[MaxCast]

Finally got a bottle of Ardbeg 10yo.  I almost got a different make as I was having trouble finding Ardbeg.  Glad I hung out.  OMG, I think smoke rolled out of the bottle upon opening.  I like it.  I have the Delmore 12 as recommended    A bottle of Crown Royal Black which was given to me as a gift  now this Ardbeg 10 
this is becoming more fun than tube rolling. 
Thanks so much for the suggestions in this thread.  Any recs on what to get next??

[Tyson]

If you like ardbeg, then Talisker or Laphroaig should be next!

[genjamon]

Anyone had the 25 year Rittenhouse Rye?  My local store seems to have gotten some by mistake and are selling for $50 a bottle.  They claim it's a $160 dollar bottle.  I'm much more of a scotch man than a bourbon or rye, but some of the online reviews seem to really like it.  Not sure what kinds of vested interests they may have, though, and I thought you guys might be able to help me out with your opinions.

[pansixt]

My sister has lived in Edinburgh Scotland for many years.
Shortly before Christmas, she brought me a bottle of Dalwhinnie 15 year.

I started sipping and wrapping presents, and before I knew it half of the bottle was gone. And at that point it had started tasting kind of like sweet tea.
And we like our sweet tea down here in Ole Virginny.

I have bought a bottle since of the 12 year, as that is all that I could find locally on a whim, to try and visit again that nice time.

James

[Tyson]

If you like Dalwhinnie, you will love Oban.

[ctviggen]

If you like ardbeg, then Talisker or Laphroaig should be next!

Personally, I can't see comparing Ardbeg to Talisker.  There's really no comparison.  Ardbeg is like drinking an ashtray.  Talisker is more peppery and much, much less smokey.  Ardbeg to Laphroaig, I can see that. 

I've had an Ardbeg 8 G&M that was fantastic, much better than they typical Ardbeg in my opinion.  It had smoke but tons of flavor. 

[Tyson]

True, Talisker is more pepper than smoke, but I think Talisker is closer to ardbeg that to a highland malt like Macallan or Dalmore.

Another rec that's closer to the smoke profile that Ardbeg has is Lagavulin - sort of combines the flavors found in ardbeg and laphroaig with a bit more depth.  Bowmore is another good choice in this category, but some people dislike the slight sulphur undertones in some of the bowmore bottlings.  I used to dislike it too, but tried it again about 6 months ago and found it very tasty.

[genjamon]

Yeah, all of the Islay whisky will have the peaty flavors to different degrees.  It's kind of the Islay signature flavor.  Some are smokier or have other additional flavors.  I have always found Ardbeg to have a pretty clean and pure peaty flavor - not much else going into the flavor.  Talisker, being outside the region, doesn't quite have the level of peat flavor as most Islays, but it does have some that is also well balanced with quite a few other flavors.  I would agree it kind of blends the Islay flavors with those more typical of other regions.  Talisker is definitely one of my favs.

[pansixt]

If you like Dalwhinnie, you will love Oban.

Tyson,

I decided to try your suggestion as tomorrow is my birthday.

I just took my first sip of Oban. Man is that nice.

If I was versed enough in Scotches, I could give it a proper review.
But if first impressions count, it has a very smooth and mellow flavor,
with what appears to be a lightly sweet, smokey taste with the traditional hint of peat.

The warm feeling brought on by the first drink alone, is worth the price of admission.

Thanks again for the recommendation.

James

[C17FXR]

Anyone have a opportunity to try thus yet?

I did a search for it but didn't turn up any comments so I thought I would ask.

[EthanH]

Had a few drams of dalwhinnie recently.  I like dalwhinnie.  Very prominent honey and cereal with a bit of wood smoke toward the finish.  Easy drinking, very little burn.  Not the most bombastic single malt, but a very pleasant one nonetheless.

I also had a dram of Macallan, not sure if it was the fine oak 10 or the regular 12, as I was at a bar.  It was ok but to be honest it tasted like sherried bourbon to me, which I found to be a sort of odd flavor profile.

Also had some elijah craig 18 year - very wild stuff. I tasted lots of spice, vanilla, some coal, and a big weird flavor that I have not experienced in any scotch.  Not very smooth.  I liked it.  Makes me want to try more bourbons.

I also just bought a bottle of HP12.  I've tried this before a few years ago, but have never bought a bottle for some reason.  I love HP18 (HP18 is a favorite up there with lagavulin 16 and talisker 18 for me), so I'm hoping that this will be a more affordable dram that I can truly love.

Question:  anyone try the mcphail 8 year old stuff?  I'm thinking about trying the bunnahabhain 8 or HP8, but can't find any tasting notes whatsoever on the bunna, and only very little on the HP.

[Tyson]

The 8 year old stuff is too young, don't waste your money on it.

Also, good call on the HP 12!!  One of my favorite drams, regardless of age.  ALL of HP's bottlings are great, but I think the 12 offers the best balance between honey, peat, vanilla, and the tiniest hint of smoke.
If you are going down the bourbon path, check out the Bourbon! thread here in this circle, it has lots of tasting notes I did over time with a bunch of bottlings.  Short version - the top bourbons worth trying are any of the Van Winkles, any of the Black Maple Hills, and most especially the George T Stagg, which is the best whiskey I've ever had of any type, including some very high end scotches.  Stagg re-defines how good a whiskey can be, at least IMO.

[CSJ]

[Tyson]

Ya know, Springbank is my absolute favorite distillery in all of scotland - I've had pretty much every bottling they've put out.  But they are one of the examples of really having a "sweet spot" in their range.  10 years is too young, and the 18 is too old.  The 12 and the 15 are absolutely phenomenal, IMO.  Any older than that and the wood seems to dominate too much.  Actually, one thing I've noted about springbank is that they seem to age "faster" than other distilleries.  By that I mean that their 12 year old is equivalent to other distilleries' 15 year olds.  And the 15 at springbank is equivalent to other distilleries' 18 or even 20 year old scotches. 

On the other hand, some distilleries are the reverse and taste very "immature" for their age.  Balvenie is a classic example - their 15 year old tastes about like a 10 year old from other places, to me.  Glenfiddich is another - the 18 year old I am drinking right this minute seems to be about the same as a 12 year old from other places.  If that makes any sense...

Anyway, there are a few distilleries that are consistently at the top of the heap, and Springbank is certainly one of them!!

[Æ]

I'm not a Scotch drinker, don't know diddle about them, I prefer Bourbon. But here is a gift bottle I did enjoy, I took the pics.

[Bill O'Connell]

I'm not a Scotch drinker, don't know diddle about them, I prefer Bourbon. But here is a gift bottle I did enjoy, I took the pics.

 You have to try their 18 year, scrumptious!

[Æ]

You have to try their 18 year, scrumptious!

I read a ways back that someone didn't like the 18 year, gave it a lesser rating.

[EthanH]

I think it takes three or four drinks to really get a good feel for a whisky, but after one dram I'm very pleased with the HP12.  My initial impression is sweet, chewy peat, very malty, big sherry, bit of honey, smoke and a hint of maritime flavor. Quite full bodied for a 12 year old whisky.

What's neat about highland park is that you get a number of very big, distinct flavors that sort of co-exist from start to finish.  Very different from, say, a whisky like dalwhinnie 15 (i.e., here is the honey, now here is the cereal, now here is some tea, now here is some dry wood smoke, and now here is some more honey).  Not to say one approach is better than the other, but an interesting juxtaposition nonetheless.

Cragganmore 12 seems to have gotten shit on in the tastings on page 1, but I'm wondering if that is the consensus.  I'm thinking about getting a bottle for my friend who is just starting to get a taste for scotch (a few years ago he downed a dram of my lagavulin like it was cheap tequila - wanted to strike him about the head and face).  He likes JWR and JWB, so I think he needs something not too peaty with minimal burn. Of course whatever I get needs to be good enough for me to drink as well .  Any suggestions?

[MaxCast]

Added a new one to my collection



Almost went with the Woodford reserve burbon or Talisker 10.

What can one expect with a Woodford burbon vs. the HP 12 (or any scotch)?  Haven't found GT Stagg yet.

Cheers (imagine a scotch smilie here)

[EthanH]

Recently bought a bottle of Ardbeg 10.  This is my first Ardbeg, and I like it quite a bit.  Of course it is very peaty and smokey, but it has very little alcohol burn, especially considering that it's bottled at 46%.  It smells very smokey, starts a bit sweet (more of a burnt sugar sweetness than dried fruit sweetness like Lagavulin), then the smokey and maritime flavors quickly take over.  Under all the smoke a punch of eucalyptus/menthol hits briefly and then fades out as the smokey flavors take over again.  The finish is bonfire-on-the-beach-smokey and moderately long. 

In contrast to Laphroaig 10 I find it less industrial and meaty, yet more coastal and smokey.  Also, the smoke is drier in comparison to Laphroaig's more "boggy" smoke.  Compared to Lagavulin I'd say it is more intense but less complex and rich.  Mouth feel is good, smooth and a bit oily, probably due to the non-chill filtration. 

Overall I like it very much!