i dont mean to be so off topic but does anyone know a trick to get back into an instagram account?? I somehow lost the account password. I would love any help you can give me
@Jalen Jagger I really appreciate your reply. I found the site on google and im in the hacking process atm. Takes a while so I will get back to you later with my results.
Ralfy I wonder if you've ever come across 'Glen Marnoch' from Aldi? I got the 18 year old and it seems like a very decent Glenfiddich substitute with a whisp of peat and smoke, plus some nice mellow/fresh fruit flavours. At just under £20 pounds I would say its a bargain (I don't work for Aldi, honest)
Good point on braille on bottle labels. I am disabled myself (wheelchair user), though, other than being shortsighted, there is nothing wrong with my vision, but it is a very interesting point. Anyway, there's no excuse for bottles in landfill - surely everywhere has bottle banks these days?
Ralfy, well done for pointing out the need for Braille labelling. My Mrs is blind, so I see the problems that she faces in her darkness. Every occasion she has to ask somebody what something says, eats into her feeling of independence. In Canada they even have Braille on their bank notes. Here, it's mainly medicine that is marked with Braille. I hope the bottlers are listening, and take note. Cheers Ralfy.
Can still remember my mum's dividend number - repeated thousands of times at the local Co-Op check out! I'm 64. Very interesting outcome of the tasting! Thanks.
Hello Ralfy! Thanks for good reviews! I'm from Russia and in our supermarkets sold only White Horse, Jameson, Chivas, Ballantines and Jack Daniels at very high prices. Malt Whiskies never seen. Malt Whiskies sold only in specialized stores which a very small amount. So your supermarket Whiskies in our supermarkets will be very expensive and luxury :-) Sorry for my bad english. Andrew, Moscow.
I picked up Tesco special reserve and was suprised as to how good it tastes I have heard that it is distilled by white and Mackay. Taste similar so it wouldn't surprise me. Would definitely recommend.
I've tried several supermarket own makes or cheaper whiskeys and most of them are reasonable in terms of taste some are even better than some leading brands of Whiskey. Even something like High Commissioner is ok, usually the cheaper whiskeys are sweeter as the manufacturer have added sugar or honey to compensate for other weaknesses. In terms of cost to taste I think Scottish Leader is an excellent whiskey, in fact I prefer it to Famous Grouse or Bells.
Bought Tesco's bottom of the barrel value stuff today (£16/L), because of price and to see what it might be like. I have absolutely no knowledge about whisky or any other drinks, I'm an "all wine tastes the same" person. However, I think it might be a little bit horrible. The impression it makes on the back of the tongue is somewhat unpleasant, but as far as my lay-tongue can tell it's whisky, and not detergent as was claimed on some website. I put a bit of honey in it which improved things (not sure I care enough to go the oak stick route!). I suppose I'm happy with it overall, I'm in it for the effect rather than the taste, within reason. I can't tell if the offputting label is influencing me or not, I'm well aware it could well be. Entertaining channel by the way.
