Love your fearlessness with blending. Your videos led me to start my own infinity bottles, and it's amazing how much you learn when you start blending on your own. Cheers!
To me it is hard to compliment a Brit, but as Dali, Pollock, Bacon, Frida Kahlo, Picasso and Warhol became the 'white cane' that led us the masses through the dark maze of understanding and appreciating art as such during the 20th century, so will you Ralfy be recognised in the 21st century as the one who guided us the masses (not just the 5%) in our quest to discover and understand whisky/ey. Thanks, and keep on keeping it real!
Ralfy the other thing I have been doing other than whisky is because of you .I have been reading the stoics because of your other channel and it has made life a lot more easy in these current times.Thank you
Ralfy, I've been a subscriber for several years now. I just have to say, that outro was my favorite tidbit of wisdom I've heard from you, and I'm going to incorporate it into my own repertoire when addressing my circle of friends and family. To paraphrase: "This has been a wonderful waste of time, because after all, we could've been wasting our time doing something else." Truer words were never spoken. Cheers!
We have new distilleries here in New Zealand, like the Cardrona whisky, and although it is young (3-4 years). It always states it on the label and therefore has a lot of respect within the whisky community here. It will be interesting to see how new global innovative distilleries will put pressure on Scotch distilleries to add more info to their bottlings.
Ralfy, thank you for another engaging vlog! I haven't watched any whisky content in a few months for some reason, watching other stuff, renewing some old hobbies, etc. I haven't even done much meaningful sipping, working from home somehow I now have less time and by the time I'm "done", it's a bit late and I feel like tea. Anyway, I ran out of stuff to watch and came back out of boredom and here I am, reminded of just how enriching this can be. I have a few bottles of Arran 10 stashed of the older variety, which you reviewed in the "big fright" vlog (where the bottle fell but didn't break). I grabbed them as they were being discontinued, at liquidation price, so I'm a happy camper, a very confident whisky, this.
The wee beastie is great evidence that distilleries that are listening to these discussions are reaping rewards. Wish I could find a bottle to try it myself.
I commented in one of their official YT videos asking and they said it is becoming part of the core range. So I would imagine you’ll soon have no problem finding it. What happened is people thought it was limited edition and boom collectors swooped in and bought. Joke is on them.
There are plenty of whiskies that are blended similar in a fairly young style to Wee Beastie. Have a look for Scallywag or Monkey Shoulder. Neither is peated so if you must have peat then try Douglas Laing's Big Peat. I agree that Wee Beastie is hard to find. Never seen it anywhere.
Ralfy, While it is not on their bottle, Deanston lists their “Natural Ingredients” on the canister of their 12 year old and Organic 15 year old expressions and probably others. Also, Glen Grant quite proudly discusses their “unique purifiers”, complete with graphics, on their 12 and 15 year old expressions but only mention it on their 18 year old (but on both the box and bottle). But only the 15 specifically states it is non-chill filtered.
Honesty is always the best policy Ralphy good one thanks! Cooler weather settling in on the Canadian prairies. I’m ahead of schedule Laphroig 10 and Talisker 10 at half mast. Can’t wait to to try Glenfarclas 15 and I found it in my area for $90 Canadian eh? After that I will try Anoc 10 @$70 Canadian if you agree. I will look again of your review of it. Steady as she goes skipper! Will report again in a month. Chin chin!
Greetings Ralfy!. So glad I've found you. It is refreshing to find a fellow Malty that is a grown-up, not swayed by the latest trendy swill reviewed by bearded hipsters that wouldn't know good whisky if they fell into a bathtub full. I will be following you kind sir and I plan to celebrate my upcoming 70th birthday with one of your suggestions. Great call on the Johnny Blue. I could not nor would I try to say it better. I wish to share my motto with you: "Corn is for making bread and feeding pigs. Keep it the hell out of my whisky!" All the best. JJJ.
Thanks Ralfy! Since you are so generous with your grown-up knowledge, I would like to share my grown-up music with you. reverbnation.com/johnnystrasser
Re rum; look out for Fiji rum, Bounty label, sold in 1125ml bottles at 57% and sensibly priced cf. the insipid ubiquitous cough mixture Corubas, Morgans and their like. Bundaberg Inner Circle was similar to Bounty but hard to find now. Cheers Ralfy and thanks for your insight and perception of tricks that might otherwise suck us in.
