What Wee Dram are you enjoying now?

A side by side of the tax stamped Laphroaig 10yr unblended 90 proof(as the bottle reads) vs. a 1991 cask strength Laphroaig 16yr 110.2 (Binny's bottle)

I added a splash of water to the cask strength to get it closer to 90 though I'm thinking that was a mistake!

The old school 10 is unbelievable with a more rounded balance of smoke, brine and fruit. The 16 is also very good, please don't misunderstand my thoughts. It has more smoke and less of the fruit I am enjoying in the 10. The finish on the 10 is a bit longer than the 16 and also has a toasted toffee taste which I have yet to find anywhere else!
Both very good drams but the win goes to the 10yr.

Cheers!
Tony

Just when I was starting to get worried about you, you come up with this bomb sh*t, Tony, Toni, Tone, you da Man !

Light and easy sippin; Paddy Old Irish. Good stuff..... :grin:

A friend recently gave me a bottle of Tyrconnell Single Malt Irish Whiskey which I cracked open last night. For all the accolades that the Cooley Distillery receives for their small range of products, I have trouble enjoying them for some reason and I can't quite put my finger on why. I was first introduced to their blended whiskey Kilbeggan earlier this year and flat out hated it. As a long-time lover of Irish whiskey, I found the flavor highly unusual and quite different from any other Irish whiskey I've ever had. In fact, in a blind tasting of (standard) Jameson, Tullamore Dew, Powers Gold and Bushmills, it was Kilbeggan that stood out amongst that line-up with a peculiar flavor that several of us really disliked. So I didn't know what to expect with the Tyrconnell but the moment I tasted it I had the same sinking feeling that the Kilbeggan gave me. Yet I still can't place what it is that's turning me off. After a second pour, I switched over to another pure pot still whiskey, Redbreast, and was in heaven again. Strange!

I tried Tyrconnell some years ago. I don't remember any specifics, but I never bought another bottle.

I'm sipping a dram of Dalmore 12. I can't say I'm impressed. I'm finding it to be rather ho hum. Hopefully, It will taste better to me on another evening.

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Originally Posted by ebo

I'm sipping a dram of Dalmore 12. I can't say I'm impressed. I'm finding it to be rather ho hum. Hopefully, It will taste better to me on another evening.

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That was my initial experience as well but it definitely grew on me. Incidentally, several of my friends tried it and felt it was the most "bourbon-like" SMS they had ever tasted.

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Originally Posted by unclebunk

That was my initial experience as well but it definitely grew on me. Incidentally, several of my friends tried it and felt it was the most "bourbon-like" SMS they had ever tasted.

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It is "bourbon-like", but the finish is...... short and rather dry and uninspiring. I was hoping for a wow factor since I have read so many good things about Dalmore.

I'll give it a few more tries before deciding not to get another bottle, but I've definitely had sherry cask scotches that I think are far better than this.

I've always been intrigued by Dalmore. I've found that, as a rule of thumb, anything with antlers on the bottle is extraordinary (Stagg, Cazadores, ...). Wow, only two that I can think of. Maybe it isn't a rule of thumb. Both of those are good though, so I'll stick with it.

Tyrconnell: tried it for the first time and found it pleasant and malty with nice citrus notes.

Dalmore: I picked up a 1997 Berry Bros. version. Not what I expected, toasty and subtle. It took some work to tease out any complexity.