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 Aberlour A'Bunadh Batch 38 As I understand there isn't a huge amount of variation between batches but what do I know having only tried this one. The A'Bunadh is reasonably priced and in my opinion qualitywise completely equal to for example a Glenlivet 16yo Nadurra which is also a cask strength in the same price range (although not at all similar). The whisky is finished in Oloroso sherry casks which shows as both the telltale dark brown-reddish colour and the plums, dates and overall sweetness of the nose and palate. Due to this sweetness and the long, long aftertaste that masks well the fact the bottle is 60,3% strong, this stuff is great with desserts. Not a subtle or watery experience. Caol Ila Elements of Islay3 The 3rd Elements bottling from this distillery is very smoky. A friend said he nosed canned peaches in it, but I can only detect a vague fruitiness and a more pungent sweet aroma I can't place. Raisins? The taste is pungent and sooty as is to be expected, but not acrid or bland, just a well placed bundle of delightfully strong peat and a very dry aftertaste. Not a far cry from the blend of Islay whisky from various distilleries going under the name Big Peat, but with less seaweed/algae in the nose and much less water in the taste, both improvements over BP. Laphroaigh Quarter Cask the Quarter Cask boasts a production method of second maturation of the whisky in casks much smaller than regular size ones. What it claims to be is a "recreation of the practices of a bygone era" in order to "create the perfect marriage of peat and oak". What it is is an appalling bottle of smoked piss with notes of fresh sawn board and tar with all the subtlety of a wet fish in the face. The medicinal iodine smell of Laphroaigh is muted under the smoke, smoke, more smoke and wet wood. The nose is closed tight and stays that way, and the taste which itself is not particularly bad but also not a match for even the regular 10yo devolves into a horrifically lingering tarry aftertaste, as if drinking something someone put out a cigarette in. After this experience I'll stick with the Laphroaigh 18 and 10, and will forget trying the other gimmick bottling, Triple Wood. Ardbeg Corryvreckan Here's another less usual whisky, this time one that does it quite right. The Corryvreckan is as super aromatic as any other Ardbeg (leave a couple of empty glasses in a room and come back in a while if you don't know what I mean) with a smell of overripe citrus and something vaguely baconish. Instead of the warmer tones of the 10yo and the absolutely fabulous Uigeadail, the Corryvreckan's palate trick is salt. Properly named after a whirlpool north of Islay, the Corry is a taste of peaty seawater but in a good way. I don't quite remember another whisky which would be as harshly saline and to be sure I wouldn't recommend this to just anyone - only for those looking for a very curious but inarguably excellent bottle. The Corry is unfortunately priced well above the aforementioned Uigeadail which is all around a better whisky, no contest, so recommending Corry is slightly difficult for me although I do appreciate its unique character very much.
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Mar 25, 2012 02:04
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AWWNAW posted:I just bought a bottle of this yesterday too, because I love Laphroaig and thought this may be even better. Well, it's pretty goddamned intense. How's that 10yo rye? Not into ryes but could spare to try something delicious.
