Yet Another Cycling Forum
Off Topic => The Pub => Food & Drink => Topic started by: woollypigs on 13 January, 2009, 09:57:41 pm
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A very good friend of mine is buggering of to the land down under and have donated to the
cause erm to me, some of his whisky collection.
So therefore my whisky collection have gone up by 600% :)
I already had ...
Port Ellen, 59.35%, distilled in 1978, 24 years old, Islay single malt, one of 12000 and numbered. She is my pride and joy, very tasty, does need a wee bit of water to calm her down but boy do the flavours come out. This whisky is getting harder to get hold of as the distillery burned down in '81 (I think) and they stopped distilling it.
Auchentoshan, 43%, 12 years old, Lowland single malt. Peli got that on one of her many trips to foreign bits, never seen or heard about it and is surprisingly very enjoyable.
And I received ...
The Antiquary, 40%, 12 years old, blended (and the only one). Never heard about it and never tasted it either.
Highland Park, 40%, 12 years old, Highland (Island) single malt. Just had a quick sip of it and it is very smoky not as much as the Ardbeg. Think I will enjoy this one.
Ardbeg, 46%, 10 years old, Islay single malt. Smoky, not my favourite (off this lot) but I can drink it if I really have too :)
Connoisseurs Choice, 43%, 31 years old, Speyside single malt. Never heard about this one but it is distilled at Braes of Glenlivet and the proprietors are Chivas Bros. I'm not a big fan of Glenlivet so I was a little sceptic when I had a sip, but was surprised with it mild and round taste.
Old Pulteney, 40%, 12 years old, Highland single malt. I had a wee sip and I think this is the one that would be drunk a lot when I sit down to enjoy a good movie or book. Dry, smooth with a hint of sherry.
Glenmorangie, 43%, 15 years old, Highland single malt. I think along with the Glenfiddich this whisky is a good starter to get taste of whisky before you move onto "better" tasting ones. Though this one compare to the Glenfiddich is more mild and round and easier to start with.
And to top it off he also donated to me 4 bottles of Czech Boheme Larger, a very good beer (Pilsner) but that is an other thread.
Thank you, mate, I do owe you for this.
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Very nice indeed. If you just can't bring yourself to drink the Ardbeg throw it over here please :)
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Oh you lucky lucky lucky lucky lucky lucky git.
Do you feel in need of a thirsty visitor?
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Wooly,
Some info about Auchentoshan (http://www.whisky.com/brands/auchentoshan_brand.html).
If every you're up Glasgow way, it's only about 10 miles from the centre of Glasgow and worth a look (and taste :thumbsup:) around :P
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What is it about Ardbeg ? I was given an almost full 1L bottle last week because the owner didn't like it. I finished it off in no time.
(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28169/52eadfed3/regards.jpg)(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28170/346c719a5/from.jpg)(http://www.yudu.com/item_files/28171/5eb32df38/snakehips.jpg)
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You jammy sod!
That's a nice wee collection. Old Pulteney especially, is lovely.
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Wow. Lucky you. Where do you live??
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Woolly, I must now kill you.
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I've drunk The Antiquary, many years ago, & IIRC it's a pretty good blend. But it was a long time ago, Drank a fair bit of Highland Park lin the past (I drink very little whisky nowadays), & as I recall it was excellent. To be drunk slowly, & savoured, I think.
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I drink whisky slowly, I drink to enjoy not to get drunk on whisky. So that bottle that Peli got have lasted a year now and is still going strong. It's more like a glass once every month or two, so I got a few years worth now.
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Nice and very lucky! I got My First Bottle of Scotch this Christmas after drinking (Irish) Whiskey for a good few years. Usually Bushmills Single Malt or Black Bush but I also like the Jameson's pure pot still one.
Anyway, the Scotch is Speyside, which I like. Not too smoky, just a hint of peat and pretty smooth.
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Very lucky indeed Woolly.
Although you're not a fan of Glenlivet, can I suggest you try the Nadurra ?
It's aged <goes and checks bottle> in bourbon casks and it's <goes and checks again> 48%.
With a drop of water is is officially "My Favourite Whisky in the World (So Far)".
Smoothy and chocolatey. Mmmm.
I wouldn't recommend Glenfiddich to anyone as a starter- it always seems a little harsh to me
Glenmorangie on the other hand.............
My current stock is one bottle each of Glenmorangie 10yr, Scapa 14yr and Nadurra 16yr plus a bottle of Famous Grouse for mixing.
None of them are being touched in January :(
I don't feel any better for not drinking.............
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The Glenmorangie distillery in Tain is a great landmark on Lejog.
Woolly, you are a very lucky man. You've got Peli and a whole cupboard full of single malts. Do you have any ambitions left? ;)
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I already had ...
Port Ellen, 59.35%, distilled in 1978, 24 years old, Islay single malt, one of 12000 and numbered. She is my pride and joy, very tasty, does need a wee bit of water to calm her down but boy do the flavours come out. This whisky is getting harder to get hold of as the distillery burned down in '81 (I think) and they stopped distilling it.
I don't think 1981 can be right for the fire, as I've got a bottle of 1982 (13yo, 57%). Very nice, strictly for occasional savouring.
Others are Talisker, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Highland Park, Jameson & Powers
I did have a bottle of Ardbeg, but that only lasted an hour or so as I took it to an Antarctic reunion weekend at Ingleton youth hostel, and it got killed along with 3 other bottles of whiskey, about a dozen bottles of port and 2 polypins of Dent Aviator.
Generally I get a bottle when they are going cheap in the run up to Christmas - this year's was the Talisker.
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You might like Iain Banks's tour round the distilleries (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Raw-Spirit-Search-Perfect-Dram/dp/0099460270/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231968413&sr=1-1) if you're a whisky man. A very enjoyable read.
Personally I can't stomach the stuff :)
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Woolly, you are a very lucky man. You've got Peli and a whole cupboard full of single malts. Do you have any ambitions left? ;)
Yup life is very good :)
I don't think 1981 can be right for the fire, as I've got a bottle of 1982 (13yo, 57%). Very nice, strictly for occasional savouring.
Just had a quick google and it closed in 1983 but I can't find anything about the fire, which I read in one of my whisky books, which I also can't find :)
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You might like Iain Banks's tour round the distilleries (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Raw-Spirit-Search-Perfect-Dram/dp/0099460270/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231968413&sr=1-1) if you're a PetrolHead. A very enjoyable read.
Personally I can't stomach the stuff :)
still at least he has now seen sense.
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I like Ardberg, I might have a tipple when I come over now lol, should I bring cigars? I had a gorgeous speyside single the other day, smokey, a little bit peaty but smooth.
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"Hello Wooly, I luv you" :-* ;D
All I can say is you lucky sod :P
I thought Highland Park was a very smooth Whisky rather than a smokey one in my memory.
That is quite a collection you have going there :thumbsup:
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I wish I liked whisky, cos I think there's something very sexy about women drinking whisky, but it's a taste I don't think I'll ever acquire.
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With wine you have find a meal that suit the wine, with whisky yo have to find one that suit your mood. And the taste is something that you have to "work" on as there will be one that you like and you can even "modify" the taste with a little drop of water in it.
