What Wee Dram are you enjoying now?

[unclebunk]

Talisker 10 last night. It finishes strong and long. In fact, the finish is so long that it carries on to the next day. Great stuff! Will return to it tonight for a small pour before moving on to Lagavulin 16 and a nice pint (or three) of Murphy's Stout. All I need to figure out is what tunes to play and I'll be off and running.

[Megawatt]

Talisker 10 last night. It finishes strong and long. In fact, the finish is so long that it carries on to the next day. Great stuff! Will return to it tonight for a small pour before moving on to Lagavulin 16 and a nice pint (or three) of Murphy's Stout. All I need to figure out is what tunes to play and I'll be off and running.

I've always thought it a bit unfair that smoky coastal malts are described as having such long finishes, as though this is a mark of quality. Peat flavour has a tendency to linger, so any smoky malt will have a "long finish". I guess for me the more telling attribute is what flavours other than peat are discernable in the finish, and how long do they persist?

I don't mean this as a criticism to you, but more as a general comment. I do think, though, that if you still taste the whisky the next day, that is well past the point of being part of the finish .

[unclebunk]

I've always thought it a bit unfair that smoky coastal malts are described as having such long finishes, as though this is a mark of quality. Peat flavour has a tendency to linger, so any smoky malt will have a "long finish". I guess for me the more telling attribute is what flavours other than peat are discernable in the finish, and how long do they persist?

Hmm. That's an interesting observation. It seems though that many of the so-called experts on single malts (Michael Jackson, Jim Murray, Wallace Milroy, etc.) concur that the island and coastal malts tend to have the longest finishes, but I'm not sure it is entirely due to the flavor imparted by "smokey malt" per se. For one thing, a fine single malt can have a wonderful presence of peat without being smokey through the use of water sources that pass through peat bogs which impart distinct aromas and flavors unique to the region in which the bog is located. (Clynelish and Old Pulteney come to mind but there are many others. Highland Park 12 also has an amazing finish with a completely different peat flavor than those two but is not overly smokey IMO.) My remarks regarding Talisker 10 had more to due with the intensely peppery finish that also brought waves of salt, brine, heather and toffee, not just peat smoke. That tingle on the tongue is a quality that I enjoy for some reason, and tends to come mostly from island and coastal malts in my experience, rather than Speysides which are immensely enjoyable but seem to finish quite differently.

I don't mean this as a criticism to you, but more as a general comment. I do think, though, that if you still taste the whisky the next day, that is well past the point of being part of the finish .

Yes. I was only joking about the finish being so long that it continued until the next day. Though I must admit that I drank so much of the Talisker that night that I woke up the next morning and wondered if my wife had deposited ashes from our fireplace in my mouth while I was snoring, as I could still faintly taste the smoke ten hours after my last pour.

[Megawatt]

Hmm. That's an interesting observation. It seems though that many of the so-called experts on single malts (Michael Jackson, Jim Murray, Wallace Milroy, etc.) concur that the island and coastal malts tend to have the longest finishes, but I'm not sure it is entirely due to the flavor imparted by "smokey malt" per se. For one thing, a fine single malt can have a wonderful presence of peat without being smokey through the use of water sources that pass through peat bogs which impart distinct aromas and flavors unique to the region in which the bog is located. (Clynelish and Old Pulteney come to mind but there are many others. Highland Park 12 also has an amazing finish with a completely different peat flavor than those two but is not overly smokey IMO.) My remarks regarding Talisker 10 had more to due with the intensely peppery finish that also brought waves of salt, brine, heather and toffee, not just peat smoke. That tingle on the tongue is a quality that I enjoy for some reason, and tends to come mostly from island and coastal malts in my experience, rather than Speysides which are immensely enjoyable but seem to finish quite differently.


Yes. I was only joking about the finish being so long that it continued until the next day. Though I must admit that I drank so much of the Talisker that night that I woke up the next morning and wondered if my wife had deposited ashes from our fireplace in my mouth while I was snoring, as I could still faintly taste the smoke ten hours after my last pour.

I hear what you're saying. I guess my remark was more targeted at amateur tasters who describe Lagavulin and Laphroaig as having finishes that last for hours. Perhaps, but I think they are describing more of a persistent smoky aftertaste than a good quality finish. In fact, you might say such persistent flavours detracts from the experience because they will interfere with whatever you drink next (unless it is even smokier).

