I introduced a friend to high-end single malts last night. He had a taste from three of the bottles I laid in for Christmas - two Distillers' Edition whiskies: the 1986 Lagavulin Double Matured and the 1986 Talisker Double Matured, and a Macallan 18 for contrast. He liked the Talisker best. My favourite whisky in the world is that '86 Lagavulin. It's a bit more civilized than the regular 16 year old, but with a bigger body and a better peat/smoke balance.
My other favourites are Laphroaig, Port Ellen (when I can find it) and Ardbeg 17 (it's like sucking on a burnt stick). |
Mzn50, I had a taste of a 30 year old GlenRothes when I was in Toronto over New Years. It was outstanding. My first love is Islays, but this one had something very special going for it.
On a side note, I bought a bottle of 18-yo Jameson Irish, a blend of three casks. Maybe my palate has been ruined by peat and smoke, but I was sorely disappointed. |
Tireguy, based on your love of Laphroaig here are my suggestions.
First the island whiskies:
Lagavulin (of course - my #1 pick)
Talisker (Isle of Skye - my #2 - Laphroaig is my #3)
All the other Islays - Bowmore, Bunnahabhain, Bruichladdich, Ardbeg (the 17 year old is fabulous), Port Ellen (if you can find it). The "3 B's" listed first are the lightest of the Islays, and may disappoint if you're looking for the "in your face" smoke 'n peat experience, but they're still a league and a half ahead of Genlivet.
Then move to the mainland:
Highland Park, from way up north. Rich, with a hint of the island character.
Glenfarclas, Glenturret - especially older ones like the 15's - classic Speyside character.
The old standby, Macallan. The 12 is so-so, but the 18 is very nice. Too pricey for what you get IMO. Marketing has done its work here.
And if you can find it, Edradour. The smallest distillery in Scotland, it's a lighter but supremely elegant dram.
I don't personally care for the Lowlands malts as much. They're too light for my taste. You should try Springbank if you have a chance, though. It's a very traditional whisky, and the best of the Lowlands IMO. |
Blended? Pinch, probably. It's been so long... :-)
I had a shot of Johnny Walker Blue in a bar once, courtesy of my boss (it was during the tech bubble, 'nuf said). I was seriously underwhelmed. |
And let's not forget the cask strength whiskies!
There are quite a number of distilleries that have "cask strength" bottlings, with an alcohol content ranging from 55% to 65%. They can be a remarkably potent experience, from the alcoholic start, through an usually complex middle to a finish that goes on for days :-)
I opened a bottle of Aberlour Abunad'h last night (60%, sherry-cask matured) and I was reminded again whey I like this style so much. It's robust, involving deeply satisfying. Kind of like a really good SET amp. |
Rsuminsby, I've never been to Islay. The closest I got was Oban, and that was 35 years ago before I'd developed a taste for the water of life. It's on my list of places to go, especially so now that my new girlfriend has an appreciation as well. Probably within the next couple of years.
I'd be guessing that as a fighter pilot you were no stranger to a dram or two??? |
I've recently veered off the True Path to sample some small cask bourbons. Lovely drinks, they are. I'm especially taken with Booker's - they claim it's the only cask-strength bourbon being bottled. Deep, rich flavour, albeit without the peat I so love. There are lots of others - Knob Creek is good, as are Baker's, Van Winkle 12 and Woodford Reserve. The nice part is that they're usually only half or 2/3 the price of the Scotches I normally drink. Once all the money has been spent on the stereo, this can be an important consideration. |
I tried SA Triple Bock a couple of times, but wasn't that thrilled - it was just too thick and unbalanced for me. Samiclaus is about as far as I can go in that direction. I do like Celebrator Doppelbock a lot. It's not much of a cool-me-down lawnmower beer though :-) |
Timchen, for good books on single malts, look for anything by Michael Jackson (no, not THAT Michael Jackson). A good place to start might be "Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch" available on-line. |
Yesterday I hosted a group of audiophiles for a whisky tasting. We tried a number of special cask strength bottlings that have recently been released in Canada. These included:
Convalmore 24
Blair Athol 27
Brora 20
Brora 30
Port Ellen 24
Talisker 20
We started with a normal-strength Clynelish 14 that was thought very nice at first, but was handily shown off by the later drams.
The "winner" was a tossup between the Port Ellen and the Brora 20. Very different whiskies, each of which had as much to offer. The Brora was rich, full and warm, while the Port Ellen was more complex but austere. The other two top picks were the Convalmore and the Talisker. A number of them benefitted from adding a drop or two of water.
The disappointment of the batch was the Brora 30. It was over the hill and had started to fall apart, both in the nose and on the palate.
Three we didn't get to because it became just too much of a good thing was a flight of three Caol Ila bottlings - a 12, an 18 and an undated cask strength. We're saving those for a later date, possibly to comapare with a Lagavullin 12 cask strength that was also set aside.
Mixed with a generous helping of music, it was a memorable afternoon and a perfect way to kick off the Christmas party season! |
For listening to Tom Waits, a nice 8 year old Sheep Dip (a real whisky!)... |
I think those who get a taste for Islay tend to migrate to the extreme end of the flavour spectrum (eg. Lagavullin, Laphroiag, Caol Ila and Port Ellen), leaving otherwise worthy candidates like Bruichladdich and Bowmore out in the cold. |