Speaking of disclosure, I remember buying a bottle of Compass Box Peat Monster years ago from a supermarket in Cambodia. I was impressed they gave you the "recipe" of the malts used in the blend, and of course they state natural colour and non-chill filtered right on the label. I could have used part of my duty-free limit on more "fashionable" bottles but I decided to support Compass Box instead. (I got Balvenie 15 Single barrel and a Lagavulin Distillers Edition as well on the same trip if you were wondering =P)
Ralfy the wisdom you have mate it tremendous. Litterly hanged on to every word you said on this one. Really makes you think. Sometimes we do get bogged down with these so called amazing whiskies that it's refreshing to think of comparing supermarket against so called better one. Keep up the good work. 🥃👍🏻
What an initial moment of silence when you blended the two whiskies. But I confess I do it also in a bottle where I keep and blend what is left in bottles. Some of these whiskies allow blending very well: Preferred make: Ardbeg 10... 😎
I got your book, 2nd edition (got it on wook - Portugal) and... it's got a typo on the spine. "Search for a whisky botha". Kind of give it a rough character, so I'm not annoyed, just amused. Keep up the excellent work.
Oh Ralphy The truth you speak! Dare to be bold! Stand up for your principles I have some strong opinions as well but not even close to your knowledge.i learn so much from your videos. I'm originally from New Glasgow in Nova Scotia Canada.Could that be a reason I hang on your every word? Your engaged student Thanks ,Bob
Robert Fraser for an “engaged student” that’s learning “so much”, you obviously haven’t learned how to spell RALFY! 😜 Just a little teasing from a fellow Canadian malt mate. 😉
Would also like to take the opportunity to recommend Rum; in this case: Rum da Madeira 970...do look for it...it can be truly exceptional , particularly the Madeira single cask expressions (besides, Madeira was the first place where rum was ever produced...before Cape Verde [look out for Tropicana grog], Brazil and the Caribbean, etc, etc)
i bet whiskey snobs would cry out in horror and faint seeing you mix those two, then proceed to talk about it for years after the fact about how ralfy the terror mixed grocery store blend with beloved arran 10 and enjoyed it. heavens!
Can you tell a bit more about the name/label of the 3yo blend you tasted? Is it only available in local supermarkets in your area? Curious: In Germany.
Another handy thing with the coop 3 y.o is that the half bottles cost is just a few pence more expensive than half the cost of a full bottle, the 5 y.o is good too. Big-up the coop!
When I was a kid my dad used to chew a particular bubble gum. I saw it at the market the other day and bought some. It didn't taste anything like I remember. I've noticed the ingredients has changed with some things at the super market. When I haven't tried them for many years, they taste different, the size is smaller, the price has gone up.
Synthetic sweeteners have changed the original flavour of many well established brands and products I used to love. I really dislike the flavour of aspartame /acesulfame k, and the like. Tastes nothing like sugar to me. It really grinds my gears when they put it in the 'original' version, alongside actual sugar! I used to love drinking both Dr.Pepper and Vimto, but now, despite them both actually offering sugar-free versions, they put artificial sweetener as well as 'real' sugar in their 'original' version. Man, Vimto cordial used to be a rich, dark, fruity, mildly herbal, syrupy cordial drink. It's barely recognisable as Vimto these days. Thin and artificial tasting. Sad. Really getting into my stride as a grumpy middle aged man, here! Those bastards have sullied the memories of my childhood. Have you had a Walnut Whip recently? Jesus Christ! They used to be a niche market luxury 'adult' chocolate treat (milk and dark chocolate options were always a mark of class in the eighties).I had one a few years back. It was like the Stepford Wives or some shit. An imposter. Kinda looked like one, but just lesser quality now. Grrr. Might fire off some disgruntled emails in the morning...grumble...mumble
When I'm looking at a Scotch Whisky in the shop, I automatically assume that it has been matured 3 years in an oak cask, chill filtered with added caramel color unless they state otherwise on the label.....and I don't buy it!! I might buy it if they were honest and stated it like this blend has, but the price should reflect it as well! Ralfy, can you give a few examples of a decent proprietary blend that is typically available in most places around the world?
@@thewhiskybothy I'll look out for that one, Thanks! Costco supermarket in Canada has it's own Kirkland 12 year old blend. I wish you could get a bottle of it to review.
Excellent points on information and transparecy. Age statements on rums are notoriously unreliable. In some, it's the oldest rum ki the mix, in some it may be the average age, in others it's the youngest. There are some rums, like Rhum Agricole AOC (soon to be renamed AOP) where the rules about origin, proiuction methods, ageing, and labelling are a lotr stricter. And some of them are virtually dry rums with less than 3 g of sugar per litre. Sugar is known as a great masker of faults in several kinds of drinks: tea, other sioft drinks, spirits, and not least wine: You taste the sweetness to the detrimet of the other tastes and smells. [Semi sweet German white QbAs are notorious: go for the dry (as most Germans do) or the really (naturally) sweet ones. ]
HI RALFY! I BOUGHT YOUR BOOK AND READING IT(ALSO LOVING THE EXPERIENCE)ONE IMPORTANT MENTION THOUGH. ON THE SIDE MARGIN OF THE BOOK,THE PRINT SAYS" WHISKY BOTHA" INSTEAD OF BOTHY. PLEASE POINT OUT THE MISTAKE TO THE PRINTER/PUBLISHER FOR CORRECTION FOR THE NEXT EDITION....... SYED SHAHNAWAZ. CANADA.
