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single malt whisky thread
- Thread starter nitewulf
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walbertsmith
Member
I LOVE how Costco is branching out to other single malts. At the one near me I've seen Dewars, Highland Park and Old Pulteney packages as well. I'm hoping they'll stock Laga and Oban fulltime now, as they've shown they're more than willing to discount single malts significantly. I once picked up a Macallan 15 Fine Oak for $55, after a $10 immediate discount and a $10 coupon on top of that.
Hopefully sales of single malts continue because Costco is effing awesome.
Also, for those people near a Costco but without a membership... at least in the state of California, you do *not* need a membership to buy alcohol. Ask for a 1 day liquor pass and you're good to go (you can't buy anything else though).
So are these the same as any other Glencairn glass I'll buy someplace else? Looking for stuff to pad out my Christmas list and it would be handy to put them on Amazon like a lot of other stuff, but I don't want to buy some crappy low quality knockoffs or something like that. I imagine they wouldn't be able to use the name if they weren't legit, but it's easy enough to check with you guys that know more than me.
should be, Glencairn is a brand name and not a glassform generally speaking
Yeah most people don't know about it, even employees don't know about it. But you can buy alcohol and tobacco at Costco and Sams Club without a membership. I've seen Lagavulin and Oban at just about every Costco I've come across here. I think I've seen Talisker 10 once.
Costco once a year will buy excess Macallan 18 and rebrand it under the Kirkland name, I think it was $80 for a bottle.
or similar styles.
a tad on the fragile side, but i feel they work better for nosing.
I'm not enough of a connoisseur to worry THAT much about stuff like nosing, and I really love the little stubs versus a stem or flat bottom. Fits the way I like to hold a glass much better.
sure, it's just a preference. i also like the classier look of those glasses with stem.
what's important for the nose is the tulip form of the glass which helps a lot to channel the aromes. you can easily try that by comparing it to a tumbler. it will smell much more intense with a tulip form.
walbertsmith
Member
Yeah last time I checked they still had a few of the Kirkland branded ones in stock. What made that 15 Fine Oak deal so great though was that it was the true expression, not the overrun.
chrisisawesome
Member
How do you know that? That's crazy expensive in Quebec ($250) I'd be so sketched out buying Kirkland labelled scotch! But an awesome deal when that does happen.
On another note, I had a glass of my Glenlivet 15 French Oak last night, and its pretty solid. I like it more than the Glenlivet 12 because it has more body and strenght. However, I find the Sherry to be a little strong. Maybe that's another thing (along with peat) that I'm not too fond of.
Tonight I'm having some of the Glenmorangie 10, and I still really love this one. It has a good amount of smoke and flavour and goes down really smooth.
Does anyone know of anything else that has similar characteristics to the Glenmorangie 10 but would be a "step beyond" ?
Mystagogue
Member
So today I took my first step into the world of single malts. I am quite the noob when it comes to this stuff but I have learned a lot by following this thread and watching reviews on the internet. I fell in love with the idea of scotch before I had ever taken a sip. Then I tried a couple of blends and realized I did indeed have a sudden, newfound hobby. The one thing I noticed that seemed to really affect me, in a good way, was the smoky hints I could taste around the edges. So naturally I wanted my first single malt to have that quality. Not wanting to totally break the bank just yet, I chose:
I'm not sure where this has been all my life, but I'm glad I finally found it. From the moment the I uncorked the bottle I knew this was going to hit the spot. Excellent whisky. I very much look forward to sampling the spectrum of single malt Scotch whisky and I feel like I've discovered a new hobby that I can cherish forever. Before buying this malt, I already tasked a few people to purchase some others as Christmas gifts for me. Those being Lagavulin 16, Glenlivet 12, and Oban 18. I'm going to purchase one more bottle after Christmas and was wondering what a good recommendation would be, in order to add to the above noted collection. I truly am in debt to this thread. Thanks!