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You might like Iain Banks's tour round the distilleries (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Raw-Spirit-Search-Perfect-Dram/dp/0099460270/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231968413&sr=1-1) if you're a PetrolHead. A very enjoyable read.
Oi, stop fixing that for me ;)
I don't think he mentioned cars too much. He was probably too pissed to drive.
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Auchentoshan, 43%, 12 years old, Lowland single malt. Peli got that on one of her many trips to foreign bits, never seen or heard about it and is surprisingly very enjoyable.
Me! Me! I come from the town of Clydebank, which is just to the west of Glasgow on the Clyde. The Auchentoshan distillery is in the town, just below the Old Kilpatrick hills, and takes its water from a burn which comes down from those hills. When I was at school, nothing much was known about the distillery, as it was closed to the public, and as you say the whisky wasn't that well known - if I'm not wrong a lot of it went to blending in the nearby Chivas Regal etc. plants.
Recently it has opened a visitors centre, and it looks jolly nice. The other connection is that Clydebank built the Queen Elizabeth II in the shipyard there. Auchentoshan produced a special whisky, which was only sold on board. They are now selling off the last stocks in the visitor centre - I got a bottle for a wedding present to a friend.
The other thing is that the word Auchentoshan has a rather shameful connotation for me... there is a 'special school' next to the distillery, and a childhood taunt in the playground was that someone was going on the Auchentoshan bus. As I say, a bit shameful.
To give you a flavour of the place, Clydebank is, shall we say, post-industrial and gritty. The distillery itself is in green space just below the hills, and is quite a nice spot, just near the Erskine Bridge and the A82 if anyone recognises the area.
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I wish I liked whisky, cos I think there's something very sexy about women drinking whisky, but it's a taste I don't think I'll ever acquire.
Try lots of different ones Kirst- the taste varies so much between distilleries (and between different whiskies from the same distillery).
I started with minatures of the United Distillers range (Cragganmore, Oban, Dalwhinnie, Talisker, Glenkinchie, Lagavulin). There's quite a range of tastes in there and you may find one that you like. After that, there's a lot of further testing to be done.
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My advice to Kirst - and anyone else really, is to try drinking whisky like you do vodka.
Put a bottle into the freezer for a day or two, and pour it in small shots when it is like treacle.
Mmmmm....
Before I am lynched from the nearest lamppost, I'm not advocating you do this with your finest peaty malts. Try it with a blended whisky - at the risk of sounding a sexist, pmppous oaf, somewhere I remember that women are said to like Teachers whisky. Me, I like it too.
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I wish I liked whisky, cos I think there's something very sexy about women drinking whisky,
I think it's probably safe to say that Kirst doesn't need whisky or any other drink (yes, even Irnbru) to be sexy... :D
Oh, and Chocbike's practical advice is good!
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Whisky is like olives. Nobody likes it initially, but the more you try it the more it grows on you and you learn to appreciate it.
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I don't think he mentioned cars too much. He was probably too pissed to drive.
Really? i didn't get past the first few pages cause I got too fed up with the car stuff!
And I agree on the acquired taste thing - keep trying, Kirst!
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I like Ardberg, I might have a tipple when I come over now lol, should I bring cigars?
You can, but you won't be allowed in if you do. :P No smoking near me, thank you very much.
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I wish I liked whisky, cos I think there's something very sexy about women drinking whisky,
I think it's probably safe to say that Kirst doesn't need whisky or any other drink (yes, even Irnbru) to be sexy... :D
Good answer.
;D
Whisky is like olives. Nobody likes it initially, but the more you try it the more it grows on you and you learn to appreciate it.
Mmm olives. I didn't like olives until the first time I had Kalamata ones in Greece and I've never looked back. I still don't like tea or coffee though.
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From memory, in the drinks cabinet is:
Lagavulin distillers edition (similar but smoother and sweeter than the 16yr)
Highland Park (a clean Orkney dram)
Scapa (like Highland Park but better)
Aberlour (sweet, a horror the next day if you drink too much)
Aberlour cask strength (needs water, but much superior to standard bottling)
Laphroig (might as well drink tcp)
Penddyhllmmmddyrtyeswsbc (welsh whisky... not verry nice)
Jamieson (alright for what it is)
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I don't think he mentioned cars too much. He was probably too pissed to drive.
Really? i didn't get past the first few pages cause I got too fed up with the car stuff!
I must have a selective memory, then. I'm not too bothered about people liking cars unless they start saying that all cyclists should die/get numberplates/drive cars instead etc. I think Banks has some form on this, but I was obviously blind to it in the book ;D
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I was in the offy at lunchtime buying tequila for tomorrow night's margarita fest.
I almost bought some Wild Turkey.
Is all bourbon a crime against whisk(e)y or is it just Jim Beam and Jack Daniels that are foul?
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Well, the japanese make whisky too... Suntory being a common brand. It's pretty foul.
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Jack Daniels is lovely stuff. As is Scotch.
You just have to accept they are two different drinks, in the same way that Orange Squash is not Blackcurrent Squash.
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I agree with Nutty- a good Bourbon is great.
I drank quite a lot of it when I used to visit a customer in Kentucky. There was bugger all else to do.
I also like Penderyn though again, it's not a Scottish malt.
Am I going to hell (for agreeing with Nutty that it is ;) ) ?
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You're definitely in trouble - you've agreed with me more than once ;D I like Penderyn too.
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Isn't it the rule that only whisky made in Scotland can be called whisky, else it have to be called whiskey or bourbon?
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Isn't it the rule that only whisky made in Scotland can be called whisky, else it have to be called whiskey or bourbon?
Unless it's wisgi.
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A broad question thrown out to the residents of Embra . . .
Is the J & B shop still in town? I once visited many years ago and positively melted a Visa card there.
A little bit of heaven.
J
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Just poured a [rather large] glass of Talisker. Just a spot of water, lovely. :thumbsup:
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Southern Comfort :sick:
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Southern Comfort :sick:
I used to drink in my youth, one good thing about it, it tasted the same coming up :) If I should smell it now I would for sure make my stomach turn.
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I have that relationship with Bacardi. Not touched the stuff for 36 years but I know that to do so would make me sick straight away.
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You might like Iain Banks's tour round the distilleries (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Raw-Spirit-Search-Perfect-Dram/dp/0099460270/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231968413&sr=1-1) if you're a PetrolHead. A very enjoyable read.
Oi, stop fixing that for me ;)
I don't think he mentioned cars too much.
To be fair, I'd say it was more "travel stories" than "petrolhead stuff", but given that the great majority of travelling happened in one of his (extensive, at the time) collection of cars (except a brief interlude where he went out on his motorbike). Personally, I quite enjoyed the travel/whisky balance, but I can see that the cars might get a bit much for some.
As for the Highland Park... Mmmm... :)
Given a little planning, I wonder how many distilleries one could get round in, say, a week of leisurely cycling..."
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It keeps growing :) Just got an other bottle of whisky today :)
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_I2koBEIwO7s/SXNC9WkCBKI/AAAAAAAAEX8/9iKi0-QosBU/s400/DSC03613.JPG)
a wee bottle of Chivas Regal, 40%, 18 years old. Blended. Tasted it years ago and can't remember what it was like.
