Beat me to it teadazed!
Oddly unclealec I was reading about this just yesterday. A blend of malts is called (or used to be till 2011) a vatted malt, now its called a blended malt. I was interested in a bottle of Monkey Shoulder (a blend of 3 malts) but reviews of the latest release put me off so I reverted to my favourite Bailie Nicol Jarvie made by Glenmorangie and has a high but not 100% malt content. For the money (<£20) I can't find better.
Paul.
Beat me to it teadazed!
The Singleton of Dufftown 12 years for me tonight seeing in the New Year with the wife.
The Singelton's a nice choice.
Ardbeg to toast the New Year
z
Having a nice Caol Ila just now after putting my cycling gear ready for an early start in the morning to (hopefully) beat the rain! Happy New Year to you all!
F.T.F.A.
Springbank 1965.
Opened at last.
New Year seen in with Single Malts of Scotland 29 year old Bunnahabhain, Glenrothes 1988 and Glenfarclas 30 year old.
was in Manchester Airport Terminal 1 Duty Free on Friday en route to Dublin (never got there as bad weather forced Aer Lingus to cancel - didn't know that whilst we were in the store).
anyway most helpful/knowledgeable sales guy on the malt whiskys had samples open of literally 50 bottles (fun at 7am).
said I would buy if I didn't have to carry the stuff !!! he said that's fine - if travelling to Dublin we could buy up to 10 (ten) litres each and do pay & collect.... happy days so bought 15 year Dalmore, two bottles of my favourite 18 year old Glenlivet and a Springwood Auchentoshan .....should see me through the rest of the winter months.
we left the airport by 8.30am ....and they arranged the bottles to be sent down to the little shop at the exit for me to collect.
Glenfiddich 14 yo Rich Oak was on offer in Sainsburys. Personal preference, but it kicks the Glenfiddich 18's ass!
I wanted to raise a glass of something decent to mark Paul's sudden passing away and decided to break open the bottle of Glengoyne Cask Strength that I was given for Christmas.
It's very good! Very savoury in a digestive biscuit sort if way. So good in fact that I've toasted him three times now - I'm sure he wouldn't have minded.
It can all slip away in a moment folks...
R.I.P
I have just acquired a bottle of Benromach; any comments? Not one I have tried before, and it won't arrive for a while.
Bought a bottle of Johnnie Walker black label for cheap at the airport to see what all the fuss is about. Found it sickly, too busy and a sort of horrible burnt after taste. Don't know why it's so big in the export market.
Had a smashing bottle of whisky from Bermuda the name escapes me.
Does anyone know could Redbreast be found in any of the shops on Heathrow airport?
FMD - the one reviewed in this link:
http://www.whiskyfun.com/archiveaugust13-1.html#020813
or this:
http://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies...f-malt-whisky/
Got a couple of bottles from next door to them last week:
http://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies...n-wood-whisky/
Rob.
Bought a bottle of Jura Elixir a few months back when it was on offer for under £30. Great value whisky. Fruity smooth and just so easy to drink. Tastes like its a lot more expensive than it is.
Yamazaki 18 Yrs last night ... almost like a cognac. Very nice.
Great choice. I'm still one for the smokey tastes, but Yamazaki 18 is lovely.
Haven't found Redbreast on my journey :(
Bought Aberlour 12 just to buy something, hope I like it.
Had a taste of Dalmore King Alexander III edition, six different barrels matured, that's something very nice.
Cambus '91 18 year tonight.
Anyone had glenfiddich snow phoenix?
I love port and I'm enjoying my whisky those days after going to one of those day course things.
Can anyone recommend one if the port cask matured tipples?
I've seen an Arran one and a Balvennie one I think but thought I'd ask if anyone had tried them before I bought one blind so to speak.
Joe
Quite a few distilleries have experimented with port casks, though not many keep them in their standard range forever a quick search on somewhere like the whisky exchange will give plenty of options.
I like a port finished whisky myself, but it doesn't always work - some distilleries work out better than others - often it can end up a bit too sweet.
A good "budget" one is Cragganmore Distillers edition - can be found for £45ish and is a bottle I tend to keep in.
The Balvenie Port Wood (21) is a very nice whisky but it isn't cheap - it's a bottle that comes out on special occasions.
Incidentally, port finished whiskies go very well with chocolate.
Tried the Laphroaig Feis Ile 2013 Cairdeas Port Wood Edition at the distillery open day last year; rather good, remarkably sweet / light for a 51% bottling. Incredible colour on it - pink! The Balvenie 21 YO Port Wood is fantastic.
For a cheaper, more accessible dram, the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 12 Year Old is pretty good (I note that TWE are offering the 10YO with a free miniature of the Quinta Ruban at the mo, so you can try it risk-free).
Thanks for the input fellas!
Looking at these, and some others, it seems that you need to get in quick for before they sell out. (The laphroaig seems sold out for example)
I'm going to keep an eye on this thread from now on! And maybe buying a bottle of that cragganmore!!
