Review one whiskey

[Gelford]

I'll bend the rules here simply to draw attention so something that is imo essensial to whisky drinking, and that is knowledge of scottish geography. There are districts and those usually come with their own brand of whiskys.

My favorate part is the island Islay. It all comes down to what one prefers in a drink, but .. I like smokey and complex and Islay offers that.

My two favorites are Laproigh and especially The Lagavulin (16 years), the ten year old laproigh is a bit harsh and lacking slightly immature, but the older are really good. The Lagavullin has always been my favorite.

There is also The Caol Ila (18 year old is what I have, but they are all fairly good) and the now closed Port Ellen, the latter I've never tasted, but it is supposedly very good.

My least favorite is the Ardbeg (15 years), that is smokey, but light ... and also The Bowmore is too dark and heavy, allthough I've only tasted the 12 year old Bowmore.


These reviews are very superficial, as I wanted to draw attention to Islay more than the indivial whiskys. It is a wonderful district, everything is very smokey with lots of character ... highly recommended!

Allthough when I feel in the need of something more civil I always turn to the Dalwhinnie (15 years) (Again no review, but there are not that many whiskys around, so I want to leave a bit space for others)


Also I do not know if it has been mentioned, but Michael Jackson has written a book, where he reviews all of Scotlands whiskys and then some, a classic book.


And to BD asking which whisky to start with, I'd say the Lagavulin else go with the 15 year old Laiphroigh or Dalwhinnie.

[dcasper70]

Lagavulin 16yo
Strength: 43% ABV
Appearance: Deep amber.
Nose: Heavy, velvety smoke with a touch of sweetness (a hint of vanilla???).
Taste: The smoke fills the palate, followed by a salty wood flavor. Other online reviews mention a sweetness coming from the sherry casks.
Finish: The dry peaty smoke stayed with me for a very long time. Extremely pleasing. I'm very glad I bought this bottle.
Price: $45

Is this what I should expect from other Isley brands? If so, I need to plan a trip...

[Los Feliz Slim]

[ QUOTE ]


Lagavulin 16yo
Strength: 43% ABV
Appearance: Deep amber.
Nose: Heavy, velvety smoke with a touch of sweetness (a hint of vanilla???).
Taste: The smoke fills the palate, followed by a salty wood flavor. Other online reviews mention a sweetness coming from the sherry casks.
Finish: The dry peaty smoke stayed with me for a very long time. Extremely pleasing. I'm very glad I bought this bottle.
Price: $45

Is this what I should expect from other Isley brands? If so, I need to plan a trip...

[/ QUOTE ]

Holy crap, I just spent $80 on this bottle [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Well, I deserved a treat. Long day, heroic me saved an old woman from certain doom. Seriously. Anyway, holy crap is this some good scotch. This is scotch that lets you know you're drinking it. This is scotch that makes non-scotch drinkers say "How the [censored] can you drink this?" Peaty, peaty, peaty, with a side of wood-fired peat and some smoked peat sauce. Very warm finish that slides down into your gullet, where it radiates happiness like a little sun in your belly. A+

[Kneel B4 Zod]

Balvenie 15:

After drinking the Balvenie 12, I wanted to see how different the 15 was. it has a lot of similar tastes, but a couple things stood out:

I thought the aroma was harsher than the 12. Cedery tastes are evident. Also tasted some vanilla. I thought the taste was a touch smoother than the 12, but I liked both a lot.

Whiskey Drinkers,

How many bottles do you keep around the house? I've recently gotten into scotch and wanted to pick up different things to try, so I bought a few different bottles. Plus it's kind of addicting to have a bunch of different bottles, but not in a weird alcoholic way. I think.

anyways, I currently have bottles of:

Balvenie 12 (almost gone)
Balvenie 15 (this and the others are about half full or more)
Macallan 12
Highland Park 12
Oban 14
Glenmorangie 15

[emil3000]

Laphroaig Quarter Cask

Me and friends drank this one on a train ride from the northern part of Sweden to Berlin last summer. I can't quite call the specifics of it, but I clearly remember it as being excellent. Most people into scotch have had a lot of Laphroaig already. This is sort of a change up of the old Laproaig recipe, same style, but a bit stronger and with some interesting flavors and a high complexity. Still it is in an acceptable price range, similar to the classic Laphroid 10yo.

Highly recommended for Islay lovers who want to try something new.