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Mar 25, 2012 21:56
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Cthulhu Dreams posted:Can anyone clarify this puzzling question for me? I live right next to a big chain booze franchise thing in Australia (Dan Murphys), and the whisk(e)y section is heavily populated with
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Apr 1, 2012 13:16
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Cthulhu Dreams posted:Is that standard practice? I'm wondering why Caol Ila does it's own branded bottlings and onsells casks to others for bottling? Yea. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_bottler
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Apr 1, 2012 13:42
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 A Laphroaig hat trick. My camera isn't good enough to capture the difference so I didn't take a shot of the glasses, but to my eyes the 10yo has the deepest colour of the three. Since Laphroaig uses colouring I assume this adjustment is made to make the 10yo closer to popular blends in tone. Looking at the QC and especially the 18yo, which are coloured as well, I think the uncoloured Laphroaig is quite pale and far away from the slight copper tone of the 10yo. Personally I wish they didn't colour (or if they did then only the 10yo), since the colour isn't a statement of age or quality and the common misconception of it being such should not be fed. I haven't had a glass of the 10yo in a long time and was surprised to find it as mellow on the nose as it turned out to be. There's a faint (compared to Ardbeg) odour of sea, kelp and salt with iodine and herbs, clean and fresh with a very noticeable smokiness. Compared to the 10yo the Quarter Cask seems to have the same characteristics but amplified in a very unbalanced and off-putting way. The fresh sea breeze carrying a wisp of smoke has here turned into a smoked fish stored on a fresh but thoroughly moist 2X4. The 18yo is missing the smell of gauze wrap that's a noticeable and often commented characteristic of the 10yo, or if it's there I can't find it. The smoke and peat give way to new tones here: bookleather, something citrusy and old wood. Tastewise the 10yo is a beautifully balanced dram all the way until the aftertaste, which is a little disappointing and hollow after the flavour bomb that it is in the mouth. Sweeter and more accessible than I remembered, still an excellent Islay malt for the price it commands. The QC is more bitter, stinging even. It's got quite a lot more aftertaste but it's unfortunately mostly from the tarry side of the flavour spectrum, and not from the side where excellent tar candy resides but from the tarry resin near pipe screens. The 18yo has exactly the same velvety texture as the other two, but here the different aromas have balanced and produced a slowly dissolving, satisfyingly sour mix of leather, pepper, anis and a hint of liquorice. The 10yo is no longer THE Islay malt I remembered it as since it was my introduction to single malts, but since it remains reasonably priced it's a solid choice although the market is currently saturated with a wealth of good stuff at this price range. I adore the 18yo but readily confess that its price point is painful, so I can't happily recommend it. For those loking for a QC-like experience I'd suggest trying Ardbeg Uigeadail which in my opinion does this whole smoked fish, salt and bacon thing a lot better. Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 19:48 on Apr 6, 2012 |
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Apr 6, 2012 19:44
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kidsafe posted:To each his own, but I find Quarter Cask much more pleasant than the 10yr. I don't taste any more tar or fishy influence than the 10, but I do get a whole lot less medicine/bandaids. I get more fresh wood bonfire smoke instead of Islay peat smoke...Overall the whisky is sweeter to me and has a fresher mouthfeel...like clean mineral water. Quarter Cask is far more similar in profile to the 18 than the 10 is to anything else. Nosing the empty glasses now, next to the 10 I can easily distinguish similar scents heavily accented in the QC (heavy bandaid replaced by heavy fresh wood), but compared to the two the lingering scent in the 18 glass doesn't remind me of either. The heaviest lingering aromas are: cream toffee, vanilla for the 18, iodine and a bit of salt water for the 10, and tarred wood for the QC.
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Apr 6, 2012 21:51
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I agree it's difficult to form any kind of a solid opinion on something you can only have a glass or two of and with no familiar bottles to compare with. By old wood I mean the kind of taste that doesn't seem to develop into whiskys under 15 or 16 years old - not as stale as the wood note in older Glenfarclas whiskys but more soft, maybe the word is "rich" or "mature" instead of "old". NightConqueror posted:Definitely a fair assessment. While I dearly love the Quarter Cask, there are a few flaws one can find after tasting a few drams - the tarriness for one and a slightly ashy aftertaste I sometimes get. I think the Ardbeg 10 is a little more nuanced than the Laphroaig 10 and QC, and a bit more mild with more salty, sea notes. Haven't tried the Uigeadail yet or the famous Lagavaulin 16, both of which I've heard are excellent. Is anybody well familiar with the Auchentoshan 12 or older ones? I had a dram of the 12 which was otherwise nice but I was hit with a heavy alcohol aftertaste. Was it just a fluke or is this taste typical to the 12 or the distillery's other products? Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 00:43 on Apr 7, 2012 |
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Apr 7, 2012 00:30
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pork never goes bad posted:Auchentoshan as a distillery tends to produce whiskies with a significant level of burn, in my experience. I have had most of their range at one time or another, and have not been impressed. Agreed on the A'bunadh, at that price and strength it's a steal unless one just doesn't like oloroso whiskys. NightConqueror posted:"Oh, it's pretty good. Not great for doing shots, but it goes down smooth with a little coke." Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 09:04 on Apr 7, 2012 |
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Apr 7, 2012 09:01
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Noticed a Mackillop's single cask bottle next to some Auchentoshans at a bar earlier, contents turned out to be a Brora from 1976. Oh my I'm I'll do tasting notes on Taliskers 10, 18 and the CS 57 North soon. Good stuff all around with a definite common spirit to all of them. None of them bad and the 10 extremely recommendable due to its low price point. So far the 57 North seems to amplify the peppery and spicy characteristics of the 10 while the 18 smooths them out beautifully. All have in common an afterglow effect that warms the throat and makes you feel happy and fulfilled (not joking even).
