What Wee Dram Are You Enjoying Now - Spring/Summer 2013

[Trey Manthey]

I'm drinking all the scotch in Scotland. It's cheaper to buy a regular dram here than beer or coffee, less than $5 with the conversion to dollars. Some highlights from last night were Laddie Golder Still, Glenfarclas 30, Rosebank 21, Littlemill 19...

Oddly enough the bottle prices are kinda high.

[Trey Manthey]

Ishts been cray the last few days. So many amazing drams I would never find in the States. I'm only halfway through my trip, and these taste that much better because of the places I enjoy them and those I've enjoyed them with:

Bowmore 30 year Sea Dragon

Glenfarclas 105 20 year

Highland Park "The Dragon" 1961

Highland Park John Scott's 1967

Port Charlotte PC5

Greer's O.V.H - an amazing blend from 1920's

Port Ellen 9th Release (just ok)

[chrisg]

Laphroaig CS Batch #3

[Bootlegger1929]

First pour of my first bottle of Caol Ila 12. So drinkable. So tasty. This will not last long. The dram or the bottle.

[chrisg]

Ardbeg Corryvreckan

[Max Power]

Which Ardbeg is the one to get for someone that doesn't love a HUGE smoke/peat profile? I'm trying to ease my way in.

[Yeti]

Unfortunately I don't think there's a good answer for that. The two that spring to mind are Airigh Nam Beist and Gallileo. ANB is a dusty released from 2006-2008 and is expensive and/or difficult to find. Gallileo was the 2012 annual special release, is expensive, and is not a great whisky or a great representation of Ardbeg.

[HighInTheMtns]

Which Ardbeg is the one to get for someone that doesn't love a HUGE smoke/peat profile? I'm trying to ease my way in.

Of the readily available ones, I'd recommend Uigeadail as the least peat-bomb Ardbeg. Or just go with the 10 year and forget easing in.

[sutton]

Of the readily available ones, I'd recommend Uigeadail as the least peat-bomb Ardbeg. Or just go with the 10 year and forget easing in.

Agree - but if you don't like huge peat, just stay away from Ardbeg until you try a lighter peat influenced style. Better places to spend your money. If you want to ease your way into peaty whiskey, I think a Bowmore 15 Darkest is nice with sherry to balance the peat, or try a blend with some peat like a Buchanan's 12 y.o.

Edited September 17, 2013 by sutton

[Max Power]

Thanks for the help. I'd heard good things about the Uigeadail, but wasn't sure how much of a smoke bomb it was.

[timd]

Agree - but if you don't like huge peat, just stay away from Ardbeg until you try a lighter peat influenced style. Better places to spend your money. If you want to ease your way into peaty whiskey, I think a Bowmore 15 Darkest is nice with sherry to balance the peat, or try a blend with some peat like a Buchanan's 12 y.o.

Totally agree - if you want to "ease" into Peat, you shouldn't start at Ardbeg (or Laphroaig, or Caol Ila, or Lagavulin...). These are peat monsters and made for people who like that kind of thing.

That said, when I started on Scotch, I was advised to buy a bottle of Laphroaig 10 to see what my tolerance to the extremes were. So I did, and I've never looked back. I'd guess less than 10% of all my Scotch purchases since that day have been totally unpeated. But that's me... and in retrospect, it could have gone very badly.

It's up to you - either head straight for the deep end (Laphroaig 10 or Ardbeg 10 - usually cheap enough you won't be pissed if you hate it, can both be found around $40), or pick up a lighter peated malt like Springbank 10 or 12 CS (which almost everybody loves - even peat haters) or look for some traditionally non-peated brands that occasionally offer up something with a hint of smoke (Bruichladdich, Benriach, Tomatin, etc.).

Talisker 10 is more smokey & peppery than "peated" - which is a nice middle ground. Doesn't have the medicinal qualities of your typical Islay peat bomb. Highland Park 12 is another very lightly peated pour that tends to score well with most folks.

So... if you want to dive in: Ardbeg 10 or Laphroaig 10

If you want to put in your whole foot - Sprinbank 10/12CS or Talisker 10 (Bowmore Darkest noted above - but it's not a great whisky, in general IMHO).

If you want to just dip your big toe try Highland Park 12 or Bunnahabin 12 (super light peating)

Thanks for the help. I'd heard good things about the Uigeadail, but wasn't sure how much of a smoke bomb it was.