That is Bamse (Teddy in Danish) there at the end guarding them all, watch out he got a black belt in tajahakachiikamodo and does a mean roundhouse kick :)
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You've got my week's supply.
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You might like Iain Banks's tour round the distilleries (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Raw-Spirit-Search-Perfect-Dram/dp/0099460270/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231968413&sr=1-1) if you're a whisky man. A very enjoyable read.
Personally I can't stomach the stuff :)
Read by the author on CD too. I spent a few evenings chasing him round my drinks cabinet, so to speak :thumbsup:
When I started on scotch I started on Speyside. I've graduated now to Islay, and, as things stand, I'm staying put Seven of the best. 8)
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When I was a student I worked in a hotel bar in my home village during the holidays. They had (I think) 56 single malts, lined up alphabetically. You've a way to go, Woolly ;)
My local distillery was Glengoyne (http://www.glengoyne.com/index.php). I have no idea what it's like, as I created a lifelong distaste for whisky one new year's eve aged 17. Bleurgh.
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I paid a visit to the Sligachan Hotel, Skye en route back from a wet and windy Outer Hebs tour in 2005. I enjoyed a pint of their own brew beer with toast and marmalade for my breakfast at 11 on a Sunday. If I recall correctly, they seem to have a pretty fair range of optics around three sides of the bar. Must be close to a hundred.
<edit>
More like 200... (http://www.sligachan.co.uk/seumas-bar.php)
</edit>
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There is a Pub in Aalborg, Denmark, which had around 80 (only) different whisky's. And yes I spend a lot of time in there drooling as I was a poor student for most of the time and could not afford the ones on the top shelf.
I did treat myself to a wee drop of MacAllan 25 year old on my 25th birthday, and it was most enjoyable :)
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For Xmas Pingu got a bottle of Cragganmore, and a bottle of Talisker Distillers Edition (14yo, aged in sherry cask) from one of my brothers, to add to his collection. (Talisker 18yo, Caol Isla, etc)
Basically whenever he's stuck for a present my bro gets him some whisky, which works out quite well for Pingu being as my bro works for Diageo and can get all sorts of interesting stuff.
I think my brother has his 'retirement fund' stashed in a sideboard made up of unusual bottlings of their outputs.
He actually works at one of only a handful of single grain whisky distilleries, which is handy.
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I have one bottle left from the family distillery. Which is now a PC World.
I'm not sure I'll ever open it.
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I have one bottle left from the family distillery. Which is now a PC World.
I'm not sure I'll ever open it.
???
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PC World in Inverness. :'(
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Exhuming this, I've just been given a bottle of 1970 Aberlour by Helen's dad*.
It's come complete with an immaculate presentation box.
Bottled in 1991 after being matured in bourbon casks since 1970.
They made 8000 bottles.
I'm quite fond of the ordinary Aberlour (less so the "young" stuff my mum and dad insist on buying me when they're visiting from Spain) so this promises to be a treat.
But, when do I open it ?
Should I open it ?
An even bigger question- should I return it ? I'm pretty sure that Helen's dad hasn't looked into how much it's worth (web-search says ~£300). Helen is pretty adamant that it's a present for me and I should do what I like with it.
Selling it isn't an option so, return or drink at some unspecified time in the future ?
*I've never met him- her parents were clearing out their place in Brixham before they sold it. They live in France now. We also got quite a large selction of wine :thumbsup:
He doesn't like whisky- it was a present from a supplier when he retired.
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Drink & return the bottle? ;)
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Never managed to keep a bottle for more than...couple of hours tops! Never could see the point of glasses. And as for adding anything to any spirits....
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Party at your place then ;) :thumbsup:
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Exhuming this, I've just been given a bottle of 1970 Aberlour by Helen's dad*.
It's come complete with an immaculate presentation box.
Bottled in 1991 after being matured in bourbon casks since 1970.
They made 8000 bottles.
I'm quite fond of the ordinary Aberlour (less so the "young" stuff my mum and dad insist on buying me when they're visiting from Spain) so this promises to be a treat.
But, when do I open it ?
Should I open it ?
An even bigger question- should I return it ? I'm pretty sure that Helen's dad hasn't looked into how much it's worth (web-search says ~£300). Helen is pretty adamant that it's a present for me and I should do what I like with it.
Selling it isn't an option so, return or drink at some unspecified time in the future ?
*I've never met him- her parents were clearing out their place in Brixham before they sold it. They live in France now. We also got quite a large selction of wine :thumbsup:
He doesn't like whisky- it was a present from a supplier when he retired.
My mouth is watering. I'd keep it and open it on the next big special occasion ie birthday/anniversary/birth and have a little tipple. Not much and then keep it for the next occasion.
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Once opened, good whisky does not keep well. Drink within a week ;)
i'm sure there would be some willing volunteers to aid you in this task ::-)
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Next big event, short of a lottery win, is my 50th :'(
I'm not sure that getting my new/replacement Enigma will count ;)
Serious question:- has anyone noticed whisky (or other strong spirits) going off ?
I know that, in theory, they should oxidise (more so as the bottle empties) but I've never noticed any change in taste, even with bottles that are several months old.
Or does nobody keep a bottle that long ? ;D
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Whisky lovers may like this sporcle quiz (http://www.sporcle.com/games/jnhickson/scotch_whiskies) :)
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Pah, only 15 right. I needed a dram first, I think!
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Whisky lovers may like this sporcle quiz (http://www.sporcle.com/games/jnhickson/scotch_whiskies) :)
Their spelling of Macallan is wrong. ;)
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Their spelling of Macallan is wrong
Yes, it's a pain when this happens. Still, will know to use writer's spelling on the second, third etc attempt ...
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Have you tried spelling "Bunnahabhain" when you're up against the clock ? :o ;)
And yes, I'll have another go.
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Have you tried spelling "Bunnahabhain" when you're up against the clock
Yes... and I screwed it up. Got it right the second and third time, tho :)
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Britchladitch too!
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Port Ellen, 59.35%, distilled in 1978, 24 years old, Islay single malt, one of 12000 and numbered. She is my pride and joy, very tasty, does need a wee bit of water to calm her down but boy do the flavours come out. This whisky is getting harder to get hold of as the distillery burned down in '81 (I think) and they stopped distilling it.
Ah remember this, well I for some reason decided that I would save the rest for a special occasion.
Last night PG Tips and I decided that we should have a drop of the Spirit of Lewis from the Abhaidd Dearg distillery on Isle of Lewis. While I was getting the glasses ready I remembered that I had a another bottle and it has been years since I had sip from that.
While I was telling PG Tips how I got this bottle back in 2003, I looked it up on the old 'tinterweb. Back then, I got it at the eye watering £110 a bottle, but I just had to have as I had read so much about it.
It is the the PORT ELLEN 1978, 24 Year Old, 2nd Release 70cl / 59.35%, Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky. A very nice drink, as I have popped it open (key word here) cause how else would I know if what I have read is right, and true to the written word - it is very good whisky.
Today the very same bottle unopened (a much more important key word here), would go for about £1500-1750 on the whisky exchange ..
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Serious question:- has anyone noticed whisky (or other strong spirits) going off ?
