UKC

What are you drinking at the moment? (not precise moment for the pdeants, rather a more general timescale etc cont on p.94)

I've got some 15 year old 50% Bunnahabin (sp etc see above) amongst others but what really made me think was the 8 year old Glenrothes (not the 1989 bollting by Berry Bros) a really good every day tipple.

In reply to sloper:

Got a few Bottles opened at the moment.

10-yr old Ardbeg and 16-yr old Lagavulin disappearing the fastest.

In reply to DougG: Have you tried the rum finnish ardbeg a few independent bottligns about, really very good.

In reply to sloper:

Laphroaig - my usual. Might track down an Edradour next though, fantastic. Anyone know a good outlet near Victoria in London?

In reply to sloper:

Nope, not tried that. The one I'm on just now is a double matured distillers edition thingy.

In reply to sloper:

Just a ten year old laphroaig at the moment. By attempts to build up my collection never seem to work, it keeps just disappearing. How do you suggest I avoid this?

In reply to DougG:

Burnt seaweed I tell you! Bleurghhhh!

In reply to sloper:

last whisky i drank was glenmorangie or glenfiddick I think. Woz in a pub in london and bought for me so I didn't complain. Tasted pretty bad though neat, but these things have to be done. Certainly not as nice as I nice big glass ofpeach schnapps or a good ol' gin'n'tonic.
P

In reply to StonedDeranger:
A standard Talisker and Morangie and a wee cask strength Glenfarclas. Also have a Ben Doonigan £7.99 special blend tucked away to satisfy the father in laws desire to drown his dram in lemonade.

In reply to StonedDeranger: buy mor ethan one bottle ata time, at the moment I've got a 14 yo Glenrothes, their 8 year old, Anocdo 10yo and Rosebank 1990 (Gordon & McPhail I think) the Bunnahabin.

When the Bunnyh gets half way down i'll have a few of the Anocdo and glenroths 8 and then buy another bot.

In reply to sloper: The cabinet currently comprises:

Talisker
Lagavulin
Dalwhinnie
Glennkinchie
Ardbeg
Caol Isla
Aberlour A'bundah
Oban
Craganmore
Jura

(Apologies for any miss-spellings)

Current Favourites are Lagavulin, Caol Isla and Craganmore, though it may well change the next time I have something else.

In reply to StonedDeranger: Buy several bottles at a time, seems to work for me!

In reply to pete theobald:

Glenfiddich would explain that.

In reply to D Berry:

The six pints of youngs it landed on didn't help with the general feeling it was trying to convey either. Sticking to stella next time. Doesn't tend to cause the same headaches whilst drinking it
P

In reply to sloper:

Arran non-chill-filtered - bit young but OK with a splash
Glen Garioch - acceptable
Glenmorangie - a present
Auchentoschan - pleasant
Millburn 25yo - special occasions only
Baillie Nicol Jarvie - for putting in coffee, chocolate etc.

I don't have a real character whisky for general drinking at the moment though. Time for some tasting...

Just finished Jura. Got Talisker and Macallan open at the moment. Just picked up another Talisker and a Caol Isla for £16 and £18 (Tesco vin plus).

My friends has the Ardbeg '77 and Lagavullin double matured. I prefer the Lagavullin to the Ardbeg, which is good as the Ardbeg costs twice the price!

In reply to KeithW: Glenfiddich Havana Reserve - 21 YO rum finish. GORGEOUS!
Ardbeg (Tesco special offer at £18...)
Highland Park (Ditto the above!)
Scapa 13YO(What the HP boys do on their days off. Gordon & Macphail bottling. It will be at the wedding Tom!)
Cragganmore 12 YO (Not as good as the 18, but LOTS cheaper)
Glen Garioch 15 yo (Bargain at under £20. www.lfw.co.uk)
Bruichladdich 15YO. Like it so much, we're painting Vlad's sitting room in the colours!
Sadly, I've finished the Strath Isla. Must get another...
Same with the Springbank 100%.

TTG

You can spot the faux whisky conesseurs. They're the people slagging of Glenfiddich as tasting bad, when in reality it is just less interesting. Like Bells, it is crafted to be the least offensive. I've found the Islay malts (and infact islands in general) to be like marmite - you love it or you hate it. Glenfiddich 12 is not unpleasent, it's just if you're going to pay for a single malt you might as well get something special.

In reply to sloper:

Lagavullin
Macallan 25 year
Macallan 100%
"As We Get It" (don't ask!!!)

The 100% is Gorgeous, doesn't so much go down your throat as evaporate on your tongue. 2 small glasses & u r watching life on another channel %o)

In reply to Philip: I know taste is subjective but I dont think Glenfiddich is either nice or inoffensive. It tastes a bit like a dodgy blend. The main reason it is famous and we should give thanks for it - is that it was one of the first singles to market itself successfully back in the 70's. If u asked for a Glenfiddich in the pub rather than accepting Bells/teachers/Black & White/insert your own sh*te here u were seen as dead sophisticated. It did pave the way for the market in single malts though, so as I said earlier - thankyou Glenfiddich

In reply to David Hooper: I've had some 12 YO fiddy that was very good indeed. I've met some that was little more than mouthwash.
I do NOT rate the Caoran at all, personally, but Loch Fyne website holds the other one, er, mind's gone blank...
Whatever it's called, the less common Glenfiddich, is rated quite highly.

As I said above, the 21YO Havan is sensational...

But then it ought to be at £60 a pop!

8^)

"I dont think Glenfiddich is either nice or inoffensive"

That was my point. It's bland. I don't drink *a lot* of whisky, maybe 1 or 2 evenings a week I have a few glasses, so I tend to drink what I prefer or something I've never had. I have a bottle I was given which I use in coffee or hot chocolate (to aid sleeping) or to make whisky mac (whisky and ginger wine) for my hip flask (everyone I know likes it, so it's popular for climbing meets). I gave some the other day and they straight away new it was nicer whisky than Bells.

I find it hard to have a sensible discussion about whisky with anyone who seems to tow some modern party line that Glenfiddich (or anyother popular whiskies, Bowmore, Glenmorangie) are crap.

Anyway. Once I finish my tick list, which only has Caol Isla left on it, I'll be trying something a little more special. At the moment the Talisker or Lagavullin specials are most likely. Anyone else care to recommend something in the £40 range, preferable island (jura, skye, islay, orkneys). What's the Highland Park 15 or 18 like?

In reply to sloper: right this very second its Bells 8 year old.

By choice it would be Laphroaig, occasionally Bowmore, however I paid a shit load for a 1976 Milburn and was slightly dissapointed, a little fiery I have to say

In reply to heather monkey:


Heretic!

In reply to sloper:

Tain L'Hermitage a 1975 very special - very nice - very expensive, delightful single malt from the glenmorangie distillery...

MMMMmmmmmm

In reply to Philip: Anyone else care to recommend something in the £40 range, preferable island (jura, skye, islay, orkneys). What's the Highland Park 15 or 18 like?

In that price range I'd recommend joining the Scotch malt whisky sociey and trying some of their bottlings. Just put my xmas order in :=) . They bottle at cask strength from casks they find of intersting individual character so every bottling is unique. The whiskies aren't named but enough clues are given to allow you to identify the distillery - eg i,ve just ordered a Caol isla and highland park. Some of their whisky comes from closed distilleries and from experimental casks. Most of it is in the 35-50 quid range. I get a reasonable number of standard malts a year as presents (which is nice) so only tend to buy SMWS ones - and talking too other members it appears that this is often the case so they're doing something right

Slainte

In reply to sloper:
Presently have about 10 on the go, several Bowmores, St. Magdellans (quite rare so the cork only come out now and again), Rosebank (see St.Magdellans), Lagavuillin, Dalmore (Christ it tastes like Jack Daniels!!), Edradour, Balvenie and Talisker.....oohh and Glenmorangie port and sherry finishes.

In reply to Removed User: I'm told the mediera is a particularly fine malt from thier distilery... rather rare though...

In reply to Philip:

Totally disagree; the 'standard' bottling just isn't a good taste.

Like Bells, it is crafted to be the least offensive.

And this is a good thing?

In reply to sloper:

Bells. and there's nowt wrong with it!

In reply to sloper: Tamnavulin, a 10 year old speyside, nice.


Called in at that shop in tomatoul? or something like tomtoulin, not far from the lecht ski area, the guys great, lets you have tasters, always call in for a bottle and a few tips.

In reply to Philip: I thought the highlands parks OK, good but people rave about it, Im a talisker and scapa fan gererally, but the speysides are rarely dissapointing.

In reply to sloper:
I'll probably be hung for this but I prefer Irish Whiskey. Have a bottle of 10 yr old Bushmills single malt as well as a bottle of Jamesons. Might invest in a bottle of Midleton Old Distillery if I get my new job.

In reply to StefanP: no you'd be hanged for that, only phestants etc are hung (er, actually I'm rather well hung, but not high, unless I've been climbing for a week)

In reply to StefanP:

Nothing wrong with Irish whiskey, I have a bottle of 16 year old Bushmills on the go which I bought from the distuillery last year. If you can find it (and if you do make sure you let me know!) I can thoroughly recommend Danny's Old No.9. Crested Ten is a nice drop too and a little more common.

In reply to StefanP:


The last office party almost ended in a fist fight because 3 blokes got to the bar quite abit earlier than all the rest and in half an hour had wiped out half the money put up by the company by drinking 50 year old whiskys

In reply to StefanP:
Did the "taste test" at Bushmills last year on a visit. They just didn't do well against single malt; the 16 yr old was nice but just a little insipid. I'll stick to the Scotch.

In reply to sloper: I've currently got a few bottles open. A few dregs of Isle of Jura, a couple of bottles of Glenlivit, a few dregs of Talisker and an unopened Glenfidich that I got as a present a couple of weeks ago. There's also a bottle of Grouse at the back of the shelf which I inherited with the house a couple of years ago and I don't think has moved since!

I fancy Craggenmore for my next one but not seen it in the shops for ages, maybe I'll have to start looking else where.

In reply to Removed User:

I must admit, I was slightly disappointed by the Bushmills, though it does grow on you. However, The Danny's Old No.9 will hold it's own against any single malt. It's just a shame that it's so damn hard to find.

In reply to Craig_M:
Don't get me wrong!! If I was at your house and you poured me a large one , it would be extremely boorish to refuse....

In reply to sloper: Whether its Scotch Whisky or whether its Irish Whiskey I think they are all to be cherished. It would be a sad day indeed if they all tasted the same or even became "consistant". I dont really think there is a bad whisky it just literally comes down to "taste". The most popular whiskies are probably those that are "branded" best around the world and are probably the least offensive to the majority of drinkers leading to blandness. Even Laphroaig which i believe is third in the most popular single malt sales (and a very distant third) is highly marketed and that marketing strategy is based almost to the point on the flavour of this whisky is so extreme can you make that step?

I dont think you can get any nearer to "scotland distilled in a glass" than a glass of whisky. Memories invoked include sitting on the shore, Islay with a glass of Bruchlaidich (spelling!)watching the grey form of a quartering male hen harrier in the fading light. Celebrating with a flask of Bladnoch my first salmon, sitting on the bank surrounded by snowdrops.

Vodka just wouldnt do it would it?

In reply to Removed User:
See a couple of folk have mentioned Scapa, what's is like ? similar to Highland Park ? its on special offer at my local supermarket at the moment (23euros a bottle) but I went for a Knockando instead (a euro or two more but I know I like it)

One advantage of working in France, the whisky is cheaper than at home, even though that's Strathspey

In reply to Doug:
Scapa is nice and at 23 euros a bargain. Get it ben ye!!

In reply to Doug:
If you like Highland Park chances are you wont be dissappointed with Scapa. Given a choice between the 2 I'd go for Scapa every time, but they're not a million miles different.

In reply to sloper:

'Cask strength' Glencoe.

In reply to hugedyno:
Hope your not drinking that neat!! Tried it at the Clachaig, right bloody rough it was until a wee drop of water is added.

In reply to Removed User:

Water's okay, as long as it's not French (bottled). And NEVER drink wine the same time. As a Scottish landlord once said to me: "Aye, ye canna mix the grape wi' the grain!".

In reply to sloper:

Ardbeg at the moment. Bought on the cheap at Asda. Probably my favourite. Still trying to make my way through a bottle of Isle of Arran as well. Not at all convinced. Very young. Not exactly complex. But will it rival the other islands in 50 years time?

wow, climbing and whisky go together! brilliant.

i thought i had to have different sets of mates for that.

who wanted a recommendation of a good whisky from Jura for about £40? i think the only answer available is "2 bottles please".

my favourites are lagavulin and Isle of Jura.

For some reason I am having great difficulty getting Lagavulin at the moment, anyone know what's the problem? did they have a bad crop in 1987?

In reply to Doug: Knockando is good, but I think scapa takes some beating, very drinkable.