Can whisky or any spirit ever be "off" ? I didnt think so - the alcohol level prevents any bacterial /fungal action.
Not the Whisky per se, but I did once open a bottle of Old Pulteney to be hit with the unmistakeable soggy mildewed cardboard whiff of a tainted cork. Fortunately the bottle had been standing upright, so the water of life itself had not been affected and we were able to just chuck away the cork and get on with giving the contents a good seeing to.
When I first started drinking single malts, I was a big fan of the big, smokey peaty aromas of the Islay malts. As I've grown older I've tended more to the subtleties and complexity of Speyside malts, but I'm also a big fan of the Old Pulteney (from Wick) and the Auchentoshan (Lowland - frae Glasgow). What I love about malt whisky is the hugely varied character; there really is a malt for your every mood.