I know that, in theory, they should oxidise (more so as the bottle empties) but I've never noticed any change in taste, even with bottles that are several months old.
I have tried a few whiskys that had gone off. A lowland "Littlemill" that probably had been opened a decade or so and with very little remaining. A very light bodied and slightly "odd" whisky to start with.
A Redbreast std 12y.: same story; it had been opened for many years with very little in the bottle. The owner who had kept the bottle for fun, claims that pot still whiskey doesn't keep well when exposed to air.
Other whiskys I have tried may have changed slightly over the years, but not always for the worse and generally very little if the bottle is more than ½ full.
I would say that decanting the whisky into a smaller bottle is a very good idea if the bottle is less than ½ full and you expect it to last a year or more before finishing.
I guess that light bodied whiskys bottled at 40% is probably more at risk than a peaty cask strength whisky at 57%.
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I decided to treat myself this Christmas (no-one else will so why not) and spend far more than I normally would on a bottle of Bruichladdich (sp?) Port Charlotte.
I opened it last night and had a wee tipple. I was very not disappointed, not quite as peaty as I was expecting, but it was absolutely gorgeous. The aroma was more honey-ish than heavy peat, but with a bit of smokiness and iodine, and the flavour again was very subtle for such a heavy whisky (bottled at ~60%) and had loads of honey, bitter orange, almond and then subtle peaty smokeiness.
I'd definitely recommend
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There is just so much to choose from. Port and sherry finishes with peat smoke are my favorite :P
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I've bought my father a bottle of "Paul John Brilliance" for Christmas. it's from Goa.... Should be interesting to try, it gets good reviews.
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PC World in Inverness. :'(
They're turning the Engine Shed into a microdistillery.
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Gin or whisky?
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There is just so much to choose from. Port and sherry finishes with peat smoke are my favorite :P
Yes, Laphroaig do a couple of nice ones, PX being one of those.
The Bruaichladdich I refer to above was finished in French oak used for eau de vie of some kind
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Gin or whisky?
Whisky, apparently (http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14420606.Full_steam_ahead__Plan_to_turn_former_engine_shed_into___3_6m_distillery_unveiled/).
Mind, it wouldn't surprise me if they tried their hand at producing some gin as well, to get a bit of cashflow earlier than eight years' time ...
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I have a very enticing bottle of Edradour to open on Christmas Eve, so that I can leave a glass out for Santa ;)
I normally tend to go for single malts from the islands, but after visiting the Edradour distillery on a bike tour many years ago, it's become a bit of a favourite and Lady Redlight was kind enough to pick up a bottle on a recent work trip to Edinburgh.
All this talk of whisky going off worries me, though. In our household, it can take two or three years to get through a bottle of spirits (we have vodka dating back almost two decades). I haven't noticed any decline in quality, but then I don't have a particularly refined palate.
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I have a bottle of Glenmorangie cask strength bought for me on the event of my son's birth. It's probably got about a quarter left and still tastes fine. My son turned 14 this year
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Got a bottle of this, will report back when it has killed lurgy of death.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/HdiB2wtaeEg1wgjTETrTpwWWbChlvp2_UMIRuHmj8jEziRzVHpQhgabayB2YZ7gPiHmfrWyntjwmvwqIdyiDx4cy4oldfAaFbbC8AS4fvBRYU4I7ROPyJhb3d3MylMcka1vvBW9C10A=w2400)
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I gave my father a bottle of Indian single malt for Xmas and he's feeding me bloody Grouse !
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Strathisla :thumbsup:
I may broach my Jura16yo this evening
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I treated myself to a Christmas present of Arran Machrie Moor 6th edition, Mrs Tween got a bottle of Penderyn. Then in the Amazon end of year sale I failed to resist an Auchentoshan 12yo.
(IMHO anybody living in Aberdeen needs to be banned from this thread on account of The Grill)
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I have a number of faves.
Highland Park--a superb "cross-genre" malt.
Auchentoshan
Ardbeg
Glendronach sherry casked
Glengarioch
Talisker
Laphroaig
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^ which has prompted a survey of the whisky cupboard...
Arran amarone cask 0.4
Bowmore darkest 0.25
Bowmore small batch 1
Bunnahabhain 1
Bushmills 0.8
Caol Ila distillers 0.3
the Glenlivet Nadurra 0.5
Hakushu 0.6
Highland Park 1.6
Jura superstition 0.6
Lagavulin 0.3
Laphroaig 1/4 cask 1
Laphroaig 1
Port Ellen 0.5 <-- reward for babysitting the niece, aged about 1. She's about 23 now.
Scapa 0.9
Talisker 0.1
Yamazaki 0.6
time to get drinking and polish off some of the mostly empty bottles, I think
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Big fan of the Islay, I see.
I'm not going to list my cabinet. There are about 40 bottles in there. Current faves are the really easy drinking AnCnoc, and the much more substantial Kilchoman Loch Gorm.
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Currently on 18yo Talisker. A bit smoother than bog standard Talisker, AFAIR.
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Mackmyra Vit Hund, unaged spirit. All appley cinnamon, nutmeg, peardroppiness. Lovely an warming on a grey, damp evening
I bought it having had a Mackmyra on SAS, on my way back from Norway last week
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A wee update on the drops
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/36opt--KqKbHDXlTx0XM7Lnm28L1TJoi-QaDTeYGcpUb0qnoMmGOYyZTiIXIbksUXz0y3GtlkBgTpNIWo5CD4tpSd4QLdZaBOzbNqFDsKV6x0dnRL2ObuZ-W2ivQjd4oJtgh7-_JKl0=w2400)
The Aldi one - Glen Marnoch is rather nice.
Sheep Dip and BenRiach are my new go to drops, I got them from the wee shop in town, where I also got the Tomatin and Glen Elgin the year before.
The Black Label isn't my cuppa, but you can't say no to free booze.
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I came across Ben Riach about 10 years ago. They were, IIRC, a fairly recently de-mothballed distillery who were experimenting with all sorts of cask expressions and peatings.
The Tawny Port edition was gorgeous and it went from about £35 to over £100, after I drank almost the entire national supply.
I think I've still got a few bottles of theirs in the cabinet, but I rarely go in there these days.
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Costco had Aberfeldy 12 year old for £26 inc vat, which is very nice. They've also got 25year old Glenfarcas for £96 inc vat, but I'm afraid that can stay on the shelf.
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I have a very enticing bottle of Edradour to open on Christmas Eve, so that I can leave a glass out for Santa ;)
I normally tend to go for single malts from the islands, but after visiting the Edradour distillery on a bike tour many years ago, it's become a bit of a favourite and Lady Redlight was kind enough to pick up a bottle on a recent work trip to Edinburgh.
All this talk of whisky going off worries me, though. In our household, it can take two or three years to get through a bottle of spirits (we have vodka dating back almost two decades). I haven't noticed any decline in quality, but then I don't have a particularly refined palate.
I am sorry to report that the final drops of the bottle referred to above were consumed last Friday night - conveniently just before Christmas ;) This Christmas Day, I anticipate also finishing the bottle of brandy that we bought in 1999 to douse the Christmas pudding, and which has been called into service once a year since then. The vodka is still sitting there.
