portwood Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 (edited) IB or OB does not matter to me and I'm aware its my decision, what I wanted was others opinions on if the glenfarclas is that much better in their eyes, enough to justify the price difference. The IB glenlivet 1981 is around $100 cheaper and while I may not be a fan of their younger offerings, people here may know if the 30+ is worth it.I have never tried the old Glenlivet but did the try a sample of the 30yo OB Glenfarclas last week. Delicious stuff!!! (Disclosure: GF is one of the top 5 single malts for me, GL is good but I wouldn't rank in the top 10)If I was in the market for a $300++ whisky I would pay an extra $100 for a vintage OB Glenfarclas - no question! Given the quality and reputation of GF I might even buy the bottle without tasting. Edited January 7, 2014 by portwood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeti Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 A word of warning about Glenfarclas Family Casks, they're pretty much all amazing, but they're not all "Glenfarclas". I've had three of the 1982 casks (my birth year) and while all were exceptionally good, one was completely different than the GF profile. Grassy, hint-o-smoke, highland-style bourbon cask type stuff. Not the sherried luxuriousness you expect from GF. Still very, very good though.portwood is spot on about the 30 year OB bottle. It (along with the 40 year OB) are the best values in the "ultra aged" sector, and it's not even close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnDew Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 A word of warning about Glenfarclas Family Casks, they're pretty much all amazing, but they're not all "Glenfarclas". I've had three of the 1982 casks (my birth year) and while all were exceptionally good, one was completely different than the GF profile. Grassy, hint-o-smoke, highland-style bourbon cask type stuff. Not the sherried luxuriousness you expect from GF. Still very, very good though.portwood is spot on about the 30 year OB bottle. It (along with the 40 year OB) are the best values in the "ultra aged" sector, and it's not even close.Hmmmm, thanks for the info guys, that Glenfarclas is sounding like a good prospect.I found something fairly cheap from a site I have not ordered from before, it's a 1981 32 year old Berrys Glen Spey for ~$160 shipped, less if I order more bottles. Because it's Berry's its 46% ABV and not CS, so thats a bummer, but the price seems good and reviews of Glen Spey in general are good, though I can't find anything on this particular bottle. Anyone here know anything about them? I may be looking at this the wrong way, currently I think I'm focusing on getting the year and not getting quality. If I step up for that Glenfarclas I would likely get both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portwood Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I may be looking at this the wrong way, currently I think I'm focusing on getting the year and not getting quality. If I step up for that Glenfarclas I would likely get both.Your money of course .... but, if it were me, being in the market specifically for the vintage implies a special date to celebrate. That being the case, ask yourself this ... is it worth celebrating a date with a drink that may not suit the importance of the occasion?Special day calls for special whisky - the contents of the bottle not the label on the outside.(if the budget is tight, save up for a few months by foregoing a couple of bottles of regular stuff then pull the trigger. Just don't wait too long because old whisky isn't getting any cheaper or easier to find) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeti Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Just don't wait too long because old whisky isn't getting any cheaper or easier to find)I have a nice little stash of 1982 vintage Scotch and this is the exact reason why. I decided when I turned 30 that I wanted to have some of these and they were never going to be more affordable than they were "today" so I grabbed a cross section of different distilleries that I was willing to foot the bill on. I'd love to find a Macallan 18 1982, but other than a Talisker 1982 20 year old (that I'm never going to spend the money on, even if I did find it) I think I've pretty much got everything I'd like to have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyOldKyDram Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Life's a lil more expensive for us 41 year olds, hence I have no 1972 bottles in my collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChainWhip Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Life's a lil more expensive for us 41 year olds, hence I have no 1972 bottles in my collection. But boy is 1972 a great vintage... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeti Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 But boy is 1972 a great vintage... I think I had some bunnahabhain from 72. It was old as hell I know that (no offense guys) but absolutely delicious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnDew Posted January 16, 2014 Author Share Posted January 16, 2014 I ended up buying the 1981 Glen Spey by Berrys. I fell to the trap of wanting a lot of fun new bottles so I spent less on the '81 and used the remaining funds for more bottles in my order. I'm not sure when we are going to crack it but at least I have one birth year bottle now. I will be keeping my eye on our funds and that Glenfarclas 81, it would be a lot of fun to grab one of those as well.Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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