Since it's come up, I'll explain: "whisk[e]y" is the generic name for whatever the local distilled beverage made from grains is. Most of the world regards scotch as the "local" beverage in this regard. In the US, asking for whiskey will usually get you bourbon. In Canada you'll get Canadian whiskey, and in Ireland Irish whiskey.

IMO he's referring to the Sherry casks taking the bite out of it.

Blended v Single malt
 

What’s the difference between blended and single malts? I am being led to believe blended is cheaper for mass production.

Sorry I am a novice at this :(

Single malt is a whisky made in a single distillery by malting (soaking in water until it sprouts) a mash of barley.

Blends are blends of multiple single malt whiskies.

Blends are precision blended to achieve a consistent flavor profile across bottlings. A bottle of Chivas Regal 12 will always taste exactly the same whether you buy it today or in a decade. Single malts have more variations. Connoisseurs appreciate single malts because they can have some variations in flavor and can achieve flavors that one doesn't ordinarily get in a blend. It's unlikely, for example, to get a very smoky blended scotch but you can find this to varying degrees in a single malt.

Also, single malts from different areas of Scotland are known for different flavor profiles. Lowland and Islay malts tend to be very smoky, while Highland malts are less so. Speyside malts can be almost sweet sometimes.

To further elaborate, a distinction should also be made between blended malts and blended scotch. The former is a blend of single malts from two or more distilleries. An example would be a bottling from Compass Box. The latter is a mix of both malt whiskies and grain whiskies, sourced from several different distilleries. An example would be Johnnie Walker (except the no longer widely available Green) or Chivas Regal.

macallan seems to be getting a lot of placements in US tv/movies/etc these days

rewatched a 2001 japanese animated show recently, where i noticed macallan and other brands that i had not been aware of when i watched it the first time back around 2001

Macallan is an excellent Speysider, particularly the 18. I'm a bit partial to Glenfarclas as my favorite from Speyside, but it's hard to go wrong with either.

i kind of regret not buying 30YO when it was 300GBP

popularity and price has gotten crazy, maybe especially with hollywood?

Scotch has shot up in price over the last several years, in no small part to demand from China and India. I don't think that Holywood had much to do with it.

There are now signs that global demand is letting up for Scotch. I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing prices drop over the next few years.

i just meant in terms of product placements

china can be brand/image conscious, so can hollywood
forgot about this in LA http://www.montagehotels.com/beverly...ing/ten-pound/
but also wonder how much is macallan publicity spending

I've heard that Chinese consumers are indeed brand conscious, which would explain a lot about the surge of demand for Macallan.

Not sure how much Macallan is spending. They're owned by Edrington Group, who also own Highland Park, which is a single malt worth trying. If you do try Highland Park, the 12, 18, and 21 year old expressions are solid. There is some batch variation, but bad Highland Park is still a good whisky. A really good batch is stellar.

The Highland Park Dark Origins is also very tasty. I personally prefer it to any of the others; the 12 is my usual at-home Scotch.

I haven't tried it yet. My whisky shelf is full, and has annexed my kitchen table. :D I may have to run out soon and get a bottle.

What about the Dark Origins do you like?

Huh? Seems like you'd be better off finishing a bottle first.

I've developed a bad habit of buying the stuff faster than I drink it. Almost at 40 bottles of whisky.