I like the regular Ballantine's and the John Dewar's "White Label" in the 1L bottles, reasonably priced and widely available, the Ballantine's even at 7/11. Much better than the overhyped Johnny Walker Red imho :)  I drink both with a bit of home-made ice and a dash of sparkling water, plus regular "drinking" water (not mineral water, which gives them a murky colour). Regular drinking water is mostly very low in calcium and minerals, similar to the water found in Scotland. I use my Sprinkle home delivery water, but the drinking waters sold by Nestle and Coca Cola are very good too, both for the water and for making ice. Drinking water from the demineralizing machines can be good too. Just avoid the Minere and other calcium-loaded mineral waters.

I learned to drink whisky , Canadian Whiskey in Tehran in 75...mixed with plenty of ice.  I  only drink whiskey neat or if Thai with Soda. My local 7/11 recently had Bushmills Irish whiskey. Less than 2000baht. Great. I currently am looking at an aged single malt Glenmorangie reduced from 52 quid to 25 from marks and sparks in UK. These day I find Laphroag too medicinal but it gives you a good high. Bowmores, Macallan and Ardbeg are excellent too. However, most of the time in Thailand I drink Sangsom and Soda or Recency and Soda. Japanese whiskeys are getting  good reputation amongst the cognoscenti. In the UK Lidls has a reputation for quality scotch at a good price. In Thailand I look out for quality bargains for a treat but never the less am happy with Sansom which never gives me a hangover. Before the know it alls with something to prove flood this thread: I know Sangsom technically not whiskey. I never touch the walker labels as they are much overrated as is Chivas. Both are  a triumph of marketing over quality.

Sangsom is the way! 

20 minutes ago, JohnLick said:

Sangsom is the way! 

not Whisky

17 minutes ago, manarak said:

not Whisky

Ask 100 Thais and come back :)

 

btw: I know

On 20/09/2017 at 11:10 AM, UnkleMoooose said:

Kavalan from Taiwan, the Port Finish. I stock it in my bar along with a good selection of Japanese and Korean whiskies. It flies off the shelf.

Where is your bar?

I was given a bottle of Appleton Rum for my recent birthday. It didn't last long. Regarding DF shops Bahrain and possibly Dubai has a brilliant selection of whiskey.

Anyone knows where to buy Drambuie?

9 hours ago, IsaanFam said:

Anyone knows where to buy Drambuie?

980 baht at Poipet or 1,720 baht with Wishbeer.

 

https://www.wishbeer.com/en/liqueur/2130-drambuie-12-year-old-5010391100758.html

Affordable seems to be directly related to taste.  I could never understand folks that drink Whisky or Bourbon and mix it with coke ginger ale Soda water etc but then again if one choses to drink bottom shelf stuff I guess mixing is the only way to stomach the stuff. In the states JW and Jim Beam are called Rot Gut.  

 

I'd say a Glenlivet or Glenmorangie in Thailand is a good affordable Scotch and can be enjoyed neat or with an ice cube. Woodford reserve or Maker46 are quite good.  Like with any spirit you get what you pay for.  That said I understand quality Spirits are hard to come by here.  Every international trip I take I always bring back Scotch and Anejo Tequila from the states. Vodka like Stoli and Finlandia can be bought at Topps. Foodland and Villa Market have respectable Whisky,Whiskey and Bourbon selections but plan on dropping 1500 to 2500bht a bottle.  

 

Good Luck on whatever you chose OP and enjoy 

Hong Thong

On 9/20/2017 at 10:43 AM, wealthychef said:

Sipping whiskey to me can be drunk straight.  If you are going to pour it over ice, you can use most any whiskey and it'll eventually get watered down enough to be "drinkable."  With that in mind, I have no idea what you can afford, so I'll ignore the "affordable" piece and recommend Woodford Reserve bourbon, which you might find a bit pricey at 2400 baht per bottle.  If that's too rich for your blood, you can downshift to Gentleman Jack at 1500/bottle.  Both available at a Villa Market near you.  If you go cheaper, I don't even consider it drinkable.  

You are perfectly right. There has to be some quality standard on the whiskey you drink. Affordable just doesn´t do it. It has to be a certain class for an affordable price. 
The once you have mentioned holds an accepable quality, but I would actually prefer to take one more step up one the ladder to perfection. When push comes to show, the fact is that sipping whiskey is something you sip. That means you might have one bottle for between 5-10 relaxing times. Paying about 500 baht for a perfect and relaxing day can´t be to much,right?

I can never understand that people do not understand that regardless of the alcoholic beverage, they are all watered/mixed down with whatever the specific beverage is offering to hide the cutting taste of alcohol. If you want the real feeling, just buy pure alcohol and sip it. 

 

For my taste, regardless if the bottle is 3000 or 10,000, the alcohol is still too strong and I really enjoy drinking a mixed whiskey, rusty nail, 7n7, whiskey ginger, all great drinks and really enjoyable. 

 

 However, I must admit, that this could probably change if I am 70 years old and sipping becomes my way of life.

