What Wee Dram are you enjoying now?

[JamesW]

Just finished a dram of Caol Ila 12yo. Next up, Ardbeg 10.

A man after my own heart. or maybe my bar

[rmallen]

Nothing like some good Islay whisky to help you unwind after a busy week.

[JamesW]

Started with a 1/2-1/2 Black Bottle and Laphroaig QC vatting. This method of mixing other Islays with Black Bottle works great! Now I'm enjoying a 1/2 - 1/2 of Uigedail with Black Bottle. Again, lots of flavor from the expensive pour with Black Bottle almost like an empty canvas. This trick really helps you stretch these expensive pours out.

[JamesW]

Started with Bunnahabhain 12. This was my first tasting. Very sweet and not characteristic of an Islay. My first impression was disappointment. It has grown on me slightly. It reminds me of Redbreast 12 for some reason. It's a fine whiskey if you're not expecting the peat and iodine of an Islay.

Next I had to have some Lap QC to get my peat fix.

[unclebunk]

Started with Bunnahabhain 12. This was my first tasting. Very sweet and not characteristic of an Islay. My first impression was disappointment. It has grown on me slightly. It reminds me of Redbreast 12 for some reason. It's a fine whiskey if you're not expecting the peat and iodine of an Islay.

Next I had to have some Lap QC to get my peat fix.

Give the Bunnhabhain some time, James. It's a quality whisky, for sure, but is quite unlike all the other Islays. I really enjoy it as a change of pace. And my wife and I really love the bottle shape and label. I use my empties as decanters because everyone likes the cool look.

[JamesW]

Give the Bunnhabhain some time, James. It's a quality whisky, for sure, but is quite unlike all the other Islays. I really enjoy it as a change of pace. And my wife and I really love the bottle shape and label. I use my empties as decanters because everyone likes the cool look.

Yes, I didn't mean to say it was a bad dram, I was just shocked by the lack of Islay character that I was expecting.

btw - I just had some of Ballantine's Finest (per your recommendation) and I am blown away at how decent it is. By my calculations, it cost me a mere $8.30 for a 750ml. That's a much better value than any bourbon I've had. I was very surprised.

Now I'm enjoying some Black Bottle, another great value but slightly more expensive ($15 for a 750ml.)

Cheers!!!

[OscarV]

I'm sipping on some Laphroaig 18yo.
Lots of flavors.
Imagine what wood from last night's campfire after being doused by water would taste like.
Yeah, it's a hideous thought but it taste so good.

[JamesW]

Started with Ballantine's Finest and now really starting to warm up to Bunnahabhain 12. Finished the night with some Black Bottle.

Cheers!

[unclebunk]

btw - I just had some of Ballantine's Finest (per your recommendation) and I am blown away at how decent it is. By my calculations, it cost me a mere $8.30 for a 750ml. That's a much better value than any bourbon I've had. I was very surprised.

Now I'm enjoying some Black Bottle, another great value but slightly more expensive ($15 for a 750ml.)

Glad to hear you're digging the Ballantine's Finest. It really is a great quality blend. Too bad so many folks pass it by because of the price tag which they interpret to be "cheap," as in low quality. We tend to forget that blends make up the vast majority of the whisky market, and that it wasn't all that long ago that single malts were virtually non-existent. Scotch whisky earned its worldwide reputation as the fine spirit that it is because of the work of master blenders who consistently produced interesting, and at times highly complex, products that appeal to a wide variety of tastes. I confess that I ignorantly snubbed blends for many years, believing that spending money on anything but a bottle of single malt was a waste of hard earned dollars. But it took a lengthy lecture and a few flights of blended scotch whisky with my elderly Scottish relatives to prove how wrong I was. And now my eyes have been opened to many fine products that I used to ignore.

I'd go with the Famous Grouse next and give that one a shot. And I suspect you'll really like Teacher's Highland Cream and White Horse too when you get around to them. Those are about the only four blends I regularly buy, though I would stock Bell's as well if it were available here. I know that Jim Murray is high on Grant's but I find it a bit too subtle to get excited about. I know you like the Black Bottle, but have you tried Islay Mist 8 Year Old yet? That's another good Islay-style blend.

[JamesW]

Glad to hear you're digging the Ballantine's Finest. It really is a great quality blend. Too bad so many folks pass it by because of the price tag which they interpret to be "cheap," as in low quality. We tend to forget that blends make up the vast majority of the whisky market, and that it wasn't all that long ago that single malts were virtually non-existent. Scotch whisky earned its worldwide reputation as the fine spirit that it is because of the work of master blenders who consistently produced interesting, and at times highly complex, products that appeal to a wide variety of tastes. I confess that I ignorantly snubbed blends for many years, believing that spending money on anything but a bottle of single malt was a waste of hard earned dollars. But it took a lengthy lecture and a few flights of blended scotch whisky with my elderly Scottish relatives to prove how wrong I was. And now my eyes have been opened to many fine products that I used to ignore.

I'd go with the Famous Grouse next and give that one a shot. And I suspect you'll really like Teacher's Highland Cream and White Horse too when you get around to them. Those are about the only four blends I regularly buy, though I would stock Bell's as well if it were available here. I know that Jim Murray is high on Grant's but I find it a bit too subtle to get excited about. I know you like the Black Bottle, but have you tried Islay Mist 8 Year Old yet? That's another good Islay-style blend.

I agree with respect to having my eyes opened to the blends. I think I was really missing out on some very good quality that won't break the bank. I will give those others a try as well. I can't find Islay mist at the moment but will keep looking. Have you tried and like Bowmore Legend? That's another cheap pour I've shunned and probably should give a try if you recommend it.

Thanks for all the advice.

James