Reply With QuoteAny recommendations, I usually drink peaty whisky like lagavulin or laphroaig. Im looking to try something on the sweeter more delicate side. Any ideas? I'm not a single malt snob either and would try blended
Originally Posted by proby24
You'll have to let us know how you get on with that Proby - I'm a huge Nikka fan, Nikka from the barrel is such a great blend, it really broke my previously young snobbish pretence that it had to be scottish and it had to be single malt to be enjoyed, opened all kinds of doors!
Anyway, speaking of snobbish pretence... I just ordered a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue label, in a gift set with 2 crystal glasses as a christmas present to myself (we're allowed to do that right? providing we don't tell her indoors?) . I did think about seeking peoples opinions here prior to purchase, but i imagined of those who tried it, half will think its overpriced tosh and the other half will sing its praises. So I've decided to bite the bullet and form my own opinion, Santa claus is coming to town.
Any recommendations, I usually drink peaty whisky like lagavulin or laphroaig. Im looking to try something on the sweeter more delicate side. Any ideas? I'm not a single malt snob either and would try blended
Dalwhinnie 15.
Looking to open the Coffey tonight as a pre-Christmas treat. Will let you know.
Nikka from the Barrel (and Hibiki) got me back sipping Blends too.
12 year old highland park is on offer in tesco for £25. Too good not to buy.
Great shout.
Malt or Grain?
Mhmmm not sure about Morrisons labelling,tried this and it was like a cleaning product
Kcertainly not light & floral that's for sure
Mhmmm not sure about Morrisons labelling,tried this and it was like a cleaning product
but I love it
z
Yes its a nice tipple was my dads favourite so i raise a glass to him when i sample a dram of the hardcore beast.
Purchased a nice bottle Caol Ila 16 years old. It's got a lovely seaweedy pineapple finish with a little fiery note.
Last edited by hilly10; 13th December 2014 at 08:17.
Can I just alert members to Waitrose Cellar. On top of the particularly good selection of malts in most of their stores there is a much wider selection that can be obtained on a click and collect basis.
In our local store today by way of example.
!2 y.o. Glenfarcas
Aberlour A'bunadh cask strength
Singleton Spey Cascade
12 y.o. Strathisla (I'm drinking this currently)
12 y.o. Balvenie Double Wood and also the 14.y.o Caribbean Cask.
plus many others, the above indicates where my personal taste lies.
Waitrose cellar carry approx. 60 single malts including 3 of the most popular Japanese ones. Plus a good range of Bourbons for those so inclined. Bit of a revelation for a supermarket and while not a patch on World of Whisky a lot better than most.
Totally agree, a good way to step towards the fruity side.
The next steps have to be the full on sherry oak aged Speysides. Don't spent too much until you know you like the style. Se my "Waitrose" post above for some ideas of highly sherried malts.
I agree completely.
Whilst in Macro's the other week, I noticed they had a taster of the above. My initial impressions were.... nail polish remover. Having had a look at some reviews, the conclusion would appear to be OK with ice, or a mixer. Oh, and over-priced.
Light and floral? Not according to the distillery:...Mhmmm not sure about Morrisons labelling,tried this and it was like a cleaning product
"This full bodied whisky is initially sweet up front - matching the nose, then the classic dry, peaty, ashy flavours come bounding in followed by a lovely rich finish arising from the rich fruits of the European casks."
But perhaps some cleaning products have "dry, peaty, ashy flavours". I can't say...I haven't tried them.
More medicinal - dettol and a bit of a joke!Light and floral? Not according to the distillery:
"This full bodied whisky is initially sweet up front - matching the nose, then the classic dry, peaty, ashy flavours come bounding in followed by a lovely rich finish arising from the rich fruits of the European casks."
But perhaps some cleaning products have "dry, peaty, ashy flavours". I can't say...I haven't tried them.
We did the 'Whisky Experience' in Edinburgh last December and really enjoyed it....perfect for absolute beginners. Good info presented in a clear light hearted manner.
My favourite is Auchentoshan 18YO, I also enjoy Dalwhinnie.
I'm just finishing off a bottle of Poit Dhubh 12yo 43%
which I found at the back of the cupboard whilst putting
away this year's haul.
(For those who've not tried Poit Dhubh, it is an
exceptionally smooth unchilfiltered Gaelic Malt whisky
from the Isle of Skye )
Drunk almost the entire bottle of Jura I found the other day - it is rare for me to be able to just drink, but I haven't had to drive anywhere or do anything complex this year so I have indulged ;)
As an minor aside, does anyone indulge in Drambuie? It is what my dad used to drink at Christmas and I was just thinking it must be 20 years since I had any...
