A little help with Whisky

Streeteh

Streeteh

Streeteh

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Joined
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First off, budget is £50-100, it's for my fathers' 60th. There are some restrictions however (unless there's a really good reason to change the plan!).

Firstly my sister lives next to a specialist spirits shop, their website can be found here:

http://www.milroys.co.uk

Obviously due to the location it'd be ideal if we could buy from there, especially since his birthday is next Monday (yes i know i've left it late!).

In terms of taste his favourites are Laphroaig and Glenfiddich which has led me to the obvious choice of:

http://www.milroys.co.uk/webapp/wcs...0001&storeId=10001&productId=118014&langId=-1

I've tried a glass of this before and am fairly certain he'd like it and it's well within the price bracket. Is there anything else within this price bracket that is considered clearly superior? Obviously there's £30 worth of headroom so there could be something much nicer i don't know of. Aside from well known brands i'm clueless when it comes to whisky, especially up at this price range.

Thanks for any advice and/or suggestions guys.
 
You won't go wrong with the 18 year old Laphroaig. The 18 year old Talisker is a personal favourite of mine. That or a Balvenie.

When buying whisky for someone, I try to stay away from Glenfiddich as it's the most commercial and stereotypical of the lot.
 
The Laphroaig 18 is a good choice if thats what he likes, if you want to give him something slightly different then Lagavulin 12 is an option.

You could get him what is considered to be an excellent whiskey (not that I've tried it myself) and get something like George T Stagg which is a little over budget but it's unlikely he would have considered even buying it so there would be a surprise element in it.
 
Lagavulin 12 is a great option. The Laphroaig 18 is too soft and astringent for my taste.

Going through the Milroys £40-£60 selection, I'd highly recommend the Ardbeg Uigeadail (£52) for a man whose preferences lie within the realm of peat, spice and a touch of sweet.

Highland Park 18yo (£59.95) is another great choice. One of the most balanced and flavourful malts I've never had the pleasure of sampling.

Springbank 18yo (£49.50) is one of the more interesting peated malts you can find. While nowhere near as peaty as Ardbeg, Lagavulin or Laphroaig (and a bit more than Highland Park), it consists of a wonderful salty tang and sweetness that immediately makes you think of the sea.

Far more fiery is the Bowmore Tempest 10yo (£44.95) now in it's second batch. Pepper, iodine, mint and a whole heap of flavours in a punch to the tongue.

However, if you're looking for something (a) delicious, (b) collectable and rare, and (c) very interesting, I'd get him a bottle of the Longrow Burgundy Finish (£58.95). Had a sample of Whisky Live in Glasgow not long ago and it blew my mind. Fantastic stuff, and going fast.

Good luck!
 
mikester said:
Highland Park 18yo (£59.95) is another great choice. One of the most balanced and flavourful malts I've never had the pleasure of sampling.
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It's funny how people's tastes differ. I think the 18yo Highland Park is ghastly - in fact, I couldn't bring myself to finish the glass.

I agree with most of the suggestions made (apart from the above :p) - all good whiskies. Another suggestion, not made already, would be the 18yo Caol Ila. An excellent dram and one I buy fairly regularly :)
 
Stan_Lite said:
It's funny how people's tastes differ. I think the 18yo Highland Park is ghastly - in fact, I couldn't bring myself to finish the glass.

I agree with most of the suggestions made (apart from the above :p) - all good whiskies. Another suggestion, not made already, would be the 18yo Caol Ila. An excellent dram and one I buy fairly regularly :)
Click to expand...

Oh, yes. Forgot about that one. Diageo pulled it from the shelves awhile back, but it's back now albeit at a higher price. Fantastic dram.
 
i will put my hand in. the nikka yoichi is a lovely whisky if you like japanese ones. nice and smooth. £60.

i also like the yamazaki 12. lovely smooth mellow whiskys.

i also like jura's to. and a good glenmoranghie astar is a particular favourite of mine. creamy and smooth aftertaste that lingers long when mixed with a wee bit of water.
 
Stan_Lite said:
It's funny how people's tastes differ. I think the 18yo Highland Park is ghastly - in fact, I couldn't bring myself to finish the glass.

I agree with most of the suggestions made (apart from the above :p) - all good whiskies. Another suggestion, not made already, would be the 18yo Caol Ila. An excellent dram and one I buy fairly regularly :)
Click to expand...

The whisky master has spoken. He converted me from a whisky hater to where I enjoy a good malt.
 
Just a quick update guys, i gave my sister a list of the ones suggested here that interested me and she popped down to the shop today. She had a decent conversation with the guy working there and he commended the list, saying they were all fantastic choices (so thanks for that!), in the end he recommended Longrow Burgundy Finish over the others. I did list George T Stagg which he said was brilliant, but didn't offer the value for money that the Longrow did as their quality was comparable, which goes to show he wasn't out to just make a fast buck (£60 vs £110).

Ended up being the last bottle in the store too.

Thanks again chaps, feeling really pleased.

My sister (who knows nothing about posh booze) was incredibly impressed with the service and will certainly return there in the future, so anyone that lives nearby it's worth a look, apparently the range on offer was massive:

www.milroys.co.uk

(The Soho branch)
 
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Were happy to help!

Streeteh said:
I did list George T Stagg which he said was brilliant, but didn't offer the value for money that the Longrow did as their quality was comparable, which goes to show he wasn't out to just make a fast buck (£60 vs £110).
Click to expand...

You often find that in specialised shops, they give honest advise on the product and sometimes a sample if they have one open.
 
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