Joe
It's curtailed my longstanding romance with the smokey Laphroaigs and Ardbegs, which by comparison only, now seem a little "unclean" or heavy. The Yamazaki 18yrs is remarkably free of any tricks, simple and clean yet rewardingly complex.
Did I just write that ? Pseuds Corner beckons.
It's a goody.
That's better.
The Feis Ile (Islay Festival) bottlings sell out very quickly; some are only available at the distillery, and in very limited numbers. There seems to be an increasing number of profiteers too...
Visiting Islay during the Festival is an incredible chance to try all sorts of interesting drams, and to nose around parts of the distilleries that are usually closed to the general public. It's all a *little* bit touristy, but it's a real experience. Plus the people are great and the food is superb. The drink's not bad either...
Quite happy...just been to my local Coop where I found a mislabeled bottle of The Glenlivet 15 year old for £23. Almost half price
I bought a bottle of Jura Elixir (12yo) in Sainsbury's last night.
For a relatively inexpensive bottle, it's actually very nice... quite fruity, and very easy to drink.
Found out that it's old stock though... Jura changed the Elixir from 40% to 46% at some point last year. The bottle I bought is 40% which is probably why it had 20% off.
I would love to invest in a very nice 40yo Single Malt for my 40th birthday in a few weeks, but the temptation to drink it would be too great
After recommendations from several US colleagues I bought this last week whilst in MN.
It's delicious.
z
Just poured a large 'end of the bank holiday weekend' measure of Templeton Rye.
Lovely... I'd recommend it - If you can get hold of a bottle over here.
z
Benromach is my local, and I think very highly of them. I used to live within walking/stumbling distance of them, which was convenient for bringing along houseguests. The Traditional is their basic bottle. It's very canny: they use quite a bit of young spirit but it has the balance of most 10 year olds. Speyside balance, malty, mid-weight, very clever use of peat that stays in the background. The 10 y.o. is superb (but unfortunately the prices are rising--it used to be a steal in the airports). I prefer it to, e.g. the 15 y.o. Glenlivit. Like the Traditional but more sherry, smooooth but delightfully textured. The Origins series use different kinds of barley, and they're not my favourite. These guys are clever, but the Origins might be too much so by half. The older expressions, before the reopening with new stills, are quite ethereal.
Which one did you get, and how did you get on with it?
Last edited by SplitSecond; 18th August 2014 at 19:33.
The Bruichladdich, organic Scottish barley. Sweet, honeyed, hint of lemon barley. Rather good.
I'm going to Edinburgh/Glenrothes for work today. Any recommendations for a local whiskey? Nothing too peaty!
Just bought a bottle of Laphroaig 18Y. Very, very nice. A little more mellow in bite yet retaining all the flavour and nose we've come to expect. I thought it would be a difficult task to beat the Quarter Cask but it has managed to do so. Only barely and that's because of the slightly more mellow tone. That's it.
Have to say it, but the Laphroaig Quarter Cask is such a sensational drop that all other Laphroaig bar the full strength (and now the 18Y) have a really difficult time coming close. Quarter Cask is such good value for money it's not funny. It eats the standard 10Y for breakfast and asks for more.
just bought a Dalwinnie at Tesco on offer at £25 (down from £35) ....a nice smooth whisky
Tried a bottle of the 18yr (or was it a 15yr?) a few years ago, and while nice i didn't think it justified the price (around £50) over the more standard versions which could be had for about £20 at the time. Std 10yr is ok, Quarter cask is much better, i agree. But for me my fave is the cask strength, used to be able to pick it up regularly in makro and big asdas at the same price as the quarter cask, but haven't seen it in quite a while. I'm completely out of malt at the mo and fancy a dram this week so may get a bottle of QC
Brighty
I agree that the price premium is unwarranted when compared to something like the Quarter Cask but if you don't try, you'll never know. If you put the price to one side I still think the 18Y has the most marginal edge over the Quarter Cask. Neither beats the Cask Strength. Period. It is the ne plus ultra for Islay and that's even considering Ardbeg's beautiful Uigeadail.
Cracking buy at £25. Hope the offers still on tomorrow!
Tried and bought a couple of Gordon & McPhail exclusives last weekend when I was home, lovely and very different but can't for the life of me remember what they were called! Bought and put in the whisky cupboard for future ref :-)
Has anyone tried Balvenie 15yr old sherry cask?
http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-24367.aspx
Enjoying a Lagavulin 16yo this evening, it really hits the spot for me.
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
This is the truth, although with the caveat that if it was the 15 yr old you tried, it got dropped and replaced by the 18yr old as reviews were not great - it was chill filtered and had caramel added if i recall correctly. For me, Laphroaig cask strength and Caol Ila cask strength are the two giants of Islay with Quarter Cask a strong challenger.
ktmog6uk
marchingontogether!