I'm a big fan of whisky that's been aged in sherry casks. Currently working my way through a Glenfarclas 15yo and a Balvenie 15yo Sherry Cask, both are exceptional. The Glenfarlcas especially so, considering it's price tag of around £45. I regularly use the website Master of Malt and their "taster" option, in fact the missus got me a few for Christmas, including a taster of the Benrinnes 23yo, which is heavily sherried!
My current Bourbon of choice is Eagle Rare 10yo, but I can thoroughly recommend the 17yo if you see it, just stunning.
Last edited by Joppers; 27th December 2014 at 01:46.
A small anecdote.
I had a bottle of Laphroaig in India that I had barely touched .
Rather than drag it home I decided I would leave it stashed behind the bar of the executive lounge in my hotel as my personal bottle. I stay there for weeks at a time on business. This was agreed by the bar staff.
One of the last things I did was take the aforementioned bottle to the bar before I left for my flight.
When I got there the bar was empty except for a rather rotund gent from Yorkshire who I had never met before despite being a regular in the hotel for over 2 years.
When he saw me handing over the bottle he declared ;without so much as a by your leave , "That's sh*t , best place for that is down the toilet."
The bar staff looked very embarrassed and slightly worried ( I have a reputation for not suffering fool's gladly especially inebriated ex-pats who seem to think they've discovered India on their first visit).
My immediate reaction was to tell this fellow where to stick his opinions but as I was tired and getting ready to go the airport for a 12 hour journey all I could think to do was look squarely at the chat and give a breathy dismissive sniggerish snear at him and be on my way.
This struck me as being majorly rude behaviour by this person; one my personal taste in whisky is none of his business , two laphroaig would never be described as second rate even by those who prefer a less peaty experience. I did not bother to ask what the other person would recommend as a superior dram , he seemed to be drinking gin and tonic.
For comparrison I've also been subjected to ex-pats having conversations about watches in this place. Hearing three of them wax lyrical about the "Rolex Submarine" one had bought in Thailand.
Just found a bottle of Ardmore Traditional Cask which I was given some time ago and initially overlooked as I tend go for Isley pimple and blotch. It transpired to be a very pleasant dram with light hint of smoke. Yum.
Laphroaig is a tremendous whisky and requires no defending. You should have asked him if he wanted a straw for his juice.
Laphroaig is very individual, almost idiosyncratic as whiskys go, probably the Marmite of single malts, but by no means a bad dram. The guy clearly has no taste.
It certainly isn't my first choice, but I wouldn't dream of berating someone who prefers it; what a bell end!
Smoky and peaty malts are an acquired taste. Some progress onto them, some never do. It's why I never bring such a whisky to a gathering, since pretty much everyone that likes whisky will appreciate a nice Speyside, but not everyone will appreciate an Islay malt. That in itself says nothing about either the drinker or the drink.
The guy might have taste, he just might not have a taste for an Islay malt. He's definitely very ignorant though.
My dad bought me an Aberlour a'Bunadh Batch 46 for Christmas which I have cracked open tonight.
I'm normally a smoky/peaty whisky drinker, and this fits neither of those descriptions.
The smell
On removing the wax seal and pulling out the cork, it is rather intense - sherry most definitely, but a bit like cherries that have been stewed in alcohol (my wife would suggest you could get drunk off the fumes). Not the normal medicinal smell I like, but actually rather interesting.
First thoughts (without water)
At 60.4% volume, it's very strong - almost rough on first tasting (bear in mind I have not had anything other than a beer to drink today - and that was at lunchtime). It soons eases up but tastes a little one dimensional - and arguably too strong (I am used to drinking high alcohol levels), but this is possibly a little too much for me.
Adding water
The drink turns a little cloudy as you might expect, and the flavours soften. This is definitely one to have with a few drops of water. Quite a woody flavour but very very sherry/kind of bourbon in its flavour.
Conclusion
It's not really a conclusion as I am only two measures in, but first thoughts are that I'm not convinced by it. I definitely prefer smoky/peaty, whereas this one has got a strange almost bourbon like taste to it. In fact, that's probably a better conclusion - if you like bourbon or possibly rum, this might be a cracking option to get you into malts.
I've heard A'bunadh described as turbo sherry - having had a couple of bottles of it in the past I think it is apt.
It's a good whisky but I find it a bit raw these days (tastes change) and would now rather spend a little more on other speysiders. I'm a big fan of Glendronach for example.
Any particular Glendronach out of interest?
I've yet to drink a bad one to be honest.
A good place to start is the 15 which is usually around £45. If you like that and feel like splashing out a little more the 21 (parliament) is very good.
The cask strength (batch 3 currently) is also well worth trying.
It's dangerous stuff though as before you know it you'll be looking at the single cask releases which whilst spectacular also increase swiftly in price.
