What are you drinking now?

[Lord_Pfaffin]

OOPS! i meant the 25 yr old 21 was a typo after a few drops, well okay half a bottle Thanks guys!!
Ardaíonn ár ngrá muid féin níos airde i gcónaí!

[Frodo]

Well, if you can afford C$400/bottle for the stuff, hats off to you...

[Lord_Pfaffin]

Eew 400 beans eh ! That'd take your hat off at the shoulders ! Oh well i'll just have to settle on the 10 and a touch of mother nature.
Ardaíonn ár ngrá muid féin níos airde i gcónaí!

[Deactivated Member]

Loch Fyne has Lord Of The Isles (Ardbeg 25) for under £100. That's a measly C$225!

[Lord_Pfaffin]

Now if i could find a liquor merchant in Alberta i might just get lucky and find a bottle for $200cdn and with my Jack Daniels coin bank full sometime in September, just in time for my birthday, a bottle could be within my grasp. I still can see myself sayin' no at the last second and buying 3 good bottles instead.

[Mr Fjeld]

Lovely evening so far - as every second weekend in the month is(because I work every other week a month) . I started out with a Bruichladdich 10 which I really enjoy, the perfect starter! Continued on with a Balvenie 15 Single Barrel - a serious challenger for best single malt ever tasted. Right now I'm having an Ardbeg Ten and I can't make up my mind about what I'll have after supper? Highland Park 18 or maybe Talisker 10?
God how I love whisky!

Skål!
Christian

Edit: I ended up with the Talisker and thought; hey this is peppery! Then I proceeded to a Bowmore Surf - and guess what? It seemed peppery too. I take it that imagination and expectance does the trick. The Bowmore isn't that bad really, not very good but decent!

[Deactivated Member]

What did you have to eat?

[jimidrammer]

I started the evening with The Balvenie 10 Founders Reserve (trying to finish off the bottle so I can open something else).

Next was a Longmorn 15(Similar to Balvenie but much richer).

Then Ardbeg 10(I really should start buying this by the case)

And last, as a nightcap, Lagavulin 16( I've been ending the day with this lately because there's more around so I don't have to conserve as much). That'll have to be it, I have a 12 hour shift in the morning.

[Mr Fjeld]

What did you have to eat?

Nothing special I'm afraid. Some shrimps and white bread.

Skål!
Christian

[Deactivated Member]

Perhaps having eaten shrimp brings out the pepperiness.

[andrewfenton]

Tried the Longmorn 10 cask strength today - it's pleasant, sweet, and a little sherried. Not as fruity as older Longmorns, although that element comes out a bit with water (apples was my impression).

Not exceptional, but very cheap for a cask strength (25 pounds). Also, it's one of those that dilutes very well (50% water and it didn't fall apart at all), which makes it very good value.

[andrewfenton]

....and some of the Laphroaig quarter cask (48%). Not the most complex of whiskies, but the extra alcohol over the 10yr results in a far more intense spirit - it's also very smooth, which is unusual in something this sweet and powerful. The finish is also quite huge, more like the cask-strength.

All in all, it's rather good.

[andrewfenton]

...and lastly the Pulteney 12, a perfect late-night movie drink. This is just about the cheapest single malt available in Britain, but it's still very impressive. It's a gentle, delicate malt, with a combination of citrus fruits, nutty/vanilla tastes at the back of the palate, a touch of saltiness in the finish, and perhaps a hint of sherry-casking floating around. For a dirt-cheap 12yr old, it's extremely complex, yet well balanced. In that regard it's far superior to similar ages from Glenlivet, and more comparable to the likes of Cragganmore 12 - haven't had the latter for a while, but if anything this seems better.

I was searching around the dusty recesses of my mind for recognition: this is very similar to the excellent Signatory 20/21yr Clynelish bottlings. The nutty/fruity combination is similar, and overall it's almost as good. A little less refined sure, but that's to be expected when it's half the price and much younger.

I think it's quite likely this will become my new palate-warmer before serious dramming sessions. Also, it's probably a very good whisky to introduce newcomers with.

[Deactivated Member]

My memory of Pulteney is that it has a fine coastal character, perhaps third level in that regard, with the Islay monsters being first level and such as Caol Ila, Brora, and Talisker being second. But certainly not third-rate. Gentle and delicate are not what I recall thinking about it, by any means; but I'm relying on memory, and you just had it. Is it really that cheap? Underrated and thus fine value.

