To: qtopic-3-5DBMc2FMegg92o6HOEJ3
Subject: Express freight from ShenZhen Valid to:30,Sep 2009 Currency: RMB per kg; freight Prepaid. Warehouse to door service. U.S.A: by DHL RMB28.6/kg above 101kgs Canada: by DHL RMB32.0/kg above 101kgs Mexico: by DHL RMB30.1/kg above 101kgs Singapore : by UPS RMB25.2/kg above 101kgs Australia : by UPS RMB32.6/kg above 101kgs New Zealand: by DHL RMB39.3/kg above 101kgs Germany : by UPS RMB33.1/kg above 101kgs Great Britain: by UPS RMB33.1/kg above 101kgs Spain: by UPS RMB33.1/kg above 101kgs Italy: by UPS RMB33.1/kg above 101kgs Brazil : by DHL RMB48.4/kg above 101kgs Denmark : by UPS RMB33.5/kg above 101kgs Ireland: by UPS RMB33.5/kg above 101kgs Sweden: by UPS RMB33.5/kg above 101kgs U.A.E.: by DHL RMB30.9/kg above 101kgs India: by UPS RMB34.0/kg above 101kgs Pakistan: by UPS RMB40.5/kg above 101kgs
** Collect goods on ShenZhen, DongGuan, GuangZhou city; Warehouse to Door service. ** The freight include BAF, include express customs clearance; ** When shipping lightweight, bulky packages, use the formula (the product of length and width and height (cm) divided by 5000) to help you determine their volumetric weight. Airline charges are based on a minimum shipment density. The greater of the volumetric weight or actual weight of your packages will be used to calculate your shipping costs. ** For delivering to areas not covered by DHL regular service, Remote Area Service Charge may be added as RMB4 per kg, with a minimum of RMB200 per shipment. --- Lead One Trans Int'l Ltd. DongGuan Branch Tonny MOB:+86-13602327029 TEL:+86-769-22306350 FAX:+86-769-22306361 Our scope: 1. Ocean Freight(FCL,LCL) 2. Air Freight 3. Express (DHL, UPS, FedEx, TNT)

Subject: Express freight from ShenZhen
Valid to:30,Aug 2009
Currency: RMB per kg; freight Prepaid.
Warehouse to door service.

U.S.A : RMB29/kg, above 100kgs
Canada : RMB30/kg, above 100kgs
Mexico : RMB34/kg, above 100kgs
Singapore : RMB21/kg, above 100kgs
Australia : RMB33/kg, above 100kgs
New Zealand : RMB33/kg, above 100kgs
Germany : RMB34/kg, above 100kgs
Great Britain : RMB34/kg, above 100kgs
Spain : RMB34/kg, above 100kgs
Italy : RMB34/kg, above 100kgs
Denmark : RMB35/kg, above 100kgs
Ireland : RMB35/kg, above 100kgs
Norway : RMB35/kg, above 100kgs
Sweden : RMB35/kg, above 100kgs
Brazil : RMB50/kg, above 100kgs
Argentina : RMB50/kg, above 100kgs
U.A.E. : RMB50/kg, above 100kgs
Kuwait : RMB50/kg, above 100kgs



** Collect goods on ShenZhen, DongGuan, GuangZhou city; Warehouse to Door service. ** The freight include BAF, include express customs clearance;
** When shipping lightweight, bulky packages, use the formula (the product of length and width and height (cm) divided by 5000) to help you determine their volumetric weight. Airline charges are based on a minimum shipment density. The greater of the volumetric weight or actual weight of your packages will be used to calculate your shipping costs. ** For delivering to areas not covered by DHL regular service, Remote Area Service Charge may be added as RMB3.6 per kg, with a minimum of RMB180 per shipment.

---
Lead One Trans Int'l Ltd. DongGuan Branch
Tonny MOB:+86-13602327029
TEL:+86-769-22306350 FAX:+86-769-22306361
Our scope:
1. Ocean Freight(FCL,LCL)
2. Air Freight
3. Express (DHL, UPS, FedEx, TNT)

Subject: Express freight from ShenZhen
Valid to:31, July 2009
Currency: RMB per kg; Prepaid.

U.S.A RMB30/kg (above 100kg+); By DHL
Canada RMB33/kg (above 100kg+); By UPS
Mexico RMB33/kg (above 100kg+); By UPS
Singapore RMB25/kg (above 100kg+); By UPS
Malaysia RMB25/kg (above 100kg+); By UPS
Australia RMB39/kg (above 100kg+); By UPS
New Zealand RMB39/kg (above 100kg+); By UPS
U.K. RMB34/kg (above 100kg+); By UPS
Germany RMB34/kg (above 100kg+); By UPS
France RMB34/kg (above 100kg+); By UPS
Italy RMB34/kg (above 100kg+); By UPS
Denmark RMB34/kg (above 100kg+); By UPS
Finland RMB34/kg (above 100kg+); By UPS
Brazil RMB52/kg (above 100kg+); By DHL
U.A.E. RMB36/kg (above 100kg+); By DHL



** Collect goods on ShenZhen, DongGuan, GuanZhou city; Warehouse to Door service. ** The freight include BAF, include express customs clearance;
** When shipping lightweight, bulky packages, use the formula (the product of length and width and height (cm) divided by 5000) to help you determine their volumetric weight. Airline charges are based on a minimum shipment density. The greater of the volumetric weight or actual weight of your packages will be used to calculate your shipping costs. ** For delivering to areas not covered by DHL regular service, Remote Area Service Charge may be added as RMB3.6 per kg, with a minimum of RMB180 per shipment.

---
Lead One Trans Int'l Ltd. DongGuan Branch
Tonny MOB:+86-13602327029
TEL:+86-769-22306350 FAX:+86-769-22306361

Our scope:
1. Ocean Freight(FCL,LCL)
2. Air Freight
3. Express (DHL, UPS, FedEx, TNT)

I agree with your view of Highland Park single malts. They are just the very best - especially the 18 year HP that was released in 2008. I cannot imagine not having a bottle of Highland Park in stock.

Some I purchased in Scotland, some in Southern California at the great Wine and Liquor Depot, some from domestic and overseas auctions, and a few from random small liquor stores that didn't know what they had (like the Talisker 12 I bought a couple years ago for $27.99).

That "White Ardbeg" is a bottle that definitely grew on me as an acquired taste. At first, it tastes almost spoiled, but one quickly comes to love it.

I just found your tasting notes for "White Ardbeg", and was very interested, since I have a bottle I procured while visiting Islay. Where do you get your rare bottles?

Chris Lunt
"ScotchBuddy"

Thank you again for the long and thorough answer. I have now ordered a pair of Spiegelau. I hope he will like his present. Then he will just have to keep the cat away while enjoying the whisky. :)

And that others prefer glasses on stem so they can control the heating of the whisky. So the Glencairn is more of a "drinking glass" and the Spiegelau would be a "tasting glass".

To be honest, I'm not a big fan of either the Glencairn or Riedel whisky glasses. I probably have about fifty different glass geometries in my collection, many of which shine with particular whiskies, and do injustices to others.

The Glencairn is essentially a "tulip" on a solid base. It has the advantage of feeling solid. But you are going to get fingerprints on the glass itself, which will detract from the appearance of the whisky. I do use tulips, but even those I use on a stem (something as cheap as Ikea "liqueur" glasses work.)

In my opinion, every time one drinks single malt, it should be a tasting, not a drinking session. The liquid is just too expensive and too rare to have a "daily dram" of. It deserves better than that.

The Spiegelau is very nice: it is essentially a large, flared copita on a stem. Here's how that breaks down in a tasting:

1. Large: The volume allows the vapor cloud to develop properly, and the height keeps the stinging vapors far from your nose to help one really appreciate the bouquet.

2. Copita: Narrows to form a concentration of vapors, here calibrated to be about the midrange of vapor weight at the point of constriction. All professionals, without exception, use copitas — frequently "black glasses" (dark blue with graduated volume lines that hide the color of the whisky.)

3. Flared: The copita opens up, so that the lighter vapors can float in a larger "pool". By moving your nose from the rim of the glass all the way into the glass, you can "surf" different aromas.

4. Stem: Pros include easy aeration, keeps fingerprints from getting on the glass, allows one to judge color better, appears more elegant. Cons include "more likely for cat to knock over". ‹(•¿•)›

Less pretty and more expensive, but very, very good is the Riedel "Vintage Port" glass, a stemmed copita without a flare. I use this regularly, too.

If you are drinking high-proof Islay malts and love the peat smoke and sting (if you ever use the term "Peat Monster", for instance), you might go for something "lower tech", that concentrates the heavy notes. The best thing for this is a (small) brandy snifter. Again, cheap is fine, and is actually better for you, as it is less likely to include lead. A heavy cut-crystal glass, though, feels reassuring in the hand. But this glass would be wildly inappropriate for the Doublewood (everything here is just my opinion, but assuming you got here from my tasting notes [1], I do know what I'm talking bout.)

By far my favorite whisky glass ever was the "freebie" that Andrew Murray Vineyards in California gives/gave out for wine flights in their tasting room, one of those "and you keep the glass!" things. It is remarkable. I was crushed when I lost it in a move.

Joshua McGee

Edited by author 03-18-2008 12:45 PM
It is a very beautiful glass. I thought of buying him a Glencairn glass, it seems like many people are happy with it. It is not too expensive either.
But I will definitely consider the Spiegelau.
I have heard/read that some people prefer the Glencairn because it is a heavier and more stabil glass. And that others prefer glasses on stem so they can control the heating of the whisky. So the Glencairn is more of a "drinking glass" and the Spiegelau would be a "tasting glass".
How do you feel about that?

Glad I could help.

If you are looking for very nice but not-too-expensive glasses, I can wholeheartedly recommend Spiegelau's Single Malt glasses, especially for the Doublewood.

Thank you very much for the quick answer both of you. I will go for the Doublewood then. That will leave money for a whiskyglass too.

Hi Rikke,

I would definitely go with the Doublewood. It is soft, sweet, and, if he gets more into whisky, gives great hints about what the older Balvenies are like.

The Highland Park has a bit of smoke to it, so if he's a novice, it might not be his cup of, er, scotch.

The Glenlivet 18 is very nice, and a lovely exercise in subtle sherrying, but is a bit on the pricey side (more than twice the price of the others.)

Ideal Soft Sweet after dinner type is
  "Dallas Dhu" (if you can get a bottle)
  

QT - Rikke <qtopic-3-5DBMc2FMegg92o6HOEJ3@quicktopic.com> wrote:
< replied-to message removed by QT >

Hi.
My boyfriend has a birthday coming up, and I would like to buy him a whisky. I think it would fit him best with a soft, sweet one - after-dinner type.
I have come down to the following 3 and would like an advice:

Highland Park 12
Balvenie 12 Doublewood
Glenlivet 18

Thank you in advance.

Hi, Michael. I still have an email sent to me, as well.

I have to say, probably my favorite all around Scotch, for a while now, is Balvenie.

I went to China for a few weeks last fall and have really enjoyed the green teas from there. I went to Longjing (a town just outside of Hangzhou) to get some Longjing tea. It's the most famous Chinese green tea and rightfully so. I have also really enjoyed the Mao Feng and a couple of other types of tea grown in the Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) area southwest of Shanghai and Hangzhou. They had a little sweetness to them (without sugar), which was nice. There's more good hot sauces out there than you can shake a stick at...so get two sticks!

Well, that's my update. Hope all is well with everyone.

Thank you for the nice words!

I still monitor the board, and I know others do, too. But you're right, it's gotten quiet in these parts. Want to help? Post a question, review, or whatever you'd like! We'll get the conversation started again.

Is this message board still active? I loved reading Joshua's tasting notes but I noticed that there have been no messages posted since 2006. Thanks.

Nice job I love the site

It will make your search easier if you look for "Johnnie Walker" (J-O-H-N-N-I-E).

Try http://tinyurl.com/vole6 for US$69 plus shipping.

Good luck,

- Josh

I am looking to buy a bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label Limited Edition,
and live in California. Any Suggestions would be appreciated

I have a question for scotch experts: Why is the Macallan 18 a thousand times better than the Macallan 12???

and my favorite additive style is Dave's Ultimate Insanity

It's funny that you mentioned Dave's Ultimate Insanity sauce. I happen to have a bottle of that myself. I poured it over half a sandwich at Firehouse Subs in Orlando and another hot sauce on the other half. (Firehouse Subs is a chain that sells subs and has a wide variety of hot sauces for you to put on them). Anyway, we're talkin' at least 3-4 tablespoons of DUI! Never having met a hot sauce I couldn't handle, I finished the half. Luckily, that particular store sells bottles of the hot sauces (not like in Tallahassee). I had to get a bottle and have enjoyed the sweaty foreheads and wide eyes of my friends who don't believe them when I tell them how hot it is...BTW, I made it all the way back (a four hour drive) without an unforced bowel movement, so I feel like I accomplished a manly milestone that day...

I just got a bottle of Highland Park (12yr). I like it, but I'm not in a position tonight to give it much of a review.

Ah, yes, you're right on my obvious ommission. Probably my favorite is Caymus Cabernet Savignon. I like BV Napa Valley wines, as well.