I'm not sure where this has been all my life, but I'm glad I finally found it. From the moment the I uncorked the bottle I knew this was going to hit the spot. Excellent whisky. I very much look forward to sampling the spectrum of single malt Scotch whisky and I feel like I've discovered a new hobby that I can cherish forever. Before buying this malt, I already tasked a few people to purchase some others as Christmas gifts for me. Those being Lagavulin 16, Glenlivet 12, and Oban 18. I'm going to purchase one more bottle after Christmas and was wondering what a good recommendation would be, in order to add to the above noted collection. I truly am in debt to this thread. Thanks!
ElectricBlanketFire
Member
Bought this for my brother-in-law for Christmas:
chrisisawesome
Member
That's the bottle I want to buy more than any other right now. I remember when I wasnt much of a scotch drinker a friend gave me a glass, and that was it! Damn smokey and nice from what I can remember.
What about the Oban 14? Any big differences between that one and the 18 justifying the big price difference?
You guys are bad for me. 
I am an absolute newbie when it comes to the finer enjoyment of scotch, but over the past few months I've been on something of a liquor tour, picking up a bottle of something different every few weeks to get an idea of that class's general characteristics, creating my own impromptu mixers and cocktails, trying to find my favorite categories to delve into deeper later on. American whiskey, bourbon, vodka, rum, cognac, and so forth... A friend of mine mentioned that he liked scotch a LOT (I later learned it was a blend that he used in mixers) and I'd never had any, so I started looking into things. Didn't even know beforehand that single malts and blends existed, no knowledge of ages or differences in distilling regions, nor all the rituals for single malts involving nosing, adding water, glassware, or any of it. Still, I started doing some reading and the sheer depth of things involved with this drink piqued my interest.
I started off with a bottle of Speyburn Bradan Orach, which...I think was literally the cheapest single malt in the store I could find. One thing I hadn't learned about scotches beforehand was how costly it could be compared to the alcohols I'd been buying! At any rate it was cheap, and light, and I figured if worse came to worse I could drown it in other cocktails. I came away pleasantly surprised by the sour apple note in its scent and it's been enjoyable if not slightly unremarkable. The fact that I started off at basically the bottom of the barrel has eaten at me though, and with this Speyburn nearly gone I resolved to treat myself for Christmas and dip my toe in a little deeper.
Not entirely sure where I wanted to start and deciding that having a bit of variety to compare from may help, I opted to pick up two smaller bottles rather than investing in one larger but riskier buy. So now staring back at me on my desk here are my new duo of Glenfiddich 12 and Macallan 12. I'm not really a fan of drinking on a random Wednesday, but curiosity may get the better of me in this case and I may give one a try tonight. Would you gurus recommend one over the other to kick off a first-timer? If I do go for one tonight I might just jot down some thoughts here while I try it, just for the fun of chronicling my knee-jerk reactions.
Part of me hopes I don't fall in love with all of this too much; I don't want to feel this compelled to drop big money on new bottles too often!
I am an absolute newbie when it comes to the finer enjoyment of scotch, but over the past few months I've been on something of a liquor tour, picking up a bottle of something different every few weeks to get an idea of that class's general characteristics, creating my own impromptu mixers and cocktails, trying to find my favorite categories to delve into deeper later on. American whiskey, bourbon, vodka, rum, cognac, and so forth... A friend of mine mentioned that he liked scotch a LOT (I later learned it was a blend that he used in mixers) and I'd never had any, so I started looking into things. Didn't even know beforehand that single malts and blends existed, no knowledge of ages or differences in distilling regions, nor all the rituals for single malts involving nosing, adding water, glassware, or any of it. Still, I started doing some reading and the sheer depth of things involved with this drink piqued my interest.
I started off with a bottle of Speyburn Bradan Orach, which...I think was literally the cheapest single malt in the store I could find. One thing I hadn't learned about scotches beforehand was how costly it could be compared to the alcohols I'd been buying! At any rate it was cheap, and light, and I figured if worse came to worse I could drown it in other cocktails. I came away pleasantly surprised by the sour apple note in its scent and it's been enjoyable if not slightly unremarkable. The fact that I started off at basically the bottom of the barrel has eaten at me though, and with this Speyburn nearly gone I resolved to treat myself for Christmas and dip my toe in a little deeper.