Disclosure and Transparency will be Rewarded. I have given up Rewarding any Distillery and Brewery. If I am not seen as a valued consumer than I am seen as a unvalued consumer. As a consumer I have the ultimate power to dictate where my wealth will be spent.
can you review the 'glenmorangie the accord 12yo?" it seems to be similar to lasanta, as both whiskys are 12 years old, and using both bourbon & olloloso Sherry cask. well, it is traveler exclusive, but thanks to damn corona, there are lot of 'limits' to access to those traveler excusive. I hope i can see you review the whisky and compare it with lasanta. thx.
I think the explosion of the whisky/ey is because the beer manufacturing has gotten so big and the beers so bad that people are going somewhere else with their imbibing. Bourbons here that were common are now by order only because they can't be kept in stock.
Ralfy i got one exstra fore you. I bugt a singel cask kilchoman. And i dont understand how cand they call it singel cask if its 6yr in ex-burbon and 19month in madeira cask. This is strange its aloud. Can you exsplain ? Help an malmate understand 😊 have a nice day
Hi! I'm not Ralfy, but here's my take...So a single malt means it's from one distillery. However, it can still be from a blend of different casks within that distillery. This means that there is consistency in each bottle, as each individual cask can be very different, from the type of wood to where it is in the warehouse (some areas may be damper and colder than the other side of the warehouse which could be warmer and dryer). Generally, Single cask means that they haven't blended multiple casks together, which have aged whisky separately. But that the whisky was from one barrel and that same whisky spirit was then aged in another individual barrel. So you get a really unique tale from Single Cask whisky as it tells you about the individual casks that the spirit was aged in, rather than the general flavour of the amalgamation of lots of different casks within the distillery. Does your bottle have a cask number too? That's why they include the cask number. Does that help?
Ralfy once upon a time you lamented the alcoholism in UK and the focus on vodka. Have things changed? In Canada the volumes youths consume is way way down from my 20s and 30s. Cheers my friend🥃🥃🥃🥃
Oh Ralfy, thanks a lot for this one. I believe you are wrong in one point: 5%? I guess those passionate enjoyers of whisk(e)y are much less. Regards and Slainte, Peter. One of those Germans
In a way I like the traditionalist nature of the whisky world. But the areas they choose to bend and not bend sometimes make me scratch my head. For instance why are they allowed to sherry syrup the cases... but they can’t use inner staves? If they’re going to be traditional, just go all the way and ban chill filtration, ban syruped casks, ban low quality barley sources, and ban NAS, and ban e150.
well, by "tradition" chill filtration, caramel coloring are allowed. Inner staves? That has never been done before! No, no, no! You naugthy Spice Tree, no inner staves allowed! You guess what? That's what allows non scotch whiskies to rise and thrive. Where the SWA disallows, rest of the world just do. LOL!
Peter Aleut Ong if you think about it, I have to wonder why e150 and chill filtration was not considered a “non-traditional innovation” though? I wonder what year those practices started. Were they adding color back in those 1800’s dates that whiskies love to print on their bottles?
@@robfut9954 The problem with industry regulatory body like SWA is that it assumes the authority of standardising practices (by allowing or not banning chill filtration and e150) which would seem sensible and appealing in a certain time (clear liquid equates clean and quality whisky, dark colour equates longer aging and looks more presentable) and they become traditions. I still find many people today who are adamant not to pay for something aged 20 years but looks as pale as a very young whisky, and worst when it starts to look cloudy in the glass.
@@robfut9954 Ralfy's done a phenomenal service for the community of whisky lovers. He deserves much wider audience, if only his vlogs have multilingual CC.
Hey Ralfy - I got a problem with "hidden lies" that i started to notice thanks to watching Your channel - i mean barrier filtration. One would expect that if You buy Single cask whisky where on label it says "non-chill filtered" it is not filtered. But it is, just a bit warmer than "chill" but it is filtered. You Cool the bottle, add cool water and ... nothing - bunch of whirls and clear whisky after a moment. I feel cheated by that. Cheated by this non-chill filttered declaration which makes me think i drink water of life like it came out of the cask...
