THE GREAT BIG SMOKE

[titus]

Ladies and gentleman, a question if i may. Which whisky has the greatest smokiness??

I'll confess in noting it's the single most important personal factor in any whisky, without it i'd rather an ice water thanks....
Stupendiously picky am i not?

[les taylor]

Titus have you tried Smokehead. That's pretty smokey.

[Leither]

I would say either 'The Big Smoke' from Duncan Taylor:

http://www.dtcscotch.com/products/the_big_smoke.htm

or their 'Auld Reekie':

http://www.dtcscotch.com/products/auld_reekie.htm

[kljostad]

Of the whiskies I usually drink, it would have to be either Ardbeg 10 or Lagavullin 16. Whenever I pour myself one of those my girlfriend asks if the neighbour is burning leaf again...

[les taylor]

klostad the test would be if she asked the neighbour if he was burning leaf.

[BruceCrichton]

I would say either 'The Big Smoke' from Duncan Taylor:

http://www.dtcscotch.com/products/the_big_smoke.htm

or their 'Auld Reekie':

http://www.dtcscotch.com/products/auld_reekie.htm

The Big Smoke isn't smokey. It's very sweet and I've drunk a bottle of it. Even Mark Watt doesn't think it is smokey.

Auld Reekie is quite smokey and worth a crack.

The smokiest is Ardbeg Very Young or Still Young. The new 'Almost there' is softer and sweeter.

Laphroaig Quarter Cask is also worth a crack.

[les taylor]

I would say either 'The Big Smoke' from Duncan Taylor:

http://www.dtcscotch.com/products/the_big_smoke.htm

or their 'Auld Reekie':

http://www.dtcscotch.com/products/auld_reekie.htm

Has anyone tried Big Smoke 60?

[BruceCrichton]

I would say either 'The Big Smoke' from Duncan Taylor:

http://www.dtcscotch.com/products/the_big_smoke.htm

or their 'Auld Reekie':

http://www.dtcscotch.com/products/auld_reekie.htm

Has anyone tried Big Smoke 60?

Yes. I got a bottle for my birthday. It's light and sweet and decidely misnamed.

[les taylor]

I would say either 'The Big Smoke' from Duncan Taylor:

http://www.dtcscotch.com/products/the_big_smoke.htm

or their 'Auld Reekie':

http://www.dtcscotch.com/products/auld_reekie.htm

Has anyone tried Big Smoke 60?

Yes. I got a bottle for my birthday. It's light and sweet and decidely misnamed.

Bruce From your comment not a hit then. How about the Big smoke normal strength which is the 40. I'm guessing it dosen't do what it says on the tin.

[BruceCrichton]

Bruce From your comment not a hit then. How about the Big smoke normal strength which is the 40. I'm guessing it dosen't do what it says on the tin.

Both are excellent cheapo drams but they aren't smokey.

[hpulley]

I'd say Ardbeg (the right one, anyways, TEN is fairly smoky) is probably the smokiest dram available today though some Caol Ilas are definitely right up there. Auld Reekie from DTC is good too.

Harry

[Di Blasi]

Yup, Ardbeg Ten! And for a surprise and unexpected smokey whisky, unexpected in that it's not normal for its origin, the Benriach Curiositas.

[bamber]

I'd say Lagavulin DE. You get the smokiness from both the sticky sherry goo and the whisky.

[TheLaddie]

PC5. The full on smokiness doesn't have to compete with a lot of the medicinal tastes in some of the other very peaty whiskies.

On the other hand, if you don't want to spend a million quid for a bottle of that on Ebay Signatory's Heavily Peated Bunnahabhain is a wonderfully smoky dram.

[bond]

I tried a PC5 (alchemist bottling) recently and was not really overwhelmed by it. Smoky it is, but youth shows. The mouthfeel is a little too sharp, the body does not linger at all. IMHO, it needs a few more years in the cask.

Cheers

[irishwhiskeychaser]

For me it has to be Lagavulin 16yo for pure smoke and peat. You get it in the nose taste and Finish. It is the whisky that I can smell when I walk into the room if I have poured it earlier.

[lexvo]

Ardbeg 10. Lagavulin 16 is pretty smoky too, but not as much as Ardbeg 10 in my opionion.

[laphroaig10_65]

Smokiness is only a contribution from the peat, but not the unique; so, at the moment, I'd say the last version of Lagavulin 16.
Bye
Luca

[Admiral]

Bruce said

The smokiest is Ardbeg Very Young or Still Young. The new 'Almost there' is softer and sweeter

I disagree! The two Ardbegs mentioned are certainly two of the most peatiest but they're not the most smokiest.

I think sometimes people forget that peat and smoke are two different characteristics in whisky. Peat does not equal smoke, nor does smoke necessarily equal peat.

We all know that Ardbeg is peated to a phenol level of 50ppm whilst Lagavulin is peated to a phenol level of 35, but I reckon most seasoned drinkers would suggest Lagavulin is smokier.

And what about Bowmore? It's only peated to 25ppm, but there are some independent bottlings going around (particularly SMWS) that are absolute smoke monsters.

My two bob's worth.

Cheers,
ADmiral

[Deactivated Member]

I think sometimes people forget that peat and smoke are two different characteristics in whisky.

I don't forget. I just don't agree. I simply don't see how you have one without the other. But mine is not the most sophisticated palate, and I know others will agree with you. I am simply not able to differentiate. On my tongue, 50ppm = big smoke. Smoke is where the phenols come from. Some other factor may cause 50ppm to end up being less smoky (or peaty) than 35ppm, but until someone does a better job of demonstrating it to me, it's all the same to me.

Bowmore may be peated to 25ppm on average, but I have no doubt that there will be some variation from batch to batch, and single-cask bottlings will reflect that. Just now I have an HP that could be mistaken for an Ardbeg; quite possibly having your own maltings leads to greater variability, compared to commercially sourced malt.

[peergynt323]

I was reading through this thread thinking what you just said, Admiral.

Although, Lagavulin is very smokey, it is a nice dram and has abundant seaweed, sea spray, mustiness and fruits to go along with it. I highly recommend that one.

As for smokey with not much else, I'd go with Jura Superstition, Caol Ila 25yo, Bowmore Cask Strength. They all have a dominant (and I mean dominant) scent and flavor of liquid smoke, spent barbecue, and charred meats.

[Deactivated Member]

I find Jura Superstition briney, and not at all smoky.

[peergynt323]

http://www.whiskymag.com/whisky/brand/isle_of_jura/whisky1487.html

Dave Broom seems to agree with me while MJ agrees with you. I guess we're all entitled. Who's ever tasted tarry rope anyway?

[Deactivated Member]

Tarry, tarry rope....

Don McLean, I guess.

Yes, we all have different experiences, and that's a lot of the fun. I think it's good for newbies to look in here and find us disagreeing, and equally to be respecting the validity of one another's experiences.

[Danny]

Being from Northern Canada, smokiness to me is new smoke cured mocassins, while I have never tasted them , I have certainly owned lots and some whiskies are so similar.

Lagavulin and Laphroaig are consistently the smokiest to my nose and palate.

[Deactivated Member]

I agree 100% with what the Admiral said (is this a first?). Peat brings all sorts of flavours - bacon, vegetation, seaweed, heather, wood - depending upon what has made the peat. Smoke is a flavour more like ashtrays or woodfires, and Admiral's examples of the Bowmore SMWS bottlings are spot on. I find other smoky but not necessarily peaty-pungent whiskies include Ledaig and Ardmore. On the other hand, I find Highland Park peaty but not usually smoky - although the occasional rogue bottle is smoky (e.g. the recent 25yo that we got miniatures of at WL Glasgow).

[Photon]

Being from Northern Canada, smokiness to me is new smoke cured mocassins, while I have never tasted them

That's right, save them for an emergency.

-P.