Whisk(e)y

Arrowhead

Arrowhead

Messages
3,266
Location
West Yorkshire
I generally stick to a self-denying ordinance with respect to whisky: only drink it when there's an "r" in the month. Therefore, with 12 days to go, I'm in the market for the first bottle of the whisky year. My other rule is that I consider it a personal defeat to pay full price (possibly you will have guessed this from my location ...), hence this thread, for parsimonious drinkers.

My contribution is frankly pretty useless outside of the North West sort of area, but Booths are offering £6 off Aberlour at the moment, which I would take in preference to Glenlivet (but not the Macallan). Come the weekend I'll probably have some more to post assuming there's signs of interest. Oh, and if anyone spots Lagavulin with any money off at all, award yourself 100 I-Spy points, and buy it.
 
£6 off? That's almost too good to be true.
I enjoy the occasional dram but have steadily built up a collection of bottles whilst decreasing my intake.
I probably drink the equivalent of a quarter a bottle a year and probably receive 2 or more bottles a year so my wife keeps pinching unopened bottles for church or school raffles. :(
 
In my whisky department there are 21 various malts from Scotland and Ireland - I like to keep a cushion stock :lol: (is this sounding familiar?) In reality it's the same reason that Paul has - charitable acquisitions are greater than my consumption. It's very handy around here to have a bottle though - it greases many palms in getting stuff done.
 
Laphroig really does the trick if you're into peaty whiskys. I have been a Glenfiddich man for many years and it's really my go-to libation. If in doubt, Fiddich about! Just don't go for Tobermory as it's like drinking battery acid.
 
Had the Island malts discussion with a mate on Friday night: he's a recent convert to Laphroaig from Ardbeg, but I think he's got the quarter cask version. Here's the medals table according to me:

Gold: Lagavulin
Silver: Ardbeg (the Uigeadail version is even better, but still doesn't get gold)
Bronze: Laphroaig
Honourable mention: Talisker

I still haven't got a list of discounted whiskies for you gents, because I was waiting in for workmen all day yesterday. Of course they didn't show up.
 
Just to scare the living bejeesus out of you Laphroaig fans, they were (in 1999) experimenting with some chemical profiling of their output with a view to being able to move from a batch process to a continuous process - that's to say moving away from the standard traditional method of production to a industrial process. No idea how far they went with that - not that it affects my top 3:

Springbank 21yo
Ardbeg 1974
Lagavulin 16yo
(just pushing an old Caol Ila, Bunnahabhain - try saying that when you're pished - and Bruichladdich out of the medal places - not really a big fan of Laphroaig or Bowmore, but will take them in an emergency situation - defined as when the good stuff runs out :D )

Frankly though I'll drink any single malt that's put in front of me - some release maudlin thoughts, some happy - it's wonderful to be able to tour the country in a whisky glass though.

At some stage I need to try Penderyn - if only to confirm my prejudices :lol:
 
Caol Ila wasn't far off my top three. I understand that it makes its way into many of the blends, to add a little character. If we're talking all comers as opposed to the TCP and burnt seaweed island malts, the MacAllan would edge Laphroaig out for my money.
 
Springbank 21yo
Ardbeg 1974
Lagavulin 16yo
(just pushing an old Caol Ila, Bunnahabhain - try saying that when you're pished - and Bruichladdich out of the medal places - not really a big fan of Laphroaig or Bowmore, but will take them in an emergency situation - defined as when the good stuff runs out :D )

Frankly though I'll drink any single malt that's put in front of me - some release maudlin thoughts, some happy - it's wonderful to be able to tour the country in a whisky glass though.

At some stage I need to try Penderyn - if only to confirm my prejudices :lol:
Click to expand...

I love Bunnahabhain (but can you pronounce it?!) A great hip-flask whisky.
 
Unruhe said:
I love Bunnahabhain (but can you pronounce it?!) A great hip-flask whisky.
Click to expand...

I can indeed (most people stumble over Caol Ila, never mind introducing complicated gaelic constructs like 'abhain')

I've even partaken in the blending process that's used to create the tanker load that goes for bottling at Bunnahabhain (in case anyone's unaware a single malt isn't a single vintage, it's a blend of many years production from a single distillery - the stated age being the youngest aged whisky that's used).
 
I went on a tour of Islay and Jura not long after getting married (1990) and persuaded my wife to come along (very handy for the drive back from some of the more distant distilleries such as Caol Ila). I was disappointed that Caol Ila was a fairly modern building (I believe an older building may have burned down) but my disappointment soon evaporated given the warm welcome we had there. I was able to enjoy a wee dram and look out over the Sound of Jura on a glorious sunny October day. Whilst tasting my whisky and looking at the splendour of the distant paps of Jura I then glanced down at the harbour area to see an otter basking in the water.
We also did a fair bit of walking and were extremely fortunate with the weather.


..for those memories alone, I always make sure I have some Caol Ila in (among the countless other bottles).
 
Paul_D said:
very handy for the drive back from some of the more distant distilleries such as Caol Ila
Click to expand...

They don't worry much about such things on Islay - if you call in to a shop in the morning, they let you know if the police are on the island, because there aren't any resident on the island, and they have to come over on the CalMac from Kennacraig :lol: As if I needed an excuse to enter a bridie shop :D
 
I prefer a tunnocks teacake :lol:

BE6D5C09-BA15-6684-B149564CE06A73D2.jpg


I'll get my coat
 
I've only ever tasted Jack Daniels, which was only acceptable at homeopathic levels of dilution with ginger ale. Presumably this unaccountably popular spirit is bottom end bourbon?
 
I think Jack Daniels is sour mash, which is a type of bourbon. I may be mistaken. I can't tell the difference between standards of that stuff - it all tastes like battery acid to my tongue. I doubt that standards apply with this particular libation, as it's really just a hurried whiskey.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom