Which Water of Life Did You Purchase Today?

[LeoDLion]

Let's clarify something: Peat Monster is a vatted malt, aka blended malt. It is a blend of 11 year old Caol Ila, 14 year old Ardmore, and perhaps some Laphroaig. Since many blends contain only around 20% malt, whereas Peat Monster is 100% malt, I would say it more closely resembles a single malt than a blend.

That is what I said in my original post, that it is a blend. So what are you trying to clarify?

Another blended whisky is Black Bottle. The Islay version is made up of just whiskies from Islay. A little peaty than the Highland version it is worth a try.

[Brisko]

That is what I said in my original post, that it is a blend. So what are you trying to clarify?

Another blended whisky is Black Bottle. The Islay version is made up of just whiskies from Islay. A little peaty than the Highland version it is worth a try.

Technically a Scotch blend is a mixture of malt whiskies and grain whiskies. Peat Monster is all malt, which used to be called "pure malt" or "vatted malt" or a "malt blend." I think the regulations now require it to be labelled as "blended malt."

Anyway, not the same as "blend."

[Megawatt]

Technically a Scotch blend is a mixture of malt whiskies and grain whiskies. Peat Monster is all malt, which used to be called "pure malt" or "vatted malt" or a "malt blend." I think the regulations now require it to be labelled as "blended malt."

Anyway, not the same as "blend."

Right. Since the other year when the SWA changed "vatted malt" to "blended malt," much confusion has ensued. Now when someone makes a statement like "Peat Monster is a blend," no one can be sure what it even means.

Another blended whisky is Black Bottle. The Islay version is made up of just whiskies from Islay. A little peaty than the Highland version it is worth a try.

All the malt in Black Bottle is from Islay but I reckon the grain component is from the mainland. Black Bottle may use a higher-than-normal proportion of malt but most blends are grain-based and use single malts in small amounts for flavouring.

[Megawatt]

Also, to clarify what Brisko was saying, Scotch whisky is now divided into three main categories: single malt Scotch, blended malt Scotch, and blended Scotch. My original point was, blended malt Scotch should, if anything, be lumped in with single malt, and not with blended Scotch.

[LeoDLion]

Also, to clarify what Brisko was saying, Scotch whisky is now divided into three main categories: single malt Scotch, blended malt Scotch, and blended Scotch. My original point was, blended malt Scotch should, if anything, be lumped in with single malt, and not with blended Scotch.

That is what I know too. However if you go to wikepedia, they are talking about five classes of scotch whisky. But they are just variation of what you already mentioned above.

Just to put it here, there are two basic types of Scotch Whisky: single malt and single grain. Then from these two you can mix a combination that will get three kinds of blended Scotch whisky: blended malt scotch (only malt), blended grain (only grain) and blended scotch (both malt and grain).

This is suppose to be coming from the Scotch Whisky Regulations of 2009, quite recent. I have not read on what is the purpose of such grouping. Is it for taxation purposes? Production quota? Or just to make sure whisky bottles are labeled correctly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_whisky

[LeoDLion]

Right. Since the other year when the SWA changed "vatted malt" to "blended malt," much confusion has ensued. Now when someone makes a statement like "Peat Monster is a blend," no one can be sure what it even means.

I dont think so. Single grain whisky is not very popular here in the US. People do drink it from blended scotches without realizing it. Perhaps we are splitting hair here. "From now on you got to call it blended malt which is much differnt from blend scotch" will turn off the uninitiated to such whisky snobbery.

[LeoDLion]

Technically a Scotch blend is a mixture of malt whiskies and grain whiskies. Peat Monster is all malt, which used to be called "pure malt" or "vatted malt" or a "malt blend." I think the regulations now require it to be labelled as "blended malt."

Anyway, not the same as "blend."

Well Compass has not caught on to the "new" regulation. The Peat Monster label called it "MALT SCOTCH WHISKY" without the blend.

[Megawatt]

I guess it depends on how you want to slice it. I personally think that for the sake of accuracy, blended malt and blended Scotch should not be treated as the same thing. Anyway, suffice to say that we wouldn't be having this discussion if the SWA had just left things alone. Apparently they felt the term "vatted malt" was unappetizing for consumers.

[LeoDLion]

I guess it depends on how you want to slice it. I personally think that for the sake of accuracy, blended malt and blended Scotch should not be treated as the same thing. Anyway, suffice to say that we wouldn't be having this discussion if the SWA had just left things alone. Apparently they felt the term "vatted malt" was unappetizing for consumers.

[Megawatt]

On a related note, I just picked up another pure malt: Nikka Taketsura 12 year old. I think it is a vatting of whiskies from two different Nikka distilleries. Not smoky like Yoichi, but pretty nice and balanced so far.