Not entirely sure where I wanted to start and deciding that having a bit of variety to compare from may help, I opted to pick up two smaller bottles rather than investing in one larger but riskier buy. So now staring back at me on my desk here are my new duo of Glenfiddich 12 and Macallan 12. I'm not really a fan of drinking on a random Wednesday, but curiosity may get the better of me in this case and I may give one a try tonight. Would you gurus recommend one over the other to kick off a first-timer? If I do go for one tonight I might just jot down some thoughts here while I try it, just for the fun of chronicling my knee-jerk reactions.
Part of me hopes I don't fall in love with all of this too much; I don't want to feel this compelled to drop big money on new bottles too often!
POWERSPHERE
Member
Seeing as you seem to be leaning towards Islay, Caol Ila is definitely the next step in your adventure.
Up there with my love of Lagavulin, bit less intense, but just as complex.
chrisisawesome
Member
You guys are bad for me.
I am an absolute newbie when it comes to the finer enjoyment of scotch, but over the past few months I've been on something of a liquor tour, picking up a bottle of something different every few weeks to get an idea of that class's general characteristics, creating my own impromptu mixers and cocktails, trying to find my favorite categories to delve into deeper later on. American whiskey, bourbon, vodka, rum, cognac, and so forth... A friend of mine mentioned that he liked scotch a LOT (I later learned it was a blend that he used in mixers) and I'd never had any, so I started looking into things. Didn't even know beforehand that single malts and blends existed, no knowledge of ages or differences in distilling regions, nor all the rituals for single malts involving nosing, adding water, glassware, or any of it. Still, I started doing some reading and the sheer depth of things involved with this drink piqued my interest.
I started off with a bottle of Speyburn Bradan Orach, which...I think was literally the cheapest single malt in the store I could find. One thing I hadn't learned about scotches beforehand was how costly it could be compared to the alcohols I'd been buying! At any rate it was cheap, and light, and I figured if worse came to worse I could drown it in other cocktails. I came away pleasantly surprised by the sour apple note in its scent and it's been enjoyable if not slightly unremarkable. The fact that I started off at basically the bottom of the barrel has eaten at me though, and with this Speyburn nearly gone I resolved to treat myself for Christmas and dip my toe in a little deeper.
Not entirely sure where I wanted to start and deciding that having a bit of variety to compare from may help, I opted to pick up two smaller bottles rather than investing in one larger but riskier buy. So now staring back at me on my desk here are my new duo of Glenfiddich 12 and Macallan 12. I'm not really a fan of drinking on a random Wednesday, but curiosity may get the better of me in this case and I may give one a try tonight. Would you gurus recommend one over the other to kick off a first-timer? If I do go for one tonight I might just jot down some thoughts here while I try it, just for the fun of chronicling my knee-jerk reactions.
Part of me hopes I don't fall in love with all of this too much; I don't want to feel this compelled to drop big money on new bottles too often!
Nice! I know that the Glenfiddich 12 (along with Glenlivet 12) are regarded as introductory single malts. To answer your question, and although I've only tried the Glenlivet, I'd say hold off on the Glenfiddich for now. I would be tempted to say you should keey it as an "everyday" scotch, especially when deciding between that and the Macallan 12.
I've tried the Macallan and was impressed; nice smoke and sherry, smooth, very smooth. And the taste stays.
Where I am, the Macallan 12 is almost $90 whereas the Glenfiddich is $45.
When choosing which of the 2 for tonight, I'd without a doubt go for Macallan
arglebargle
Member
i noticed the love of islay in his post as well. whether he knows it yet or not i suspect he will eventually realize that islay malts are best malts. i was going to recommend talisker though, mostly because i havent had carol ila yet.