I was stationed over at Mather AFB in Sacremento for a year in the mid 1980s while going to navigator school. Needless to say, I made a lot of trips over to Napa to sample the wares. Without that experience, I can't imagine going into a store and letting some guy talk you into buying an expensive bottle based on nothing other than conversation...unfortunately, it's been so long that I'm in the position I can't imagine now...time for another refresher trip!

Speaking of experiencing first hand, I still haven't gotten to the part of the message board where you report on your trip to Scotland. I'm looking forward to reading about it.

Take care,

Scott

I think scotch, tea, beer and hot sauces are what separates man from the beasts

Ah, a soul mate! Count me in on all four. My favorite daily hot sauce is Marie Sharp's Habanero (the original one). My favorite salsa-style is the whole Ring of Fire range, and my favorite additive style is Dave's Ultimate Insanity. Surely you are a friend of Sweat 'n' Spice? I've been planning a hot sauce addition to mcgees.org.

And beer -- we have one of those great bars near us that allow you to collect world beers in your "passport" and then get a t-shirt and plaque (when you've reached 200!) What fun. Some favorites are Fuller's ESB, which a (different) local tavern has on tap, and Young's Oatmeal Stout. Of the four categories, this is my area with the least expertise.

You left "noble reds" off your list.... :-)

Edited by author 03-22-2006 10:29 PM
Thanks for your quick reply! I'm just now about halfway through the posts here and have quite a shopping list built up...I live in Tallahassee, FL and am lucky to have a local liquor store that carries a wide variety of scotches.

Thanks to you, too, Partha.

I do like some Pu-erhs, particularly the ones that have a smokey flavor to them (rather than straight vermiculite ;^) ). My favorite is the Buddha type from the In Pursuit of Tea site that you like. I've tried a lot of teas from different sites and am thinking about starting a review site of my own on them. If I do that, I'll link to yours, as well.

Anyway, as far as scotch goes, thanks again for the response and I'll report back within a couple of weeks to let you know what my new purchases were and how I liked them.

It's so nice to have things that are produced with so many different flavors and subtle differences. I think scotch, tea, beer and hot sauces are what separates man from the beasts (though if you have too much, the separation disappears!)...

Scott

When Joshua speaks, I should rather keep quiet.
  but, following your pattern, I'm eager to suggest
   
  Ardbeg 22 (Gordon MacPhail bottling) : You can't find many 17yrs anymore Laphroaig 17 (GM) ; this one is closer to 30yr than 15yr
  Port Ellen (24-28) ; for real complex and finer notes
   
  -Partha
  

QT - Joshua McGee <qtopic+3-5DBMc2FMegg92o6HOEJ3@quicktopic.com> wrote: < replied-to message removed by QT >

Sure, no problem. Pretty much any Port Ellen will epitomize the sort of south shore Islay thing you like. The Talisker 25 gives Talisker the more time in the cask that you were hoping for. Vintage Cask Balvenies take Balvenies to the next level, with wonderful aging. If the Ardbeg 10 is too medicinal, try the 17 y.o., the 1978, or the 1975, if you can find them. All are more restrained than the 10.

The "hay" descriptor you gave for the Balvenie 10 is what's called an aldehydic note, and if you like that kind of thing, look for youthful Lowlanders.

If you like Ledaig, you may like Tobermory, which is woefully underrated. The Ben Nevis 10 at 46% is also underrated, moderately peated, and inexpensive, and may appeal to your tastes.

The south-shore Islays of the tea world are black pu-erhs from Yunnan Province, China, brewed strong. Find some good-quality stuff and do a head-to-head with Lagavulin 16!

You are right about bottle breathing. Some malts are nearly undrinkable at first -- Glenfarclas 105 is the notorious example, and some fans buy it 6 months ahead of time and install a loose-fitting tapered cork to allow it to breathe. But you will sometimes find bottles, usually young ones, that are vibrant and fruity when first opened, that lose this dimension when they've been open for a while.

Good luck, and let us know what you find.

Edited by author 03-22-2006 08:48 PM
Joshua,

Thanks for your site. I like both teas and scotch, so there you go.

Anyway, I really like the Islay style (Laphroaig (10 and 15 yr) and Lagavulin (16 yr), in particular). The 18 yr Caol Ila is OK (I can see why they give it that long, though). I don't really like the Bunnahabhain (12yr) as well. The Ardbeg (10yr) is somewhat medicinal tasting and not as full in the middle as either the Laphroaig or the Lagavulin, but I still think it's OK.

The scotch I like best from the remainder is The Balvenie. I notice you don't have the 10 year on your list. In my opinion, it is as good as the 12 year, but in a different way. It is fresher and you really get a taste of almost hay in it, which is much more pleasant than that description sounds.

Ledaig (no yr given) sherry finish (from the Isle of Mull) is interesting. In comparison with the Glenmorangie sherry cask, Ledaig is heavier. It hits your tongue like molasses, imparting the sherry finish near the back of the tongue and nose. The Glenmorangie is more aromatic and announces the sherry finish from the tip of the tongue onward.

Talisker (10yr), to me, tastes like a cross between an Islay and a Speyside. It is a nice whisky, but I think it could use some more aging to take the bite off the edge of the tongue.

On a side note: I've noticed that I think some bottles taste better if I let them breathe a little after opening, almost like a red wine. This was most noticable in The Balvenie (10yr).

Before I tried the Islay malts, I liked Glenmorangie (I've tried the 10yr, the 12yr port and 12yr sherry). Now it really seems to bite the edges of my tongue, in comparison.

My question for you is, given what I've written, can you give me any idea what other bottles you think I would enjoy trying next?

Thanks,

Scott

thank you for the help

Hi Jason,

This would be an appropriate question for whiskyvaluations@mctears.co.uk, the preeminent whisky auction house. If they give an appraisal, please post your results back here.

hi i am looking for the value of a bottle of "kings ransom Around the world" scotch whisky, it has a navy blue top, beige bottle, aprox. 6inches high has a jug handle and pourer a green lable that says "whitleys leith" and a yellow lable as well the price on the bottle says "75 shilings" contents 26 and 2 3rds british fluid ounces 17.7 under proof aprox 45 years old we have 2 bottles of it so if you know something about it can you please reply to this mesage

No collection of single malts is complete without a bottle of Copper Fox, distilled and bottled at Belmont Farms of Culpeper Virginia. You may have to go to a Culpeper VBA store to get it and when you do you'll find it has been well aged for a whiskey of it's kind; 4 months. Not exactly, I think, of what you seem to be looking for but a surprise in any case.

Oh...OK. Thnaks

Bruce, TEN and Uigeadail are brand names of a couple of bottlings put out by the Ardbeg distillery.

Not only distilleries but some independent bottlers also bottle whisky, including that from Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroaig though mostly from way back for the latter two as those distilleries have been tight fisted with their casks for decades. Bottlers like Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask, Cadenhead's, Signatory, et al are quite good and often give you something a little different from a standard distillery bottling.

Harry

Thanks Harry,
I recognize both of those brands.
I am something of a novice; I don't quite understand what the last part of your message meant. Would you help teach a newbie?

"...where TEN and Uigeadail are quite good and affordable plus older independent expressions from the '70s." ??????????

Bruce, have you tried Ardbeg and Laphroaig? They are different but are also south-shore islay whiskies with lots of peat in most of their expressions. I particularly like Ardbeg, where TEN and Uigeadail are quite good and affordable plus older independent expressions from the '70s.

Harry

I love the rich, peaty taste of Laguvalin. Is there anything else with a similar robust taste?

For questions like this, ScotchFinder is your friend. The Queen's Silver Jubilee was in 1977 (25 years), and a ScotchFinder search for "Queen Glenlivet" or "Jubilee Glenlivet" gives one match at $472.19 (converted from Euros). This is a square bottle with a silver twist cap. Hope this helps.

How or where do I go about trying to find a value for a very special bottle of Glenlivet? It's from the Queen's 50th Anniversary celebration in 1977. It's in a labeled black wood box, red velvet lined and serial # 857. Supposedly there was only one case alloted to each State and this was the last bottle in NJ back in 1977. Back then the wife paid $200 for it so it's surely worth a lot more now.

oops! the springbank bottle i saw was 47.8 percent. through the green bottle it looks to have no sherry, very pale. anyone know about this bottle? thanks tom

thanks for the responses. yes, joshua, it's the 1965 version. it really helps to get a little background on bottle before you drop $300. thanks again. tom

Hi Tom,

If you are referring to the 1965 at 40.6%, then I wholeheartedly recommend it. Really a fabulous dram.

I've tried in my friends place once,
very silky, medium to full body, fruity, little but balanced after taste.. similar to any XO cognac
QT - tom schmitz <qtopic+3-5DBMc2FMegg92o6HOEJ3@quicktopic.com> wrote: < replied-to message removed by QT >

has anyone tasted the 34 year old springbank from the old malt cask? i see one at a local liquor shop but i'm hesitant to shell out the big bucks without some more info.
thanks
tomschmitz@hotmail.com

Well Steve,
I'd take this time to express my sincere appreciation for Dufftown. I'd score this close to McL-25.
If you're coming through Heathrow, visit Berry Brother's and Rudd (inside World Duty Free @ terminal 4)...Manager "Martin"
phone 44 208 754 1961

last december, my buddy picked up three bottles... and amongst GlenLivet 32, GlenRothes 1979 and Dufftown (I guess 26 yrs)...
the later was by far the best....
closest to classics like 'Dalls Dhu' or 'Strathavon', light, pale, med body, toffee after taste.. ideal after dinner scotch. Hope they have it in stock now.
Aberlour 100 is also good...

Partha

Let me strongly recommend the cask strength Aberlour "100", which I think is even better than the "a'bunadh". A couple of years ago I would have also recommended the "a'bunadh", but you can get that in the States now. I also seem to recall them having some nice-looking Longmorns last time I was there.

Thanks for the compliment.

I'll be passing through London next month. I was curious to visit Whiskys of the World, and possibly a good store in the city if anyone has a recommendation.

My question is this: What might I be able to buy there that I won't find here in the US?

My taste runs to the highly sherried highlanders--Macallan of any kind, Aberlour 18 (sadly no longer available in the US). I also like Longmorn, Highland Park and Dalmore cigar malt. I am curious to try Linkwood 15.

Any suggestions?

Thanks, Steve

ps: nice site Joshua

Apparently the worlds best scotch is Japanese ...

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-scotch24.html

Hello, all.

I have the previous Cadenheads Clynelish bottling, a 1990-2002 12yo matured in a butt and it is wonderful stuff. I'm into my second bottle of it. I'll be looking for the 14yo Cad'lish when it is out on this side of the pond.
Haven't posted on here in a while so I'll add some other ones I've tried lately:
A couple of Douglas Laing Old Malt Casks, the 1975 25yo Ardbeg and 1981 19yo Brora are both great. The Brora is sherry matured and is like an even stronger version of the Cadenheads Clynelish; it can be enjoyed in the company of Islays. The Ardbeg combines what I like about the 10yo and 17yo OBs into one and then some: it is intensely powerful with peat (though not quite as smoky as the 10yo) but is complex and balanced with a peaty, iodiney body and peaty, powerful finish to match the nose. It is sophisticated like the 17yo OB but powerful like the 10yo.
Signatory '88 14yo Mortlach is a nice speysider. I doubt I'd have guessed it as a speysider blind. It is sherry finished and even a bit peaty like a Clynelish or a weak islay scotch. Signatory '92 Ben Nevis is another good one, I think better than the older '90 Sig Ben Nevis; this is another sherry matured one. Hmm, seems I'm turning into a sherry connoiseur... Both took some breathing for best presentation.
10yo Glengoyne is an interesting south highlander. It is organic, lots of apples and barley, some sherry, winey notes. I have to be in the right mood for it and the bottle took some breathing before it was at its best but now I quite like it.
10yo Glen Garioch I wish I'd avoided. It isn't horrible by any means but isn't terribly interesting. It is just slightly more expensive than a blend so the value is fair but I'd rather have spent that money on something else.
Fall is coming, almost time to pick up some more islays. I hear the Lagavulin 12yo CS is interesting.
Harry

Cadenhead's David Stirk has the following recommendations regarding upcoming Cadenhead releases:

The ones to watch out for are all the C's

Convalmore 26yo bottled at 46% and at CS
Clynelish 14yo also bottled at two strengths
Cragganmore 14yo also bottled at two strengths

The above three are all sherry casks although the Convalmore is not showing much colour, the other two have a good dark amber glow.

Dave Broom has tried all three and raved about the Cragganmore although my pick is the Convalmore as it has coconuts galore in it and is a real malt pleaser. The Clynelish is so sweet - it is like liquid honey with just
a touch of spice as you would expect from Clynelish.

Other than that look out for the 24yo Bunnahabhain (this one is very reasonably priced) which has all of the oiliness you would expect and everything else for that matter.

There are two Laphroaigs both astonishingly peaty (compared to current Laphroaigs)

My pick of the rest is the Glendronach from a Bourbon barrel. This one is near perfection with sweetie smells all over the place. It demonstrates all that is great about Glendronach while not being masked by a sherry cask
(or colouring for that matter). A beaut of a whisky.

