Two big ones to start with

If I were trapped on a desert island and could only have three bottles of anything, they would be Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Talisker. As an alternative you might try Bruichladdich 15. More caramel and a lot less peat than Laphroaig and Lagavulin, but still an Islay. I don't know if it's worth $60, but I got a bottle as a gift and really enjoyed it. I've had the Macallan 12 but was not particularly impressed. Macallan is, however, considered a great scotch.

I generally alternate between Bowmore Legend and Aberlour 10. The Bowmore is definitely the cheapest peat fix I can get in my neighborhood, and Aberlour 10 is the best of the $20-25 scotches that I've tried.

I've only scratched the surface of scotch, but one of the first steps in becoming a budget scotchmeister is finding a good day-to-day malt. Buy a bottle of Famous Grouse and work your way through the cheapies. Then re-try the ones that caught your attention. I hated my first bottle of Bowmore Legend, and now it's pretty much all I buy.

Good choices, though I'd add Highland Park 12 and Ardmore to your list.

Ardbeg is another great Islay scotch. The 10 can be had in your price range.

Macallan, Glenfarclas, Springbank all bottle younger but delicious matls (to my palate at least).

Jim

For the other, I'm not too certain. I've considered Macallan. Would this be a good choice, or is there something else you'd recommend that's very different from the aforementioned three?

I think the Macallan is a perfect choice for your Highland malt. Adding Ardbeg to your options for the first three is also a good idea.

I might suggest White Horse as that blend is predominantly Lagavulin.

What other inexpensive Islay or Islay like scotch would anyone recommend?

Ethelred

The Ileach ("Man from Islay") is a young Lagavulin, I believe. Anders

Hello,

I like The Famous Grouse blend very much, but my favorite is Teacher's Highland Cream. Not as soft as the Grouse (in my opinion) and in my area Teacher's runs about $2.00 less.

Gods help me, every time I decide to try a single-malt, I regret it. The latest horror: Bowmore Legend. This stuff tastes like cleanser to me. Perhaps I just don't have the mouth for single-malt. At least the Islay product, anyway.

Ah well, fun to read others' experiences.

-Rob

Hi Leonard and welcome to the group. As others here have mentioned, my two picks would be Talisker and an Aberlour -- cross your fingers the Aberlour A'bunadh is in your area otherwise the Aberlour 10 Year Old would be nice. I'd suggest Lagavulin instead of Talisker if you were looking for another option... but why develop a taste for something that's not going to be around much longer"... ;o)

Johanna

peat, the a'bunadh absolutely fits the bill. It's a huge, almost overwhelming malt, especially when you haven't tasted it for a while.

It's true. The A'Bunadh is such a magnificent golden river of sherry-embossed punch and polish, that I don't really think of it as a typical highland--it is a category of whisky unto it's own. So when I was at Discount Liquors in Milwaukee today I picked one up. I think the $44.99 (U.S; 750ml) they charge is about as good as you can do in this country. While there I also got a Macallan Cask Strength 740ml at $41.99.

And on the way back toward Madison I stopped at Elm Grove liquors and they just got in piles of Bowmore 12 at $24.99. That isn't as good as the $19.99 Chicago price--but it's still a very unexpected bargain. And they also had Darkest, Surf, and other funny named Bowmores at heavily discounted prices--but I don't trust those murkier labels yet.

I don't know about the Aberlour 10. I don't think it has the pretty sherry edge that it used to have, and it may have lost some of it's class and character (something mentioned recently in the group). My last one was very ordinary--and became my toiletry kit travel whisky--which happens to drams that are very much appreciated in some far-flung hotel room, but which become disappointing when tasted next to most everything else on the shelf. I'm hoping it was a fluke!

Douglas, it's been over a year since I've met up with the Aberlour 10 Year Old so can't confirm or rebuke your impressions but Bart did mention not too long ago that the latest incarnations seemed somehow lesser, as if the good casks were making their way into A'Bunadh and the pedestrian stuff being saved for the econobottlings... as Bushido mentioned, Aberlour wouldn't be the first distillery to have downgraded their core range in favour of specific, more expensive bottlings.

I have a sample of an older Aberlour 10 Year Old that reputedly has a bigger dose of sherry. I will let you know if I too notice an appreciable difference with the present day Aberlour 10.

Johanna

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I don't think anyone has mentioned Mortlach 16yo Flora & Fauna. Absolutely yummy, with lots of sherry, delicate peat smoke, thousands of other notes - dried fruits, oak, some nuts, unbelieveable depth, perfect harmony. Don't know if it is available in your area, though.

Cheers, Rajmund

bigger dose of sherry. I will let you know if I too notice an appreciable difference with the present day Aberlour 10.

Thanks for the offer of doing the research!

(My, we are a dedicated bunch).

and Johanna says...

I still think Aberlour 10 is a great little whisky, but it's not as big as it use to be.

Recently I was short of cash and opened one of my "someday" bottles instead of buying a new bottle at the liquor store. It was the Aberlour 10yo, which I bought about Christmas 1996, with the old "Manor House" label that preceeded the current "St Drostin's Well" label. In my opinion, the old Aberlour 10 was very similar on the palate to the current edition, but was noticibly better on the finish. Where the current 10yo finishes with grainy flavors derived from the barley, the older 10yo was well wrapped in sherry, and a very nice kind of sherry, round and full and satisfying. Just a much classier dram than the current bottlings.

It's no surprise, really, that quality should go up and go down, from time to time, although the producers generally try as hard as they can to offer a consistent expression. Changes in the distillery's offerings, changes in available inventory, changes in the average age of casks available to draw from, etc... When I bought the manor house 10yo, it was the only Aberlour marketed locally, except for an old vintage dated bottle (wish I had saved one of those!). All effort was put into the 10. (I know a few more bottlings were available in Europe.)

As the reputation of the single grew, many more versions were introduced. The sherry-finished 15yo is a nice whisky and still available. The 18yo and 21yo are no longer available.

The 10yo is still a good bargain in the lower price range, but the A'bunadh is the Star! With this bottling Aberlour is doing everything right! There's no age statement, which gives the producer flexibility, and each batch is identified so those who care can seek out the particular expression they most enjoy if they notice any difference between them. Not to mention cask strenth, uncoloured, etc... Well, I haven't noticed any strong differences between the four batches that have arrived here, no.s 6,7,8, and 9. I haven't tasted any head to head - has anyone else? - but I did really enjoy an evening with batch number 8.

I recently had a chance to try the Aberlour A'bunadh h-t-h with the Springbank 100 proof, and well, yes, the Springbank came out on top, but it was much closer than you might imagine. And that's saying a lot...

Bart

Hi Leonard,

Welcome to the conversation.

Other posters have about covered the peaty whiskies; and a sherried whisky makes a good contrast. So do the gentle Speysides and Lowlands, but if you go for the big flavors well sherried is a good bet. Macallan is famous for it, but I think Macallan doesn't really show its stuff at the younger ages. And the old ones do get pricy. (I haven't yet tried the no age statement Cask Strength yet - maybe I'll change my mind?) So think Aberlour and Glenfarclas in this category. The Aberlour A'bunadh is a top notch whisky, an all around winner. The Glenfarclas 12 is also a nice whisky, and a little cheaper (locally) than the A'bunadh if you want to explore this style, or if the A'bunadh isn't available where you live. It's not cask strength, but it's a very nice example of a well sherried whisky.

I favor White Horse as a good lowpriced "everyday" sort of scotch. It's got a nice flavor and a little hint of peatiness, but it doesn't demand a lot of attention. And it's ridiculously inexpensive. Teacher's is another in the same category.

Bart