ik its not a single malt... or a scotch of any type for that matter but i personaly favor jameson irish whiskey its aaround 30 $ here in the us and thats all i can aford its smooth as silk and it gets the job done ;)
Given ASDA ES Islay another go- Think it comes into its own when you've had a few- You can enjoy its unique character for what it is-- Suggest it's a good follow on whisky from something more luxurious- When you reach the stage where better whiskies are wasted on you- this is when the less subtle smoky oaky character of the ES I takes its jacket off and rolls up its sleeves
ralfy what is your opinion on the glen marnoch 18 or 24? i recently bought a bottle of 18 cheap from aldi and i gave to say i was impressed wondered your thoughts on it yes it is chill filtered and has colouring but for the price i think it is a very good buy
Enjoyed the Tesco saw a Speyside one there to that haven't tried yet Tesco one you cant go wrong not best or worst but enjoyable and easy to drink saw myself turning to this when had a couple of other name brands and bourbon
Here in New York. It goes like this "Off-premises sale of wine and spirits is only at liquor stores, and beer is not sold at liquor stores; it must be sold at supermarkets and convenience stores." I have never seen a supermarket sell anything other than beers. To get Whisky one would have to go to a licensed liquor store. And if you wanted some beer as well as whisky, you would have to go to a petrol station or supermarket for the beer. lol
Hello- Discovered Co-op blended 8 y.o. malt whisky (half bottle for only 9 quid) hidden in tobacco section- Seems to have ONLY malts (+ caramel listed) At first thought it lacked character- but after couple of glasses- tasted amazing- (to a novice like me) Maybe had a bit of Auchentoshan and something like unpeated Jura- but not really sure-- Not an expert- I'd've thought it was like a nice Speyside or Lowland-- Maybe even Highland for all I know- Could be best value blend I've had
that sucks... i went to Pennsylvania, and it drove me crazy, it was like "oh where do i get beer?" "oh and wait where do i get whisky ?" i had to go to 3 places to throw my party. in good ol CA .... we can "1 stop shop" for booze... we have places that look like a Walmart, but only sell booze... all types... spirits, beer, wine... it is "Glorious "
When it comes to strange brands, Clan MacGregor (as seen in Tesco) is actually not bad (I'm assuming it's a blend) at this very moment, Whyte & Mackay was £14 (Teacher's was £14.50) make of those what you will. Morrison's own brand 35cl is about the same price as the 35cl vodka and gin which is practically unknown, not that I've tried it though. I've tried Morrison's Savers ...it's what you'd expect, just about drinkable with soda, not quite requiring Coke. The Store (Co-Op) always do Braille, it's one thing you can give them credit for.
Ralfy did you see what Sainsbury's recently rolled out? Three premium single malts (Islay, Highland, Speyside). All non-chill filtered and bottled at a high strength (around 46% I think). About £28. Only trouble is, they give you only 50 cl. For that reason, I think many consumers (including myself) will pass these by. For that price, we could get 70 cl of a name we know and trust (such as Laphroaig quarter cask). On the other hand, these might be special ...???
Man, I'd love a bottle of that Tesco whiskey. We in the states get *some* house-brand whiskies, but for the most part they're cheap and...not very good, to be charitable. We ARE fortunate enough to get single-barrel bourbons, however, selected by a particular shop/supermarket. I've picked up some nice Knob Creek and Buffalo Trace that way.
first tasting was in very cold background temperature during severe cold weather without heating-- Maybe that's why it wouldn't open up and was just bitter
Just to point out (being an expat Australian living in the UK) that in 99% of Australia you can't buy alcohol from a supermarket, and from all my time living there I never once saw a Supermarket "own" brand of any alcohol.
Excellent review. Informative at many levels. In these penny-pinching times, I'm wondering if you've done a Scotch as rock-bottom (in price - £11.99) as the Aldi 8 year-old blend. I'm guessing that whisky can't be bought for much cheaper than that, yet it's better, I think, than most of the blends that cost more. Also, you don't mention Asda here, but when supermarket deals on the single malt names are scarce, I tend to go there for one of the three (Islay, Highland, Speyside - all about £19).
I went to ASDA this week to do some shopping. Almost every whisky was rolled back, and it is not the first time I have seen it. Anyway, Did not notice any ASDA own, but picked me up a bottle of Aberlour 12 for £18... fantastic
The supermarket own makes aren't under the Supermarket label they won't be called ASDA or Tesco, Basically it's the cheapest bottle on the shelf, it's been produced by the supermarket but they won't put their own name on it.
24magiccarrot "bottled for ASDA sotres Ltd" you are correct. Since writing this comment I found 3 Extra Special bottle of whiskies that are ASDA's, but without blatantly stating it
In Canada we can't have alcohol at all in supermarkets. The only place you can buy alcohol in Canada is in a government run liquor board. And the kicker? you pay almost 40% tax on it. And the taxes continue to grow higher because there's no where else to buy alcohol.
Very interesting, wish there were more local low shelf whiskeys where i live. Will you do a review on the best and *cheapest* Scotch blend : ? ) JWBlack is getting too pricey and Teachers isn't around here.
