What is your most recent (whisky) purchase.

[islayjunkie]

Laga 16yo is not yet out of stock but it is getting scarce for sure.

Same here. My local Bevmo said they will not be carrying it for quite some time which surprised me. One Bevmo employee commented a customer saying the distillery will be cutting off some markets untill 2007? This seems more a rumor tan fact but I'd like to know what's going on. It's sold out at all the usual places I get it at here in San Diego County.

Still plenty of Clynelish though

Just purchased a Macallan Cask Strength 57.7 and Bunnahabhain 12yo OB.... both are very nice for the price.

Last time I had Macallan was in 1995. I was never Macallan or sherry fan but this is making me rethink things. Maybe it's the non chill filtering... or maybe it's because it more winey than sherry. I love wine.

[Deactivated Member]

I know that in recent years in Quebec, Lagavulin has been available for about six months out of the year, and then disappears. I have the impression that the SAQ orders the stuff once a year, and when it's gone, it's gone. Nobody wants to hear this, but given low stocks and high demand, the price is simply not high enough!

[islayjunkie]

I've been getting Lagavulin at $55.00 USD and realize I'm taking it for granted. I just ordered a case however it's been 2 months and I bought my last bottle from this large chain grocery store. I suspect I'm going to receive bad news.

[Deactivated Member]

Islayjunkie, we still have plenty of 'Lag' here in the Netherlands.

The fact that your Mac taste more winey is that they used first fill sherry butts for this one and it had less filltration then usual. Ofcourse the fact that they bottled it at CS counts too.

Cheers,

Erik

[islayjunkie]

Islayjunkie, we still have plenty of 'Lag' here in the Netherlands.

Do you have a website in the Netherlands that ships Lag to the USA

Yeah, I'm stocking up on the CS.

[Admiral]

Having just read Mr Picky's posting on the other thread, the discussion of plurality for Glenfarclas suddenly seems quite in context!!

[Deactivated Member]

I'm afraid the majority won't ship to the US Islayjunkie

However you might try De Whisky Koning at http://www.whiskykoning.nl Maybe he will do it...

Happy hunting,

Erik

[bond]

Have just been gifted a Dalmore 12 YO "black isle" . Under doc's orders, I am off alcohol for a month or so.

Any previews of this malt would be welcome!

[islayjunkie]

2 bottles of Laphroig 10yo. After my last whicky purchase I'm lucky to afford this.

... it is a bit sweeter these days but still very drinkable for the price.

[meatyork]

JW Black Label. Loads of flavours + good value for money (cheaper here than it is in the UK). A nice dram which is affordable

[Tom]

Received a bottle of Lagavulin 16 from my boss last week.
Also the Port Ellen 25 OMC has arrived today. Cracked it open and we were not impressed at all. then again its still early.

[Admiral]

Was it the Port Ellen or the Lagavulin you weren't impressed with, Tom?


Yesterday I bought an Evan Williams Single Barrel, vintage 1994.

Quality bourbons are pretty rare in this country, so I thought I'd try it out.

Cheers,
Admiral

[Lawrence]

Last night I picked up a bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail which is really neat becasue it's not even available in Canada yet

[islayjunkie]

Just picked up a case of Laga 16, out of price hike fears... rumors around here driving up the price and making it harder to find at most liquor stores.

If anyone here lives near San Diego, CA, Lag 16yo can be had for $53.99 at select VONS grocery stores in bulk (6 or more bottles).

PM me for exact location.

[Ed]

Hello All,
I don't think I have seen Laga at all in Sapporo, Japan.

My most recent purchases,

On the 23rd I got:
Glenmorangie 10 year old. As yet unopened. I was tempted to get the Sherry finish and or the Port. I can't try everything at once. I seem to be trying though...

Elijah Craig 12 yr. Wonderful bourbon. First rate. As yet unopened.

Maker's Mark red seal. Opened and a little disappointed. Nice smooth, good flavor. Still lacks something, I think. I think I am missing the rye. Maker's Mark uses wheat instead. I have a bottle of VIP gold seal still unopened. I will wait till the red is down about half way and open it and compare them.

Yesterday, the 31st, I got Suntory 10 year old single malt. Opened. Can't say yet. Nice, though.

The Macallan 12 yr. Opened. Like it. Still mulling it over.

