The OCUK Whisky (and Whiskey) review thread

ik9000 · 25 Sep 2020 at 00:26

Blackvault said:
My current collection.

You can't expect to be taken seriously putting the famous grouse next to a highland park and a more appealing Old Particular (which one is it? Dalmore or Dalwhinnie?). I'm relieved to see the single malts have been opened and largely drunk whereas the FG might not even be open. As for having the audacity to even put bourbon and tennesse whiskey in the same lineup. Well...

Best thing to do is use famous grouse for making some whisky fudge and marmalade/ similar and keep any leftovers for cocktails/whisky-and-mixer rounds alongisde those bourbons when you're hosting people at Christmas

xdcx said:
Glenmorangie 10, Highland Park 12 and Aberlour 12 all at cracking prices in Tesco at the moment.
Honestly not sure if prices/deals in Tesco are UK wide or if the prices I get stuff for is Scotland only?

Skip the Aberlour unless you really like sickly sweet. HP12 is good, nice mild peat and heathery tones. GM10 is ok, but some of their older bottlings are even better IMO.

ik9000 · 25 Sep 2020 at 00:29

Illgresi said:
Longrow - Smells like poppers (lol). Tastes like marshmallows on a bonfire.

Wow. I wouldn't know about the former, but if you say so!! Also marshmallows ON a bonfire? Not sure I'd get close enough to taste those

Really? It tastes burnt-sweet?

xdcx · 25 Sep 2020 at 11:17

ik9000 said:
You can't expect to be taken seriously putting the famous grouse next to a highland park and a more appealing Old Particular (which one is it? Dalmore or Dalwhinnie?). I'm relieved to see the single malts have been opened and largely drunk whereas the FG might not even be open. As for having the audacity to even put bourbon and tennesse whiskey in the same lineup. Well...

Best thing to do is use famous grouse for making some whisky fudge and marmalade/ similar and keep any leftovers for cocktails/whisky-and-mixer rounds alongisde those bourbons when you're hosting people at Christmas

Skip the Aberlour unless you really like sickly sweet. HP12 is good, nice mild peat and heathery tones. GM10 is ok, but some of their older bottlings are even better IMO.

Tearing into him for FG but there is a bottle of Whyte & Mackay sat there also.... even worse!!

Yes I have had Aberlour 10 in the past and wasn't overly fussed so not buying the 12.
Have had HP 12 in the past, it's really nice actually but haven't picked it up as only finished off a bottle of it a few months back.
GM10 is what I grabbed as it's a nice to have and not had it for years.

I just can't help myself in Tesco with the 10/12's which are typically in the mid to high £30's being down to £25. Thee aren't amazing by any stretch of imagination but for £25 they are superb value in grand scheme.

ik9000 · 25 Sep 2020 at 11:22

xdcx said:
Tearing into him for FG but there is a bottle of Whyte & Mackay sat there also.... even worse!!

I saw it, but 1) it was next to JW blends so offended me less and 2) well sometimes it's nice to pretend it doesn't exist.

Edit looking back at the photo, how many doors are going on there? it's like there a pair of doors with doors behind them? Wtf? Collisions waiting to happen right there! How many cups of tea get knocked moving around that house?

200sols · 25 Sep 2020 at 11:35

ik9000 said:
As for having the audacity to even put bourbon and tennesse whiskey in the same lineup. Well...

I know! Bourbon is much nicer than single malt so it deserves to be separated from that stuff

ik9000 · 25 Sep 2020 at 12:16

200sols said:
I know! Bourbon is much nicer than single malt so it deserves to be separated from that stuff

Heathen!

beachBOYken · 25 Sep 2020 at 15:29

Blackvault said:
My current collection.

Ignore all the whisky snobs

, nice selection you have

I need to try the Lagaluvin 16, just a bit expensive for me at the moment.

xdcx · 28 Sep 2020 at 08:21

ik9000 said:
2) well sometimes it's nice to pretend it doesn't exist.