@chrish12345 By the way, I picked up on the grape vine that some of these Glen Marnoch's have been Dalmores - it would make sense with the dried fruits, slight smokiness and obvious sherry ageing.
Curiosity led me to ASDA ES Islay as couldn't find fair reviews- Could've had special offer Bowmore for £4.50 more but no age on label- ES Islay- going by Bollyeggs report may lack consistency and might've changed- Bitterness overwhelmed my palate- Didn't seem to open up with or without time and water- Boring- midly smoky in a token way but lacks depth- Perhaps my tastebuds were off-- Need to try more to make sure- Maybe it's personal preference- No expert by any means
Taken a liking to ASDA ES Islay after initial dissatisfaction- Lots of robust character-- Instead of hoping it's Caol Ila or something-- maybe its just it's own man and you have to accept and enjoy it for that-
HI Ralfy, do you know any online store with shipping to South America? I live in Brazil and I'm having a hard time finding single malt whisky. I found many good onlne stores but none of them send bottles to Brazil.
In my country, the Netherlands, supermarkets aren't allowed to sell strong spirits like whiskey. We do have a big store called Gall & Gall, which sells a variety of different spirits, they've got over 500 shops in our countries. Almost a spirit supermarket I would say!
I've been drinking since I was 16 (not heavily. Not an alcoholic) but it sucks that they would place a legal age at all. It should be based on a test that you take when you're 16 to determine whether or not you're mature enough to drink.
+varun009 That's a very interesting idea, my family has always gone with the rule that around age 16 or so, we can drink in moderation, of course in the US the drinking age is 21, and unless you have parental consent it's it's hard to get alcohol without looking like an alcoholic or a crazy college kid. It's one of the few things that are micro - managed like crazy here in the US. It's also difficult to start a legal distillary, without loads of money.
Valentin Lance That sounds about right. My parents let me start drinking at 18 in spite of the law. They're more liberal that way. Even if they didn't, I could still walk into a liquor store and buy alcohol. I've been 6'2" since I was 15. Not common here. Typical government over-regulation. I swear, you can't cross the street without getting at least 15 approvals first these days.
Hi Ralfy, I work for Marks and Spencer. Have you ever tried any of our single malts, and what were your opinions? Off the top of my head we do a Speyside, Isle of Mull, Highland and 'Glengoyne' single malts in our range.
Co-op is a wonderful organisation. A model for a more ethical economy. Proud to be a member!
Your reviews and commentary are excellent.
i dont mean to be so off topic but does anyone know a trick to get back into an instagram account??
I somehow lost the account password. I would love any help you can give me
@Raylan Trace Instablaster :)
@Jalen Jagger I really appreciate your reply. I found the site on google and im in the hacking process atm.
Takes a while so I will get back to you later with my results.
@Jalen Jagger It did the trick and I now got access to my account again. I am so happy:D
Thanks so much, you saved my account !
@Raylan Trace No problem :)
Ralfy I wonder if you've ever come across 'Glen Marnoch' from Aldi? I got the 18 year old and it seems like a very decent Glenfiddich substitute with a whisp of peat and smoke, plus some nice mellow/fresh fruit flavours. At just under £20 pounds I would say its a bargain (I don't work for Aldi, honest)
Good point on braille on bottle labels. I am disabled myself (wheelchair user), though, other than being shortsighted, there is nothing wrong with my vision, but it is a very interesting point. Anyway, there's no excuse for bottles in landfill - surely everywhere has bottle banks these days?
Ralfy, well done for pointing out the need for Braille labelling. My Mrs is blind, so I see the problems that she faces in her darkness. Every occasion she has to ask somebody what something says, eats into her feeling of independence. In Canada they even have Braille on their bank notes. Here, it's mainly medicine that is marked with Braille. I hope the bottlers are listening, and take note.
Cheers Ralfy.
Can still remember my mum's dividend number - repeated thousands of times at the local Co-Op check out! I'm 64. Very interesting outcome of the tasting! Thanks.
