Which Water of Life Did You Purchase Today?

[unclebunk]

That 1973 Glen Flagler sures looks awesome. And handsomely packaged too! I'm guessing that's a "special occasion" bottle for you but I'm interested to know what you think of it when you finally crack it open. Thanks for the picture, AVB.

[greenman]

got a bottle of Glenmorangie Necto D' or, the wife and I had a drink of it, very tasty, dont know all the tasting review language, just know my nose liked it, my mouth and tongue really enjoyed it, and the throat savored it.

[unclebunk]

Just about to crack open my bottle of Sheep Dip. Richard Paterson, do your stuff. He's a true Master Blender, so I'm expecting a tasty pour.

[ThomasH]

Got a 200ml Dewars 3 bottle set that contains a 12yr., 18yr. and Signature. Also purchased a 1L of Black Grouse. These were purchased at Detroit and Windsor duty free respectively this past weekend!

Thomas

[dgonano]

Picked up an Inverleven, Braes of Glenlivet and a Mosstowie..all Duncan Taylor bottlings.

[The Boozer]

Caol Ila 18 yr. Its been discontinued so I feel pretty lucky to have pick it up. Was actually pretty shocked to see it at the party store given it was de-listed about 6-8 months ago from the State list.

TJ

[unclebunk]

Caol Ila 18 yr. Its been discontinued so I feel pretty lucky to have pick it up. Was actually pretty shocked to see it at the party store given it was de-listed about 6-8 months ago from the State list.

TJ

[AVB]

I did a review of the 18 back in 2005 if you want to read it

[unclebunk]

I did a review of the 18 back in 2005 if you want to read it

[AVB]

I don't know if it has been discontinued or they don't have any 18 yo product at the moment but it is getting much harder to find. It is still listed on the website so maybe it really is just a product shortage.

[The Boozer]

Another reviewer mentioned that Caol Ila has many of the characteristics found in other Islays (peat, smoke, seaweed, etc.) but is more "nuanced," making it somewhat easier to tease out the various flavors and aromas. I think that that is quite true, as it is certainly harder for me to discern what lies beneath the peat and smoke in Laphroaig and Ardbeg than Caol Ila. In that regard, you could make the case that Caol Ila is more balanced than those two, though I love them all now.

About $65 + tax, which I recall was the State min price before MI dropped it from their list.

As far as taste, you nailed it right on the head. Caol Ila is the most balanced of the Islay SMS. While I love the so called "big 3" I also have a hard time getting to the underlying flavors past all the smoke and peat. Caol Ila 12 and 18 are like chocolate covered salty pretzels, sweetness and salty working together on the palate. I would say that CI 12 tends to be more towards briny/salt in taste whereas CI 18 tends to be more cocoa/sweetness. Both are great and highly recommend. Good review AVB.

As a side note the LCC added a Caol Ila 10 yr cask strength and Caol Ila Distiller's Edition to the State list. Have an order in the the 10 yr CS, its 131.6 proof.

TJ

[JamesW]

I'm very curious now about the 18 yr CI after reading AVB's review.

The 12 yr never really did it for me though. I've always found it to be decent but a bit too 'thin' for my tastes. I'd spend the extra 5-10 and get Laga 16. However I just saw the CI 18 for $65 online and am very tempted....

[The Boozer]

I'm very curious now about the 18 yr CI after reading AVB's review.

The 12 yr never really did it for me though. I've always found it to be decent but a bit too 'thin' for my tastes. I'd spend the extra 5-10 and get Laga 16. However I just saw the CI 18 for $65 online and am very tempted....

I don't want to talk you out of anything but you may want to pass if you thought the CI 12 was "thin". I found the flavors in CI 18 to be more subtle than in the 12 yr. For lack of better vocabulary, I would say that the 18 yr is a "gentler" Islay. BTW Laga 16 is $87 + 6% tax in MI while Laph and Ard 10 are both $49.99. Guess what's not in my liquor cabinet. TJ

[JamesW]

I don't want to talk you out of anything but you may want to pass if you thought the CI 12 was "thin". I found the flavors in CI 18 to be more subtle than in the 12 yr. For lack of better vocabulary, I would say that the 18 yr is a "gentler" Islay. BTW Laga 16 is $87 + 6% tax in MI while Laph and Ard 10 are both $49.99. Guess what's not in my liquor cabinet. TJ

Ouch! I can get Laga 16 regularly for $60 and sometimes even low 50's. Ardberg 10 regularly goes for low $40's near me as well.

on the side...one of my favorites is the non-Islay, island of Skye's Talisker 18. Great balance of honey-smoke, salty brine and with a spicy chili-pepper finish. But that has really shot up in price lately too. I can still get it though for around $70 with the 10 yr for around $50, however the 10 year hasn't been as good of late.

[ama]

About $65 + tax, which I recall was the State min price before MI dropped it from their list.

As far as taste, you nailed it right on the head. Caol Ila is the most balanced of the Islay SMS. While I love the so called "big 3" I also have a hard time getting to the underlying flavors past all the smoke and peat. Caol Ila 12 and 18 are like chocolate covered salty pretzels, sweetness and salty working together on the palate. I would say that CI 12 tends to be more towards briny/salt in taste whereas CI 18 tends to be more cocoa/sweetness. Both are great and highly recommend. Good review AVB.

As a side note the LCC added a Caol Ila 10 yr cask strength and Caol Ila Distiller's Edition to the State list. Have an order in the the 10 yr CS, its 131.6 proof.

TJ

The CI 10 CS is a completely different whisky. Its unpeated!