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There has been a bit of a turnround on my shelves lately. I have finished the Yamazaki and the Penderyn so I have only Scotch left. The Talisker and at Aberlour have also gone, but I've recently bought a Bunnahabhain and a Jura. This last was a special offer in WR and it doesn't say how old it is, but it's single malt and perfectly acceptable.
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If we club together ... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-50672313
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I realise this is going to set everyone disagreeing but I would greatly value a recommendation for a decent bottle of Whisky to buy my stepfather. He doesn't have a particularly refined palette but I'd like to give something that he will appreciate as being a bit special. Normally he tends to drink run of the mill blends or single malts of the Glenfiddich variety, so I guess I'd be looking for something Speyside. I bought him a bottle of Edradour some years ago and he enjoyed that, but I'd like to give something different this time around.
Budget up to about £75.
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I have learned of late (I wonder why it took so long) that throwing more coin at the malts do not equal better drops. I spend £110 on a Port Elen which was a wonderful drop, but said bottle is now £1700, but hell is the taste that good or worth it, especially when a Strathisla is as good if not better.
So I'm kinda inclined to say split the loot and get two bottles.
I have truly enjoyed Sheep Dip, BenRiach, anConc and Strathisla of late. All in the £30-40 area and you can often find some of them on offer.
Heck go to Aldi get one of each of their bottles Glen Marnoch (three versions @ £17.49) and save a few bob's. I got the Islay and honestly it's as good as any I have tasted at £45-55 area.
https://metro.co.uk/2019/06/10/four-of-aldis-whiskies-have-been-named-among-the-best-in-the-world-9886244/ ooh I gotta remember to throw a bottle of Hogwash into the trolley the next time I'm there just because of the name and price even when I prefer Single Malts
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I realise this is going to set everyone disagreeing but I would greatly value a recommendation for a decent bottle of Whisky to buy my stepfather. He doesn't have a particularly refined palette but I'd like to give something that he will appreciate as being a bit special. Normally he tends to drink run of the mill blends or single malts of the Glenfiddich variety, so I guess I'd be looking for something Speyside. I bought him a bottle of Edradour some years ago and he enjoyed that, but I'd like to give something different this time around.
Budget up to about £75.
Macallan 10 is always good.
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Many moons ago I used to make the occasional trip to Scotland when I worked for HMCE. I recall a conversation about the merits of different malts and the local in Aberdeen used to rate The MacAllan. There's a small distilley in Elgin - Glen Moray Glen Livet - which also produced decent stuff. I haven't seen their stuff for a while though as their wet warehouse was severely flooded a few years back.
Oh, it looks as though they are still about.
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/251486299?sc_cmp=ppc*GHS+-+Grocery+-+Alcohol*PX+%7C+Shopping+GSC+%7C+Alcohol+Top+Offers*Alcohol:+F%26D:+Spirits:+Top+Offers+-+Spirits*PRODUCT_GROUP251486299*&ds_rl=1116019&ds_rl=1116322&ds_rl=1116019&gclid=CjwKCAiAob3vBRAUEiwAIbs5TmgjjlOUX8WaQ2HlBoK-9LzHgB4o6lqYMp9jj1uAPT2lpLoS1J_nohoCWk8QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
We visited their distillery as part of our "outreach". ;)
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I realise this is going to set everyone disagreeing but I would greatly value a recommendation for a decent bottle of Whisky to buy my stepfather. He doesn't have a particularly refined palette but I'd like to give something that he will appreciate as being a bit special. Normally he tends to drink run of the mill blends or single malts of the Glenfiddich variety, so I guess I'd be looking for something Speyside. I bought him a bottle of Edradour some years ago and he enjoyed that, but I'd like to give something different this time around.
Budget up to about £75.
A Highland Park, variety to suit the budget? Slight sweetness, so tends to suit folk who aren't *that* into their whisky, but still has a depth of flavour
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Can you guess which island I'm on today, here's a clue
(http://sudomakecake.ddns.net:9000/uploads/88900573867d2b02/IMG_20200112_164411264.jpg)
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Barra?
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Barra?
That's what Peli had to carry him home in..... ;)
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That is THE BEST CHAIR EVAH.
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I have probably posted this before but you can make a completely wonderful version of Macallans finest sherry aged Malt by slipping a spoonful of cheap cooking PX sherry into Lidl's Highland Malt.
Its a 'known' fix and PX/prune juice is used to 'push' Scotch flavour. Its basically what e.g. Glenmorangie do in their 'finishing' process, using casks.
You can also achieve remarkable effects with fresh oak shavings left in a bottle of indifferent scotch, or a drop of vanilla essence to save time.
Appreciate it doesn't have the magic of the branded versions but always worth playing about. The results can be quite amazing, replicating taste profile of products that cost hundreds for a few pence.
There are some lovely ways to use products like Talisker with e.g. JW Black/Red Label to create a super smooth blend with a heavy peaty base kick - essentially the delivery of JW Double Black.
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That is THE BEST CHAIR EVAH.
Is it a shark or Domo-Kun?
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That is THE BEST CHAIR EVAH.
Is it a shark or Domo-Kun?
Sorry, missed this.
It must be a shark, the mouth shape is wrong for a Domu-Kun
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A wee rant: I have noticed over the last few years quite a few distilleries have gone tru a re-branding both of the packaging and the lovely stuff within the bottles.
Like Highland Park, I have lost count of how many models there is and they haven't made it easy to figure out which is which either. Same goes with Glenfiddich and I'm sure there is others that have done the same, just can't think of them atm.
In them there good old days you knew that this distillery got a peaty taste, they have 3-4 for ages or what kind of barrels the drop was aged in. Now they mix it all up and you are not even sure they are Highland or Islay etc.
I fell in love with the Strathisla 12 year old, sadly after a lot of searching I have found out that they are now discontinuing it. I contacted the distillery and the reply filled me sadness. Cause the person writing the reply spend a lot of time talking about the branding (I don't care about the colour or the font on the label, I drink it because what's within the bottle). And they also said they are changing the name of the whisky along with recipe - they are doing a New Coke on it.
This also make it harder to remember if you have tried X or Y.
I do like what is happening with micro breweries as I like to try different beer flavours, but not my whisky I want the same old :)
Signed Gutted
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You'll have to start doing your own mate! Afterwards you might need to drive to Barnard Castle to check your eyesight..
I remember a pleasant weekend in Clapham with Wowbagger & Canardly (& Kim as responsible adult). I think we got through 2 bottles of Highland Park (amongst other stuff) and they were both different editions. Scapa is a lovely dram, but I've not had it for ages.
Did you ever read "Raw Spirit" by Iain Banks ? His mission to taste as many malts as possible. I seem to remember a Porsche being flipped at one stage......
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You'll have to start doing your own mate!
It's crossed my mind to try make some, but it a struggle to wait 4 weeks for my home brewed beer. So there is no way I can wait 12 years for a drop LOL
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A wee rant: I have noticed over the last few years quite a few distilleries have gone tru a re-branding both of the packaging and the lovely stuff within the bottles.
Like Highland Park, I have lost count of how many models there is and they haven't made it easy to figure out which is which either. Same goes with Glenfiddich and I'm sure there is others that have done the same, just can't think of them atm.
In them there good old days you knew that this distillery got a peaty taste, they have 3-4 for ages or what kind of barrels the drop was aged in. Now they mix it all up and you are not even sure they are Highland or Islay etc.
I fell in love with the Strathisla 12 year old, sadly after a lot of searching I have found out that they are now discontinuing it. I contacted the distillery and the reply filled me sadness. Cause the person writing the reply spend a lot of time talking about the branding (I don't care about the colour or the font on the label, I drink it because what's within the bottle). And they also said they are changing the name of the whisky along with recipe - they are doing a New Coke on it.
This also make it harder to remember if you have tried X or Y.
I do like what is happening with micro breweries as I like to try different beer flavours, but not my whisky I want the same old :)
Signed Gutted
Simple answer to this one... NAS whisky.
Massive upsurge in Far east and Indian markets over the last decade and stocks of older whisky are depleted and distilleries can't keepupwith demand. Therefore, they are abandoning age statements and going for Non Age Statement, which means rather than having a number on the bottle there is now a name.Or indeed many names.
Coupled with this is the popularity of cask expressions, whereby they fuck the whisjkyn into a port/sherry/bordeaux cask after the obligatory ex-bourbon Oak cask. These oak casks are cheap, because the US law requires them to be replaced. Therefore glut of barrels on market. Sherry/port etc less so.
Ditto peat. Speyside used to be peated many years ago, then wasn't and became known for astringent clear flavours. Now some of the progressive distilleries like Ben Riach are producing peated and unpeated whiskies as well as a dazzling array of cask expressions.
Anyway, if in doubt the answer is always Macallan 12.
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You'll have to start doing your own mate!
It's crossed my mind to try make some, but it a struggle to wait 4 weeks for my home brewed beer. So there is no way I can wait 12 years for a drop LOL
Isn't there a law against that sort of thing? My grate frend Al used to roll his own, but he's USAnian.
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You'll have to start doing your own mate!
It's crossed my mind to try make some, but it a struggle to wait 4 weeks for my home brewed beer. So there is no way I can wait 12 years for a drop LOL
Isn't there a law against that sort of thing? My grate frend Al used to roll his own, but he's USAnian.
I was following my instincts M'lud...
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You'll have to start doing your own mate!
It's crossed my mind to try make some, but it a struggle to wait 4 weeks for my home brewed beer. So there is no way I can wait 12 years for a drop LOL
Isn't there a law against that sort of thing? My grate frend Al used to roll his own, but he's USAnian.
I was following my instincts M'lud...
When I used to wear a CPAP mask at night, I bought my own still for distilling water to put in the humidifier unit. The same company sold stills suitable for ethyl alcohol.
https://www.braumarkt.com/en/liqueur-distillate/alcohol-equipment/distillers/still-spirits-air-still-distiller?gclid=CjwKCAjw26H3BRB2EiwAy32zhaWTWMdWrCXPI8l2e-oHBCSGlVWtDwQJSjkwNO7bHpOH311qGD_kDBoCTnkQAvD_BwE
That sort of thing.
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A wee rant: I have noticed over the last few years quite a few distilleries have gone tru a re-branding both of the packaging and the lovely stuff within the bottles.
Like Highland Park, I have lost count of how many models there is and they haven't made it easy to figure out which is which either. Same goes with Glenfiddich and I'm sure there is others that have done the same, just can't think of them atm.
In them there good old days you knew that this distillery got a peaty taste, they have 3-4 for ages or what kind of barrels the drop was aged in. Now they mix it all up and you are not even sure they are Highland or Islay etc.
I fell in love with the Strathisla 12 year old, sadly after a lot of searching I have found out that they are now discontinuing it. I contacted the distillery and the reply filled me sadness. Cause the person writing the reply spend a lot of time talking about the branding (I don't care about the colour or the font on the label, I drink it because what's within the bottle). And they also said they are changing the name of the whisky along with recipe - they are doing a New Coke on it.
This also make it harder to remember if you have tried X or Y.
I do like what is happening with micro breweries as I like to try different beer flavours, but not my whisky I want the same old :)
Signed Gutted
After some emails to and from Peron Richards aka Chivas Brothers aka Strathisla, I managed to hunt down of two bottles direct from the horses mouth, who let me know that they only had about 50 bottles left and only shipped within the UK. I had to talk them into accepting a bank transfer as they normally didn't do that for a small order. It kinda sounded like the Strathisla wasn't on the books in the store anymore.
So I'm a happy bunny and this drop is only going to be drunk on VERY special occasions, cause this is going to last.
Since they are playing around with the recipe on this one, I wonder how their Chivas Regal 12 years "normal" blend is going to taste. Cause the Strathisla 12 year old, was/is a big part of that blend. Also further along with the rant, I see that Chivas now got 10 different flavours and their websites talks about making cocktails and such things with their drink. Not that I care much cause the Regal never fancied my tickle. Just funny that their main ingredient was so good.
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A wee rant: I have noticed over the last few years quite a few distilleries have gone tru a re-branding both of the packaging and the lovely stuff within the bottles.
Like Highland Park, I have lost count of how many models there is and they haven't made it easy to figure out which is which either. Same goes with Glenfiddich and I'm sure there is others that have done the same, just can't think of them atm.
In them there good old days you knew that this distillery got a peaty taste, they have 3-4 for ages or what kind of barrels the drop was aged in. Now they mix it all up and you are not even sure they are Highland or Islay etc.
I fell in love with the Strathisla 12 year old, sadly after a lot of searching I have found out that they are now discontinuing it. I contacted the distillery and the reply filled me sadness. Cause the person writing the reply spend a lot of time talking about the branding (I don't care about the colour or the font on the label, I drink it because what's within the bottle). And they also said they are changing the name of the whisky along with recipe - they are doing a New Coke on it.
This also make it harder to remember if you have tried X or Y.
I do like what is happening with micro breweries as I like to try different beer flavours, but not my whisky I want the same old :)
Signed Gutted
It's the business model. The basic problem in Scotch is the cost of ageing (think what a 15yo wine would cost - at a quarter of the alcohol content - it's insane) and in Malt the limited supply at age. The route to profit is in brand recognition, age reduction, and range proliferation to use recently increased production capability.
Most premium UK drinkers are malt focussed but brand promiscuous.
The objective of the brand is to increase brand loyalty so releasing variants encourages experimentation within the brand rather than exploration. It's no coincidence that almost every release de-emphasises ageing which is the biggest cost factor. It's all about locking the drinker into the brand and trading up in value while down in cost.
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You'll have to start doing your own mate!
It's crossed my mind to try make some, but it a struggle to wait 4 weeks for my home brewed beer. So there is no way I can wait 12 years for a drop LOL
Isn't there a law against that sort of thing? My grate frend Al used to roll his own, but he's USAnian.
You can buy stills but you can't legally use them – if I recall, it's actually impossible to do so, since the dark powers of C&E will only judge your application for a licence if you're distilling some specified number of hectolitres. That's the sort of thing you'd regret the morning after the night before. Basically no one much cares if it's home use and you don't attempt to sell it down the market.
A Serbian friend of mine turned up the other year, opened his suitcase and handed me a five litres jug rakija he'd boiled up in his back garden. He'd apparently made 250 litres that year.