Agree'd! But my office window literally looks over the distillery so I am bound to a life of suffering its existence

ik9000 · 28 Sep 2020 at 09:27

beachBOYken said:
I need to try the Lagaluvin 16, just a bit expensive for me at the moment.

the full bottle is on offer atm or you can pick up a sample taster: https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/lagavulin/lagavulin-16-year-old-whisky/

beachBOYken · 28 Sep 2020 at 10:58

ik9000 said:
the full bottle is on offer atm or you can pick up a sample taster: https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/lagavulin/lagavulin-16-year-old-whisky/

Thank's, I did see that, will have to wait for now though, spent a lot as it is on whiskey the last month or so.

hughtrimble · 30 Sep 2020 at 01:26

After a complete upturning of what I thought I preferred as a result of various tastings (previous adorer of Ardbeg 10 and historic dislike of Lagavulin 16), I've now got these:

Lagavulin:
20yr Feis Ile 2020
16yr Distiller's Edition
11yr Offerman
Distillery Exclusive Bottling 2018
Jazz Festival 2017

Ardbeg Blaaack

The Distiller's Edition is going down very, very nicely indeed. Yet to crack open the others.

hughtrimble · 30 Sep 2020 at 02:03

beachBOYken said:
I need to try the Lagaluvin 16, just a bit expensive for me at the moment.

It has rather crept up in price over the years, but still a very pleasant drop. It's also the only one of their lineup that they add colouring to (rather disappointed to hear that, even though there's no taste etc.)

ik9000 · 30 Sep 2020 at 02:24

I doubt that - some of their others are rather dark too and I'd be amazed if there wasn't colouring involved

hughtrimble · 30 Sep 2020 at 02:46

ik9000 said:
I doubt that - some of their others are rather dark too and I'd be amazed if there wasn't colouring involved

Horse's mouth a couple of weeks back at the distillery itself that the standard 16 was the only coloured one. Though they could have been lying, but I'd be very surprised.

Scam · 30 Sep 2020 at 09:45

hughtrimble said:
It has rather crept up in price over the years, but still a very pleasant drop. It's also the only one of their lineup that they add colouring to (rather disappointed to hear that, even though there's no taste etc.)

The problem is that colouring generally comes in tandem with chill filtering which can really dull the flavours. A quick Google tells me the Lag 16 is bottled at 43% which by all accounts means it probably is chill filtered. A big shame.

On the flip side my girlfriend's parents bought me an early Christmas present which was an Aberlour Casg Annamh. Never heard of it, they had got half the message about sticking to NCF bottles but for some reason thought I really wanted an Aberlour - so I think they made it very hard for themselves. Bless

Sounds interesting, I shall report back!

Illgresi · 30 Sep 2020 at 12:56

My fiancee has ordered me a bottle of Lagavulin 16 as a wedding present (so I can keep the hip flask topped up tomorrow

). Used to be a huge favourite, but haven't had any in a long time. It will be interesting to see how it compares to memory. Fitting though, that it's my 'epiphany' whisky, and it's what I'll be sipping on my wedding day.

Also placed a wee order myself, which will hopefully arrive by the weekend:

Glencadam 10
Deanston 12
Mortlach 12
Glenkinchie 12 (no lowland malts in the collection atm!)

Lupis · 30 Sep 2020 at 12:59

ik9000 said:
I doubt that - some of their others are rather dark too and I'd be amazed if there wasn't colouring involved

If you really want to know if a whisky has colouring added check the German whisky retailer websites. They have to, by law, state if colouring is added over there.

ik9000 · 30 Sep 2020 at 13:30

Illgresi said:
My fiancee has ordered me a bottle of Lagavulin 16 as a wedding present (so I can keep the hip flask topped up tomorrow ). Used to be a huge favourite, but haven't had any in a long time. It will be interesting to see how it compares to memory. Fitting though, that it's my 'epiphany' whisky, and it's what I'll be sipping on my wedding day.

Also placed a wee order myself, which will hopefully arrive by the weekend:

Glencadam 10
Deanston 12
Mortlach 12
Glenkinchie 12 (no lowland malts in the collection atm!)

we had Talisker Distillers at ours for the toasts. Offered all the guests option of champagne, whisky or non-alcy. A good number went whisky.

hughtrimble · 30 Sep 2020 at 16:41

Scam said:
The problem is that colouring generally comes in tandem with chill filtering which can really dull the flavours. A quick Google tells me the Lag 16 is bottled at 43% which by all accounts means it probably is chill filtered. A big shame.

I know there's been some form of blind tasting study into this, and I recall the findings showed that those involved couldn't tell the difference between the chill filtered and un-chill filtered. I've not read it myself so cannot say whether it was decent or not. But maybe worth a search if you have a moment (I'll make time for it...sometime!).

ik9000 · 30 Sep 2020 at 17:47

Agreed. I've never really noticed the difference enough to become bothered by it. That said my favourite whisky is indeed non-chill filtered.