ChainWhip Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 Wow, never thought about comparing the Westland to Springbank but I guess there are some similar hints there. As for me, it was not a purchase but my coworkers gave me a bottle of Bowmore 12 to mark my last day in my current role. I'm staying with the company and team, but moving offsite to support a local operation so I won't be seeing them as often. I thought it was a pretty cool gesture, considering most of them did not even know the difference between bourbon and scotch before I started educating them Congrats B! Good fortune to ya in your new role. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 A Faultline Longmorn 21 yr that a good buddy picked up for me on the left coast. I enjoyed it at the GBS Scotch Dive last month, so I'm really looking forward to getting in to this more deeply, soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Did something I haven't done in a while. Bought a bottle largely on color alone. It was a Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection bottling of a now closed Speyside distillery called Imperial that was port finished. Same bottle style as the very nice Coal Ila Madeira wood finish bottle that showed up at the recent GBS scotch tasting and was finished off at the last Wednesday tasting. The similar label caught my eye as did the very nice color of the whisky. Will have to add a picture later as I forgot to take one. Not sure when I will try it but I hope it is as good as that Caol Ila was! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronWF Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 Decent little spread came home with me this week. Picked up the last two of these Glenlivets in Binny's inventory. I have one open and it's quite the funky sherry bomb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Those damned whims got me again. Picked up a 22yo Glencadam from The Exclusive Malts series that was bottled at cask strength of 50.4%.Was not familiar with the distillery so I decided to take a gamble based on some decent reviews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnDew Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Those damned whims got me again. Picked up a 22yo Glencadam from The Exclusive Malts series that was bottled at cask strength of 50.4%.Was not familiar with the distillery so I decided to take a gamble based on some decent reviews.I'd be curious to hear what you think. I've been eyeballing abbeywhiskys 22 yo Glencadam since it came out a couple of months ago. I have not jumped on it yet since I don't really know anything about the distillery but I'm starting to be more and more tempted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRich Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Impulse buy on a Glenfarclas 17 today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amg Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Impulse buy on a Glenfarclas 17 today.That's a good impulse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drunk Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Fell in love with Glendronach 15 recently, so I've been exploring other sherried malts. Grabbed a Edradour Caledonia last weekend based on a recent suggestion. Probably grab a Glenfarclas 105 and Glendronach 12 next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SqueakScolari Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Picked up a Redbreast 15 yr for $71 + tax. Damn good price I thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special Reserve Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Found a Laphroaig CS batch 001. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Picked up a Redbreast 15 yr for $71 + tax. Damn good price I thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronWF Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Fell in love with Glendronach 15 recently, so I've been exploring other sherried malts. Grabbed a Edradour Caledonia last weekend based on a recent suggestion. Probably grab a Glenfarclas 105 and Glendronach 12 next.I popped my Glenfarclas 105 last week and I love it. So much more character than Glendronach 15 IMO. Give yourself a real treat and pick up a Kavalan CS sherry cask! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r.mx Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 I picked this up off the shelf at a small spot downtown Boston a couple days ago. I could not believe my eyes when I saw it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holdtheice Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 I picked this up off the shelf at a small spot downtown Boston a couple days ago. I could not believe my eyes when I saw it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 I picked this up off the shelf at a small spot downtown Boston a couple days ago. I could not believe my eyes when I saw it... Congrats on the find! I've passed on two separate Port Ellen IBs (both 27 years old) due to the low strength (46% abv) compared to high price. I'm actually torn on this issue right now: For reasons I will probably announce later, I want to obtain an older bottle of Islay whisky. K&L is taking pre-orders on their store select 1983 Caol Ila, which is at cask strength and comes at the recommendation of K&L (a great indicator of quality). 1983 also happens to be my birth year, so that is pretty neat. On the other hand, I could spend $100 more and buy an IB of Port Ellen at 46% abv, also distilled in 1983. I can't find any reviews of this particular bottling of Port Ellen, so I have quality concerns. I think I'm going to go with the K&L Caol Ila vs spending more money for a release of unknown quality just to get the notoriety of the dead distillery. Any thoughts from other scotch fans? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 6, 2014 Share Posted July 6, 2014 Few days ago I grabbed a talisker DE 2002, balvenie 15 and a Bruichladdich the rocks, only had the 'laddich and so far I cant say anything nice about it, very green and vegetal, gotta be a youngin and will never buy again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r.mx Posted July 6, 2014 Share Posted July 6, 2014 Congrats on the find! I've passed on two separate Port Ellen IBs (both 27 years old) due to the low strength (46% abv) compared to high price. I'm actually torn on this issue right now: For reasons I will probably announce later, I want to obtain an older bottle of Islay whisky. K&L is taking pre-orders on their store select 1983 Caol Ila, which is at cask strength and comes at the recommendation of K&L (a great indicator of quality). 