Islay Whiskeys

The 17 is a very nice whisky, one of the most complex whiskys available as a standard distillery bottling. It is nowhere as peaty as a Laphroaig

10yo., but makes up for it in its depth of character. The Bowmore 10yo. is not available locally, though it previously was. The 12yo is the distillery's "flagship": the most commonly available premium version and the one through which most drinkers will form their opinion of Bowmore. It varies - when it's good it can be quite good. It isn't as peaty as a Laphroaig 10, none of the Bowmores are. But it is one of the peatier versions due to its youth. Also I had a very good experience with the Mariner 15yo.; see Douglas' comments for something of another opinion on that bottling.

While I certainly don't know about availability of various whiskies in Canada, be sure to check

which directly adresses the subject. At least the version in print does. Should be helpful...

Bart

Thank's Bart, Ill start with the Bowmore 12 yo & take it from there, one of the things I like about the Laphroaig is the salty taste, any other whisky's that you can think of that has that saltiness?

I've never actually tasted much saltiness in whisky, but clearly some people do. In some of the whiskies that Michael Jackson calls salty I sometimes get a flavor that tastes like the way the beach smells, and for a long time I thought that was what people meant when they called a whisky "salty".

All of the Islay whiskies sometimes have that note. With the peaty ones it's easy to miss because there is so much else going on.

With Bunnahabhain it is often more recognizable than with the other Islays because Bunny is less peated. And across on the Isle of Jura their relatively simple whisky can have a pleasant ocean character. Talisker is very much like a peaty Islay whisky, but is from the Isle of Skye. And then there's Scapa, which is made from unpeated malt, and whose water source is fresh water that flows underneath the sea water. People often talk about the "briny" character of some Springbanks though it isn't what I think of when I think of Springbank.

Those are a few whiskies that are often said to be "salty". Most any island whisky or coastal whisky like Oban will sometimes be called salty when people write their tasting notes. I would look for it especially in Bunnahabhain - but it won't give you the fabulous peat-smoke finish you are familiar with in Laphroaig.

Bart

Are you talking about the King of Pop?

Maybe he can use a stiff drink, right about now !

try a "Isle of Jura" i've never had one that was more salty......

On this summer's holiday to England and Scotland, I found that the Isle of Jura distillery has a new expression, called Superstition, that, I was told, is substantially peatier than those of their past. It's quite like an Islay, peaty and complex, just the way I like them.

I brought home a bottle from Heathrow duty free, but I was told it would be available in North America shortly.

Enjoy, Paul

Rafael Imelmann wrote:

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com (Mike Walton) wrote

M.J. is the Robert Parker of whisky...like Lance Armstrong is the "Tiger Woods of *bikin'*"

BTW I don't know if "a stiff one" is a term I'd use in association with the aforementioned pop star.

Once again, thanks for all the info, I'll certainly try some of the whiskeys that were mentioned, after all that's really the only way to taste them.