Jeff (comic book style)
Thanks for visiting my blog! I read an article somewhere about how every blogger should post a disclaimer, so…
Disclaimer: This is just a personal weblog. I make no claims of content accuracy, or suitability to any particular audience. Nor am I responsible for, or in agreement with, any comments left on my site by others, or any information found on links from my site. It’s [very] possible that I will be discussing products that contain alcohol. If you’re not of legal drinking age, please don’t visit this site. If you have ever felt the urge to sue somebody because of something they wrote on their weblog, please go someplace else.
My name is Jeff, and my interest in whisk(e)y has developed into kind of a hobby. I didn’t try my first whisky until 2008, when I was nearly 39 years old. Well, it was more of a whisky cocktail… a scotch and water on the rocks using Johnnie Walker Black. Not being much of a drinker, I was surprised to find it quite tasty.
A couple of months later (July 2008), on a day trip to Edinburgh, Scotland at the end of a business trip, I took The Scotch Whisky Experience tour. I was fascinated by the history of scotch, and the number of distilleries and stories behind them. I also got a little more adventurous on that trip and tried a few whiskies neat, finding them perfectly drinkable without ice or water. Since then, I’ve spent quite a bit of time collecting different whiskies to sample and compare, and reading about whisky on the internet and in books. Currently, my favorite whiskies are Talisker 18 and Lagavulin 16, and I’ve found myself gravitating towards Islay malts.
I started up this blog as a way of unloading some of the geeky, newbie enthusiasm about the whisky industry (especially scotch) that I’ve got pent up. Being an opt-in format, a blog seemed like a good way to potentially communicate with others having an overlapping interest and/or enthusiasm, without driving my friends and loved ones crazy.
Here’s what I’m doing with the blog:
- Writing about whiskies I try, and rating them relative to each other based on my personal preferences and experience [About my rating system].
- Passing along information that I might have had to work a bit to find, and that I find particularly interesting or useful. Perhaps this can be of use to other whisky “newbies” going through some of the same steps of discovery. Examples of this would be the links in my tasting notes to other [more reliable] tasting notes on the web, and to information about the distilleries. Also, my Following Feis Ile 2009 post has been by far the most accessed page on my blog so far.
- Sharing tips for whisk(e)y enthusiasts on a budget, with an example of this being my Port Ellen for the rest of us post.
Right now, I tend to ramble a bit in my posts. I’ll try to hone my writing skills over time and get more to the point.
Cheers [slainte], JeffContact Me: Jeff@ScotchHobbyist.com
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Scotch Hobbyist's Blog 
Hi Jeff,
I’m looking to buy a nice bottle of Scotch for my husband’s uncle. He likes top shelf stuff, but I’d like to find something different. We’ve bought him the old standbys in the past, but this time I’d love to find something unique.
Any suggestions?
~Heidi
Did you get a response to this query, Heidi? I am a fellow scotch blogger and I love helping people pick the right or special gift for a fellow scotch lover! I’m sure that this response is about 4 months too late, but I thought I would offer anyway.
I was about to write a review on my site regarding PC7 and came across your website. I was impressed to see such a developed concept on something I have been working on myself.
I recently became a ridiculous collector/drinker/lover of scotch and have been developing my palate. I have a bit of a dog nose, so I feel I have that part down pretty well.
However, are you still updating your site? Have your grown weary of keeping up?
Keep on keepin’ on if I don’t hear from you!
Hi Bret,
Thanks for the comments. At first, I thought this was a SPAM message, since you asked if I was still updating my site a day after my latest post. 🙂
You appear to have stumbled upon my About page, which is a stand-alone page. If you click the “Home” tab in the upper left, you can scroll through my latest postings.
I’ll check out your blog as well. Speaking of being a “ridiculous” collector/drinker/lover of scotch, have you taken my “Are you a whisky fanatic” poll (link at top of side bar)? You might find that post and comment thread interesting.
Oh, and I did exchange emails with Heidi back when she first posted (I think she was going to go with Stranahans, as that ties into her home state). I welcome any input from others…just wanted you to know I wasn’t ignoring her. 🙂
Cheers,
Jeff
I’m not a scotch lover, but I found a bottle of Glen Grant Glenlivet burried in the back of my greataunt’s liquor cabinet and would like to know more about it. The pater lable reads:
You can’t go wrong with a whisky from Islay, personal favourite is the Ardbeg 17 yr old, or the connoisseurs choice Caol Isla (dist 96)
Hi Jeff
I would be interested in reading your take on the single cask – the exception to the rule!
Really liked your part(s) on blending – too often blends are seen as inferior to malts when blending is a real art. Perceptions seem to be shifting thanks to more forward-thinking companies such as Compass Box emerging, and the likes of Richard Patterson spreading the word.
When you think about it single malts, in effect are blends – taking hundreds of casks blending together to get one uniform taste.
Thanks for the comment, Helen. I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. I totally agree with you about single malts being blends, and appreciate the work that Master Blenders do for those bottlings.
I had commented in one of my Highland Park posts that I’m especially impressed with the work that their blenders do…with their combination of American and Spanish oak (but all sherry casks), and the split between first fill and refill. I’ve had a couple of HP single casks that I felt lost some of the magic that the blenders have achieved in the OB releases.
Single casks are interesting. There are brilliant ones and duds, even from a distillery that you might be a big fan of. The pursuit of a top notch single cask can be exciting, and scoring a “great” one is very rewarding.
I suppose joining the SMWS would be a great way to enjoy that pursuit, huh? 😉
Cheers,
Jeff
Great site, Jeff!
I’ve very recently created a Scotch site of my own (www.dramselindistress.com) and want to put together a blind taste testing. As you know, this can get very pricey and I’d hate to ask folks to provide $40-$80 bottles. Have you got any helpful suggestions other than us all heading to the nearest bar?
Many thanks,
the Dramsel
Thanks, Dramsel!
I guess it depends on what kind of blind tasting you’re talking about. If it’s a bunch of whisky enthusiasts getting together, like mine, then people should already have bottles they can bring along. Keep in mind that you only need like 1/2 an ounce per person for each one, so if you’re doing it with 12 people, you’re only talking about using up a quarter of their $40 bottle. Not a bad entry fee to taste the other provided bottles.
Or are you talking about trying to get a bunch of newbies together? In that case, you’re probably going to want to do a different kind of tasting…
No, no, no, no. I’m trying (and failing so far) to get my girls to try Scotch and hopefully (maybe? possibly?) like it.
What is this “different kind of tasting” you speak of?
Ok…for the record, I’m proceeding under the assumption that your “girls” are of legal drinking age. 🙂
Anyway, you’re definitely talking about a different scenario. My experience with people who don’t seem to like spirits (even after trying a few tries) has been that you need to start out with the alcohol content brought down to around 20%.
My Brother is into red wine, but I havn’t been able to get him to take up whisky. However, I tried serving him a Glendronach 12 year with 50% water and that went over much better. In fact, for a wine drinker, it might be easier to start out with Brandy instead of Whisky. Something like Germain Robin, or even Remy Martin VSOP.
Also, check out the video links on my Whisky Resources page on how to drink whisky (Richard Paterson and Gerry Tosh) and show those to them. They talk about approaching the glass multiple times to get past the initial alcohol hit.
Hi Jeff! Great to find your blog! Since my dyslexia seems to be taking a day off, I’m away to enjoy more of your posts. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!