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Killer robot posted:$50 is what I've generally seen a 750 of Green go for in NY. It's not better than the comparably priced single malts driving it out of the market, but it's good at its price point and I'll be sad to see it go. Bruichladdich Octomore http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/product.asp?pf_id=2666000001608 BenRiach 25 Authenticus http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/product.asp?pf_id=2600000001696 Bruichladdich Black Arts 3 http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/product.asp?pf_id=2600000001897 Ardbeg Alligator (if you can still find it, good luck. I picked up two bottles of it at the distillery earlier this year, it's pretty amazing.)
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Nov 8, 2012 10:36
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On a side note, some other pretty amazing finds lately: Kilchoman Machir Bay http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/product.asp?pf_id=2600000001740 If you like Ardbegs, this place is relatively new (so they don't have anything out older than 5/6 years), but it's young, peaty and very active. They're the only self sufficient distillery on Islay - they do everything themselves from growing the barley, roasting it, storing it, etc. BenRiach Solstice 17 Year http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/product.asp?pf_id=2600000001695 Heavily peated scotch finished in port casks. It's burgundy in color from the port. I can't recommend this enough. Connemara Turf Mor http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/product.asp?pf_id=1000000001274 Interesting change of pace, a peated Irish whiskey. If you don't go into it expecting it to be even remotely Scotch-like, it's actually extremely good.
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Nov 8, 2012 10:43
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kidsafe posted:It doesn't matter if an older whisky is better or not...it's older and rarer unless a distillery has ramped up production specifically for older expressions (a la Lagavulin 16 vs Lagavulin 12 Cask Strength). Kilchoman's whisky is expensive, not because it's amazing, but because their output is so low. It depends on your taste. I'd put any of the Kilchoman releases well above Green Label, but I also really like peated whiskey. I'm finding as time goes on that I actually prefer the younger more active vintages to the older and more mellow/refined ones. I was very impressed with Kilchoman, all in all. They may be a little expensive because of the relatively low output of the distillery, but it doesn't take away from the quality of the dram. As with most other things in life, though, the quality of the thing really doesn't have much to do with the cost. I love Black Bottle and it's one of the cheapest Scotches you'll find. I'd put that up there with many Islay main offerings even with it being a blended mystery drink. It has a place on my shelf next to the Octomore and Alligator / Corryvreckan, which cost 4-5x what the Black Bottle does.
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Nov 12, 2012 13:50
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I was skeptical about it when I bought it, since I'm a peat hound, but I highly recommend Caol Ila's Unpeated Style. It has HUGE pepper taste to it, I don't know what kind of oak they used, but it's imparted a massive flavor profile. It's very clean tasting. I'm a big fan of it, now.
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Nov 27, 2012 09:06
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Don't have a picture of my Scotch cabinet. Biglads definitely has me beat, but not for lack of trying. Here's my haul from my last trip to Scotland, however.
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Dec 3, 2012 10:28
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prefect posted:Did you get to carry that home in your luggage? I moved to Ireland in May, so I drove home with it in the trunk.  The customs guy stopped me as I was getting on the car ferry and asked me to open the trunk, I thought I was in trouble. He saw the trunk full to the brim with Scotch and all he said was "Can I get your address? I'd like to stop by for a wee drink when I'm in Ireland." I love the Scottish. NightConqueror posted:Jesus, that's a hell of a haul. Is that all from bottle shops or distilleries? Distilleries for the most part. I did pick up a couple bottles on the Royal Mile, though - that Bunnahabhain 76 among them. dug fin fucked around with this message at 09:55 on Dec 4, 2012 |
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Dec 4, 2012 09:45
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Stultus Maximus posted:How's the Bowmore? It's nice. It's got a bit of honey sweetness to it. There's a bit of good Islay salt with a little barley on the nose. I didn't get very much peat from it, if any. I wouldn't call it deep of character, but it's very smooth and the flavors flow very well. That said, it's not my favorite - I prefer the brashness of an Ardbeg or a Kilchoman. If you like smoother dessert type drams, though, the Legend is definitely a good one.
