bourboNcigars Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Into my 3rd dram of laphroaig 10 year original cask strength 57.2%.. amazingly smooth hardly needs a drop of water Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 Re-attacked the Springbank 10 after letting it sit for a week and a half or so. The cough syrup/burnt rubber/tongue numbing eucalyptus notes are gone, replaced with more traditional sherry and peat notes. This is now a VERY nice whisky. Incredibly rich mouthfeel. Unfortunate that it started off so harshly, but at least it opened up rather quickly. Given the results, I would definitely consider purchasing Longrow 10 and/or CV, as well as Springbank 12 CS. Finishing off the night with a Kilchoman Machir Bay 2012. Really great stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holdtheice Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Re-attacked the Springbank 10 after letting it sit for a week and a half or so. The cough syrup/burnt rubber/tongue numbing eucalyptus notes are gone.I struggled with a Springbank 12 CS Batch 3 because of those burnt rubber notes. Initially they were very strong and I was hugely disappointed but they disappeared gradually. After about a month of having the bottle open they were no longer ruining my enjoyment of a dram and after about two months (with the bottle at 2/3 fill level) I could barely notice them at all. Suffice to say I emptied the remainder pretty quickly from that point on :grin: An excellent malt if you are willing to persevere (though other batches may be different). From my (admittedly limited) understanding the burnt rubber notes are probably imparted by the ex-sherry casks, so perhaps they dissipated more quickly in your Springbank 10 because it is a mix of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry matured Campbeltown malt. I need to get my hands on some Springbank 10 ... perhaps even the CS version hopefully! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I struggled with a Springbank 12 CS Batch 3 because of those burnt rubber notes. Initially they were very strong and I was hugely disappointed but they disappeared gradually. After about a month of having the bottle open they were no longer ruining my enjoyment of a dram and after about two months (with the bottle at 2/3 fill level) I could barely notice them at all. Suffice to say I emptied the remainder pretty quickly from that point on :grin: An excellent malt if you are willing to persevere (though other batches may be different). From my (admittedly limited) understanding the burnt rubber notes are probably imparted by the ex-sherry casks, so perhaps they dissipated more quickly in your Springbank 10 because it is a mix of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry matured Campbeltown malt. I need to get my hands on some Springbank 10 ... perhaps even the CS version hopefully!I think it's a combination of the sherry casks and the particular variety of peat they use. Regardless, I would absolutely purchase Springbank Distillery products in the future, I will just be sure to decant, aerate, or leave the cork out for a night or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holdtheice Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I think it's a combination of the sherry casks and the particular variety of peat they use. Regardless, I would absolutely purchase Springbank Distillery products in the future, I will just be sure to decant, aerate, or leave the cork out for a night or two.Agreed. Simply pouring a dram and letting it rest for 15 or 20 minutes is a good idea, and I have no objection in doing that. Sometimes good things do come to those who wait. Currently enjoying a slightly bigger than usual pour to complete an Ancnoc 12 bottle kill. Delivered well above expectations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Agreed. Simply pouring a dram and letting it rest for 15 or 20 minutes is a good idea, and I have no objection in doing that. Sometimes good things do come to those who wait. Interesting take on the Springbank 12 CS. I find it a lovely whiskey without any particular notes of burnt rubber that I can remember on first opening. Just stuck my nose in the bottle again and it still smells delightful! Of course it has now been open several months. Would try a little sip to confirm but unfortunately still have some errands to run so it will have to wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Agreed. Simply pouring a dram and letting it rest for 15 or 20 minutes is a good idea, and I have no objection in doing that. Sometimes good things do come to those who wait. Currently enjoying a slightly bigger than usual pour to complete an Ancnoc 12 bottle kill. Delivered well above expectations.All this talk of Springbank is making me thirsty for a glass. I guess that's what I'll be starting my night off with then! By the by, if you hate that burned rubber/plastic taste, I would suggest you avoid buying anything and everything by Connemara unless you've tried it first. I spent 6 months trying various things to aerate it and get that flavor to recede with zero success. I eventually gave the bottle away to someone who wanted to use it for mixed drinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRich Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Last night was a Laphroaig 10CS kind of night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChainWhip Posted May 29, 2014 Author Share Posted May 29, 2014 (edited) K&L Karuizawa 1999 - 57.7%, #869 (thx to the very generous SB'r) Edited May 29, 2014 by ChainWhip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRich Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Keeping with the Laphroaig theme I did side by sides with Quarter Cask and Triple Wood last night. Finished the evening with some 2012 CB Flaming Heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Keeping with the Laphroaig theme I did side by sides with Quarter Cask and Triple Wood last night. Finished the evening with some 2012 CB Flaming Heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Soooooo, which Laphroaig did you prefer? I figger I'm gonna get a Laphroaig this week. Which would you recommend, knowing my preferences of minimal to no Sherry influence?Triple Wood is aged in ex-bourbon, quarter cask, and then sherry casks, so I would recommend Laphroaig 18 (especially if you can find it at the old price of $60-$80), Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength (all batches I've had are good, supposedly Batch 5 is among the