Thanks, the input is appreciated! Although I wonder a little why you say that the Glenfiddich is more introductory and 'everyday' yet recommend the Macallan to start. If that's the case, shouldn't I start with something more common to get acclimated before working up to the 'better' bottle?
Either way, I wound up not going for it tonight, but I have a feeling that work tomorrow will drain me enough that I'll want to uncork something to unwind. I'm looking forward to seeing what I learn about myself, as well as these drinks.
Chuckie
Member
While I've never tried Macallan I would recommend the Glenfiddich first.
It's the Glenfiddich 12 that introduced me to Scotch and I will always love her for that.... but since then I've been introduced me to more harsh mistresses like Laphroaig and Ardbeg and it is hard to ho back to Glenfiddich for me now.
chrisisawesome
Member
You're definitely right I am contradicting myself in the sense that what initially started as a recommendation for You, turned into "what would I go for". I'm approaching it from the perspective of: "why bother with the Glen when you have something probably better". That's wrong, especially since I havent tried it and want to! I also recommended the Macallan because I feel the Glenlivet/Glenfiddich, as light and not too imposing drinks, are the introductory scotches for people who just dont like the idea of scotch. Seeing as you've already had some, might as well go all out with the Macallan. But again, thats just me.
Mystagogue
Member
I will definitely be picking up the Caol Ila on my next visit. I actually had that one in my hand when making my decision on the Ardbeg 10. Thanks! I look forward to trying it!
This is basically me, but tack on "better scotch" with "harsh" and that's me. Glenfiddich 12 is watery to me now so it's hard to drink.
The Singleton 12 year is probably a decent introductory scotch as well. Also light and not overly harsh.
Hibiki 12 or Aberlour 12 might also be decent introductory scotch's as well but those are a bit more expensive/harder to find.
---
I have a couple Scotch Malt Whiskey Society bottles coming to me any day now and the anticipation is killing me. =|
arglebargle
Member
malts.com has a pretty good breakdown of the general character of scotches by geography. you mentioned you liked smoke, which is why powersphere and i both recommended islay malts. id probably try something good from each region (speyside, islay, highlands, lowlands) and see in general which you like then narrow it down to a few brands. for me, since i like islays, everything else tastes a little weak and bland.
the shill thread has made me a bit paranoid, so while i am not a viral marketer, i should disclose that i have some... personal affiliation with certain brands, so take my advice for what you will.
Alright, I have some nice calm music playing, things are pretty quiet...perfect time to give this a go. The only downside is that my dinner of a few hours ago consisted partly of garlic and onions, here's hoping that doesn't screw with my palette too much once I get underway.
While I get this going, I'm curious: I know a number of people add a little bit of water to their malts to "open it up" and lessen the impact slightly for beginners, but how do you guys typically manage that? I'm assuming that it would be a faux pas to simply drip in a few drops from the tap, as it contains other substances that would impact the flavor balance. I tried looking for some distilled water at the store but the only option they had was a gallon jug...no way in hell am I ever going to use all of that just for scotch drops.
Incidentally, as the Joker implies, I'm opting to start with the Glenfiddich for tonight, gonna save the Macallan to celebrate the start of the holidays and by then I'll have had more time to acclimate myself to this whole process and appreciate it more.
walbertsmith
Member
Quick tip! Use a bottle of mountain spring water like Arrowhead, and puncture the middle of the cap with a needle or something sharp. Easy way to put a controlled amount of water in your scotch if you don't have a straw.
Another tip: don't use tap water. There's a bunch of minerals and stuff that can alter the taste of the scotch. Always use bottled water.
My personal method is a pipette I got by asking nicely at the local pharmacy.
Edit: One last tip. Try sipping the scotch neat first, and note what you smell/taste. Next put a few drops in, cover the glass with your hand, swirl it around (gently), then remove your hand and immediately begin nosing it. It's an easy way to see how much the water actually brings out the scotch.
sharkmuncher
Member
Quick tip! Use a bottle of mountain spring water like Arrowhead, and puncture the middle of the cap with a needle or something sharp. Easy way to put a controlled amount of water in your scotch if you don't have a straw.