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Dec 4, 2012 09:53
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For anyone that cares, I have a small whiskey blog up. I'm slowly working through what I brought home from Scotland, along with some of the things I've been picking up on the side. scotchbynumbers.com Having a few tastings for my coworkers over the Christmas holiday, going to pop the Black Arts 3, Auchentoshan Copper's Reserve and Amrut Cask Strength. dug fin fucked around with this message at 10:35 on Dec 4, 2012 |
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Dec 4, 2012 10:17
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two_beer_bishes posted:I'm going to Scotland in July with my wife to attend a wedding in Aberdeen but we'll be driving to Edinburgh and Glasgow with her dad to do some sightseeing. I love scotch and my wife enjoys it too so we're looking at some distilleries to visit. Glengoyne is within 15 minutes of Edinburgh and well worth a visit. Also give a visit to the Brew Dog brewery while you're there, it's very close to the Royal Mile. The Scotch Whiskey Experience is the obvious stop when you're on the Royal Mile, being right next to the castle, but definitely don't miss Royal Mile Whiskies. Auchentoshan is fairly close to Glasgow. They had some very, very nice Scotches, I was very pleasantly surprised by them. If you want a detour to a beautiful island that won't cost you much, I'd definitely recommend taking a day or two from Glasgow and flying over to Islay. It's probably like a 30 minute flight, if that. The island itself is absolutely beautiful. Some of my favorite distilleries in the world are there, too. You can squeeze in a set of tours through Ardbeg, Laphroaig and Lagavulin in a few hours (they're within a mile or so of each other). Bruichladdich, Caol Ila and Kilchoman are definitely recommended too. Bunnahabhain and Bowmore are also located on the island, but by in large aren't my favorite.
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Dec 6, 2012 09:50
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Just bought myself another bottle of the Caol Ila Unpeated from RMW and picked up a bottle of Laphroaig 1997 Chieftain's Rum Cask. I've been finding some of the Ian Macleod experiments interesting. I'm imagining this one to be a nice contrast between peppery oak, peat and that rum sweetness. http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/product.asp?sessionID=JRU&pf_id=2666600001656
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Dec 10, 2012 16:26
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NightConqueror posted:Rum Cask, huh? I've never tried anything barreled in that before. How does it affect the flavor of the Laphroaig? Don't know, will probably be another week before it arrives. Hoping to get it before I host my next tasting event, though. Looking forward to trying it.
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Dec 11, 2012 09:46
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Huxley posted:Got an Ardbeg 10 as my Christmas bottle. If you're into peatiness, I definitely recommend almost anything from Ardbeg. Give a try to the Corryvreckan, next. It's probably my all time favorite.
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Dec 28, 2012 09:14
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kidsafe posted:Bushmill's? Can't argue with $12 for a 5th. There's plenty of great whisky for ~$30, particularly bourbon. For something like scotch whisky there are many great blends at or under that price point and a few single malts. I drove up to Giant's Causeway a few months back and was pleased to discover that Bushmill's was a couple minutes away from it, so I stopped in. I tried a bunch of their stuff but what I ended up liking the most was the Irish Honey, which I believe is new make, more or less. It tastes like mead and whiskey had a baby.
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Dec 28, 2012 09:17
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biglads posted:The Glendronach 15 is very nice. I prefer it to the 18 which is still very nice but a little over oaked for me. No such thing as over-oaked. That pepper-like bite is one of the things that I crave in a Scotch. The holy trinity for me is pepper, peat and salt.
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Jan 7, 2013 10:14
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MJP posted:So I didn't like Laphroaig 10 years due to being too smokey, I liked Highland Park 15 for deep and caramelly flavors, Macallen 10 years Fine Oak for a light introductory body with enough smokeyness to be interesting, Balvenie Caribbean Cask for vanillaness and sparky kind of flavor. I'm totally open to recommendations for something else interesting up to $80ish. I recommended it earlier in the thread, but give a try to Caol Ila Unpeated. It's rare that I enjoy unpeated drams as much as I did this one. http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/product.asp?pf_id=2400000001617 (I definitely can recommend shipping / ordering from Royal Mile Whiskies - I got a chance to drop in and visit them once and they're a great shop).
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Jan 7, 2013 10:17
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Also, for anyone with an interest, I've been working on a scotch blog for the last 6 months or so. I try to put up ratings for everything I taste / buy. http://www.scotchbynumbers.com/ dug fin fucked around with this message at 10:27 on Jan 7, 2013 |
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Jan 7, 2013 10:24
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Mr Darcy posted:Really intend to make it last though, it's nice to get a slight "alcohol buzz" without going on to get pissed or drinking a number of pints of beer. One of the things I say to people about Scotch is that if you're drinking Scotch to get pissed, you're doing it wrong. It's definitely a spirit with so much going on and so many levels of appreciation and taste that it's worth sipping and enjoying rather than just downing it. Sounds like you've definitely got the right idea.
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Jan 9, 2013 16:30
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Mr Darcy posted:If anyone can recommend something similar to the Dalwhinnie that I can line up for a month or two then I'd appreciate it - The smoother the better with a similar price too! Auchentoshan makes some extremely nice whiskies in a sweeter, smoother style. If you don't mind spending a few extra dollars, I DEFINITELY recommend the Valinch. http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/product.asp?pf_id=0010000038125 http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/product.asp?pf_id=2666600001686 Glenkinchie also has some nice whiskies. http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/product.asp?pf_id=0010000035155 http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/product.asp?pf_id=2400000001465
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Jan 10, 2013 15:56
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Deleuzionist posted:The courier came by: How'd you come by a bottle of Alligator? I have one sitting upstairs in the closet for a rainy someday because I haven't been able to locate any more of it.