1983 also happens to be my birth year, so that is pretty neat. On the other hand, I could spend $100 more and buy an IB of Port Ellen at 46% abv, also distilled in 1983. I can't find any reviews of this particular bottling of Port Ellen, so I have quality concerns. I think I'm going to go with the K&L Caol Ila vs spending more money for a release of unknown quality just to get the notoriety of the dead distillery. Any thoughts from other scotch fans?Thanks! I find that going off of the specs of a product have thrown me for a loop before. I am a huge peat-head, and I'll never forget the shock of my life I had after getting a pour of Octomore 4.2 Comus. I expected a young, new-makey, undrinkable mess. Boy was I dead wrong. That experience redirected my priorities from "I should only buy stuff that fits my criteria" to "I should have as many diverse experiences as I can". I suppose the question is, have you ever had a Port Ellen? If you have not, are you going to be kicking yourself for not picking it up when you had a chance? Out of curiosity, what were these IB Port Ellens listed for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nivto Posted July 6, 2014 Share Posted July 6, 2014 Congrats on the find! I've passed on two separate Port Ellen IBs (both 27 years old) due to the low strength (46% abv) compared to high price. I'm actually torn on this issue right now: For reasons I will probably announce later, I want to obtain an older bottle of Islay whisky. K&L is taking pre-orders on their store select 1983 Caol Ila, which is at cask strength and comes at the recommendation of K&L (a great indicator of quality). 1983 also happens to be my birth year, so that is pretty neat. On the other hand, I could spend $100 more and buy an IB of Port Ellen at 46% abv, also distilled in 1983. I can't find any reviews of this particular bottling of Port Ellen, so I have quality concerns. I think I'm going to go with the K&L Caol Ila vs spending more money for a release of unknown quality just to get the notoriety of the dead distillery. Any thoughts from other scotch fans?I think every K&L bottling comes at the highest recommendation of K&L... from the lengthy marketing writeups to the glowing staff reviews on their selections. I'm not saying that K&L selections don't uphold a certain standard or that they don't make some excellent selections, but it would be hard for me to pull the trigger on a $200+ bottle just because it's recommended highly by David Driscoll. Spewing marketing fluff seems to really come as second nature to him. Sometimes his writeups and reviews are whole paragraphs long and don't even contain a single tasting note. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bad_scientist Posted July 6, 2014 Share Posted July 6, 2014 I don't know how those guys don't have heart attacks on a weekly basis, the way they gush and gush.For my birthday I got a Bowmore Devil's Casks bottle. Rachel Barrie is an icon, the hidden genius behind what people give credit to Bill Lumsden for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted July 6, 2014 Share Posted July 6, 2014 Thanks! I find that going off of the specs of a product have thrown me for a loop before. I am a huge peat-head, and I'll never forget the shock of my life I had after getting a pour of Octomore 4.2 Comus. I expected a young, new-makey, undrinkable mess. Boy was I dead wrong. That experience redirected my priorities from "I should only buy stuff that fits my criteria" to "I should have as many diverse experiences as I can". I suppose the question is, have you ever had a Port Ellen? If you have not, are you going to be kicking yourself for not picking it up when you had a chance? Out of curiosity, what were these IB Port Ellens listed for?I think you're comparing apples to oranges a little bit. Grabbing an official distillery bottling from a series that is well regarded (minus the 10 year, which is a dog I guess) is not the same thing as trying to decide which maybe awesome, maybe mediocre Independent Bottling to purchase when given the choice of a completely unknown Douglas of Drumlanrig PE 27yr (ref cask 7000) or a K&L Caol Ila 31yr that has generally been very well regarded. Either way, I'm trying something new. I should probably also mention that where I live, I can literally drive about 25 minutes and order a glass of Port Ellen at a bar, so this isn't a bucket list issue for me. I will absolutely not regret passing on either bottle if I change my mind at any point. At any rate, the bottle was selling for $341. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted July 6, 2014 Share Posted July 6, 2014 I think every K&L bottling comes at the highest recommendation of K&L... from the lengthy marketing writeups to the glowing staff reviews on their selections. I'm not saying that K&L selections don't uphold a certain standard or that they don't make some excellent selections, but it would be hard for me to pull the trigger on a $200+ bottle just because it's recommended highly by David Driscoll. Spewing marketing fluff seems to really come as second nature to him. Sometimes his writeups and reviews are whole paragraphs long and don't even contain a single tasting note.When I said highly recommended, I meant the series was recommended to me by other SBers and folks I trust. I trust David Driscoll to promote his product enthusiastically, and to occasionally write entertaining blog posts. Regardless of my feelings on Mr. Driscoll, I don't think he is a total boob when it comes to picking casks, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nivto Posted July 6, 2014 Share Posted July 6, 2014 My point is that, to my knowlege, nobody has tasted this particular selection yet. Regardless of how good any sister casks may have been, purchasing this one without any reviews on this specific cask is still a pricey gamble. This is all my opinion of course, and I'm not trying to give you a hard time. I just find the K&L over-the-top marketing a bit humorous is all, and honestly, despite my skepticism still easy to get sucked in by. I agree with you, though... not all, but many of the selections I've tasted from them have been great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 My point is that, to my knowlege, nobody has tasted this particular selection yet. Regardless of how good any sister casks may have been, purchasing this one without any reviews on this specific cask is still a pricey gamble. This is all my opinion of course, and I'm not trying to give you a hard time. I just find the K&L over-the-top marketing a bit humorous is all, and honestly, despite my skepticism still easy to get sucked in by. I agree with you, though... not all, but many of the selections I've tasted from them have been great.Yeah, either one is a pricey gamble. But pretty much any Independent Bottling is going to be that way. I have a Scott's Selection Highland Park 21 I bought for a special occasion . . . that tastes pretty much exactly like Glenlivet Nadurra. I gave a friend a sample of each (blind) and he thought they were the same thing. Ultimately, what I'm looking for is a unique and interesting experience on a special occasion, so I am definitely going to keep shopping around. So far, these have been the two most intriguing options I've seen. Or I may just scrap the whole thing, buy a couple slightly less expensive Islays to put away, and finally crack that Bruichladdich 1973 I've been saving for a special occasion.Or maybe I'll bump my budget up a bit and go for a Brora 35 that I may or may not know the whereabouts of . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD 335 Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 (edited) Congrats r.mx on your bottle! I just picked up my order today of a single Port Ellen bottle. This will probably be the first and last bottle I ever get. The store had 3 other original Port Ellen bottled items, I think a 8,9 and 11 edition, each $1500. Needless to say I passed. I'm happy with this little guy. Edited July 7, 2014 by HD 335 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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