Another tip: don't use tap water. There's a bunch of minerals and stuff that can alter the taste of the scotch. Always use bottled water.
My personal method is a pipette I got by asking nicely at the local pharmacy.
Edit: One last tip. Try sipping the scotch neat first, and note what you smell/taste. Next put a few drops in, cover the glass with your hand, swirl it around (gently), then remove your hand and immediately begin nosing it. It's an easy way to see how much the water actually brings out the scotch.
A pippette and bottled water?!?! I would suggest a quick pour out of a Britta. That woks well enough for me...
I've been thinking about getting a Britta filter or something similar just to filter my normal drinking water anyway, maybe this will just be one more reason to go for that. I'm not a fan of most bottled spring waters, despite being called "pure" and whatnot I almost always come away with a funky sort of taste from them.
Anyway, lacking an adequately "clean" water source at the moment, I'm just working on this first glass neat for now. I won't bore anybody with completely amateurish and probably inaccurate tasting notes for a whisky that you've all likely grown bored of already, but I am starting to notice now some change in the nose of my dwindling glass (not necessarily for the better...), but the most intriguing thing I'm taking away from this so far is the finish. It's decidedly more...how do I put it...natural-tasting(?) than any drink I've had before. There's a grassy, woodsy sense about it that definitely wasn't present in the Bradan Orach.
I'm not sure I would say I like it, per se, but for now the novelty of the experience is keeping me interested enough that I think I see a second dram tonight in my future.
chrisisawesome
Member
I finally finished an intense semester and decided to reward myself; the bottle I've been wanting for the past year, and a very expensive one at that, was the Oban 14. I bought it and oh boy! Not disappointed in the least. It's exactly what I was expecting (and thankfully seeing as it costs $105!!)
The smoke is out of control, its amazing! So strong, so beautiful, wow!
The smoke is out of control, its amazing! So strong, so beautiful, wow!
I've gotta say, thanks for the Glenfarclas recommendation. Having my second go at the Glenfarclas 15 tonight, and I'm enjoying it a lot more. I'm in a Christmasy mood tonight, and this whisky totally fits the bill. Delicious, rich, sweet Christmasy flavor. Yum.
Lovely color as well.
I'll still say the finish is a tad lacking though...it dies rather quickly.
Lovely color as well.
I'll still say the finish is a tad lacking though...it dies rather quickly.
Globehopper
Member
Heh, you're welcome. Most people seem to love it. Introduced it to a couple of friends last week and one of them asked for a bottle for Christmas
My local indie liquor store has a bottle or two of every Family Cask release. I'd love to get one from my birth year but it's like $900 :lol http://www.glenfarclas.co.uk/en/familycasks/
feeling xmassy, and took a nice single cask Yamazaki sample from the pile.
Total sherry beast.
fantastic nose and deep palate, with prunes, marmelade, rasins, sherry, different woods, marvelous stuff.
But a tad pricey with over 200€ a bottle, especially for a 15yo - the quality is there thou.
edit:
since the topic of water came up
mr. Valentine just posted this
Total sherry beast.
fantastic nose and deep palate, with prunes, marmelade, rasins, sherry, different woods, marvelous stuff.
But a tad pricey with over 200€ a bottle, especially for a 15yo - the quality is there thou.
edit:
since the topic of water came up
mr. Valentine just posted this
Chittagong
Gold Member
Super Christmas present from my awesome wife - she kick started by Whiskey collection with the following
Lagavulin 16
Dalwhinnie 15
Glenkinchie 12
Glenfiddich 12
The Singleton of Dufftown 12
Talisker 10
Johnny Walker Gold 18 (to compare)
I can't wait to get started on them and furnishing my cabinet. Thinking of getting a bunch of Glencairn glasses (worth it?) to taste/nose them from. The only thing I am thinking about is whether it's smart to open them. I would really love learn my single malt 101 by comparing them.
