Yeah it seems like a reputation thing.
It seems like if you were a true Scotch appreciator and had put in the years and the many different bottles drank you may come to a conclusion that you prefer single malt.
But unfortunately it seems a lot of the pretenders are making this same assertion without really knowing, and then it becomes this annoying folklore that everyone adheres to, even the newbies.
I can't think of a logical reason why a carefully constructed pure malt blend made by an expert can't be as good or better than a single malt. I mean we don't make single malt beers exclusively do we?
Almost all of the people that tell me only single malts are worth drinking don't even realise that there's more than two types of scotch. Single malt, blended malt / pure malt, then blends that contain non-malted grain, etc.
I am by no means a Scotch expert. I'm very much at the start of my Scotch journey, having drunk it for about 10 years now (I'm 27) and having drunk about 50 bottles per year at my peak (mostly Johnny Walker Red). I still like Johnny Walker, especially Green label, though it becomes a question of the price/quality ratio doesn't it? Green is expensive for what it is. I like the dryness of Johnny Walker. Maybe it's an acquired taste!
One thing Scotch does to me that beer and a lot of other spirits don't is it gives me this feeling that it's made my blood noticeably warmer, and I can feel this warmth pumping through my veins. I don't want to sound like a junkie but that's the truth. This effect comes way before any actual drunkenness. It makes me feel cosy. I don't drink Scotch that much any more though, but it still gives me that feeling when I do. Like clockwork.
h34r:
