In reply to betadawg1

betadawg1 said:

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Cromagnum said:

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Where did you get the Yamazaki 12? I haven't seen one in years.

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I picked up one today at retail if you are interested. I'm in CS but travel to Houston frequently.

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How much would you want for it? I don't know what they are asking these days.

Got to try some Hibiki Harmony and Kavalan Concertmaster yesterday. Both were quite good. Any other recommendations for the Asian "scotches"?

In reply to Cromagnum

Cromagnum said:

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Got to try some Hibiki Harmony and Kavalan Concertmaster yesterday. Both were quite good. Any other recommendations for the Asian "scotches"?

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Nikka puts out a lot of great bottles.

In reply to Cromagnum

Cromagnum said:

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betadawg1 said:

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Cromagnum said:

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Where did you get the Yamazaki 12? I haven't seen one in years.

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I picked up one today at retail if you are interested. I'm in CS but travel to Houston frequently.

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How much would you want for it? I don't know what they are asking these days.

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Sorry for the delay, had to go to Atlantic City for training.

Paid $124.01 after taxes, actually got the case price for it. Round up to $125 and it's yours.

Got a notification that the Glenmorangie 12 year Malaga cask bottles I pre-ordered are ready for pick-up, looks like a lunch run to Total Wine will happen today if I can get away from all these conference calls.

In reply to AgInSingapore

AgInSingapore said:

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Got a notification that the Glenmorangie 12 year Malaga cask bottles I pre-ordered are ready for pick-up, looks like a lunch run to Total Wine will happen today if I can get away from all these conference calls.

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Nice, That one looks interesting

In reply to Cyprian I had a small dram of it last night but didn't give it the time it needed to open up so no official feedback as of yet. That being said, I think it will be a good one.

I'm pretty novice with scotch. I typically like to have some laying around though. Just about done with a Laphroaig 10 and have liked it well enough. What recommendations might y'all have in the $40 plus or minus range? Should I stick with this one or venture out?

I like the peat on it, but wouldn't mind trying a lighter smoked single malt scotch some time or a different mash bill.

In reply to Chipotlemonger Mash bill for single malt scotch as defined by The Scotch Whisky Regulations is 100% malted barley.

At the 40 dollar price point, and knowing you enjoyed Laphroaig, I'd say give Ardbeg Wee Beastie a go. The tariffs have really driven the price of single malt up so 40 dollars or so won't get you what it once did unfortunately. Really blows my mind Laphroaig 10 is fifty dollars...

In reply to AgInSingapore Thank you for the input and information! Learn something new every day. Is it worth the trade up to the 10 year Ardberg or no?

In reply to AgInSingapore

AgInSingapore said:

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Mash bill for single malt scotch as defined by The Scotch Whisky Regulations is 100% malted barley.

At the 40 dollar price point, and knowing you enjoyed Laphroaig, I'd say give Ardbeg Wee Beastie a go. The tariffs have really driven the price of single malt up so 40 dollars or so won't get you what it once did unfortunately. Really blows my mind Laphroaig 10 is fifty dollars...

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Scotch prices in general suck ass. But ours was mainly retaliatory.

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The industry already is struggling due to the tariffs the Trump administration imposed last October targeting around $7.5 billion of European goods, including single malt scotch and Northern Irish whiskey. In the nine months since the tariffs were imposedand despite averting a threatened 100% tariff on European whiskiesscotch exports to the U.S. have fallen more than 30%, a loss that the SWA totals at 200 million ($254 million). Meanwhile, the EU's 25% tariff on American whiskey imports, which was passed in June 2018, has devastated exports of bourbon, rye, and other whiskeys, causing a 33% decline and costing American distillers over $300 million, according to a report from the Distilled Spirits Council.

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They want us to stop our tariffs so that our economy will absorb more of their product, but their tariffs on our products to protect their industry is A-OK.

F em. You cut yours, we cut ours. Until then, our single malt production around the country is exploding and we have fantastic bourbon you couldn't duplicate if every distiller tried tomorrow.

In reply to Chipotlemonger I don't know if it is necessarily a trade up situation, but for me the 10 does drink smoother that the 5. That said, I like the aggressive youth Wee Beastie brings. You could spring for both and do a tasting to compare side by side or see if your local liquor store has them in miniature format (or a bar if they are open in your area due to COVID crap) so you aren't out a bill only to find out that you don't enjoy either.

UGH!

Been waiting for Blue Spot to drop since the announcement in April.

Apparently it will be available in Scotland, Ireland, UK, France, and Canada this month.

US?

February.

I NEED IT NOW!

Not sure if covered previously but I need suggestions

My favorite distillery for all Whisk(e)ys is Balvenie. Love their offerings. I am wanting to expand into islay scotches and dont want to drop the money on a bottle that I am going to hate. Any suggestions for those of you that enjoy islay? Got a bottle of Bowmore Small Batch a couple of years ago and like it, but wanting to try others.

In reply to AgBQ-00

AgBQ-00 said:

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Not sure if covered previously but I need suggestions

My favorite distillery for all Whisk(e)ys is Balvenie. Love their offerings. I am wanting to expand into islay scotches and dont want to drop the money on a bottle that I am going to hate. Any suggestions for those of you that enjoy islay? Got a bottle of Bowmore Small Batch a couple of years ago and like it, but wanting to try others.