Lagavulin 16
Dalwhinnie 15
Glenkinchie 12
Glenfiddich 12
The Singleton of Dufftown 12
Talisker 10
Johnny Walker Gold 18 (to compare)
I can't wait to get started on them and furnishing my cabinet. Thinking of getting a bunch of Glencairn glasses (worth it?) to taste/nose them from. The only thing I am thinking about is whether it's smart to open them. I would really love learn my single malt 101 by comparing them.
Geez, that's a hell of a selection to jump-start a collection. At least it looks like you've got more than enough there to work your way into the hobby and figure out exactly what works best for you. As for the question about opening them, I don't see why not. The whisky won't change from sitting in the bottle so as long as you don't go leaving them in the open air I don't think it would go stale or anything of the sort, if that's what you were concerned about. I'll leave final word to the experts that know far more about it here than I do, though.
Anyway, we had a Christmas dinner party thing at my place of work, so with the boss buying and a pretty decent selection of single malts at the bar, I decided to go for it and try out a glass of the Dalwhinnie 15, one which has been on my short list after checking a few recommendations and looking at its description in conjunction with my personal tastes. I have to say, it's probably my favorite single malt that I've tried so far, it felt a bit sweeter and more mellow than the grassy Glenfiddich. Followed it up at home by finally checking out the Macallan, but it just didn't stack up to the Dalwhinnie for me unfortunately.
I'm planning to get a new bottle for my birthday in January and the D15 is tempting me a lot, but I'm also thinking about trying something a bit more Islay, as I'm very curious to find something to sample a smokier character. I'm not sure if there's a traditional sort of "starter Islay" for exactly what I'm seeking, but I've been considering a Tallisker 10 or Caol Ila 12, both of which have come recommended here in various ways. It's hard to choose an investment sometimes!
Ether_Snake
å®å®å®å®å®å®å®å®å®å®å®å®å®å®å®
So today I took my first step into the world of single malts. I am quite the noob when it comes to this stuff but I have learned a lot by following this thread and watching reviews on the internet. I fell in love with the idea of scotch before I had ever taken a sip. Then I tried a couple of blends and realized I did indeed have a sudden, newfound hobby. The one thing I noticed that seemed to really affect me, in a good way, was the smoky hints I could taste around the edges. So naturally I wanted my first single malt to have that quality. Not wanting to totally break the bank just yet, I chose:
I'm not sure where this has been all my life, but I'm glad I finally found it. From the moment the I uncorked the bottle I knew this was going to hit the spot. Excellent whisky. I very much look forward to sampling the spectrum of single malt Scotch whisky and I feel like I've discovered a new hobby that I can cherish forever. Before buying this malt, I already tasked a few people to purchase some others as Christmas gifts for me. Those being Lagavulin 16, Glenlivet 12, and Oban 18. I'm going to purchase one more bottle after Christmas and was wondering what a good recommendation would be, in order to add to the above noted collection. I truly am in debt to this thread. Thanks!
You call that not breaking the bank? This is why I don't buy any alcohol even tho I like it. That bottle there is $90 for 750ml here. I can't afford spending all that money.
Chittagong
Gold Member
Wow, that is expensive. Whisky Exchange lists it at £35.25 including tax.
What do people do with boxes? Save them or trash them? I would prefer just bottles in my whisky locker, but in many pics I see boxes left.
Chuckie
Member
Wow...In Holland that bottle is $ 52. Still expensive but a looot cheaper then where you live.
I love the boxes, however putting them on display seems a bit tacky... so they are stashed somewhere. I can't throw away my Ardbeg Supernova 2010 box... it was a gift from my wife... once the malt is gone, I'd like to keep a small memory of it
About halfway through my bottle of Lagavulin 16 now. I'm going to be very sad when I finish this one. Since I started drinking whisky 6 months ago, I have yet to find anything that matches this beautiful whisky.
I may need to make that my next pick up. Either that or the Ardbeg 10.
In the meantime, I think I'll try to save what I have left of my Lagavulin for special occasions. I'll try to work my way through my recently acquired Yamazaki 12 and Glenfarclas 15.
