Which Bottle To Open?

by **MacLover** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 2:06 am

My father is turning 70 and I wanted to do something special for him. I bought 2 new bottles and I have also been holding a vintage Macallan to be opened on special occasions and was looking for opinions on which one I should open to celebrate this milestone with him. He is not an avid whisky drinker, but he does appreciate a good dram.

If you have tried these I would love your insight into what you think about them.

And the choices are:
1. Talisker, Gordon & MacPhail (Secret Stills 1.1) 50 Years Old 45%
2. Bowmore, 1971/2005 34YO 51%
3. Vintage 1954 Macallan over 15 YO

I am an avid Macallan fan so, for me, I know I can not go wrong with the selection of the Macallan. I have also enjoyed most of the Bowmores I have sampled so it will probably be hard to go wrong with opening it, but I hold a special place in my heart for Talisker as it is, in general, unlike any whisky I have ever tasted. I have yet to find a Talisker I haven't enjoyed, and the itch to try the 50YO Talisker is almost overpowering, so I need some help with the decision.

Optimally I would like to open all of them, but I am holding off on opening the others on other special occasions.

Thank you and I look forward to your opinions.

by **MacLover** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 2:20 am

My apologies but I had listed the Macallan as an option in the poll but for some reason it is not displaying and I can not edit it to add it in. :evil:

So if you prefer the Macallan please go ahead and offer your opinion in the text response.

by **parvus** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 2:49 am

That Talisker would be mighty, mighty tempting, and given the celebratory nature of the opening, I think it'd be the best of the 3 to choose.

Enjoy, and here's to many more from your father.

by **Danny** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 4:19 am

Well, being a great fan of both Talisker and Macallan, I would be tempted to open both, however, as it is such a special occasion, I recommend the Talisker.

by **Badmonkey** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 6:12 am

[quote="MacLover"]
... but I hold a special place in my heart for Talisker as it is, in general, unlike any whisky I have ever tasted. I have yet to find a Talisker I haven't enjoyed, and the itch to try the 50YO Talisker is almost overpowering[/quote]

I think you have your answer. You will probably be very happy with the results if you open the Bowmore or the Macallan, but if the temptation to taste Talisker is as strong as you suggest, you'll be creating an event in itself just by opening it.

Cheers

by **WestVanDave** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 6:28 am

Hey - it's your Dad's 70th - I'd say open all three and go Head-to-Head... Enjoy - Celebrate - can you think of a better reason to drink than to be able to share this mighty trio? Even a non-whisky nut can appreciate comparing different whiskies... and they're not going to "go bad" in a hurry...

I'm going to guess that you might have a few other special reasons to dip into them over the next year and then you can repeat the exercise for Dad's 71st birthday. And given the experience you will have offered him - he might just take up a new hobby... I know my Dad "re-discovered" Whisky in his early seventies - thanks to my collection...

by **Deactivated Member** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 1:48 pm

I haven't had the good fortune to try any of the whiskies on offer. However, based on my experiences of the various expressions I have tried from the distilleries, I would have to go with Talisker - though as suggested above- why not crack open all three and have a ball

by **bamber** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 2:23 pm

I would open the Talisker as it is likely to be the best of the 3 and probably the cheapest. I've not had the pleasure of any of them unsurpisingly.

Are you sure that Mac is worth opening ? It must be worth more than £400. I can't help but feel it moved from drinking to collecting catagories a few years back.

Having said that if I was allowed a dram of one of them it would be the Mac for sure. A piece of history.

by **Paul A Jellis** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 11:56 pm

My vote is for Talisker, but don't open it yet - wait till I get there!

Cheers

Paul

by **MacLover** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 3:40 pm

Are you sure that Mac is worth opening ? It must be worth more than £400. I can't help but feel it moved from drinking to collecting catagories a few years back.

Yes, this would be considered a collectable by most and I am guessing that many would not drink it but look for resale. Fortunately I was able to pick it up a couple of years back in a very favorable trade so I am not too concerned on that front.
Also, as I am a drinker as well as a collector the intention of my collecting was not only to have an enjoyable hobby, that in the end could hopefully pay for itself, but also to be able to use the ROI from some of the more collectable or in demand whiskies to allow me to actually grow my collection and most importantly drink some of the rare and/or vintage whiskies that I have that I could not afford to purchase outright and drink due to monetary constraints. (Sorry for the run on sentence).
I have heard that the 50's Macs are an experience none should miss out on and as I have yet to try one, I am really eager to try it as well. Thus my quandry with the selection above.

by **bamber** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 10:02 am

Well I guess if I was you I might well open it then (the Mac) and there is no better time than your Dad's 70th

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