As for whisky, it'll be fun when everyone realises that most of the malt comes from the EU.
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Not so sure storage cost is the reason behind the proliferation of NAS whisky. Industry voices (often those insisting on age statement) say it is almost entirely down to running out of stocks.
Loads of distilleries have been de-mothballed because there is a resurgent whisky market (particularly US, India and EU). The old whisky has run out*
* Jaded drank most of a beautiful 30 yr old Strathisla I had about 6 or 7 years ago. It cost me £105. Now, if you can find one it is £600.
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You'll have to start doing your own mate!
It's crossed my mind to try make some, but it a struggle to wait 4 weeks for my home brewed beer. So there is no way I can wait 12 years for a drop LOL
Isn't there a law against that sort of thing? My grate frend Al used to roll his own, but he's USAnian.
You can buy stills but you can't legally use them – if I recall, it's actually impossible to do so, since the dark powers of C&E will only judge your application for a licence if you're distilling some specified number of hectolitres. That's the sort of thing you'd regret the morning after the night before. Basically no one much cares if it's home use and you don't attempt to sell it down the market.
A Serbian friend of mine turned up the other year, opened his suitcase and handed me a five litres jug rakija he'd boiled up in his back garden. He'd apparently made 250 litres that year.
As for whisky, it'll be fun when everyone realises that most of the malt comes from the EU.
One of my friends rode across Europe and into Asia. Whilst crossing Iran he noticed that every town seemed to have a plethora of shops selling laboratory equipment, often with a still in pride of place in the window display. His bafflement stopped when he started finding similar shops even in small villages.
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A wee rant: I have noticed over the last few years quite a few distilleries have gone tru a re-branding both of the packaging and the lovely stuff within the bottles.
Like Highland Park, I have lost count of how many models there is and they haven't made it easy to figure out which is which either. Same goes with Glenfiddich and I'm sure there is others that have done the same, just can't think of them atm.
In them there good old days you knew that this distillery got a peaty taste, they have 3-4 for ages or what kind of barrels the drop was aged in. Now they mix it all up and you are not even sure they are Highland or Islay etc.
I fell in love with the Strathisla 12 year old, sadly after a lot of searching I have found out that they are now discontinuing it. I contacted the distillery and the reply filled me sadness. Cause the person writing the reply spend a lot of time talking about the branding (I don't care about the colour or the font on the label, I drink it because what's within the bottle). And they also said they are changing the name of the whisky along with recipe - they are doing a New Coke on it.
This also make it harder to remember if you have tried X or Y.
I do like what is happening with micro breweries as I like to try different beer flavours, but not my whisky I want the same old :)
Signed Gutted
Jura would be the one that springs to mind, used to be 12, 15, 18 YO etc, now it's all Journey This, Expression that... bollocks!
Dissapointed in Strathisla doing the same though, that was a nice dram, as long as they don't play with the contents.
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Yeah Strathisla 12 was, about 7 or 8 years ago, an amazing whisky for not much money.
The 30 yr old I mentioned above was incredible. At its peak I think. Any more oak and it would have been shit.
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ElyDave sadly this is from the horses mouth
We have changed over to a new packaging on the Strathisla 12yo hence why you are not able to purchase the old package anymore as it has been discontinued.
The new bottle is now available under a new Chivas Regal packaging and it is currently only available in Strathisla distillery Brand Home shop or Australia.
The recipe in the new one has also changed a bit as well, it is a bit more richer on the tasting notes.
Regarding the old package yes not much but we still have some stock left. When this stock is finished we will not be able to supply the old package any more.
:(
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Not so sure storage cost is the reason behind the proliferation of NAS whisky. Industry voices (often those insisting on age statement) say it is almost entirely down to running out of stocks.
Loads of distilleries have been de-mothballed because there is a resurgent whisky market (particularly US, India and EU). The old whisky has run out*
* Jaded drank most of a beautiful 30 yr old Strathisla I had about 6 or 7 years ago. It cost me £105. Now, if you can find one it is £600.
It was rather good
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OK, connoisseurs, where's a good place to buy whisky online? whiskyshop.com looks like it has a decent selection but I've never used it and can't really claim to be knowledgeable enough on the subject to make a well-informed decision.
It's for a gift, budget is £35, so any recommendations would be welcome too. I thought this one looked decent - is it?
https://www.whiskyshop.com/laphroaig-select
(I have no idea where the recipient's tastes lie on the whisky spectrum.)
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Have had great success with these two
https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/
https://www.masterofmalt.com/
I haven't tried to order online here but this is my local shop for such things
https://wineandwhisky.co.uk/
As for recommendations it all depends, honestly, but for your budget you can get a good drop, so don't worry too much there. I for one don't like the Laphroaig much but I know others do.
Heck even from other places you can get a Old Pulteney 12 Year Old Single Malt for under £30 (on whisky shop it's £44). And for me that's an nice an easy drop.
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Waitrose have that particular whisky on special offer: https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/laphroaig-select-islay-single-malt-scotch-whisky/755908-381392-381393
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Have had great success with these two
https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/
https://www.masterofmalt.com/
I haven't tried to order online here but this is my local shop for such things
https://wineandwhisky.co.uk/
Excellent, thanks!
As for recommendations it all depends, honestly, but for your budget you can get a good drop, so don't worry too much there. I for one don't like the Laphroaig much but I know others do.
Just browsing both sites, they have almost too many interesting options to choose from!
This one looks fun and modern and suitably hipsterish:
https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/seaweed-and-aeons-and-digging-and-fire/seaweed-and-aeons-and-digging-and-fire-10-year-old-whisky/
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Waitrose have that particular whisky on special offer: https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/laphroaig-select-islay-single-malt-scotch-whisky/755908-381392-381393
Nice. Ta!
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Laphroaig, together with nearly all the other Islay malts, is something of an acquired taste, and one that I never did manage to grasp. Too medicinal for this Unit. Bruichladdich being the honourable exception. Even Miss von Brandenburg likes Bruichladdich, or “Bruchlandung*” as her mother read the label.
* crash landing
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(I have no idea where the recipient's tastes lie on the whisky spectrum.)
Do they like whisky? Can you sneak a look at their drinks cabinet? A couple of brand names might suggest which way their tastes lean and could be expanded. Maybe the new(ish) Cotswold whisky or the recently launched Aussie one (Starfield, something like that? I had a taste of the new make, too young to be called whisky legally, a couple of years ago and it was actually pretty decent, belying its youth) would both be interesting and fall outside someone's preconceptions of the Scotch they are used to.
As Mr L hints, I'd be reluctant to give someone a Laphroaig unless I knew it was a taste they'd already acquired.
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Do they like whisky? Can you sneak a look at their drinks cabinet?
Yes. No.
It's a bit of a last-minute request - trying to come up with an idea for a leaving gift for a colleague and I remembered he liked whisky from when I worked with him elsewhere some years ago. We're a small team, hence the low budget. Not a sign of his unpopularity. I don't know him well enough to know what whisky he likes though.
I like whisky myself, but I've never got into it in any serious way. Though I do know enough to appreciate why Laphroaig might not be to every whisky lover's taste.