Seeing as you seem to be leaning towards Islay, Caol Ila is definitely the next step in your adventure.
Up there with my love of Lagavulin, bit less intense, but just as complex.
I may need to make that my next pick up. Either that or the Ardbeg 10.
In the meantime, I think I'll try to save what I have left of my Lagavulin for special occasions. I'll try to work my way through my recently acquired Yamazaki 12 and Glenfarclas 15.
Globehopper
Member
I thought I'd go through my current single malt collection and give you some info on each one. They're listed in approximately the order I bought them. I've owned many other bottles over the years and belong to an excellent local Scotch club, so if this is useful and you want more let me know. I've probably tried a few hundred single malts since I got into the hobby. This isn't a list of my favourites, just what I happen to have at the minute.
Glenmorangie 10yr - One of the earliest single malts I decided I liked. Now I always have a bottle around. It hardly ever gets touched, but that doesn't mean it's bad; it's just not the new kid on the block anymore. Light, floral, grassy and sort of ubiquitous.
Lagavulin 16 - My first love of Islay whiskies. Like the Glenmorangie I'll always have a bottle of this in the house.
Dalmore 18 - Random pickup at a duty-free, where the main criteria is "is it something I can't get at home". It's really unusual, tastes old in the sense that it has a kind of mustiness about it... I like it though and the bottle's almost gone.
Glenfiddich 21 Gran Reserva - I absolutely love this. Another duty-free purchase as it's expensive, but it might be my favourite standard bottling that I've tried to date. It's finished in rum casks (Glenfiddich used to advertise them as Cuban specifically but that prevented them selling the whisky into the USA, so they changed it to an unspecified origin). It also comes in a ridiculously massive box, so if you want to impress someone this will probably do it
Ardbeg Corryvreckan - How good is this! It smells literally like a bonfire to me, I can pick out charred wood, ash... love that it's cask strength too.
Ardbeg 10 - Picked it up for a party and somebody else brought the same bottle so I got to take most of it home It's very much a lower-strength version of the Corryvreckan (still 46% ABV though) and is absolutely one of the best Islays there is.
Douglas Laing St Magdalene 28yr-old Single Cask - OK now we get into the interesting stuff. I bought this after attending a tasting from defunct distilleries. It was way too fucking expensive and set my current personal record for price (over)paid Note as well that this is a single-cask whisky, not a mixing of many casks like the vast majority of available standard bottlings (which is done to achieve a consistent taste from year to year). It's unique (there are only around 200 bottles of this worldwide) and it's wonderful, with almond and oak notes.
Aberlour 16yr-old Bourbon Cask (Distillery only) - This is my absolute favourite whisky to date. You can only get it by visiting the distillery in Speyside and hand-filling a bottle from a cask they have in their tasting room. Taking emotion out of it, it's magnificent... natural cask strength of 52% ABV, strongly oaky with lots of vanilla and toffee. I'm making it sound almost like a bourbon but it's character is definitely that of a single malt. It's almost gone and it breaks my heart that I can't get any more of it.
Old Pulteney 21 - I bought this duty-free as Jim Murray had just declared it "Whisky of the year" in his 2012 Whisky Bible the day before I was travelling back home. I have to say... I don't like it. It tastes like it started off as a decent single malt that someone then dumped a load of salt into. I liked it slightly better on my second tasting so maybe all hope isn't lost.
Glenfarclas 15 - I tried this at random (at the Mash Tun - http://www.mashtun-aberlour.com) when staying in Aberlour (Speyside) in October. I loved it immediately and bought a bottle when I got home. I've since tried a few different bottlings from Glenfarclas and I think I like the 17 the best of their standard range; the cask-strength 105 is great as well though. Everything from this distillery is heavily sherried, but Glenfarclas has its own character and you can instantly tell one of their whiskies.
Knockdhu 1998 Single Cask - Picked this up on a whim after a Hopscotch masterclass in November. Another single-cask, it's really unusual with lemon and honey notes, I like it quite a bit. Not too many of these around but Legacy in Vancouver has a few bottles left and it's extremely cheap too!
