Brilliant! Thank so much! Taken note of them and will defo pick a few out to try!
Out of interest, what measure do you get during a testing? Is it like a full dram per pour or do you get like a thimbles worth?
The OCUK Whisky (and Whiskey) review thread
- Thread starter Uriel
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Brilliant! Thank so much! Taken note of them and will defo pick a few out to try!
Out of interest, what measure do you get during a testing? Is it like a full dram per pour or do you get like a thimbles worth?
Soldato
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Have a bottle of 2021 Amrut Spectrum 004 on the way, finished in casks made up from 4 different types of oak staves.
I opened a bottle of 12 year old Laphroaig and the cork disintegrated and fell into the bottle. I wrote to them with photos and batch numbers from the bottle. They sent me a new cork.
To be fair I had had the bottle for 25 years and they gave me a tasting glass as well.
To be fair I had had the bottle for 25 years and they gave me a tasting glass as well.
Just got myself this after a reccomendation - will be giving it a try at the weekend
Which batch number did you manage to get hold of? I have two bottles from batch 1 on the shelf. The distillery only had batch 2 but there was a shop on Skye that had some.
It's a great whisky. I'm keeping at least one of my bottles as an investment.
Well, can honestly say it was a fantastic experience. We where in the tasting for around 90 mins and the chap who gave us the talk kept it concise, clear and was completely accommodating to my laymen questions. All the whiskeys where excellent, my particular favorite being the Port Charlotte 10. I'd heard that peaty whiskeys where a little love/hate and can confirm that I definitely fall into the former. I loved it so much that I tried the Octomore 12.1 and the PC Barley in the bar afterwards and was stunned at just how different Islay whiskeys seems to taste when compared to everything else I've tried.
@dl8860 Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to try any of what you suggested. Got a little caught up in the moment and after 8 whiskeys everything starts to blur a little
Sounds good! Always good to get started with the peat journey, I've still never tried Octomore so should probably put that right at some point. CheersWell, can honestly say it was a fantastic experience. We where in the tasting for around 90 mins and the chap who gave us the talk kept it concise, clear and was completely accommodating to my laymen questions. All the whiskeys where excellent, my particular favorite being the Port Charlotte 10. I'd heard that peaty whiskeys where a little love/hate and can confirm that I definitely fall into the former. I loved it so much that I tried the Octomore 12.1 and the PC Barley in the bar afterwards and was stunned at just how different Islay whiskeys seems to taste when compared to everything else I've tried.
@dl8860 Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to try any of what you suggested. Got a little caught up in the moment and after 8 whiskeys everything starts to blur a little
Soldato
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The Port Charlotte 10 is a great bottle of whiskey, ideal when you want some peat/smoke but are not in the mood for Lagavulin 16, etc.Well, can honestly say it was a fantastic experience. We where in the tasting for around 90 mins and the chap who gave us the talk kept it concise, clear and was completely accommodating to my laymen questions. All the whiskeys where excellent, my particular favorite being the Port Charlotte 10. I'd heard that peaty whiskeys where a little love/hate and can confirm that I definitely fall into the former. I loved it so much that I tried the Octomore 12.1 and the PC Barley in the bar afterwards and was stunned at just how different Islay whiskeys seems to taste when compared to everything else I've tried.
@dl8860 Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to try any of what you suggested. Got a little caught up in the moment and after 8 whiskeys everything starts to blur a little
Went to the shop expecting to buy the Port Charlotte and came out with this instead. Really delicious. Very smokey and peaty but doesn't have that creamy thickness I liked about the Port Charlotte and especially the Octomore 12.1 but still seems quite well balanced with sweetness.
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Assuming the 02 is batch 2?
Yup that's batch 2. They only had those at the distillery as all of batch 1 (R-01) had been sold.
There's a Rankins Supermarket near Uig Skye Ferry Terminal. It had plenty of R-01 bottles in November. My dad and I bought two each to bring back and try to keep hold of. Surely some time down the line a first batch bottle of whisky will be worth something.
If you're heading up there, the Raasay distillery is great. I'd also recommend the Oban distillery if you're on the way. Torabhaigg was interesting too. The real highlight though, was the Abhainn Dearg distillery on Lewis. It was, without a doubt, the best distillery experience we've had. We somehow booked a tour in on the day that only the owner was in. He gave a fantastic tour and the tastings were generous.
Talisker was shut when we went unfortunately. It seems the obvious choice.
Went to the shop expecting to buy the Port Charlotte and came out with this instead. Really delicious. Very smokey and peaty but doesn't have that creamy thickness I liked about the Port Charlotte and especially the Octomore 12.1 but still seems quite well balanced with sweetness.
I've never heard of that whisky before. Quick Google says it's a lowland. Do you recommend it?
I find it difficult to beat a Skye whisky tbf
I have relatively limited experience in the world of whiskey so far, but if you like the peatier, smokier style whiskeys then I can't imagine you wouldn't enjoy it. It has a sweetness and fruitiness that I've not noticed in that style before without the excessive chewiness.
Thank you for your detailed reply
We are heading to Skye in April and see where we end up but if I can pick a few bottles up on the way then happy days
Ailsa bay is a decent enough whisky. I suspect it was brought online more with a view to blends rather than the single malt they produce as they have never really pushed the marketing on it. If it hasn't already I think it will be used either for Monkey Shoulder (blended malt), so they can keep more of the Glenfiddich and Balvenie to sell as single malts as those are higher profile, or just in their standard blends.
The orginal releases (the ones I have tried) used to have a really nice cork which had a chunk of Scottish granite in them, it made them really weighty and felt good in the hand, but I think they stopped that unfortunately. I know it was a gimmick but it was a nice, and pretty unusual, one.
My dad dropped round an Auchentoshan American Oak and Penderyn Welsh single malt on Saturday (apparently both outrageously discounted in Asda). It's strange, I remember really enjoying that same Auchentoshan some weeks ago when I tried it but I couldn't stomach it this time round. Maybe it was my palette on the day or perhaps it's just developed slightly as I've tried a lot more since then. Tasted exceptionally flat and unchallenging with little to no distinctive notes.
The Penderyn however was excellent. So crisp and floral on the nose and just the right amount of spice. Finish was very smooth also, probably to much so for me.
Started to keep a note book in the cabinet now with tasting notes and dates tried for each Whisky. Will be interesting to see how I feel about some of the more affordable bottles down the years as compared to now, my palette being as amateur as it is.
The Penderyn however was excellent. So crisp and floral on the nose and just the right amount of spice. Finish was very smooth also, probably to much so for me.
Started to keep a note book in the cabinet now with tasting notes and dates tried for each Whisky. Will be interesting to see how I feel about some of the more affordable bottles down the years as compared to now, my palette being as amateur as it is.
Soldato
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Ignore!
I've never had Auchentoshan so can't comment on it myself, but are you familiar with the concept of the neck pour?
What is a whisky neck pour | Whiskipedia
Some say it's a myth and can be explained by other factors, but I'm fairly sure that first pour does taste a little different to me. Did you let it sit in the glass and rest for a bit before trying it?