Hi all,
You may now update your distillery links with
http://www.lochlomonddistillery.com/home.htm
Best regards
Åke

Edited by author 05-13-2003 04:26 PM
Anyone interested in purchasing Bushmills 25year-old "Millenium Malt". It was a "private cask" deal and I was lucky enough to get my hands on Cask 292. It was distilled in 1975 and is in very short supply as we continue through 2003. It is priced at £150 a bottle so only serious collectors should consider it.I have a reasonable supply left but if anyone is interested they should post back here soon because it won't last forever. Thank You.

Joshua:
Sweet tool - I've been playing around all day. I'll give you more feedback once I feel I've used it enough.
Mordechai

ScotchFinder, after a long hiatus, is back online. It now lists more than 5,000 offers. Enjoy!

Anyone tried Sig 1984 17yo 43% Caol Ila or any Sig or Gordon & MacPhail Bladnochs?

Harry

Hello all,

I've posted tasting notes to my relatively recent acquisition of a Cadenhead Highland Park 22 y.o 1962/1984 that I picked up over the Christmas holiday. Thought you might be interested!

Joshua

Dropped a few words there, sorry. The second monthly release of Vintages, our liquor control board's specialty product line. They have one or two 'releases' each month and in April, the second one includes the '91 Signatory Rosebank.

Harry

Harry:

Second release of what?

Mordechai

As if by magic, next month's 2nd release includes Signatory 1991 Rosebank! I've ordered a couple of bottles and look forward to receiving them in two and a half week's time. Probably 43% as usual for Signatory but Rosebank is getting so rare that I'd take 40% gladly. Haven't seen many tasting reports on the 1991 so I'll report when I get it.

Sitting here enjoying Ardbeg 17yo 43% after a nice meal of salmon with broccoli salad and chocolate gelato desert. I'm really picking up the deep phenolic notes in the nose tonight for some reason. In a blind testing I bet I might have said Lagavulin 16yo as I usually pick up that note particular in the Lag', not the 'beg. Lovely stuff, especially after baked fish, IMO.

Harry

Harry:
I don’t really have many bottles of Irish whisky, and have never really paid much attention to their alcohol content. Went home and took a look at the one Irish whisky I really enjoy – Midleton Very Rare – which was something my then-girlfriend discovered for me on a trip to Dublin. I’ve been through a couple of bottles since, and realized I still had no idea as to the ABV. Exactly as you said, 40%. I would have never guessed it just from drinking it, as that divine honeysuckle-and-heather taste comes through full-bore without the need for a higher proof.

Joshua:
Bottled, distilled, it’s all good as long as the magic ends up in the bottle and from there into my glass. :-)

Speaking of higher-proof lowlanders, I was just hooked up with a couple of bottles of whisky by a contact at the fancy foods expo last week in Orlando. Anybody ever hear of Fassbind Whisky? Seems they’re a Swiss independent bottler marketing their product as “The Secret Treasures of Scotland.” I’ve never heard of them, and I have no idea if their casks age in Scotland or on the continent, but I secured a 1992 Rosebank at 44%. Not cask-strength, but I’ll take it, and as I do not currently own a single lowlander I figure I’ve got to start somewhere. I was also able to get a Scott’s Selection Highland Park 1975 at cask strength (I’m not certain as to the exact ABV). I haven’t yet received either bottle, as they’re in transit, but I hope to have them by the end of the week. I was slightly bummed as I was trying to get my hands on a Scott’s Selection Longmorn 1970 Sherry Wood, but alas, it was not meant to be. I guess I’ll just have to comfort myself with a glass or three of fine whisky. Oh well.

Mordechai

I agree that lowlanders are nice when stronger. I just finished (sadly) my bottle of Murray McDavid Rosebank 11yo 46% and hope I can find some more (I hear the 1989 is sold out but the 1990 and 1992 are still available). I'd love a bottle of that cask strength 1980 Cadenhead... Glenkinchie 10yo is OK but I find it nowadays to be just an OK malt, nothing special (or perhaps my bottle has been open for too long).

In Ontario, Canada we get some of the distiller's editions (Lagavulin and Dalwhinnie are currently available).

Harry

Mordechai,

Yes, I've tried all of the Distiller's Editions. They are all quite drinkable, and the Lagavulin is amazing. They are not available in the States.

Presumably you meant that the Caol Ila was bottled on 1/30/2003... ;-)

Harry,

While I agree that lowlanders are not necessarily 'ruined' at 40%, they too are helped by higher proof. The 8 and 17 y.o. Littlemills for the U.S. market come at 43%, as does the U.S. Glenkinchie, and cask strength lowlanders, such as the superb Scott's 1965 Littlemill at 58.9% and the delicious 1980 Cadenhead Rosebank at 60.1%, can be very rewarding. Keep your eyes out for Irish over 40%, too: the 1975 Bushmills "Millennium Malt" was bottled at 43%, for instance.

- Joshua
http://www.mcgees.org/singlemalts.html

The Ledaig 15yo was supposed to be 40% but when I got to the store I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was 43%.
I agree with you that 46% is very nice, 43% is good and 40% is just fair for most scotch. Irish whiskies for some reason never get above 40% and yet with their lighter character, I agree that it isn't an issue. Lowlanders are also fine at 40%.
Harry

Harry, Joshua:
Thanks for the tasting notes and suggestions. I've never yet sipped a Ledaig/Tobermory/Deanston even though I tend to have a taste for the peat and it's been suggested to me by others in the past. I guess I'm a bit wary of the lower alcohol content at only 40% (at least in the official distillery release referenced). I've found (at least for me) that for lighter Highland-style whiskies 40% can work, but for larger phenolic brutes 40% can sometimes come across as kinda flat. In general I look to 43% as the minimum, 46% as ideal for daily sippin', and have been a blessed beneficiary of the many recent higher proof releases. I know that some feel the higher alcohol burns the taste buds and dulls the complexity, but I don't have all that sophisticated a palate to begin with, and I really enjoy the bigger mouthfeel that comes along with, especially when combined with a robust full-bodied whisky.
Which leads me to the double-matured Cragganmore I bought. I've only just begun to get to know the glass, and I'll revisit it time and again as it matures in the bottle until we really get to know each other, but my initial taste had me longing for a higher proof. I debated buying it because it was only 40%, but in the end I took it for two reasons: Cragganmore has a well-deserved reputation as a great distillery, and the other "Master Distilled" editions I've tasted from United Distiller's Classic Malts line have been outstanding. (Namely the Lagavulin and Talisker, with the Lagavulin being an absolute monster - one of the greatest bottles I've ever bought.) And now that I’ve actually cracked the seal I feel a little wistful – because while it’s a good enjoyable whisky, at a higher proof I think it would be a great one.
Has anyone tasted any of the other “Master Distiller” editions? There’s an Oban that looks interesting, as well as a Dalwhinnie. And has anybody seen them for sale in the States? I’ve only seen them in the duty-free market.
Joshua, the Caol Ila in question is a fresh issue. I got bottle number 250 of 689, distilled on 01/30/2003. Get ‘em while they last.

Those sound like some good selections. A couple of fairly recent pickups of mine are similar, Cadenhead Clynelish 46% 12yo (1989-2002 IIRC) matured entirely in a sherry butt and a Dun Bheagan Caol Ila 43% 10yo (1991-2002 IIRC). I also picked up a Ledaig 15yo 43%.
The 12yo Clynelish sherry matured malt is wonderful stuff with a nice highland peat nose, even some smoke, with lots of vanilla, toffee, cereal malt, and other sweet notes. The body is full and found, lots of sherry, toffee, cerealy, malty, very sweet but not cloying at all. The finish is also of a very good length. Overall, a powerful whisky from nose to finish, my favorite highland I must say, at least 95/100 in score.
The 10yo Caol Ila is a nice medium strength islay, not as light as Bruichladdich but nowhere near an Ardbeg. Smoky, peaty, BBQ bacon chips in the nose, lots of peat and smoke in the body with a nice finish. It is good, but not great, perhaps 78/100 score.
Ledaig 15yo (distillery bottling) is another recent pickup. It is a heavily peated version of Tobermory from the isle of Mull. It has a VERY powerful nose of peat and smoke with what was an unidentified odour in the nose until I read someone else say it smelled somewhat of tea and I think it does smell somewhat of tea leaves (not steeped tea but the raw leaves), plus some fragrant phenolic notes. The body is spicy, medium strength and dry. Just before the finish you get a powerful return of peat and spice, somewhat reminiscent of Talisker. It also reminds me a bit of a young Springbank. Very good stuff, 89/100 score.
Harry

Mordechai,

I am familiar with the first two, and familiar with one sherried Sig Clynlish; not sure if it's the same one. All good choices. I'm not familiar with the new Caol Ila you mentioned: I do have a Sig table strength 10 y.o. 1989 Caol Ila, which is quite nice.

I know exactly what you mean by "aperitif Islay": keep your eyes open for the Hart Brothers 13 y.o. 1982 Port Ellen, if there are any left to be found. A lemon-pepper, light, fantastic aperitif Islay.

Good luck with your future finds.

Partha,
Thanks for the tips. I ended up shopping at World of Whiskies in Terminal 4 on way back Stateside. The selection was definitely impressive, even if the help was a little less than friendly. I came home with four selections: Select Reserve Royal Lochnagar; the double-matured Distiller's Edition Cragganmore finished off in port pipes; a Signatory cask-strength Clynelish aged entirely in sherry; and an 11-year-old Signatory bottling of Caol Ila distilled in 1991. I would highly recommend this particular Caol Ila, especially to Islay fans. I tasted it at a friend's house and was smitten. Young and easy drinking, almost like burnt smoky sugar - an aperitif Islay, if there is such a thing. Decently cheap too, at only 20 pounds a bottle.

Mr. Fishman,
I usually try "Berry Brothers & Rudd "collection inside "world duty free". They are located in one corner of the store, close to gate #7, adjacent to the walkway to the coffee shop. For a list of selection, u may want to try www.bbr.com. Alternatively, if you walk towards increasing gate numbers, i guess close to gate #10/11, u'll find "world of Whiskies" to your left. They have a n impressive collection.
Hope this helps.

Nice little format to discuss one of life's great pleasures. Here's my inquiry - I'm going to be travelling to Europe later on this week and will returning via London Heathrow, location of Whiskies of the World. I've been there before and it's an overwhelmingly happy experience - but there's almost too much to choose from. Anyone know if they post or list their selection anywhere? I can't find it online, and I'd like to decide what to purchase before I get there.
Alternately, if there are other locations or places I should look into, please suggest.

Jean-Marie,

Try The Whisky Exchange and Loch Fyne Whiskies; both carry this. I'll send this to your email address as well.

I have searched for a very long time for a few bottles of Loch Dhu... I'm a french man ,I don't speak very well english, but I hope you will accept to help me: where could I find it!!!! ! my e-mail is famlecoq@aol.com. Thanks a lot :-)

Terri,

Thanks for the extra info. I'd suggest that your friend contact Martin Green for a proper valuation; I'm just an amateur. :-)

I didn't realize you were in Canada; the dollar figures I quoted are in U.S. dollars.

Good luck!

Joshua: Thank you for your quick reply. It is a green bottle with a driven cork. The label reads: King George IV Liqueur Whisky. The Distillers Company Ltd., Edinburgh. Very Extra Special. Guaranteed pure Malt Whisky and thoroughly matured in Sherry Casks before being bottled. The only other thing on the bottle is The Distillers Company registered trademark seal.

Hi terri,

If it is the King George IV "Old Scotch Whisky" in the brown bottle, with either a cork and paper seal or screw cap and lead capsule, it is worth 55 - 60 GBP (about $90) per bottle, assuming that there is a good fill level and that the seal and label are in good shape.

If it is the really old King George IV "Top Notch" whisky in the green bottle with a driven cork, it is potentially worth a lot more, as much as 400 GBP (around $600) per bottle, assuming you can find a buyer; this might be difficult, as there is not always a lot of demand for old blends.

I am not a professional valuator, however, and my estimates are only based on past auction sales. Your friend can contact Martin Green at The Martin Green Whisky Consultancy (martingreen@whiskybids.com) for a more expert opinion, although he will probably have to pay for the valuation.

A dozen of these bottles would probably flood the market, and might be best sold over a span of years, one or two at a time, if your friend is interested in selling. In that case, there is an auction at McTear's, Glasgow, on 23 April 2003, and entries are now being accepted. McTear's can be contacted by telephone at 0044 41 221 4456.

Hope this helps.

I have a friend that has inherited a case (12), of King George IV Malt Whisky. It was bottled by The Distillers Company Ltd., Edinburgh, in the early 1900's. Does anybody have any information on where he could possibly get an idea on what it is worth?

Correction: was Wednesday that I chatted with Raymond, not Thursday.
Other whisky 'news': I recently picked up bottles of Cadenhead 12yo 46% Clynelish and Dun Bheagan 10yo 43% Caol Ila.

