Postie's been today - must be time for a whisky tasting thread.

Stan_Lite

Stan_Lite

Stan_Lite

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I was getting a bit low on whisky so I ordered the following:

1 Glenkinchie 12 Year Old - An old favourite.
2 Glenrothes 1990 / 18 Year Old / Sherry cask - Big fan of Glenrothes but haven't tried this particular expression before.
3 Bruichladdich 12 Year Old / Brown & Tawse 125 - Again, big fan of Bruichladdich but never had this expression before.
4 Suntory Hakushu Heavily Peated - Love the Yamazaki from Suntory so thought I'd give this one a try - 'Heavily Peated' sounds like my sort of thing.
5 Dailuaine 16 Year Old - Never even heard of this one, never mind try it so looking forward to it.

It arrived today so I'll be doing the obligatory tasting session tonight - the sacrifices I make :p

Drinks2.jpg


Check back later for my thoughts (if you feel so inclined).
 
Awesome haul! :eek:

Definitely interested in your thoughts on all of them. In the mean time, what do you think of the Yamazaki? I've been meaning to try it for ages but keep hearing mixed opinions on it.
 
JHeaton said:
Awesome haul! :eek:

Definitely interested in your thoughts on all of them. In the mean time, what do you think of the Yamazaki? I've been meaning to try it for ages but keep hearing mixed opinions on it.
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The 10yo is OK but a bit young. The 12yo is very good indeed - it benefits greatly from the extra 2 years in the cask. The 18yo is a splendid whisky - a bit on the dear side. I'm not sure it's worth the £105 price tag though (it was £80 when I bought it and it was just about worth that).
 
Forgot to add: The Bolly is for a special occasion in the future and won't be part of tonight's tasting.
 
Paul11 said:
after you have had a few good glasses, can you really tell the difference ?
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Absolutely. When tasting multiple whiskies, I only pour small measures so no problems there. Once I've tasted all 5, I'll settle on one and have a large one of that.
 
Stan_Lite said:
A few.
Jameson's and Paddy are quite decent blends As for malts, I currently have a bottle of Bushmills 10yo and the Bushmills 16yo is very good indeed and one I buy fairly regularly.
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Ah was hoping you would mention Bushmills :) My favourite is the Bushmills 12yo it can only be bought at the distillery, give me a shout sometime if you ever fancy a bottle.
 
Lets start with the cheapest (it's as good a place to start as any) - Glenkinchie 12 Year Old.

Glenkinchie.jpg


Colour: Pale gold

Nose: Floral. Citrus.

Palate: Floral. Citrus. Slightly sharp.

Finish: The sharpness of the palate soon gives way to a smooth sweetness. Relatively short finish.

A nice, if unremarkable whisky. Has the usual floral characteristic common in Lowland malts. I like it because of it's simplicity - you can just drink away at it without paying too much attention to it. Good if you're having a few.

This costs £38.95 for a litre bottle from The Whisky Exchange (in fact all of these were bought from there.
 
DirtyJester said:
Ah was hoping you would mention Bushmills :) My favourite is the Bushmills 12yo it can only be bought at the distillery, give me a shout sometime if you ever fancy a bottle.
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I was actually at the distillery a couple of months ago but couldn't buy any as my luggage was almost at the maximum allowance :(
I appreciate the offer and may well take you up on it some time :)
 
Next up, Dailuaine 16 Year Old. Never had this before so I've been looking forward to trying it.

Dailuaine.jpg


Colour: Light brown.

Nose: Sherry. Fruit cake. Slightly oaky.

Palate: As nose, sherry with dried fruit and slight oak with a light touch of spice.

Finish: Quite a long finish with sweet sherry taste and a little spice.

A very pleasant whisky, I'm glad I bought it. Nice and fruity like a good Speyside malt should be and nicely smooth and rounded on the palate as you'd expect from a whisky that's been in the cask for 16 years. Very good.

This costs £37.95 for a 70cl bottle and is worth every penny.
 
Paul11 said:
can you recommend a bottle for about £40-50 ?
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Depends very much on what you (or the person you're buying it for) like. For newcomers to malt whisky, I'd definitely recommend a Lowland or Speyside. If you can give me a bit of a clue, I'll have a bash.
 
Jealous, as always Stan. Envy your whisky collection and the ability to afford it. Is it one of your main hobbies (dare I say vices?) or inspired by work, something like that?

Paul11 said:
can you recommend a bottle for about £40-50 ?
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Whisky is a very complex drink with loads of different flavours distinguishable bottle from bottle, distillery to distillery. Tell us what you'd like and I'm sure Stan (or some others) would be able to tell you what you want.
Do you want a smoky, nutty whisky? Or perhaps something very earthy? Or water like, but with a hint of sweetness? Or do you want something that is sweeter than Haribo? There's a taste for all out there! If you're new to whisky, then go straight to Speyside as you'll probably enjoy it. They say the novice drinks Speyside but the experienced connoisseur takes an Islay...
 
complete beginner.

i have a big birthday coming up and someone is asking me what i want for my birthday and this would be an ideal gift for me.

i had a some whisky at a friends the other day, and really liked it though i have no idea what it was

it was smooth and went down really nicely.


edit:

was just doing some reading up, cant believe how many types, varieties, distilleries, blends etc etc there are....
 
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Ahleckz said:
Jealous, as always Stan. Envy your whisky collection and the ability to afford it. Is it one of your main hobbies (dare I say vices?) or inspired by work, something like that?
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Only a hobby. It might seem expensive but, since I work away from home month on month off, those 5 bottles will last me about 6 months. At £240, that's only £40 a month or £10 a week. Occasionally I'll treat myself to an expensive bottle for a treat if I'm flush. Most expensive so far was a 1972 Glengoyne for £250 but that's a once every couple of years treat.

Paul11 said:
complete beginner.

i have a big birthday coming up and someone is asking me what i want for my birthday and this would be an ideal gift for me.

i had a some whisky at a friends the other day, and really liked it though i have no idea what it was

it was smooth and went down really nicely.


edit:

was just doing some reading up, cant believe how many types, varieties, distilleries, blends etc etc there are....
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I would highly recommend the 15yo Balvenie Single Barrel http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-286.aspx. I can't think of a better beginner's whisky for under £50. For under £40, the Auchentoshan Three Wood http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-7957.aspx is pretty hard to beat.
 
Next up, Glenrothes 1990 / 18 Year Old / Sherry cask. Always been a fan of Glenrothes and have had several different expressions. This is a first time for this one though. I'm hopeful this will live up to expectations - I'm a big fan of whiskies matured in sherry casks.

Glenrothes%201990.jpg


Colour: Dark gold.

Nose: Faint smell of sherry. Liquorice. Hint of toffee. Slight spice.

Palate: Slightly sweet. Hints of liquorice and sherry. Slightly woody and a touch of spice.

Finish: Medium length sweet and spicy finish.

Nice whisky (I'd expect nothing else from Glenrothes). Not as much sherry influence as I would have liked but tasty nonetheless. Liked the liquorice flavour in there. Not as smooth as one would expect from an 18yo (careful Finbarr :p) but very acceptable.

This costs £39.95 for a 70cl bottle and is well worth it.
 
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