An end of the year SOTC ahead of New Years Eve party....
2017-12-31_12-21-27 by Robert Seymour, on Flickr
The Kilchoman Bramble liqueur is really nice, peaty/smokey with essentially cassis, lovely!
Happy New Year, sláinte . . .
F.T.F.A.
The Glenfiddich IPA I can strongly recommend.
Amazing drink and so cheap
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Really enjoying this tonight! Very smooth, sherry cask
Just picked this up today. Apparently it sold out within a day of going on sale.
Wow. If ever you decide to open it, please report here. I only know the classic (8 yo I think) Laphroag and wonder how it ages. And 53.50% after 30 years is proper cask strength.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Well I'd love to try it but I must avoid all temptation. This one is being stored with a few others that are not to be drank.
I've just ordered another Balblair 90 (27 year old) to take my mind off the Laphroaig.
Like Kerry said above, the IPA Glenfiddich is a great drink for the price. I've just finished a glass now.
Last edited by Jon Kenney; 10th July 2022 at 01:55.
Been on a buying spree and have the following incomings to taste soon:
Balvenie 15 single sherry cask
Glenmorangie Astar (2017)
Glendronach 18
Talisker Distiller's Edition 2006
And an early 80's bottle of Chivas Regal 12 which was originally given to my grandad by my parents which is older than me!
Also hoping Glendronach batch 16 gets announced soon!
If you are ever in Glasgow I can recommend the Pot Still for whisky!
Just get a box of glen keith, never heard of it before but its very smooth.
Can I ask if anyone has tried 'Blue Hanger' ?
Just considering purchasing a bottle of 9th or possibly 11th release at the moment.
Yeah I'm also interested to hear about this one. I can't get it here at the minute, but if I can raise some noise (after a good review) then i may be able to convince a supplier to bring it in.
I'm a fan of the base Glenmorangie 10 as a bit of a quaffer. I bought three bottles of Glenmorangie Quinto Ruban a couple of months ago, one for a gift, one to drink and one for stock... I have none left. Very tasty. I love the port egde to it.
Really enjoyed this last week, had a try of so,e 12 yo Aberlpur which was very nice
Speedy says 6pm and that's Balvenie time here.
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I picked up a bottle of the IPA discussed on this thread. Lovely drop.
J
Evening!
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I just opened a bottle of Tobermory 10yo and I prefer it to the 15, very smooth
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Had a bottle of Haig Club bought as a Christmas present. A really smooth drink,very impressed with it.
Found myself over half way through the magnificent Arran 14 last weekend and decided to stretch it out a little longer by buying an old favourite that could provide a pleasant contrast. I'd noticed that my Highland Park 12 bottle had had a bit of a makeover but failed to notice the innocent seeming words "Viking Honour". I can only conclude that this Edrington Group code for their revenge on those of us who have spent years enjoying their outstanding product at far too cheap a price.
Hard to know where to start on how disappointing it is; the real cruelty is the merest hints of the original at the very edge of an innocuous void that reminds me most of bog standard Whyte and Mckay.
It was a toss up between this and Glenmorangie 10, I'm hoping i made an inexpensive mistake.
That's unique... Report back , please
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Can anyone offer some pointers for Scotch
I don’t like the smokey ones but enjoy bourbons like Woodford or 4 Roses
Just finished off a Johnny Walker Blue, always smooth but would rather spend less or more to get this level
Do you mean Dalmore 12? Pretty sure they don't bottle a 10.
Anyone looking to avoid smoke and peat will do well to try any of Dalmore's offerings, and the Glenfarclas 15 is an all time favourite whisky of mine. If I'm not in the mood for an Islay then I'd normally be drinking a Dalmore, the aforementioned Glenfarclas or maybe Balvenie's 14 Caribbean Cask.
^^ Could well be a 12 mate, my memory isn't the best (probably too much whiskey!)
The Glenfarclas 15 is my favourite so far too, goes down very nicely.
It's interesting getting to know the differences in them all.
As a whisky aside, I visited the Whisky Experience tour/exhibition thing in Edinburgh last week. Well worth a visit.
https://www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk/
I have tried many a Whiskey/Whisky over the years and call me a savage but, i just cant get past good old standard Jameson.
Absolutely love the stuff... maybe a bit too much!
A single grain Scotch can be a good stepping stone from bourbon to Malts. I'd recommend Haig Clubman - it's great value and a lovely well rounded drink, great on its own or in cocktails.
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I was in Edinburgh for the weekend with the wife.
Said we'd venture into The Balmoral hotel and they have a superb whisky bar there.