[matt2500]

Knob Creek Bourbon



Maker's Mark used to be my baseline bourbon, and I still like it quite a bit. But in the last couple of years, I've moved up to Knob Creek, which is a very smooth sipping bourbon. I don't like Maker's up, as it's got more of a bite to it than I usually like, whereas Knob Creek is a perfect bourbon to drink neat. Knob Creek has a very rich flavor that's not smoky, so much as, hmm, full-bodied I guess is the term. This is a nice sittin'-on-the-porch whiskey to enjoy with a cigar.

ElDiablo recommended Woodford Reserve to me a while back in an OOT whiskey thread, and I must say that may even supplant Knob Creek, as I've found my local liquor store now stocks it. It is a very nice upgrade from Knob Creek, for only a few dollars more per bottle.

Finally, I recently discovered that the bar at my local cardroom and casino has Booker's up on the top shelf. I was about to order a Knob Creek there a few weeks back, when I saw the Booker's and gave it a try. I must say, this was a transcendent bourbon-drinking experience for me. I noticed the high alcohol content, but what really struck me was the smokiness and the underlying sweetness (vanilla, I guess, is what BevMo calls it). I'd never tasted another bourbon like it.

The alcohol content, though. Whew! I had one more, and was feeling the booze, even though I'd been munching on finger food, and nursed the two drinks for a good half-hour each. This is not an everyday bourbon, but a break out for special occasions (like after a five-star meal) kind of drink.

[bd8802]

This is quickly becoming an obsession.



After being much heralded, I tried Oban 14 while out with friends this weekend. The first thing I noticed is that it was much deeper of a color than the Macallan that I had previously, also had a much stronger nose. When I say stronger I do not mean that in a bad way. Another thing I noticed is that glasses do matter. The brandy glass that I was using was MUCH better than the glasses i used at home. I got a much better smell of the scotch.

It's taste was not as silky as other that I have tired. It was a little more coarse. It was really different but also interesting and refreshing. I noticed maybe a hint of mint on the tip of the tongue which really went well with the peat and earthy flavors at the back of the mouth.

I liked Oban 14 so much that I think I drank about 6 more over the course of the night. Also over the course of the last couple weeks I have not added any ice or water to my scotch drinking. This has made a huge difference. As a noob I was told to add some ice, what a mistake.

One last piece of good news. I acquired a bottle of Balvenie Portwood 21 for 83$ today. I am excited to crack it open at the next special occasion.

[britspin]

Edradour 1993 cask strength.

Purchased as part of a Stag trip to Scotland. Me: Not whisky fan.

Tastes: Whisky experts can detect fine candied orange notes and claim the malt also has a peach character, with a finish marked by pepper and nutmeg.

I detect the taste of Alcohol mixed with rather high quality mud.

I am clearly a man with a terrible, terrible palate. However, i do have an outstanding bottle.

[Slow Play Ray]

I just ran across a bottle of this in a specialty liquor store near me. They only had one, and I have friends coming over for a game tonight, so I decided to snag it for $59.99.



First off, the bottle itself is really cool. It has a unique teardrop shape and a old-fashioned looking cap that for some reason reminds me of a pirate ship. And it rocks forward and back on its base ever so slightly - nice touch.

So of course I just had to open it right away, and I am sipping on my first glass as I write. I added a spash of cold water to the glass, since that is how I have been enjoying all my whiskey lately. The nose reminds me almost exactly of Johnnie Walker Green; I am not familiar with the blends but I wouldn't be surprised if they shared a couple - it has a very deep smoky/sweet smell to it. Upon first sip, I breathed in through my nose and held it in for a count of 7. It was smooth and sweet and didn't really burn. It doesn't taste as much as JWG as it smelled; it's much more subtle. But it does taste a little spicy to me - I almost want to say it's peppery. The finish is long and just a bit smoky. It's definitely good stuff, I would have no problem recommending it for the price.

I'll come back with more if anyone has any other comments on it tonight.

[edtost]

sorry guys, couldn't find an image of this one.

Signatory's Un-Chillfiltered Collection: Bladnoch 1990 (13 years)

Lowland malt, matured in a bourbon barrel, 92 proof. $66 at my local (overpriced) liquor store.

Very light, yellowish color.

I opened the bottle a couple of nights ago, and tried it out with a splash of water, which is how I usually drink my scotch.

Smokey nose and initial taste, lending its way to a sweeter, almost citrus-y flavor as it went down. Slightly oily mouthfeel.

All in all, a much more complex scotch than its almost-translucent color led me to believe. I was a big fan.