After your first few malts you might find out you actually quite like the stuff. You might even like it so much that you want to try some more.
Good for you! This is the point where the regional styles of the malts come into play. Like I explained in chapter 4, every region has a certain "style"; the Lowlands malts are very light and subtle, the Islay malts peaty and overwhelming. You may not like a certain style, but how will you know if you don't try?

Congratulations! You are no longer a malt-novice. But before you go off gallivanting through maltland (and the rest of this site) there are some last bits of wisdom and experience I'd like to share with you. In the previous chapter I already gave you some ideas on how to spend your money on malts. How much you want to spend on your first experiences is entirely up to you.
It all depends on the size of your curiosity and your wallet.

That's it for now. I think I have covered about all you need to know for your exploration of maltland. I hope you will find the information useful. If you want to know more about single malt scotch whisky, you can use the buttons at the bottom or the sitemap to explore the rest of this site. Don't hesitate to let me know if you have any further questions.
Class dismissed!

Choosing a bottle may not be easy, but keep in mind that age doesn't improve everything. I personally prefer the 12 yrs. Balvenie over the 15 yrs., for example. An older whisky isn't necessarily "better" than a younger one; especially if you're not too fond of the very pronounced "woody" character some older malts get after spending 20 years or more in the barrel.

Although older doesn't always mean better, most of the time it does equal a considerable financial bloodletting.  Tasting a senior malt like the Macallan 25 shown at the left is a very special experience, and the price tag of over U$/Eur. 200.- a bottle makes sure it stays that way.

Is it worth it? Well - that's not for me to decide.
My advice to all you 'beginners' out there would be to start with some more reasonably priced malts to build a frame of reference. I mentioned some good beginner's malts in the previous chapter; check of out the Financial Issues to find out which malts offer the best value for money.

Don't judge a bottle by it's "niceness". Cardhu, for instance, comes in a wonderful kitsch bottle, but isn't the best single malt around, to be honest. The bottles of the Glenfarclas 105 and Laphroaig 10 are plain ugly - but the malts taste great!

When your exploration of maltland grows more serious, you might want to try some malts from "opposite borders of the malt spectrum", so to speak. Taste the Laphroaig 10 against the Balvenie 10, for example, or the Talisker 10 against the Auchentoshan 10. The bigger the contrasts between the malts, the more pronounced their individuality and character become.

Describing the taste and aroma of a single malt
 is very hard, because several dozens of different components work together to create the overall experience. Besides; everybody has his or her own personal frame of reference. Specific aspects of the taste and aroma are associated with previous experiences. This means that nobody really smells and tastes the same things; it all depends on your "conditioning" and the size and shape of your nose and mouth.

Your personal taste dictates whether you like a specific malt or not. Thanks to the wide variety in style and character, there is a single malt for everybody. Some are round and sweet, others spicy, fruity or flowery. With some experience, you can discover the strangest fragrances in a malt. Everything depends on the water and barley that is used, the size and shape of the still, the experience of the stillman, the type of cask, etc.