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Single Malt Scotch!

#1,741
smperry said:
Really good sale near me tomorrow, where I could either get Lagavulin 16 for $50 or Ardbeg for $35, but not both. Having a taste test now...think I'll go with Lagavulin even though I still have a 1/3 of a bottle left.

I think Ardbeg has a sweetness underneath the smokiness that I like, Lagavulin is a little bit more balanced and smooth over time. This place doesn't have any of the "sweet" ones that I'm seeking, but I'll be okay being stuck with Lagavulin.
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I'd be all for taking a half dozen friends if it's only one bottle per customer!

I hope your Lagavulin 16 is better than the bottle I picked up a few weeks ago. I still like it, but there's something missing and I have no idea if it's a batch problem or if something just happened to the palette it was on, like getting too warm?
 
#1,742
Akami said:
I'd be all for taking a half dozen friends if it's only one bottle per customer!

I hope your Lagavulin 16 is better than the bottle I picked up a few weeks ago. I still like it, but there's something missing and I have no idea if it's a batch problem or if something just happened to the palette it was on, like getting too warm?
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The store was super formal about it, checking my membership and everything. :(

My previous (currently open) bottle of Lag from this store was fine (I think...it was my first bottle of it, and only my second dram so I don't have a great reference point) so hopefully this one is fine. I thought of you though; I could've gotten Yamazaki 12 for the same price, and considered getting that instead. I did like that one last I tasted it, but I know part of that was the people with whom I enjoyed it.
 
#1,744
smperry said:
I could've gotten Yamazaki 12 for the same price, and considered getting that instead. I did like that one last I tasted it, but I know part of that was the people with whom I enjoyed it.
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I think I probably like Lagavulin 16 better than Yamazaki 12, most of the time, but when it comes to introducing friends to Japanese whiskies and scotches I've had a couple experiences with people not liking the Lagavulin, but not one yet of anyone not liking the Yamazaki 12. It's a very safe bet, even moreso than Taketsuru 17 or Hibiki 12!

i_got_a_mohawk said:
They can vary quite a bit year on year.
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Thanks for that bit of info as I'd really been feeling a bit nervous that possibly they were on a downward trend.

Just to keep it in perspective, I'm still enjoying the bottle and it really only suffers in comparison to the magic I've come to expect from Lagavulin 16.
 
#1,745
Always ups and downs. The difference barrel to barrel can be pretty big in itself, but the master distiller needs to mix carefully to get the right balance and try to maintain the taste.

Keeping in mind it's a 16 year old scotch, it may have been that it was a sub-par yield of barley in ~1996, maybe it was someone new who let a little of the feint into the final mixture, something as simple as not having as decent a batch of barrels or maybe the barrels were stored at an edge and were more exposed to the weather, maybe we had a prolonged hot or cold spell which had an impact. Heck, it could have been a transport issue, maybe left somewhere too cold or too hot which had an impact on the whisky post-bottling.

So many variables, heck, look at the difference whisky to whisky and those are all made using nearly the same process. It's a world of small changes having big impacts on the whisky!
 
#1,748
Akami said:
The Quarter Cask is really different from the standard 10 and between the two of them, the best Laphroaig has to offer, or at least for me.
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I went to Whiskeyfest last year and I really enjoyed the Triple Wood after maintaining a supply of 10 year and QC at home for some years.

For some reason I still haven't picked up a bottle, but its on the to drink list. I also want to pick up a bottle of Ardbeg soon as well after getting a chance to sample it a few months back.
 
#1,750
smperry said:
man, I should've gotten Ardbeg because now Lagavulin is $52 without a coupon!
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I'd go band and get some more at that price! The best I've ever seen it for on this side of the ocean was $72.

Smallequestrian said:
I went to Whiskeyfest last year and I really enjoyed the Triple Wood after maintaining a supply of 10 year and QC at home for some years.

For some reason I still haven't picked up a bottle, but its on the to drink list. I also want to pick up a bottle of Ardbeg soon as well after getting a chance to sample it a few months back.
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I'll have to try the TripleWood again. I'd tried both it and the 18 previously, but my preference ran to the 10 and Quarter Cask and I'm curious to find out if time will do anything to change that.
 
#1,752
I just polished off a Dewars 12 year blue label with two friends of mine and it was very good. I have had it for a while. Im definitely not an afficiando but I have had some blue label johnny walker blue that was the best Scotch I've tried. I tried a 100 year old something that tasted like turpentine.
 
#1,755
Akami said:
The Quarter Cask is really different from the standard 10 and between the two of them, the best Laphroaig has to offer, or at least for me.
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+1 they are both really, really good. I am sort of appreciating the mellowness of the Quarter Cask, it is a little smoother and more sophisticated.

When I think of the 10, I can't help but think of the book Golf in the Kingdom. Even if you don't play golf you might like it. There are so many descriptions of the sea, the breeze, the hearth-fire (and the fictional golf course in Scotland), Laprhoaig 10 tastes like the book!
 
#1,756
Just picked up a bottle of Aberlour 10 as it was only $35. Cannot wait to try it out later.

I only have 1/4 bottle of my Laphroaig QC. After letting it sit for a couple weeks, it really mellowed out and the sweetness came out even more. The smokiness is less rubbery tasting as well. I will certainly replace this bottle once I'm done.

Glenfiddich 18 continues to be an amazing treat, especially now that I have no problem sipping it neat anymore. I still water down the Laphroaig QC a little bit or else it just burns my taste buds
 
#1,758
Here's my current line up...just added Laphroig last night... 1385818183719.jpg
 
#1,760
It's been a good week so far, starting off with some Ardbog a few days ago, then Bowmore Tempest, Longmore 12, anCnoc 12, a special release Laphroaig and SuperNova last night, and finally Lagavulin 16 just a couple hours ago.

Feeling pretty happy right now, and I didn't even have very much!
 

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