[andrewfenton]

I suspect maybe's it's changed, from reading older reviews of it. The coastal element is very subdued now - while you couldn't make this at an inland distillery, it's nowhere near the dominant factor. This perhaps makes sense, as from what I can recall the distillery changed owners in the mid 90s (or was it reopened?), so an evolving taste is perhaps to be expected.

Forgot to actually mention the price: it's £18.

[bernstein]

I tasted the Old Pulteney 12 last week and was very impressed. I might have got it completely wrong, but its intensity reminded me of Highland Park 12.

[Deactivated Member]

A Manhattan mixed with Sazerac Rye (18yo), Noilly Prat vermouth, Angostura bitters and generic maraschino cherries.

[Paul A Jellis]

Caol Ila 12yr, one of my favourites.

Cheers

Paul

[Lord_Pfaffin]

Was going to grab the C.I. 12 but opted for the Ardbeg 10. I still like the finish on the C.I better and find each equally drinkable. I happened by my neighbour toting it in and he asked so i invited him for a drink after he finished his landscaping telling him only that ot was something very special. When he came by i offered him up some in the same style of stemmed nosing glass that i am accustomed to using. He asked what is this chardonay? No, whisky i said with a grin as i swirled and sniffed he followed and commented "That smells wierd. What is that smell?" I took a sip and said "Oh thats peat. Thats what makes it taste so different." He took a sip and barked, "Tastes like they burned the whiskey!", then another sip and he looks up at me and says wow a couple of times and a couple of sips, later remarks, "This stuff is strange in a good sorta way. This is definately unexpectedly big flavour and it seems to linger and become friendlier." "Yes", i said, "it's what's called the finish. This whisky is 46%abv, thats right almost half alcohol." He looks up from an empty glass and says, "I'm thinking the peat thing is an acquired taste" To which i replied, "Yeah i kinda grew into it. I want you to know that there other strong flavours in other whiskys like vanilla, chocolate, oranges and other fruits." He gestured his glass and i splahed in another two ounces and we sat, sipped and talked of his plans for his yard. When he sauntered out he said his goodbye, thanked me and said "That stuff was really different i am glad you gave me that taste i'm sure i never would have done that even by chance" As he lift my garbage and recycling boxes to curbside as i sat and enjoyed yet another glass.

[bamber]

Cool

[bernstein]

I’ve a day off – and what a perfect day it is! Fair weather, around 25°C, a soft warm westerly breeze is coming down the hills, the roses are beginning to blossom, T.C. Boyle’s ‘Drop City’ on my desk and it’s me and The Glenlivit 12 outside on my terrace enjoying the day. A perfect dram for a perfect day so far.

[Mr Fjeld]

Sounds lovely Bernie! I have a day (a week) off too - the only problem is that it has turned out (as usual) to be one of the town's 200 average rainy days a year. Now there's a reason to drink heavily!

Skål!
Christian

[MGillespie]

Another convert to the cult...nice job!

[andrewfenton]

Talisker 10 on a warm summer's day. It may not be the monster it once was, but it's still terrific (with just a dash of water to mellow the beast).

[Deactivated Member]

The very last dram of my bottle of SVSFTC1979PEBF*. It's relatively cool here tonight, so it seemed a good moment to finish this off, especially since the forecast calls for hot weather for the next few days. Good to the last drop. It's very hard for me to figure exactly what the finish contributes here; is it adding some depth to an otherwise one-dimensional PE? Or is there some real body under there, anyway? I think there is. It definitely results in a peculiar synergy--as I've said before, a hotball dipped in Tabasco. Very peppery, hot and spicy. A truly odd beast, and hard to recommend; definitely not everyone's cup of tea. But I like it a lot.


*Signatory Vintage Straight From The Cask 1979 Port Ellen Burgundy Finish, for those who haven't been hanging on my every word!

[jimidrammer]

I finally opened the only bottle of Ardbeg 17 I've been able to find and Wow! What a stunner. Here's my notes:


Tasting notes:
Color: Lemon yellow
Nose: New books, pine resin, fresh pollen, lime zest, wood shavings
Palate: Sweet, rich, smoky, tangy, luscious malt
Body: Thick mouth feel, then quickly dispersed
Finish: Very long, blustering, ending on rubber and tar

Quote: The only bottle I could find and I will savor every ounce. The flavors are strong, but so independent that they just jump out at you. Ardbeg has never let me down and this one will go a long way toward talking me into the 1974 “Provenance” I have my eye on at a steal of a price($325US), which would be a good birthday present to myself. Hurry up October 9th

[Deactivated Member]

The 17 was my first Ardbeg, and I fell in love with it instantly. When I got around to the 10, I found it overpowering at first, but it soon replaced the 17 in my mind as the quintessential Ardbeg. Then came Uigeadail...then came Very Young....