The Clynelish is wonderful, just wonderful stuff with a nice smoky (in a highland sense, not an islay sense), malty, sherry nose, lovely thick sweet, sherry body and finish -- hard to describe in such a way that implies how nice it is other than to say it is a smoky, sweet, full bodied highland.
The Caol Ila is also nice, though not in the same league as the Clynelish; it has a nice smoky peaty nose with a bit of a bacon-like smell, not as strong as Ardbeg TEN by any means but very nice overall, a nice medium islay. Reminds me a bit of a mellower version of a young Bowmore.
Harry


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From: QT - Ã…ke Johansson
> Yes, the equipment is equal to what it was when the distillery
> was mothballed and yes there were peated lowland malts though
> that was long ago. ... I paid a visit to the
> distillery last autumn and met the owner Raymond Armstrong who
> most kindly demonstrated the contents of his casks, the oldest
> one now being three years, and I was impressed....

By chance I participated in a whisky chat this past Thursday and Raymond dropped in so I got to ask him a couple of questions. He seems like a nice, knowledgable fellow and I look forward to sampling his product when it becomes available (probably not for at least 5 years more).

Harry


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Yes, the equipment is equal to what it was when the distillery was mothballed and yes there were peated lowland malts though that was long ago. Having tried the peated spirit I think that there is a clear lowland character behind the peat, which isn´t very dominant (27 ppm phenols)The main part of the distilled spirit is traditional lowland unpeated. I paid a visit to the distillery last autumn and met the owner Raymond Armstrong who most kindly demonstrated the contents of his casks, the oldest one now being three years, and I was impressed. Raymond Armstrong works very seriously with his distillery and is particularly cautious about the quality of the casks which probably is the main reason why the whisky develops so well. So far there is of course only whisky from the previous owners on the market but I think we can look forward to something special when the new Bladnoch comes on sale!

Åke

> From: QT - "&#C5;ke" Johansson

> There isn&#B4;t much about lowland malts on your forum. Try this
> link for one of the best:
>
> http://www.bladnoch.co.uk/
>
> And give your support to one of the endangered species!

Any idea if it will resemble the old Bladnoch? Have they retained all the old distilling equipment, stills, washbacks, etc.? I see they are using peated barley for some experimental casks for sale. That doesn't sound much like lowland to me. Did lowland malt ever use peated barley?
I enjoy the old Bladnoch and look forward to tasting some of the new stuff. I hope it is truly the revival of an extinct scotch, not just the return of a marketing trademark. I don't mean to be so synical but in today's whisky climate when the lowland taste is not very popular, marketable or profitable, I'll believe it when I taste it!
Rosebank, another closed distillery was actually my favorite and I hear it is not only closed but demolished. Sad.
Harry Pulley, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

There isn´t much about lowland malts on your forum. Try this link for one of the best:
http://www.bladnoch.co.uk/
And give your support to one of the endangered species!

Åke

Harry,
Thanks for the information. I passed it along to my friend and he is now the proud owner of a 30 year old bottle. He is in ND and I do not know if any will be left by the time he gets back to TX. I am sure I will hear some story about the angels share.
Jerry

That sounds like a good deal to me. I like The Dalmore, finding it to have a slightly smoky, peaty (nothing like an Islay whisky but very full and aromatic), malty, cerealy nose and nice body to compliment the nose and a good warm finish. I've never had the 30yo but I imagine that it would be good and for that price I don't think your friend can go wrong.

Harry


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Edited by author 01-07-2003 02:31 AM
A friend recently encountered a 30 Y/O bottle of Dalmore for $125. He called for advise about the scotch. I do not drink Dalmore so I do not know if this is a good deal or not. Please offer your personal opinion.
Jerry

> Thanks for the notes, Harry. Are you sure that 1988 is
> the bottling date of the Glenfarclas? I have never known a
> cited date to be other than the distillation date.

No, I'm not sure. I think I confused myself as the others I have are mostly given as both distillation and bottling dates, but I think you're right that the usual way of saying just one year, e.g. "1977 Ardbeg", would mean it was distilled in 1977. So this is likely distilled in 1988 and bottled recently making it something like 12-14 years old.
Thanks for the correction,
Harry

1

Thanks for the notes, Harry. Are you sure that 1988 is the bottling date of the Glenfarclas? I have never known a cited date to be other than the distillation date.

Other recent purchases:

I've joined the local An Quaich which has really opened up the possibilities for buying Scotch. Up until now I had only found a scant few speyside or highland whiskies which were sufficiently good, to my tastes, to buy. Now, I am having to pass some up for reasons of cost, but I can usually go back a month or two later to pick them up if I find I really want them.

First, a couple of nice speysides.

The Glendarroch 1988 which is in fact a 1988 GlenFarclas, bottled at that date but not sure of the distilling date. The nose is of sweet candies but not overpoweringly so. Very nice, rich tasting, sweet but not cloying, very well balanced I think. Good long, warm finish. When I tasted it, right after opening, I found it to be quite good so I'm not sure it is the same as the notes for the 105 you made but I have still opened my bottle anyways (whisky is for drinking, after all). It is 40% ABV, a Whisky Galore bottling.

Next, a port finished Auchroisk 11yo, 1990-2002, cask # 9048 by Chieftain's. 43% ABV. Fruity, vanilla nose with a hint of port, a flavorful body and nice warm finish. In many respects a typical speyside but turned up a couple of notches.

Finally, a highlander which reminds me of an islander. The earthiest, most vegetative highland I've ever had. A James MacArthur's Old Masters bottling of Fettercairn, 1992-2002, cash no. 3203 bottled at full strength 60.5% ABV. The nose is so earthy and planty that it really reminds me of the old Bruichladdich 10yo 40%. It is lovely undiluted which is rare for a cask strength on my tongue. Only in the white hot finish does the high ABV make itself known. Others at the tasting hated this one but I love it!

At the same tasting where I bought the GlenFarclas, I passed on a bottle of 16yo Balblair. It was nice but not as nice as the GlenFarclas. So far I don't feel the need to buy that bottle.

Next month I'm in for an interesting treat, a 6-7 year bottling from the new Isle of Arran distillery.

Harry

Ardbeg TEN vs. Ardbeg 17. I finally got my hands on a bottle of 17 last night, just in time with only a dram or two left in my bottle of TEN. Now, a newly opened bottle compared to a nearly finished bottle probably isn't a fair test but I did it anyways.

The tasting notes for the two are remarkably spot on. Many manufacturers seemingly need to embellish but not Ardbeg. I must say I was a little disappointed at the lack of smoke in the nose of the 17. The TEN is a real smoky peat monster while the 17 lets the peat come through without the smoke. The TEN is more like a sherry cask finished malt with toffee and chocolate in the nose while the 17 is more bourbonish, with vanilla and oak. The palate of the 17 does bring some smoke on but still not that interesting puff of tobacco that the TEN provides just before the finish. The palate of the TEN is drier while the finish of the 17 is drier.

Overall, the 17 is what I expected, a mellower, better composed version of its younger self. It isn't much more expensive than the TEN. After just one tasting I am not going to say I like one necessarily more than the other but at the moment I find the TEN to have more of an Ardbeg motif than the 17. I will have to compare the 17 to Lagavulin 16 and Bowmore 17.

I'll let you know what I think upon a second comparitive tasting as well.

Harry

Clever ... a little Macallan for your Mac Alan (or Nic Alan, depending on the outcome.) :-)

I am fond of the 25. The eighteens are generally good: the '79 is magnificent, the '80 and '81 are sub-par, and the '82 is back to being decent again. The Gran Reserva is a bit too sherried for my tastes. If I have tried the 30 y.o. I cannot remember.

Congrats on the impending birth!

Regards,

Joshua McGee
http://www.mcgees.org/singlemalts.html

Edited by author 08-29-2002 07:06 PM
A wee bit of advice please - as a Macallan 12yo fan, what should I fill my Quaich with to celebrate the impending birth of my wean? Having seen the best given variously as the 18, 25 and even in one review, the 30 - or the Grand Reserve? Choices, choices!
(Incidentally - I still prefer a good leap-frog, or my all-time, Glendronach 1968, but since my mother's maiden name was also Allan.....)
Slainte
AC

I hear you about this bottling. I have the same at
home and I enjoy every sip of it. MMD have great
bottling. I also enjoy their rosebank 10. A pure jewel
if you like young flowery lowland.
On the more serious stuff I stronlgy recommend you the
cooper choice Highland Park 20. Got it on sale at bev
mo for a pityfull $42. What a deal. Nothing compared
with the Official Anniversary 20 years, but the
price/quality ratio on the cooper is unbeatable.
Cheers
Francois
--- QT - Keith Dawson
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Hi Keith,

Very few people claim that they can taste the influence of spirit caramel in whisky. The appeal of uncoloured whisky is an "honesty" issue more than anything else. But chill-filtering certainly does impact the flavour; those chemicals that are filtered out are some of the most strongly flavoured in the whisky.

- Josh

Dear Dr. vandermeulen,
Thanks and yes, please have a drink for me.
Thanks again,
Jerry Simmons
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To Jerry Simmons,
Sorry to hear of your health prognosis. We all get that message at some point, but it doesn't help knowing when. I will shortly be visiting the Glenora Single Malt distillery in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Their first bottlings are out now (ca. $100Cad/bottle). I will offer up a drink to you.
All the best
John Vandermeulen

> McDavid bottlings stress that they are not chill filtered and
> not colored. Does anyone have an opinion on how these factors
> contribute to their distinctive character (assuming it's not all
> just marketing hype)?
 
I think it is definitely better when not chill filtered. It takes some of the taste away. I prefer naturally coloured spirits too, though just because I do -- I don't think I can taste the difference there.
> An aside from that W&LD listing: anyone know whether "Murray
> McDavid Leapfrog 12 yr." is in fact a bottling of Laphroaig?

Never tried it but heard it is definitely Laphroaig.

Harry

Edited by author 08-10-2002 05:55 PM
I see a couple of posts here have alluded to the bottler Murray McDavid.

There's a high-end wine and liquor store in Groton, MA (didn't retain the name) with a nice selection of malts, including a few Irish ones -- which will be the subject of a separate post one of these days. From them I bought a bottle of Murray McDavid Highland Park (46% abv, distilled 1988, aged in fresh sherry casks, bottled 2000). I'm enjoying the very last of that bottle as we speak.

I'm not a widely experienced taster, as some of you are, but I find this bottlling more satisfying than most I've tried. There's a crack to the flavor (maybe the higher-than-usual alcohol content), and a very satisfying note in the aftertaste -- almost metallic.

McDavid bottlings stress that they are not chill filtered and not colored. Does anyone have an opinion on how these factors contribute to their distinctive character (assuming it's not all just marketing hype)?

I paid $57.99 for this bottle. That'll teach me to go to Joshua's Scotch Finder first: the Wine and Liquor Depot has it for $41.95, plus whatever for shipping.

An aside from that W&LD listing: anyone know whether Murray McDavid Leapfrog 12 yr. is in fact a bottling of Laphroaig? Tried it?

Jerry,

Thanks for your report on McCarthy's. Others have also written that it is still very rough; I have not gotten a chance to taste it yet.

I am saddened by your doctors' prognosis. I am holding out hope that your doctors are very wrong. I know someone who was given six months to live in 1985. He is still going strong. There is always space on the distribution curve for outliers. :-)

Best,
Joshua McGee

I ran across a new “scotch” a couple of weeks ago. It is not a real scotch because it is made in Portland, Oregon, USA. Here is some information from the label.
McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt. Distilled from a Fermented Mash of Peat-Malted Scottish Barley.

The oldest malt they have is 3 years old. As for taste, it is rough to the nose, it is rough to the palate, it is rough to swallow. It is just young and rough. The reason I am writing about it is that in 12 years this is going to be some great malted whisky. Hidden deep in the whiskey is some real character with a complex taste.

Their address is: http://www.clearcreekdistillery.com/

The doctors tell me I have about 18 months to live so I will not be here to check it in 12 years. I would appreciate one of you checking on it for me. After evaluating it step outside and say, Jerry it taste like ________.

Thanks,
Jerry Simmons

Hi Joshua,
You have one fantastic site. I regret that I did not
know about it earlier.
Thanks for heading me in the direction.
Jerry
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If you will excuse my endorsement of my own site, you could search for your Bowmore 30 at ScotchFinder and probably find a good deal on it. It looks like D&M and Wine & Liquor Depot could both set you up for $220 - $230 plus shipping, which may be better than you could get at your local store.

> They told me to go to Baskin Robbins for malts and shakes.

:-)

Dear Joshua and Harry,

Thanks to both of you for your responses to my
questions about Macallan. I know everyone’s opinion
about great scotches is inclined to be a little
different. It does make me feel better to learn there
are others who hold the same opinion of Macallan.

I will get a bottle of Bowmore 30. I will have to get
my favorite store to order it. I am deep in the hill
country of Texas. The first time I entered a liquor
store near the house I said wanted a single malt.
They told me to go to Baskin Robbins for malts and
shakes.

Thanks again to both of you for your answers,
Jerry


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I also enjoy the Bowmore 17. It is the oldest one I've tried, the oldest I've come across. Lagavulin is nice but lately I find Ardbeg TEN to be my favorite strong Islay scotch whisky. Bruichladdich 10yo (the old bottling) has really grown on me as a nice light Islay.

