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I am trying to get more into whisky - mostly scotch for now. About 5 years ago a friend of mine gave me a bottle of Lagavulin 16 for my wedding - after opening it I got quickly introduced into the concept of peated whisky! It took some getting used to, but now I love the smoke. Including the fact that a whole room will smell really strongly if an emptied glass was left out overnight.  I decided to get more into the hobby a few weeks ago and picked up a bottle of Tullamore D.E.W. at an airport duty-free shop. In retrospect not a great decision but at 17€ for a liter not an expensive mistake. It smells really nice and fruity for the most part but you can already sense that it will have an aggressive alcohol taste. Anyway I got a Glenfarclas 12 after that and I think that was a great decision - turns out I like mild, sherry-infused whiskys too! I want to expand my horizon - while staying true to my incredibly penny-pinching self. On some local forum I found some offers of people who will sell samples of their collection for a really fair price. What do you guys and gals think of the list below? It‘s mostly Islay and Islands whiskys. The Laphroaig QC was inspired by this thread, also the 4R. I will buy 10cc each so I have a chance to taste them on multiple occasions. Ardbeg 10 Years - TEN Highland Park 12 Years Laphroaig QC Talisker 10 Years Bunnahabhain 12 Four Roses Small Batch
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Jan 18, 2020 11:11
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| # ¿ May 17, 2024 16:51 |
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Thanks for the feedback! Testro, what exactly do you dislike in the HP12? And thanks for the alternatives you gave, I will write them down for the future. I am trying to order from one guy and he doesn‘t have any of those. I live in Europe so I get a warm fuzzy feeling every time I remember that Americans pay more for something for a change 
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Jan 18, 2020 16:07
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That‘s a huge part of the fun for me right now - finding out what I like in whisky. Looking forward to the delivery. By the way I read the past 20 or so pages of this thread and picked up something along the lines of tax incentives for small distillers in the US about to run out - looks like that was at least extended by a year, or did I read that wrong on some .gov website?
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Jan 18, 2020 19:35
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Testro posted:Ah yeah, I should've elaborated! Good question - I think it's just...bland. There's no real depth to it, no decent finish. Islay and Islands were my first foray into scotch, but I drink just as much Speyside these days - so my criticism isn't because it's not a peat monster or anything like that. I am enjoying my first dram of HP12 right now and I think it‘s exactly how I imagined it from descriptions - kind of a standard / basic whisky which doesn‘t go too much in any direction. Perfect as a kind of baseline for a beginner I think. I don‘t taste any smoke at all, rather some oak or something. Anyway it‘s a strong contender for a purchase of a whole bottle after I am done with the 10cl I have here. I‘ve had some Talisker 10yo yesterday and I didn‘t like it as much as I‘d hoped. Gonna give it a try later today though. Also my awesome wife wanted to support me in my new hobby and bought me a whisky out of the blue - Suntory Toki. I didn‘t like it much at first but I am getting used to it. It‘s a blended whisky and it tastes kind of harsh if that‘s the right word. But it‘s nice and fruity too. E.: Yeah I am not a big fan of the Talisker 10 - it has some soapy kind of taste that I really can‘t tolerate. A real pity but now I am happy that I didn‘t buy a whole bottle. Neco fucked around with this message at 20:41 on Jan 31, 2020 |
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Jan 31, 2020 20:20
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I always drink straight - I guess that might change in the summer!
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Feb 1, 2020 00:22
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Neco posted:E.: Yeah I am not a big fan of the Talisker 10 - it has some soapy kind of taste that I really can‘t tolerate. A real pity but now I am happy that I didn‘t buy a whole bottle. Quoting myself here to say that I like the Talsiker 10yo now - somehow the soap taste is gone (yes the glass was clean before too!). Looks like I need to learn to like some of the more „complicated“ whiskys. That‘s awesome because it‘s the same with good music. I didn‘t like the Ardbeg 10yo at first - not that it was too smoky but the smoke was too detached from the rest of the flavors, so to speak. Now I like it too. It‘s 40€ here however compared to the Talisker 10yo‘s 30€ and I am a cheap bastard and I don‘t know whether the difference in price is worth it for me.
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Feb 10, 2020 10:47
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Currently struggling with the influence of the previous whisky on the taste of the current one. I had some Glenfarclas 12 and after that my first ever dram of the thread favorite Laphroaig QC. And drat it was vile. However yesterday I had some Ardbeg 10 and then the QC and it was pretty okay. Well except my wife complained about the smell and I had to leave the room  Gonna try the QC as the first dram today and see how that goes. All in all I am pretty drat happy with my progress so far  Edit: currently drinking that dram of QC. With a fresh start and also after a sip of Glenfarclas 12 the QC tastes much better than before! The weird tastes are still there but nothing offends me anymore. I think I even like this biohazard wastewater now. Learning is fun! Neco fucked around with this message at 20:50 on Feb 16, 2020 |
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Feb 16, 2020 12:33
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To each their own and all that but you could buy SO MUCH really awesome whisky with that kind of money. I now have a bottle each of HP12, Talisker 10yo and Glenfarclas 12yo for 100€ in total and am pretty happy for now. Ardbeg 10yo and Aberfeldy 12yo high on the list for next buys.