It's of my all-time favorite standard bottlings. I love the higher ABV, the peat + the sherry. I'm a total sucker for all the peaty/sherry scotches out there (mostly they are Distiller's Editions). But Uigie is a winner for me. Can't recommend it highly enough *IF* you love peat... It's as peaty as the 10, Cory, etc. - it's just got the sherry thing happening alongside it.

[Trey Manthey]

If you want to just dip your big toe try Highland Park 12 or Bunnahabhain 12 (super light peating)

Second this...I'd avoid Ardbeg if you don't like big peat. The two go hand in hand.

[Bootlegger1929]

I wasn't sure how I felt about peat. Thought I didn't like it. But I decided I WANTED to like it so I bought Ardbeg 10. Since then I've added Laphroaig Triple Wood and Caol Ila 12. Like me some peat. The Caol Ila is decent intro to the heavier peated style that's easier to tackle than Ardbeg IMO and could be a good place to start. HP12 is also great. Lots of flavors with that hint of peat.

[ChainWhip]

Balvenie TUN 1401 Batch 3 & 6, followed by a wee small pour of KL Chieftain's Mortlach 22 - my first bit of whisky in about a week and BAM did it kick my @$$... small pours each but man are these Scotches hitting my sweet spot right now!

[Max Power]

Thanks for all of the help. I've had Laphroaig 10 (hated it), Lagavulin 16 (was OK, but not my thing), Lagavulin 12 CS (pretty tasty, but not worth the price for me) and Springbank (I like it when the mood hits). It sounds like the HP and Talisker might be the next steps.

[HighInTheMtns]

Thanks for all of the help. I've had Laphroaig 10 (hated it), Lagavulin 16 (was OK, but not my thing), Lagavulin 12 CS (pretty tasty, but not worth the price for me) and Springbank (I like it when the mood hits). It sounds like the HP and Talisker might be the next steps.

[LostBottle]

Balvenie TUN 1401 Batch 3 & 6, followed by a wee small pour of KL Chieftain's Mortlach 22 - my first bit of whisky in about a week and BAM did it kick my @$$... small pours each but man are these Scotches hitting my sweet spot right now!

Slumming it, eh? You need to throw some B+ rated Canadian Mist Peach into that mix to class it up a little.

[unclebunk]

Ardbeg is more smoke forward where Laphroaig brings in more earthiness and Lagavulin more medicinal flavors. Depending on what you liked/didn't like about the others, that could be a good or bad thing.

Hmm. I find Lagavulin to be the more earthy whisky and Laphroaig to be the most "medicinal" (for lack of a better term) single malt on the planet. Laphroaig is certainly an acquired taste for most folks but a whisky well worth revisiting until you've gotten used to it. Don't give up on it quite yet, Max. You will be well rewarded in time by its unique charms.

[Bootlegger1929]

I'm finding lately that the peaty whiskys are a lot less peaty to me. I'm getting a lot more sweetness from them than I first did. I think I'm getting use to it but it's pretty surprising. Anyone else experience this?

[portwood]

I'm finding lately that the peaty whiskys are a lot less peaty to me. I'm getting a lot more sweetness from them than I first did. I think I'm getting use to it but it's pretty surprising. Anyone else experience this?

Similar experience for me.

Peat/smoke can be overwhelming at first but (if you enjoy the taste) the more you drink of it the less prominent the peat/smoke become and the more of the underlying flavours you pick up.

[Max Power]

I'm more likely to keep trying the peaty/smoky malts than I am the smoky mezcals. Those just seem to give me a headache immediately. I will agree with Laphroaig being the most medicinal to me. I can see myself ever enjoying that. Lagavulin was much better to me.

Back to the topic of the thread. I went anti-peat last night and sipped some Glendronach 12. Simple with tons of sherry, but so delicious.

[LCWoody]

Having some Jamison Gold Reserve tonight. This is my first time to try Irish whiskey. It's good. I'm not a fan of the peaty moss taste of some of the Scottish whiskeys.

[Max Power]

Glenfiddich 15. A very nice value for it and a really nice example of a tasty speyside.

[LostBottle]

Peat or sweet? I'll take both, thank you. Lagavulin Distiller's Edition finished in PX sherry casks.

[portwood]

Glenfiddich 15. A very nice value for it and a really nice example of a tasty speyside.

Probably the best of the regular 'fiddich range.

If you get the chance, try the 15 distillers edition (51% abv) - even better than the regular 15 "solera"