Well, you are probably in love with arran 10y (please do not loose racional thinking). I am not an expert, but as you mentioned do not underestimate the technology and changed regulation - all about sherry, and a little bit about madeira and port wine - > technology changed in last 40 years, different young alcohol in barrels -> different whiskey. But I think this video is pure antimarketing :-). And you are at least partialy right... why to pay premium for faked color or taste? If the bottle is 30+ euro, it should be honest and clear. And Arran 10y, I can understand, great value (have a bottle :-), open). Sugar and rum... there is a reason ... 20+ years old rums (mostly it is solera, so that is the oldest rum in blend) are like a 40+ years woody whiskey - you need to cover the bad wood aftertaste. But why create such 'premium" product? :-). Please defend your values, you are pure legend.
Hi Ralfy, as an established malt mate I'm really interested in expanding my palate and buying some rum. I am put off by your comments here about 'dosing' though and am not quite sure where to start. I would love it if you could point me and others towards rum bottlers to look for in our adventures. Kind regards, Peter. Warwick, UK.
If a company tells me that their whisky is 3 years old, got caramel colouring and is filtered, at least I know what I would be buying. They're not treating me like a fool, they are telling me exactly what it is. If I'm buying whisky as a gift for someone who likes the odd tipple of the mass blended, I might just buy that one just because it's being honest.
Stop. How can you praise the use of lighter, cheaper glass because it's environmentally friendly, then also praise the use of magnets, cardboard tubes, or cardboard boxes?
This (to me) was your best. Real honest information with backed up details, providing viewers with your take of the industry. I salute you, Sir.
Love your fearlessness with blending. Your videos led me to start my own infinity bottles, and it's amazing how much you learn when you start blending on your own. Cheers!
. . . happy to help !
To me it is hard to compliment a Brit, but as Dali, Pollock, Bacon, Frida Kahlo, Picasso and Warhol became the 'white cane' that led us the masses through the dark maze of understanding and appreciating art as such during the 20th century, so will you Ralfy be recognised in the 21st century as the one who guided us the masses (not just the 5%) in our quest to discover and understand whisky/ey. Thanks, and keep on keeping it real!
This was an exceptional video Ralfy. First class quality. Cheers.
Hi Ralfy. Been watching your channel for about a year and must say this is the most interesting Xtra to date that I've seen
Ralfy the other thing I have been doing other than whisky is because of you .I have been reading the stoics because of your other channel and it has made life a lot more easy in these current times.Thank you
. . . happy to share !
Ralfy, I've been a subscriber for several years now. I just have to say, that outro was my favorite tidbit of wisdom I've heard from you, and I'm going to incorporate it into my own repertoire when addressing my circle of friends and family. To paraphrase: "This has been a wonderful waste of time, because after all, we could've been wasting our time doing something else." Truer words were never spoken. Cheers!
These new topics about whiskies are really refreshing Ralfy. Cheer!
“FILTERED THROUGH THE HEATHER!” Love the Still Game quote!
We have new distilleries here in New Zealand, like the Cardrona whisky, and although it is young (3-4 years). It always states it on the label and therefore has a lot of respect within the whisky community here. It will be interesting to see how new global innovative distilleries will put pressure on Scotch distilleries to add more info to their bottlings.
. . . NZ can make some of the World's best whiskies due to 'provenance'.
@@thewhiskybothy We have lots of peat too!
@@thewhiskybothy What do you think about Compass Box who will disclose a lot their information about the blended whiskies they produce?
Waiheke?
Ralfy, thank you for another engaging vlog! I haven't watched any whisky content in a few months for some reason, watching other stuff, renewing some old hobbies, etc. I haven't even done much meaningful sipping, working from home somehow I now have less time and by the time I'm "done", it's a bit late and I feel like tea. Anyway, I ran out of stuff to watch and came back out of boredom and here I am, reminded of just how enriching this can be. I have a few bottles of Arran 10 stashed of the older variety, which you reviewed in the "big fright" vlog (where the bottle fell but didn't break). I grabbed them as they were being discontinued, at liquidation price, so I'm a happy camper, a very confident whisky, this.
The wee beastie is great evidence that distilleries that are listening to these discussions are reaping rewards. Wish I could find a bottle to try it myself.
I commented in one of their official YT videos asking and they said it is becoming part of the core range. So I would imagine you’ll soon have no problem finding it. What happened is people thought it was limited edition and boom collectors swooped in and bought. Joke is on them.
There are plenty of whiskies that are blended similar in a fairly young style to Wee Beastie. Have a look for Scallywag or Monkey Shoulder. Neither is peated so if you must have peat then try Douglas Laing's Big Peat. I agree that Wee Beastie is hard to find. Never seen it anywhere.