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Before you go to Islays, try Oban Little Bay. It has a very faint peat with a ton of awesome flavors. It's very comparable to the Classic Laddie except for the peat. I think you would love it.

In reply to mazag08 Any thoughts on Lagvulin 8?

In reply to AgBQ-00

AgBQ-00 said:

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Any thoughts on Lagvulin 8?

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I've never had it. Sorry man.

In reply to mazag08 No worries. I appreciate the recommendations. Any more you want to throw out would be appreciated.

In reply to mazag08 Good recommendation right there, Oban makes good stuff. I'd also put Old Pulteney's 12 year old as one to try out.

In reply to AgBQ-00

AgBQ-00 said:

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No worries. I appreciate the recommendations. Any more you want to throw out would be appreciated.

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Most of my Scotch experience is in Highlands. I prefer sherried scothes mostly.

In reply to mazag08 Right up my usual aisle. I have a half bottle of Glendronach 12 in my cabinet right now. Will be getting some Balvenie Doublewood for Christmas. The bottle of Bowmore Small Batch was emptied last night so I am wanting to kind of go a little deeper into islay tastes. Funny thing about it is until last night that bottle was really bandaid-y to me. And then it clicked in the next to last pour and I really liked it.

That moment it clicks is the best. It's like you become opened up to a whole new world and everything is exciting again.

That's why I laugh at the pure bourbon people. They keep chasing the same stuff over and over, when there is incredible stuff at fractions of the cost. It might take a little time for the appreciation to become realized, but your options become limitless once they do.

So I kind of cheated. Went into Costco liquor store this morning to look. Had never been in before. They had a sampler pack with Lagavulin 16, Talisker 10, and Craganmore 12. Got it for 50. Each bottle is i think 200 ml so is enough for a few pours each.

In reply to AgBQ-00

AgBQ-00 said:

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So I kind of cheated. Went into Costco liquor store this morning to look. Had never been in before. They had a sampler pack with Lagavulin 16, Talisker 10, and Craganmore 12. Got it for 50. Each bottle is i think 200 ml so is enough for a few pours each.

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Not a bad way to do it!

Talisker 10 is very good. Haven't had the other two.

In reply to AgBQ-00 Lagavulin 16 is my favorite readily available single malt, hands down. Talisker is also very very good.

First taste of Talisker. Mmmmmmmm

Good smoke and peat. Not over powering. Some fruity tanginess. Some caramel oaky flavor. Sweet. Then long subtle smoke finish with a bit of salty brine.

Next pour is the lagavulin

In reply to AgBQ-00

AgBQ-00 said:

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First taste of Talisker. Mmmmmmmm

Good smoke and peat. Not over powering. Some fruity tanginess. Some caramel oaky flavor. Sweet. Then long subtle smoke finish with a bit of salty brine.

Next pour is the lagavulin

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Wasn't planning on drinking tonight, but definitely going to have a pour of Talisker now. Thanks.

Anytime!! It is delicious. The Lagavulin is fantastic too. Still going through my first pour with it

Lagavulin 16. Mmmmmmm. Like smoky salted meats at a BBQ. And some fresh plowed earth. Delicious. Sweet very late through the smoky finish.

How the hell has nobody told me about Black Bush (Bushmills). For fans of sherried scotch, this is the perfect everyday drinker at half the cost ($35) of the good stuff.

I'm amazed how balanced it is. Apples on the nose. Light, smooth, honey, apples, black pepper, hint of leather that you normally get with bourbon on the palette. Finishes easy.

Ridiculous value for the price. Probably my new favorite value buy.

I also grabbed the Green Spot Chateau Montelena (Zinfandel finished).

My family is doing Irish only for our yearly Thanksgiving tasting. Here's the lineup..

Green Spot
Green Spot Chateau Montelena
Yellow Spot
Red Spot
Redbreast 12
Redbreast 15
Midleton Very Rare 2018 (blend of 15-21 year old single pot still whiskeys)
Kilbeggan small batch rye
Dingle single malt batch 03
Powers three swallow
Tullamore dew Caribbean cask
Black Bush

I'm very excited. I know this isn't an Irish thread, but it fits here way more than the bourbon thread.

In reply to mazag08 There is an irish thread on the board somewhere, it just tends to get buried. But with the growing number of Irish posts kn the Scotch and bourbon threads, maybe there's enough interest to keep it on Page 1 now?

In reply to John Francis Donaghy

John Francis Donaghy said:

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There is an irish thread on the board somewhere, it just tends to get buried. But with the growing number of Irish posts kn the Scotch thread, maybe there's enough interest to keep it on Page 1 now?

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I had no idea. Sorry for cluttering.

In reply to mazag08 I'm not worried about cluttering. I'm always up for booze talk. In the past the Irish thread just hasn't been able to generate enough interest to stay up, so Irish talk gets lumped in with the others.

Personally, I don't know much about Irish, so I'd like to see it take off just so I can follow and learn.

In reply to mazag08 That's a nice lineup! Read an interesting article on Irish whiskey recently and wouldn't mind learning more and also actually tasting more than just the blended stuff.

As for the thread and Irish not really having its own more heavily trafficked thread, I'm more in the camp of I think for now it's fine to lump it in with this Scotch thread. The Scotch thread doesn't steamroll on volume either, so its a nice catchall.

If someone wants to "ttt" the Irish thread we can post there. Scotch is my favorite, but Irish is hard to beat for a daily drinker. Consider adding Jameson Black and Slane for some less expensive options.