What Wee Dram are you enjoying now?

[unclebunk]

I miss the old Aberlour 10 from the 1990s... one of the great inexpensive single malts...

You can say that again. I have one bottle left and made the mistake of cracking it open with a rather fickle friend who proceeded to drink nearly half the bottle before informing me that he found it "boring.":hot: With a million other malts on the shelf, I wish he had told me sooner that he wasn't digging it. I would have given him something else and kept the full bottle for myself. Live and learn, I guess.

[Max Power]

You can say that again. I have one bottle left and made the mistake of cracking it open with a rather fickle friend who proceeded to drink nearly half the bottle before informing me that he found it "boring.":hot: With a million other malts on the shelf, I wish he had told me sooner that he wasn't digging it. I would have given him something else and kept the full bottle for myself. Live and learn, I guess.

http://www.hitimewine.net/ABERLOUR-12YR-750.html

Best prices on Aberlour

12 year - $33

16 year - $53

18 year - $80 (which I've never had)

A'Bunadh - $54

The 12 year for $33 is my go to scotch.

[unclebunk]

http://www.hitimewine.net/ABERLOUR-12YR-750.html

Best prices on Aberlour

12 year - $33

16 year - $53

18 year - $80 (which I've never had)

A'Bunadh - $54

The 12 year for $33 is my go to scotch.

Wow. That's an amazing price! I've been paying around $44 for the 12 YO with the occasional sale price of $38. I'll be putting two bottles in my HT shopping cart, along with more Muchote Reposado and Chinaco Reposado.

[cigarnv]

CB Great King Street with a LGC cigar

[sutton]

HP18 - only my second dram off of this bottle, so not sure I can comment other than to say I like the sweet smokiness and the dry finish. This was recommended to me as a good next step when I had mentioned that the medicinal/iodine note in some of the Islay whiskies was a bit much for me. This seems like a nice middle ground ...

[unclebunk]

HP18 - only my second dram off of this bottle, so not sure I can comment other than to say I like the sweet smokiness and the dry finish. This was recommended to me as a good next step when I had mentioned that the medicinal/iodine note in some of the Islay whiskies was a bit much for me. This seems like a nice middle ground ...

Look no further, Mark. You've arrived in the promised land--Orkney!:grin: Now get yourself some Aberlour 12 or 16 and dig the sherry influence.

[sutton]

Look no further, Mark. You've arrived in the promised land--Orkney!:grin: Now get yourself some Aberlour 12 or 16 and dig the sherry influence.

I think if I buy one more bottle of whisk(e)y, I might be sleeping on the couch ... well, for one night, maybe a small price to pay! :grin:

[ebo]

It feels like an October evening in Ohio, so I cracked open a bottle of Caol Ila 12.

[Max Power]

Wow. That's an amazing price! I've been paying around $44 for the 12 YO with the occasional sale price of $38. I'll be putting two bottles in my HT shopping cart, along with more Muchote Reposado and Chinaco Reposado.

I'll caution you on the Chinaco repo that a lot of people don't like it as much since German Gonzalez left the distillery. If you're looking for another gem of a tequila at a bargain price, go with JLP The President's Tequila Repo or Anejo. They're under $20 and are stellar. They have a sale on Don Fernando Reposado right now too that makes it $19.99 ($10 e-coupon), which is a great price.

I'm just here to looking out for your wallet...not so much your liver.

[boss302]

Tonight it's a quiet dram of Glenmorangie Finnealta-- it's like the "La Santa" with a touch of peat.

Nose: Stewed apples, honey, vanilla, figs, and a prominent touch of moss.

Palate: Very gentle smoke, dates, honey, floral Heather notes, and the faint taste of seaweed or wet earth that I tend to get from peated whiskies in general.

Impressions-- Once again, the packaging is the best in the industry, IMHO. The Sherry influence is less prominent in this expression than it is in La Santa, but I can still taste a touch of it. If you enjoy lightly-peated whiskies, I recommend this dram, although fans of Ardbeg or Laphroaig are unlikely to go crazy over this. There's a little something for everyone in here, and I find that refreshing.

[MacinJosh]

I recommend this dram, although fans of Ardbeg or Laphroaig are unlikely to go crazy over this.

[sutton]

More Scottish weather in N.E. put me in the mood for Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or followed by Glenfiddich 15yo Solera ...

[unclebunk]

More Scottish weather in N.E. put me in the mood for Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or followed by Glenfiddich 15yo Solera ...

[sutton]

Had a splash of the Solera myself yesterday and found it thoroughly enjoyable. We're now heading back to some serious heat, so it looks like I'll be hitting the tequila and bourbon while barbecuing this weekend.

I hear ya ... we had a crazy run of cool, rainy weather the last week, but we really need it. After a winter of next to no snow or rain, we are in dire need of some water.

I got the Solera for about $43 - that's pretty good for a 15yo Scotch whisky IMHO and it delivers some decent complexity. I'm new to Scotch and I thought the 12yo Glenfiddich was pretty tame, but I'd recommend this 15yo - a different animal and decent complexity even though only 80 pf, and a pretty good price as far as single malt Scotch goes. Even a little smoky note on the nose and finish that comes and goes.