 

1 hour ago, Get Real said:

You are perfectly right. There has to be some quality standard on the whiskey you drink. Affordable just doesn´t do it. It has to be a certain class for an affordable price. 
The once you have mentioned holds an accepable quality, but I would actually prefer to take one more step up one the ladder to perfection. When push comes to show, the fact is that sipping whiskey is something you sip. That means you might have one bottle for between 5-10 relaxing times. Paying about 500 baht for a perfect and relaxing day can´t be to much,right?

 

I don't know of a better bourbon in Thailand than Woodford Reserve.  If you find one, let me know. 

54 minutes ago, wealthychef said:

 

I don't know of a better bourbon in Thailand than Woodford Reserve.  If you find one, let me know. 

 

West Cork 12 year. That´s my favorite, but as we all know the taste differs. 

 

1 hour ago, Get Real said:

 

West Cork 12 year. That´s my favorite, but as we all know the taste differs. 

 

That's not a bourbon is it?  It's an Irish whiskey, much different

2 hours ago, wealthychef said:

That's not a bourbon is it?  It's an Irish whiskey, much different

I was out of the belief we were talking best wiskey. However, you are right there. It´has a version where it has been produced in bourbon cask, but yes, it´s still an Irish Whiskey. A very good one, though. 

22 minutes ago, Get Real said:

I was out of the belief we were talking best wiskey. However, you are right there. It´has a version where it has been produced in bourbon cask, but yes, it´s still an Irish Whiskey. A very good one, though. 

OK cool, no we can talk whiskey, I'm interested.  Duly noted, thanks

On 9/19/2017 at 3:14 AM, tutsiwarrior said:

 

yeah, I queried this in another thread...I thought: 'Bells in Thailand? too good to be true...'

 

and with a union jack splayed across the label, no less...the alarums started ringing...

 

 

I read Bells is the most sold whisky in the UK, more than 50% market share.

 

I have tried the Bells here in Thailand a couple of times, and I can not believe that this would be popular anywhere in the world.

 

Try golden stag, as far as I'm concerned it's Ben More at 35° and at 299 Baht pretty affordable.

 

It's one of the very few budget whisky's that I can drink straight without ice.

2 minutes ago, janclaes47 said:

I read Bells is the most sold whisky in the UK, more than 50% market share.

 

I have tried the Bells here in Thailand a couple of times, and I can not believe that this would be popular anywhere in the world.

 

Try golden stag, as far as I'm concerned it's Ben More at 35° and at 299 Baht pretty affordable.

 

It's one of the very few budget whisky's that I can drink straight without ice.

 

never have tried the local Bell's meself...pretty much stick to Gilbey's vodka...I was basing my observation on the many times I visited Glasgow where I had inlaws many years ago and the popular tipple was a half glass of whisky, either Bell's or Grouse (1/4 gill the usual measure) and a half of 'heavy'...many's the time with my previous father in law on a pub crawl on the Shettleston Road in east Glasgow, may he RIP...

 

 

In the UK, Bell's is a cheap quaffable whisky, sold as base whisky in many establishments. It's usually drunk with coke, or downed with beer to aid the popular British pastime, 'getting sozzled'. It was never meant to be drunk neat. It's rough.

 

Glenmorangie is a good standard Scotch, available in my local Big C in the boonies for about THB2000 (entry level 12 year old).

Of the mid- priced, I enjoy Grant's quiet a lot and otherwise stay with Jack Daniels.

Of the lower range, I think Blend 285 is reasonable...but then again: I drink not for pleasure, but for result!

Purely for medicinal purposes.

 

1 bottle of jonnie walker red per month for me. 319 baht a bottle.

 

Lasts me about 2 weeks. Enjoy a quick snort every other day around midnight.

 

 

 

 

On 6/8/2018 at 1:01 AM, Rc2702 said:

Purely for medicinal purposes.

 

1 bottle of jonnie walker red per month for me. 319 baht a bottle.

 

Lasts me about 2 weeks. Enjoy a quick snort every other day around midnight.

 

The real deal is more than double that price.

 

 

 

On 6/8/2018 at 1:01 AM, Rc2702 said:

Purely for medicinal purposes.

 

1 bottle of jonnie walker red per month for me. 319 baht a bottle.

 

Lasts me about 2 weeks. Enjoy a quick snort every other day around midnight.

 

The real deal is more than double that price.

285

3 hours ago, yabbra said:

 

The real deal is more than double that price.

The 350 ml bottles are actually 319 baht.

 

https://shoponline.tescolotus.com/groceries/en-GB/products/6074165313

A bit of single malts to experiment with.

On 9/20/2017 at 6:43 PM, wealthychef said:

Sipping whiskey to me can be drunk straight.  If you are going to pour it over ice, you can use most any whiskey and it'll eventually get watered down enough to be "drinkable."  With that in mind, I have no idea what you can afford, so I'll ignore the "affordable" piece and recommend Woodford Reserve bourbon, which you might find a bit pricey at 2400 baht per bottle.  If that's too rich for your blood, you can downshift to Gentleman Jack at 1500/bottle.  Both available at a Villa Market near you.  If you go cheaper, I don't even consider it drinkable.  

Woodford is very nice. I don't mind 1 ice cube though. Opens the whisky up a bit.

7 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

A bit of single malts to experiment with.

Nice collection. I like Oban. Cragganmore also.