What Wee Dram are you enjoying now?

[Megawatt]

Having some Arran Malt Amarone Finish, 50% alc/vol. Nice stuff, fruity and salty, dry finish.

[Brisko]

Just cracked open a bottle of White Horse. I think the general consensus is that it is a solid, value blend. I would agree.

It is a very middle of the road blend, not a lot of immature notes despite the fact it's NAS, and not especially peaty, despite the fact that its claim to fame is having Lagavulin as one of the prime malt constituents. The Lagavulin isn't overtly evident until the finish, which is uncharacteristically long and flavorful.

A pleasant dram that doesn't require a lot of thought.

[unclebunk]

Just cracked open a bottle of White Horse. I think the general consensus is that it is a solid, value blend. I would agree.

It is a very middle of the road blend, not a lot of immature notes despite the fact it's NAS, and not especially peaty, despite the fact that its claim to fame is having Lagavulin as one of the prime malt constituents. The Lagavulin isn't overtly evident until the finish, which is uncharacteristically long and flavorful.

A pleasant dram that doesn't require a lot of thought.

I would highly recommend trying Teacher's Highland Cream as well. Recent bottles that my friends and I have been sampling have been very good, even better than White Horse when we tried them side by side, though I do enjoy both.

[moose]

Ended up getting the HP12 today, haven't cracked it open yet, may wait til tomorrow to have a celebratory drink on the holiday.

[unclebunk]

Sat out on our first truly autumnal evening and enjoyed a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black and a few pints of beer from a local brew pub. Heaven!

[Brisko]

I would highly recommend trying Teacher's Highland Cream as well. Recent bottles that my friends and I have been sampling have been very good, even better than White Horse when we tried them side by side, though I do enjoy both.

Yes, I'm a big fan of Teacher's, too. The last bottle I had (about a year ago) was good but with some green notes... This bottle of White Horse would probably have the edge in my book. But I do like honest, mildly peaty blends.

[Dramiel McHinson]

Cracked open a bottle of Glenmorangie Lasanta. Finished in Olorosa sherry casks and delivered to my house at a non chill filtered 46% ABV. Nice elegant bottle with a mahogany colored whisky. The nose was soft and nutty with a hint of raisins and prunes. This must surely indicate the Lasanta is a health drink. The taste reminded me of Macallen with a slightly more sweet taste. The sherry was very evident and blended well with the roasted nuts, cereal, and toasted oak flavors. A nice smooth dram and if you like shrried whisky you will like this one as well.

[cbus]

Enjoying Dalmore 12 year right now while doing some history homework. I have yet to encounter a highland malt that I did not enjoy, and this is certainly no exception.

[Megawatt]

Cracked open a bottle of Glenmorangie Lasanta. Finished in Olorosa sherry casks and delivered to my house at a non chill filtered 46% ABV. Nice elegant bottle with a mahogany colored whisky. The nose was soft and nutty with a hint of raisins and prunes. This must surely indicate the Lasanta is a health drink. The taste reminded me of Macallen with a slightly more sweet taste. The sherry was very evident and blended well with the roasted nuts, cereal, and toasted oak flavors. A nice smooth dram and if you like shrried whisky you will like this one as well.

I tried this at a Scotch tasting and it came across very well. Accurate comparison to Macallan sherry cask. I think I liked it better than the Quinta Ruban port finish, which is good but drier and more subtle from my recollection.

[Megawatt]

Wemyss Spice King 8 year old vatted malt. It is starting to grow on me. Honey sweetness with a strong note of peat, not unlike Jura Superstition.

[cbus]

Jamesssssssssssssssssoooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dramiel McHinson]

I dug out a bottle of Tobermory 10 yo 40% ABV that has been occupying valuable shelf space for several years. It lacks the usual attention to bottle and label art given to other more recognizable brands with a green bottle and plain white lettering. The ugly duckling quickly changed to a graceful swan after I popped the cork and took my first sniff. The nose was subtle hints of flowers, cereal, orange peel, and a touch of almonds, oak, and all spice. The taste was off dry with rich malty butterscotch backed by the oak and spice. The finish was incredibly long fading on oak and spice. It wasn't complex but It was well balanced flavors. I certainly overlooked this bottle's potential to be an enjoyable dram.

[unclebunk]

Laphroaig Cask Strength on deck for this evening. We're about to hit a stretch of the coolest/coldest evening weather we've had since spring, so I anticipate many fine drams to appear this week. Gotta love that sweatshirt/light jacket autumnal weather and nothing goes better than a little Islay whisky when you're sitting out on the deck.

[Vosgar]

Gotta love that sweatshirt/light jacket autumnal weather and nothing goes better than a little Islay whisky when you're sitting out on the deck.

I agree whole heartedly Hank, only my choice this evening is Laphroaig Cairdeas.

Gary

[Virus_Of_Life]

I agree whole heartedly Hank, only my choice this evening is Laphroaig Cairdeas.

Gary

Gary, that is what I had tonight as well. I've said several times I have no idea what happened, but I all of the sudden am in love with some Islay SMS.

[unclebunk]

... we've been slumming it with nas blends (excpt for Caol Ila 8 yo unpeated- and un-existent now at my house) for the last couple weeks. .in the following order: Ballentine's, White Horse, and now Teacher's. No problem with any of them ...

... just did a comparison between Ballentine's and Teacher's and I give it by a half point to Teacher's ....

Those three, plus Famous Grouse, are perpetually in stock in my house. I buy the 1.75L bottles and stick them out where they're visible and my friends go for 'em like moths to a light. I bounce back and forth between them and can never quite decide on a favorite, though if I absolutely had to pick two they would be Ballantine's and Teacher's, I suppose.

[Dramiel McHinson]

Did a nose dive into a 2007 Laphroaig 15 year old. Sweet mother of scotch was it good! All the Laphroaig taste was there except smooth as silk and very well balanced. I then tossed a bloopers of filtered water into it and it blossomed like sweet magnolias. Just a small amount of water opens this 15 year old remarkably. It brought out the more subtle honey, heather, and cereal notes and tamed the phenols a tad while balancing the smoke and oak. Great dram. Then to top it off I hit the 10 yo Laphroaig 2005 cask strength. At first I thought I might be able to replace my wife with these two lovely bottles but after the blush from the alcohol and stunning peat and smoke wore off, my mind cleared and I reasoned I shouldn't give up the lovely wife or the scotch. I would just have to balance my affection appropriately.

Cheers!

Dan

[ebo]

With this Fall weather we're having, I'm enjoying a nice pour of Caol Ila 12.

[ebo]

Having a dram of Ardbeg 10 while watching my Buckeyes look pathetic against Miami.

[Parkersback]

What's this, a SMS from Laphroaig not available here? Curses! :hot:

... we've been slumming it with nas blends (excpt for Caol Ila 8 yo unpeated- and un-existent now at my house) for the last couple weeks. .in the following order: Ballentine's, White Horse, and now Teacher's. No problem with any of them ...

Does anyone know--or is there a page you could point me to (I've looked a bit already)--that lays out in one place the sources of the more popular scotch blends? E.g. I have heard that there is Macallan's in Famous Grouse, but I wonder what else is in there, and I wonder the same for the rest of these blends.

Thanks for any help!

[Dramiel McHinson]

Opened the Aberfeldy 12 yo today. A real soft dram all on honey, rich malty cereal, well balanced oak and spice. This is the base for Dewar's blends and it performs very well as a single malt. A perfect dram to have after a good meal.

Cheers!

Dan

[unclebunk]

Does anyone know--or is there a page you could point me to (I've looked a bit already)--that lays out in one place the sources of the more popular scotch blends? E.g. I have heard that there is Macallan's in Famous Grouse, but I wonder what else is in there, and I wonder the same for the rest of these blends.

Thanks for any help!

I've often wondered this myself, as I can only find information in a piecemeal fashion. If I come across a site with more comprehensive info all in one place I'll let you know.

[Brisko]

I doubt that you are going to find anything definitive. Most blends have certain "foundational" malts but it's my understanding that overall their formulas are more generalized-- they're looking for malts that fit a certain profile, rather than product from a specific distillery. You might be able to find out what the foundational components are but a blend might use anywhere from 15 to 40 other malts to round out the profile.

In terms of foundational malts that I know of off the top of my head (and these are all more or less hearsay, and can change based on availability):

Famous Grouse has Highland Park in it, in addition to the already noted Macallan.

Johnnie Walker Black is based on Talisker, Caol Ila, Cardhu, and Linkwood.

Teacher's has a bunch of Ardmore.

White Horse is supposedly based on Lagavulin, though that seems suspect now given that Lagavulin is at such a premium.

Something else to keep in mind is that a the malt that a given distillery makes for blend fill may not be entirely representative of their house style. The most drastic expample might be Caol Ila's unpeated malt (which they also release occasionally on its own).

[unclebunk]

I doubt that you are going to find anything definitive. Most blends have certain "foundational" malts but it's my understanding that overall their formulas are more generalized-- they're looking for malts that fit a certain profile, rather than product from a specific distillery. You might be able to find out what the foundational components are but a blend might use anywhere from 15 to 40 other malts to round out the profile.

In terms of foundational malts that I know of off the top of my head (and these are all more or less hearsay, and can change based on availability):

Famous Grouse has Highland Park in it, in addition to the already noted Macallan.

Johnnie Walker Black is based on Talisker, Caol Ila, Cardhu, and Linkwood.

Teacher's has a bunch of Ardmore.

White Horse is supposedly based on Lagavulin, though that seems suspect now given that Lagavulin is at such a premium.

Something else to keep in mind is that a the malt that a given distillery makes for blend fill may not be entirely representative of their house style. The most drastic expample might be Caol Ila's unpeated malt (which they also release occasionally on its own).

Thanks for the info. Very helpful!

[Parkersback]

Thanks, Brisko, really helpful.