Found it forty minutes away, very worthwhile mini road trip. Surprising malt, not nearly as harsh as I was expecting, a strong pervading raisin note.
Ralfy,
While it is not on their bottle, Deanston lists their “Natural Ingredients” on the canister of their 12 year old and Organic 15 year old expressions and probably others. Also, Glen Grant quite proudly discusses their “unique purifiers”, complete with graphics, on their 12 and 15 year old expressions but only mention it on their 18 year old (but on both the box and bottle). But only the 15 specifically states it is non-chill filtered.
Honesty is always the best policy Ralphy good one thanks! Cooler weather settling in on the Canadian prairies. I’m ahead of schedule Laphroig 10 and Talisker 10 at half mast. Can’t wait to to try Glenfarclas 15 and I found it in my area for $90 Canadian eh? After that I will try Anoc 10 @$70 Canadian if you agree. I will look again of your review of it. Steady as she goes skipper! Will report again in a month. Chin chin!
Greetings Ralfy!. So glad I've found you. It is refreshing to find a fellow Malty that is a grown-up, not swayed by the latest trendy swill reviewed by bearded hipsters that wouldn't know good whisky if they fell into a bathtub full. I will be following you kind sir and I plan to celebrate my upcoming 70th birthday with one of your suggestions. Great call on the Johnny Blue. I could not nor would I try to say it better. I wish to share my motto with you: "Corn is for making bread and feeding pigs. Keep it the hell out of my whisky!" All the best. JJJ.
. . . happy to share the malt-moments !
Thanks Ralfy! Since you are so generous with your grown-up knowledge, I would like to share my grown-up music with you. reverbnation.com/johnnystrasser
Thanks Ralfy! Been following you for quite some time, always informative, never boring :) Just ordered your book via Lulu. Keep up the great work.
. . . thanks for buying my book !
Re rum; look out for Fiji rum, Bounty label, sold in 1125ml bottles at 57% and sensibly priced cf. the insipid ubiquitous cough mixture Corubas, Morgans and their like. Bundaberg Inner Circle was similar to Bounty but hard to find now. Cheers Ralfy and thanks for your insight and perception of tricks that might otherwise suck us in.
Speaking of disclosure, I remember buying a bottle of Compass Box Peat Monster years ago from a supermarket in Cambodia. I was impressed they gave you the "recipe" of the malts used in the blend, and of course they state natural colour and non-chill filtered right on the label.
I could have used part of my duty-free limit on more "fashionable" bottles but I decided to support Compass Box instead. (I got Balvenie 15 Single barrel and a Lagavulin Distillers Edition as well on the same trip if you were wondering =P)
Ralfy the wisdom you have mate it tremendous. Litterly hanged on to every word you said on this one. Really makes you think. Sometimes we do get bogged down with these so called amazing whiskies that it's refreshing to think of comparing supermarket against so called better one. Keep up the good work. 🥃👍🏻
I'm drinking an apple juice pretending it's a whisky 🥃 enjoying the extra malt moment.
What an initial moment of silence when you blended the two whiskies. But I confess I do it also in a bottle where I keep and blend what is left in bottles. Some of these whiskies allow blending very well: Preferred make: Ardbeg 10... 😎
I got your book, 2nd edition (got it on wook - Portugal) and... it's got a typo on the spine. "Search for a whisky botha".
Kind of give it a rough character, so I'm not annoyed, just amused.
Keep up the excellent work.
. . . thanks for buying my book !
Oh Ralphy
The truth you speak!
Dare to be bold! Stand up for your principles
I have some strong opinions as well but not even close to your knowledge.i learn so much from your videos.
I'm originally from New Glasgow in Nova Scotia Canada.Could that be a reason I hang on your every word?
Your engaged student
Thanks ,Bob
Robert Fraser for an “engaged student” that’s learning “so much”, you obviously haven’t learned how to spell RALFY! 😜 Just a little teasing from a fellow Canadian malt mate. 😉
@@paulkukiel3725 hi
Caught me
Not really illiterate,just seems like it
Not following "ralfy's" advice
Thank you, Ralfy!!
This is why I keep watching. Thanks Ralfy for not being a part of the flock
Would also like to take the opportunity to recommend Rum; in this case: Rum da Madeira 970...do look for it...it can be truly exceptional , particularly the Madeira single cask expressions (besides, Madeira was the first place where rum was ever produced...before Cape Verde [look out for Tropicana grog], Brazil and the Caribbean, etc, etc)
i bet whiskey snobs would cry out in horror and faint seeing you mix those two, then proceed to talk about it for years after the fact about how ralfy the terror mixed grocery store blend with beloved arran 10 and enjoyed it. heavens!
. . . your probably right !
