Can anyone recommend a nice make of Hip Flask and/or Single Malt . . .

M

Ming Rider

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Criteria :-

No more than £25 for the flask. Can be second hand if you think that's OK. How about the metal? Steel, Stainless, Pewter (Lead?).

And £25 maximum for the malt. Preferably not second hand.;)

Also, what size? It would be mainly used when working in the woods or grounds, so I don't need a bucket. :D

Go for it.:)

P.S. If you know of a flask or malt that breaks the budget (a wee bit), speak up.

Thanks for any suggestions.
 
Make of flask doesn't really matter, ime. Just make sure you get a matching funnel with it. Search Amazon for `hip flask', and you get umpteen hits for very reasonable prices. Stainless Steel is most common, and very practical. Can take a beating, doesn't impart tastes to the contents and is easy to clean.

As for the single malt to fill it with, I'm partial to Islay malts, myself. For a reasonable price, an Ardbeg or Laphroaig are a good start.
 
Is it for yourself or a gift? Is it for a veteran whisky drinker who like a particular style of whisky or for somebody just getting into whisky?
Highland Park 12 would certainly come in budget, and a good middle of the road whisky to boot. Islay whiskies are super, but can be a bit overpowering for the less seasoned drinker!
 
doolittle said:
Is it for yourself or a gift? Is it for a veteran whisky drinker who like a particular style of whisky or for somebody just getting into whisky?
Highland Park 12 would certainly come in budget, and a good middle of the road whisky to boot. Islay whiskies are super, but can be a bit overpowering for the less seasoned drinker!
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Most definately for me. I wouldn't go wasting such quality on others. :D

I've had the occasional malt now and then, but I wouldn't say I was 'seasoned'.

With the cold weather now set in up here in the north, the occasional warming nip would be just the ticket. :)
 
Malts are a question of taste - but you know that already.
I enjoyed 'Islay Storm' but not tried the associated 'Islay Mist'. 'Monkey Shoulder' comes as a trade recommend, but again not one I have tried.

I might be tempted to put in 'Bell's' as a trial run with the flask - goes down easily enough, and in the event of an accident with the flask, liveable with if some is lost. Test the flask to see if it is spirit proof before venturing out. I find it's generally the closure that causes problems.

jesse
 
Quite a lot of makers give flasks away with their bottles, at least here in France. What size are you looking for? Chinese manufacturers warn you not to store whisky in the flask for over 24 hours, though. If that doesn't worry you I'll see if I have one lying around (in other words, if someone else hasn't bagged it first): yours for a contribution to a cancer charity. You will, however, need a funnel, as noted by others.

My favourite flask is one I was given for my 21st birthday: English silver, early 20th century. I have to replace the cork seal periodically, though.

Laphroaig is incomparably the warming-est, for me.

Cheers,

R.
 
No hint on flask but I like Lagavulin and Ardbeg on the smokey side, Ardbeg being the more brutal of the two.
Mildly speaken I find the Laphroig more for trained conesiours :)
If you favour less smoky malts the Highland park is a mild fruity delicious malt from orkney.
Best regards
 
Spanik said:
Caol Ila (gone pour me a bit, the bottle stand next to the pc :D ), Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Scapa, Springbank
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For me, the roughest of the Islay malts, though.

What's Springbank like? Where's it from, for that matter? For me, Lagavulin is in effect second-best Laphroaig, and although Scapa is delicious, I'd rather spend that sort of money on more Laphroaig.

Cheers,

R.
 
Hate to say it (as an Ardbeg/Laphroaig kind of man) but Sainsbury's own label Islay single malt is really excellent and only costs about £20.

There's a lot of debate about what it really is. A few years ago it was Caol Ila, but my whisky-afficionado friends insist it's now from another of the Islay distilleries--although typically for "experts" they can't agree on which. To my palate it's rather like Ardbeg, but isn't as pale-looking. However I've heard the supermarkets aren't above adding colouring to disguise the origins of their own-label malts...

Regards,
D.
 
Roger Hicks said:
What's Springbank like? Where's it from, for that matter? For me, Lagavulin is in effect second-best Laphroaig, and although Scapa is delicious, I'd rather spend that sort of money on more Laphroaig.
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Springbank is a Campbeltown distillery, which region-wise puts it in the `Island malts' category. It's a very moderate whisky, iirc. Not as extreme as Islay, not as `standard' as Speysides. Not cheap. Been a while since I had it though. Maybe I should pick up a bottle :)

Don't agree with you on Lagavullin being second-best Laphroaig. For one thing, Lagavullin is much softer than the basic 10 year Laphroaig (not strange, since it's 6 years older), second, the order of tastes is reversed. Laphroaig is smoky on the drink, Lagavullin on the aftertaste.
 
I find this website good: http://www.whisky-pages.com/notes.php Some of the supermarket own brand rate highly.

I think Laphroaig 10 is the marmite of the whisky world. I haven't tried it in a while, but my memories of it aren't positive! Lagavulin 16 on the other I like a lot.

Anybody ordered from www.masterofmalt.com ? Website looks good and prices seem reasonable.

Talisker 10 is a few quid over budget, but I think it would be nice and warming on a cold day.
 
I would also recommend Laphroaig, my favourit among the single malts and Islay. Grew up on an island the rough coast of Norway, so nothing taste better in my mouth than Laphroaig - but it´s not for everyone.

So, I might also recommend Coal Ila, great taste, and not that much smoke as Laphroaig.
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Talisker is also very nice.
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Yes, we do have a flickr group for whisky, leica and litterature - feel free to add pictures ;)
 
Thanks to all for your suggestions. I hadn't realised just how many enthusiasts there are on RFF.

As luck would have it, a visit to a charity shop yesterday turned up a leather and stainless Jack Daniels 4oz hip flask for £3.

So with the money saved and your overwhelming recomendation, it's looking very likely that a bottle of Laphroaig will be added to a 'Shopping Cart' shortly. Having looked into it more, it would seem I'm buying into a history and tradition, as well as a 'wee dram'.
 
Maybe buy a few miniatures first, fun trying the different styles.
You can do the traditional tour of Scotland that way: lowland-speyside-highland-island-islay. You can add a stop in the Campbellstown belt too, drink in that order though!

Seeing as it's Friday I am going to pour myself a wee dram shortly :)
 
Hi,

Many years ago we came back the slow pretty route from one of our Western island tours and were staying a couple of nights in a hotel on the Mull of Kintyre. Also there were a couple of whisky salesmen and, on the second night, they got out all their samples and one of them went down to the burn for a jug of water...

I was talking to them about prices and they said that the Co-op's buyers were very canny (their word) and the first place to look for a decent bargain would be there. FWIW, I'll pass it on.

Regards, David

PS beware of pewter, the metal leaches out into the drink.
 
Spanik said:
Caol Ila (gone pour me a bit, the bottle stand next to the pc :D )
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That's my brand.

The 15 and 18 are great. 12 is good. (lemme reach over....) Cask is, well, cask. It's a deal if you like fruity carmel tones with a wisp of smoke.

25 Bowmore is splendid. $$$$
 
For those who pull from the flask, I wonder if I can solicit opinions on the impact of metal on taste. My flask is steel. I never used my pewter flask. I'm sure copper and titanium and others are available.
 
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