If you are flying JAL, JAL inflight duty free sells Suntory 12yrs Yamazaki.
You shouldn't have any problems finding Suntory Yamazaki whiskies in NRT duty free. Seriously, 12yrs Yamazaki is already too good haha.

Proving that there is a scotch for every taste. Suntory Yamazaki is not really cost effective -- there are much better scotches available for less money. To put it into perspective, it isn't as good as JW Gold (or Green, for that matter), but its sweet and fruity style appeals to the japanese palate (it is the 9th best selling scotch in the world, so this is a mass-market single malt, readily available world-wide).

I think that is really the bottom line, and why I like whisky. ;)

My favorite scotch is "Sheep Dip"...fruity, a touch sweet, smooth..
I also like the sherry and port wood Balvenie.
Needless to say I have abit of a sweet tooth.
BUT on those cold nights here in the Caribbean (70 degrees) its time for a smokey Laphroaig ....
Saludos...

It is - picked some up in BRU last year. Amazing stuff!

Here's another non-manly Scotch drinker! To be honest, I don't drink it regularly but I do enjoy a mildly peaty single malt -- Talisker, Bowmore, Glenmorangie. I was initiated into the cult of the malt on my one trip to Scotland, 11 years ago for a wedding. Sitting around the local pub after the rehearsal the minister held forth on the virtues of The Macallan, but it didn't really tickle my palate. Before flying home I stopped at a shop in Glasgow and asked the proprietor to recommend something really delicious, something I wouldn't find at home. He sold me an Islay (I think) malt called Poit Dubh, which had a subtle earthiness. Would love to find that again. Sounds as though the Caol Ila Islay single malt might be similar.

As someone who likes to try new things I get frustrated by the redundant selection that I see at most duty free shops, which is where I usually shop for hard liquor.

I've been hoarding a bottle of Talisker Distiller's Edition 1988 Special Release. Anyone ever taste this?

Haven't tried the 1988 but do have the 1975 (25 yo -- presumably the 1988 was bottled as an 18 yo). Rich, honeyed, fruity taste, with lots of toffee and orange and plum overtones. Very pleasant with the smoke and iodine undertone. A great scotch. Presumably the smoke/peat elements are more pronounced when it is younger.

"Whiskies of the World" at LHR (terminal 3 and maybe others) has a pretty good selection.

I always like Oban...tastes like a "peat smoothie." ;)

I usually ask the bartender to find the smallest ice cube he has, and add it to the glass.

Since moving to Zurich, I found that the Widder Bar has one of the most extensive single malt collections that I have ever seen. It will take me a while to work my way through them all.

fduvall

Even a good single malt doesn't justify the horrors of going through LHR :D

I love smokey and peaty single malts, and Oban is pretty good. However even better for peat is Talisker.

Don't know if I'm manly or not, but I do lack a Y chromosome.
 

Tend to prefer Ardbeg to Lagavulin. Really miss the Ardbeg 17. Not a fan of the 10. Best I've had was a Cadenheads Ardbeg cask strength, sherry finish, I think 21 years old. Have a couple of bottles of the Ardbeggedon OMC bottling (29 years, 1972, sherry finish).

Also in the land of sherry finishes, I have several bottles of the legendary late '90s Springbank 10 100. Five bottles of the double dark, and 5 of the light. The double dark is over the top...you could practically chew it, but the lighter one is one of the easiest drinkers I've ever imbibed. Killed the entire bottle in a night (with a friend) when I first had it, unaware of how difficult it would be to replace. Still have a couple of bottles of the 21 kicking around. One appears to be sherried.

For cheap and cheerful, I find the Balvenie double wood very reliable. I also find Glenfarclas to offer excellent value for money. For something more special, but not too hard to find, and very tasty, I'm a fan of Highland Park 18.

In a bar I cannot trust, Black Label on the rocks w/ a twist is a safe bet. This is the only whisky I drink on the rocks. My preferred blend is Campbeltown Loch 21 (or younger, now that the 21 is gone). Of course it's harder to find than most single malts, but it's a bargain if you can get it.

Two months and no news here - must be because of the northern summer!

It's getting warmer here so I'll go back to Jameson as the base of some cocktail concoctions; for this winter I mostly stuck to JW Black with a dash of ice or icewater - or straight-up at a few parties. :)

Who can recommend something light (and good enough to drink on the rocks) in the Irish whiskey style, like Jameson or Paddy's, which is actually a blended Whisky?

A friend of mine put me on to Jamesons and Cranberry...I cringed at first thought but it actually goes well together for a summer sipper. Just mix to your taste.

I second an earlier comment about Highland Park, good value scotch.

Jamesons was doing a "pop" tasting here in Toronto last fall at one of my locals and this was one of the concoctions they offered up to ease the inexperts into the Irish mood for straight up stuff.