site banner
PaperclipPerfector  4d ago (text post)   1660 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for November 21, 2025

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

1
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

Scotch, for me, is a product category where the cheap is pretty bad and shouldn't even be bothered with (by comparison to something like bourbon) but the best is exquisite. At first I thought I just didn't like scotch at all, until a neighbor started giving my dad really nice scotch (by which I mean, fourteen years ago in my life, a $50 bottle of single malt) that I came to understand it. Now I'll buy a $40-50 bottle every year or two if I see one on sale at the state store, and I'm finally working through some of the gift scotch from years past. I don't drink enough for the cost to really matter to me, though as more of my friends get divorced and hang out with me drinking I'll need to budget better.

What bottles would you recommend as great expressions of the art?

For what's readily available and great at relatively reasonable prices:

Regular tipple: Bunnahabhain 12, Oban 14, Benromach 15

Sherry cask: (red fruit, raisins, dark chocolate) Glenallachie 12/15

Bourbon cask: (vanilla, caramel, toffee) Deanston 12, Glencadam 10, Bruichladdich Classic Laddie if you want more of a lactic note

Peat/smoke: Kilchoman 100% Islay

Peat/Sherry combo: Ardbeg Uigeadail, Kilchoman Sanaig

It helps to keep an open mind, there's such a wide variety in scotch flavors that it's really a rewarding hobby to get into. I go through phases where I crave one thing or the other.

I'll see which one the state store stocks! I could probably use a bottle for when the in laws come over.

IMO: Ardbeg Uigeadail used to be pretty great back when I was sampling scotches.

Edit: shit, misremembered the distillery. Fixed.

You're thinking of Ardbeg, I believe, but I agree, the Uigedail is my personal favourite of the scotches that can be found in a shop. I think the trick is that aging an Islay in sherry casks somehow cuts out the alcohol burn but leaves all the peat/smoke for you.

If fivehour's looking for an affordable but high-quality scotch off the shelf in the US, the best bang for your buck is actually Costco. Their higher-end liquors are sourced from the best distilleries, but 'off-profile' - if, for instance, an Islay distillery makes a batch that isn't peaty enough for their brand, they'll sell it to Costco or Trader Joe's on the understanding that they will never be named as the source. If you're looking for something interesting and really good, I suggest Milroy's. Those guys are the biggest whiskey nerds in London and their house brand reflects that, plus a much wider selection they can recommend to taste over email.

What is this place?

This website is a place for people who want to move past shady thinking and test their ideas in a court of people who don't all share the same biases. Our goal is to optimize for light, not heat; this is a group effort, and all commentators are asked to do their part.

The weekly Culture War threads host the most controversial topics and are the most visible aspect of The Motte. However, many other topics are appropriate here. We encourage people to post anything related to science, politics, or philosophy; if in doubt, post!

Check out The Vault for an archive of old quality posts. You are encouraged to crosspost these elsewhere.


Why are you called The Motte?

A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently, it's an element in a rhetorical move called a "Motte-and-Bailey", originally identified by philosopher Nicholas Shackel. It describes the tendency in discourse for people to move from a controversial but high value claim to a defensible but less exciting one upon any resistance to the former. He likens this to the medieval fortification, where a desirable land (the bailey) is abandoned when in danger for the more easily defended motte. In Shackel's words, "The Motte represents the defensible but undesired propositions to which one retreats when hard pressed."

On The Motte, always attempt to remain inside your defensible territory, even if you are not being pressed.


New post guidelines

If you're posting something that isn't related to the culture war, we encourage you to post a thread for it. A submission statement is highly appreciated, but isn't necessary for text posts or links to largely-text posts such as blogs or news articles; if we're unsure of the value of your post, we might remove it until you add a submission statement. A submission statement is required for non-text sources (videos, podcasts, images).

Culture war posts go in the culture war thread; all links must either include a submission statement or significant commentary. Bare links without those will be removed.

If in doubt, please post it!


Rules


Recommended Posts And Communities

Recommended Realtime Chats