Well, I guess this means Islay malts are out...

[sku]

http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1063450

Since their three stores are all in California, I'd say you can get it here. A bit pricier than other 15 year olds however.

Yes the Revival is now here, though it's only been here for about 6 months. I've seen it in NY as well.

[unclebunk]

Just a comment about ageing in the bottle after opening.

I'm comfortable saying now that both Highland Park 12 and Laphroig Cask Strength will both improve significantly in the months after opening. So, be patient and try the peat again (a few times). These were 2 of the first 3 Scotches I bought as a Scotch newby.

I liked HP 12 right away, and then it just got richer and better balanced over a month or two. A 2nd bottle some time later has confirmed it.

Laphroig CS - now that's a different story. It completely set me back on my heels. Phew! Wet camp fire ashes brewed in a Band-Aid box! What a mistake. That Islay peat thing just wasn't for me. It sat there in very back of the cabinet, mocking me. In time, I licked my wounds and went back for re-matches. I learned that adding different amounts of water brought out completely new flavors (over-ripe banana? passion fruit? huh?) The original peat and iodine character were still there, but now as layers with other flavors. It relaxed, mellowed, and sweetened over the next year or more. Yeah, it was still too serious to be gulping down all the time, so it lasts. By the end of the bottle it was a lovely old friend.

Laphroig 18 was beautiful right from the start. Rich, dark, sweet, brooding, more subdued peat. It's the age, I guess. It has NOT changed.

Laphroig 10 - Can't say. Have not tried it. A bit of open time might just mellow it too, though.

So - the bottle changed, but fair to say - so have I. Now I love peat. I'm corrupted.

Coal Ila's my fave. A cleaner, smokier peat taste, somehow. Gone now, so sad.

Ardbeg 10 is currently on the shelf, and it's nice too, in that young, rascally, peaty sort of way.

But...I'm no peat snob. More of a tourist.

Clynellish, Cragganmore, Oban, MacAllan, Aberlour, Glenfiddich, Singleton of Glendullan, Bunnahabhain, Black Bottle, Dalmore, Scapa, Balvenie, Talasker. It's all good.

Cheers,

Mark

Nice post, Mark. I agree--they're all good and there's always room on the shelf for more. Variety is the spice of life, so being open-minded when sampling new scotch for the first time is the key to enjoyment! (And I can't get enough of Caol Ila too!)

[RegChumpington]

I have to add myself to the list of Caol Ila lovers. I was fine with peat by the time of my first encounter with Caol Ila and it struck me as just rubbery and smokey.

However, it was the bottle I had open as we were settling into our new place so it's now got some great memories associated with it, many of them sitting on the patio watching the sun set. Between that and the mellowing of it as the bottle was open, it really grew on me and is now one of my favorites.

I personally love the changes a bottle of Laphroaig 10 goes through during its life. There was a period where mine tasted like bacon in a bottle... but by the end everything had settled and balanced and it was just this gently peaty, creamy good drink.

Geez, it's not even 8 AM and I'm thinking of cracking an Islay. Vive le funemployment!

[cowdery]

What Islay malts are not peated?

[Josh]

What Islay malts are not peated?

[sku]

What Islay malts are not peated?

[unclebunk]

Hmm. I never knew Bunnhabhain was non-peated. I just thought it was very lightly peated, which seems to come through in the flavor and aroma of the standard 12 year old expression. I googled "Bunnahabhain 12 unpeated" and many whisky sites make this claim but I've yet to find any authoritative site (like the distillery itself) say anything about the product being unpeated. Here's what I found on their web site:

"We could try and make out that our whisky is made from superior ingredients than that of other Islay malts but, if you know your malt whisky, you will know that all good whisky starts off the same. What we can tell you is that Bunnahabhain’s gentle taste is so unique because we have never heavily peated our fine malted barley, our natural spring water source has run clear for over one hundred years and our sea facing warehouses provide the perfect environment for maturing our spirit."

That would seem to indicate that their whisky is, in fact, peated, just mildly so.

[sku]

Hmm. I never knew Bunnhabhain was non-peated. I just thought it was very lightly peated, which seems to come through in the flavor and aroma of the standard 12 year old expression. I googled "Bunnahabhain 12 unpeated" and many whisky sites make this claim but I've yet to find any authoritative site (like the distillery itself) say anything about the product being unpeated. Here's what I found on their web site:

"We could try and make out that our whisky is made from superior ingredients than that of other Islay malts but, if you know your malt whisky, you will know that all good whisky starts off the same. What we can tell you is that Bunnahabhain’s gentle taste is so unique because we have never heavily peated our fine malted barley, our natural spring water source has run clear for over one hundred years and our sea facing warehouses provide the perfect environment for maturing our spirit."

That would seem to indicate that their whisky is, in fact, peated, just mildly so.

[unclebunk]

Well, almost all Scotch has some level of peat in it (there's peat in much of the water in Scotland), so techincally, I think you're right. But when Scotch fans talk about unpeated malts, they are generally talking about malts with a very low ppm and no discernible peaty flavor as opposed to having 0% peat (Glengoyne is the only Scotch distillery I know of that claims to be totally peat free).