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May 5, 2012 22:49
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For the Lagavulin fans here I recommend trying this if you spot a bottle anywhere.  The specifics are not listed but by smell and taste I'd say it's definitely much younger than the standard 16 year old expression, making the two fun to compare side by side. A bit more saline, burning and kelp-like, but still a wonderful Lagavulin.
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Oct 3, 2012 11:26
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Kenning posted:The other night I tried some Yamazaki 12 because I wanted to see about this whole Japanese whisky thing and man that was some pear-heavy aroma. It was tasty, very light compared to all the Islays I've been drinking. I suspect this is pretty much an entry-level Japanese, right? Anything else I should look for? Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 23:13 on Oct 4, 2012 |
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Oct 4, 2012 23:08
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NightConqueror posted:Glenmorangie Original is about $40 and has a lot of the similar flavors of Glenlivet: slightly citrusy, green apple notes, a clean mild finish. It's a little more interesting than Glenlivet but still mild enough for a person who likes Speyside whisky. Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 09:38 on Oct 16, 2012 |
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Oct 16, 2012 09:36
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spankmeister posted:Talisker is quite peppery compared to Glenlivet, it's a good intro to the more flavorful whiskies but HP might be a better stepping stone. For a more unique yet affordable Glenlivet the 15 yo Nadurra cask strength is very solid. edit: The mailman brought a box from heaven. 
Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 23:36 on Oct 16, 2012 |
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Oct 16, 2012 23:25
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Let's taste: Ardbeg x 3 I tasted Airigh Nam Beist at a local whisky bar this summer and thought it was much better than the Supernova and Corryvreckan I sampled alongside it. In fact I thought it was good enough to warrant a purchase if I ever came across one, which unfortunately seemed unlikely since it's long out of stock almost everywhere. Thankfully The Whisky Exchange still has some bottles, so after paying their extortionate price for one I finally got a chance to know it better alongside two newer Ardbegs, the aforementioned Corryvreckan (bottled at a respectable 57% alc. vol.) and the excellently priced and delicious Uigeadail.  Colours Uigeadail: coppery with medium redness, remniscent of other sherry-matured whiskies Corryvreckan: sunglow Airigh Nam Beist: golden yellow, pale but yellower than the 10yo According to Ardbeg the Uigeadail smells like 'chocolate caramels, barley sugar, dates, raisins, leather, linseed oil', to which I'd add fried bacon with salt, the very specific smell of an old leather recliner, and, upon adding water, currant concentrate. The mouthfeel of the whisky is medium bodied, neither too watery or too oily. It bites the tongue a bit like young whisky (unsurprisingly Still Young comes to mind), but the palate is much richer than the 10yo's with the dates and oiliness promised by the nose. Slight sweetness like liquor-filled chocolates, but also the sooty smoke of a bonfire and the typical Ardbeg coastal salty aroma. The fried bacon impression returns in the aftertaste. The Corryvreckan has a much more medicinal smell to it than the Uigeadail. The aroma is saline but harsher than other Ardbegs, like rocksalt and seawater. Similar sooty smoke as the Uigeadail but none of the sweet notes. A smell of canned peaches occasionally, promising something fruity hidden somewhere behind all the sea tones. Ardbeg claims butteriness, creaminess and roast chicken crisp, but while a greasy roasted aroma is present, I couldn't place it as the distillery did. The taste is really unique, the saltiest whisky I've known. The strength of the taste is