What is your most recent (whisky) purchase.

[Lawrence]

Frodo, Glenfiddich Coran Reserve is made by finishing Glenfiddich in ex Islay casks. Coran refers to in, Galic, the embers of a peat fire.

[Crispy Critter]

Latest in the queue:

Connemara Cask Strength. I had (and loved) the regular-strength NAS bottling in the past. Not sure yet if I'll open it on St. Pat's, or the Black Bush, or just take a couple of drams from my already-open bottle of Redbreast...

Meanwhile, I'm slowly finishing off some of my too-many opened bottles.

[Tom]

Andrewfenton,
glad to see you actually found another bottle of Caol ila Medoc finish. Do let me know what you think of it will you?
Personally i love that expression very much, IMHO its one of the most complex Caol Ila's around.

[Deactivated Member]

Bastards....

As noted elsewhere, I set out this afternoon with the intent of buying a Macallan 18/1985. The shop in question is called Table & Vine, a really fine liquor and specialty food store in Northampton, Massachusetts, owned by a local grocery chain called the Big Y (you're snickering again!). They have a great selection of wines, beers, and liquors, as well as cheeses, meats, salads, and on and on and on. It's a really cool shop, and there is as good a selection of malts as you'll find west of Boston and north of New York. They even carry the occasional Signatory and Murray McDavid bottles.

So, the Mac...I'd meant to make this my last purchase for a while, as I've gone a bit overboard lately. They had two bottles of the 1985, and I grabbed one, at $110. They also had two bottles of the 1986 in the same cardboard tube presentation, and half a dozen more in the new presentation--broad-shouldered bottle in a cardboard box, with the triangular neck label. Is it the very same stuff? Seems odd to change the presentation in the middle of a vintage [sic]. (Incidentally, re that controversy, the bottle I bought is very plainly marked "Youngest whisky distilled in 1985"--while I agree that this is not a true vintage, there is plainly no intent to deceive. I think this was simply what Macallan thought was the best way to differentiate each year's edition, given that they weren't any longer going to be true vintages. One may disagree, of course, but the labeling is quite forthright, in my opinion.)

All right, I've got my Mac. But wait--at the end of the aisle is a display of newly-acquired Gordon & MacPhail bottlings, first I've seen in Massachusetts. There are several Connoisseur's Choice, and two Cask labels. One of these is a Bruichladdich 15/1989, cask #1955, refill sherry hogshead, 58.4%, $70. How can I resist? It's quite extraordinarily dark, walnut-colored, even, much like the last Valinch I bought at the distillery, which was also a 15-year-old refill sherry cask (#160) distilled in 1989. It would be very interesting to compare the two, if I hadn't already drunk the Valinch (it was one of the best malts I've ever had). I happen to know someone who still has a bottle of that particular Valinch, but he lives 3,000 miles away. Besides, I just insulted him on another thread.

Anyway, the good folks at Table & Vine have succeeded in prying an extra $70 out of my pocket, and given nothing in return but a potentially very, very interesting whisky. Bastards.

[bamber]

The 1986 I had (which was really good) was in the new bottle. I've also had the CS in the new bottle and that also seemed better than usual to me somehow.

It's funny because when I saw the new bottle I hated it. Now I've tasted what's inside I kinda really like it.

Like women's names ....

[Deactivated Member]

Now I've tasted what's inside I kinda really like it.

Like women's names ....

...................No, I'm not going there................

[Tom]

Excellent choice There!
Of all the 18Y old Macs i tasted the 85 is my favorite. my bottle is already open and i kinda regret that now, its so good i want to savour it very much. The new bottlings are good too though, but the 85 has more depth. A lovely dram all the way.

[patrick dicaprio]

tormore 12 yo. hope its good!

Pat

[sirj]

The bottles that I have recently purchased is:

St Magdalene 19Y RM, because after a taste of this whisky
I know that I just had to buy it...lovely.

Clynelish 14Y OB, I'm curious...

and for some weeks ago my Laphroaig quarter cask was delivered.

[justin]

2 bottles of clynelish 14yr and a bottle of powers gold label irish whisky.. . .i love the clynelish, but i've never had the powers... . the powers is mainly for when i've had a few too many drams of "the good stuff" and i need to switch to something less expensive. . . . like right now

[Mr Fjeld]

After all the positive remarks on the Lagavulin 16yo I finally gave in and bought it today! I'm really looking forward to this one!
I'm currently wondering on which of these ones to buy: Bruichladdich 17 that is now possibly my new favourite whisky or the Bruichladdich Cask Strength. Which one should I go for?

Skål!
Christian

[MGillespie]

Christian:

If it's available, try the new Bruichladdich 3D Peat Proposal...it's a peat freak's dream..

