What Wee Dram are you enjoying now?

[unclebunk]

I'll be interested in hearing that comparison - HP12 and HP18 are two of my favorites, but I've only had recent bottlings. I think these are both good values (even the HP18 at close to $100) but I've heard the earlier bottlings are even better.

Just getting into the Glenfarclas 12, which I've never seen up my way (only the 10, 15 and up). My first pour was great and a surprise - very similar to Macallan 12 but more of everything and no sharp edge that I get from younger Macallan now and then. More sherry, more body, more fruit, a bit of smoke on the finish - dense and well-balanced. The bottle was $50 in Cape May NJ and judging from the prices of other bottles I'm more familiar with, this might normally be around $45 - in my neck of the woods that is also cheaper than a Macallan 12.

I read this used to be a duty-free/travel bottling only - so don't know if it has been made more widely available recently.

I'll let you know about the older/current HP12 comparison when I do it. The Glenfarclas line is well-regarded and generally pretty affordable. I've only ever owned the 10, 12 and 15 and enjoyed them all. I'm partial to 10 year olds and am saddened by the trend to eliminate them in favor of 12 year olds, so I continue to replace my Glenfarclas 10, Aberlour 10, etc. when I kill a bottle off. I'm also glad I picked up three or four bottles of Balvenie 10 Founders Reserve before it disappeared because that was another affordable gem at $30-$35. We were getting HP12 for $37-$38 before Illinois did their big tax hike on alcohol a short while ago. Despite the hike it's still one of the best values around at $40-$42.

Edited August 14, 2012 by unclebunk

[cbus]

Ardbeg 10 year....

.....Ardbeg!

[Megawatt]

Bastille 1789 French whisky. Very unusual stuff. Sort of like a cross between Canadian whisky, gin, and Grand Marnier. A lot better than it sounds! Very smooth, wamring. Highly drinkable.

[Happyhour24x7]

Full disclosure, I am a few and far between scotch drinker. I like it, but need to be in the mood. Recently, on the advice of the store expert, I bought a bottle of Auchentoshan Valinch. It is a cask strength, non chill filtered edition. He said it easily stood up with whiskeys twice the price. I broke into it last night, and wow, was he right. Needed a little water for my taste, but boy, was that a fine dram. Not too much peat, but very complex, a SMOOTH! Beautiful expression, highly recommended.

[Megawatt]

Full disclosure, I am a few and far between scotch drinker. I like it, but need to be in the mood. Recently, on the advice of the store expert, I bought a bottle of Auchentoshan Valinch. It is a cask strength, non chill filtered edition. He said it easily stood up with whiskeys twice the price. I broke into it last night, and wow, was he right. Needed a little water for my taste, but boy, was that a fine dram. Not too much peat, but very complex, a SMOOTH! Beautiful expression, highly recommended.

This one took me a while, but in the end I decided it was a lousy whisky. Maybe I just had a bad bottle, but it tasted like flowers. No balance whatsoever.

[smokinjoe]

Damn! I've been staring at a bottle of this Auchentoshan at my local shop for months, wondering if I should pull the trigger. Now, I'm doubly confused!!!

[redbear]

John Begg Blue Cap. Drinking dusties tonight.

[unclebunk]

Damn! I've been staring at a bottle of this Auchentoshan at my local shop for months, wondering if I should pull the trigger. Now, I'm doubly confused!!!

[WAINWRIGHT]

Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist last night at a local restaurant and it was" peat o' licious."

[ChainWhip]

Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist last night at a local restaurant and it was" peat o' licious."

[sutton]

http://www.cooperedtot.com/2012/08/the-harmonic-resonance-of-peat-ardbeg.html

[ChainWhip]

Wow. That is crazy. Has me wondering what would happen if you tried to vat a Laphroaig Cairdeas and a Lagavulin 12. Two highly peated Ardbegs vatted to produce a gently peated dram? This concept needs its own thread ...

It's a fascinating result for sure! I wonder if it's kind of a "Tacoma Narrows Bridge" thing because all the elements in play come together perfectly to produce an unexpected outcome?

I am certainly going to try reproducing the effects with other peated malt combinations.

[MacinJosh]

Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist last night at a local restaurant and it was" peat o' licious."

That is a quality pour and one I frequently bunker. I really enjoy it.