However, the Sun's out now, so a little WT101 Rye to start the weekend feels about right!

[unclebunk]

I hear ya ... we had a crazy run of cool, rainy weather the last week, but we really need it. After a winter of next to no snow or rain, we are in dire need of some water.

I got the Solera for about $43 - that's pretty good for a 15yo Scotch whisky IMHO and it delivers some decent complexity. I'm new to Scotch and I thought the 12yo Glenfiddich was pretty tame, but I'd recommend this 15yo - a different animal and decent complexity even though only 80 pf, and a pretty good price as far as single malt Scotch goes. Even a little smoky note on the nose and finish that comes and goes.

However, the Sun's out now, so a little WT101 Rye to start the weekend feels about right!

We could use a week's worth of rain too, just not all in one day which has often been the case in recent years. Things are bone dry here with only one day of significant rain in the last 2+ weeks. My grass is already browning out, while last year at this time we were suffering from horrendous record-setting rainfall, multiple power outages and so on. Very strange!

Have you tried the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban? It is at a similar price point and my friends and I thought it was absolutely delicious.

[sutton]

Have you tried the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban? It is at a similar price point and my friends and I thought it was absolutely delicious.

Is that the Port-finished one? If so, I was hesitant to try it after the bottle of Angel's Envy I had. That seemed cloyingly sweet to me; just wasn't to my taste ... how did you find the Quinta Ruban? If it costs about the same as the Solera, that's a pretty good price point ...

[unclebunk]

Is that the Port-finished one? If so, I was hesitant to try it after the bottle of Angel's Envy I had. That seemed cloyingly sweet to me; just wasn't to my taste ... how did you find the Quinta Ruban? If it costs about the same as the Solera, that's a pretty good price point ...

Yes. That's a port-finish but I did not find it overly sweet at all. Perhaps you can taste some at a bar before making the plunge but I found it really tasty.

[bad_scientist]

Is that the Port-finished one? If so, I was hesitant to try it after the bottle of Angel's Envy I had. That seemed cloyingly sweet to me; just wasn't to my taste ... how did you find the Quinta Ruban? If it costs about the same as the Solera, that's a pretty good price point ...

Glad you said that! When I had the Angel's Envy, I thought that either the producer loves the Quinta Ruban or never has had it, because it's very similar to me. If you thought the AE was cloyingly sweet, and I do, I would bet a lot that you won't like the QR. I hope nobody else tries to finish a mild bourbon in port or wine barrels, or, shudder, sherry. It's been done by the Scots!

[sutton]

Glad you said that! When I had the Angel's Envy, I thought that either the producer loves the Quinta Ruban or never has had it, because it's very similar to me. If you thought the AE was cloyingly sweet, and I do, I would bet a lot that you won't like the QR. I hope nobody else tries to finish a mild bourbon in port or wine barrels, or, shudder, sherry. It's been done by the Scots!

Maybe the AE at a higher-proof might give more balance? - but the Port wood finishes do all seem a bit too sweet for me. I also don't have much of a sweet tooth; so I'm probably at the extreme end of the spectrum.

Some portion of sherry-aging (vs. finishes) I find really nice in the few Scotches I've had. I recently had a Bowmore 15 Darkest with a friend and found that quite nice - I think it is 12 yrs in bourbon, 3 in sherry or something like that. The smoky/peaty note seems to play well with the sherry notes.

[Max Power]

I found Angel's Envy to be hot for a lower proof bourbon. I liked it, but it wasn't my favorite.

I enjoyed a wee dram of Dalmore 12 last night. Really rich orange flavors with a hint of smoke & spice. I liked it quite a bit.

[MacinJosh]

Maybe the AE at a higher-proof might give more balance?

Cask strength AE with the higher proof and additional Port influence improves this dram quite a bit, but I never found the standard AE cloying. I think of Red Gag when I think of cloying.

[cigarnv]

Cask strength AE with the higher proof and additional Port influence improves this dram quite a bit, but I never found the standard AE cloying. I think of Red Gag when I think of cloying.

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Josh, agree with you on this that the cask strength is a much better pour.... the best however was when we did the 50/50 cask to regular AE .... seems to bring out the best in each. I revisited the regular AE and also don't find it overly sweet.

[MacinJosh]

Josh, agree with you on this that the cask strength is a much better pour.... the best however was when we did the 50/50 cask to regular AE .... seems to bring out the best in each. I revisited the regular AE and also don't find it overly sweet.

I need to try that. Thanks for the suggestion Reid.

[ChainWhip]

Compass Box Peat Monster - sweeter than I thought it'd be but I'm guessing there's some Ardbeg in the blend

[sutton]

Compass Box Peat Monster - sweeter than I thought it'd be but I'm guessing there's some Ardbeg in the blend

I may not be remembering correctly, but I thought Glaser said the main peaty component came from near Port Askaig - that would likely make it Caol Ila .... however, he does go on to say that some comes from the southern part of the island, so you might be correct as well ...