laphroaig

[nunurs]

I already tried the regular 10 years old, and want to try another one.

I have to chose between the 15 and the CS.

Maybe someone can describe both and tell what they think about.

I heard lot of good and bad things about the 15 ....

Help me to make a choice or suggest me another one in the same range of price.



Thx

[Deactivated Member]

Here's your choice, as I see it:

Less intensity, more breadth of flavor. The 15.

More intensity, similar but deeper character. The CS. Unchillfiltered, if I recall right.

The 15 is a Beethoven piano concerto. The CS is a thrashing Who tune, smashed guitar and all. Each great in totally different ways, appropriate for a different mood and occasion. (Oh, I'm going to get a lot of argument on those comparisons....)

[andrewfenton]

Definitely the CS - one of the great whiskies at any price point. At older ages where complexity and balance are more the aim then Lagavulin or even Talisker/Springbank are better choices.

A little tip: try it with blue lanark cheese. Make sure you've got a fire extinguisher near your taste buds though.......

[Deactivated Member]

Interesting suggestion, Andrew. I'm not familiar with Lanark and doubt I can get any hereabouts--will another blue do?

[rthomson]

I haven't tried the cs so I can't compare the two. However the 15 is a must to try! The intensity, I've had some who have told me it's too harsh for them, is toned down and there is a nice complexity to experience. If you like the 10 I think you'll be very happy with the 15.

Ron

[Admiral]

Give me the 15yo anyday!

[islayjunkie]

Has anyone had the Laphroaig 30yo? I spotted 3 bottles at a downtown liquor store collecting a lot of dust... the price seem right (under 200.00 USD).

[Ed]

Hello All,
nunurs, you took the words right out of my mouth, I have been wondering about just this question. I am left with my original impression though, I will have to get them both. But which one first? Then there is another question about Carol Ila. I think I will post that one right now.
Ed

[Admiral]

I'm sure it was a humble typo, Islayjunkie, but how do you get a "10yo 30yo" ?

Laphroaig 30yo costs AUS$700 over here, which is about $532 US dollars. If you can get it for under $200, I suggest you grab it fast.

Cheers,
Admiral

[islayjunkie]

I'm sure it was a humble typo, Islayjunkie, but how do you get a "10yo 30yo" ?

Laphroaig 30yo costs AUS$700 over here, which is about $532 US dollars. If you can get it for under $200, I suggest you grab it fast.

Cheers,
Admiral

Just fixed it.

My question is, is it worth $200.00 USD for drinking? I can't afford the lot. 2 bottles will bring me back to poverty again but I could sell one on eBay to pay for the other it seems

I love this wine shop... they have a few strange bottles at unusual prices in a small corner... all very dusty. This is where I bought my Bowmore 12yo Murray Mcdavid.

[akallio]

I guess valid eBay price for 30 yo would be a little over 200 euros (+postage), so you could do some kind of business with it. The cheapest European web shops sell it for 260 euros, though they have some difficulties in delivering it.

I have ordered a one, but I don't have any idea if it is worth it. I didn't make the purchase because of taste, it was more of an identity building thing. I want to recognise myself as a kind of person that has a bottle of Laphroaig 30 yo. At least in Finland Laphroaig is the number one choice of wannabe whisky experts, so I hope this gives some advantage in debates with them...

[Admiral]

wannabe whisky experts

Aren't we all?

[islayjunkie]

I have ordered a one, but I don't have any idea if it is worth it. I didn't make the purchase because of taste, it was more of an identity building thing. I want to recognize myself as a kind of person that has a bottle of Laphroaig 30 yo.

I don't want to be a whisky expert as much as I want good affordable whisky I enjoy drinking.

Let us not mistake quality over price. I'm always searching for cheaper whisky for taste than over priced whisky.

I agree it seems prestigious to have an old rare bottle of whisky but does it really taste better than other less expensive quality newer bottles?

[bamber]

I prefer the CS but the 15YO is great also. Unquestionably, you need to try both

[Admiral]

Islayjunkie is touching on a subject we discussed in depth on another thread a few months ago. It may even have been a Poll, "Is older better?"

The general consensus from that discussion was that age or expense is absolutely no guarantee or indication of quality.

There are plenty of $70 whiskies around that taste better than malts double or triple that price.