difficult to anticipate. Bitterness, charred wood, fruit cocktail - a viking funeral boat loaded with goods and food heading into a whirlpool. For once the 'quirky name from local history' gimmick pays off as the product delivers exactly what the label promises. Surprisingly for such a powerful dram the aftertaste is a little hollow. The Airigh Nam Beist greets me with the easily identifiable smell of vanilla, both a sweet sugarish aroma and a richer note more like ice cream. Sea air, pine soap, and some smoke although it's only fleeting compared to the two other expressions. The body is oily and soft like a Caol Ila, but only a wisp of smoke and very little soot or bitterness. Ardbeg claims the taste has a hint of bacon but compared to the Uigeadail I can't spot it; only delicate cream and a flowery aftertaste. An unusually subtle Ardbeg but after a few glasses I already remember why I fell in love with it in the first place and also why this expression gets so much praise from friends of the distillery. Each of the above whiskies is on its own a fine drink worthy of praise and I shall not insult them by grading, as that would be like trying to answer the question 'which one of your kids do you love the most'. If you come across any of these three, by all means try if you haven't yet. Detective Thompson posted:How long with an opened bottle last before it goes south? A week ago I finished the last three glasses of a Hakushu 18 that had been open since January, and couldn't complain at all. Still excellent. One of the folks that does Youtube reviews mentioned that the aroma of peat is the one that usually tends to mellow most as time passes so I'd guess the peatier the whisky the faster you want to finish it. CoderCat posted:I'm looking for a single malt Scotch that is as smoky as Black Label. I've tried Ardbeg Uigeadail and Laphroaig 10, and while both are very nice, I didn't find them as smoky. Any recommendations? 
Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 20:25 on Nov 20, 2012 |
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Nov 20, 2012 20:03
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Got introduced to the products of the Craigellachie distillery for the first time, a sample bottling of 12yo from 2000 by Douglas Laing and another distilled in 1993 and bottled in 2012 by Gordon & Macphail. This is a highlander so no heavy peat or smoke aromas, but rather cream and heavy malt, citrus and a little bit of sea. Not an outstanding drink but quality/price ratio is spot on. The G & M bottling is nicely aged but the cask in question appears to have been chosen conservatively, playing it safe - no particularly bold flavours to be found in it but nothing to complain about either. Squarely beats Glenfiddich & co.renzor posted:My friend in Portland is buying me a bottle in exchange for an ereader I'm giving her. The choice of where it comes from is totally up to me. Any recommendations? I pretty much enjoy all whiskey and am always excited to try something new. Can you give a hint as to what the ereader cost or what would be the max price for the bottle? Would be easier to recommend something if the budget's known. NightConqueror posted:Well, I'm jealous. Uigeadail is a definite must buy this Christmas.
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Nov 22, 2012 00:50
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renzor posted:Max $50 Single malts in that price range Mellow highlanders & speysiders: Glenkinchie 12, Glengoyne 10, Balvenie doublewood Islay peat & smoke brigade: Laphroaig 10, Caol Ila 12, Ardbeg 10
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Nov 22, 2012 09:11
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My current set. biglads already took the fun out of this though.
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Nov 30, 2012 09:59
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A slight disappointment: The Caol Ila elements CI4 is very, very smoky, with a greasy heavily burnt character that unfortunately hovers over all the other aromas both in taste and smell. A definite step down from the previous bottling which was fantastic.