[unclebunk]

I don't want to talk you out of anything but you may want to pass if you thought the CI 12 was "thin". I found the flavors in CI 18 to be more subtle than in the 12 yr. For lack of better vocabulary, I would say that the 18 yr is a "gentler" Islay. BTW Laga 16 is $87 + 6% tax in MI while Laph and Ard 10 are both $49.99. Guess what's not in my liquor cabinet. TJ

If you scroll back in time, you'll see posts in which I bashed Ardbeg 10 for being "thin," though chock full of flavor. I remember the first time I poured some in a Glencairn glass and thinking that it looked like diluted pee. My immediate reaction was, "I hope this has way more body than it appears to have." Sadly, it didn't. It seemed totally lacking and I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. Don't get me wrong, I've grown to love the intensity of the flavor and aroma, and it has an amazingly long finish, but I've always thought it would be among the top three or four affordable SMS's if they'd just up the malt quotient. I didn't have the same feeling with the CI 12, which I find has a nice mouth-feel (I hate that term but it works).

Ouch! I can get Laga 16 regularly for $60 and sometimes even low 50's. Ardberg 10 regularly goes for low $40's near me as well.

Want to cry! Lagavulin 16 is $90-$95 everywhere around here (just check Binny's site) and Ardbeg 10 is generally $60, though I can still score semi-dusties of each for much less if I really hunt. I'm going to definitely check out the Caol Ila 18 after reading "Caol Ila 12 and 18 are like chocolate covered salty pretzels, sweetness and salty working together on the palate. I would say that CI 12 tends to be more towards briny/salt in taste whereas CI 18 tends to be more cocoa/sweetness." Who could resist?:grin:

[ILLfarmboy]

I went gift set hunting today. Boy, pickin's are slim. I know I was a little late hitting all the stores, but damn! Everyone I talked to said the same thing, the holiday gift sets have been trimed back this year. The economy perhaps? I saw only one bourbon set, the WT101 with a flask, that was it.

Anyhow, at the last store I picked up a Glenfiddich 12 set with a Glencairn type Glass and a Glenfidich 15 mini.

[Lost Pollito]

I went gift set hunting today. Boy, pickin's are slim. I know I was a little late hitting all the stores, but damn! Everyone I talked to said the same thing, the holiday gift sets have been trimed back this year. The economy perhaps? I saw only one bourbon set, the WT101 with a flask, that was it.

Anyhow, at the last store I picked up a Glenfiddich 12 set with a Glencairn type Glass and a Glenfidich 15 mini.

Tons in Chicago. Maybe to many gift sets for my liking.

[emr454]

Powers Gold Label Irish Whiskey. This is the first Irish whiskey I've tried that I like, although the only other one I've had was regular Bushmills.

[unclebunk]

Powers Gold Label Irish Whiskey. This is the first Irish whiskey I've tried that I like, although the only other one I've had was regular Bushmills.

I really like Powers Gold Label and Bushmills too. Try Tullamore Dew, which is in the same price range, and see what you think.

[ILLfarmboy]

Powers Gold Label Irish Whiskey. This is the first Irish whiskey I've tried that I like, although the only other one I've had was regular Bushmills.

I don't like Bushmill's White. It is thin on taste and spirty. In that way it reminds me of JWR. Powers gold is a good blend. For more taste step up to Jameson 12, Bushmill's 10 or the gold standard, Redbreast

[emr454]

I think Jameson will be my next Irish whiskey. I found it on sale in a gift pack at the newest liquor store in town. For the same price as a 750, I can get a 750 and 2 rocks glasses. Not a huge deal, but 2 free glasses are nice!

[unclebunk]

I don't like Bushmill's White. It is thin on taste and spirty. In that way it reminds me of JWR. Powers gold is a good blend. For more taste step up to Jameson 12, Bushmill's 10 or the gold standard, Redbreast

Bushmills is a bit thin but for the novice Irish whiskey drinker or someone on a budget it's a good place to start. It's certainly not anywhere near as good as Black Bush but when you're out on the town throwing back pints of Guinness and shots of Irish whiskey, it hits the spot without killing the wallet. All the others you mentioned are fantastic in my book, especially the Redbreast, but emr454 said that the Powers Gold was the first Irish whiskey he's tried that he actually liked, so I didn't think he'd want to risk going double the price on the really good stuff. Farmboy, have you tried the Irishman 70 recommended by Gillman in another thread? Great flavor and aroma with a beautiful balance of malt and pot still.

[ILLfarmboy]

Bushmills is a bit thin but for the novice Irish whiskey drinker or someone on a budget it's a good place to start. It's certainly not anywhere near as good as Black Bush but when you're out on the town throwing back pints of Guinness and shots of Irish whiskey, it hits the spot without killing the wallet. All the others you mentioned are fantastic in my book, especially the Redbreast, but emr454 said that the Powers Gold was the first Irish whiskey he's tried that he actually liked, so I didn't think he'd want to risk going double the price on the really good stuff. Farmboy, have you tried the Irishman 70 recommended by Gillman in another thread? Great flavor and aroma with a beautiful balance of malt and pot still.

Yeah, you're probably right.

The standard Jamesons in my opinion is way better than Busmills standard offering. I probably should have went with that as a recommendation.

No, I haven't tried the Irishman 70 yet. I'll get around to it one of these days. I think I may have seen some down in Peoria at a Friar Tucks.

[Megawatt]

An early Christmas present: Aberlour a'bunadh batch 23. Never tried this stuff before, so I'm quite excited.