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single malt whisky thread

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egemenay said:
GAFBROTHERS. I just got a new home. To celebrate this i want to buy a bottle of good whiskey for max 50 euro. I am not a heavy drinker so something mild would be nice. Thread is 17 pages long tl;dr. Recommend me a very good one please.
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Well, it depends on what you like. There are a lot of divisions, but really good scotch comes down to is it super smokey or not, and how smooth it is. Here's a list for ya, which I'm sure others will add to:

Peaty/Smokey
Lagavulin 16 (or 12, which some say is better. To me they are about the same)
Ardbeg (any at all here. They don't date their stuff, and it's all fucking amazing)
Laphroaig 18 (or 12 yet again, though here the 18 is much better, in my opinion)

Not so Peaty
Aberlour 16 (fucking amazing)
Highland Park 18 (to me, the pinnacle of non-Islay (read: non-peaty) drams)
Glenfiddich 15 Solera (a great choice, though lesser than the two above)
Oban 18 (or 14, both are phenomenal, you can't go wrong here)

There are a shitload of others to choose from. I'm partial to anything by Talisker, for instance. Let us know what you end up getting!
 
TheExodu5 said:
Not sure what to think of the Oban 14 yet. It's a bit salty tasting. I find myself wishing it had a bit of smoke.
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When I first tried it I liked it, but then I had the Aberlour 16. When I went back to the Oban I was like "ew, what is this?"

Edit: Okay, went to a wine festival this afternoon. With my wife and friends (a couple who lives next door), we bought and drank 2 bottles of wine and countless other samples, then went to dinner where I drank a beer, then came home and shared the last of my Aberlour. I am pretty drunk right now but still sad that I'm out of my favorite single malt. :-(
 
Yeah I don't know...the Oban really isn't doing it for me. It's salty/briny, but no smoke or sweetness and it ends up feeling really unbalanced, at least to my tastes.
 
AngmarsKing701 said:
When I first tried it I liked it, but then I had the Aberlour 16. When I went back to the Oban I was like "ew, what is this?"

Edit: Okay, went to a wine festival this afternoon. With my wife and friends (a couple who lives next door), we bought and drank 2 bottles of wine and countless other samples, then went to dinner where I drank a beer, then came home and shared the last of my Aberlour. I am pretty drunk right now but still sad that I'm out of my favorite single malt. :-(
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What's your fav single malt.
 
ProfessorMoran said:
What's your fav single malt.
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Aberlour 16 at the moment. Polished off the bottle with my friend tonight.

I still have a Glenfiddich 12 (meh) and a Balvenie 14 Caribbean Cask. I should be in ok shape for a few more weeks. I'm headed on vacation, so I'm going to poke around and see if I can find an Aberlour A'bunadh and/or Highland Park 18 where I'm headed, since neither of those is available where I live.
 
Whisky-GAF, I need your knowledge.

I was in the ABC store the other day and looked at the tasting notes on the Aberlour 12. I was very surprised to see how different the 12 is from the 16. I LOVE the 16. Can someone who has had both the Aberlour 12 and the 16 give me a breakdown of the two and whether the 12 is recommended?

Also, I will be on vacation soon and able to pick up a Macallan's Makers Edition duty free. Anyone have this? Recommend?
 
AngmarsKing701 said:
Whisky-GAF, I need your knowledge.

I was in the ABC store the other day and looked at the tasting notes on the Aberlour 12. I was very surprised to see how different the 12 is from the 16. I LOVE the 16. Can someone who has had both the Aberlour 12 and the 16 give me a breakdown of the two and whether the 12 is recommended?

Also, I will be on vacation soon and able to pick up a Macallan's Makers Edition duty free. Anyone have this? Recommend?
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I don't remember much from the aberlour 16 since its been so long, but i've already bought 2 bottles of the aberlour 12 since I find it to be such a good value for the money. Its a "warm" scotch with sherry flavour. It has a big presence when you first drink it, and then it goes smooth, and I dont like the fact that the taste goes away so quickly, but I do like that it has an aftertaste of dry woody flavours. There is a little smoke, and no intense alcohol taste. It is easy to drink and good.

If you have the choice between the two, probably go for the 16, if its just for casual drinking, maybe better off going for the 12 since it's cheaper...but whats the price difference? If its a small price difference might as well get what seems to be the more solid choice (according to this forum).
 
My parents contributed to my collection with this

IMG_20130428_191839_zps05dce98b.jpg
 
On vacation here in Cocoa Beach, I stopped at an ABC Store and they have the Aberlour A'bunadh. So psyched. I picked up a bottle but I will probably wait until I'm back home before I crack it open.
 
AngmarsKing701 said:
On vacation here in Cocoa Beach, I stopped at an ABC Store and they have the Aberlour A'bunadh. So psyched. I picked up a bottle but I will probably wait until I'm back home before I crack it open.
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I just opened a bottle of that last night. It's fantastic. Prepare to enjoy yourself!
 
just had a dram of Lagavulin 16 at a bar in downtown Disney. definitely a different taste from the speysides I'm used to. it'll stay on my wish list but that peaty taste is something I'll need to acquire a better appreciation for.
 