Mark

[wpt]

macallan 18yo - 1982 bottling

[Old Bollard]

This is what I brought home last week:
Ben Nevis 10 years
Glendronach 12 years
Scapa 12 years
Cardhu 12 years Pure Malt (mostly for collecting I suppose)
Nikka Pure Malt, White Label
Black Bottle 10 years (just curious to see what I can detect from this one..)

Slainte

Old Bollard

[Mr Fjeld]

Christian:

If it's available, try the new Bruichladdich 3D Peat Proposal...it's a peat freak's dream..

Mark

Hi Mark!
I'd love to - only problem is that it's not imported to Norway by the agent, and they're not the most helpfull either

Skål!
Christian

[Tom]

Although it is indeed an excellent balanced and quite complex whisky, i must dissagree with McGillespie. Its peaty, yes but not as peaty as for example Ardbeg 10 and Lagavulin 16. I know this because i used it in various HTH's with some islays. So from the view as peatfreak i'd say not really, but standing in the feet of a bruichladdich fan, then yes deffinatly. it is a great asset to the laddy range and one of my favorites, although i havent tasted the full strength yet.
So actually what im saying is that is a good purchase for bruichladdich fans in general but if its a peat attack you want you better reach for something else, it has too much balance for that.
Well thats what i experienced comparing it with some islays anyway.
Marc, i find your point a valid one in the bruichladdich context, just not in the peat freak context. so no offence intended.

[karlejnar]

I'm currently wondering on which of these ones to buy: Bruichladdich 17 that is now possibly my new favourite whisky or the Bruichladdich Cask Strength. Which one should I go for?

Being very fond of bourbon matured 'Laddie's' myself, I suggest you get them both.

My recent purchases - 3 Islay's and 2 speysider's:
Laphroaig Quarter cask - almost one month under way

Bruichladdich 3D - hard to track down here in Denmark, but a wine & spirits dealer only 70miles away had it in stock.

They also had their own bottling done at G&MP of a Caol Ila 1991 13yo - sadly only 40% - but very smoky and peaty anyway.

And finally two Glen Moray's of the "new" non-wine-finished kind, the 8 and 12 yo. Bought them cause they were on sale in a local supermarket, and I happen to have the 16 yo already (a birthday gift).
They are to go into a double vertical speyside-tasting soon. The other 3 being Balvenie 10 yo, 12 yo (Doublewood) and 17 yo Islay Cask

(Could do a triple vertical tasting using the 3x20cl Glenfiddich 12-15-18 yo sample pack)

[lifeguy]

At the moment, I feel very lucky because I have several choices for a nice Scotch Whisky. My father-in-law from Holland was nice enough to send me a good one. It is Johnny Walker "Swing", and the bottle is really neat. I think it's designed for a ship, and will not tip over when pushed. I also have a bottle of Highland Park 12, what a wonderful scotch. Today I bought a bottle of Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength. I just read that this whisky just won Scotch of the Year for 2005! I CANT WAIT TO TRY IT!! I will report back with my opinion.

check this article out on the winner.
http://media.netpr.pl/notatka_32965.html

[Lawrence]

I understand that the JW Swing was designed for the chips on the Atlantic run between England and the USA. Since the bottle has a curved bottom it would 'swing' with the ships motion thus drawing the prospective buyers attention to the only movement on the bar, the JW Swing.

[jakuda]

I just got a 18yo Macallan (1986 &younger) for US$70, which turns out to be really cheap...for some reason. Haven't opened it yet.

And an Ardbeg 10yo for $40.

[Crispy Critter]

Picked up a Bruichladdich 15 this afternoon... but I have a long way to go before I'll get a chance to open it. I figured, since I already have a Bunnahabhain waiting to be opened, I might as well give it a lightly peated Islay companion.

I'll be drawing down open bottles for quite a while yet - still open:
Ardbeg 10 (the ultimate bang-for-the-buck Islay)
Ardbeg 1977 (ONE DRAM ONLY if I pour from this one! It's one to slowly savor...)
Compass Box Eleuthera (outstanding vatted malt)
Compass Box Hedonism (yes, I like grain whisky!)
Compass Box Peat Monster (not quite as complex as Eleuthera, but very good nonetheless)
Domaine "Le Basque" Hors d'Âge Bas-Armagnac (a superb brandy)
Forty Creek Three Grain (incredible bang-for-the-buck, and almost too drinkable bzzzzzzzzzzzzz)
Knob Creek 9 (even though it's bourbon, I like it best neat in a Glencairn glass)
Redbreast 12 (pot-still goodness!)

This after killing off several other bottles! Gotta be more disciplined about popping corks!