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Dec 6, 2012 12:38
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Son of a bitch. 1 liter bottles of Talisker Distillers' Edition and 57° at ridiculously low tax free prices and 'purchasing not allowed to you specifically sir because of some silly law between your departure and destination countries'. 
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Jan 11, 2013 01:03
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The courier came by:
Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 16:53 on Jan 11, 2013 |
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Jan 11, 2013 13:26
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Apparently The Whisky Exchange's last or so bottle since the whisky was delisted soon after my order. Abominable price but I paid because I didn't purchase any of it earlier, having misjudged the whisky the first time I tasted it and realized my error only when it was pretty much out of stock everywhere already. Saving mine for the future too. edit: oh TWE relisted Alligator. Sadly for everyone involved the price remains abominable. Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 10:49 on Jan 12, 2013 |
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Jan 11, 2013 17:14
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GrAviTy84 posted:I went to a complimentary tasting for Friends of Laphroaig at the Seven Grand in LA and got to taste the entire line (10, 10 CS, QC, TW, 18, 25) and they also poured two Glenfarclases (18 and 25) to compare age statements to. My favorite for the night was most certainly the Laphroig 18. It's been 3 years now since I've had it, but I remember it being very balanced, with those medicinal briny laphroaig notes tempered with wood sweetness and it being quite velvety feeling in the mouth. Great stuff. The 25 was also fantastic but I thought for the price point, 18 was definitely the best. Gravity got it right here. 18 has everything one could hope for while going through a glass of 10, and it lacks the overpolished feel of Triple Wood, the crass and bitter tarriness of the QC, and the ridiculous price tag of the 25. It is genuinely worth what it goes for and definitely the star of the Laphroaigh product line. What I get out of the smooth kiss that it feels like on the tongue is the familiar Laphro gauze wrap & iodine plus the smell of a sauna bath (moist, smoky wood) as well as sweet liquorice that is present way more than in the 10. Sure Laph 25 is a nice drink but I wouldn't buy a bottle at more than $150 which is roughly half its current price. Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 14:53 on Jan 13, 2013 |
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Jan 13, 2013 14:41
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kidsafe posted:It depends on what you mean by polish. Do you mean that coated feeling you get with most ACE'd whiskies. If so, then yes I agree. I disagree vehemently that Quarter Cask is tarry at all...instead I consider it woody, with cleaner smoke compared to the 10yr. It is also tastes crisper/minerally, perhaps due to its youth...the same goes for Triple Wood. The QC is woody, yes, but the wood smells of sweat and soaked fresh board, as if a caricature of the sauna smell I mentioned earlier. Nosing it next to other Laphroaigs or a Lagavulin was not a pleasant experience to me. The tarriness is in the taste, once you swallow, the way it slowly reeks down the throat as if unduely viscous. Nosed and tasted next to other strong stuff like a young 54% Caol Ila and Ardbeg Corryvreckan it just didn't seem to have any leg to stand on. I know I'm in the minority considering the praise it gets on whiskey related sites but I've rarely been so consistently displeased with an entire bottle. Of course $150 for Laph 25 would be an incredible deal considering the price it sells for currently, but for example compared to IB stuff of same age or older you can get from other distilleries at $150 (or €150 rather) I don't see the point of paying painful amounts for OBs unless a release of really exceptional quality comes up, and the Laph 25 is not it. edit: I love this Signatory 13 yo Laphro I took for aperitif. A marriage of two single casks, nobody that likes the normal 10yo should be in any way disappointed. Instantly recognizable yet with a little personality too. Gonna have to try the others in this series too. Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 17:32 on Jan 13, 2013 |
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Jan 13, 2013 16:41