I've found all Macallans to be disappointing and completely overrated. I've tasting the 18yo, which was a huge waste of money ($13 at a pub for a single shot), and the 12yo which I also found to be unremarkable. Perhaps I just got a couple of bad bottlings but after two bad ones, I am leary of paying money to try another. The are several speysides which I MUCH prefer, including The Balvenie, Old Pulteney, and Auchroisk.

Harry

Hi Jerry,

I agree, Bowmore 17 is phenomenal. It is one of the most perfectly constructed whiskies out there. If you are willing to splurge, the 22 and 30 year olds are beyond words.

Mac 18 and 25: what to say? A lot of people swear by them. Notably, Michael Jackson does. Unfortunately, IMO, he is considered the de facto expert in these matters; while he has done much to popularize SMSW, I am not sure that he is always letting his taste buds dictate his writing. I am not directly questioning his journalistic integrity, but his closeness with Robertson does make some eyebrows rise.

So I think Macs are frequently overrated. Jackson's 15-point differenctial between the Glendronach 15 y.o. Sherry Cask and the Mac 12 is completely absurd. I (and others) think the Glendronach is quite a splendid dram and a head above the Mac 12, which is far to spirity than it has any right to be.

The Mac 18s are interesting. Jackson says that "there is not a full point between" any of them which (to continue my rant) is hogwash. Among recent bottlings, the '79 is charming, with a syrupy, sappy, birch beer thing going for it, and is pleasantly light. The '80 and '81 were pretty abysmal, probably because Robertson was hoarding all the good casks for the Gran Reserva. The '82 is once again drinkable. Of course these are just my own opinions.

The Mac 25 is one of the most overpriced whiskies (in terms of a theoretical Quality/Price ratio) available. It's not bad. It would be tough to knock it directly, as it is well constructed and thoughtful. But it's the sort of dram that is lot more pleasant coming out of a friend's bottle. I, for one, have not seen the need to get one just to fill in a place in my collection.

Here's a suggestion: you buy a bottle of the Bowmore 30, convince a friend to buy a Mac 25, and swap a few drams. You will get to sample and enjoy the Mac but still end up with the better bottle. :-)

- Joshua
http://www.mcgees.org/singlemalts.html

My favorite scotch has been Bomore 15 until now. I tried the Bowmore 17 after reading some reviews. In my opinion it is the best scotch I have ever drank. It is smooth with a complex taste. It is great.

My third favorite scotch is Lagavulin 16. I enjoy the deep heavy smoke taste it imparts.

I would like to hear other opinions on Macallan 18 and 25. I have a tough time enjoying it and the price makes it even tougher. I am wondering if it is I since I see a lot of good reviews on it.

Thanks,
Jerry

Been a while. Thought I'd update my opinion on a few:

Bruichladdich 10yo (the old bottling) has really grown on me. It is still light for an Islay but I find it to be a nice, relaxed drinking whisky. I may have to buy another bottle of it after all, before it goes away.

Highland Park 12yo I found unimpressive after a while. I finished the bottle off but don't have any inclination to replace it. Not bad, just not that interesting.

The Dalmore 12yo. Another nice one, seems better now that I've gotten to know it. Still not top shelf stuff but good. If I can't find any better highland malts then I'll go back to it. I will buy a bottle of Oban 14yo as the pub dram I had was quite good but around here the Oban is almost twice the price of The Dalmore and I don't really think it was twice as good.

I'll be tasking some Auchroisk, Linkwood and Littlemill in a couple of weeks so I'll see if this bottling of Littlemill is better than the other one I tried.

Hope the move went or is going well.

Harry

Congrats on your new house! That will keep you busy for a while.

Funny that Dalmore is non-peated as I'm sure that some of the smoky smell reminds me of peat! Michael Jackson's notes also mention it so if not peat smoke, then something that invokes similar 'smell buds'.

Thanks for your favorites list. I still need to find some Springbank and Glenfarclas to try.

The only Littlemill I know I've tried, the 1990 (Signatory I think) wasn't very good but it was at a bar and who knows how well kept. I now have a bottle of Frasers Reserve Lowland Single Malt which reminds me quite a bit of Littlemill but is stronger, more flavorful and just plain better than the 1990 I tried. I bought a bottle at the tasting but I'm now trying to find out what it is. The consensus was that it was Bladnoch 10yo but now others are saying Littlemill or Interleven. I may have to find bottles of other lowlands for comparison now (to think I thought them too bland before).

As I continue to taste, my favorites are island whiskies and good lowlands. With highland and speyside malts I find them too smooth, too composed for me to pick out the subtleties. They are nice, relaxing, enjoyable drinks but not different enough to my palate at the moment to warrant buying several. I'll have to see if my tastes will develop enough to find subtleties there.

Edited by author 03-25-2002 09:58 PM
Harry,

Sorry it has been a long time responding to your posts. My wife and I are moving into a new house and it has been keeping us quite busy.

Bruichladdich claims to be the most westerly distillery. Highland Park the northernmost. Bladnoch is the southernmost but it is mothballed, no? If so, which is the southernmost open distillery at the moment? Glenugie is the easternmost but is closed and never had its own single malt (just some independants); what is the easternmost open single-malt distillery?

I think Raymond Armstrong has Bladnoch in production right now. The "next one up" is Springbank in Campbeltown.

The easternmost used to be Glenugie, before it closed. I'm not sure if Glendronach is in production right now; it was mothballed in 1995, but I think it was back in production in 1999. I'll have to check a map later, but I think Glendronach might be the easternmost working distillery if it is currently in production.

In your tasting notes, you often end it with something like "one of my favorites" or "a very fine malt". Do you have a list of favorites or do you prefer readers go through the complete notes to discover which ones they are?

You know, that's interesting; I have never thought about it like that. The following tasting notes say that they are "one of my favorites": Balvenie 1966 Vintage Cask, Bowmore 17, Glenlivet 18, and Highland Park 12. These notes are out-of-date, though, at least in terms of which are favorites. It is exceedingly difficult to compose such a list, but if I try to limit myself to ten, my favorites (at this exact moment) might include:

• Ardbeg "TEN"
• Balvenie 1966 "Vintage Cask"
• Bowmore 17
• Bowmore 30 "Sea Dragon"
• Glenfarclas 24 1969 (Whyte & Whyte)
• Highland Park 12
• Highland Park "2000"
• Laphroaig 10 cask strength
• Littlemill 17
• Littlemill 33 1965 (Scott's)
• Springbank 25
• Springbank 34 1966 "Local Barley"
  

OK, that's actually twelve, but all are certainly among my "favorites".

Did I miss any of your questions?

- Josh

François,

You might check with Wine & Liquor Depot in California; I purchased my bottle there.

Joshua McGee

Hello Dr. Vandermeulen,

I have only tasted new make Dalmore (an unpeated highlander, as you probably know.) The malt flavour is not at all pronounced; in Dalmore there is a hint of sweetness and the flavour of Malt-O-Meal, an American wheat-based hot breakfast cereal flavoured with barley malt. Rather than tasting like a dark stout, I would consider it the best vodka I've ever tasted. :-) The vast majority of the flavour of an unpeated single malt comes from the wood.

Joshua McGee
http://www.mcgees.org/singlemalts.html

Hello. I just discovered this website, and hope it will be what I am looking for - i.e. knowledgeable discussion.
Question: has anyone any experience tasting absolutely new make single malt? I.e. straight out of the spirits still, without any ageing or additives? I am curious whether such new make has the bold flavour (overwhelming?) of malt syrup or malted barley, as found for ex. in very dark stout beers.

My first taste of Bruichladdich:

This is a 40% ABV 750mL distillery bottling. Initial nose: somewhat spirity, mediciny, iodiney, brackish, slightly smoky, maybe peaty smell; overall, a stronger aroma than I was lead to expect though still not strong like Ardbeg. Body is light-medium, somewhat peppery, iodiney, seaweedish, oily, a hint of peat. Nice, glowing burning warmth in a long rising, then falling finish with a big mouthful, more muted and medium length with a small mouthful. With some airing out, the mediciny smell leaves, giving way to a more of an earthy, planty (heather? peat?) smell, though still fairly light. With dilution the nose is even lighter but more earthy and peaty/mossy, closer to usual Islay but very light; body more tart, sour; finish lighter but still fairly long. A few drops of water was better than noticably diluted.

I generally like my Islays smoky and peaty and powerful while this one is lighter but still enjoyable, probably a good Islay intro (hmm, except perhaps for the mediciney nose, better let it air out before offering it to a beginner). A nice nightcap. I don't say favorite, love or hate after one taste but I'll be going back to this one in near future. Never did get a chance to compare it to Highland Park 12yo last night.

Bruichladdich claims to be the most westerly distillery. Highland Park the northernmost. Bladnoch is the southernmost but it is mothballed, no? If so, which is the southernmost open distillery at the moment? Glenugie is the easternmost but is closed and never had its own single malt (just some independants); what is the easternmost open single-malt distillery?

Harry

Sorry, don't have a clue about signatory bottlings. All I can get here easily is what the LCBO imports. I really should drive down to Buffalo one day.

On the previous advice I picked up a bottle of Bruichladdich 10yo at my local store. It is the only retailer I know that carries it. It is the old stuff, 40%, pre-McEwan but I hope to keep it around for long enough that I can directly compare to the much vaunted new batch; if I like it then I'll pick up another bottle to make sure but if it is just OK, then perhaps I'll store it. It was fairly cheap anyway.

I picked up another couple of cheap ones, Highland Park 12yo which I've enjoyed before but want to compare directly to the Bruichladdich as both are considered fairly light islander malts; and I picked up a bottle of Dalmore 12yo as I've heard it is a nice smoky, peaty malt and yet it is from the northern highlands so I hope it is interesting, perhaps worth comparing to the light islanders.

All bottles were under $50 CND (or around $30 USD these days) so quite reasonable. Tasting notes to follow.

Hi All,
I was wondering if anybody knows where I could find the signatory 8 years old Ardberg, the 'white Ardberg' in the San Francisco area. I read so much about it that I can't wait to put my hand on it. Cannot even find any web site for signatory. Where are those guys hidding?..
By the way, went to the whisky of the world expo in SF and had a blast.
Magnificent speech from Legendary Jim McEwan, tested great stuff: New Bruichladdich, all fabulous especially the 15, rosebank McDavid was awesome so was their 10 years Caro ila.
Thanks for your help.
Francois

In your tasting notes, you often end it with something like "one of my favorites" or "a very fine malt". Do you have a list of favorites or do you prefer readers go through the complete notes to discover which ones they are?

Of those bottles I now own I'm now starting to put them into categories like "definitely replace when emptied" (Bowmore Darkest _is_ almost finished, Ardbeg TEN), "good, but still deciding if they deserve replacement" (Talisker 10yo, Laphroaig 10yo, Glenkinchie 10yo), and "nice but probably won't buy again" (The Balvenie 12yo Doublewood, which I originally thought was quite good and still enjoy but don't find it that exceptional now). Luckily, I have not yet bought any which quite qualify as "hmm, I really shouldn't have bought this one".

Harry

You know, I think it was 700mL instead of 750. Most of our bottlings are 43%, 45.8%, etc. but this one and some others are 40% like most (all?) Canadian Whiskies. I think the Arbelour A'Bunadh is the strongest at 59.9%. So perhaps it is worth a purchase after all. There were a good number of bottles there, so no rush.

I uncorked my bottle of GlenKinchie tonight before dinner. It is MUCH darker than Rosebank, in fact not that much lighter than Talisker. The nose is quite nice, fragrant and with a drop of water added it even takes on a nice smoky aroma! Even without the drop of water the aroma is almost light enough not to need it, unlike most other highland and island malts which are strong enough to make you lose your smell for a moment with a deep whiff. A drop of water takes it down just a touch and brings out the puff of smoke. Otherwise, it is fragrant with grassy, mossy, dandilion smells and a hint of the coming spice as well; very nice nose, a very enjoyable drink just from the smell. The body is medium, definitely not a light typical lowlander, with a spicy taste, pepper and cinnamon, not overly complex, somewhat reminiscent of a light Talisker. The finish is nice and warm at first but goes dry right at the end with a bit of bitterness. It was good before dinner and sneaked into dinner as usual (perogies and spinach salad with mango dressing of all things). I was going to compare it to something else but I'm enjoying it so much that I've poured myself a large after-dinner dram as well, needing more than a few drops of water! I don't really know how to classify it -- I would not have said lowlander in a blind test but I would have said that I liked it. I bought the Glenkinchie as I heard the Auchentoshan was very light of body so I got what I wanted, a stronger whisky. Very nice.

> Hmph, the Bruichladdich 10yo here is 40%, not 43% so it
> is a bottling of uncertain origin so I passed on it.

That's fascinating. Most whiskies are bottled at 40% for the domestic (UK) market and 43% for the export market. Could it be that Ontario ends up with UK bottlings? Is the bottle 700 or 750 mL?