Highly peated Scotch can have anywhere from 30 to over 100 ppm of peat phenols in the original distillate. When you get down to below 10 ppm, you're talking about very little discernible peat flavor.

[ebo]

Bunnahabhain is traditionally unpeated, although I think they recently released a peated version.

Bunnahabhain has always been peated. It is, however, the lightest peated Islay.

[ebo]

As Josh mentioned, Bunnahabhain is unpeated (though they now do a peated malt as well). Bruichladdich is also traditionally unpeated, though they now make several peated malts too. Those are the big two, but both Caol Ila and Ardbeg are making unpeated (or low peat level) malts now as well.

The regional styles of Scotland have always been somewhat artificial (the regions were originally drawn as tax districts and had nothing to do with the character of the whiskey being produced), but they have become especially blurred of late as more distilleries experiment with different flavors, so you have low peated Ardbeg Blasda and peated Speysiders like BenRiach Curiositas.

I respect your opinions on whisk(e)y, because I know you know are very educated on the subject... but ,not ALL scotch whisky is peated. The water has nothing to do with weather or not a scotch whisky is peated or not. The termination of germination by drying the grain over a PEAT fuled fire determines the amount of peat present in a scotch whisky.

[smokinjoe]

I have loved Lagavulin from the first time I smelled it. It just took me about 7 years to finally taste it, after (kinda) nosing it...My wife and I took a trip to London in 1993, and took in all of the usual sights/attractions. One of these was "Tower Hill Pageant". Don't know if it's still there, but it was a dark ride museum which displays various events and eras of the 2,000 year history of the City of London. It's sort of a "life size model" thing, where the scenes pass before you, and are complete with "smells" from each era. Both Amy and I were intrigued by a peculiar smell that seemed to permeate many of the scenes. Particularly, those that showed a fire. We left wondering what kind of "wood" smelled so pleasant.

Fast forward 7 years.

I was invited to a very well done Johnnie Walker Black tasting event at a cool venue in Atlanta. The deal was that they would pour several of the single malts that make up JW Black, to show what goes into the blend. They would then finish with a pour of JWB. The SM's were Talisker, Cardhu, Oban, (some other one I can't remember now), and...Lagavulin. I think the Lagavulin was the last of the SM's poured. When they got to the Lagavulin, and I sniffed it, the memory of London immediately came rushing back. It was the same smell from the Tower Hill Pageant! I wondered, What the heck is it??!! Of course, they explained it was the burning of the peat used to malt the barley, yada yada yada. AHA!!!, I exclaimed. So, that's it!!!! I bored my buddy with the story (probably, like I'm boring you now ) But, it was a true Eureka! moment. I enjoyed that pour immensely. When I got home, I woke Amy up to bore her with my findings. (I forget the exact words she used, but I remember that she wasn't as thrilled as I, at that time, and I think I was forced to sleep down the hall...:crazy:) Anywho, the next day, I rushed to my local store to get the first of the many Lag 16's that I have purchased since. I have loved every drop, of each and every bottle.

[sku]

I respect your opinions on whisk(e)y, because I know you know are very educated on the subject... but ,not ALL scotch whisky is peated. The water has nothing to do with weather or not a scotch whisky is peated or not. The termination of germination by drying the grain over a PEAT fuled fire determines the amount of peat present in a scotch whisky.

You are absolutely right that the drying of the grain with peat is where the peat flavor comes from. My point, clearly not well made, was that even Scotch that doesn't use peat in the drying may have trace peat levels based on the water. There is some debate as to whether that adds any flavor at all (most would say it does not), but I just wanted to be clear that most Scotch, even most that people consider "unpeated" has some level of peat. Moreover, some distilleries use peat for drying, but only a small amount, thus not imparting the massive peat that you get in a heavily peated Scotch.

http://www.whiskymag.com/magazine/issue70/12008475.html

This all goes to say that there is a wide range of peating on and off Islay. I can taste the peat in some versions of "unpeated" Caol Ila and in Ardbeg Blasda, but I've had Bruichladdichs where I can't taste any at all.

[Happyhour24x7]

Well, almost all Scotch has some level of peat in it (there's peat in much of the water in Scotland), so techincally, I think you're right. But when Scotch fans talk about unpeated malts, they are generally talking about malts with a very low ppm and no discernible peaty flavor as opposed to having 0% peat (Glengoyne is the only Scotch distillery I know of that claims to be totally peat free).

Highly peated Scotch can have anywhere from 30 to over 100 ppm of peat phenols in the original distillate. When you get down to below 10 ppm, you're talking about very little discernible peat flavor.

A tasting I attended a few months back put the Bunnahabhain at 5 ppm. Easily my favorite whisky at the tasting, it was a 40 yo bottling. Not that I expect to find (or afford) that again, but unfortunately liquor stores here don't carry Bunnahabhain of any kind. Now that you guys have reminded me, guess I'll have to do some online shopping.