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dug fin posted:To be fair, I bought two bottles at the distillery earlier this year and it was 100 even there. 125 is a drat good price given the circumstances. Going to pick up another bottle or two. Thanks for the tip! It's sad that TWE upped the price of their remaining Airigh Nam Beist from £110 to £150. I would want more of it but at that price I don't think so. kidsafe posted:As for Lagavulin DE, it's probably the least favorite of the ones I've tried. Perversely enough I like the guessing game a lot, but freely admit I wouldn't play it on over $100 bottles. If I'm looking for an IB of higher than that price I tend to go for distilleries that in my opinion produce consistently good stuff such as Caol Ila. It's true that some real murky stuff does exist in the IB lineups but I've been lucky so far, and possible inability to purchase more of the same doesn't bother me much as there's always more good bottles to be found even among the relatively few distilleries that I buy consistently enough to be called a habit. kidsafe posted:I have two bottles myself purchased for $100/ea, but I don't know why. Based on taste and intrinsic qualities alone, it's not a whole lot more than a high ABV 10yr + a peppery kick. That's what I got the first time I tasted Alligator and wasn't at all impressed. Gave it another go a few months ago and I was totally charmed by it: a delicious lingering aftertaste that's a bit heavier on the tongue than the Uigeadail and with much more complexity than I remembered from the first glass. It's rare for me to do such a 180 on a whisky so I figured a bottle is in order because further analysis  is required.
Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 19:44 on Jan 14, 2013 |
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Jan 14, 2013 18:12
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Opened a bottle of Corryvreckan and even through a clogged nose I can smell its beautiful complex aroma with herbs, brown sugar for sherry influence, harsh salinity at first whiff, leather and other more mature notes to temper the sherry, balanced very well and with a satisfyingly even body. This is an astonishing whisky and I regret having called it too expensive before because a bottle of this is easily worth two 10-12 year olds. Water tempers it a bit and is recommended for the experience even for those who don't make a habit of watering it. At 57% it can take several rounds of watering easily while retaining flavour, structure and character. I swear it gets smokier with more water... No match for outlaw whiskey of course but pretty okay. Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 21:53 on Feb 12, 2013 |
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Feb 12, 2013 21:50
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Delivery: So far I've opened the Springbank, which is miles better than what I remember the 10yo being. Tried JW Black & Blue labels earlier, comparing to a standard Dalwhinnie 15 which was a new one for me. The Dalwhinnie beat both hands down in aroma, taste and aftertaste. Most one could say of the JWs is that they're very drinkable and feel velvety going down the throat but held in the mouth a bit longer the tongue is at a loss for there is no proper bloom of flavours there, just this oily mass through which bits of different tastes painstakingly leak every now and then. The grain influence is probably what makes the aftertaste such a fleeting thing in them. Glottis posted:How do they compare? The Hibiki is peated, right? I love the Yamazaki. Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 18:55 on Mar 15, 2013 |
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Mar 15, 2013 18:11
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Drank a sample bottle of a 30yo Carsebridge grain. Overpowering smell of buttered popcorn, underneath a crisp fresh smell of vegetables and roots. Taste a combination of oil used to fry popcorn, cream and crispy wafer, and unshakeable impression of vegetable soup. Delicious but with a drawback - quickly vanishing aftertaste.  had one bottle of Port Askaig 25yo before, that stuff's golden
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Mar 16, 2013 00:43
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duckstab posted:I think the mouthfeel of whisky is a really under appreciated aspect of drinking whisky, I think it's one of the most important factors for me. Agreed. IMO the mouthfeel is the most distinctive thing about quality old whisky and there is little point in putting money into 25yo or older drams if one hasn't developed any sense of what it should feel like on the tongue and in the cheeks.
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Apr 5, 2013 17:17
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Troll Bridgington posted:I think I'm in love with the Highland Park 12... the smokier scotches are really starting to grow on me. Where should I go from here? Are the older HPs a huge step up from the 12? HP 18 is a blast but the 21 is a bit of a letdown next to it.