I have a bottle of 17 still unopened; I expect that I will someday open it and look upon it as fondly as one remembers an early love. Perhaps, as with an early love, I'll rue not putting more stock in it.

[andrewfenton]

Uigedail is just unapproachingly perfect. Unfortunately, that also means the price is getting jacked up

[Deactivated Member]

Loch Fyne has it for 25% over the 10--seems reasonable to me. Over here, Park Avenue lists it for more than double the 10--something wrong there. I haven't priced it around here lately.

Just now I'm having a Murray McDavid Clynelish 1990. Nose very strong of buttered popcorn; or rather, cinema popcorn with that stuff on it that isn't really butter. Palate turns a bit butterscotchy. I've spent about two-thirds of the bottle trying to like it, and I'm afraid I'm failing. It's drinkable, not more; disappointing for a MMcD. Still, far better than the Signatory UCF Highland Park 1990 that preceded it, the most disappointing bottle I've had in ages. I'm trying to force myself to finish it. No new openings until I do!

[andrewfenton]

Yeah, can't complain I suppose, the Uigedail was always extremely cheap for what you got. However, I used to be able to get it discounted to 31 pounds - now the discount isn't available, and the regular price is nearing 40.

Thanks for the headsup on the MMcD Clynelish. I actually ordered that bottle but it got lost in the post - now I won't bother re-ordering. It's a shame, other MMcD Clynelishes have been really good.

As for the Sig HP 1990, I've had two bottles of that. One was fabulous, the other horribly unbalanaced. They are an infuriating company

[Deactivated Member]

Thanks for the headsup on the MMcD Clynelish. I actually ordered that bottle but it got lost in the post - now I won't bother re-ordering. It's a shame, other MMcD Clynelishes have been really good.

Well, just because I didn't like it doesn't mean you wouldn't. ( Too many negatives there.) But it does strike me odd, especially with that popcorn nose. I wonder if anyone else has noticed that. For the record, I enjoyed th OB 14 very much. Probably I will very suddenly love the very last dram of this.

As for the Sig HP 1990, I've had two bottles of that. One was fabulous, the other horribly unbalanaced. They are an infuriating company

"Unbalanced" is a good description, if maybe an understatement. I love a good peaty dram, but the smoke in this is unpleasant. Some unusual phenols, perhaps. There seems to be a malt body in there, but it's hard to tell just what it's like because it's wearing inappropriate clothing. (Okay, enough metaphor.) Just now I thought of Glenfiddich Caoran, another dram I found unpleasantly smoky, although I had that quite a while ago and I'm not sure how comparable the two are. That was, I think, the only bottle I never finished--I bought it in Scotland, and left it two-thirds full with my friend in Dunfermline, for use in toddies. Might be okay in a cup of lapsang souchong or Earl Grey. I'd send her the HP, but it would be a waste of postage. Besides, dumping one lousy bottle per friend is enough.

[andrewfenton]

Yuck, sounds like a real stinker of a bottle you've got there - my second HP Sig 90 was never quite that bad

Strange thing: I just opened a bottle of OB HP12 I have to remind myself what it's like, and it was actually quite good (previous HP12 was quite harsh). Maybe the quality control issues are with HP rather than Signatory?

[Deactivated Member]

I had a Signatory UCF Caol Ila 1990 that was a bit disappointing, too, although not like the HP. (Maybe it's the vintage!) On the other hand, the SVSFTC1979PEBF was marvelous, if a bit unusual. Give them points for being willing to stick their necks out, I guess, but they do seem spotty in my admittedly limited experience. I've got a UCF Glen Rothes [sic] in waiting--1990 again!--a sample of which tasted great in the shop; now I'm very curious to see what it's like. Maybe I'll open it when the HP is finally done.

[andrewfenton]

Mrrrm, Glen Rothes. Have to get me a bottle of that.

Was just thinking back on Signatories I've had - it seems the ones from the early 80s have all been rather good: lovely HP and Clynelish 21yrs, and a Brora cask strength 20yr. Then again, Brora is perhaps a little like Ardbeg: you could vat it with boot polish and it would probably still taste great, so perhaps not so much credit to Sig on that count........

Perhaps I'll stick to the older Sigs from now on - they are relatively much better value compared to OBs (21yr olds are normally too much for my budget), and seem to be of more consistent quality. I'd love to try that PE you mentioned also, although the price would probably make my bank balance cry.

[Deactivated Member]

Mmmmm, boot polish.