What Dram are you enjoying? Fall 2017

[Kane]

2 hours ago, Madhatter said:

 

What do you think about blending  Bunnahabhain 12 and Ardbeg 10 [ratio undecided yet]?  To me, that sounds interesting if the resulting mix retained some of the best traits of each.

I would welcome thicker creamier Ardbeg peat for certain.

[kevinbrink]

2 hours ago, Madhatter said:

 

What do you think about blending  Bunnahabhain 12 and Ardbeg 10 [ratio undecided yet]?  To me, that sounds interesting if the resulting mix retained some of the best traits of each.

Never thought about that one but I'd give it a shot, maybe later tonight!

[Madhatter]

4 hours ago, kevinbrink said:

Never thought about that one but I'd give it a shot, maybe later tonight!

It has the advantage of two relatively affordable and available scotches.  Plus, I can't think of many islay's that would sit directly between them in style that are similar in price.

[kevinbrink]

2 hours ago, Madhatter said:

It has the advantage of two relatively affordable and available scotches.  Plus, I can't think of many islay's that would sit directly between them in style that are similar in price.

Well only one way to know! Now keep in mind I have been baking Bourbon Butter Cookies so I might be a little off tonight, but I'd say this is a good blend I started at about 60/40 in favor of Ardbeg and it didn't really move the needle very far away, 60/40 in the other direction however makes it a pretty good pour, especially after a drop of water, it brought out some of the creamier frosting kind of notes I get from Bunnahabhain along with a big dose of Cocoa powder. 

[kevinbrink]

Wanted to have something different so I was looking through the stash and saw a bottle of Glen Moray 10 year Chardonnay Cask that I bought at a local chain for $22 and then forgot about. I have to say this is doing the trick, those casks must have been pretty damn wet because on the nose and the taste it is really all Oaky Chardonay notes like apples and almonds with maybe a hint of lime. For a $22 bottle I think I'm going to get some decent mileage out of this one as a change of pace pour.

[Madhatter]

12 hours ago, kevinbrink said:

Well only one way to know! Now keep in mind I have been baking Bourbon Butter Cookies so I might be a little off tonight, but I'd say this is a good blend I started at about 60/40 in favor of Ardbeg and it didn't really move the needle very far away, 60/40 in the other direction however makes it a pretty good pour, especially after a drop of water, it brought out some of the creamier frosting kind of notes I get from Bunnahabhain along with a big dose of Cocoa powder. 

 

 Yes, making the blend richer in the Bunna would logically compensate for Bunna being the lighter, perhaps more elegant, of the two.  Thx.

[Bourserker]

Talisker 10 year.  Had this sitting around for a long time.  Good stuff. 

[kevinbrink]

Friday night was kicked off with HW Bourye, but it really kicked in to gear when I changed pace.

[Kane]

Had the opportunity to try The Scotch Malt Whisky Society's  "3.257 Jacobite trip to the kitchen", which is purportedly a 14yr Bowmore, although I didn't see any such indication on the bottle. Also, only 240 bottles exist, so it was special I guess? Well, the taste wasn't all that special, it was a decent mildly-peated & very-honeyed whisky.

 

Moving on to a Bruichladdich Laddie 10 2nd LE. Much more interesting.

Edited December 16, 2017 by Kane

[kevinbrink]

OK uno mas, this Bowmore is really bringing the goods for me tonight.

[kevinbrink]

Doing some, uhhhh, Sunday Night Science!

[beasled]

On 18/12/2017 at 9:20 PM, kevinbrink said:

Doing some, uhhhh, Sunday Night Science!

The best kind of science.

 

Having a pour of Ardbeg Uigeadal this evening. 

[kevinbrink]

7 minutes ago, beasled said:

The best kind of science.

 

Having a pour of Ardbeg Uigeadal this evening. 

Nice, probably my favorite of the regular release Ardbeg's but 10 is no slouch, haven't had the new one yet.

[beasled]

11 minutes ago, kevinbrink said:

Nice, probably my favorite of the regular release Ardbeg's but 10 is no slouch, haven't had the new one yet.

The 10 and the Uigedal are regulars in my cupboard. Had the Kelpie at a pub and was pleasantly surprised but not enough to drop the coin on it. 

 

Moved onto a Ledaig 11 year port pipe which out-peats the Ardbeg, amazingly. Quality dram this, 58.2% so needs some water. I've discovered peat + port is very much my jam this year..

[Dravin]

Aberlour 12 Double Cask Matured. My first step away from Islay and I have to say I'm enjoying it, it's like a fruity mellow bourbon which makes perfect sense considering the use of both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks in the aging.

[jeffrey r]

10 hours ago, Dravin said:

Aberlour 12 Double Cask Matured. My first step away from Islay and I have to say I'm enjoying it, it's like a fruity mellow bourbon which makes perfect sense considering the use of both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks in the aging.

Glad you enjoyed the Aberlour 12.  If you come across the Aberlour 12 NCF (non chill filtered), that is one to pick up IMO.  It is more expensive than the regular 12, but has a lot more to offer.  I believe it has been discontinued, so it might be hard to find.

 

Last evening, I decided to open my Macallan Classic Cut.  It was a freshly opened bottle, and was actually quite nice.  I never had the older Macallan CS, so I avoided that inevitable comparison.  If you can look past any potential Macallan bias, and the whole sherry seasoned cask business with the CC, I think it stands nicely on its own and is worth a look if it interests you.  CC is about $80 in my area, so that guides my thinking a bit as well.  If it was $100 and up, I might look at it a bit differently.    I think I'll do a SBS one of these nights with my Glengoyne CS, Glenfarclas 105 and A'bunadh.

 

 

[kevinbrink]

1 hour ago, jeffrey r said:

Glad you enjoyed the Aberlour 12.  If you come across the Aberlour 12 NCF (non chill filtered), that is one to pick up IMO.  It is more expensive than the regular 12, but has a lot more to offer.  I believe it has been discontinued, so it might be hard to find.

 

Last evening, I decided to open my Macallan Classic Cut.  It was a freshly opened bottle, and was actually quite nice.  I never had the older Macallan CS, so I avoided that inevitable comparison.  If you can look past any potential Macallan bias, and the whole sherry seasoned cask business with the CC, I think it stands nicely on its own and is worth a look if it interests you.  CC is about $80 in my area, so that guides my thinking a bit as well.  If it was $100 and up, I might look at it a bit differently.    I think I'll do a SBS one of these nights with my Glengoyne CS, Glenfarclas 105 and A'bunadh.

 

 

Looking forward to seeing how it fares in that SBS for you, I've been tempted a few times on this one but have mostly seen it at $99, haven't looked for it at any of the more well priced stores (BK, TW etc...) as I haven't committed to this one yet. 

[Dravin]

1 hour ago, jeffrey r said:

Glad you enjoyed the Aberlour 12.  If you come across the Aberlour 12 NCF (non chill filtered), that is one to pick up IMO.  It is more expensive than the regular 12, but has a lot more to offer.  I believe it has been discontinued, so it might be hard to find.

 

I first tried to find the NCF but was unsuccessful and my patience for hunting is limited, I've got 3-4 stores I'll try but after that things'll get put on a "If I stumble across it some time great, if not... oh well" mental list.

1 hour ago, jeffrey r said:

Last evening, I decided to open my Macallan Classic Cut.  It was a freshly opened bottle, and was actually quite nice.  I never had the older Macallan CS, so I avoided that inevitable comparison.  If you can look past any potential Macallan bias, and the whole sherry seasoned cask business with the CC, I think it stands nicely on its own and is worth a look if it interests you.  CC is about $80 in my area, so that guides my thinking a bit as well.  If it was $100 and up, I might look at it a bit differently.    I think I'll do a SBS one of these nights with my Glengoyne CS, Glenfarclas 105 and A'bunadh.

 

 

It's $100+ here which bumps it further down the try list than a $80 price tag would.

[Kane]

6 hours ago, jeffrey r said:

I think I'll do a SBS one of these nights with my Glengoyne CS, Glenfarclas 105 and A'bunadh.

 

That's some competition you're putting it up against. If it is so good as to warrant a SBS with those I'll need to track down a dram in town.

[Kpiz]

Glad you enjoyed the Aberlour 12.  If you come across the Aberlour 12 NCF (non chill filtered), that is one to pick up IMO.  It is more expensive than the regular 12, but has a lot more to offer.  I believe it has been discontinued, so it might be hard to find.
 