I'm interested in that rum story you mention, also a whisky that resembles the death star? I've got to see that :D, great episode Ralfy.
Can you tell a bit more about the name/label of the 3yo blend you tasted? Is it only available in local supermarkets in your area? Curious: In Germany.
. . . UK Co-op Supermarkets only. Decent stuff. www.coop.co.uk/products/coop-scotch-whisky-11370
The book was great, looking forward to the next one.
. . . thanks for buying my book !
"I felt a great disturbance in the Force...as if millions of Star Wars geeks cried out in anguish at Ralfy's metaphor..."
real star wars geeks don't mind when people botch references. it's just for fun.
@@SuperAWaC oh, I know, just having a good time with two of my favourite hobbies...whisky & Star Wars. Cheers! 🥃
Dinnae panic. Disney destroyed StarWars long before Ralfy did.
Would love to try the old JW Red. I've had the modern one, it was foul to say the least
Another handy thing with the coop 3 y.o is that the half bottles cost is just a few pence more expensive than half the cost of a full bottle, the 5 y.o is good too. Big-up the coop!
We could see the IOM from Blackpool as we meandered home after going for a government subsidized meal this evening.
Good evening everyone from Wellington Somerset in the UK
I went to school there
Evening - I'm just down the road in weston super mare. Are you aware of any local whisky clubs?
Al I don’t I’m afraid. I moved overseas about 10 years ago.
@@Dicko125 thanks - hope you continue to enjoy your whisky journey 👍
What is the difference between college and university?
. . . mainly costs and status.
Honestly, all we want is honesty.
There's no Death Star in the Empire Strikes Back. Just like there's no additives in good whiskey.
Whisky.
Ralfy is like our Obi-Wan Kenobi of Malt...educating the young padawan about the dangers of *the dark side* ...e150a.
the death star was there, hiding in the orbit of the forest moon of endor. waiting for its time to shine in return of the jedi.
Is the blend as good as The Bailie, Nicol Jarvie?
. . . different, and good !
When I was a kid my dad used to chew a particular bubble gum. I saw it at the market the other day and bought some. It didn't taste anything like I remember. I've noticed the ingredients has changed with some things at the super market. When I haven't tried them for many years, they taste different, the size is smaller, the price has gone up.
Synthetic sweeteners have changed the original flavour of many well established brands and products I used to love. I really dislike the flavour of aspartame /acesulfame k, and the like. Tastes nothing like sugar to me. It really grinds my gears when they put it in the 'original' version, alongside actual sugar! I used to love drinking both Dr.Pepper and Vimto, but now, despite them both actually offering sugar-free versions, they put artificial sweetener as well as 'real' sugar in their 'original' version. Man, Vimto cordial used to be a rich, dark, fruity, mildly herbal, syrupy cordial drink. It's barely recognisable as Vimto these days. Thin and artificial tasting. Sad.
Really getting into my stride as a grumpy middle aged man, here! Those bastards have sullied the memories of my childhood. Have you had a Walnut Whip recently? Jesus Christ! They used to be a niche market luxury 'adult' chocolate treat (milk and dark chocolate options were always a mark of class in the eighties).I had one a few years back. It was like the Stepford Wives or some shit. An imposter. Kinda looked like one, but just lesser quality now.
Grrr. Might fire off some disgruntled emails in the morning...grumble...mumble
. . . happens all the time !
Blending those whiskies was hardcore
When I'm looking at a Scotch Whisky in the shop, I automatically assume that it has been matured 3 years in an oak cask, chill filtered with added caramel color unless they state otherwise on the label.....and I don't buy it!! I might buy it if they were honest and stated it like this blend has, but the price should reflect it as well! Ralfy, can you give a few examples of a decent proprietary blend that is typically available in most places around the world?
. . . I used to, but it's not so easy now. Antiquary 12yo is possibly the best option.
@@thewhiskybothy I'll look out for that one, Thanks! Costco supermarket in Canada has it's own Kirkland 12 year old blend. I wish you could get a bottle of it to review.
Excellent points on information and transparecy.
Age statements on rums are notoriously unreliable. In some, it's the oldest rum ki the mix, in some it may be the average age, in others it's the youngest. There are some rums, like Rhum Agricole AOC (soon to be renamed AOP) where the rules about origin, proiuction methods, ageing, and labelling are a lotr stricter. And some of them are virtually dry rums with less than 3 g of sugar per litre.
Sugar is known as a great masker of faults in several kinds of drinks: tea, other sioft drinks, spirits, and not least wine: You taste the sweetness to the detrimet of the other tastes and smells.
