If you could only buy one whisky...

Uzytkownik "pltrgyst" napisal:

Bruichalddich 15yo is highly recommended, if you ask me.

Absolutely. I don't have anything against it either, a decent whisky. My point is that with all the praise it's received, it is surprising it's nobody's favourite. Personally, I've had some fantastic Macallans (some old

18yo Gran Reservas), but I have also had a lot of disappointment, notably with the old ones - 25yo, 1964, 1958. Awful stuff, all burnt rubber.

Cheers, Rajmund

Can't argue with any of the choices, really. I can't get Glenfarclas 105 (tried to order it but they couldn't get it for me). I pick the Abelour a'bunadh over the Macallan. Same sherry character but much more complex with some spice that is mesmerizing.

I left out a couple of others like the Springbank 10yr, Longmorn 15yr and others. Pick one, and I'm still left with Ardbeg 10. Young, brash, but hides some complexity. Lagavulin 16 is fantastic but more mature. Caol Ila

12 is great, the 18 softer but lovely. But I digress .......

I brought back a liter of Glenfarclas 105 this last trip to the UK (can't get it here in NC) along with a Scapa 14 and a Laphroig Quarter Cask. Honest to Pete, the 105 does not do it for me. Tried it straight, tried it with 1, 2, 3 and 4 draps of water. I still prefer the low-alky Glenfarclas 10 (or izzit 12??) to the 105. (I loved the Quarter Cask though.) On the other hand, a McCallan Cask Strength also left me wanting. Un-watered, they seem too strong (alky wise) but too anemic (flavor wise). Guess I'm hooked on the 4x% malts.

BTW - the Scapa 14 is really nice, even better than the HP (also from Orkneys) that I love. Who knew.

nick

i fell in love with a 1983 macallan 18 and had a great bottle from 1984. the later ones i've tried just haven't had the same deep burnt sugar and spice mix, though, which has been a little heartbreaking. plus the fact that it's gone from 95usd to 150usd here doesn't have me in a hurry to see how the newest ones fare.

funny you say that--the one bottle of laphroaig 15 i've had was thick with that burnt rubber. i was really disappointed.

The last time I had Laphroaig 15yo (I remember that distinctly!) was last February. I was staying in Oban, and my B&B host offered me a dram follwoing a conversation on the merits of good single malt Scotch. And - as every time before - the 15yo was a remarkably more mature, complex and delicate version of its younger, 10yo sibling. I didn't note any burnt rubber there. But I do get it from many strongly sherried whiskies, young Macallans leading this ranking. And I'm talking about the pre-Fine Oak Macallans, the 100% sherry ones.

Cheers, Rajmund

Well yeah, who wouldn't? Those were the days, to quote a classic ;-)

Absolutely. There are so many fine whiskies at much lower prices.

Cheers, Rajmund

Same with me. If I were to rank the various expressions of Glenfarclas (which is one of my favourite distilleries), the 105 would probably come bottom of the list. It's just too raw, too young, to sharp at the edges, if you ask me. On the other hand, some older Glenfarclases can be a delight. Notably the 21yo OB.

I have always found Scapa to be a nice enough everyday dram. And I'm talking about the old 12yo standard expression. To be quite honest, I haven't had an opportunity to try the 14yo yet. Somehow gets overlooked or overshadowed each time I'm after a whisky. Will have to rectify that.

Cheers, Rajmund

If it's light, with a chocolatey overtone then yes, I've tried a Scapa

2. Otherise I *might* have tried it, but it obviously didn't leave much of an impression. I've certainly had *one* Scapa that was light and chocolatey.

Jim

Buy 4 bottles of the 12 YO Macallan instead. :-)

Gladys.

...which has only gone from $30 to $50 here... 8;)

-- Larry

It's still $33 at my local (large) liquor store.

Should I be stocking up? Are price increases looming???

Gladys.

[re variation in liquor prices]

No. Just don't move to another part of the country and you'll be fine!

similar price increase here, but as much as i enjoy the 12, the 18 had a richness that i miss.

i seem to prefer the islay-type scotches i like to be younger, and my sherried favorites to be older. that's one thing i've learned, even with my limited experience.

are there any sherried whiskys you can think of that are more reasonably priced, but have that kind of richness the macallan 18 had/has? i admit i've tried more islays than sherried scotches.

i've tried the glenfarclas (10? 12? it was a few years ago), glenmorangie 10, dalmore 12 & the cigar malt, HP 12, balvenie 12 & 15, and i think that's it. they were all enjoyable, but maybe a little too polite, except for the balvenie 15, which i really enjoyed, but felt it had a little too much power to feel like i was getting a more complex flavor.

anything other than those you can think of that has a deep, complex sherried touch that isn't above say, $100 US? of course, i'm in a government controlled liquor state, but i do have dreams of road trips to park liquor in new york city maybe once or twice a year to stock up...=)

MACALLAN 1970

Uzytkownik "disavowed" napisal:

You can't go wrong with Aberlour a'bunadh. Mortlach 16yo Flora & Fauna is a gem. You might like to try Longmorn 15yo as well. Plus a host of independent bottlings from various distilleries and of various ages. I once had a Tomintoul 1966 - single cask, cask strength, etc. - which was spectacular, and just below $100.

Cheers, Rajmund

I second Rajmund's suggestion of the Aberlour a'bunadh. It's a breathtaking malt and can seem overwhelming. It's not subtle, but what strikes me about it is that the sherry is amazingly powerful, but it doesn't mask the malt's other qualities.

bill