Quote Originally Posted by Fragony View Post
And despite it not being blended and thus dependant on season, weather conditions, poor/bad harvest, it's consistantly good no matter what? Achohol has no real taste it's the wood it riped in that gives it the flavour. More care to the riping proces makes a good whiskey good, not a particular grain-sort that only grows on middle-earth.
Sorry, but that is almost entirely incorrect. It is not the wood of the barrel that is exclusively (or even primarily) responsible for the flavor of the whisky. You are giving way too little credit to the actually distillation process if you think it is just about distilling alcohol (alcohol is just an excellent carrier of the ingredients that give the actual flavor). Where do you think the flavor of an Obstler comes from? Certainly not from a barrel.

The flavor of a Single Malt will indeed change when you compare batches from different years - nevertheless you will see that the products from a given distillery usually have a certain "base character" - this does not mean that I will like any Single Malt, but the Islay whiskys tend to have a character that I definitely prefer over other (a certain saltiness, usually very peaty).
The challenge of a good blender is to deliver a very consistent product by blending together a broad range of Single Malts that do not have consistent quality/flavor each year. IMHO, most (even expensive blends) lack the character of an Islay that I appreciate - the basic blends of e.g. Johnny Walker or Chivas are way too generic IMHO and lack any characteristic flavor.
Of course you will not get a proper Single Malt for the same price either - call it snobbish if you like, but either I spent some more money on something proper (same with wine) and drink less (or simply stay with a beer).