Unopened:
Aberlour 10 plain brown tube (classic Speysider, and the first Scotch I ever had)
Aberlour A'Bunadh Batch #7 (have had #9, #10, and #11 - sherry monster extraordinaire!)
4xArdbeg 10 (gee, ya think I like Ardbeg? )
Black Bush (smoooooooooth, easy drinking)
Bruichladdich 15 (haven't had it before)
Bunnahabhain 12 (also haven't had it)
Connemara CS (have had the standard NAS version - the "Irish Islay")
Clynelish 14 OB (Eleuthera has Clynelish in it, so I thought I'd give it a go)
Guy Lhéraud VSOP Cognac (hard to find, fairly inexpensive, yummy)
Laphroaig 10 CS (Islay's answer to A'Bunadh )
St. George 3 (haven't had it before - I'm getting adventurous)
Talisker 10 (I think it's right good, even if others think it has slipped)

Killed over the last couple of months:
Caol Ila 18 (mmmmmmmmm)
Dalwhinnie 15 (nice and light)
Glendronach 15 (not cask-strength, but still a sherry monster - wow!)
Lagavulin 16 (smoky goodness - I hung on to this bottle a long time before opening it)
Longrow 10 (Campbeltown's answer to Islay)
Springbank 10 (very well-balanced)
Yamazaki 12 (surprisingly good, reasonably priced)

[Tom]

Yesterday i received my bottle of highland Park 25 in exchange for my old Port Ellen 25 OMC.Think ill wait a bit to open it.
A win/win situation since i didnt wanted a malty-grainy whisky when i bought it so it would only sit on the shelve, and the person i swapped it with liked it very much. In return i like the HP 25 much much more for its supreme balance and complexity. Its gestures like this that make it more fun again to experiment and buy a bottle with potential without knowing for certain it will deliver.
Other then that im still waiting for the Highland Park 15 Sherry cask to arrive from Orkney. An entirely different Highland Park, and if you like Sherry, a stunner that raises an eyebrow. Single cask though.
might get lured in buying something next week on the festival and if i do i will take a buy-break i think. Its been too wild lately.

[MGillespie]

Although it is indeed an excellent balanced and quite complex whisky, i must dissagree with McGillespie. Its peaty, yes but not as peaty as for example Ardbeg 10 and Lagavulin 16. I know this because i used it in various HTH's with some islays. So from the view as peatfreak i'd say not really, but standing in the feet of a bruichladdich fan, then yes deffinatly. it is a great asset to the laddy range and one of my favorites, although i havent tasted the full strength yet.
So actually what im saying is that is a good purchase for bruichladdich fans in general but if its a peat attack you want you better reach for something else, it has too much balance for that.
Well thats what i experienced comparing it with some islays anyway.
Marc, i find your point a valid one in the bruichladdich context, just not in the peat freak context. so no offence intended.

None taken, Tom...I think we're actually in agreement here! Within the Bruichladdich range, it's an excellent choice. The balance of the three different peat levels makes it a little more complex than many of the other Islays...and it's something that peat lovers should try at least once. You're right, it doesn't deliver the raw butt-kicking that Ardbeg 10 or Lagavulin 16 do...but the Bruichladdich folks deserve some credit for being creative...

Mark

[MGillespie]

Picked up a Bruichladdich 15 this afternoon... but I have a long way to go before I'll get a chance to open it. I figured, since I already have a Bunnahabhain waiting to be opened, I might as well give it a lightly peated Islay companion.

Damn, that's an impressive list! You realize you're better stocked than most bars (and a few liquor stores) ?

Mark

[MGillespie]

I understand that the JW Swing was designed for the chips on the Atlantic run between England and the USA. Since the bottle has a curved bottom it would 'swing' with the ships motion thus drawing the prospective buyers attention to the only movement on the bar, the JW Swing.

Right...all the conventional bottles would tip over with the ship's motion...which means they all had to be locked away in the liquor cabinets.

Lifeguy, I'd be interested in what you have to say after you're tried it...I've seen a few bottles occasionally on eBay, and have been tempted to put in a bid.

Mark

[Deactivated Member]

I'm currently wondering on which of these ones to buy: Bruichladdich 17 that is now possibly my new favourite whisky or the Bruichladdich Cask Strength. Which one should I go for?

Do you mean the 1989 Full Strength? I am under the impression that it's a limited release, so take that into account. (Then again, who knows how long the 17 will be around.) And I think the Full Strength is one of the best drams I've ever had. Try it after a dram of one of the peat monsters, and you'll see what I mean.

[hpulley]

Bruichladdich's stocks of old casks are not very large so most of the OBs are really limited releases. The 1st 20yo is done, the '89 Fullstrength is just about gone and I expect the 17yo is similarly low. All exist in stores but once that's gone, it will be different editions I think with the same years like the current 20yo Flirtation. The 10yo will be around I expect and they'll likely keep the 15yo around too but the reason for so many releases is because they've only been distilling for a few years and don't have the depth of stocks to provide a consistent offering. For malt-heads like us this is interesting as we like to get different expressions but it does make it tough to get more bottles later.