Me too and 63.
Thank you rafly, you are a true gentleman ;)
love your work.
Hello Ralfy! Thanks for good reviews! I'm from Russia and in our supermarkets sold only White Horse, Jameson, Chivas, Ballantines and Jack Daniels at very high prices. Malt Whiskies never seen. Malt Whiskies sold only in specialized stores which a very small amount. So your supermarket Whiskies in our supermarkets will be very expensive and luxury :-) Sorry for my bad english. Andrew, Moscow.
Hi Ralphy, very good point about the braille on the coop bottle. It's a mystery why not more bottles have it...
keep up your good reviews
What about lidl and aldi ? They usually have a selection of single malts.
Lidl's Abrachan for £17.49 is excellent. Cannot go wrong for the price.
I picked up Tesco special reserve and was suprised as to how good it tastes I have heard that it is distilled by white and Mackay. Taste similar so it wouldn't surprise me. Would definitely recommend.
It is very good, and blended by Richard Patterson. One of my favoured blends.
I've tried several supermarket own makes or cheaper whiskeys and most of them are reasonable in terms of taste some are even better than some leading brands of Whiskey. Even something like High Commissioner is ok, usually the cheaper whiskeys are sweeter as the manufacturer have added sugar or honey to compensate for other weaknesses.
In terms of cost to taste I think Scottish Leader is an excellent whiskey, in fact I prefer it to Famous Grouse or Bells.
I work for the co-op and I have dropped a box of those blended bottles, they aren't very strong! It was painful to see whisky wasted.
‘Fake tan’ great way to put it!
I have never thought of that before but the braille on the label is a fantastic addition to any label
Bought Tesco's bottom of the barrel value stuff today (£16/L), because of price and to see what it might be like. I have absolutely no knowledge about whisky or any other drinks, I'm an "all wine tastes the same" person. However, I think it might be a little bit horrible. The impression it makes on the back of the tongue is somewhat unpleasant, but as far as my lay-tongue can tell it's whisky, and not detergent as was claimed on some website. I put a bit of honey in it which improved things (not sure I care enough to go the oak stick route!). I suppose I'm happy with it overall, I'm in it for the effect rather than the taste, within reason. I can't tell if the offputting label is influencing me or not, I'm well aware it could well be.
Entertaining channel by the way.
ik its not a single malt... or a scotch of any type for that matter but i personaly favor jameson irish whiskey its aaround 30 $ here in the us and thats all i can aford its smooth as silk and it gets the job done ;)
Given ASDA ES Islay another go- Think it comes into its own when you've had a few- You can enjoy its unique character for what it is-- Suggest it's a good follow on whisky from something more luxurious- When you reach the stage where better whiskies are wasted on you- this is when the less subtle smoky oaky character of the ES I takes its jacket off and rolls up its sleeves
ralfy what is your opinion on the glen marnoch 18 or 24? i recently bought a bottle of 18 cheap from aldi and i gave to say i was impressed wondered your thoughts on it yes it is chill filtered and has colouring but for the price i think it is a very good buy
Enjoyed the Tesco saw a Speyside one there to that haven't tried yet Tesco one you cant go wrong not best or worst but enjoyable and easy to drink saw myself turning to this when had a couple of other name brands and bourbon
Here in New York. It goes like this "Off-premises sale of wine and spirits is only at liquor stores, and beer is not sold at liquor stores; it must be sold at supermarkets and convenience stores."
I have never seen a supermarket sell anything other than beers.