[Semi sweet German white QbAs are notorious: go for the dry (as most Germans do) or the really (naturally) sweet ones. ]
HI RALFY! I BOUGHT YOUR BOOK AND READING IT(ALSO LOVING THE EXPERIENCE)ONE IMPORTANT MENTION THOUGH. ON THE SIDE MARGIN OF THE BOOK,THE PRINT SAYS" WHISKY BOTHA" INSTEAD OF BOTHY. PLEASE POINT OUT THE MISTAKE TO THE PRINTER/PUBLISHER FOR CORRECTION FOR THE NEXT EDITION....... SYED SHAHNAWAZ. CANADA.
. . . Thanks for buying my book !
I highly recommend The book malt Malta’s
Thank you Ralfy :-)
Ralfy can you refer me to where I can get your steampunk magnifying glass? I've searched everywhere for one like it.
. . . I have not seen one similar for years, best to keep an aye on e-bay.
great! ralfy keep the rambling going. agreeing 100% :)
Ah Ralfy, the death star wasn't in the empire strikes back 😅😉
Disclosure and Transparency will be Rewarded. I have given up Rewarding any Distillery and Brewery. If I am not seen as a valued consumer than I am seen as a unvalued consumer. As a consumer I have the ultimate power to dictate where my wealth will be spent.
Reviewing The Death Star? Johnny Skywalker Red Label?
My money is on (The) Macallan 12 - or the stuff they're shoveling out as an equivalent along with (The) 12, these days :-O
can you review the 'glenmorangie the accord 12yo?" it seems to be similar to lasanta, as both whiskys are 12 years old, and using both bourbon & olloloso Sherry cask. well, it is traveler exclusive, but thanks to damn corona, there are lot of 'limits' to access to those traveler excusive. I hope i can see you review the whisky and compare it with lasanta. thx.
I think the explosion of the whisky/ey is because the beer manufacturing has gotten so big and the beers so bad that people are going somewhere else with their imbibing. Bourbons here that were common are now by order only because they can't be kept in stock.
but Ralfy.....on a warm summer day....Johnnie Walker Red over ice with Ginger Ale is a must!!! :-)
Not at all. JW is a pure Rubbish!! There is hundreds of far better options to drink in sunny summer days M8 🙋♂️
Just ordered the book. 👌
. . . thanks for buying my book, happy reading.
Hi Ralfy I can't find the link on your channel to become a patreon - can you tell me how I do this please? Thanks
Any chance of doing that malt mention again and adding my name this time? I want bragging rights with my malt mates ;)
. . . Yes, I missed you credit so I will re-mench in RR840
ralfydotcom thanks Ralfy
I've been waiting for quite some time for the book. It's on backorder :(
. . . I hope you get it soon.
Ralfy i got one exstra fore you. I bugt a singel cask kilchoman. And i dont understand how cand they call it singel cask if its 6yr in ex-burbon and 19month in madeira cask. This is strange its aloud. Can you exsplain ? Help an malmate understand 😊 have a nice day
Hi! I'm not Ralfy, but here's my take...So a single malt means it's from one distillery. However, it can still be from a blend of different casks within that distillery. This means that there is consistency in each bottle, as each individual cask can be very different, from the type of wood to where it is in the warehouse (some areas may be damper and colder than the other side of the warehouse which could be warmer and dryer).
Generally, Single cask means that they haven't blended multiple casks together, which have aged whisky separately. But that the whisky was from one barrel and that same whisky spirit was then aged in another individual barrel.
So you get a really unique tale from Single Cask whisky as it tells you about the individual casks that the spirit was aged in, rather than the general flavour of the amalgamation of lots of different casks within the distillery.
Does your bottle have a cask number too? That's why they include the cask number.
Does that help?
. . . they are being fussy, as two casks were used, they CHOOSE to not recognise it as single cask, despite all the liquor coming from one cask.
Tnx=) maybe talk abote the cask and how miss giding the label can be. Maybe one day. I will be waiting have a nice day to both of you
Has anyone bought a bloody vegechop! Great review Ralfy
Is that the new bottle design, or is it old?
. . . new.
Big difference between snobby and discerning Ralfy-
Never apologize for the truth.
Ralfy once upon a time you lamented the alcoholism in UK and the focus on vodka. Have things changed? In Canada the volumes youths consume is way way down from my 20s and 30s.
Cheers my friend🥃🥃🥃🥃
. . . things are changing, young people have more drug options !
Since you mentioned good Welsh whiskeys, I have tried the Penderyn single malt and I was not impressed at all!
. . . they do have some good options, but buy with care.
@@thewhiskybothy If every product was a good or decent option, then they would have an untarnished reputation!
@@Shane4Bass . . . agreed !