Cardhu 12 single malt. Nice, smooth, sweet, uncomplicated at first taste. I want to mull this over quickly. If I like it enough I want to buy it up before it disappears.
Ed

[Tom]

Guys dont get all excited, although it was a nice gesture, it was also the first thing i got from him in 7 years. But it was nice nevertheless.
Admiral, it was the port ellen that was dissapointing, first drams were very very closed, we let it breathe for an hour in the glass and it only opened up alitlle. Im hoping with oxidation the bottle will improve, like so many of my bottles have after awhile.

[Bart]

Last month...yes Christmas...I gave myself a Chieftains Springbank 1968 (35 yr). I have not tried it yet, will l Let you know when I do.

This week I bought a Dun Bheagan Tamdhu 14 yr on Medoc Claret (50%), not a bad drop at all. I would have thought though that the Claret would have had more influx on the whisky. I guess wine barrels don't have a strong impact on the whisky like a sherry or bourbon barrel.

[Admiral]

I've enjoyed the Bowmore Claret in the past, and I found the claret had a drying, toasty sort of impact on the palate. I guess it imparts elements of the grape and the wine's spices, rather than the sweetness that bourbon or sherry imparts.

Cheers,
Admiral

[Bart]

I do have a Bowmore Claret as well, still unopened. A nice gift for a job well done.
I will try it this coming weekend.

I used to have a Glen moray, which matured on a 'chardonnay' barrel. I remember that one being very sweet, melon, but left the palette very quickly

[Lawrence]

I forgot to mention that I ordered two bottles of the SMWS 33.50, a 10 year old Ardbeg Single Cask. It'll arrive in a few months and will be tasted later in the year.

Seems like a long wait.

[Deactivated Member]

Ed, don't panic, the Cardhu single malt isn't going anywhere, if I've properly followed what's been going on. Funny, I almost bought a bottle, even though it's not a favorite of mine, for the reason that you cite--that it was slated to disappear. Actually saw "single malt" and "pure malt" bottles side by side in an airport duty-free somewhere. Should have bought the pure malt--that's the collector's item now!

I just returned from a trip to the Great White North, and was excited to see Highland Park 25 at the duty-free at the border, for $225 Canadian. I wouldn't normally consider spending that much for a bottle, but I get credits at the duty-free because of my job. In fact, about half of my inventory, mostly run-of-the-mill OB's, has been acquired this way, at essentially no real cost to me. (The other half is bottles brought back from Scotland at enormous expense...I figure it averages out.) So it isn't my most recent purchase, but I'm I'm saving up my credits. Will repost here in a couple months!

[Ed]

Hello All,
Thanks, MrTattieHeid, I haven't been following this at all, but both Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch 5th edition and Jim Murray's Whiskey Bible 2004 said the Cardhu Singl Malt was going to disappear. I am glad that I won't have to buy a bunch of it. Not sure that my wife would put up with another buying spree.
Ed

[Ed]

Hello All,
I thought I would share the prices I paid for my latest purchases. In yen of course. Here is a link to a currency converter someone, I forget who exactly, but thanks again. http://www.xe.com/ucc/ divide by 100 and you will get pretty close to the US dollar.

Glenmorangie 10 yr 40% 3,129 yen

Elijah Craig 12 yr 2,205 yen

Maker's Mark Red Seal 2068 yen

The Macallan 12 yr 3,480 yen

Cardhu 12 yr single malt 3,680 yen

Suntory Yamazaki 10 yr single malt 3,750 yen

All prices include the 5% consumption tax.

Oh, and I saw a bottle of Ardbeg Provenance for 99,780 yen. Don't think I'll be getting that one...


Ed

[islayjunkie]

I just placed an order for a Compass Box Monster.

"For those that aren't afraid of big, fiery malts. Peaty smoky nose, reminiscent of bonfires by the sea and/or smoked bacon sizzling in a hot pan... smoky finish that (seemingly) never stops."

Source is Caol Ila, 10 years old, and 15 year-old smoky, rich Ardmore. Bottled at cask strength, 46%. Not chill filtered.

I'll know in a week if this is a hyped blend or not.

[hpulley]

I believe Monster is a vatting, not a blend. I like the Compass Box bottlings but find them to be overpriced, which might be my bias that vattings should be cheaper for some reason but they don't generally have an age statement which lowers my perceived value, whether or not it should. Caol Ila and Ardmore are nice malts for sure.

Last night I purchased another bottle of Bruichladdich 13yo '89 Fullstrength 57.1%. I've already opened it. Nice stuff, already flavorful though at first it is quite tart -- that mellowed nicely as the bottle aired out in the previous one I finished recently.

