something we should know BO? And emigrated too I see.

[MrGongGong]

What's with the Mrs Blair fetish, BO?

Come back Don

[Beef Oven!]

Sorry, was cleaning up my profile and I must've licked my decals off.

[Gordon]

Waitrose, Chandler's Ford this PM Dalwhinnie 15 YO at £23.50!! Looks lke all Waitrose?

http://www.waitrose.com/shop/HeaderSearchCmd?searchTerm=dalwhinnie&defaultSearch=None&search

TWE want 32 and Tesco on line £35.

[Beef Oven!]

Waitrose, Chandler's Ford this PM Dalwhinnie 15 YO at £23.50!! Maybe all Wiatrose? TWE want 32.

And to think I paid £23.35 for a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label in Morrisons yesterday

I'll be in a couple of Waitroses tomorrow

[Gordon]

Highland Park 70cl 12 YO Waitrose, £22. The Dalwhinnie offer now gone.