Scotch Options

[BDanner]

On 2/2/2020 at 5:37 PM, Kyjd75 said:

Lagavulin 16.  Very peaty, but once you get past the initial blast of creosote, it's really good.   Unfortunately, it seems to have zoomed past the $100 mark.

The Lagavulin 16 is my favorite Scotch. It usually goes on sale here for $90 in December and I will buy a bottle and stretch it out for 12 months. I have no idea what the new tarriffs on Scotch will do to the price, but I expect the days of $90 are over. 

[Marekv8]

1 hour ago, BDanner said:

The Lagavulin 16 is my favorite Scotch. It usually goes on sale here for $90 in December and I will buy a bottle and stretch it out for 12 months. I have no idea what the new tarriffs on Scotch will do to the price, but I expect the days of $90 are over. 

Saw it today in multiple spots in the $70 to $75 range-- probably bottles that made it over prior to the hike. My local LS reported that his cost was now $90.00, sad end to a comparatively fairly priced 16yo.

[Limegoldconvertible68]

1 hour ago, Marekv8 said:

Saw it today in multiple spots in the $70 to $75 range-- probably bottles that made it over prior to the hike. My local LS reported that his cost was now $90.00, sad end to a comparatively fairly priced 16yo.

Every Sb’er who likes scotch is now in their car driving to Louisiana.  I found a bottle for $89 and thought I won the lottery.  Forgive my crudeness but your price point makes me............

[Clueby]

3 minutes ago, Limegoldconvertible68 said:

Every Sb’er who likes scotch is now in their car driving to Louisiana.  I found a bottle for $89 and thought I won the lottery.  Forgive my crudeness but your price point makes me............

It's still around $90 here locally.  I still prefer Ardbeg 10 ($45) over Lag 16.  Or even better...NAS Uigeadail.   I have a place I can get Oogy for less than $60.

[Marekv8]

43 minutes ago, Limegoldconvertible68 said:

Every Sb’er who likes scotch is now in their car driving to Louisiana.  I found a bottle for $89 and thought I won the lottery.  Forgive my crudeness but your price point makes me............

Need to head north— I’ve been in CT and MA for the last few days. Looks like the tariffs are going to potentially spell doom for the independent bottlers. 

[evasive]

It's still around $90 here locally.  I still prefer Ardbeg 10 ($45) over Lag 16.  Or even better...NAS Uigeadail.   I have a place I can get Oogy for less than $60.

That’s what I’ve seen it for in all the places I’ve lived since about 2001. The first bottle I bought in 1999 was $60, but that didn’t last. Honesty, that’s a pretty solid run at that price point. Beer has gotten much more expensive over those years.

I don’t buy Lagavulin 16 all that often, but I’ve started keeping it on hand since it’s my GF’s favorite. Bowmore, Ardbeg, Laphroig, or Talisker are a little easier on the wallet.

[Johniv]

New to Scotch, but I had always heard “you have to develop a taste for it”. First bottle of Laphroig 10 YO I tried, I was a fan.

[PaulO]

I am not any authority on Scotch.  I've tried probably less than ten different brands over the years.  Today I had an epiphany.  I was eating a hot dog with sauerkraut, and bam, that's it.  The smell that always identifies Scotch Whisky to me - sauerkraut.

 

Ok, here's a Scotch recommendation for the bar - Famous Grouse.

It's the #1 seller in Scotland.  I'm enjoying it right now.  

Also check out ralfy.com.  Lots of reviews and good stuff there.

[EarthQuake]

On 2/4/2020 at 5:32 PM, Clueby said:

It's still around $90 here locally.  I still prefer Ardbeg 10 ($45) over Lag 16.  Or even better...NAS Uigeadail.   I have a place I can get Oogy for less than $60.

Yeah, I'll take Ardbeg 10 over Lag 16 any day, not only because of price either. And the high proof Ardbeg releases - Oogy, Cory, Ardbeg day limiteds etc, tend to be head and shoulders better. I got a commitee release Ardbeg Grooves for just a little more than what Lag 16 sells for here and it was phenomenal.

[n811]

16 hours ago, EarthQuake said:

Yeah, I'll take Ardbeg 10 over Lag 16 any day, not only because of price either.

Seconded. Natural color, NCF, not Diageo. 

[Anvil 20]

Inspired by this thread, I picked up a bottle of Ardbeg 10 last weekend.  This was my first ever attempt at scotch. 

 

When I first popped open the bottle, my initial thought was "oh God, what have I gotten myself into?"  The smell was overpowering.   I found the taste to be chemical & medicinal, like something you'd use to clean a toilet.  I struggled to finish the dram. 

 

On my second try, something changed.  I actually found myself liking it.  Perhaps that first pour just caught me off-guard, being that I really had no idea what to expect (or maybe it was a mistake to go straight for a peat-heavy scotch as my first). 

 

In any case, it's been a very interesting journey with this bottle so far.  Looking forward to the next pour and to seeing how I really feel about it when finished. 

[EarthQuake]

20 minutes ago, Anvil 20 said:

Inspired by this thread, I picked up a bottle of Ardbeg 10 last weekend.  This was my first ever attempt at scotch. 

