Whisky tasting

[poincaraux]

My wife sent me and and a friend to Whisky tasting. I'd had about half of these before. I have no idea how to describe Scotch, so this was my best attempt. I've never been to a Scotch tasting, but this seemed like a nice variety to me. What do ya'll think? These are the notes I took:

Dalwhinnie 15 year highland
soft, clean, delicate, lighter. I added a bit of water. I didn't like the initial taste with water as much, but the finish was better. Paired with Bread/horseraddish/Scottish smoked salmon. Salmon was fantastic.

the Glenlivet (Speyside) 18 yr banffshire
fuller, rounder, more full bodied, much bigger mouthfeel. overall better with water.

the Macallan "fine oak" 15 yr highland
get the madeira wood aged one instead.
aged in sherry and bourbon casks, mostly sherry.
great aromas of port/sherry. smooth, nice bite, nice warmth, i'm a little drunk, favorite so far. a lot smoother, less bite, easier to drink with water, but i like it better without water.
this was paired with haggis & garlic/cream/mashed potatoes. haggis was fantastic, spicy, etc.

Talisker 10 yr isle of skye
nose is very peaty, warm, smoky, v. nice. Ardbeg is a lot more complex. This is just *peat*. Much smoother with water. Super drinkable.

Laphroaig 10 yr isle of islay
super smokey. also, can very much taste sea (salty, etc.) esp. in aftertaste. paired with shortbread and whipped cream and blackberries.

[MrWookie]

Good notes. You have any info on how much they cost, or which you're most likely to drink again?

[poincaraux]

I don't have any info on how much they cost. From the guys tone of voice, I don't think any of them are super cheap or super expensive, but that's about as much as I know.

The Dalwhinnie was nice, but not really the kind of Scotch I like. I probably won't be buying it again. The Glenlivet was better, and I might buy it again (especially since I've heard such good things about it), but it's not at the top of my list. I probably won't be buying the Talisker .. I like smoky, peaty Scotches, but I like Ardbeg a lot more than Talisker, despite the fact that I think Talisker is more drinkable.

The Macallan was my favorite. I've tried this one and two other "aged in interesting casks" ones, and they were all fantastic. The guy who was running this tasting suggested getting the madeira-aged version, so that's probably at the top of my list right now. I also liked the Laphroaig quite a bit. Speaking of Laphroaig, I need to start another thread ..

[Peter Harris]

islay all the way baby

[MrMon]

These are all great. The prices reflect that.

Dalwhinnie 15 year highland $55-60

the Glenlivet (Speyside) 18 yr banffshire $75-80

the Macallan "fine oak" 15 yr highland $65-70

Talisker 10 yr isle of skye $65-70

Laphroaig 10 yr isle of islay $50-55

[quarkncover]

Poincaraux-

I'm really interested in trying the Talisker. Thanks for the trip report.

BTW - PM me, we should hit up the Potawotomi 3/5 200min 600max some time.

[ethan]

[ QUOTE ]
These are all great. The prices reflect that.

Dalwhinnie 15 year highland $55-60

the Glenlivet (Speyside) 18 yr banffshire $75-80

the Macallan "fine oak" 15 yr highland $65-70

Talisker 10 yr isle of skye $65-70

Laphroaig 10 yr isle of islay $50-55

[/ QUOTE ]

Solid list, I've had all but the Dalwhinnie. The Glenlivet 18's probably my favorite of the bunch, followed by the Talisker (obv not for the same reasons.)

Also, where do you live? It looks like the liquor taxes aren't so good there. Here in CA I'm used to paying $50 for the Glenlivet 18, $30-40 for the Laphroaig 10 (it's frequently on sale), and maybe $45-50 for the Talisker.

[MrMon]

You're probably correct on the prices, I just picked most of them off some Scotch website. They seemed a little high to me too, those must be the MSR prices.

Nice report.

I havent tried the Macallan yet, so I`m looking forward to it. I prefer the Laphroaig myself. I really like peaty scotches.

I still keep a bottle of Dalwhinnie at home. Some of my frieds really enjoy it because it is a lot "easier" than eg. Laphroaig or Lagavulin.

This site is really great btw. Lots of tasting notes: Maltmadness

[xadrez]

[ QUOTE ]
Maltmadness

[/ QUOTE ]

Best scotch site by far