best), Laphroaig Quarter Cask, or Laphroaig 10. All are excellent as long as you like phenolic, briny whisky. The Laphroaig 18 is amazingly smooth and lacks the typical Laphroaig peat punch, all the rest are peat bombs with varying degrees of medicinal brininess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRich Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Soooooo, which Laphroaig did you prefer? I figger I'm gonna get a Laphroaig this week. Which would you recommend, knowing my preferences of minimal to no Sherry influence?I like them both. I prefer the Quarter Cask but I think the Triple Wood is more approachable to the general populous. The Triple Wood is essentially the Quarter Cask further finished in Sherry. For you Joe I would recommend the 10 Year Cask Strength. I've got the whole line up at my place if you want to swing by Friday and try before you buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holdtheice Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 knowing my preferences of minimal to no Sherry influence?From what I understand the Laphroaig 18 has a fairly significant amount of malt from ex-sherry casks. The best choice for you is probably the 10CS as it's pretty highly regarded and I don't think it has any sherry influence at all. Never tried it however as I can't find it for sale anywhere is Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Thanks, fellas. I shall search out the 10yr CS! I love the peat. Pricing on it looks reasonable, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 From what I understand the Laphroaig 18 has a fairly significant amount of malt from ex-sherry casks. The best choice for you is probably the 10CS as it's pretty highly regarded and I don't think it has any sherry influence at all. Never tried it however as I can't find it for sale anywhere is Australia.It's possible, but I haven't detected any sherry influence in the older bottlings of Laphroaig 18 I've had. Maybe there's some sherry casks in the mix, but the bottle I have open right now tastes like pure ex-bourbon. I think the most recent bottle I've had is from 2011 or 2012, so it's possible they've changed it since then. Regardless, sherry isn't much of a factor, as I am pretty sensitive to sherry influence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Thanks, fellas. I shall search out the 10yr CS! I love the peat. Pricing on it looks reasonable, too.You won't go wrong with that 10 yr Cask Strength. It's delicious and reasonably priced. Same for the regular 10yr and the Quarter Cask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronWF Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 I began last night with a pour from a 1998 Signatory Laphroaig 14yo picked by Binny's. I really love the profiles on the Laphs Binny's has picked. Starts off sweet and salty, moves into medicinal territory with smoked coals that carry through on the finish. Very minimal wood influence, supple, oily malt and nicely balanced, high quality and well-expressed peat. I poured some OB Laph 18 afterwards. It was good, actually better than I remembered. The peat is much softer and there's a much heavier wood influence, as well as a fungal off-note that gets in the way of the malt for me. I get that off-note in the younger OBs as well; not as badly in the 18, but it's still there. The color is also much darker than the Signatory, no doubt due to caramel.After dinner and in keeping with the theme I poured some 1996 Longrow 10yo, my comfort dram. Such an amazing marriage of sherry and earthy peat. This one punches well, well above it's weight IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnDew Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Some yummy Caperdonich 17 from Abbeywhisky in the UK. I wish I had some of the Berry's Caperdonich 17 left to do a direct comparison, after watering down the abbey version of course, but I'm out. This one seems to be more "malty" vs the vanilla and pear notes that where strong with the Berry's version. However, I'm only on my first dram and I probably did not add enough water as this one is quite hot. Maybe with some air and a few more drops of water I'll get back to that dessert quality I'm used to from Caperdonich. Even so, it's still a lovely dram! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brisko Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Well, after working for 12 years at a client location, our contract is officially done. So, I picked up a bottle of Bowmore 12 to proprerly toast the occasion. Nothing special but it's tasty and goes down easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holdtheice Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 It's a pretty cold night here so I decided to pop open a bottle of Laphroaig 18 I've had sitting in wait on the shelf for a few months. Currently savouring a small dram and really enjoying my first taste of Islay in over six months. Incidentally this is the first time I've ever had a Laphroaig of any kind ... kind of unusual to start with the 18 year I know. I don't think the Laphroaig 18 is meant to be natural color but I don't know ... it seems pretty light to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacinJosh Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 K&L Karuizawa 1999 - 57.7%, #869 (thx to the very generous SB'r) That is such a delicious malt. So rich and fruit forward with strawberry and raspberry notes. I absolutely loved it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacinJosh Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Nothing fancy or amazing here but Costco and their sherried Speysiders are actually quite tasty and enjoyable. They're usually very rich and heavy on the sherry. Scratches an itch for me for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Power Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Nothing fancy or amazing here but Costco and their sherried Speysiders are actually quite tasty and enjoyable. They're usually very rich and heavy on the sherry. Scratches an itch for me for sure. I agree completely. For under $40 and getting 18-20 year age statement and big sherry flavor, it's a tasty and affordable pour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRich Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 I agree completely. For under $40 and getting 18-20 year age statement and big sherry flavor, it's a tasty and affordable pour.I wish it made it over here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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