Harry

[Deactivated Member]

You're right about all Bruichladdichs being essentially limited editions, Harry, and that's what I was hinting at re the 17. I was told at the distillery a few years ago that there would soon be a gap in the stocks that made bottling a 10yo pretty much impossible, as well. Thus the experiments like the 3D, which has a fair amount of very young whisky in it. I think they've done a tremendous job managing their stocks so far, and it's been great fun trying to keep up with them. It will almost be a shame if they eventually settle into a few steady, standard bottlings.

I expect Ardbeg will run into a similar problem with their 10 any time now. It's surprising that the price has stayed so low.

[Lawrence]

I asked Anthony Burnett of Glenmorangie PLC late last year about stocks of Ardbeg 10 because there was a rumour making the rounds that it would soon be in short supply.

He was quite adamant that there was plently of Ardbeg 10 and that future supply was not a problem.

[Deactivated Member]

Nice to know, Lawrence. But certainly, then, there will be a stretch of time during which the 10 will actually be a 12, 14, 16. In fact, we're probably already in it. And in three or four years, we will see the beginning of the "new" 10--product made since reopening. It's interesting to compare the differing slants put on a similar problem by Ardbeg and 'Laddie.

[Crispy Critter]

I'll be very interested in seeing how "new" Ardbeg 10 stacks up to the current bottling that I've been stocking up.

On a related note, has there been any plan to bring any Very Young Ardbeg to the colonies?

As for pricing, I've noticed that Ardbeg tends to be a good value. I wonder if some of that is "brand-building," an effort to make it noticed and get out from under the shadow of Laphroaig and Lagavulin?

For me, at least, the strategy has worked.

[Mr Fjeld]

I'm currently wondering on which of these ones to buy: Bruichladdich 17 that is now possibly my new favourite whisky or the Bruichladdich Cask Strength. Which one should I go for?

Do you mean the 1989 Full Strength? I am under the impression that it's a limited release, so take that into account. (Then again, who knows how long the 17 will be around.) And I think the Full Strength is one of the best drams I've ever had. Try it after a dram of one of the peat monsters, and you'll see what I mean.

I don't know what year it was released but what you say makes sense. I checked the stock of both the 17 and the Cask Strength and it looks like I have to hurry up! Unfortunately, I gave in the other day and bought the Lagavulin 16 so I have to wait a little before my spending power is up to par.
But I have to say the 17 was fantastic - a real surprise!

Skål!
Christian

By the way, I think I read somewhere that the problem of continuity at Ardbeg first and foremost is a question about sherry matured whisky - but that doesn't affect the 10yo of course!

[Ed]

Hello All,
I went to the discount liquor store today and spent too much money. I got a tequila, the cheapest one that said it was from 100% blue agave. Scorpion Silver. The nose is a bit odd after all the whisk(e)y I have been drinking lately. It reminds me a bit of the raw spirit I tasted at the Yoichi Distillery, nicer though. Nice mouth feel, smooth, taste and finish are nice, not overpowering. A little pepper in there.
A bottle of Elmer T. Lee Kentucky straight bourbon 45%. I haven't had it yet, but it is a Buffalo Trace product and I like every thing I have had from them. The Blend of Nikka Maltbase Whisky 45%. It is a blend of grain and malt. I haven't had it yet. I was waiting to see it on sale. Today it was. And I got my first bottle of Laphroaig 15 yo. It wasn't on sale but it was cheaper than I had seen it elsewhere, 5,280 yen. I wanted to buy the Laphroaig 10 yo CS. It was cheaper, but consulted my inner oracle and got a 'yes' for the 15 yo and a 'not now' for the CS. All told I spent about 12,000 yen today.
Ed

[hpulley]

Finally got around to opening the standard Jameson I bought for St. Patty's Day. As I remember it, it is not very good. Waaay too much grain whiskey which completely overpowers the nose. Some pot still whiskey comes through in the taste but not much. The 18yo Master Selection is light years better than the standard; it is three times the price but more than three times the taste IMO.

Harry

[hpulley]

Got some Jameson 18yo Master Selection. A world better than the standard. Lots of sweet pot still whiskey, Irish like I remember it. Very enjoyable before and during a beef stew dinner.

Also Glenfarclas 105. I'd heard that it can be off putting at first but I'm used to CS and find it to be quite an enjoyable dram. Kind of youthful for sure but all the same, quite smooth for 60% ABV. Nice stuff and will be interesting to see how it develops.

Harry