It's probably a stretch to say the bottle is of "uncertain origin." If the bottle is by an independent bottler, the bottler's name ("Cadenhead", "Signatory", "Hart Brothers", "Murray McDavid", etc.) will be prominently displayed, frequently larger than the distillery name. If no bottler is stated it's safe to assume it's an official bottling. Sometimes bottlers (Signatory, specifically) will do amusing linguistic tumbles to avoid stating the name of the distillery per se, so as to avoid lawsuits. So you could easily get a bottle that says


Distilled in the village of
Bowmore

- or -

Distilled at the distillery located at the
Braes of Glenlivet


- Josh

Hmph, the Bruichladdich 10yo here is 40%, not 43% so it is a bottling of uncertain origin so I passed on it.

The Auchtenoshan is the 10yo which is supposed to be very light, so I passed on it as well. If I ever find the triplewood I may grab a bottle.

I picked up a Glenkinchie so hopefully it will be good.

Harry

Edited by author 03-06-2002 08:00 AM
OK, it sounds like I should go out now and grab a bottle of Bruichladdich 10yo. With good single malts you really have to go out and grab it or else it's gone, at least from local stores. Around here the gov't-run liquor board buys as a block for the entire province so once the stuff they've bought is gone, there isn't any more unless they reorder. I got the last bottle of Balvenie 12 Doublewood I've seen in a while. I wanted a Lagavulin UD Distiller's Edition but haven't found one yet and the supply shipped to Ontario may already be gone. Too bad their online database is usually quite out of date.

The Rosebank 10yo was 1990 but I forgot to ask the waitress for info about the bottle (was eating lunch at a table so I couldn't see it when poured). I'll ask next time I'm there. I've heard that there were sherry and bourbon casked versions of the 1990. I'm pretty sure I tasted a sherry finish; I guess I'll find out soon if I'm advancing my tasting skills now.

Harry

> The other one I am presently wondering about is
> Bruichladdich 10yo. Have you uncorked that one yet?

Certainly. And I'm a big fan. On the distillery 10 y.o., the nose is inviting, with smoke, sea breeze, and vanilla candles. The palate brings in peat, grain, salt and pepper, sweet woods and vanilla, and carob. As it fades a caramel-peat remains; it is here that one can place it with certainty as an Islay, as the unique Islay peat shows through. Late in the finish, the residue could be mistaken for that of a 10 year old Bowmore. While nowhere near the unbridled power of one of its south shore brothers, it works as an engaging, tasty, drinkable malt.

Mine is a 1990s (pre McEwan) bottling. As you may know, the legendary Jim McEwan from Bowmore is now master distiller at Bruichladdich, seeing it through its resuscitation and reinvention under new ownership. The new distillate will not be widely available for another decade, of course, but last September saw the Scottish launch of the first Bruichladdich bottled under the auspices of McEwan. The new bottlings are at 46% abv, non-chill filtered, as compared to the prior 43% chill-filtered version. I am very excited to try the new versions.

The 'old' Bruichladdich 10s will disappear forever, so I'd recommend acting now.

> I liked the Rosebank, too bad it isn't for sale.

I'd be interested if you found out which Rosebank this one. One important datum to always note is the bottler. Was it perhaps the 10 y.o. 1990 Signatory Rosebank?

- Josh

> I have never opened that bottle of Glenkinchie. Right
> now it's just sitting in the Classic Malts barback,
> filling a slot. ;-) Others write that it is sweet,
> flavorful, and grassy. Some like it a great deal,
> some find it insipid.
>
> Now that I think about it, it's rather odd that I've
> never tried it. Sorry about that.

Hey, no problem! It's your bottle after all. I should really avoid my (new) rule of trying at least one shot at the pub before I buy a whole bottle anyhow. I liked the Rosebank, too bad it isn't for sale. I'll have to go and try the Glenkinchie and Auchentoshan and see which I like best, or if either are good enough to buy my own supply.

> For most of the other bottles I do have unpublished
> tasting notes. I keep meaning to update the page.
> Let me know if you are interested in notes on a
> specfic bottling.

The other one I am presently wondering about is Bruichladdich 10yo. Have you uncorked that one yet?

Harry

Hi Harry,

I have never opened that bottle of Glenkinchie. Right
now it's just sitting in the Classic Malts barback,
filling a slot. ;-) Others write that it is sweet,
flavorful, and grassy. Some like it a great deal,
some find it insipid.

Now that I think about it, it's rather odd that I've
never tried it. Sorry about that.

For most of the other bottles I do have unpublished
tasting notes. I keep meaning to update the page.
Let me know if you are interested in notes on a
specfic bottling.

- Josh


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Edited by author 03-05-2002 10:06 AM
I see on your singlemalts page that you have or have tried Glenkinchie 10yo. Do you have unposted tasting notes about it?

I'm interested in the Glenkinchie as it is the only Lowlander other than Auchentoshan that is for sale here. So far, the only lowlander I've liked is Rosebanks but I didn't write down the ones I didn't like. I'd hate to drop money on a bottle of Glenkinchie or Auchentoshan just to find out that I hate it. I've heard enough poor comments about the Auch that I think I'll stay clear of it until I can have another taste somewhere but if you think GlenKinchie is a decent lowlander then perhaps I'll give it a shot.

Well, I tried some Rosebank 1990 (don't know how many years old it was) at the local pub as they had it on their list. I had it as an apertif that crept into lunch as I was really savouring it. It is quite good! The aroma was quite pleasant and fruity, mostly apple that I at first thought was from my wife's pint of cider but the Rosebank smells more apply than her Barn Owl. The body was fairly light but still tangy and the finish was quite warm, warmer than Lowlands I've tried before. I think perhaps I didn't give Lowlands scotches a fair shake before as I'm really enjoying the nosing as much if not more than the tasting now and if you just drink the Rosebank it is very light but the nose is another dimension entirely.

After lunch, I had a Lagavulin 16 which, while good, still isn't my favorite Islay (still prefer Bowmore). I still need to try the 20-year distiller's edition but they don't have it there (may have to buy my friend).

The pub has LittleMill 1990 as well, which I'll try next time I'm there. Sadly, of Lowlands only Auch and Glenkinchie are available in stores at the moment and I've heard so many mixed comments about them that I'm leary of dropping cash on them without a taste first.

I did a proper comparison of The Balvenie 12 Doublewood and Bowmore Darkest Sherry-casked the other night, with a shot of each in a brany snifter. Very interesting to directly compare the citrous fruit and vanilla nose of the Balvenie to the smoky, earthy peat of the Darkest. Both are very good, definite keepers, though if I could only have one I'd still choose the Bowmore (still my favorite).

Afterward, I tried a Talisker with water and while that brought out some more flavour, it is still a highly overpowering brew; I must say the other two are much more relaxing, enjoyable drinks. My opinion of Talisker may still change but right now I think of it as an occasional scotch, not a regular one.

Harry

25-year Talisker sounds nice. Hopefully I'll be able to try some at a taster and perhaps the LCBO will get a few bottles. A smoother, more woody version of the 10 would be interesting.

Harry

> I'll look for
> some proper nosing glasses (unless you think a
> brandy snifter
> will do for a full shot of malt).

I use a variety of glasses, depending on the spirit
and what mood I'm in. I sometimes use a larger brandy
snifter, sometimes a small one. I sometimes use a
tapered wine tasting glass, sometimes a Riedel port
glass, sometimes a tulip, and sometimes a Bowmore
storm lantern-shaped glass. It's a subject a lot of
people like to get very snobby about, but it really
reduces to a question of preference. I don't think
there is any glass that is perfect for every malt
(although if I could only keep one glass, I'd probably
choose a small snifter.) I do not care for the
expensive Riedel single malt glass, but again, to each
his own.

> Your description of Talisker 10-year is certainly
> apt!

Thank you. :^) They have just released an official
25 y.o. bottling which has not yet made it to the
shelves around here. I'm very much looking forward to
that.

> Thanks for all your tasting notes and suggestions.
> Hopefully

You're welcome!

Joshua

Yes, I forgot that Highland Park is not in the Highlands but on the north island. It is very different from the Islays and from Talisker (which I just uncorked tonight).

I was using regular tumblers but a brandy snifter has improved the aroma and I can see the 'legs' better too so I'll look for some proper nosing glasses (unless you think a brandy snifter will do for a full shot of malt).

I'll put those Lowlanders on my list. None are commonly for sale but I'll check the scotch list at that pub where I think they have some.

Your description of Talisker 10-year is certainly apt! The aroma is quite strong and peaty, not as relaxing as Bowmore Darkest but good in a very different way. Very strong legs clinging to the glass. Golden colour, I'd say just on the verge of amber but not quite there. The taste of the first sip was almost forgotten when the unbelievably long and strong finish started to kick in and ramp up; no scotch I've tried (or any other liquor for that matter) has anything approaching this sort of finish. The taste is strong (invigorating, perhaps?), peppery, unmistakably island, but not what my still inexperienced mouth would call complex. This bottle should last as I think one shot of this a night will do.

Thanks for all your tasting notes and suggestions. Hopefully some others will chime in.

Harry

Some Lowlanders can be a bit insipid, I agree, but there are treasures out there to be found by the patient. I am very fond of the distillery Littlemill, sadly no longer in production. The 8 y.o. is rather idiosyncratic; it presents with red licorice, mint, and marshmallows. Its 17 y.o. older brother is less shy and more cerebral. Recently Scott's released a breathtaking 33 y.o. 1965 Littlemill. In my review I wrote. "Nose shows yellow plum, old woods, treacle. Palate shows marshmallows under a thick slice of sherry cake, slivered almonds, and true (liquor-soaked) fruitcake."

The Lowlander Rosebank can be sweep-you-off-your-feet charming. They are frequently herbal and gentle, and you can take a very long time with them (use a proper nosing glass for full appreciation.) Cadenhead bottlings show the malt at full-throttle (I have an 11 y.o. at over 60% abv, for instance) and indicate that the malt may be done a disservice by watering down to 40% or 43%.

I like Auchentoshan Three Wood with creamy desserts, but the house character of this malt gets completely lost among the woods. The spirit begins in bourbon, spends a year in sherry, then spends six months in Pedro Ximenez (this sweet wine has been compared to a mixture of prune juice and espresso.) The malt has travelled pretty far into not-really-whisky territory, but I still like it for what it is.

As for the Glenlivet and Glenfiddich: the 18 y.o. Glenlivet is sublime, IMO; it shows subtle sherrying at its best. I think the 18 year old is better than the expensive 21 y.o., and I have not been pleased with Glenlivet's adventures into wood finishes ("French Oak" and "American White Oak".) The Glenfiddich 30 is okay, and certainly better than the "Special Reserve", but I am still not very impressed with it. It is somewhat unfortunate that these two distilleries are the ambassadors for the region; much of what is there is bursting with character and not at all bland. Look for Glen Grant, Glenfarclas, Glenrothes, and Glendronach, for instance.

Despite its confusing name, Highland Park is an island malt, from Orkney off the northeast coast of Northern Scotland. There is a unique, aromatic, heathery peat there that imparts a special flavor to the malt. If you are interested, here is a list of island malts by island;

Orkney: Highland Park, Scapa
Skye: Talisker
Mull: Tobermory (also bottles under "Ledaig")
Jura: Isle of Jura
Arran: Isle of Arran
Islay: Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Bowmore, Caol Ila, Port Ellen, Bunnahabhain, Bruichladdich (which will also be bottled under "Port Charlotte")

While the categorization is certainly useful to a point, it is not true to say that all island malts have a common characteristic. Arran, Jura, Bunnahabhain, and Tobermory certainly break the mold; Talisker is not like an Islay, nor is Highland Park like an Islay.

It seems a useful trait to be able to remember the ones you like and forget the ones you don't. You've apparently not tried Loch Dhu. ;-)

Joshua McGee

Unfortunately, I didn't take notes at my tastings so some of them are a bit hazy. I tend to remember ones I like but forget the ones I dislike.

I feel sorry for the lowlands scotch producers but I am another who finds them too weak to bother. Many tastings we have one because they are very rare in stores but I have never tasted a lowlands that I liked.

As well, I'm not fond of the bland, boring popular brands like The GlenLivet and GlenFiddich. I want something with flavor! We call them "McScotch" after McDonald's fast food restaurants, not the MacDonald clan. The Balvenie 12 DoubleWood shows that Speyside need not be bland but the most popular ones seem to be. Perhaps some of the longer aged versions would be more to my liking but the 10s and 12s don't give me much hope.

I'm still rediscovering some of the strong Islays that I found shocking at first. I shall have to revisit Laphroaig again but at first I didn't like it, finding it too strong and mediciney. Now that I'm enjoying Bowmore and Lagavulin I think I'll be able to appreciate it, though it may still not be my favorite.

I have recently tried Highland Park 12 and found it was quite good, though not as striking as that from the Isles. Still, it is another of which I've had only small tastes and I'm finding that it takes a few meetings to truly know a good malt.

Harry

Hi Harry,

Your local pub seems to have a good deal going. That seems a great way to get some exposure to single malts.

I too am quite fond of Bowmore Darkest. On my personal Single Malts pages I compare it to a ship in a bottle: it seems perfectly balanced, and gives the impression that if one bit were even slightly off the whole thing would fall apart. In my review I write "Burnt sticks, sweet leaves, and cherry hard candies in the palate, with a sudden burst of delicious Bowmore house flavor in the finish, fading slowly to sweetness, astringence, and smoke."