Cheers,
Admiral

[Deactivated Member]

$70 is what we start thinking of as pricey, Admiral...of course, we have a real dollar. (Hah...we're doing our best to sink down to your level...we used to be almost 2:1 on ya...I see you're almost at par with Canada now. Anyway, we're a quarter of the distance to Scotland you are.)

Of course, price is a function of the supply and demand curve, in theory. And in theory, high demand equates to a judgment in the marketplace of quality, or desirability, at least. All very complicated. I recall a sci-fi short story called The Great Pat Boom, by Damon Knight, in which a bunch of aliens land on earth and immediately take a great interest in cow droppings, apparently for purely esthetic reasons. A market springs up, and cow plops are valued according to size and form; rare double whorls are especially valuable. Just as the cow pat trade is becoming a significant part of the world economy, the aliens up and leave, presumably laughing up their sleeves, and leaving everyone on earth holding...well, you get the idea. It was Knight's comment on market psychology, and the whisky market is hardly immune.
But of course, you're right, age and price are no guarantee of quality; and quality is on the tongue of the beholder, as well. Or something like that. No doubt there's a fair amount of cow plop out there.

Anyway, I presume akallio was being somewhat tongue-in-cheek about the Laphroaig 30. I find myself imagining a conversation like this:

McKee: Glen Googly Haggis Cask is the finest malt ever bottled!

McKay: Yer a screamin' eejit! Glen Googly Haggis Cask is pure shite!

McKee: Ye glaekit scunner! Di' ye no' knoo tha' I hae a bottle o' Laphroaig 30?

McKay: Och! I dinna ken it! I dinna ken it!

[Crispy Critter]

There are plenty of $70 whiskies around that taste better than malts double or triple that price.

Indeed, most of the whiskies on my shelf are in the US $30-$80 range, and the Ardbeg '77 at $100 is the most expensive bottle I've bought. It's worth every cent, but it's not a daily drammer. I'm very reluctant to go beyond $100, in any case.

The $60-$80 range can get some exceptional drams, like Lagavulin 16, Ardbeg Uigeadail, or Highland Park 18.

My best bang-for-the-buck malts, based on Chicagoland prices:

Cask Strength:
Aberlour A'Bunadh (generally $50-$55)
Laphroaig 10 CS (generally $50-$55)

Non-CS:
Aberlour 10 (lowest price I've seen: $26)
Ardbeg 10 (lowest price I've seen: $30)

[Admiral]

Mr T...

How far back would you like to go?

Up until 1984, the Aussie dollar was actually worth more than the greenback. Sadly, the government of the day then made some very short-sighted decisions which have had depressing consequences for the last twenty years.

Incidentally, go out into a paddock in the middle of winter without any shoes and socks on, and suddenly a fresh, warm cow pat can look quite enticing!

Cheers,
Admiral

[akallio]

I agree it seems prestigious to have an old rare bottle of whisky but does it really taste better than other less expensive quality newer bottles?

Nope.

Oldest whisky I've tasted is 16 years, so my experience in the older stuff is nonexistent. As a Science oriented guy, I like to experiment with different extremes just out of curiosity. A 4 cl dram of Laphroaig 30 yo costs you 55 euros here, which means that you can buy whole bottle for the price of 4 drams. And when you order whisky like that, you might be the only guy drinking it this year and get very oxidized stuff.

Of course you could buy some cheaper 30 yo. But I'm a Laphroaig fan and comparing differently aged bottles of a one distillery seems a lot more interesting than sampling random whiskies at different ages.

And yes, the comment on stunning some wannabe experts was not that serious...

[islayjunkie]

Indeed, most of the whiskies on my shelf are in the US $30-$80 range, and the Ardbeg '77 at $100 is the most expensive bottle I've bought. It's worth every cent, but it's not a daily drammer. I'm very reluctant to go beyond $100, in any case.?

I have to agree regarding an Ardbeg 75 OMC I acquired but I won't be buying any more at the price I paid. As good as it was my expectations were higher... I was probably imagining a Provenance. The 77 sounds more attractive.

I took a gamble and dumped a large portion of my savings into some expensive well researched bottles only to find most of them "marginally" worth the inflated cost. If I were wealthy I might be very content with my purchase... and grab more.

I can't complain though as these are the cornerstone to my future drinking collection. I hope I have the will power to hang on to the rest of the unopened bottles for 10 years. Until then I will stay with cheaper new stars.