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Apr 9, 2013 20:06
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Rapdawg posted:My friend for instance got in an argument with me about Johnny Walker because he heard Christopher Hitchens drank it
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Apr 13, 2013 02:22
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PopZeus posted:Okay Whisky Goons: My grandpa is a huge whisky drinker and thus my dad and I are going with him to Whisky Fest in Chicago next week as a birthday present. Now I haven't had the chance to sample as much whisky as most of you guys so the list of what is available is a little overwhelming. I'm hoping I can get some suggestions to help narrow it down! I'd also suggest trying either the Hakushu 12 or one of the Yamazakis (H for a floral, fresh character or Y for a woody, varnishy one) because those two represent the best of Japanese single malts. The other two, Miyagikou and Nikka are fine but I think H and Y have better balance. Found a Dalwhinnie 15 at the Vilnius airport and decided to take it home. This is lovely stuff to my nose because it has the coastal lemony iodine notes I've come to love and associate with some young Bunnahabhain and Caol Ila bottles but the smoke is very subdued compared to Islay drinks. There's also a smell remniscent of flower petals, tulips perhaps.
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Apr 17, 2013 23:32
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smn posted:I'm a huge Yoichi fan. I find the Yoichi 10 & 12 year old significantly tastier than the similar age Yamazaki and Hakushus. Same goes with the older aged ones, I'd put the 15yo Yoichi pretty much on par with the 18 old Yamazaki which I also adore. The high end Yoichis are just awesome as well and until late they've offered very good value for money. Yup, to each his own. I bought a bottle of Yoichi 10 between a H12 and a Y12 and felt it was ok but didn't warrant a repurchase. I'm sad I was too late at this year's local whisky fair and all the Yoichi 20 they had for tasting was already gone. Would have liked to know if double the maturation time would have turned it into something interesting. ...hmm I'm sure I intended to write "Miyagikou and Yoichi" in my original reply, not "Miyagikou and Nikka". Oops. Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 11:36 on Apr 21, 2013 |
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Apr 21, 2013 11:34
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Does anyone have any experience with the latest bottling of Highland Park 30 year old? I'm considering that for a birthday bottle this year, or maybe a Port Askaig 30yo CS, which is a complete shot in the dark based on the quality of the 25yo. Any other suggestions of bottlings up to around $300 are welcome. Probably won't go big but once this year so I'm looking for something that would leave a lasting impression.
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Apr 27, 2013 17:35
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duckstab posted:I've been a bit underwhelmed by the official HP releases of late, especially the older variants, but that's just me. Do you have a website that lists some of what's available to you?
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Apr 28, 2013 07:31
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Joining in on the Macallan diss. Based on the "meh"-iness of the glasses I've had and their ludicrous price policies I've permanently crossed the distillery off my purchase list.
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Apr 30, 2013 10:05
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What I take away from that video is that perhaps I didn't appreciate my Macallan simply because I'm an uneducated boor who doesn't get the Macallan is best enjoyed MAXIMUM COOL. I stand corrected. The ball is neat though.
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Apr 30, 2013 22:23
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You folks know one thing right, the Talisker distillers' edition is delicious. edit: Late night fight between Talisker DE and Lagavulin 1995 DE The Talisker's nose has more of a dessert wine quality, sour sweetness, than the Lagavulin which tends toward coffee and gasoline. Yes, that essential Lagavulin smell of heavy diesel fumes is very much intact although there's a second layer of sweetness - plum and raisins - on top of the normal 16 yo's own tarry sugariness. The Talisker has a fresh edge to it that I don't recall from the 10yo, which to my nose is close or alike to raspberry jam. In mouthfeel the Lagavulin triumphs - it's not that the Talisker's mouthfeel has anything wrong with it but the Lagavulin is like velvet. Tastewise the Talisker's finish gives it exactly what I think the 10yo lacks, some character and additional flavour. The 10yo is a good whisky but I've always thought its palate is fairly simple and could use a little something. Turns out the distiller's choice of amoroso cask is a perfect compliment to the distillery's style. The Lagavulin's finish gives it cinnamon, cardamom and coffee with plum juice sweetness. I like these both quite a lot and in the case of the Talisker I think I'll be buying the DE exclusively instead of the 10yo from now on. I'm disappointed the Highland Park Loki isn't figurative or literal piss. That would've been the true spirit of Loki. Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 22:55 on May 1, 2013 |
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May 1, 2013 19:36
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NightConqueror posted:EDIT: Also, looks like Laphroaig is changing their packaging. I liked the less-clean look of the old bottles.