I'm sure you will love the Talisker; it's a great malt. I consider the Balvenie Doublewood to be one of the two best 'budget' malts, alongside Highland Park 12. I am fond of its honey, citrus, and sherried flavors along with its bourbon finish.

May I ask what malts you have found that you hate?

Thanks for joining!

Joshua McGee
http://www.mcgees.org
http://www.scotchfinder.com

Edited by author 02-27-2002 01:57 PM
Too bad this list isn't more active. I was recently introduced to Scotch single-malt whiskeys by a local pub which had tastings. For $30 you get 5 different whiskeys, mostly single-malt with a few blends thrown in so you know what grain alcohol smells and tastes like ;-), plus some food which is quite a good deal. After a bunch of these tastings my friends and I have started up our own collections for ad hoc tastings.

At first I didn't like the strong peaty Islays but now they are some of my favorites and overall I'm enjoying scotches, perhaps too much as the good ones are costly. Luckily one or two shots in an evening is more than enough for most of them.

Bowmore Darkest is my most recent favorite, with a wonderful aroma that I can enjoy and a strong taste which is best left alone -- water makes it worse. It is a bourbon casks then sherry cask process which makes it quite interesting with a full, strong body, peat, smoke, caramel and a warm afterburner finish.

Next I'll be trying Talisker for the first time (sort of had some in Te Beag blend) and I'll be tasting Balvenie 12 DoubleWood for the second time (only one shot before). The latter sounds like a Speyside version of Bowmore Darkest but it is much smoother and more subtle. I've found that the first tasting shot, along with 4 others, gives a good idea of whether or not I hate a scotch but isn't enough to know if I love it. It takes a few shots over a few evenings to do that...

Harry Pulley, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Thanks, Dan. I agree, it's a great site.

Hi, Joshua. Enjoying your site.

Thought I'd throw in a couple of interesting links for you and your readers.

http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/home/jhb/whisky/
Single best malt site I've seen on the web.

http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/home/jhb/whisky/sounds/
WAV files containing sound bits of pronounciations of most single malts.

Bushmills Millenium Malt,
Limited quantity of Bushmills Millenium Malt 25 year old for sale. This has been listed as a cult whiskey.

Hi !!

Thanx for your answer !

I'm waiting news from you and your friends...

But i repeat it's serious !

thanx again and greetings from France !

--- QT - Joshua McGee
<qtopic+3-5DBMc2FMegg92o6HOEJ3@quicktopic.com> a
écrit : >

___________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!? -- Une adresse @yahoo.fr gratuite et en français ! Yahoo! Courrier : http://courrier.yahoo.fr
< replied-to message removed by QT >

Thanks, I'll pass that along. I know there were a couple of people looking: a few were collectors and wanted the bottles for their collection, one (I am not making this up) wanted them to drink with his New York Cheesecake!

Joshua McGee
joshua@mcgees.org
Thousand Oaks, California, USA
http://www.mcgees.org

Hi everyone !!

I got the opportunity to buy several Black Whisky bottles of Loch Dhu !

If you want me to share just send me your conditions to olivier_combes@yahoo.fr

I'm serious i can got several bottles !!

greetings !

hi there joshua! how&#B4;s it going?
thanks for the reply...

>Yes, Glenfiddich have their 1937 bottling listing for
>£10,000. This is fairly absurd, in my opinion. They
>claim it is the oldest malt whisky ever to be bottled (as in,
>"the oldest when it went into the bottle.") I do not know
>whether this claim is true.


there&#B4;s pretty "weird".. spend lots of money on something someone&#B4;ll probably NEVER be "able" to drink... i mean... guess no one would ever open that bottle & "distribute" it to friends... :)

but that reminds me some scene from unbreakable.. where mr. glass refuses to sell a "collectible" to someone who wouldn&#B4;t give the proper "value" to it... :o)

c-ya!

________________________________________________
Edson Akio Maruyama

mailto:edmaruyama@uol.com.br
http://www.geocities.com/emaruyama
(WAP site :o) http://wappy.to/maruyama
UIN/ICQ#: 2590107
________________________________________________

Hi Edson,

Yes, Glenfiddich have their 1937 bottling listing for £10,000. This is fairly absurd, in my opinion. They claim it is the oldest malt whisky ever to be bottled (as in, "the oldest when it went into the bottle.") I do not know whether this claim is true.

It is not a "normal" price, but it is not unheard of either. Old (50 - 60 years) Macallans can fetch high prices; McTears sold a bottle of Macallan 60 for £15,000 a few months ago. The highest price known to be paid for a bottle is £47,000 at a charity auction in Italy; the nature of the bottle was not disclosed.

There are some very significant collectible bottles that can be purchased for approximately one tenth of the price of the Glenfiddich. These include the 1957 Bowmore and the 1946 Macallan. I can see paying £10,000 for an ultra-rare, very old bottle found in someone's attic (a late-nineteenth century Ardbeg, Bowmore, or Highland Park.) I could imagine paying more than that for some literally-impossible bottles to find (if another bottle of Clydesdale turned up, for instance.) But not £10,000 for a newly-bottled Glenfiddich.

hi there everybody..happy holidays & happy new year!
well.. i was surfing the net and found this link... sorry for "some should be FAQ & comments"... :op
anyway.. i'm new into single malt whisky... here in sao paulo.. brasil.. at least at some "bars" where we're used to hang out .. it's kinda easy to find blended whiskeys... well... found glenfiddich though.. i had once tried that one at some friend's home & really enjoyed it!

then i started having a look at their website... hey.. there's a collectable bottle priced at 10.000 pounds!!! is that true? well.. hope i'll make that ammount of money someday.. and then i could buy it.. but in the meantime...:o) how come could that be soooo expensive? any clues?
is that a "normal" price for some "rare" bottles?
thanks in advance!
edson

Hi Hadley, welcome.

I am unfamiliar with the Ledaig 15, but in my experience the smoke does not come without peat in Ledaig bottlings. I would recommend Ben Nevis 10 for a smoky Highlander; I would also suggest Dalmore Cigar Malt if you are looking for smoke without peat.

My website has some tasting notes that might be useful: http://www.mcgees.org.

- Josh

Being new to single malts,I have tried a dozen or so of the more commmon ones. I like very smokey (charcoal) yet less peat which the Islays and Islands seem to all have. So far I like Talisker 10 the best,Bruichladdich 10 next. Any recommendations for even more smoke/less peat? Someone suggested Ledaig 15? Thanks.

Your Scotland trip sounds like fun! I too have just made reservations for a trip to Europe later this summer (late July/early August -- it's my first time!!). We're splitting housing costs with another couple that we are good friends with. We are staying in Paris in a furnished rental apartment on the "main drag" (where the opera and the Louvre are) for the first week, then heading down to Florence/Siena where we are staying in a small villa for the second week. I have a question -- on the subject of inexpensive fares -- does anyone know of a good airline to choose for a flight from Paris down to Florence? I'd take a train but we have to get to Florence by 4pm same day to occupy the villa for the week.

By the way, I would like to recommend the 2 sites I used for locating our housing. For Paris, go to http://www.apartment-living.com and for Italian villas go to http://www.parkervillas.com.

P.S. Looking forward to witnessing the finish of the Tour de France after our arrival in Paris. I love Lance Armstrong! I hope he wins again this year. He's my hero. ;)

I have just made reservations at most of the hotels at which we will stay on the Scotland trip. Relatives gave us a helpful pointer to British Midland Airways which offers inexpensive fares from Heathrow to Edinburgh; instead of taking the exceedingly long drive, we will fly into Edinburgh on arrival and drive across to Kintyre.

Edited by author 01-09-2001 05:28 PM
Hi Andrew,

Unfortunately I have not yet visited Australia. My tally is at four continents and counting, but I have actually never been south of the equator. Ardbegeddon (the PLOWED malts gathering, now in its second year) is tentatively scheduled to be held in Australia next year, so perhaps that will end my procrastination.

When I was in college, I occasionally watched the children of an Australian philosophy professor with whom I was close while he and his wife went out to dinner/movie/etc. The daughter (beginning at age two) was absolutely nuts over Vegemite spread thinly on saltine crackers. I had no idea what it was; the only reference I had ever heard of it was from Men At Work's "Down Under" (which has fairly rude lyrics for the most part, IMO.)

The wife (also Australian) offered me one, with a half smile that implied that there was no way I would like it. I tried it. The first thing that hit was the saltiness, which felt like it was simultaneously cutting and searing my upper palate. Then the strong yeast flavor came, a flavor with which we Americans are not at all familiar. Then the flavor did something I cannot really describe: it turned very deep and very "dark". It is one of the foods that seemed to match its dark color exactly, in the same way that dark molasses and Guinness do. To me there is something fundamentally "dark" about these flavors. I'm not sure if this makes any sense; it may be my own idiosyncracies that link flavor with level of illumination. :^) But as Vegemite gets its darkness from caramel color, to my knowledge, its manufacturers likely see it as having "dark" flavors as well.

I didn't like it. I was glad I had tried it, as I greatly enjoy exploring the cuisines of other cultures, but it seemed a bit over the top for me.

I continued to babysit for them on and off, and the daughter continued to crave the stuff incessantly. When it was snack time, she would inevitably want Vegemite on saltine crackers. So every time I would prepare the crackers for her, I would prepare an extra for myself. I developed a taste relatively quickly, even though I am not generally a salt-craver. I enjoy both anchovies and salted licorice in moderation, however, so I suppose it wasn't too much of a stretch.

I was visiting an import store near my home and saw it on the shelf, next to Marmite. The Marmite was cheaper by one third (both were relatively expensive) and their ingredients lists were identical or nearly so; I opted for the cheaper one. While I find it (Marmite) palatable, it seems sweeter, less salty, and less strongly-flavored, and I found myself missing the Vegemite strength. I have the Marmite in my refrigerator; when it runs out, I should have to purchase Vegemite to replace it.

That is a long answer to question number two. As to whether I meant the comparison in a positive sense: I suppose my intention was neither positive nor negative, rather just to draw a fairly specific comparison.

But do I like it? Yes. And now you have me craving it, so I bid you temporary adieu as I'm off to buy crackers. :^)

----------------------------

An error: the crackers were saltines, not Ritz. I rarely eat either; however, I find saltines to be palatable and Ritz not at all. I purchased a box of saltines after the original post, however, and have been enjoying them with my small jar of Marmite.

Josh:

I notice in your glossary of tasting terms that under "dark" you make the comparison to Vegemite!

Now to the best of my knowledge, this is a uniquely Australian product, and the only time I've heard Americans refer to it, it is usually in an unsavoury or negative remark!

Which therefore draws two questions from me:

1) Have you been to Australia, or at least tasted the genuine article?

2) If so, did you like it? i.e., when you decide that a whisky has a character reminiscent of Vegemite, is it at least in a positive sense?

Regards,
Andrew

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for the post! The info regarding roads and timing in the area is very helpful.

The Lagavulin DE is indeed a fabulous dram. We can't get it in the US, either. :-( Send me your email address (to joshua@mcgees.org) in case I stumble across one somewhere on my travels.

Edited by author 01-03-2001 10:30 AM
Andrew:

A note on use of QuickTopic: until another message is posted, you can edit the last one you posted. When you display the QT page containing the last message, you (and only you) see controls at the top-right of the recent message labelled "Edit, Delete, What's this?" This only works if you accept cookies from QT. So you could have edited your post #15 instead of adding #16. #15 would then have sported a little tag at the top, as you see here.

Me again!

I forgot to add a PS:

PS: If you find a bottle of the Lagavulin Distillers Edition (double matured in Pedro Ximinez) and you feel like mailing it to Australia, please let me know!!!

This delicious dram is by far the finest whisky on the planet, and yet is not available in this far flung corner of the world. :-(

G'Day from Australia!

Your itinerary looks interesting, if not busy.
One thing that strikes me is that you're doing a lot of driving to and from Inverness with not much time to spare.

The main roads that take you in and out of Inverness can be slow, and you are limited by the Lochs and the mountains. You might find Day 5 a bit of a struggle - I spent a good couple of hours doing the Royal Mile and the cathedral - although you might find it a bit quieter on a Sunday. A visit to Edinburgh castle is also worthwhile. In any event, you might find you don't leave Edinburgh until lunch-time. That leaves you a very long drive to get to Inverness!

Have fun!

Edited by author 11-30-2000 04:24 AM
The travel plan iterations continue. As before, feedback is welcome.