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Jan 11, 2013 17:04
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Deleuzionist posted: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. 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!
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Jan 14, 2013 09:44
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Deleuzionist posted: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. The Indian, Chinese and Japanese markets have been pushing Scotch prices higher worldwide due to the massive increase in demand, unfortunately.
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Jan 14, 2013 09:46
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Deleuzionist posted:Aa, I didn't know they asked for that much at the distillery too. I only remembered a local shop asking €100 for it a year ago, which I think was more than what it sold for at that time. Yeah, it was 100 pounds, too, not dollars. Quite expensive. I'm a big fan of three tastes in a scotch - peat, peppery oak and salt. Alligator is fantastic in all three, especially the pepper from that charred oak. I think it smells like BBQ meat. Love the stuff. I picked up a couple bottles of both 94 and 95. I think the 94 is extremely good. The 95 is very nice, but doesn't hold a candle to the 94 in my eyes. I'll be writing a review soon of the 95 for my blog, but here's the 94. http://www.scotchbynumbers.com/2012/07/lagavulin-1994-distillers-edition.html
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Jan 16, 2013 12:02
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GordonComstock posted:Reading through all the posts, I see a lot of Scotch, Rye and Bourbon comments. While I do drink some Rye, I predominantly drink Irish Whiskey. I would echo a lot of the superlative comments for Redbreast, but I was wondering if anyone has any experience with the other, new Single Pot Stilled Irish Whiskeys? Seeing as I've drank Green Spot, Redbreast 12yr and Yellow Spot, I was wondering if anyone can comment on the value of the others, i.e Powers John's Lane 12yr, Redbreast 12 yr Cask Strength and Middleton Barry Crockett Legacy (I've never drank Redbreast 15yr, but I've already been given tips by a friend). Mostly interested in the first two, as the Crockett Legacy is out of this world expensive. I don't mind picking up some Irish to review if you have any requests. I moved from the states to Dublin in the middle of last year, so Irish whiskey especially is quite easy for me to get. I've mostly stuck with trying different types of Connemara since it's the only Irish peated, but I don't mind branching out a bit if it'll help anyone.
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Jan 16, 2013 12:04
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S.W.O.R.D. Agent posted:Lastly, the other thing that really peaked my interest into whiskey besides this thread is that my favorite restaurant also has quite and extensive whiskey / scotch selection (see below). Anyone see anything on these lists that I should try other than just picking things at random? I hate to keep pushing my blog (well, no, I don't HATE it, just feel like I'm beating a dead horse), this is one of the types of questions I'm trying to field with it. I break down the various notes that I pull out - what ones I can, at least, and keep them filterable. Take a look at the following link and look for tastes that you may like. It might help in finding something you like. I've got maybe a dozen more tastings I need to start adding, I should really get on that. http://www.scotchbynumbers.com/p/scotch.html Alternatively, you can do one of two things rather than picking totally randomly. If you just want to try things out over one trip, do a dram / half dram from each region. Islay, Highlands, Lowlands, Speyside, Islands Or, if you want to go five times, do several from one region (just in case there's a distiller you don't like, it's worth trying different ones). It also helps to keep notes - you don't need to get fancy, just what you thought about it. There are a few questions to ask about Scotch you're drinking to get more information on what you like. There are really five main things to know about a scotch to have some idea of the general flavor profile it will have. Ask questions to find them out will help you figure out what types of things you like. 1) What's the region it's from? (You can usually get this from the menu, if not, ask) 2) Who's the distiller? (You can almost always get this from the menu - fairly obvious) 3) What's the age? (Usually from the bottle) 4) Is it peated or unpeated? (Some bartenders may know, a lot won't) 5) What type of cask was it aged in? (Scotch-centric bartenders will know, most won't) Going solely by price, highland / speyside scotches that are unpeated and between 18 and 21 years old and aged in straight bourbon casks will be on the top shelf of most bars. Looking at it from a price standpoint, you can think that that's going to be the best available. What I've personally found though is that I like peated Islay whiskies that are ten years old and under, preferably five years where you can get them. I also prefer whiskies finished in port and sherry casks, because it adds an interesting dimension with peat. Those types of preferences are the ones you're trying to establish when you get into drinking scotch. dug fin fucked around with this message at 12:17 on Jan 16, 2013 |
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Jan 16, 2013 12:07
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