To get Whisky one would have to go to a licensed liquor store. And if you wanted some beer as well as whisky, you would have to go to a petrol station or supermarket for the beer. lol
Hello- Discovered Co-op blended 8 y.o. malt whisky (half bottle for only 9 quid) hidden in tobacco section- Seems to have ONLY malts (+ caramel listed) At first thought it lacked character- but after couple of glasses- tasted amazing- (to a novice like me) Maybe had a bit of Auchentoshan and something like unpeated Jura- but not really sure-- Not an expert- I'd've thought it was like a nice Speyside or Lowland-- Maybe even Highland for all I know- Could be best value blend I've had
that sucks... i went to Pennsylvania, and it drove me crazy, it was like "oh where do i get beer?" "oh and wait where do i get whisky ?" i had to go to 3 places to throw my party. in good ol CA .... we can "1 stop shop" for booze... we have places that look like a Walmart, but only sell booze... all types... spirits, beer, wine... it is "Glorious "
When it comes to strange brands, Clan MacGregor (as seen in Tesco) is actually not bad (I'm assuming it's a blend) at this very moment, Whyte & Mackay was £14 (Teacher's was £14.50) make of those what you will.
Morrison's own brand 35cl is about the same price as the 35cl vodka and gin which is practically unknown, not that I've tried it though.
I've tried Morrison's Savers ...it's what you'd expect, just about drinkable with soda, not quite requiring Coke.
The Store (Co-Op) always do Braille, it's one thing you can give them credit for.
Ralfy did you see what Sainsbury's recently rolled out? Three premium single malts (Islay, Highland, Speyside). All non-chill filtered and bottled at a high strength (around 46% I think). About £28. Only trouble is, they give you only 50 cl. For that reason, I think many consumers (including myself) will pass these by. For that price, we could get 70 cl of a name we know and trust (such as Laphroaig quarter cask). On the other hand, these might be special ...???
@TheBeebopper I think that Sainsbury' s Irish is also from the Cooley distillery.
Man, I'd love a bottle of that Tesco whiskey.
We in the states get *some* house-brand whiskies, but for the most part they're cheap and...not very good, to be charitable.
We ARE fortunate enough to get single-barrel bourbons, however, selected by a particular shop/supermarket. I've picked up some nice Knob Creek and Buffalo Trace that way.
first tasting was in very cold background temperature during severe cold weather without heating-- Maybe that's why it wouldn't open up and was just bitter
Thank you ralfy. , I thought the Tesco one was good,but sweet.
But its off to the Co op tomorrow ,to check out the beefy one.
Like your Philosophy .
You have good taste :-)
Just to point out (being an expat Australian living in the UK) that in 99% of Australia you can't buy alcohol from a supermarket, and from all my time living there I never once saw a Supermarket "own" brand of any alcohol.
I tried Mcclleland's single malt which was 23$ and it was a great scotch for that price
Excellent review. Informative at many levels. In these penny-pinching times, I'm wondering if you've done a Scotch as rock-bottom (in price - £11.99) as the Aldi 8 year-old blend. I'm guessing that whisky can't be bought for much cheaper than that, yet it's better, I think, than most of the blends that cost more. Also, you don't mention Asda here, but when supermarket deals on the single malt names are scarce, I tend to go there for one of the three (Islay, Highland, Speyside - all about £19).
I went to ASDA this week to do some shopping. Almost every whisky was rolled back, and it is not the first time I have seen it.
Anyway, Did not notice any ASDA own, but picked me up a bottle of Aberlour 12 for £18... fantastic
very good value !
The supermarket own makes aren't under the Supermarket label they won't be called ASDA or Tesco, Basically it's the cheapest bottle on the shelf, it's been produced by the supermarket but they won't put their own name on it.
24magiccarrot "bottled for ASDA sotres Ltd" you are correct. Since writing this comment I found 3 Extra Special bottle of whiskies that are ASDA's, but without blatantly stating it
In Canada we can't have alcohol at all in supermarkets. The only place you can buy alcohol in Canada is in a government run liquor board. And the kicker? you pay almost 40% tax on it. And the taxes continue to grow higher because there's no where else to buy alcohol.
Update---August 2016 ...BC has private stores and supermarkets can now sell but must be from a separate annex.
Isn't that strange for a country like Canada, where you can risk cold exposure. Or is it?
alcohol is done province to province, quebec also has alcohol everywhere. youre probably from ontario
Very interesting, wish there were more local low shelf whiskeys where i live.