 

When I first popped open the bottle, my initial thought was "oh God, what have I gotten myself into?"  The smell was overpowering.   I found the taste to be chemical & medicinal, like something you'd use to clean a toilet.  I struggled to finish the dram. 

 

On my second try, something changed.  I actually found myself liking it.  Perhaps that first pour just caught me off-guard, being that I really had no idea what to expect (or maybe it was a mistake to go straight for a peat-heavy scotch as my first). 

 

In any case, it's been a very interesting journey with this bottle so far.  Looking forward to the next pour and to seeing how I really feel about it when finished. 

Peat heavy Scotch, and Ardbeg is one of the most heavily peated Scotches, can be abrasive at first. It took me a couple years of trying Scotch with some buddies to really get into the peated stuff. That said, Ardbeg was the first Islay Scotch to win me over. I really like how they use sherry casks, the mix of peat and sherry can be really lovely. Peated scotches tend to have a lot to unpack. If you're not expecting it you can get overwhelmed by some of the more astringent flavors, like bandaids, iodine, burning tires, etc. But if you give it a chance there tends to be some really lovely stuff going on, like sweet BBQ, camp fire, dark chocolate, stewed fruits, etc.

 

In my experience, Ardbeg has a smokey, meaty, bacony quality to it. I find a good way to get into this style is to drink it while eating something savory. Try it with a nice flavorful cut of steak, some BBQ, or fry up a few slices of bacon to eat with your next dram. Or if you have a wood burning fireplace, start it up and enjoy a dram with the nice smell and crackle of the fire. Maybe when the weather is a bit better, have a fire outside and some smores with a dram. Or maybe just some dark chocolate or cookies. There's a certain mood I like to be in for peated Scotch, and that is generally: brooding by the fireplace on a rainy day. Something about that seems to be just perfect.

 

 

Edited February 29, 2020 by EarthQuake

[Anvil 20]

1 hour ago, EarthQuake said:

Peat heavy Scotch, and Ardbeg is one of the most heavily peated Scotches, can be abrasive at first. It took me a couple years of trying Scotch with some buddies to really get into the peated stuff. That said, Ardbeg was the first Islay Scotch to win me over. I really like how they use sherry casks, the mix of peat and sherry can be really lovely. Peated scotches tend to have a lot to unpack. If you're not expecting it you can get overwhelmed by some of the more astringent flavors, like bandaids, iodine, burning tires, etc. But if you give it a chance there tends to be some really lovely stuff going on, like sweet BBQ, camp fire, dark chocolate, stewed fruits, etc.

 

In my experience, Ardbeg has a smokey, meaty, bacony quality to it. I find a good way to get into this style is to drink it while eating something savory. Try it with a nice flavorful cut of steak, some BBQ, or fry up a few slices of bacon to eat with your next dram. Or if you have a wood burning fireplace, start it up and enjoy a dram with the nice smell and crackle of the fire. Maybe when the weather is a bit better, have a fire outside and some smores with a dram. Or maybe just some dark chocolate or cookies. There's a certain mood I like to be in for peated Scotch, and that is generally: brooding by the fireplace on a rainy day. Something about that seems to be just perfect.

 

 

You're absolutely right, I initially found it to be overwhelming.  I couldn't get past the rubbery, almost chemical note at first.  But on subsequent tastings I began to find the notes underneath.  It's definitely more challenging than bourbon, but I'm enjoying the journey so far. 

 

Good advice about trying with food, also.  Need to give that a try!

[GeeTen]

After more than 45 years of drinking scotch, I still can't get past the nose, let alone taste (iodine, brine, decayed seaweed) of Islay peated scotch.  YUK!   

 

[Skinsfan1311]

7 hours ago, EarthQuake said:

Peat heavy Scotch, and Ardbeg is one of the most heavily peated Scotches, can be abrasive at first. It took me a couple years of trying Scotch with some buddies to really get into the peated stuff. That said, Ardbeg was the first Islay Scotch to win me over. I really like how they use sherry casks, the mix of peat and sherry can be really lovely. Peated scotches tend to have a lot to unpack. If you're not expecting it you can get overwhelmed by some of the more astringent flavors, like bandaids, iodine, burning tires, etc. But if you give it a chance there tends to be some really lovely stuff going on, like sweet BBQ, camp fire, dark chocolate, stewed fruits, etc.

 

In my experience, Ardbeg has a smokey, meaty, bacony quality to it. I find a good way to get into this style is to drink it while eating something savory. Try it with a nice flavorful cut of steak, some BBQ, or fry up a few slices of bacon to eat with your next dram. Or if you have a wood burning fireplace, start it up and enjoy a dram with the nice smell and crackle of the fire. Maybe when the weather is a bit better, have a fire outside and some smores with a dram. Or maybe just some dark chocolate or cookies. There's a certain mood I like to be in for peated Scotch, and that is generally: brooding by the fireplace on a rainy day. Something about that seems to be just perfect.

 

 

I love Islay Scotch. 

My introduction was Bowmore, but I discovered Ardbeg 10 year, and haven't looked back.

Laphroaig 10 year is pretty good too, but Ardbeg is my favorite. The On Oa is good too.