Harry

[Deactivated Member]

It's not a recent purchase, but my interest of buying abottle in the very very nearby future, would certainly go out to the Peerless selection from Duncan Taylor. I have some excellent experiences with these versions....

Cheers,

Erik

[hpulley]

The Peerless bottlings are really nice. I had some at a whisky show last fall and I've hopefully got some samples in the mail shortly so I can see about importing some cases. Some real gems in that selection of '60s casks!

Harry

[Deactivated Member]

Harry, it seems to me that vatted malts qualify as a subset of blends--i.e. all vatted malts are blends, not all blends are vatted malts. JW Blue springs to mind--most would call it a blend, but there isn't any grain whisky in it, is there? I'm sure I will be corrected if I'm mistaken on either account.

[Lawrence]

Johnnie Walker is a blended whisky, a mixture of grain whisky (made from corn or wheat ) and single malts made from barley. Vatted malts are a mixture of single malts ONLY.

I tried JW Green Label today, a vatted malt. Not impressed.

[Admiral]

Johnnie Walker Blue does contain grain whisky, and is therefore indeed a blend, and a bloody overpriced one at that.

I could be accused of being a stickler for definitions, but let's not get confused on this - a blend is defined and accepted as being grain whisky combined with malt whisky.

A vatted malt is a malt whisky from one distillery combined with one or more malts from other distilleries.

Sorry Mr T, but - by definition - vatted malts in no way qualify as a subset of blends. They are two different beasts.

I find JW Green pleasant enough - not much sparkle or top notes in the palate, but I'm impressed enough not to refuse it if someone offered me a dram!

Cheers,
Admiral

[Ed]

Hello All,

And thanks Admiral, I wanted to say something about the terminology, but felt I lacked the authority, the gravitas, to do so. While I am all for letting idiomatic speech mean what it means to the speakers irregardless (I know that is a double negative, I like double negatives, so sue me.) of Mr. Picky's feelings on the subject I like technical terminology to have precise definitions.

Mr TattieHeid, you may feel free to turn up your nose at vatted malts as something substandard unworthy of your time and attention. Perhaps you are correct to do so. I certainly am not in a position to tell you to do otherwise, I, a lowly bourbon drinker just now exploring malts in a serious way.

Somebody correct me if I am wrong, but aren't most single malts vatted or married from many casks, albeit casks from one distiller? That being so, the purest of the pure would be single cask bottlings. I don't think I have had the privilege of drinking a single cask malt yet. I have had a few single cask bourbons. I haven't yet had the chance to compare different casks of the 'same' bourbon. Something to look forward to.

By the way, my favorite malt to date is probably Pure Malt Black Product of Nikka batch 22D44A 43% no age statement. Probably. It is lovely, smoky (not overwhelmingly) somewhat medicinal, sweet-malty-vanilla-yummy stuff. More complex than most of the single malts I have tasted though I can't claim to have tried the best as yet.

Ed

[hpulley]

Yes, most single malt products still are vattings from one distillery, usually from different ages and vintages. Single cask bottlings are available from many independent bottlers and even some distilleries.

Harry

[Ed]

Hello All,
Hello hpulley,

Basically, I think that the whisk(e)y whatever it may be, single cask, single malt, vatted malt, blend, grain, bourbon, moonshine, whatever, must stand or fall on its own merits.

Ed

[islayjunkie]

Yes, most single malt products still are vattings from one distillery, usually from different ages and vintages.

That's what I figured when I posted I had a vatted Lagavulin. I mixed 2 parts 12yo CS with one part 16yo OB.

Now if I added 1 part Bunnahabhain 12yo to mellow out my vatted Lag it would be a blend.

[hpulley]

No, vattings are all malt whisky. To be a blend you'd have to add some grain whisky as well.

When I say that a single malt is a vatting I don't mean 'vatting' in the sense that it includes multiple distilleries. Your 'vatting' of Laga 12 and Laga16 is sort of a Lagavulin 12yo Single Malt since it is all whisky from Lagavulin distillery and the youngest is 12 years old. If you added some Bunnahabhain you'd have a vatted islay malt of the youngest age vatted so a 12yo Bunny would mean a 12yo vatted islay. If you added some scotch grain whisky, say of 10 years old, you'd have a 10yo blended scotch whisky as a result.

Harry