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

[Stan_Lite]

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

Check back later for my thoughts (if you feel so inclined).

 

[Stan_Lite]

Awesome haul!

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.

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).

 

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Forgot to add: The Bolly is for a special occasion in the future and won't be part of tonight's tasting.

 

[Stan_Lite]

after you have had a few good glasses, can you really tell the difference ?

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]

You ever try any Irish Whiskey ?

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.

 

[Stan_Lite]

Lets start with the cheapest (it's as good a place to start as any) - Glenkinchie 12 Year Old.

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.

 

[Stan_Lite]

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.

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

 

[Stan_Lite]

Next up, Dailuaine 16 Year Old. Never had this before so I've been looking forward to trying it.

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.

 

[Stan_Lite]

can you recommend a bottle for about £40-50 ?

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.

 

[Stan_Lite]

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?

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.

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....

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.

 

[Stan_Lite]

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.

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 ) but very acceptable.

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

 

[Stan_Lite]

Next up, Bruichladdich 12 Year Old / Brown & Tawse 125. Again, I've had quite a few different Bruichladdich expressions and haven't had a bad one yet. This one was made to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Dundee steelmerchant Brown & Tawse (not sure what the connection is - apart from they share a birthday with Bruichladdich).

Colour: Gold.

Nose: Salt spray. Lemon. Slight smoke.

Palate: Smoky. Peaty. Slightly spicy. Slight sweetness.

Finish: Medium length spicy and peaty.

Pretty much a textbook Bruichladdich. Tasty and sharp but smooth enough to make it very palatable. A good whisky for waking up your taste buds. Not as pungent as most Islay malts so would be a good starter for someone who wants to get into Islay malts.

This costs £41.95 for a 70cl bottle. If I'm being honest, I'd say it was a tad overpriced. You'd be as well getting the standard 12yo (2nd edition) for £7 less.

 

[Stan_Lite]

i've heard its really nice mixed with coca cola ?

// just kidding

 

[Stan_Lite]

Finally, Suntory Hakushu Heavily Peated. The Suntory Yamazaki is a very nice whisky. As I said earlier, the 10yo is a bit young and the 18yo is lovely but in the dear side. The 12yo is a happy medium and is a whisky I buy regularly. Looking forward to trying this offering from it's sister distillery, Hakushu. There is no age stated on this one.

Colour: Pale gold.

Nose: Peat. Vanilla. Grass. Wood. Hint of tar.

Palate: Peat. Oak. Slightly sweet.

Finish: Slightly sweet and smoky - slight liquorice. Lingering.

I continue to be pleasantly surprised by Japanese whiskies. This is another very competent Japanese malt. I'm not sure on the age but I suspect it hasn't been matured for as long as it should. Like the 10yo Yamazaki, I think it would benefit from another couple of years in the cask. Keep up the good work Suntory.

This costs £63.95 for a 70cl bottle. That's a bit steep. If it had had another couple of years in the cask, I think it would have been worth it but not as it is now. Shame really as it is a good whisky but has the potential to be an extremely good whisky. My verdict: Good whisky but not worth 64 quid.