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Don't let the budget make you think that you can't get a good drop. I refer you to https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=13715.msg2449368#msg2449368
Here's a few that's within budget - Monkey Shoulder, Copper Dog, Sheep dip - just different and not the "normal" names of whisky, but nevertheless tasty and enjoyable.
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OK, connoisseurs, where's a good place to buy whisky online? whiskyshop.com looks like it has a decent selection but I've never used it and can't really claim to be knowledgeable enough on the subject to make a well-informed decision.
It's for a gift, budget is £35, so any recommendations would be welcome too. I thought this one looked decent - is it?
https://www.whiskyshop.com/laphroaig-select
(I have no idea where the recipient's tastes lie on the whisky spectrum.)
An Cnoc would be a good choice. Its hard not to like it. Sweet, honeyed, unpeated.
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Agreed, I've forgotten about that one.
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Here's a few that's within budget - Monkey Shoulder, Copper Dog, Sheep dip - just different and not the "normal" names of whisky, but nevertheless tasty and enjoyable.
An Cnoc would be a good choice. Its hard not to like it. Sweet, honeyed, unpeated.
Thanks for these suggestions. I've passed them on to the person responsible for purchasing.
For a gift, there's definitely something appealing about going for something that isn't one of the "normal" names, which would be another reason to avoid Laphroaig.
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Hence An Cnoc. There's nothing specific in it that will offend, but it is really nice, all dried fruit and honey.
Used to be called Knockdho or something. Not to be confused with Knockando.
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the whisky section of my mother in laws drinks cabinet has effectively been my responsibility since my father in law died in 2016. He always offered me a dram as soon as I set foot inside the house and he knew his stuff. :'(
Anyhow my difficulty is that its about 130 miles from where I live and our visits are relatively infrequent but weve been here at our extended household in Covid parlance this week on annual leave.
The aforementioned whisky section of the drinks collection took something of a dent last night due to a bereavement in the street where she lives. Very mild weather and the consumption of a number of al fresco deoch an dorises helped avoid illegality. A very nice cask strength purchase from SMWS bit the dust.
So today I purchased a bottle of M&S 12yo single malt which i believe is Auchentoshan, and a 10yo Glengoyne. Both pleasant if a little tame but ideal for the drinks cabinet purpose.
The Auchentoshan looks to be a few quid cheaper than the branded version.
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I couldn't have planned it better, by a stroke of sheer luck (no point in playing the lottery, I've lucky'ed out for sure)
Ferry booked to Islay, whisky festival starts the very next day, weather for the next week is looking to be sunny, even talk about hitting 21c !!!!
Bank account will moan.
Didn't know about the festival at all, honest gov.
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I have just seen an advertisement for Cotswold whisky. That got me looking around to see what other non-Caledonian production sites there are. I was aware of Penderyn, as Dez and I had a tour there in 2014 (our first major trip in our first Nissan Leaf), and when I retired, the Welsh head teacher of my final school presented me with a bottle. It's rather good, despite being sold quite young. I now find that there are no fewer than 6 in Wales, including one near Llandysul (Basil!), which is run by a Dutch family.
So far as England is concerned, I thought I read, around the time that it opened, that the distillery near Thetford was the only place where English whisky was produced, but Wikipedia tells me that there are now no fewer than 46 distilleries.
I rarely imbibe these days, and my "collection" has reduced to two bottles, one of The Singleton, and another of Tamnavulin, both on special offer from the supermarkets concerned.
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including one near Llandysul (Basil!), which is run by a Dutch family.
They're more well known for their gin, which is actually quite good.
Mrs B is partial to a glass of Penderyn. There are many versions, including the sherry barrel, which is also quite good.
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I rarely imbibe these days, and my "collection" has reduced to two bottles, one of The Singleton, and another of Tamnavulin, both on special offer from the supermarkets concerned.
This reminded me of what happened to my whisk(e)y collection.
The night I left the first MrsC, she poured it all down the sink, probably a dozen bottles (although not all were anything like full).
I suppose to partly make up for this, my parents gave me a gift box of three Glenmorangies for Christmas that year.
When the current MrsC and I finished the last of these, we realised it had taken us a whole decade to do so. Since then we have rarely had more than one bottle in the house at a time. It's not worth it.
I've not really gone off the stuff, it's just that there are usually other things I'd rather be drinking.
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I am disappointed to learn that Sheep Dip, which advertised itself as being “enjoyed by the villagers of Oldbury-on-Severn”, is in fact a blended Scotch and not from Gloucestershire at all.
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I am disappointed to learn that Sheep Dip, which advertised itself as being “enjoyed by the villagers of Oldbury-on-Severn”, is in fact a blended Scotch and not from Gloucestershire at all.
I've never had Sheep Dip, nor was I aware of the story which is that the blend was first created by a publican in Oldbury.
I ride through Oldbury relatively regularly and a few years back I called in at the pub. He was a whisky enthusiast and had a full whisky menu.
I still have maybe 20 bottles in my cabinet, but I almost never drink it these days. Having said that, I'm going to have one now.
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I have just seen an advertisement for Cotswold whisky. That got me looking around to see what other non-Caledonian production sites there are. I was aware of Penderyn, as Dez and I had a tour there in 2014 (our first major trip in our first Nissan Leaf), and when I retired, the Welsh head teacher of my final school presented me with a bottle. It's rather good, despite being sold quite young. I now find that there are no fewer than 6 in Wales, including one near Llandysul (Basil!), which is run by a Dutch family.
So far as England is concerned, I thought I read, around the time that it opened, that the distillery near Thetford was the only place where English whisky was produced, but Wikipedia tells me that there are now no fewer than 46 distilleries.
I rarely imbibe these days, and my "collection" has reduced to two bottles, one of The Singleton, and another of Tamnavulin, both on special offer from the supermarkets concerned.
I've had a bottle of Cotswold Whisky (only 2 or 3 years old, iirc), a Welsh one (can't remember which one) and I have a vague recollection of buying a Lake District one a couple of years ago or so. I visited a Cornish distillery shop where they had nothing old enough to call "whisky" but to keep some revenue coming in, they were selling very young stuff labelled as "moonshine".
I definitely reckon that drinking the young stuff helps develop the palate, as it gives a reference to changes that ageing makes, and allows a "less adulterated" taste of the base flavours. saying that, I'm no connoisseur but I know what I like (just about anything).
As far as having a whisky collection goes - I could only manage collecting the empty bottles but I gave those away to someone who collected them. I find that full ones don't last very long at all. I now only collect the lids to the cardboard tubes - they're handy for putting on top of glasses to stop the flies getting in.
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Apparently the Italians much prefer the younger stuff to whiskies aged for decades in butts of malmsey or whatever. Weirdos.
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Apparently the Italians much prefer the younger stuff to whiskies aged for decades in butts of malmsey or whatever. Weirdos.
What did you expect? They drink grappa.
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Apparently the Italians much prefer the younger stuff to whiskies aged for decades in butts of malmsey or whatever. Weirdos.
What did you expect? They drink grappa petril.
FTFY :demon:
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Apparently the Italians much prefer the younger stuff to whiskies aged for decades in butts of malmsey or whatever. Weirdos.
What did you expect? They drink grappa.
And Limoncello :sick: