[PalJoey]

  Noob audiophile here, been exploring all kinds of whiskeys for a while now. Quite pleasantly surprised to find a whisk(e)y thread here and wanted to say hi.  Favorites include islay as well as some highlands, like Highland Park.

You have good taste!
 
Or similar taste to mine, at least.
 
Which is the same thing, naturally...

 

[Thebb]

Yes, let's just agree that we both have good taste.

 

[superjawes]

Our friends got us a bottle of Jameson 12 Year. I'm going to save it until I get back from Christmas with the family, but I am looking forward to it.

 

[sakurafice]

Yes, let's just agree that we both have good taste.

Any recommendations with highland whiskies?
I've tried ancnoc and so far love it, love the smooth, floral flavours. Makes it great to share with the ladies!

 

[Thebb]

 

Any recommendations with highland whiskies?
I've tried ancnoc and so far love it, love the smooth, floral flavours. Makes it great to share with the ladies!

 
Good thing about the highlands it has a bt of everything, so no particular flavor profile. 
 
Some whiskies I like from this region:
- Clynelish 14
- Oban 14
- Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or
- Old Pulteney
- Glengoyne
 
Also the Dalmores are good but have gained a bit of a bad reputation among the purist whiskey drinkers for adding too much artificial coloring (caramel), but still good and a must try if you are starting.

 

[sakurafice]

   
Good thing about the highlands it has a bt of everything, so no particular flavor profile. 
 
Some whiskies I like from this region:
- Clynelish 14
- Oban 14
- Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or
- Old Pulteney
- Glengoyne
 
Also the Dalmores are good but have gained a bit of a bad reputation among the purist whiskey drinkers for adding too much artificial coloring (caramel), but still good and a must try if you are starting.

Cheers!
I've tried quite a few dalmore whiskies and I like them, but I didn't find them outstanding (to my tastes)
I love the whisky tasting guide by their distiller though, hilarious!

 

[Folex]

   
Good thing about the highlands it has a bt of everything, so no particular flavor profile. 
 
Some whiskies I like from this region:
- Clynelish 14
- Oban 14
- Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or
- Old Pulteney
- Glengoyne
 
Also the Dalmores are good but have gained a bit of a bad reputation among the purist whiskey drinkers for adding too much artificial coloring (caramel), but still good and a must try if you are starting.

 
Clynelish is too high of proof for me. It's an amazing taste but that's the issue.  You are enjoying it and next thing you know.. feeling a little too good. 

 

[Thebb]

   
Clynelish is too high of proof for me. It's an amazing taste but that's the issue.  You are enjoying it and next thing you know.. feeling a little too good. 

 
There's nothing wrong with adding a little bit of spring water to bring the proof down slightly

 

[PalJoey]

Clynelish is very nice. As always, a splash of water helps. Their sister distillery, Brora, closed in 1983, and I had a very drinkable bottle of that in the Nineties before the prices went very silly indeed, due to rarity of the surviving stock.
 
Other favourites - Springbank is well worth seeking out.

 

[Thebb]

Clynelish is very nice. As always, a splash of water helps. Their sister distillery, Brora, closed in 1983, and I had a very drinkable bottle of that in the Nineties before the prices went very silly indeed, due to rarity of the surviving stock.

Other favourites - Springbank is well worth seeking out.

Just finished my Springbank 15 over the weekend

Ah, the infamous Brora. I got into this hobby and prices were already crazy. Is it as good as all the hype around it?

 

[RapidPulse]

Just got a "tasting pack" of 5 drams from Flaviar.com for Christmas
 
It consists of the following whiskys:
 
Lagavulin 16
Glenlivet 18
Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Auchentoshan 12
Singleton of Dufftown 15
 
Looking forward to trying all of these...especially the Lagavulin.

 

[PalJoey]

Just finished my Springbank 15 over the weekend

Ah, the infamous Brora. I got into this hobby and prices were already crazy. Is it as good as all the hype around it?

Brora is a very nice dram indeed (as far as I can remember), but the prices today are based on the rarity of the remaining stock. Is any whisky worth hundreds and hundreds of pounds to anyone except a collector? 
 
I'm not a collector; I'm a drinker. I wouldn't pay that money for whisky, however good.
 
If anything, the St Magdalene I also bought at a realistic price around the same time now costs even more today than Brora.

 

[mrscotchguy]

Brora is a very nice dram indeed (as far as I can remember), but the prices today are based on the rarity of the remaining stock. Is any whisky worth hundreds and hundreds of pounds to anyone except a collector? 

I'm not a collector; I'm a drinker. I wouldn't pay that money for whisky, however good.

If anything, the St Magdalene I also bought at a realistic price around the same time now costs even more today than Brora.

I have tried, with no exaggerations, literally thousands of whisk(e)ys, and the only one I would pay over $300 for myself is a Glenfarclas Family Cask. I'm am a whisk(e)y hoarder, collector, and consumer... But I draw the line at $120 unless it is a just a smokin gem.

The 1968 Glenfarclas Family Cask, I would probably be willing to drop upto $600 due to sentimentality, but only for a special occasion. I've had too many great whisk(e)ys at the sub-$40/btl price for US options, and under $75 for Scotch, that there are very few "flagships" that impress me. I had this same discussion with the Macallan/Highland Park rep and he got super defensive... Most bottles over $500 are just not that good, there just isn't a whole lot of real enthusiasts buying and trying the old stuff to correct the "status" guys just to prove a point.

Whenever customers come asking for Macallan 25yr or Johnnie Blue, it would be the same as walking into our forums asking for "the most expensive pair of Bose or Beats you have on hand right now"...

 

[Thebb]

I have tried, with no exaggerations, literally thousands of whisk(e)ys, and the only one I would pay over $300 for myself is a Glenfarclas Family Cask. I'm am a whisk(e)y hoarder, collector, and consumer... But I draw the line at $120 unless it is a just a smokin gem.

The 1968 Glenfarclas Family Cask, I would probably be willing to drop upto $600 due to sentimentality, but only for a special occasion. I've had too many great whisk(e)ys at the sub-$40/btl price for US options, and under $75 for Scotch, that there are very few "flagships" that impress me. I had this same discussion with the Macallan/Highland Park rep and he got super defensive... Most bottles over $500 are just not that good, there just isn't a whole lot of real enthusiasts buying and trying the old stuff to correct the "status" guys just to prove a point.

Whenever customers come asking for Macallan 25yr or Johnnie Blue, it would be the same as walking into our forums asking for "the most expensive pair of Bose or Beats you have on hand right now"...

Kind of sucks for the consumer/drinker how all this "whiskey investing/collecting" stuff is driving up the prices of the average bottle. I personally haven't gotten into the whole collecting thing yet, I buy to drink. Probably the most expensive bottle I've bought is the Bowmore Devil's Cask. Haven't gotten around to opening it yet though.

 

[Lestat]

A few holiday grabs and thoughts...
 
Jefferson's Ocean - unique bourbon that has been aged per normal but finished at sea.  the salty air affects the distillation process giving it a subtle salted caramel flavor.  honestly at $80 a bottle in most cases not worth it but an interesting try if you can find it - was better when paired with the right food earlier.
 
Grand Marnier 1880 - tried this over the holidays and while very good (strongest hit of the orange liquor but still very smooth) it is not worth the $350+ price tag it commands.  The 100 year is still the best in their entire lineup though admittedly have not tried Quintessence. 
 
Also received a few bottles of scotch that I have not opened up just yet...
 
Scapa 16 Year
Highland Park 18 (had before but glad to have more in stock)
Aberlour 12
Glendronach 15
Glenfiddich 18
 
I'm finding I enjoy the Speyside malts more but I think that has more to do with being used to Bourbon and its sweeter composition/profile.
 
I'll be near The Whiskey Shop in San Fran on business week after next - any suggestions for some good pickups while there?  Their range is substantial - last time I was there they had 2 of the Highland Park Norse Gods (Valhalla) collection available for purchase (Loki and Freya).  I was strapped on cash last time but if they have them again I may need to pick those up.
 
Other suggestions?