I was thrilled as they had 2 whiskys there (available by the glass for about £6) that I have in my collection but do not want to open.
Edinburgh has a very good selection of whisky bars but the setup in Balmoral is excellent.
I've been drinking a Finlaggan Old Reserve this week. It's peaty and a little smokey but with a lovely sweet finish.
I was sorting some stuff out today and came across a couple of boxes of whiskey I had stashed away last year. I never drink whiskey these days as I'm more into my wine, so if any of you connoisseurs want the lot below for half the retail price, pm me.
Oban Distillers Edition 2001
Dalwhinnie Distillers Edition 2000
Lagavulin Distillers Edition 2000
Talisker Distillers Edition 2006
Lagavulin 16yo
Glenfiddich 14yo
Glenfarclas 15yo x 2
Laphroaig Quarter Cask x 2
Four Roses Single Barrel 49-1B
Aberlour A'bunadh Batch 52 60%
Eagle Rare
JW Green Label 15yo
Deanston Virgin Oak 46.3%
JW Black Label
Glenmorangie Original
Last edited by studly; 20th February 2018 at 21:48.
One of the presents for my 70th Birthday was a tour of the Auchentoshan Distillery to include a private bottling.
My youngest son, who was accompanying me, had told them in advance that it was for my 70th so when we arrived we were told they'd arranged something special for us. Here are a few snaps from the visit....
First up - the Mash Tun where grist and hot water are mixed. It holds around 25,000 Litres.
And looks like this inside
There are four Washbacks here, all are around 16 foot deep and each was at a different stage of fermentation during our visit. The mash is fermented to make beer at 8.5 degrees of alcohol.
The 'beer', which we were allowed to taste, is then distilled through three Pot Stills - unusual for Scotch which normally only passes through two distillations. In the bottom right corner you can see the Spirit Safe where any 'feints' are separated from the 'distillation heart'. It was originally used to calculate the alcohol strength of the whisky to determine how much tax should be paid!
The neat spirit is the put in barrels to mature and stored in one of their warehouses. Three main types of barrel are used here, Ex Bourbon, Ex Sherry and Ex Pedro Ximenes to produce the various releases of whisky they make.
We had been treated to various 'drams' of different releases throughout the tour, but the best part was sampling a very large dram at Cask Strength straight from the cask before bottling my very own bottle in the 'traditional' manner, not easy when you're a short arse like me....
Once in the measuring cylinder it was much easier to pour into the bottle
Did I just say 'best part'? Well, that experience was followed by being invited back to the distillery bar where we were treated to a dram of nine different whisky's each.
Did I just say NINE? Well, after we'd finished those nine drams our guide 'persuaded' us to try a few even more special drams. My son and I were rather glad his wife was picking us up to take us back to the cottage we were staying at on Loch Lomond. Funny, I don't remember too much of the journey back - other than stopping for fish and chips on the way.
A truly wonderful visit that I can highly recommend, and a sincere thanks to all at Auchentoshan.
Oh, and here's my hand bottled bottle
Best Regards - Peter
I'd hate to be with you when you're on your own.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What a fantastic day that must have been Peter! Not that I'm envious mind . . .
F.T.F.A.
Had the pleasure of the Auchentoshan tour as well (a couple of years ago) and, like you, bottled my own from the cask - was a great experience and I thought worth the price. Out of curiosity, what type of cask was yours? I ended up with an Oloroso Sherry cask and holy hell, my bottle goes beyond being a sherry monster and is a sherry Godzilla.. like nothing I've ever had before.
Last edited by chicaneuk; 20th February 2018 at 20:07.
Yes, an Oloroso cask, and as you say, a sherry monster plus some. Of all the drams we sampled the one that stood out, (apart from the cask strength and the late evening 'specials'), was the Three Wood. Ten years in Ex Bourbon, 1 year in Sherry and one year in Pedro Ximenes, a superb dram for the price. The Bartenders, which is more expensive, was probably the worst one we sampled - not that it was bad mind you, just not as good as the others. I've always liked their 12 year old, but the Three Wood is something else entirely and very affordable.
Best Regards - Peter
I'd hate to be with you when you're on your own.
Looks like a cracking day!!
Auchentoshan do some lovely drams, its my current choice for my hip flask in my golf bag!!
Passing through Heathrow today... I think the Johnnie Walker range is getting a bit out of control...
Red, black, double black, blue, platinum, other type of blue ?, green, island green, explorer, gold... Etc...
Its a bit much really...
Great whisky, my firm favourite being the Green, but theres a confusing range...