[MacinJosh]

Full disclosure, I am a few and far between scotch drinker. I like it, but need to be in the mood. Recently, on the advice of the store expert, I bought a bottle of Auchentoshan Valinch. It is a cask strength, non chill filtered edition. He said it easily stood up with whiskeys twice the price. I broke into it last night, and wow, was he right. Needed a little water for my taste, but boy, was that a fine dram. Not too much peat, but very complex, a SMOOTH! Beautiful expression, highly recommended.

A peated Auchentoshan??? I know Bladnoch has some peated expressions but I was unaware Auchentoshan did.

[unclebunk]

Way too much Ardmore Trad Cask last night...and paying for it today.:bigeyes:

[smokinjoe]

Figure I'd finish up the night with a small pour of Aberlour a'bunadh. Closes things up nicely.

[Vosgar]

Opened a Redbreast 15 today. Wow, this is a wonderfully dangerous bottle to have around.

Gary

[AaronWF]

Broke open a Longrow 11yr Sherry Cask. Aged entirely in refill sherry, you'd never know it from the color - which is about like a very light repasodo Tequila.

On the nose - huge whiffs of coal and peat. Very "burnt earth" and phenolic. Slightly medicinal, but overall just... peat.

Taste - peat. More peat, and then... some more. A bit of coal (actual coal from a steam engine), a bit of charcoal briquets with a nice big alcohol sting (it's 57% after all) and some sweet vanilla & citrus. and lastly a big sweet cherry bomb

Finish - it's smokey & peaty with deep notes the imprint themselves on your tongue, but at the same time it's soooo sweet from the sherry. It's not balanced at all, I don't think it's supposed to be, but it goes on forever.

Overall - this is a peat-monster. I'm shocked, because while Longrow is heavily, peated, it's Springer at it's core, and Springers are typically so refined and un-brazen. Flavorful & intriguing, yes - but this brash? My first time to experience it like this. It was like being hit with a smoking two-by-four log of peat. Not smoke/BBQ mind you - but peat. Vegetal, damp rotting earth at it's finest. Almost rotten (but not in a sulfur way at all) and very earthy.

Could simply be my expectations being stretched so far by a Springbank family member that I'm exaggerating this (I've had it on 2 different days now), but from a peat perspective, I'm throwing this up against Octomore & Supernova in terms of PPM. Would love to hear any other opinions on this beast from others who have tried it - am I smoking too much peat? Is it really closer to typically Longrow peating levels, or is there's something else in the mix that's got me believing this is a peat monster my first two glasses have led me to believe it is?

Regardless, in typical Springer/Longrow fashion, this one more than please my pallet and is an easy 93 (if you don't like peat, it's would be about a 60!)

I'm drinking a glass of this as I type, and I have to say, this is the stuff of dreams. I don't get as much peat as you opine about, at least not in the sense that talk about. I get A LOT of earth, but it's beautifully balanced by briny, jellied fruit. It's very interesting how all spice in this ignites and then quickly expires like dirt dumped on a flame, but the sweet, briny fruit bounces back in to fill in any empty spaces. I really, really love the spongey nature of this whisky that surrounds a still unadulterated Springbank center.

I still consider myself a malt noob, but for me right now, this is bunker material.

[ChainWhip]

I get A LOT of earth, but it's beautifully balanced by briny, jellied fruit. It's very interesting how all spice in this ignites and then quickly expires like dirt dumped on a flame, but the sweet, briny fruit bounces back in to fill in any empty spaces. I really, really love the spongey nature of this whisky that surrounds a still unadulterated Springbank center.

I may have to spring for a bottle of this!

Edited August 20, 2012 by ChainWhip

[thezenone]

Was in San Francisco on Saturday and got to try quite a few drams I'd never had before:

Laphroaig Triple Wood

Kilchoman Machir Bay

Glenfarclas 17

Even got to try Nikka Black, which was quite nice.

[Happyhour24x7]

A peated Auchentoshan??? I know Bladnoch has some peated expressions but I was unaware Auchentoshan did.

Dont get too excited, I may have mislead do to inexperience in terminology. it has some faint smokiness, no more.

[Kyjd75]

Ardbeg Uigeadail. My first try at an Islay malt. Different, to say the least. But I "think" I like it. Time will tell for sure.

[ebo]

Balvenie Double Wood, this evening.

[sutton]

Back to the Glenfarclas 12 ...

[MacinJosh]

Dont get too excited, I may have mislead do to inexperience in terminology. it has some faint smokiness, no more.

Well damn! I was all excited to try a peated Auchentoshan expression!