The perfect nightcap..?

You have nowhere to go but cask strength. The Laphroaig CS couldn't hurt--but for a real change of pace try icing the evening with a warm, rich, sherry-red Aberlour A'Bunadh.

Certainly on a par.... Caol Ila 15 (or 18 if you can't get it) and Bowmore 17.

Michel,

Douglas' excellent suggestion of a'bunadh notwithstanding, if you are still in a peat monster mood, then try one of the early 70's Old Malt Cask bottlings of Brora. Most are 50%+ and are so peaty you can chew them. Try googling this newsgroup for some Brora pointers and suggestions or visit Serge's Brora webpage(

You could also take your peat in a different direction with a cask strength Talisker. The OB 25yo is a blast, but it will burn a hole in your wallet too....

Sláinte, Bushido

Thanks to you all... for this is going to cost me. In fact the only 'normal' priced are Laphroaig CS and the Aberlour a'bunadh (what does this a'bunadh mean btw?), as the Brora's from early 70's are '73 euro259,95 and '70 euro173,95 (at Ton Overmars) which is way over my budget. I was thinking myselve (before asking this question) of buying a bottle of Longrow (as I happen to like Springbank a lot and was thinking the peat in a Longrow would combine my two favourite things...) but as none of you mentioned Longrow... I am in doubt again if Longrow is really that peaty and able to stand up to Laphroaig and the others... (will buy a bottle anyway... but that was not my initial question).

But I think in general it's a good idea to open up my mind for other way's of surpassing a dominant taste ... (the Aberlour is nice priced and easy to buy, so I think I give a first try in that direction...)

Again: thanks Michel

I believe I read on the bottle, or elsewhere, that a'bunadh means "the origin."

Some minimal googling produces this:

A`bunadh means "made in the original and natural way".

I'm a peat, smoke and tar addict (Islays and Talisker, basically) and since I don't have the budget for a big collection, I ignore almost everything from the mainland.

The Aberlour a`bunadh is a notable exception. It couldn't be more different from the Islays, but it packs a huge sherry punch. In its own way, it is as startling an experience as your first taste of a young, peaty, in-your-face Ardbeg. It will certainly take your mind off whatever you were drinking before.

Enjoy.

bill

Hi Michel, Bushido,

Bushido's right, these 1970-1972 Broras are of the greatest kind. Sure, they are quite expensive (but there are still some DL Platinums around for quite a good price, considering the quality). Just between us, I think it's often interesting to buy one great but expensive bottle, rather than 3 or 4 more 'mundane' malts. And you always regret what you didn't do, never what you did. Well, theorically - and unless you bought some 19th century Macallan at auctions ;-)

BtW, the 30yo OBs don't claim to come from one single vintage. So, a 30yo bottled in 2003 doesn't obligatorily come from, or only from, 1973. A 3rd bottling will be launched later this year.

As for Longrows, the best ones are expensive. I'd separate them into 6 groups:

In short, if you can find some Longrows from groups 2 or 4 for 80 to 120 euros, I think you won't be disappointed. But they're all more and more difficult to find - and this time it's true, alas ;-).

I hope this helps - and I hope Bushido will confirm what I just said.

Santé!

Serge

dans l'article uatqc.1002$Bb6.7288@zonnet-reader-1, Michel à snipped-for-privacy@zonnet.nl a écrit le 18/05/04 21:08 :

Laphroaig 10 at 43% instead of 40% (1,0l bottle) Laphroaig 10 cask strength Very Young Ardbeg 6y

Thanks Serge, this is of great help... as it seems my favourate 'dealer' happens to have a '91 bottling (bourbon)(same price as the '92 and up) so I think I go for that one...

Serge,

Absolutely! Nice guide to Longrow. Although, I am not as big a fan of the nonvintage contemporary bottlings. I don't know the international marketplace asking prices for 700ml bottlings, so that is very helpful.

I don't typically point people in the Longrow direction because it's even more important to get the details of the bottling just right.The ultimate for me is the 21yo 1974 OB, with the 18yo 1974 OB a close second. The few Samaroli's I've been privileged to try have been excellent.

I'm generally also not a fan of "finished" whisky because of the prophetic nature of what it implies after you've paid your money and opened the bottle.