[craigthom]

You are absolutely right that the drying of the grain with peat is where the peat flavor comes from. My point, clearly not well made, was that even Scotch that doesn't use peat in the drying may have trace peat levels based on the water. There is some debate as to whether that adds any flavor at all (most would say it does not), but I just wanted to be clear that most Scotch, even most that people consider "unpeated" has some level of peat. Moreover, some distilleries use peat for drying, but only a small amount, thus not imparting the massive peat that you get in a heavily peated Scotch.

http://www.whiskymag.com/magazine/issue70/12008475.html

This all goes to say that there is a wide range of peating on and off Islay. I can taste the peat in some versions of "unpeated" Caol Ila and in Ardbeg Blasda, but I've had Bruichladdichs where I can't taste any at all.

On the Talisker tour they make a point of showing that the water they use is brown with peat.

[unclebunk]

All this discussion about Bunnahabhain 12 got me wondering how the "new" version, which upped the ABV to 46% and is non-chill filtered, tastes in comparison to the "older" green-bottled version (the new stuff comes in a brown bottle). Pity about the price jump, at least around here, but I'll be grabbing the brown-bottled stuff soon.

[unclebunk]

On the Talisker tour they make a point of showing that the water they use is brown with peat.

[RegChumpington]

All this discussion about Bunnahabhain 12 got me wondering how the "new" version, which upped the ABV to 46% and is non-chill filtered, tastes in comparison to the "older" green-bottled version (the new stuff comes in a brown bottle). Pity about the price jump, at least around here, but I'll be grabbing the brown-bottled stuff soon.

[Bambusiero]

I went 30+ years of adult life "knowing" I didn't like whisk(e)y, based on infrequent but repeated tastings of cheap American Bourbon. On a whim, I tried Scotch, and it was a whole new ballgame. I found a new love! Went for a while staying strictly in Scotch territory, and got used to the range.

With a new and expanded spirits taster, went back to (good this time) Bourbon. To me Bourbon, overall, is still not as nice as Scotch, overall. A couple I like, some I don't. However....

Bourbon re-set my Scotch taste buds and I started tasting peat (buried deep) in Scotches where I did not previously identify it. Fascinating!

Mark

[LeoDLion]

I have been imbibing on the heavy sherried whiskies for quite a while. These are like Abunadh, Glenfarclas, some Macallan and BenRiach. Lately I took a shot of Ardbeg which I have not had for quite a while. Man, was it sooo peaty I almost couldn't take it. And this is from a guy whose most favorite whisky is Ardbeg, Laphroaig and Lagavulin- heavily peated whiskies.

The point I am making is that even though I have an acquired taste for such peated single malts, one can still "lose" that taste. I have to get my tongue and taste buds accustom to it again.

[Stu]

Many years ago I thought Scotch tasted like someone had taken a bottle of Canadian Club, washed their socks in it, and sold it at a premium price. then one day a friend offered me Laphroaig and Lagavulin on the same day, I've been hooked ever since. My wife is a long time Scotch drinker but hated the Islay malts. When we were in Scotland and toured Laphroaig, it was a muggy day and they were peating the malt. We got out of the car into a heavy black smog and she said she didn't know if she'd be able to tour without getting sick. To make a long story short, by the time we left the malting room she was licking the walls saying "where's that creosote smell I hate so much"? Personally I love the heavy, woody, peaty, taste of seaweed and iodine but I admit it takees some getting used to for a lot of people, and some never get used to it. I used to think my wife would never get used to it, but now her favorite whisky is Ardbeg.

[LeoDLion]

Many years ago I thought Scotch tasted like someone had taken a bottle of Canadian Club, washed their socks in it, and sold it at a premium price. then one day a friend offered me Laphroaig and Lagavulin on the same day, I've been hooked ever since. My wife is a long time Scotch drinker but hated the Islay malts. When we were in Scotland and toured Laphroaig, it was a muggy day and they were peating the malt. We got out of the car into a heavy black smog and she said she didn't know if she'd be able to tour without getting sick. To make a long story short, by the time we left the malting room she was licking the walls saying "where's that creosote smell I hate so much"? Personally I love the heavy, woody, peaty, taste of seaweed and iodine but I admit it takees some getting used to for a lot of people, and some never get used to it. I used to think my wife would never get used to it, but now her favorite whisky is Ardbeg.

Atta girl, your wife. Mine will take a shot once in a while but with plenty of ice. Ugh.

[LeoDLion]

Nice story, Edo. I had Laph cs and although its high alcohol content is strong at first, it gets better after a shot (as you experienced). Another cask strength single malt is Arran made from the Island of Arran.

[bigtoys]

didn't read through all the replies, but Isle of Jura's Prophecy has a nice, but not too strong, peaty character. For a lighter Islay, try Bowmore. Personally, I don't like Ardbeg or Laphroig, but I really like Lagavulin and Bowmore. I find Talisker a little more smoky than peaty.