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Mar 14, 2020 11:38
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Enigma posted:Laga 16 is good but I've not felt the need to buy a bottle when Ardbeg Uigeadail exists and is less expensive. That‘s interesting because the Lagavulin 16 is slightly cheaper than the Uigeadail here (55€ vs 60€). But thanks for confirming this way that I should give the Uigaedail a shot! Wish more people here would give some actual prices. Lagavulin 16 literally was my babby‘s first whisky but saying it is not complex isn‘t really fair. I hear really great things about the Lagavulin Distiller‘s edition 2003/2019, gotta get my hands on one sometime.
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Mar 19, 2020 07:31
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Looks like someone found a way to buy 66 different whiskeys and write them off as a business expense https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/03/whiskey-webs-serve-as-fingerprints-to-distinguish-between-american-whiskeys/
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Mar 25, 2020 19:39
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Dramicus posted:My Ardbeg 10 finally arrived today and it's great. Generally similar to the Laphroaig QC I have, but I can definitely taste the subtle differences. Is that so? I drank my Ardbeg 10yo and Laphroaig QC samples within a week and to me there was a huge difference. Both are very smokey but the Ardbeg was much „clearer“ and sweeter while the Laph had a lot of phenol and earthy notes.
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Apr 1, 2020 10:51
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Last week I bought a bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label. I have to say I am pleasantly surprised! The taste is in the same ballpark as the HP12 I think, especially due to the light smoke and honey sweetness. I guess people give it bad reviews because it‘s a blend and sells millions of liters a year? Or I have really bad taste, which is very possible! Really looking forward to trying some Green Label now.
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May 19, 2020 16:24
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biglads posted:Whatever floats your boat. JWB gets the smoke from Caol Ila so maybe grab a bottle of that at some point. I already have a sample of Caol Ila 12yo waiting for me. :-) Stultus Maximus posted:In general, Johnnie Walker (except Red Label which is like paint thinner) scotch is not bad but there are always better options for the price. Can you give some examples? In Europe the 20-25€ for 0,7l of Black Label is pretty competitive I think!
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May 19, 2020 21:00
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Vox Nihili posted:It's certainly competitive, if not a blazing deal. Thanks! I also love sherried whiskies, I have the Glenfarclas 105 in my sights, too. In the shops where I can find it, Glasgow blend isn‘t much cheaper than the Laphroaig 10 or QC, all are around 30€. I am still debating which Laphi I will buy first, but some samples of both will help me decide!
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May 20, 2020 15:56
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DoctaFun posted:The farclas 105 is MUCH cheaper in the UK market, a 750 here n the US is about $100, but I ordered a liter of it for like $45 from finedrams. Oh for sure. If you combine sherry, cask strength and travel retail size, the ~ 30€ I see on some shops here are a steal.
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May 20, 2020 20:44
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Yeah I guess they were surprised by the interest in such a young expression? I really like the clear message of stating a young age. Works for Octomore too I guess? They don’t write it on the label as far as I know, but it’s not something they hide. They still sell at (imo) insane prices.
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May 25, 2020 12:03
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Vox Nihili posted:Young peated whiskey can be super good in general. The peat covers up imperfections in the malt, and the peat also comes through with remarkable volume and clarity that you don't get in older bottles. It can be one-dimensional, but if you're looking for big peat you'll find it in spades. I experienced something similar when I bought some cheap samples from Lidl for shits and giggles - it‘s called Ben Bracken and they buy their stuff from unnamed distilleries. I guess it‘s mostly rejected barrels if it‘s from reputable ones. Like the „16yo Islay“ one, of course everyone says it’s probably Lagavulin.  They also offer 28yo single malts for 70€ (currently on discount for 60€). Supposed to have pretty okay taste, too! Anyway what I had was a three mini bottle sample and the Speyside and Lowlands ones were really uninteresting and just thin. The Islay one was nearly okay, mostly due to the peat.
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May 28, 2020 07:09
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Petition to rename the thread Whiskey or Whisky or Gin? Let‘s talk about them. I don‘t have Plat powers, Isn‘t the way to go for a thread rename to report a post to the mods?
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Jun 10, 2020 19:22
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I don‘t know whether I would suggest Highland Park 12 to someone to find out whether they like peat / smoke because it‘s not very pronounced here. Some people seem to think it‘s oak flavor. It‘s still a good entry level whisky! Having some right now. It‘s a pity the other / older Highland Parks come with a pretty sharp price increase.
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Jun 10, 2020 20:17
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Looks like the Ardbeg Wee Beastie is gonna return to European stores soon! The bad news is that most stores have marked up the price. Some have it at the same price as the Corryvreckan. I am gonna sit this one out until the price returns to a more sane level, hopefully slighly below the TEN as before.
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Jun 11, 2020 09:12
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I really enjoy drinking normal lager beer alongside or after a good dram. That first sip of beer after one or two whiskies usually tastes gloriously malty.
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Jul 5, 2020 17:07
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Your reports are always interesting, thanks! Disappointing to hear this about the Laga 8 because I recently bought a bottle at a pretty good discount. Other notable additions: Ardbeg TEN Laphroaig QC Glenfarclas 105 Aberlour 12 All at a great price. I am a pretty happy camper right now.
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Jul 12, 2020 08:44
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Deceptive Thinker posted:
drat I just paid like 32€ for a bottle. By the way, I heard it‘s pretty drat impossible / illegal to ship liquor from Europe to the US, the reason being that shipping it is generally forbidden, is that right? Or is it one of your weird states!!! things?
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Jul 19, 2020 21:36
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I hear you, I noticed lately that my babby‘s first cask strength (Glenfarclas 105) will just kill all nuance in any softer whisky I drink shortly after, just like with peated whiskies.
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Sep 23, 2020 19:35
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Getting into bourbons myself currently. Love Bulleit, ordered some Maker‘s Mark since it seems to be a thread favorite and Knob Creek. The selection in Europe is not great but I am pretty happy with the standard stuff I get for now.
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Dec 17, 2020 08:11
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Vox Nihili posted:In my experience it's a pretty tough sell. Food will modify/enhance your whiskey notes but after a few tastes of whiskey your palate tends to get blown out. It feels like a one-way road most of the time. However, that first sip of beer after a few drams usually tastes wonderfully malty.
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Dec 17, 2020 08:36
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Casu Marzu posted:Can I just say that I loving hate all the abbreviations and acronyms and poo poo surrounding bourbon Yeah I am totally with you. You could update the glossary in the first post: Bourbon acronyms: EC = Elijah Craig EW = Evan Williams WT = Wild Turkey OGD = Old Grand-Dad 4R = Four Roses Beam = Jim Beam (not an acronym)
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Dec 31, 2020 18:41
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I have now tried my run-of-the-mill Maker‘s Mark and I am not really impressed. It‘s not bad but I much prefer (run-of-the-mill) Bulleit. Which is fine by me because it‘s a bit cheaper in sales too (14€ vs. 17,50€). I guess next I will try Bulleit Rye and the 10yo expressions. I also have a bottle of (run-of-the-mill) Knob Creek that‘s waiting to be opened. Bourbon selection here in Europe is not that great but it‘s an interesting change from scotch.
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Jan 4, 2021 13:58
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There‘s a deal for Rittenhouse Rye 100 proof around here for around 25€ instead of 33€. I love Bulleit bourbon and think Knob Creek / Knob Creek Rye is okay. Is the Rittenhose right for me? Edit: Casu Marzu posted:A bottle of Rittenhouse 100 is cheap as hell and it's a fantastic rye for the price Sounds good to me! Neco fucked around with this message at 19:19 on Mar 1, 2021 |
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Mar 1, 2021 19:06
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Tullamore Dew is pretty terrible I think, enjoy your penance!
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Mar 1, 2021 21:29
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spankmeister posted:Now they've had some problems with the SWA so they no longer say how old the parts are outright but you can count the rings to find out how old each constituent whisky is. Also some of the malts will have names like "whisky from an Orkney distillery" or similar covered terms. This is because they're not always allowed to reveal the distillery by some producers but this way one van figure out what it is quite easily. Interesting that they can get away with the rings. Also: Distillery near the town of Aberlour  Looks like I really need to check them out!
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Mar 13, 2021 09:01
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Daaamn I just got a bottle of Arbeg Scorch for 105€ shipped and just wanted to brag. It sold out pretty instantly too, of course.
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Jun 8, 2021 10:55
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Deceptive Thinker posted:One general rule to follow when tasting a flight of whiskey is put the palate melters at the end. Heavily peated or high proof specifically By the way, did you stop doing your blind tastings or did you just stop writing about them? I never have anything to add, mostly because I know next to nothing about bourbon but I enjoyed your writeups. :-)
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Jun 13, 2021 10:00
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Currently 32€ shipped and after taxes here in Germany. 89€ for the 10yo cask strength.
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Dec 1, 2021 07:24
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| # ¿ May 17, 2024 16:51 |
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Since you’re in Germany I can recommend the forums on whisky.de - there‘s a few whiskey nuts who will sell samples of their whiskies at cost.
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Apr 29, 2024 11:57
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