Bought my first single malt today, Glenfiddich 12. So much smoother than the cheap blended stuff I was drinking before. But unfortunately single malts are still too expensive for me to enjoy regularly. This bottle will only be taken out occasionally, my regular stuff will still be around the €10 mark.
 
TCRS said:
Bought my first single malt today, Glenfiddich 12. So much smoother than the cheap blended stuff I was drinking before. But unfortunately single malts are still too expensive for me to enjoy regularly. This bottle will only be taken out occasionally, my regular stuff will still be around the €10 mark.
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Glenfiddich 12 is a good starting point but I hope you're able to move up the whisky chart to something smoother.
 
The Glenlivet 15 French Oak Reserve is very good. Your mom has great taste.

Yak you're killing me. I have the A'bunadh sitting in the car. It's going to be sitting there for a week and a half before I get home. You're making it tough not to go out there and drink a dram of it, even out of a styrofoam cup.
 
Great thread, never knew it existed. I've settled into my tastes so good over the past five years that all I buy now is Balvenie. Love the double wood both 12 and 17 year. Caribbean 14 is great add well. Own most bottles they produce. Peat is my favorite. I guess I can try something new but every time I branch out I just wish I bought some Balvenie.
 
NarcissisticJay said:
Great thread, never knew it existed. I've settled into my tastes so good over the past five years that all I buy now is Balvenie. Love the double wood both 12 and 17 year. Caribbean 14 is great add well. Own most bottles they produce. Peat is my favorite. I guess I can try something new but every time I branch out I just wish I bought some Balvenie.
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I'm starting to feel that way about Aberlour, though all I've tried is the 16. I have an A'bunadh to try and the 12 reads pretty well on the back of the bottle.

Also, I love the shape of the Aberlour bottles. Thick neck, wide mouth. It's a great design.
 
Just came home from a rough day at work, to find that the girlfriend had left a 750ml bottle of this for me:

Laphroaig-Single-Malt-Scotch-Whisky-10-Years-Old.jpg


Ah, you salty, peaty devil, you. You're beautiful.

The Scotch is good, too.
 
AngmarsKing701 said:
I bought a Glenfiddich 19 while in St Thomas. Finished in Madeira wine casks. Another I'll save for when I get home in a couple days.
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I think that's the Age of Discovery? If so it's incredible. My gf bought me a bottle while she was in London and wow. Tastes like smoky dark chocolate!

Also, just bought a bottle of Johnnie Walker black while I'm on vacation. Didn't want anything too expensive and it's always a solid staple! Do recommend.

Also passed by Costco and they had the Kirkland 18 year old Speyside single malt. What is it?! Didn't say anything about which distillery it's from. Has anyone tried te Kirkland scotch, worth it for $33?
 
chrisisawesome said:
I think that's the Age of Discovery? If so it's incredible. My gf bought me a bottle while she was in London and wow. Tastes like smoky dark chocolate!

Also, just bought a bottle of Johnnie Walker black while I'm on vacation. Didn't want anything too expensive and it's always a solid staple! Do recommend.

Also passed by Costco and they had the Kirkland 18 year old Speyside single malt. What is it?! Didn't say anything about which distillery it's from. Has anyone tried te Kirkland scotch, worth it for $33?
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Yes it's the Age of Discovery one. I'll be driving home tomorrow so both that and the A'bunadh will get cracked open this week.
 
Okay, I've had both the Glenfiddich 19 Age of Discovery and the Aberlour A'bunadh.

Here are my impressions:

Glenfiddich 19:
Nose - definitely has a strong marmalade and figs scent to it. Smells like it will be sweet and gave me a strong sense of the Caribbean or of summer.

Taste - the first flavor is definitely of orange with a hint of cinnamon and perhaps cocoa. A nice powerhouse in the mouth. Not overwhelming. Feels like something I'd want to drink while watching a spring or summer thunderstorm.

Finish - not as long as I would have expected, but I believe the Aberlour 16 has ruined me a bit, as that is by far the longest, toastiest finish of a whisky that I've enjoyed. This one fades pretty quickly but the taste is so good it makes you want to fill your mouth again pretty quick.


A'bunadh - note that I had this one with an ice cube vs. neat because it's at cask strength (~60% alcohol)
Nose - It's a light scent, which is a bit surprising given the alcohol percentage. I thought it would be stronger. A light floral hint to it.

Taste - It's light, aromatic, almost creamy. Fruitiness that doesn't hit you over the head.

Finish - A bit different from other whiskies in that the taste fades, but then it feels like it's still there, tucked into your throat, warming you. It's not toasty like the Aberlour 16 but in both cases these Aberlours have a more lingering effect than other Speysides I've tried.



To be honest, the Glenfiddich 19 was better than I thought it was going to be and the A'bunadh was a little bit of a disappointment. I've seen others say the A'bunadh disappointed them initially but it grew on them. I may try it neat despite the alcohol content to get a more authentic impression.

Edit: Okay I had a dram of the A'bunadh tonight neat. Let me just say, holy fucking shit. Still not sure I like it as much as the Aberlour 16, but there's a kick and a solid sherry bomb to it that simply got washed out before with the ice.
 
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