Anyway, Talisker 10 is great. That malt is responsible for bringing me around to smoky flavours. I couldn't stand Lagavulin until I had been conditioned with Talisker. Talisker has a more apparent sweetness; I knew I would like it as soon as I stuck my nose in the glass.

Actually I'm having an after-lunch drink of Talisker 1996 Distillers Edition. I definitely prefer it over the 10, though few seem to agree. It has that extra layer of richness, that sweet, creamy fruit.

[unclebunk]

I hear what you're saying. I guess my remark was more targeted at amateur tasters who describe Lagavulin and Laphroaig as having finishes that last for hours. Perhaps, but I think they are describing more of a persistent smoky aftertaste than a good quality finish.

That's an extremely good point and a hard one to grapple with when you first get in to single malts, particularly the island malts. For the longest time, I couldn't get through the smoke to tease out the other flavors when I first began drinking Lagavulin, Talisker and Laphroaig. It was just smoke, smoke and more smoke. But I gradually began to pull out some sweetness, then some toffee or cocoa, honey, almonds, etc. and before long I could appreciate the many layers present in these incredibly complex whiskys.

Anyway, Talisker 10 is great. That malt is responsible for bringing me around to smoky flavours. I couldn't stand Lagavulin until I had been conditioned with Talisker. Talisker has a more apparent sweetness; I knew I would like it as soon as I stuck my nose in the glass.

I had a similar "breakthrough" experience, and now I wonder what I ever disliked about Lagavulin or Laphroaig. I guess my Scottish relatives started me out too heavy, too quickly when I hadn't even acquired the taste of whisky yet (I was strictly a beer drinker at the time). It felt like being thrown in the deep end, when perhaps something lighter would have been better for me to start off with. Enjoy your afternoon dram!

[Stu]

I hear what you're saying. I guess my remark was more targeted at amateur tasters who describe Lagavulin and Laphroaig as having finishes that last for hours. Perhaps, but I think they are describing more of a persistent smoky aftertaste than a good quality finish. In fact, you might say such persistent flavours detracts from the experience because they will interfere with whatever you drink next (unless it is even smokier).

Anyway, Talisker 10 is great. That malt is responsible for bringing me around to smoky flavours. I couldn't stand Lagavulin until I had been conditioned with Talisker. Talisker has a more apparent sweetness; I knew I would like it as soon as I stuck my nose in the glass.

Actually I'm having an after-lunch drink of Talisker 1996 Distillers Edition. I definitely prefer it over the 10, though few seem to agree. It has that extra layer of richness, that sweet, creamy fruit.

Maybe I'm an amateur, but Laphroaig 10 is my favorite go to pour and the long finish I get is a honey sweetness mixed with seaweed (think dulce lightly flavored with honey).

[loose proton]

Maybe I'm an amateur, but Laphroaig 10 is my favorite go to pour and the long finish I get is a honey sweetness mixed with seaweed (think dulce lightly flavored with honey).

I AM an amateur, especially with Scotch, but I agree with you. My first Laphroaig sip was smoke but once I got into it I get lots of flavors, and now the smoke is there, but just one component of many, even in the finish.

[Megawatt]

I AM an amateur, especially with Scotch, but I agree with you. My first Laphroaig sip was smoke but once I got into it I get lots of flavors, and now the smoke is there, but just one component of many, even in the finish.

Sure, and I didn't mean to peg any of these whiskies as one-dimensional, because of course they are not. My point was only that smoky whiskies have longer-lasting flavour by default. As you noted it is the range of flavours, not the length of the smoky aftertaste, that distinguishes one good malt from another.

I made my comment based on all the reviews I've read where people talk about "a peat smoke finish that lasts for hours" as though it's a remarkable characteristic of a high-quality whisky, when in my mind ANY peaty, smoky whisky is going to leave a taste that lasts for hours. In fact, younger whiskies probably will last even longer in this regard. To me, this fact doesn't say a darn thing about the whisky, aside from its high phenol levels .

Anyway, I think I made my point, whether people agree or not. it was just something on my mind and not a criticism to any particular whisky.

[JamesW]

It's been a very long while since I took a pour from this side of my whisk(e)y bar. I generally go in cycles but lately it's been all bourbon for me. While I have mostly Islays on the shelf, I'm starting the night with Glenlivet Nadurra 16 and really enjoying it. Perhaps after this I'll re-acquaint myself with Bowmore 17 or Ardberg Uiegedail. Good friends that I haven't see in a long time.

[JamesW]

Went with the Uiegedail after all. I didn't realize how much I missed the stuff.