Whisky / Whiskey / Bourbon

Open it!

Tempted to buy one!

Ashamed to say that at the grand old age of 56 I opened my first ever bottle of Laphroaig 10 year old last week and well, I struggled to get beyond the taste and smell of TCP.

Yes, I understand that this taste was part of avoiding the ban during prohibition in the US but it's really not for me.

Definitely bought this one for drinking, tend to like a Sherry influence. Have only got a few things hiding at the back of the cupboard in hopes of appreciation, there’s a Rioja cask PC (RIC 01 maybe?) in there that we filled ourselves that I’ll hold onto out of sentimentality

bin it and get some bunnahabhain 12

Think this particular one would be fairly hard to get hold of, they released it via ballot a few weeks back. Whiskybase only shows one stockist at an insane €500. I think they’re planning to regularly release the valinch bottles while visits to the distillery aren’t able to happen

Bugger. Better get in on those ballots.

yeah already got the Bunnahabhain Stiùireadair and much prefer this.

EDIT: BTW, glad I picked up the Laphroaig for the discounted price of £26 rather than £38. would have been very disappointed otherwise.

Just cracked this one open too

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nice one. Careful that increased ABV doesn't catch you out at 17:23 on a Thursday :-)

I’ve actually enjoyed a few of the Laphroig bottlings but I’m always up for something new.
Would the 12 year old Bunnahabhain be worth a taste? It’s the only one from them available around here.

Yep! Just don’t expect a peater. Lovely balanced sherried whisky though!

The iodine flavour is probably the most divisive one in scotch, luckily there's so much whisky out there you don't have to worry about it, although I'd probably avoid ardbeg as well if you haven't already tried their whisky?

As for the prohibition stuff, it's a great story but there's no real evidence to back it up, the flavour definitely wasn't created for it as the distillery predates prohibition by about 100 years, Bourbon and other spirits could also be sold medicinally during prohibition . I say this as a massive laphroaig fan who's given them more money than I care to admit and spent my stag do at the distillery :)

Hold onto that laphroaig, I remember the first time I had it the TCP taste was overwhelming and not like anything I’d had before (although I did like it). When I go back to it now it’s far more manageable & one of my favourite distilleries

Thanks!

Think mines first fill from 2006 too, but really well integrated and not overpowering the spirit.

I’ve got family on the island, so tend to nip into Bruichladdich to pick up something special every time I’m up. Kilchoman for the cake though!

cheers buddy, actually drinking it now. It's still not what i would choose but it's doing the business.

We did a little trip up the west coast last year & i’d love to get back to Islay (& Skye for the breathtaking scenery). Made it to Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Bruichladdich & Bowmore but didn’t make it to Kilchoman or any of the ones in the north of the island as we only had 2 days. Will add Kilchoman to the list as I haven’t tried anything from them yet!

Good going for two days mind! Kilchoman’s lovely, proper farm distillery, and over on the west side of the island so far fewer tourists as they normally only do the kildalton cross distilleries before getting back on the ferry. They recently invested in a really decent cafe so it’s a good stop for the non-whisky fans or if somebodies driving, as there’s a great walk along the beach.

Got chatting to the guy behind the bar in the bowmore hotel who let me try a dram of a private cask of sherried kilchoman which was just the bees knees, but to be honest the 100% Islay stuff they’re knocking out was cracking too. It’s their farm grown barley peated to about half the level of the normal barley they get from port ellen maltings, and a made into a really summery fruity spirit that goes well in ex-bourbon.

Ha, fast forward to the end of the bottle when you'll have done a 180 and become addicted ;)

I struggled to get beyond the taste and smell of TCP.

Add Ginger Wine for Whisky Macs 👌

That was my go to mixer when I was at uni. Don't think I've had one in about 10 years.

Beam for a tenner with a bottle of coke ftw :)

Any opinions on Glenrothes 12? Sherry casked and around my price sweetspot

https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/glenrothes/glenrothes-12-year-old-soleo-collection-whisky/

Glenrothes can do no wrong as fair as I am concerned. I have tried a lot of their stuff over the years and it is consistently good.