[ear8dmg]

Some more tasting notes for you (posted elsewhere first):

Glenturret Aged 10 Years Single Highland Malt 40%
n. Everything rather gentle. Malt, maple syrup and a hint of ginger. Some wood resin, becoming dominant as you sniff it for longer. 19
t. Again gentle. The tiniest sips practically disappear. Slightly earthy. Perhaps porridge? If you take a bigger sip it gains a peppery heat at the back of your mouth. 21
f. Long and powerful for such an initially gentle whisky. Peppery heat and oak. 22
b. One of the subtlest single malts I've tried at first. Starts slowly then hits the gas. Adding water enhances the nose but dulls the finish. 21.
Overall 83

 

[ear8dmg]

Back on the tasting notes. I'm really lowering the tone here:

I've dragged out a bottle of standard run of the mill famous grouse that had been sitting in my cupboard for a few years. I've become a bit of a malt snob. Even the monkey shoulder I posted notes on was a pure blended malt with no grain to speak of. I hear Famous Grouse has improved in recent years so this might not be quite what you'd be able to buy down the shops right now.

So here we go...

Famous Grouse Blended Scotch Whisky 40%
n. Delicate, sweet honey and toffee notes. Sniff harder and you get to some grain harshness. Not very strong. 21
t. I'm having trouble placing the flavours. A little creamy malty sweetness on the tip of the tongue. Strongish oak and even a little hint of peat. There's an overall tanginess to it, perhaps from the grain spirit. Maybe a bad sherry cask or two made it into the blend: I can detect just the slightest hint of sulphur that hits me half way between the nose and the taste. 21
f. An initial peppery bite. A little oak. I think there might be a bit of caramel in there and it spoils the effect. Tonge becomes sligtly deadened after a while. 18
b. Complex, particularly the taste. There's no spark for me, however. Slightly spoiled by tiny hints of sulphur and caramel that it would be better without. 20.
Overall 80

 

[ear8dmg]

Apologies for thread domination.

Went to an Islay tasting last Friday

Quick notes write up:

Bunnahabhain 12yo 40%
n. Butterscotch and sherry. 23
t. Smoky, spicy oak. 20
f. Resiny, hot. Fades to oak. 20
b. Fairly light but pleasant. 20
Overall 83

Bruichladdich Rum Cask 17yo 46%
n. Rum and apple. 22
t. Spicy. Chillies, creamy sweetness. Black pepper. 23
f. Oranges. Spicy heat. 23.
b. Spicy fruity dram. 23
Overall. 91

Bowmore Tempest. 10yo 55.3%
n. Faint hint of peat. Some sweet barley or maybe sherry. 23.
t. Smooth, sweet peat, chewy. A hint of citrus. 24.
f. Hot wood smoke, becoming dry at the end. 24.
b. Lovely sweet peaty Islay. A bit like lagavulin's blonde sister. 23.
Overall. 94 (several others at the tasting rated this their favourite)

Port Ellen (provenance bottling) 25 year old. 46%
n. Peaty but not particularly smoky. Hint of heather. 22
t. Peat and spiced oilyness. 23
f. Hot. Then long dry peat 22
b. Something about this doesn't really hang together for me. Good but not amazing. 21
Overall 88

Caol Ila (The Wee Dram bottling) - 10yo 46%
n. Peaty. Alcoholic sting. A hint of burned rubber. 20
t. Medicinal and rather oily. Some peat. 20
f. Ther rubber returns. 19
b. Interesting - a little raw. Can't say I like the rubberiness. 18
Overall 77

Tried the lagavulin 16yo, which I've reviewed previously. Great. I made notes and rated it 97 this time.

Laphroaig (Signatory bottling) 8yo.
n. Medicinal. Sea breeze. 22
t. Surprisingly malty for a Laphroaig. Peat comes in with the dram still in your mouth. 22
f. Seaweed and that medicinal iodine. Something reminds me of mackerel right at the end. 22
b. It's not as nice as the standard 10yo you can find in the shops. It doesn't seem much like the laproaigs I've had before. Surprisingly little peat. Still - pleasant enough. 22
Overall 88

Ardbeg Corryvreckan 57.1% (I've put up notes here before, rating it at 94, but spent a little more time with it here)
n. Some peat lingering behind the alcoholic sting. There's some floral heather here. 24
t. Sweet toffee melting into peatiness. Becomes earthy and dry in your mouth. 25
f. Dry ethanol. A medicinal quality. Some smoky peat, lingering a while. 24
b. One of the best tasting whiskies I've come across. Stunning. 24.
Overall 97

 

[Skylab]

I'm glad you bumped this thread. I need to start thinking about this year's holiday scotch. Last year's was the Talisker 25yo. The year before I did the Highland Park 33yo. Any suggestions for this year? I like a peaty Islay, and want something 18-25yo.

 

[ear8dmg]

I tried a Highland Park 18yo and 23yo a few weeks ago. Didn't take notes but both were pretty stunning compared to the more usual 12yo.

Some of the best peaty Islays I've had in the last couple of years have been younger cask strength bottlings. It kind of makes it difficult to recommend older bottlings. I must confess that Port Ellen above is the only Islay over 20 years old I've tried.

Anyway - from recent bottlings, my favourite Islays have been Ardbeg 10yo, Ardbeg Corryvreckyan (no age statement), Ardbeg Uigedail (no age statement); Auld Reekie 10yo (supposedly an independently bottled Caol Ila) and Lagavulin 16yo.

