What Wee Dram are you enjoying now?

[Megawatt]

Enjoying some Century Reserve 15 year old rye. This stuff is exceedingly subtle (some might say tasteless) but water brings out creamy vanilla notes.

[ggilbertva]

I primarily like HSM and today I received a little gift in the mail; 12 year Tomatin from the Whiskey Shop. Loads of fruit on the nose and very flavorful, light and refreshing. Gotta get me more of that!

[Dramiel McHinson]

How would you compare this to Aberlour's other bottlings, particularly a'bunadh (alcoholic strength aside)? I like a'bunadh but sometimes I find it lacking the balance I desire in a good Scotch.

The Aberlour 16 tasted to me like a milder first cousin to the a'bunadh. The 16 is a bit drier and there is more oak and less pronounced sherry than the a'bunadh. The bourbon oak also adds more depth. This bottling of the 16 was well balanced and had some nice depth of flavors. When first opened it was very tannic but after a long rest it seem to mellow out to a real nice dram. The 16 also was smoother than the 10 year old I had previously and also more pronounced oak. The 16 is also bottled in the same apothecary bottle as the a'bunadh. I do like the a'bunadh but the 16 turned out to be an overall richer whisky. (to my taste anyway)

[Megawatt]

The Aberlour 16 tasted to me like a milder first cousin to the a'bunadh. The 16 is a bit drier and there is more oak and less pronounced sherry than the a'bunadh. The bourbon oak also adds more depth. This bottling of the 16 was well balanced and had some nice depth of flavors. When first opened it was very tannic but after a long rest it seem to mellow out to a real nice dram. The 16 also was smoother than the 10 year old I had previously and also more pronounced oak. The 16 is also bottled in the same apothecary bottle as the a'bunadh. I do like the a'bunadh but the 16 turned out to be an overall richer whisky. (to my taste anyway)

I suspected this would be the case. Aberlour 10 is highly underrated in my opinion and a great value.

[edo]

Had Bushmills 10 recently and it came across a whole lot better than I recalled. Of course it's pot-distilled; it's a single malt whiskey, after all. Not to be confused with Pure Pot Still (Green Spot, Redbreast), which is different from single malt in that unmalted barley is used in the mash bill in addition to malt. Anyway, I agree that Jameson 12 is lacklustre after Bushmills 10.

Ah! So that's the difference. Thanks.

[unclebunk]

I suspected this would be the case. Aberlour 10 is highly underrated in my opinion and a great value.

I've always loved Aberlour 10 as well but it's getting harder to find around here. Like Balvenie 10 before it, many of my favorite 10 year olds are gradually disappearing in favor of slightly older expressions, and now one can only readily find the Aberlour and Balvenie as 12 year olds (at a heftier price) at places like Binny's which is the reason I now have a small bunker of each. Sadly, "age-ism" may someday knock some of our other favorites on the head to be replaced by older siblings that are not necessarily any better. Imagine a world without Laphroaig 10. I know it seems impossible but if the trend continues, it could happen someday.

[unclebunk]

Had Bushmills 10 recently and it came across a whole lot better than I recalled. Of course it's pot-distilled; it's a single malt whiskey, after all. Not to be confused with Pure Pot Still (Green Spot, Redbreast), which is different from single malt in that unmalted barley is used in the mash bill in addition to malt. Anyway, I agree that Jameson 12 is lacklustre after Bushmills 10.

I've never had Bushmills 10 but always enjoyed Jameson 12, so it looks like I'll have to get a bottle of the Bushmills the next time Binny's runs one of their special sales. Can't wait to try it. I'm still eyeing the Connemara Peated Single Malt (not the Cask Strength which I can't afford) too to see what that's like. So many things to try, so little money to afford them.

[Gillman]

2:1 Jameson 12 years to Green Spot. I find the Green Spot a little oaky, this bottling anyway, and the Jameson not so much, so the melding works well.

Gary

[Dramiel McHinson]

I've always loved Aberlour 10 as well but it's getting harder to find around here. Like Balvenie 10 before it, many of my favorite 10 year olds are gradually disappearing in favor of slightly older expressions, and now one can only readily find the Aberlour and Balvenie as 12 year olds (at a heftier price) at places like Binny's which is the reason I now have a small bunker of each. Sadly, "age-ism" may someday knock some of our other favorites on the head to be replaced by older siblings that are not necessarily any better. Imagine a world without Laphroaig 10. I know it seems impossible but if the trend continues, it could happen someday.

That's a BINGO!

A lot of the first great single malts I tried (Aberlour, Balvenie, Laphroaig being favorites) were 10 years old or slightly younger. Great whisky and much more affordable. The last year or so I have had to all but stop buying scotch because the prices are so high I just can't buy the grand old stuff and then tell my daughter I don't have the money to pay for her college. Talk about your kid giving you the stink eye....

[Megawatt]

I've never had Bushmills 10 but always enjoyed Jameson 12, so it looks like I'll have to get a bottle of the Bushmills the next time Binny's runs one of their special sales. Can't wait to try it. I'm still eyeing the Connemara Peated Single Malt (not the Cask Strength which I can't afford) too to see what that's like. So many things to try, so little money to afford them.

I almost spring for that Connemara but the reviews seemed too mixed for me to shell out the bucks on it.