Will you do a review on the best and *cheapest* Scotch blend : ? ) JWBlack is getting too pricey and Teachers isn't around here.
@chrish12345 By the way, I picked up on the grape vine that some of these Glen Marnoch's have been Dalmores - it would make sense with the dried fruits, slight smokiness and obvious sherry ageing.
Curiosity led me to ASDA ES Islay as couldn't find fair reviews- Could've had special offer Bowmore for £4.50 more but no age on label- ES Islay- going by Bollyeggs report may lack consistency and might've changed- Bitterness overwhelmed my palate- Didn't seem to open up with or without time and water- Boring- midly smoky in a token way but lacks depth- Perhaps my tastebuds were off-- Need to try more to make sure- Maybe it's personal preference- No expert by any means
i'm going to take a break from the bourbons and rum..... and get back to scotch....its just so much more complex and good
@ralfystuff
Haha that's great, i love caipirinha. If you're having trouble finding a cachaça bottle let me know.
Taken a liking to ASDA ES Islay after initial dissatisfaction- Lots of robust character-- Instead of hoping it's Caol Ila or something-- maybe its just it's own man and you have to accept and enjoy it for that-
I like lidls brandy and bourbon
HI Ralfy, do you know any online store with shipping to South America? I live in Brazil and I'm having a hard time finding single malt whisky. I found many good onlne stores but none of them send bottles to Brazil.
In my country, the Netherlands, supermarkets aren't allowed to sell strong spirits like whiskey. We do have a big store called Gall & Gall, which sells a variety of different spirits, they've got over 500 shops in our countries. Almost a spirit supermarket I would say!
It's a pain. In india, you have to go to a liquor store to get any kind of alcohol. Drinking age? 25... (isn't enforced though).
Drinking age here is 18 for light beverages, 21 for stronger ones (like whisky, vodka etc.)
I've been drinking since I was 16 (not heavily. Not an alcoholic) but it sucks that they would place a legal age at all. It should be based on a test that you take when you're 16 to determine whether or not you're mature enough to drink.
+varun009 That's a very interesting idea, my family has always gone with the rule that around age 16 or so, we can drink in moderation, of course in the US the drinking age is 21, and unless you have parental consent it's it's hard to get alcohol without looking like an alcoholic or a crazy college kid. It's one of the few things that are micro - managed like crazy here in the US. It's also difficult to start a legal distillary, without loads of money.
Valentin Lance That sounds about right. My parents let me start drinking at 18 in spite of the law. They're more liberal that way. Even if they didn't, I could still walk into a liquor store and buy alcohol. I've been 6'2" since I was 15. Not common here. Typical government over-regulation. I swear, you can't cross the street without getting at least 15 approvals first these days.
The whisky industry not only makes money but thing is. They actually care about the people.
Do you know if you can purchase sample packs of fine fine whiskeys like you can absinthe
Hi Ralfy,
I work for Marks and Spencer. Have you ever tried any of our single malts, and what were your opinions? Off the top of my head we do a Speyside, Isle of Mull, Highland and 'Glengoyne' single malts in our range.
I always pick up a bottle of the 12yo Speyside from M&S in Princes Street when I'm staying in Edinburgh. Pricey for a 20cl but very good stuff.
Is the Co-op bottle a re labelled vat69? looks and seems similar
ralfy do you remember how much these bottles were?
why do you have a hydrometer on the table?
Highland 12 a supermarket whisky with age statement? Does Tesco still make it?
. . . . no longer available, replaced long ago for an inferior product !
@@thewhiskybothy the more things change, the more they stay the same
Haha, just want to add 'vegan' is pronounced 'vee-gen' not 'vej-ans'
No its pronounced sissy girl :P
hi have u ever ordered off drink supermarket. com and if so what did u think thanks
That's bad! That simply should not be the case!
Does anyone know what song he is singing at the beginning ??
+phil johnson "Ging Gang Goolie"! It's an old boy scout's song here in the UK!
wisky😎😎👋
Supermarket whiskies are not available in Salt Lake City, Utah. Don't ask... ;-)