THE BEST ISLAY MALT IS.......

by **Ian_Hamilton** » Thu Sep 26, 2002 9:28 pm

Go on and have a go at finishing the sentence. It could be an interesting topic.

by **Gate** » Fri Sep 27, 2002 9:00 am

...Lagavulin (in the form of the Distiller's Edition PX Finish). Mind you, I've never had the privilege of tasting Ardbeg Provenance or Lord of the Isles, which might put a different complexion on things.

by **Rudolph Hucker** » Fri Sep 27, 2002 9:06 am

is the Jura - or should that be a separate question as in The Best Jura Malt is.....?

Either way the answeris the same

Cheers

Rudolph

by **Ize** » Fri Sep 27, 2002 9:34 am

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Arial, Verdana">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Rudolph Hucker:
<B>is the Jura - or should that be a separate question as in The Best Jura Malt is.....?

Either way the answeris the same

Cheers

Rudolph</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I guess the question should be then "The Best Whisky of the Islands is ..."

Anyway, from the ones I have had priviledge to taste, it would be .. Lagavulin 16Y.O. As all of you already know.

Silver medalist is the Laphroaig 10 Y.O. and bronze medalist is the Port Ellen 18 Y.O.

Kippis,
Ize

by **nthorpe** » Sat Sep 28, 2002 9:03 am

ARDBEG and lagavulin are good ones, anything but Talisker

by **Deactivated Member** » Sat Sep 28, 2002 2:16 pm

.....Bunnahabhain(1965,1966,1968,12Y etc.), Lagavulin(16Y and Lagavulin DE), Caol Ila(10Y Hart Brothers,12Y,15Y Flora and Fauna,Cask Strength), Bowmore(12Y,17Y,21Y,30Y), Ardbeg(21Y Comittee Bottle, 10Y, 23Y)......

Erik

by **Nodin** » Sun Sep 29, 2002 2:20 am

Lagavulin 16yo, Ardbeg 10yo, and Laphroaig 15yo...
If we are just talking islands in general (as opposed to Islay specifically) then Talisker 10yo (my all time favorite)
Taa,
Nodin

by **jonno** » Sun Sep 29, 2002 4:19 pm

Bowmore 15 year old for balance and style or an old Bunnahabhain if you can afford it.

by **r0b** » Sun Sep 29, 2002 11:07 pm

I may sound a wee bit corny when saying the following, but here goes:

I think of Port Ellen as the grandfather of Islay malts. The bearded, respected elder all others look up to. The oldest sons in the family are Ardbeg and Lagavulin, the lil' brother is Laphroaig. The younger sister is Bowmore. Caol Ila, Bunnahabhain and Bruichladdich are cousins.

It shouldn't be too hard to figure out my faves

[This message has been edited by r0b (edited 29 September 2002).]

[This message has been edited by r0b (edited 29 September 2002).]

by **heer.veer** » Fri Oct 11, 2002 9:14 am

When taking price into account, and knowing what they put into the bottle: I would choose the Ardbeg 17. A pity thought it´s bottled at 40%. I applaud the distilery decision to bottle it at 46% in the near future. Hope the quality will also be constant and doesn´t drop like the Lagavulin 16. (and the peatyness of the Laphroaig 10).
We´ll have to switch to the cask strength version of the Laphroaig 10.

by **hpulley** » Sun Oct 13, 2002 1:59 pm

I just got a bottle of Ardbeg 17 last week, 43% ABV it says. Is this new or just the usual for the Canadian market?

Ardbeg is my favorite Islay at the moment, currently deciding bewteen the TEN and the 17 as a favorite but I also really enjoy the lighter Bruichladdich 10yo and Laphroaig 10yo though I wish I had one at more than 40% ABV (will Canada ever get the CS?).

I used to enjoy Bowmores too, 12yo, Darkest and 17yo but I've recently had a perfumey bottle that has put me off them.

If you want to include other Islands then Talisker 10yo is right up there with Ardbeg as a co-favorite. Lovely, powerful stuff though perhaps not as full of nuances as the Islay best.

Harry

by **heer.veer** » Mon Oct 14, 2002 8:40 am

New one maybe, mine is 40% no more

by **DLion8888** » Wed Oct 16, 2002 12:01 am

...is whatever Islay whiskey I have on hand which at the moment is something called McClellan Islay. Now, there are also 2 versions of these namely Highland and Lowland version.

Does anybody have any idea which of the Islay whiskey the McClellan Islay comes from? My guess is a very young Bowmore.Its pretty cheap, about $29 for a 1.75 liter bottle.

Cheers

by **heer.veer** » Wed Oct 16, 2002 8:59 am

...a lowland islay?

Mate, I believe you´ve been had. Are you shure it´s even a single malt? I´m sorry but i´ve never heard of it, hope it´s good!

by **hpulley** » Wed Oct 16, 2002 11:12 am

McClellands is a 'secret' young bottling. There are at least there, an islay, a highland and a lowland. Not a lowland islay!

I think McClellands is a Morrison Bowmore product which makes it quite likely that it is a young Bowmore. Similarly, the highland is likely a young Glen Garioch and the lowland is likely a young (er?) Auchentoshan.

You can also get a young Lagavulin called Dun Beaghan Islay malt.

There are a bunch of young 'alternative' bottlings around. They are cheaper partly because they don't pay the licensing fee to use the real name. Doesn't mean they're bad.

Harry

by **MacAndersson** » Wed Oct 16, 2002 2:25 pm

....Ardbeg 1975
Would have to be my answer for the best Islay.

by **Steve** » Wed Oct 16, 2002 7:20 pm

The Ardbeg 1975 was legendary, but the Lord of The Isles, though I tasted it the once was just class.

After that I'd say Lagavulin 16yo and in Bronze position, the Laphroaig 10yo.

by **Ileach** » Thu Oct 17, 2002 6:52 am

Sounds like asking what your dream car is:

The Ardbeg Provenance is like the Jaguar E-Type: A priceless, if pricey, beauty, with that extra bit of style and class you just cannot find anymore these days. Out of reach for most of us but if you're very lucky one of your friends owns one and will invite you to a round.

The Laphroaig is like Lotus: A long tradition of craftsmanship but not the same anymore. In the old days, this was something for tough guys and daredevils. If you happened to come across either of them, it would cover you with a huge cloud of smoke. You hated it from the bottom of your heart or you just had to have more. Nowadays mellowed down to accommodate the needs of middle-aged overweight Americans.

Bowmore is like Mercedes. You can find it almost everywhere, it is reliable and well balanced. Its (price) range is enormous, almost everyone can afford it though the products at the upper end of the scale are reserved for the seriously rich.

Bunnahabhainn is like the Austin Metro: underrated by the majority yet greatly loved by a few diehard enthusiasts. About to disappear soon.

Bruichladdich is like Bugatti. A great name and a great tradition revived with everyone hoping it will fare well on the market.

Lagavulin is like a Lamborghini: Accelerates from 0 to 40 miles/ppm in 1.8 seconds. In the safe hands of a large company and with a great classic product (the 16 y o and the Countach) and although the new releases are somewhat experimental they are not in any way minor to the original.

Caol Ila is like Toyota: Mostly for the mass market but has a few gems waiting to be discovered.

Ileach

PS any ideas on the defunct ones?

Port Ellen

by **Magnus** » Sat Oct 26, 2002 11:33 am

Let me be specific:
Kingsbury,
(kb29672), Ardbeg, Sherry, 29Y, 08.03.1967, 06.1996, 0,7l, 52%, 444 bottles, cask 923

That is the best Islay I have tasted, full stop.