[islayjunkie]

Of course you could buy some cheaper 30 yo. But I'm a Laphroaig fan and comparing differently aged bottles of a one distillery seems a lot more interesting than sampling random whiskies at different ages.

I made the mistake comparing 8 different whiskies a few days ago and really killed a few due to the overpowering strength of the others.

On the other hand I was able to get a good idea of what made these whiskies different and similar to each other. Tonight I compared 2 Ardbegs.

[Frodo]

I don't want to be a whisky expert as much as I want good affordable whisky I enjoy drinking.

Let us not mistake quality over price. I'm always searching for cheaper whisky for taste than over priced whisky.

I agree it seems prestigious to have an old rare bottle of whisky but does it really taste better than other less expensive quality newer bottles?

My sentiments exactly!!!

[hpulley]

Sadly, in Ontario the only Laphroaig available is the 10yo 40%. However, it is a nice whisky and is also very inexpensive (the best inexpensive Islay available here on a regular basis with Ardbeg, Caol Ila and Lagavulin's cheapest offerings being at least 50% more -- only Bowmore 12yo is cheaper). I keep hoping to try the CS. I'll be tasting an IB CS Laph in the near future but I'd still like to sample the OB. I must contact their agent here.

Tasting a flight of whiskies is not easy and is certainly far from the best way to score them, which is too bad as tasting nights and whisky shows are the most common way to try new things (bars aren't good either). At home with just that one glass is really the best way to see if you like a whisky but you can still learn a lot from a tasting or a show and once you train your nose and palate well you'll be able to examine whiskies even in less than ideal settings.

Agreed, old expensive whisky is not necessarily the best whisky. That said, there is something about old whisky which is very different. They seem more expensive than they should be but the way stuff goes up in price on eBay I'd say it is not overpriced yet. You must decide if you like whisky because of the whisky itself, not the name, the price, the box or its reputation.

Harry

[Deactivated Member]

Incidentally, go out into a paddock in the middle of winter without any shoes and socks on, and suddenly a fresh, warm cow pat can look quite enticing!

Do Australians often find themselves in this situation? Does Mrs. Ozzie let them back in the house?

Frodo, ih, I understand perfectly what you're saying, and think you are entirely justified in thinking that way. But some folks have an intellectual and esthetic curiosity about whisky that demands more than finding the best bang for the buck. (I do not mean alcoholic kick, but simple enjoyment.) I think a lot of folks here feel that way--indeed, it's why we're here yakking about it. But you know, every single one of us has to make judgments about whether this malt or that is worth the price, and I think every single one of us has a different answer. Ultimately, no one can tell you if this or that is worth it to you.

[Ed]

Hello All,
Once upon a time, when Euell Gibbons was a boy in Texas, the hands had to clean out a cow pond that was full of carp. The carp were so thick in the pond that the easiest way was by using a pitchfork. The hands waded out into the pond and started pitching the carp on to the bank. They got to talking about how to cook a carp. Most of the hands had stories of failure, "We tried it this way but it still weren't no good." One old cowpoke allowed that he knew how to cook carp right. No one believed him, but they still wanted to know how he did it.

"Well, first you gut your carp and you wash it out real good with salt water. Don't scale it. Then soak it in new salt water. Build a good fire with mesquite in a pit and let it burn down to coals. Now go out in the field and get yourself a nice fresh cowpat. If it has flies on it pass it by. it is already spoilt. Take your cow pat and completely cover the carp in it, about a half an inch thick. Now bury it in the coals and cover the fire with dirt and leave it for about an hour and a half. Then dig it out. The cowpat will be hard as a rock now. Crack it good an hard with a hammer or the back of an ax. When you take it off the carp all the scales will come with it leaving a nice white tender fish. You still can't eat the carp, but the cow pat isn't half bad....
Ed

[rthomson]

ROTFLMAO

I like that one. I'll be sharing that one at the next appropriate moment (actually, if beer and whisky are involved, as they usually are with me, I'll probably share it at a supremely inappropriate moment).

Now, should I tell my story of Tennessee, a camp of lumberjacks, and moose-s#@% pie? Naaaah-

Ron

[hpulley]

As someone who has tried unsuccessfully to cook carp into an edible meal, I got a kick out of that story! Thanks for posting it.

Too bad though, I was thinking the secret to a good carp recipe might have been to use whisky!!! Cow patties I don't have

Harry

[Deactivated Member]

Ed, I think that guy was full of carp!