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May 3, 2013 17:44
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The new Talisker Storm is a dram of pepper and beer with a bit of liquorice. Recognizably pungent Talisker peat, some faint coastal vibes (kinda non-saline for a storm), remnants of the Talisker 10 sweetness. IIRC the 10yo has a deeper colour, this is somewhere between maize and gold. Sootball mouthfeel, as if the Talisker peat had decided to materialize here and rake the tongue while passing. Worth the price it retails for but I'm not certain the addition to the product line was entirely necessary. edit: one hour later and even though I forgot which glass I put where it is obvious like night and day which empty glass had Storm and which Talisker DE. Caol Ila 25 vs. Port Askaig 25  Lighting conditions and crappy camera made it a moot point to try and capture the colour difference which was minimal, both tending to sunglow. Two Caol Ilas separated by branding, some 2% alc. vol. and €57,40. In this case there can only be one. Which one? The PA's nose is much closer to what I'd expect from a Caol Ila, greasy smoke and sea with lime on top. The distillery's own is more hayish, like fresh cut grass, dry hay, and lemon. Very little smoke here, some peat but subdued. If I hadn't ordered the bottle of Moch that's here for a workmate I'd be tempted to crack it open just now to sample its peat vs the distillery 25's. Why? The Moch's tasting notes on Master of Malt: "Lemon sherbet and apple crumble topping with custard. Dry grass and not a hint of smoke." Familiar? There's something else in the distillery bottle too, cumin? Like fresh ginger & soap. Both are really frisky and fresh for something this old. They don't really smell young at all, but I can't find any leather, tobacco or their associates in either bottling. PA is royal velvet in the mouth (stellar watering job done here), with a taste that starts as charred, sooty and strong but surprisingly develops into absolutely delicious blackcurrant wash. The turn into berry juice territory is for me unexpected but the very reason I love this bottling: just when I think I've had a pretty good Caol Ila, holding it in my mouth a moment longer takes the whole experience up a level. With the distillery's own we're into entirely different waters. Here the peat does show, but so does a fruit candy flavour like winegums(more synthetic here than the wild berry of the PA). The finish sticks to the walls of the mouth, feels like something really bitter but taste is full, phenoly. The aftertaste loses the fruit candy notes and turns into lemon, soot and iodine (almost xylitol). Liberal addition of water later the distillery's own tones down on the soap notes in favour of sour cream. Artificial lemon still present, smoke somewhat amplified. The water smooths the way the dram clings to the mouth and the tongue but this is still not as smooth as the PA was out of the bottle. Good this is, no doubt about that, but +€57,40 good? No. There can only be one and it is the Port Askaig. Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 11:38 on May 7, 2013 |
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May 6, 2013 20:11
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| # ¿ Apr 25, 2024 11:27 |
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The Springbank 18 don't sit right with me. It's not a bad whisky but kind of subdued and a little bland for a bottle of that price. The sulphur-burnt match-sandstone smells also mask the rest of the nose too much for my tastes, and the smell left in an empty glass can be best described as sandy. I still like this more than I recall liking the 10yo when I tasted it but I'd still expect a little more show from it. I gave a glass to a friend who likes the SB 10 and 15, and he was equally unimpressed. Maybe save your buck and get one of the younger ones if you're considering looking into this distillery. Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 03:08 on May 9, 2013 |
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May 9, 2013 03:02
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