Edit: That reads as a bit of an advertorial - I should state I have no affilation with them, though I am something of a fan and have bought a fair bit of it.
Last edited by teadazed; 30th December 2014 at 17:48.
I will bear that in mind next time I am looking for something new to try. Thanks.
Piked up some Nikka from the Barrel - lovely sweet quite subtle
And some Glenfarclas 105 - OMG 60% - but a beauty again sweetish and delightful
I can second the Glendronach 15 year old, very good indeed for the price.
I know its not Whiskey but Bourdon but I got a bottle of Labrot & Graham Woodford Reserve and have to say its as good as my usual favour Jura.
Much, much nicer than Jack or Jim
Sainsbury's have the very reliable Glenmorangie @ £25 a bottle reduced from 35 quid i believe, also some decent 15yr old glenlivet around 30 sods a bottle ,they also have limited stock of the yamazaki @ 42 quid a bottle sadly no 12yr old managed to get the last 2 at my local.Also picked up a bottle of Glengoyne 14yr old l e from m&s for 30 reduced from 37 quid,not really sure about this one though, might have been better off with the Glenlivet.
Last edited by the big fella; 30th December 2014 at 21:53.
I didn't realise that there was a shortage of the Yamazaki 12yo....sadly no 12yr old managed to get the last 2 at my local.
I looked all over the net last night for some managed to find some 12 yr old on amazon 75 quid a bottle,i know it's nice but considering you could pick it up for 45 quid, it's a bit of a hike , seems to be very hard to find on the high street of late ,maybe it's just a xmas thing but the stuff does seem to be going through the roof price wise.
As soon as Yamazaki 2013 Sherry Cask was announced as "the world's best whisky by critic Jim Murray in his Whisky Bible 2015", and that was reported in the press, sales of Yamazaki appeared to increase quite rapidly, and stocks disappeared!
The 12 is quite different to the Sherry Cask (although I haven't tried the 2013 bottling). I guess it's marketing - or reflected glory. Good for Yamazaki I suppose. Bad for us.
I've been drinking the Yoichi 10 recently, and the Taketsuru Pure Malt (NAS). Also Kilkerran Bourbon. Oh and the new Springbank 12 "Green", from organic barley. Actually, speaking of barley, the Laddie Port Charlotte and Scottish Barley are good. But the best (in my opinion) has to be the local barley from Springbank. Picked this up from the cage in Campbeltown over the summer. 14 years and 9 months. Amazing.
Looks an amazing dram , can i come to your house if you ever decide to open it.The 12 is quite different to the Sherry Cask (although I haven't tried the 2013 bottling). I guess it's marketing - or reflected glory. Good for Yamazaki I suppose. Bad for us.
I've been drinking the Yoichi 10 recently, and the Taketsuru Pure Malt (NAS). Also Kilkerran Bourbon. Oh and the new Springbank 12 "Green", from organic barley. Actually, speaking of barley, the Laddie Port Charlotte and Scottish Barley are good. But the best (in my opinion) has to be the local barley from Springbank. Picked this up from the cage in Campbeltown over the summer. 14 years and 9 months. Amazing.
It's open. As with watches, I buy to enjoy.
As you should looks like a lovely dram ,going back on to yamazaki i bought 2 bottles of the Distillers Reserve yesterday @ £42.00 a pop ,looking on amazon they are asking 95 quid + for it ,tried it last night money well spent for me ,would i pay a oner a bottle though, no but if your passing Sainsbury's it's defo worth the 42 quid if there's any left.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-lis...&condition=new
and if you fancy trying the 2013 sherry cask .
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Suntory-Yama...ustomerReviews
Last edited by the big fella; 31st December 2014 at 15:44.
One cannot drink just any peasant Bourbon on the first day of the year.
Yup, the Distiller's isn't bad. Hakushu Distiller's Reserve is also quite interesting. See also the Yamazaki Bourbon 2013 which is still around.
Re Amazon prices, I'm not sure that they are representative.
I'm actually thinking of selling one of my more expensive bottles (of vodka) and just buying cheaper whisky. They top-end stuff is just getting silly.
just opened a bottle of Jura Superstition.....
inititial thoughts...oranges, then toffee...though that could be the left over Quality Steet.
(other choc box brands are available)
My personal favourite.
I'm partial to Balvenie Double Wood too.
Enjoy!
Very nice indeed - lean and refined. Also received a bottle of Chivas Regal 12yo, in a case sponsored by Bremont watches http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...r-Bremont-fans
I really liked the Cragganmore I had a few years ago. Jameson is hard to beat for a light blend.
Just had a peek in my whiskey corner and found;
Laphroaig quarter cask.
Laphroaig cask strength.
Penderyn peated x2
Penderyn Madeira cask.
Half a bottle of Tobermory.......plus a rogue bottle of sherry?
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