The Whisky Thread

[ashbaug2]

Originally Posted by dkg1616

Nice pick up! I have a single barrel on the way; chose that over the small batch, but can always get small batch shipped.

I decided to pick up makers cask strength today (never had it)...not bad!

I've heard the Maker's Cask Strength is quite good. I have been enjoying the cask strength bottles from several brands, not because I enjoy the heat, but more because I can add a few droplets of water and bring it down to my liking.

I picked up two Stagg Jr bottles (127.9 proof) for less than $50 each the other day, and in my opinion, these may be my favorite sub-$50 barrel strength I've had. I might even go back and pick up a few more bottles to hoard.

Now, if only I could get a bottle of Blanton's SFTB, I would be a happy camper (but that's definitely not a $50 bottle...).

[RobearH]

Originally Posted by ashbaug2

I've heard the Maker's Cask Strength is quite good. I have been enjoying the cask strength bottles from several brands, not because I enjoy the heat, but more because I can add a few droplets of water and bring it down to my liking.

Now, if only I could get a bottle of Blanton's SFTB, I would be a happy camper (but that's definitely not a $50 bottle...).

Yes, quite good in fact and I enjoy the subtle profile changes to the glass when using one bottled water ice cube.

[JMtimes5]

Happy Friday...




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[dkg1616]

Couple of good pick ups this week!

Still hunting for ORVW for a decent price...




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[Hogtown Fatty]

Only recently had my first Islay malts-- Lagavulin 8 and Laphroaig Quarter Cask-- and REALLY enjoyed them. I know the two I tried are "entry level", but they were seriously stellar and right up my alley. All the flavours were right there and you didn't have to search for them- it was like swallowing a campfire, eating some earth, and then having some candy; stunning. I found them both pretty similar. I'd held off from trying Islay malts as the descriptions of "smoke" and "peat" were off-putting to me, however after trying these two, Islay is all I want to drink moving forward- much preferred them to any bourbon I've had (and I've had a few), ditto any other Scotches. Perhaps it was the sweetness in the two I tried that made them more tolerable/palatable. So I'm hoping you guys might be able to recommend me some other Islay malts to check out. I know the Laga 16 is world famous and I'll def get into that, but also hear great things about the 12. I'll be sampling my friends Ardbeg Uigeadail this Sunday and am interested in some of their other expressions as well.

[JMtimes5]

Originally Posted by Hogtown Fatty

Only recently had my first Islay malts-- Lagavulin 8 and Laphroaig Quarter Cask-- and REALLY enjoyed them. I know the two I tried are "entry level", but they were seriously stellar and right up my alley. All the flavours were right there and you didn't have to search for them- it was like swallowing a campfire, eating some earth, and then having some candy; stunning. I found them both pretty similar. I'd held off from trying Islay malts as the descriptions of "smoke" and "peat" were off-putting to me, however after trying these two, Islay is all I want to drink moving forward- much preferred them to any bourbon I've had (and I've had a few), ditto any other Scotches. Perhaps it was the sweetness in the two I tried that made them more tolerable/palatable. So I'm hoping you guys might be able to recommend me some other Islay malts to check out. I know the Laga 16 is world famous and I'll def get into that, but also hear great things about the 12. I'll be sampling my friends Ardbeg Uigeadail this Sunday and am interested in some of their other expressions as well.

My go to Islay are Lagavulin 16 and Ardbeg 10. I’ve heard that Coal Ila and Ardbeg Uigeadahl are also good. Laphroig 10 is a classic choice as well.
Peace!

[imperio]

Cheap! Seen at Costco mountain view.

[dkg1616]

Anyone having real struggle finding Blantons?

I’m in Ohio and trying to find any is tougher than finding a white Daytona...at least for SS there is a waiting list!!!

[SearChart]

Originally Posted by imperio

Cheap! Seen at Costco mountain view.

Bet you can get a better deal online.
I've stopped buying from stores and only buy my whisky online, I pay around €45/bottle for Lagavulin 16.

[GB-man]

Originally Posted by dkg1616

Anyone having real struggle finding Blantons?

I’m in Ohio and trying to find any is tougher than finding a white Daytona...at least for SS there is a waiting list!!!

I bought 25 bottles at duty free once

But yeah none in my area unless marked up.

[Rolex addict]

Originally Posted by dkg1616

Anyone having real struggle finding Blantons?

I’m in Ohio and trying to find any is tougher than finding a white Daytona...at least for SS there is a waiting list!!!

What part of Ohio are you in? I go to Cincinnati two or three times a year and take friends some Blantons. What is typical retail in your area? It’s $80 here, but can vary by state. I’ve also seen it on websites for sale around $100. I don’t think it’s worth $80 a bottle, but that’s just my personal opinion.

[SearChart]

Originally Posted by Hogtown Fatty

Only recently had my first Islay malts-- Lagavulin 8 and Laphroaig Quarter Cask-- and REALLY enjoyed them. I know the two I tried are "entry level", but they were seriously stellar and right up my alley. All the flavours were right there and you didn't have to search for them- it was like swallowing a campfire, eating some earth, and then having some candy; stunning. I found them both pretty similar. I'd held off from trying Islay malts as the descriptions of "smoke" and "peat" were off-putting to me, however after trying these two, Islay is all I want to drink moving forward- much preferred them to any bourbon I've had (and I've had a few), ditto any other Scotches. Perhaps it was the sweetness in the two I tried that made them more tolerable/palatable. So I'm hoping you guys might be able to recommend me some other Islay malts to check out. I know the Laga 16 is world famous and I'll def get into that, but also hear great things about the 12. I'll be sampling my friends Ardbeg Uigeadail this Sunday and am interested in some of their other expressions as well.

Lagavulin 8 is very similar to Ardbeg 10 IMO, great scotch, but Ardbeg gets my vote since it's just a little more complex.
Lagavulin 16 is indeed fantastic, very well balanced and rich, I'm sure you'll love it.

[SearChart]

Had a dram of Chivas Regal 12 last night.. very long time since I had that. Was better than expected.

[imperio]

Originally Posted by SearChart

Bet you can get a better deal online.

I've stopped buying from stores and only buy my whisky online, I pay around €45/bottle for Lagavulin 16.

Buying alcohol online is new to me.
Which site do you use?

[JBZ]

Originally Posted by dkg1616

Anyone having real struggle finding Blantons?

I’m in Ohio and trying to find any is tougher than finding a white Daytona...at least for SS there is a waiting list!!!

I'm in CT and I find it hit or miss - usually comes in batches and then disappears for a few months. I always buy some when I see it - never know when the next "drought" will be.

[JBZ]

Originally Posted by ashbaug2

I've heard the Maker's Cask Strength is quite good.

I really enjoy the Maker CS - far better than their flagship brand and the 46 (which I've never really liked). When MM first released the CS, it went for something like $75/bottle where I live. It wasn't worth that, but the price has come down significantly - definitely worth a try.

[SearChart]

Originally Posted by imperio

Buying alcohol online is new to me.
Which site do you use?

drankdozijn.nl Which is a Dutch website, I don't think they ship overseas

[dkg1616]

Originally Posted by Rolex addict

What part of Ohio are you in? I go to Cincinnati two or three times a year and take friends some Blantons. What is typical retail in your area? It’s $80 here, but can vary by state. I’ve also seen it on websites for sale around $100. I don’t think it’s worth $80 a bottle, but that’s just my personal opinion.

Retail here is $55; I am in Cleveland area. All liquor goes through the state, they have a stock website, but never seems to be actively updated, or if it is it’s too late...

[Hogtown Fatty]

Originally Posted by dkg1616

Anyone having real struggle finding Blantons?

I’m in Ohio and trying to find any is tougher than finding a white Daytona...at least for SS there is a waiting list!!!

I bitch a lot about our whisk(e)y selection up here in Canada (specifically Ontario; government-run liquor stores called LCBO)-- it truly is miniscule compared to what folks in the States or elsewhere get--, however lately there's been an abundance of Blanton's Original and Weller 107, so I'm slightly less bitter than usual about that. Soon there'll be some Elmer and Weller 12, too. Needless to say, I've been stocking up... Not a huge Blanton's fan actually, however 107 is terrific. Best part? Since it's government-run there's standardized pricing across the province, which means Blanton's and 107's for retail (works out to about $25 USD and $50 USD/bottle, respectively). That said, a couple good deals and some availability don't make up for the fact that the selection is vastly inferior to that found most places south of the border. For example, there's only a couple cask strength offerings I can think of...

[Rolex addict]

Originally Posted by Hogtown Fatty

I bitch a lot about our whisk(e)y selection up here in Canada (specifically Ontario; government-run liquor stores called LCBO)-- it truly is miniscule compared to what folks in the States or elsewhere get--, however lately there's been an abundance of Blanton's Original and Weller 107, so I'm slightly less bitter than usual about that. Soon there'll be some Elmer and Weller 12, too. Needless to say, I've been stocking up... Not a huge Blanton's fan actually, however 107 is terrific. Best part? Since it's government-run there's standardized pricing across the province, which means Blanton's and 107's for retail (works out to about $25 USD and $50 USD/bottle, respectively). That said, a couple good deals and some availability don't make up for the fact that the selection is vastly inferior to that found most places south of the border. For example, there's only a couple cask strength offerings I can think of...

It varies by state. We have no problem getting those here in SC, but it's a little higher than the MSRP you're listing. I guess it doesn't matter if it's $5 a bottle if none can be found. I'm able to get just about anything plus two bottles of Pappy every year. I did recently try Old Forester 1897 Bottled in Bond and really liked it. Oban little bay is another good one for the price.

[Chiboy]

Originally Posted by Rolex addict

I'm able to get just about anything plus two bottles of Pappy every year. I did recently try Old Forester 1897 Bottled in Bond and really liked it. Oban little bay is another good one for the price.

Wow, who's your AD?

[Rolex addict]

Originally Posted by Chiboy

Wow, who's your AD?

It pretty much works the same way. Big spenders get first dibs. If I could only translate that to getting two SS Daytonas every year.

[ashbaug2]

Picked these up yesterday. I’ve been looking for the Confiscated and was able to get it for $99 at my local grocery. The Stagg Jr were all $49 each, amazing price, I think. Shipped one to a buddy who can’t find it and kept the other two (that makes 3 extra bottles for me now...)

Popped the KO Confiscated last night and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was after reading all the haters talk smack about it. I have to assume they haven’t tried it, or were spited on it beforehand, so no matter how good it was they wouldn’t like it. I try to keep an open mind. I’m not sure it’s in the $150 league that it’s trying to play in at Retail, but it’s good at $100, for me, anyways.

Also, to jump on the previous Blanton’s talk, I haven’t paid more than $55 for a bottle (I get them whenever I see them, which is every few months; very hit or miss) except for a local store pick that I paid $80 for. I see some crazy prices online, and while I enjoy it, I couldn’t bring myself to pay $110+ knowing I can find it for less. If $80 is the going rate in your area, I would pick something else, too; there’s a lot of good bourbon out there.


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[SearChart]

A few of my go-to bottles are almost empty so it is time to buy a few, and a few that I haven't had yet.

Going to get a bottle of Oban 14, never had that and heard it was great and I would like to try some Scotch from the lowlands. Anyone have good recommendations for Lowland whiskies? Willing to spend max €100 a bottle.

[Johngalt1]

Michter’s Celebration

[thedak]

[Hogtown Fatty]

Couple recent pickups:

[mmutte]

Originally Posted by thedak

Huge Pilar fan here. Flies under the radar. Very good and easy to get.

[dkg1616]

Well this happened this morning...just missing Tully and Greyjoy!

I initially was back and forth on going to the release as my local Liquor store was one of a couple doing it in the state. Turned out I had to work from home early AM, so was going to be in the office late anyway, so figured hell I’ll check the line. Managed to be 4th!! I originally was only going to get 1-2 bottles, but then I realized how crazy people were getting about the line and that they only had 6 full sets. So none the less the rest was history and walked out with 6/8. I feel that I have a full set as I have all the big names, and if I somehow come across the other two I’ll try and pick them up!




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[Hogtown Fatty]

Turning 30 later this year and wanting to treat myself with a special bottle- either a 30 or a 1989 single cask. Would like your guys help deciding and further suggestions.

-Highland Park 30
-Laphroaig 30
-Glenfarclas 30
-Glenfarclas 1989 Family Cask (winter 2017 bottle)
-Bruichladdich "Magnificent Seven" 1986/30
-Glengoyne 30
-Glendronach 1989 single cask (not sure what year bottling yet)

Of course I'd love a Macallan 30, but that's just downright silly money, imo. I've considered the Mac 25 Sherry- and hear GREAT things about it-, but that's not really a 30, is it? Might make an exception...
I heard some more '89's will be coming out this year, so will be following it closely before deciding...
Perhaps a 2019 '89 Farclas Family Cask or a Glendronach of the same vintage would be nice, pending release. I've studied reviews of all the bottles I've researched pretty extensively and all have pretty great reviews, so can't seem to go wrong. I'm an Islay fan, but love a good Highland/Speyside as well, hence the broad range of bottles. Most folks I've discussed the elusive "big 3-0" birthday bottle with suggested a birth year might be more fitting and to wait and see what '89/30 single casks come out this year, while others have suggested "one of each" (read a 30 age statement + an '89 single cask)... and I think I like the sound of the latter, in which case this post should read "help me pick two bottles-- a 30 year age statement and a 1989 single cask-- for my 30th birthday". You're a savvy lot and have no doubt deduced by now that this is little more than just another excuse to get into some more bottles lol- the round birthday thing just makes it a touch easier to justify to myself. And on the subject of single casks vs. age statements... I know a lot of whisky collectors favour single casks for various reasons, however they seem much more hit-or-miss than an age statement bottle which will be a blend of spirits to help present it in the best/most consistent way possible- wouldn't that be most desirable if best taste is the objective?

P.S. Here is a fascinating piece on the state of Sherry casks in the whisky industry that I was recently turned onto: https://www.whiskynotes.be/sherry-ca...f=sherry-casks