By reputation, I'd throw in Ardbeg Supernova (no age statement - pretty much the peaty whisky), Lagavulin 21yo; Laphroaig Quarter Cask (no age statement).

Not all of them expensive but there are some bang-for-buck gems in there.

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ear8dmg /img/forum/go_quote.gif By reputation, I'd throw in Ardbeg Supernova (no age statement - pretty much the peaty whisky)

That sounds like the ticket

Thanks!

 

[VicAjax]

mmmm... i've only had one Ardbeg... the 10yo... and it was mighty fine for a young, cheap scotch. will definitely have to try some of its more exclusive offerings.

i just nabbed my old standby Lagavulin 16 for my Thanksgiving bottle. Right now, its sharing room on my shelf with a Macallan 18, Macallan 15 Fine Oak, Glenrothes 1991 and a Caol Ila 12.

it's funny, i always reach for the Islays first, so i always seem to have more Speysides and Highlands in the collection.

 

[ear8dmg]

I currently have:

Ardbeg 10 yo
Glenfiddich 12 yo (2 bottles - my parents keep giving me it)
Glen Moray (no age statement)
Talisker 10 yo (20cl)
Cragganmore 12 yo (20cl)
Wee Dram Lowland 17 yo (It's a bottling of Rosebank - a now dead distillery)
Glengoyne 10 yo
Glengoyne 21 yo (minature)
Clynelish 17 yo
Jura 10 yo
Famous Grouse

Just finished off a Lagavulin 16yo last week. On the lookout for another Islay to replace it. Also missing a Campbelltown at the moment and I like to have at least one whisky from each region in. I'm thinking of getting Laphroaig Quarter Cask and a Longrow CV next. They're both supposed to be very nice, as well as being affordable.

I get the chance to try more expensive whiskies at tastings. Wish there was a pub or bar around here with a decent selection. I've sort of fallen into a budgeting structure. Up to £30, I will buy on a whim. Up to £40 I will buy on the basis of recommendations from people whose taste I'm familiar with. Over £40 I have to try before buying. I've been getting to more tastings though, so have been trying a lot of different whiskies recently.

Edit: in spite of the various limited and expensive Ardbegs I've tried, I think the standard 10yo is up there with the best of them.

 

[Skylab]

Right now the following are sitting in my bar:

Laphroaig 15
Caol Ila 18
Bruichladdich 15
Macallan 12

The first 3 are pretty excellent - the Macallan is the "emergency" scotch

 

[ear8dmg]

Realised I've not reviewed the Glen Moray - so here goes.

Glen Moray (No age statement)
n. Werthers Original wrappers unfolding, revealing sticky toffee and malt with honeyed notes. 22
t. Light ginger from little sips but a mouthful is more malty. There's an oakiness to it before the alcohol takes over. 21
f. Orange Marmalade with a hint of lime. Fades to a chilli-like aftertaste warmth. Citrus notes and pepper remain a long time. 23
b. A fine, light, easy drinking yet surprisingly complex Speyside. 22.
Overall 88.

Edit
And I don't think I ever got around to reviewing the Ardbeg 10...

Ardbeg 10yo 46%
n. Sea breeze over meadows with a maltiness but move the glass closer then peat and smoke kick in. Some hints of oranges and apples in there. 23
t. Salty, then powerful peat smoke. Hints of kreosote. White pepper and the tiniest hints of sweet barley. 24
f. Hot and oily. Fishermen's friends. Fading, drying, becoming earthy and then settling with peat. Drys the mouth for a while after drinking. 24
b. Very complex. Changes with each mouthful. I get the feeling I could rate this down or up on a given day. 24
Overall 95

 

[ear8dmg]

Thought it would be worth a bump to point out this whisky tasting guide: Whisky Magazine Nosing and Tasting Course - Part 1 : What can your nose tell you

It's a pretty good guide if anyone wants to start somewhere.

Edit: More notes -

Isle of Jura 10yo 40% (this was £16.99 for 70cl with a free hip flask from netto. Bargain.)
n. Vanilla and heather at first. Deeper inhaling brings toasted barley and brown sugar. 23
t. At first, the faintest hint of earth. It's hidden with a bigger mouthful, which leads to something akin to Terry's chocolate orange. Something about it also reminds me of those licorice allsorts with the little blue bits on. 23
f. Seville orange peel bits from a marmalade. Fades to the aftertaste of fishermans friends. The brown sugar makes a reappearance. 21
b. What the heck happened here? This doesn't seem like the last Jura 10 I had. It's not even like when I first opened the bottle. This seems to have benefited from a little breathing time. 22
Overall 87.

 

[music_man]

lol. i found each and every one of my hobbies here!

macallans 18 year old is what i like. you should try the glenlivet 15 year oak if you have not. that is a darn good drink for the price. i mean real good. it has to be the oak. maybe it is not for everyone but it sure tastes good to me.

i bet a lot will be consumed on new years eve!

cheers!

music_man

 

[Skylab]

My NY Scotch this year was the Laphroaig 15. Nice and peaty!

 

[music_man]

i just realised the op said the glenlivet 15 year oak kinda sucked. well, these things are as subjective as audio then lol.

i had a glass of 55yo macallan last night(not bought by me thankfully)! that....my friends was like heaven,i think.

music_man

 

[Leto Atreides II]

Sipping a glass of a'bunadh No. 27 right now (4 parts whisky + 1 part water)