Interestingly, Japanese single malts are sometimes labeled "pure malt." Come to think of it I have a bottle of Strathisla 12 that is labeled as a pure Highland malt, though a more accurate description would be "single Speyside malt." It does get confusing...

[cigarnv]

A bottle of Paddy's Irish whiskey.. a very easy drinker at an attractive price.

[TomH]

On a related note, I just picked up another pure malt: Nikka Taketsura 12 year old. I think it is a vatting of whiskies from two different Nikka distilleries. Not smoky like Yoichi, but pretty nice and balanced so far.

Interestingly, Japanese single malts are sometimes labeled "pure malt." Come to think of it I have a bottle of Strathisla 12 that is labeled as a pure Highland malt, though a more accurate description would be "single Speyside malt." It does get confusing...

Actually it was the use of "Pure Malt" that caused the initial controversy the brought about the new SWA regulations. The evil empire, Diageo, was running low on supplies of Cardu (which was very popular in Spain). So they turned it from a single malt to a vatted malt and labeled it as "Pure Malt". This brought about protests from consumers and other distillers. They eventually changed the packaging as since that time its popularity has fallen enough that they have re-released Cardu as a single malt.

Also, in response to an earlier statement in this thread, while single grain scotches are few and far between on shelves, there is a very popular blended grain scotch by Compass Box - Hedonism (and Hedonism Maximus) that can easily be found across the country.

Tom

[OscarV]

I made a swap and got a bottle of Laphroaig Quarter Cask 1 litre a couple of days ago.

Hmmm, it's so good.

But me thinks the 18yo is a bit better buck-o.

[Brisko]

I go back and forth on the 18 vs the 10 y/o cask strength. I like the QC but not as much as the other two.

[Guest wripvanwrinkle]

I picked up a Greenmoore 15.

[TomH]

I seem to be giving in more to my dark side urges lately....recently purchased some cask strength Arran's finished in cream sherry casks...and of course, have been trying to capture some Ardbeg Alligator (so far 3 bottles).

Tom

[Neat]

singleton of auchroisk 1981, 5 bottles. one came in a gift pack with distillery water pitcher. haven't seen these for a LONG time. then, yesterday, i find 5 of them in 2 different stores. the dusty gods are kind.

[macdeffe]

Duncan Taylor Caperdonich 1972-2004 cask 7435 55.6%

Steffen

[Gillman]

Regular Powers, only an occasional import here. This whisky is much better IMO than Green Spot or any pure pot still. There is rich PPS but balanced against some quality grain whiskey (I think it's 70% PPS the rest grain). There is a sweetish buttery/dandelion quality which expresses perfect balance.

You can't make Irish whiskey better than this although Irishman 70 (the first bottlings) comes close.

Gary

[Shell]

Regular Powers, only an occasional import here. This whisky is much better IMO than Green Spot or any pure pot still. There is rich PPS but balanced against some quality grain whiskey (I think it's 70% PPS the rest grain). There is a sweetish buttery/dandelion quality which expresses perfect balance.

You can't make Irish whiskey better than this although Irishman 70 (the first bottlings) comes close.

Gary

I believe that Powers is the most popular Irish Whiskey in the Emerald Isles - but is not well known here in the States.

[G.H.Adams]

Powers is one of my favorite Irish Whiskeys. I have a case split by six with Powers and Powers 12 in my bunker.

[Gillman]

Some tidbits of Power's history and characteristics from the interweb:

http://homepage.eircom.net/~whiskey/pajos/powers.htm

I agree with the writer except I think Jameson's regular blend is excellent: it's a good contrast to Powers, but I'd give the edge to the latter. I made my own "super-Jameson's" blend by adding Green Spot to it, about 3:1, and this makes a more even comparison to Power's, although each will always have its own character. Jameson's is minty-like, Power's is warm/buttery, in a word.

Gary

[StraightNoChaser]

I seem to be giving in more to my dark side urges lately....recently purchased some cask strength Arran's finished in cream sherry casks...and of course, have been trying to capture some Ardbeg Alligator (so far 3 bottles).

Tom

The Alligator uses the "extra charred" Bourbon barrels. I'm really interested to know where they came from.

[TBC]

Ardbeg Uigedail today, hey Tom, where did you find the Alligator? It's been getting great write-ups online.

I wanted to pick up the Talisker 18 too, I passed on it last week and of course today, it was gone.

[TomH]

Ardbeg Uigedail today, hey Tom, where did you find the Alligator? It's been getting great write-ups online.

I wanted to pick up the Talisker 18 too, I passed on it last week and of course today, it was gone.

It's been a matter of getting one bottle at a time. One bottle from one favorite store, another bottle from another store I frequently buy from, stumbling onto one bottle in a store in SF when lured into it by some other SB'ers I was with. I found a site on-line that listed a case for sale which I immediately jumped on, however a couple of days later I got the expected email saying that Alligator was limited and they couldn't complete the order.

Tom