Balvenie Golden Cask - My latest addition. Only had the one dram so far. I got it because it's finished in rum casks like the Glenfiddich 21, but it's not really similar at all. It doesn't have the fullness of body that the G21 has. It's fresh and spicy though so I expect it'll grow on me.
Glenmorangie 10yr - One of the earliest single malts I decided I liked. Now I always have a bottle around. It hardly ever gets touched, but that doesn't mean it's bad; it's just not the new kid on the block anymore. Light, floral, grassy and sort of ubiquitous.
Lagavulin 16 - My first love of Islay whiskies. Like the Glenmorangie I'll always have a bottle of this in the house.
Dalmore 18 - Random pickup at a duty-free, where the main criteria is "is it something I can't get at home". It's really unusual, tastes old in the sense that it has a kind of mustiness about it... I like it though and the bottle's almost gone.
Glenfiddich 21 Gran Reserva - I absolutely love this. Another duty-free purchase as it's expensive, but it might be my favourite standard bottling that I've tried to date. It's finished in rum casks (Glenfiddich used to advertise them as Cuban specifically but that prevented them selling the whisky into the USA, so they changed it to an unspecified origin). It also comes in a ridiculously massive box, so if you want to impress someone this will probably do it
Ardbeg Corryvreckan - How good is this! It smells literally like a bonfire to me, I can pick out charred wood, ash... love that it's cask strength too.
Ardbeg 10 - Picked it up for a party and somebody else brought the same bottle so I got to take most of it home
It's very much a lower-strength version of the Corryvreckan (still 46% ABV though) and is absolutely one of the best Islays there is.Douglas Laing St Magdalene 28yr-old Single Cask - OK now we get into the interesting stuff. I bought this after attending a tasting from defunct distilleries. It was way too fucking expensive and set my current personal record for price (over)paid
Note as well that this is a single-cask whisky, not a mixing of many casks like the vast majority of available standard bottlings (which is done to achieve a consistent taste from year to year). It's unique (there are only around 200 bottles of this worldwide) and it's wonderful, with almond and oak notes.
Aberlour 16yr-old Bourbon Cask (Distillery only) - This is my absolute favourite whisky to date. You can only get it by visiting the distillery in Speyside and hand-filling a bottle from a cask they have in their tasting room. Taking emotion out of it, it's magnificent... natural cask strength of 52% ABV, strongly oaky with lots of vanilla and toffee. I'm making it sound almost like a bourbon but it's character is definitely that of a single malt. It's almost gone and it breaks my heart that I can't get any more of it.
Old Pulteney 21 - I bought this duty-free as Jim Murray had just declared it "Whisky of the year" in his 2012 Whisky Bible the day before I was travelling back home. I have to say... I don't like it. It tastes like it started off as a decent single malt that someone then dumped a load of salt into. I liked it slightly better on my second tasting so maybe all hope isn't lost.
Glenfarclas 15 - I tried this at random (at the Mash Tun - http://www.mashtun-aberlour.com) when staying in Aberlour (Speyside) in October. I loved it immediately and bought a bottle when I got home. I've since tried a few different bottlings from Glenfarclas and I think I like the 17 the best of their standard range; the cask-strength 105 is great as well though. Everything from this distillery is heavily sherried, but Glenfarclas has its own character and you can instantly tell one of their whiskies.
Knockdhu 1998 Single Cask - Picked this up on a whim after a Hopscotch masterclass in November. Another single-cask, it's really unusual with lemon and honey notes, I like it quite a bit. Not too many of these around but Legacy in Vancouver has a few bottles left and it's extremely cheap too!
Balvenie Golden Cask - My latest addition. Only had the one dram so far. I got it because it's finished in rum casks like the Glenfiddich 21, but it's not really similar at all. It doesn't have the fullness of body that the G21 has. It's fresh and spicy though so I expect it'll grow on me.
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