Last evening, I decided to open my Macallan Classic Cut.  It was a freshly opened bottle, and was actually quite nice.  I never had the older Macallan CS, so I avoided that inevitable comparison.  If you can look past any potential Macallan bias, and the whole sherry seasoned cask business with the CC, I think it stands nicely on its own and is worth a look if it interests you.  CC is about $80 in my area, so that guides my thinking a bit as well.  If it was $100 and up, I might look at it a bit differently.    I think I'll do a SBS one of these nights with my Glengoyne CS, Glenfarclas 105 and A'bunadh.
 
 

I was able to try the Macallan Classic Cut against the original Cask Strength last night. One of my friends is hanging onto his last bottle of CS, so he’s nursing it, but he let me try some since I’m the one who found the bottle (he’s a Macallan nut and I figured he’d appreciate it more than I would).

It will probably come as no surprise that my friend and I both preferred the old CS to the CC. It wasn’t noticeably young on its own, but it has significantly less depth and oomph than the CS.

The night then turned into a Japanese Whisky extravaganza! Thanks to my friend’s generosity I was able to taste a few things I hadn’t had the opportunity to try in a while (Yamazaki 18) or ever (Hibiki 21). The H21’s apple and pear notes, along with its overall balance and sophistication, made it my favorite of the evening. The Y18 was a suitable challenger but it just wasn’t firing on all cylinders for some reason, which could have just been due to what I ate or drank beforehand. The Nikka Pure Malt 21 was disappointing in comparison and seemed rather mundane, though it could very well be good on its own.

[kevinbrink]

3 hours ago, Kpiz said:

 

I was able to try the Macallan Classic Cut against the original Cask Strength last night. One of my friends is hanging onto his last bottle of CS, so he’s nursing it, but he let me try some since I’m the one who found the bottle (he’s a Macallan nut and I figured he’d appreciate it more than I would).

It will probably come as no surprise that my friend and I both preferred the old CS to the CC. It wasn’t noticeably young on its own, but it has significantly less depth and oomph than the CS.

The night then turned into a Japanese Whisky extravaganza! Thanks to my friend’s generosity I was able to taste a few things I hadn’t had the opportunity to try in a while (Yamazaki 18) or ever (Hibiki 21). The H21’s apple and pear notes, along with its overall balance and sophistication, made it my favorite of the evening. The Y18 was a suitable challenger but it just wasn’t firing on all cylinders for some reason, which could have just been due to what I ate or drank beforehand. The Nikka Pure Malt 21 was disappointing in comparison and seemed rather mundane, though it could very well be good on its own.

 

Some nights you have to slum it 

[Kane]

4 hours ago, Kpiz said:

The night then turned into a Japanese Whisky extravaganza! Thanks to my friend’s generosity I was able to taste a few things I hadn’t had the opportunity to try in a while (Yamazaki 18) or ever (Hibiki 21). The H21’s apple and pear notes, along with its overall balance and sophistication, made it my favorite of the evening. The Y18 was a suitable challenger but it just wasn’t firing on all cylinders for some reason, which could have just been due to what I ate or drank beforehand. The Nikka Pure Malt 21 was disappointing in comparison and seemed rather mundane, though it could very well be good on its own.

 

 

Oh wow, what a line up! Color me jealous. I don't think my heart could take dropping the money on even one bottle there.

 

Agreed on the Yamazaki 18 though. The one and only time I tried it was at a luxurious rooftop bar in Yokohama, all by myself around midnight, listening to an amazing yet subtle jazz/bossa nova fusion band live. Wasn't all that impressed. If it didn't work for me there, I don't know where it would. (not saying I'd turn down another glass!)

[beasled]

Have a good Christmas all!

 

Time for something a bit special. Cheers!

[kevinbrink]

6 hours ago, beasled said:

Have a good Christmas all!

 

Time for something a bit special. Cheers!

A dram worthy of a celebration!

[beasled]

Started off with a freshly opened Deanston 18 bourbon cask finish which was great, moved onto a sample of Glenmorangie 25 which was sent by a friend which was also excellent but not sure I'd part with the coin on that one. Finishing off with a Ballechin 10, which is excellent too and I can only describe as 'meaty'. 

 

Cheers all!