In reply to Duncan Bourne:
> Not having tried that one to my knowledge what is wrong with Aberlour?
> In addition I have tasted some superb Japanese and even an Indian whiskey
> But technically speaking if we are talking about whiskey, as opposed to whisky, then I would have to go for a Bushmills 16 yr 3 wood
Nothing wrong with Aberlour - the 16 yo and the A'bunadh are both very good. The 10yo is a bit anodyne and watery, though it's often less than £20 which makes it a pretty good alternative to blends. It's a mistake to judge a distillery by it's cheapest product. I don't care for their standard 10/12yos, but the Glenfiddich 15yo Solera, the Glenlivet Nadurra (Cask Strength), and Auchentoschen Valinch (Cask strength) are very good and decent value.
Agree with the praise for Indian whisky - I've recently tried Amrut's Fusion and non-peated Cask Strength and both were great. As for Japanese, I remember liking Yamazaki but I don't really care for the much lauded Nikka From The Barrel - tasted close to a hot mess to me (and for that I can buy A'bunadh a lot cheaper!). The other Japanese whiskies are too pricey for me to try - anyone got any recommendations?
As for Irish whiskey, I like Connemara - Peated Cask Strength, and Redbreast 12. But the best value is the Safeway Taste the Difference Irish Single Malt - Dun Leire. It's an 8yo made for Sainsbury by Cooley and it is absolutely lovely - a full, almost oily body; biscuity malt, lots of citrus. An absolute steal at £20 - won a load of awards a few years back (Jim Murray's whisk(e)y yearbook gave it around 95/100) but is oddly under-promoted.