Posted on 01/20/2009 5:35:07 PM PST by Glenn
I need to suck-up to my boss.
He is a scotch drinker. I know nothing about scotch.
What can I purchase for him that will really impress him?
Unless it’s your job to be ‘everywhere he looks’ don’t do it.
Do your job, not the office managers.
Unless your pay rate is very low I doubt he wants you getting him coffee.
Suddenly being too helpful sends an even worse message then simply sucking up a little.
I might start showing up earlier then the boss or his snitches (you know who they are).
But if you aren’t a solid performer it’s really too late to change that now.
While only 10 years old, it is 57.7% alcohol (that's 115.4 proof), yet is smooth as silk.
He will be impressed that you got him something out of the ordinary and pleasantly surprised when he sees just how smooth this fine whiskey is.
One word of caution: if he is a cigar smoker, he will likely be a fan of the more peaty-types of Scotch, such as Oban. If not, get the MACALLAN. About 55 dollars the bottle.
Slange var!
Great point. Those threads can get a wee bit embarrassing.
Well I guess if things get really bad...:)
I was there about 5 years ago. Cool place, good stuff!
Groveling not necessary
Groveling not necessary
Are those Mason jars?
And I like your tag-line.
Agreed. Absolutely the best. Got two bottles for my 50th birthday and savored every last drop.
I'm told it's $pendy as all hell, but I didn't think it was very good.
Neither did he.
So we're in agreement.
I'm such a suck-up.
My best advice...DON’T buy him anything...
Really bad advice, dude.
NOT the practices of someone who wants to get ahead - just the attitude of someone who has a job he hates, barely performs and wonders why he isn’t getting anywhere.
“Single malt. Stick with tried and true, such as Macallan.”
That’s the way to go. 12 year Mac is fine, the 15 aged in oak is a treat, I wouldnt go any higher than that. the 18 year is awesome but very pricey.
“Don’t buy him anything” is the best advice I’ve seen so far.
Instead:
Buy *yourself* something nice, like a family size bottle of Maker’s Mark. Add ice and some good water. Repeat until you no longer want to suck up to the boss.
thanks...I’m only speaking from the perspective of “being the boss” and I’d look down on anyone who tried to suck up to me by buying me something...absolutely nothing worse that a suck up at work...they will drive a person insane.
Agree Johnnie Walker Black Label is good stuff. Scotch is an acquired taste. If you are going to drink it you might as well get a good brand.
Buy a bottle of the best Scotch you can find, cost is no problem, take a stiff shot of it and tell your boss you’re quitting to find a job with a little dignity where the boss won’t tolerate boot lickers.
Both you and your boss will be better off.
I like Aberlour and have really enjoyed the twin cask matured (~$45 750ml). I have heard Abunadh is excellent but have not tried it - too pricy for now. I agree w/ the recommendation of Macallan - it has a great flavor. Can't comment yet on Oban. Ask me in Feb. My son plans to snag me a bottle as a birthday present.
OK, a couple of notes about single malts:
1. Older isn’t necessarily better. Older IS always more expensive.
After whisky (NB the Scottish spirit has no ‘e’ in it, and the American does) has been in the barrel between 10 and 18 (or so) years, it really doesn’t pick up anything more in the way of good traits. You can find some really disagreeable 25+ year single malts out there at $100/bottle prices. Stick with something in the 10 to 18 year range. You’ll be looking at $25 to $50/bottle.
2. There are several regions of Scotland and they each have their own traits. There are the malts from Skye, Islay, and the western Highlands which are slightly to very smokey - more than most people can stomach unless you’re a committed Scotch drinker. Talisker is the most approachable of the smoked malt whiskies, whereas a malt like Laphroig or Lagavulin has nothing but adherents or detractors - there is no middle ground.
Then there are the “Speyside” malts, the lowland malts, etc. The most popular are the Speyside malts, of which there are dozens, varying in price, quality/consistency and availability.
The single best malt for beginners and as a universal gift that any malt drinker would appreciate USED to be Macallan, but since the Japanese bought it, the quality and character has gone downhill, IMO.
A couple of good Speyside malts would be Aultmore and Craggenmore.
The Spey region has about half of the malt distilleries in Scotland, so there are a lot of choices there.
Dalwhinnie is a distillery between the central Highlands and the Speyside region, and is a nice, clean malt.
In the central Highlands, I like Edradour. It is difficult to find, but it is a very nice malt, with unique characteristics.
OK, moving further northwards, we come to the Northern Highlands, which has some malts with very unique flavors, but much more appreciated than the ultra-smoky malts of the western Highlands, Islay, etc. The malt named “Highland Park” is very good, as is Glenmoragie. The latter has a hint of smoke to it, but it is subtle, unlike the monstrous smoke of Laphroig or Lagavulin.
I know I keep going on about how harsh the smoked malts can be, but it is true. Have a few shots of Laphroig or Lagavulin in the evening and your farts all the next day reek of burning peat moss. (I do NOT exaggerate)
OK, so with that delicate intro, let’s finally talk about the Islay island malts. There are (or were, last I knew) eight of them. I’ve consumed bottles of all of them, so I feel that I’m on very strong ground to say something constructive here. For someone who is a real malt whisky drinker, most all of them are the “varsity” level malts. Getting a bottle of one of these from someone tells me that they’ve done their homework - IF they have taken a look at what I drink and they’ve noticed that I can like the peaty malts.
As I’ve mentioned before, there are some people who cannot abide the Islay malts. For those of us who truly love malt, we like these whiskies because, quite frankly, when we have a party and the inevitable whisky poseur shows up, we know that our Islay bottles will remain untouched. Poseurs take one whiff and they’re content to drink Johnny Walker all night long, leaving our Good Stuff alone.
Of the Islay malts, Bowmore is the most approachable. A very good malt, it is often the most easily available. It is perhaps the least smoked.
Next up would be Ardberg. Pretty difficult to find, but good as well.
Then there are two that are pretty difficult to find anymore, that are about the “mid-level” on the smoke & peat, Bruichladdich and Bunnahabhain. They’re both good, but I’d rate them as ‘advanced’ for most malt drinkers. They’re going to be spendy bottles if you can find them. My preference would be Bunnahabhain.
Now we have a debate as to which is the strongest: Lagavulin or Laphroig. To me, I think Laphroig is more drinkable than Lagavulin. When I last bought Lagavulin, it came in a unusual pottery flask, very unique. Lagavulin, IMO, is the most smoked, but is more drinkable than Laphroig. That’s just MY palate - everyone else is free to disagree with me. This is a purely subjective thing here.
3. OK, you’ve got a task to accomplish: sucking up with a bottle of single malt. If I were giving a bottle to someone who I know is a malt fan, but I’m unsure what his tastes are, I’d go with something like Edradour. It is a complex whisky on the nose, it isn’t easily found, you had to hunt for it, and it would show you’ve done some homework, rather than just grabbing the first bottle of Gledfiddich (aka “Yuppy Mouthwash”) off the shelf.
If I couldn’t find that, I’d look for Highland Park.
Those are my preferences and what I would give to someone who is a fan of malt. YMMV. Any more questions, just flip me a note and I’ll help as possible.
Sorry, re-read my post and realized I’m half asleep on the Lagavulin vs. Laphroig.
OK, here’s the final say: Laphroig is what I consider the less drinkable of the two, but perhaps not the most smokey. In other words, Lavavulin is more smokey, but (IMO) more drinkable due to other characteristics. Both will leave you stinking of flaming peat moss the day afterwards.
Most people would probably not agree with me; most people cannot stand Lagavulin, purely on the strength of the smoke.
I would NOT give someone a bottle of either Laphroig or Lagavulin unless I knew their preferences in malt.
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