Had a bottle of 25yr Talisker recently. Unbelievable!!! Very tough to find as only 3000 bottles released. A friend tasted it at Talisker before release. Felt lucky to find a bottle. I'm usually an Islay guy, the older the better. But this Talisker is definitely worth seeking out. |
Even though I'm an Islay guy, in my book the "best" single malt for the money has got to be the 18yr Macallan. It strikes the ideal balance between quality and price. IMO it beats the 25yr Macallan and at a considerable cost advantage. There are some mighty single malts out there but with mighty price tags attached. I always feel confident recommending the 18yr Macallan. Again IMO the Islays are best very old (30 - 40 yr), even the Ardbeg. Unfortunately, banks don't give loans for whiskey. |
BTW: If you run across some Longrow your efforts will be justly rewarded! |
Sheep Dip varies with age. One year is OK but the two year old is exceptional. Good for removing rust and dried on gum also. Makes the lawn mower purr like a kitten. Cures what ails you! Plus, it won't put you in the poor house. |
I had a dram of 25YO Longrow at a friends the other night, really impressive stuff.
I've also enjoyed 30 and 40 YO Laphroig both great but the 30 might hold a slight edge. |
The Glendronach 15YO Revival is a very nice dram at about $75-80.
I don't understand the astronomical price rise of Macallan.
Yes, the 18YO is a lovely dram but $160-180? There are plenty of respectable 18YOs in the $100 range.
Try a 18YO Talisker! |
Russellrcncom,
You won't find anything near the phenol levels in Octomore by Bruichladdich. This is the whopper you speak of. If that's too much you might try Port Charlotte also by the Laddie. Ten year old PC being released this year.
Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg all fit the bill although some more than others. Try Ardbeg Alligator if you can, they charred the hell out of the casks for this one.
Also, although very young, a dram of Kilchoman might be to your liking. This distillery was founded in 2005 on Islay.
Ledaig from the Isle of Mull is Tobermorys smokey offering.
As much as I hate to say it, take a charred stick, put it in a bottle of cheap single malt, let it age a month or two and voila a smokey Scotch whisky. This may sound crazy but a friend did this and it was surprising. If you can get a Scottish stick, all the better. But warning, don't do it to a fine old rare bottle for fear of ruining it and threatening the wrath of the whisky gods upon you. |
Oh yeah, forgot. Sounds like the Macallan might be going towards no age statement whisky. Their latest entry level release @ 40% ABV NAS. Exactly how old is anyones guess, 5, 6, 8? Don't really know. This while many other distilleries are upping their ABV from 43% to 46%. Any less than 40% ABV and you can't legally call it whisky in Scotland.
Also, their "fine oak" releases are disappointing when compared to their sherry cask offerings. All their whisky was once sherry cask aged and they built their reputation on it.
I think we're seeing the results of such high worldwide demand for single malt Scotch whisky that some distilleries just don't care what they're putting in their bottles. Hopefully they won't all go this route.
Sorry for the rant! |
Just had some 21 and 35 distillery bottled Springbanks a couple of weeks ago at a friends. Really liked the 21 a lot, cracked open for the occasion.
Another friend is sitting on a distillery bottle of 45 Springbank. What do I have to do to get him to open that one? |
BTW: Begging hasn't worked! 8^) |
Had 30 and 40 year old Laphroaig, prefer the 30.
Had 21 and 35 year old Springbank, prefer the 21.
Had 18 and 25 year old Macallan, prefer the 18.
Just goes to show......Older is not always better.
Caveat(although it frequently is) |
Two things, good whisky in a good cask will usually age well for a long time while mediocre whisky in a mediocre cask will have mediocre to terrible results.
Either way, at some point in time the whisky will leach out too many tannins and other nasties from the oak and can ruin even an excellent whisky. Still 40-50-60 year old and older whiskys exist that remain more than drinkable but I believe these are exceptions rather than the rule. Most would be over the hill at some point before those kind of ages.
One of the skills of the distillery is to decide when the whisky is "ready".
Somewhere I read an article whose argument contended that cask management contributes 70% to the final quality of a whisky. I don't know enough on the subject to argue or agree but it is obviously critical to the end product. |
Got my bottle of *PC10! It's been a tough search, only 6000 bottles worldwide. I've heard there's some on a boat making its way to our shores though. Nice'n'peaty, 40ppm phenols.
Has anyone here tasted Octomore around 160ppm also from the Laddie?
*Port Charlotte 10 YO cask strength from Bruichladdich. |