**************************
May 16, Day 1, Wed: Depart LAX
May 17, Day 2, Thu: Arrive Heathrow, rent car, make like a bat out of hell to Tarbert on Kintyre. The flight into Heathrow is scheduled to land at 10:00 a.m. Figure it landing at around noon. Get through customs, rent car, be on road by 1:00 p.m. Make it to Tarbert by 10:00 p.m. Arrive at hotel with which we have previously arranged for late arrival. Sleep.
May 18, Day 3, Fri: Wake up a hollow shell of a man. Drink lots of coffee. Car ferry to Islay. Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Bowmore. Spend night on Islay.
May 19, Day 4, Sat: Leisurely morning. Car ferry to mainland. Drive to Loch Fyne whiskies, continue to Edinburgh via Stirling Castle. Take it easy! Early to bed in Edinburgh.
May 20, Day 5, Sun: Royal Mile whiskies. Edinburgh cathedral. Drive through mountains to Inverness, spend night.
May 21, Day 6, Mon: Drive whisky trail. Spend another night in Inverness.
May 22, Day 7, Tue: Spend day driving up coast road, visiting distilleries and Dunrobin Castle on the way. Arrive in Thurso. Sleep.
May 23, Day 8, Wed: Crack-of-dawn car ferry to Orkney. Archaeology, Highland Park distillery.
May 24, Day 9, Thu: Enjoy first day of Orkney folk festival. Return ferry from Orkney in the afternoon. Drive coast road again to Inverness. Yes, this sounds like an easy day; I could probably use one by then.
May 25, Day 10, Fri: Drive south through mountains. Visit Aberfeldy and Glenturret. Drive arbitrarily far into central England (Nottingham? Birmingham?)
May 26, Day 11, Sat: Drive south to Stratford-upon-Avon. Continue south to Oxford. Continue to Reading, stay with family.
May 27, Day 12, Sun: Drive to Canterbury, return in the evening.
May 28, Day 13, Mon: Tower of London, London foafing. Return to Reading.
May 29, Day 14, Tue: Whatever Jenn wants to do in London.
May 30, Day 15, Wed: Drive to Heathrow. Return car. Recover VAT. Duty-free shopping. Depart very tired, very happy, with very heavy bags to LAX.
**************************

WRT #11: I just noticed a really stupid error. Lagavulin DE is finished in Pedro Ximénez; it's the Dalwhinnie DE that is finished in oloroso sherry.

Ack. I knew that.

OK, here is a new iteration of our travel plans. I welcome all feedback about it.

**************************
May 16, Day 1, Wed: Depart LAX
May 17, Day 2, Thu: Arrive Heathrow; be picked up by relatives at airport; drop off bags at their home; day trip to Canterbury by train; stay with relatives
May 18, Day 3, Fri: Day trip (train) to Stratford & Oxford; stay with relatives
May 19, Day 4, Sat: Train to Edinburgh; Royal Mile whiskies; visit cathedrals; rent car in afternoon; stay at B&B
May 20, Day 5, Sun: More Edinburgh sightseeing; drive to Kennacraig on the Mull of Kintyre via castles and Loch Fyne Whiskies, stay at B&B
May 21, Day 6, Mon: Morning car ferry to Islay; visit Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Bowmore; stay at inn.
May 22, Day 7, Tue: Ferry back to mainland; take long, pleasant drive to Inverness via Ben Nevis distillery; stay at B&B in Inverness
May 23, Day 8, Wed: Follow "Whisky Trail" through Speyside; stay at B&B in Inverness
May 24, Day 9, Thu: Drive up coastal road; visit Glenmorangie, Dalmore, and Clynelish distilleries and Dunrobin castle; continue to Scrabster on north cast; stay at B&B in Scrabster
May 25, Day 10, Fri: 6:00 a.m. ferry to Orkney; visit Highland Park distillery and archaeological sites; stay at inn in Kirkwall
May 26, Day 11, Sat: Ferry back to mainland; drive to Inverness; return car; stay at B&B in Inverness
May 27, Day 12, Sun: Return train to London; stay with relatives
May 28, Day 13, Mon: London museums, sights, foafing; stay with relatives
May 29, Day 14, Tue: London museums, sights, foafing; stay with relatives
May 30, Day 15, Wed: Depart Heathrow, Arrive LAX
**************************

Hi, thanks for the message!

Regarding limited access to malts in WA, I run another site called ScotchFinder [1]. This should expand your options somewhat by allowing you to search for out-of-state vendors who will ship to you. I know it has helped others who live in states with controlled liquor stores. I'd love to hear your feedback on it.

My wife and I are planning a trip to Scotland next year as well: the planned dates are depature on 16 May and return on 30 May. I have only visited Great Britain once (13 years ago) and I have never visited Scotland, so I am in the process of looking for the same sort of info you are. While I am by no means an expert, perhaps I can share a few things I've found so far.

I have found the following books to be quite helpful:
1. _Britain by Britrail_
2. _Fodor's Scotland_
3. _"Let's Go" Britain and Ireland_

Michael Jackson's _Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch_ is of course a great resource for information on the distilleries and their locations, and Helen Arthur's book _The Single Malt Whisky Companion_ contains extensive info on distillery visitor centers (dates/hours of operation, etc.)

Additionally, http://www.nettrak.co.uk/Scotland/Culture/Whisky/mwhis02.jpg points to a map of the classic "Whisky Trail" which may be of help.

*************************

In the hopes that it may provide food for thought, I'll post my tentative trip itinerary here:

Day 1, Wed: Depart LAX
Day 2, Thu: Arrive Heathrow very early morning, tour selected London sites, Canterbury, stay at hotel in London
Day 3, Fri: Day trip (train) to Stratford & Oxford, hotel in London
Day 4, Sat: Train to Edinburgh, Royal Mile whisky shop, visit cathedrals, stay at B&B in Edinburgh
Day 5, Sun: More Edinburgh sightseeing, train to Inverness, stay at B&B
Day 6, Mon: Rent car, follow Whisky Trail
Day 7, Tue: Visit Dalmore, Glenmorangie, Clynelish, Dunrobin castle, return to Inverness
Day 8, Wed: Train to Thurso, ferry from Scrabster to Orkney
Day 9, Thu: Return to Inverness, drive to Loch Fyne Whiskies and on to Kintyre. Stay at Loch Tarbert Inn.
Day 10, Fri: Car ferry to Islay. Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Bowmore.
Day 11, Sat: Jura, tour Islay, another night on Islay
Day 12, Sun: Car ferry to Kennacraig, then car ferry from Claonaig to Lochranza, Arran, stay on Arran.
Day 13, Mon: Late afternoon ferry to Ardrossan, Hotel in Glasgow
Day 14, Tue: Return car, return by train to London, hotel in London
Day 15, Wed: Depart Heathrow, Arrive LAX

***************************

Thank you for sharing your malts preferences. I am interested to learn of others' likes and dislikes.

A couple of possible pointers for you. First, since you are a fan of Lagavulin: have you tried the Lagavulin "Distiller's Edition"? It is fantastic: it's finished in oloroso sherry, and melds a rich resonance of deep, dark sherry flavors with the classic smoke and richness of Lagavulin. It's not available in the states, but it will certainly be available in Scotland as well as all over Canada (How close to the border do you live?) As to Glenmorangie, have you tried the range of their "finishes"? Of the widely available ones, I would recommend the Madeira Wood Finish most highly. Additionally, the limited release Fino Sherry Finish is definitely worth seeking out. ScotchFinder would probably be able to help you find a way to get it in WA.

That's all I can think of right now. I'd love to get a more active discussion going here, so please feel free to post with any more questions/comments/inputs.

Hello to all:

I discovered single malts some time ago and have gone through a variety of different labels including the "six classic malts" and particularly favor Glenmorangie, Dalmore and Lagavulin which I consider to be a tad better than Laphroaig.

I am planning a trip (#3) to Scotland next year to follow the whiskey trail. I'm sure it is long and broad. Suggestions?

I live in Washington state which has state controlled liquor stores. This limits my access to great single malts however I do make occasional visits to California where I can stock up on new varieties.

As you can see from my previous listing I absorb a great cross variety but am always looking for new samplings. So far the only singles I have tasted and not enjoyed are the "cask strengths".

Open to all comments and suggestions regarding brands, trip suggestions and quaint hotels and B&B's.

testing - pardon me again sire, if you will.

Just testing - Pardon me sir.

**Joshua**, thanks for the prod. You'll find the mouse mat (~38K) at

  http://dawson.nu/misc/laphroaig-mouse-mat.jpg

It's scanned at about 60% of actual size.

Re: Ardbeg. I tasted it on the Scotland trip noted in #4. Not any sort of special bottling as far as I know. The notes I made at the time say: "Tar and a powerful kick. More tar than peat even. Nose: peatier than Laphroaig, sweeter, not dirty, so the power is a surprise."

Are you are still subscribed to this forum, **Keith**? Have you gotten a chance to scan the Friends of Laphroaig "mouse mat" yet? At your convenience, I would still be quite interested in seeing it.

Thanks!

Great story about the Scotland trip!

Distilling began at Arran in 1995, so we should be seeing more (and cheaper) bottlings in 2005 or 2008, at which point it won't be difficult to add to your list (or to mine!)

Are you a fan of Ardbeg, or is it over the top for you? The reason I ask is that the notorious "White Ardbeg", the Signatory 8 y.o. '91, might be interesting to you judging by your Laphroaig comments. It makes Laphroaig 10 seem refined and reserved by comparison. "Untamed roughness and loose ends" is a great phrase (I wish I had thought of it!) and would be an apt descriptor of White Ardbeg as well.

Edited by author 05-11-2000 07:04 AM
Yes, I did mean "at least one bottling from each distillery," and that mostly the ones easily available commercially. Don't know of any liquor store local to me that carries an impressive selection, so I mostly check out the available wares at any bar I find myself in. SMS specialty bars enjoyed a brief, very brief, moment in Manhattan earlier in the 90s, before fashion moved on to grappa and who-knows-what-else by now. An advantage to sampling SMSs in bars is that the practice doesn't tie up vast amounts of capital in glass and alcohol!

Thanks for the stab at a comprehensive list. I've not tried the Arran, as you surmise -- and at that price probably won't, unless I stumble across it in a bar. I bought a bottle of Ledaig some years back, out of surprise at finding an island malt distillery that was new to me. So far that bottle holds the record as my largest single SMS expenditure. I think it was somewhere in the $80s, maybe 5 years ago.

In 1990 I travelled to Scotland on business. Was running a growing gang of SW developers and one group operated out of Livingston, between Edinburgh & Glasgow. Was only there for 4 or 5 days, but I stayed in two different small country hotels, each maybe 15 rooms. Each had a cozy bar on the first floor with an absolutely dizzying array of malts. One could buy tasting quantities of five at a time, two drams total I think it was. And one evening I went out for dinner and drinks in Glasgow with the developers, a young crowd primarily from the University there. Well along into the evening one of them, a young firebrand who travelled about on a motorcycle and confessed that the police frequently stopped her because she fit some terrorist profile, confided to me, "You're not so bad, for a Sassenach."

I bought one bottle of the 15-YO Laphroaig but frankly much prefer the cheaper and more easily available 10-YO. The 15 was too darned refined for my taste. What I value in Laphroaig is its untamed roughness and its loose ends.

How nice of you to post here! I'm hoping that you are the other one subscribed to this discussion; if I don't hear from you I'll send this to you in private email.

I know of the Laphroaig program; haven't joined. But Laphroaig certainly is a friend of mine. :^) What bottling(s) of Laphroaig do you favor?

I, too, love all the malts you listed (I'm guessing you have looked at my tasting notes, so the above statement is probably redundant.) On my list of favorite island-style malts, older Bowmores would also show up prominently. You may have also noticed my effervescent description of the 10 y.o. Hart Brothers Highland Park; if you fancy Highland Park, I certainly recommend that you check it out. I know that Wine & Liquor Depot [1] in Van Nuys carries it, and they will ship (what were the chances that the country's largest selection of malts would be only twenty minutes from my home?)

After I set up this page, I found a malts discussion group that I have enjoyed. You may want to contribute or lurk; a lot of knowledgeable and friendly people there, although the SNR dips from time to time. [2]

I would be very interested to see the mousepad, when you find the time.

Regarding sampling every malt from a Scottish island, I assume you mean at least one bottling from each distillery? As for all malts from islands: Arran? Not quite a fair question, as they are very new, and have released only one bottling thus far (at $150.) The full list would be, I believe: Ardbeg, Arran, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Highland Park, Jura, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Port Ellen, Scapa, Talisker, and Tobermory (which also bottles under the name "Ledaig"). My count stands at 9 out of 14 for the above list, so I have some catching up to do. :^)

It's great to see we share another interest. Again, thanks for "inaugurating" this thread.

Joshua, howdy. Found this discussion by a tortuous trail beginning with TIO itself; you're probably subscribed by email to the other discussion so will be able to follow the spoor.

I'm a great fan and fancier of single malts -- a Friend of Laphroaig, though I haven't yet been to the distillery on Islay to collect the rent. If I show up in person they'll "pay" me a dram of Laphroaig for "my" 1' x 1' plot of the island, which is a benefit of membership. For several years now I've daily used the Friends mousepad (they would say "mouse mat"). One of these days I'll scan it and post a URL here. Graphically excellent.

I believe I've sampled every malt distilled on a Scottish island. Much prefer them to the highland-style whiskies. After Laphroaig, which is the house Scotch around here, my favorites run to Highland Park (Orkney), Lagavulin (Islay), and Talisker (Skye).

Thank you for visiting! Feel free to discuss anything regarding Single Malts or the Single Malts Page [1]. It is my hope that an interesting and informative discussion can develop here. I would love to hear your tasting notes, reviews, recommendations, experiences, comments, or whatever you have to share.

Thanks again!