Oh Ralfy, thanks a lot for this one. I believe you are wrong in one point: 5%? I guess those passionate enjoyers of whisk(e)y are much less. Regards and Slainte, Peter. One of those Germans
In a way I like the traditionalist nature of the whisky world. But the areas they choose to bend and not bend sometimes make me scratch my head. For instance why are they allowed to sherry syrup the cases... but they can’t use inner staves? If they’re going to be traditional, just go all the way and ban chill filtration, ban syruped casks, ban low quality barley sources, and ban NAS, and ban e150.
well, by "tradition" chill filtration, caramel coloring are allowed. Inner staves? That has never been done before! No, no, no! You naugthy Spice Tree, no inner staves allowed! You guess what? That's what allows non scotch whiskies to rise and thrive. Where the SWA disallows, rest of the world just do. LOL!
Peter Aleut Ong if you think about it, I have to wonder why e150 and chill filtration was not considered a “non-traditional innovation” though? I wonder what year those practices started. Were they adding color back in those 1800’s dates that whiskies love to print on their bottles?
@@robfut9954 The problem with industry regulatory body like SWA is that it assumes the authority of standardising practices (by allowing or not banning chill filtration and e150) which would seem sensible and appealing in a certain time (clear liquid equates clean and quality whisky, dark colour equates longer aging and looks more presentable) and they become traditions. I still find many people today who are adamant not to pay for something aged 20 years but looks as pale as a very young whisky, and worst when it starts to look cloudy in the glass.
Peter Aleut Ong yeah that’s sad. But hopefully more people like that hear Ralfy.
@@robfut9954 Ralfy's done a phenomenal service for the community of whisky lovers. He deserves much wider audience, if only his vlogs have multilingual CC.
A great waste of time lmao. Amazing video as always mate!
Excelent 👍🏻👍🏻
Hey Ralfy - I got a problem with "hidden lies" that i started to notice thanks to watching Your channel - i mean barrier filtration. One would expect that if You buy Single cask whisky where on label it says "non-chill filtered" it is not filtered. But it is, just a bit warmer than "chill" but it is filtered. You Cool the bottle, add cool water and ... nothing - bunch of whirls and clear whisky after a moment. I feel cheated by that. Cheated by this non-chill filttered declaration which makes me think i drink water of life like it came out of the cask...
So ralfy... Coop or Lidl queen Margot 3 year old?
. . . both, . . . QM first !
Well, you are probably in love with arran 10y (please do not loose racional thinking). I am not an expert, but as you mentioned do not underestimate the technology and changed regulation - all about sherry, and a little bit about madeira and port wine - > technology changed in last 40 years, different young alcohol in barrels -> different whiskey. But I think this video is pure antimarketing :-). And you are at least partialy right... why to pay premium for faked color or taste? If the bottle is 30+ euro, it should be honest and clear. And Arran 10y, I can understand, great value (have a bottle :-), open). Sugar and rum... there is a reason ... 20+ years old rums (mostly it is solera, so that is the oldest rum in blend) are like a 40+ years woody whiskey - you need to cover the bad wood aftertaste. But why create such 'premium" product? :-).
Please defend your values, you are pure legend.
That's a terrible rum fact. Unless I should try reusing my coffee filter for a few days.
Hi Ralfy, as an established malt mate I'm really interested in expanding my palate and buying some rum. I am put off by your comments here about 'dosing' though and am not quite sure where to start. I would love it if you could point me and others towards rum bottlers to look for in our adventures. Kind regards, Peter. Warwick, UK.
. . . Foursquare from Barbados.
Am I the only one who watches the extras videos even more religiously than the actual reviews?
People shouldn't be scared to play with their whiskey! Great video.
Love the ekstra and still waiting on yore nexst book!=)
. . . out in December !
@@thewhiskybothy perfekt
My apologies to ralfy for misspelling his name in my first comment.
I'm clear-headed this morning and see the errors of my ways
Bob
If a company tells me that their whisky is 3 years old, got caramel colouring and is filtered, at least I know what I would be buying. They're not treating me like a fool, they are telling me exactly what it is. If I'm buying whisky as a gift for someone who likes the odd tipple of the mass blended, I might just buy that one just because it's being honest.
just like glendronach/glenallachie
Ralfy is correct about the Teacher's scotch. It used to be one of the best blended whiskies. Now it's crap. Don't buy it.
👍❤️🥃
First
Drams on you then :p
not really...
. . Verified !
Stop. How can you praise the use of lighter, cheaper glass because it's environmentally friendly, then also praise the use of magnets, cardboard tubes, or cardboard boxes?
Ralfy has actually mentioned his dislike of (most) superfluous packaging on several occasions.
@@mark5ization He's also praised extra, unneeded packaging, and criticized packaging that isn't "enough".