Enjoying a wee dram of the Amarone cask this evening. And can echo SPT's notes above. Really nice, and another to add to a growing list of bottles which will be replaced when empty! Only one bloke's opinion, but you can't go wrong with anything that comes out of Arran. I have the Amarone, Sauternes, 10, Bodega, quarter cask and Machrie Moor CS. All fabulous.
Whisky II
- Thread starter hifilover1979
- Start date
zygote23
pfm Member
It took me a while to 'get' the Sauternes.....I really didn't like it to begin with. I'm almost finished and I guess I'll be having another....but yes everything I have tried from Arran has been a winner.
The Bothy still wins hands down I think.
SteveG
pfm Member
I might do my bit next, as the bottle of Angels Envy on the shelf is tempting me!
gintonic
50 shades of grey pussy cats
pawnshop92
pfm Member
I bet he's tried some amazing whiskies over the years. That Springbank looked amazing in full size when recently auctioned.
I opened a glenfarclas 2009 last night, 'stillmen's dram', a distillery release from last year, very good but not as good as the 2005 I had a few years back.
SteveG
pfm Member
After a nice walk in the Cairngorms with the dog we lunched in the Richmond Hotel in Tomintoul. As it's next door to the excellent Whisky Castle shop it'd have been rude not to have a browse.
The guy in the shop consistently recommends Benrinnes, which is fairly close to Tomintoul, so I decided to go with that and got a bottle of the 12-year old Carn Mor bottling, which is from first fill hogshead casks and bottled at 47.5% with natural colour and non chill filtered. Turns out it's a good recommendation - sweet and fruity with lots of vanilla.
The guy in the shop consistently recommends Benrinnes, which is fairly close to Tomintoul, so I decided to go with that and got a bottle of the 12-year old Carn Mor bottling, which is from first fill hogshead casks and bottled at 47.5% with natural colour and non chill filtered. Turns out it's a good recommendation - sweet and fruity with lots of vanilla.
Sue Pertwee-Tyr
Accuphase all the way down
Interested in your thoughts on this. I bought a bottle, because it looked interesting and I really like the Arran Amarone finish, and I like Rioja, so why not?This evenings tipple...
I have to say, I haven’t bonded with it the way I instantly did with the Arran. I’ve had a couple of drams now, and while it’s nice and at £33, not by any means poor value, but it feels a bit like a not very special whisky finished in something to add some character. Does that sound unfair?
hifilover1979
Bigger than you...
It's interesting in my views; but the Arran is heads above it IMO
Both superb whiskies; the Ledaig has a fantastic instant taste and nose; but wears off quickly; whereas the Arran lingers and has a much nicer mouth feel...
Sue Pertwee-Tyr
Accuphase all the way down
Yes, I wasn’t sure whether it was just that my preference is for Islay malts, so the Tobermory was just unfamiliar. The Arran is a bit special though.
hifilover1979
Bigger than you...
Sue Pertwee-Tyr
Accuphase all the way down
There are rules for how whisky should be matured:
“Previously, Scotch Whisky could only be matured or finished in casks that had been traditionally used in the industry - bourbon, sherry, rum , wine, beer to name just a few. Such casks will continue to be used but some flexibility has been introduced which potentially allows for the use of casks previously used to mature other spirits, as long as a number of conditions are met.”
So your Lagavulin and Laphroaig will have been matured, and ‘tainted’ by whatever was previously in the casks used to mature it. Part of the skill is choosing casks that will be sympathetic to what the distillery wants to achieve.
https://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/insights/protecting-scotch-whisky/qa-scotch-whisky-technical-file/
mjw
pfm Member
I quite like your subjective ranking but Laphroaig Quarter Cask spends time in Bourbon barrels, Laphroaig 10yo in European oak (so potentially ‘foreign’) barrels, and I’m sure someone mentioned upthread that Lagavulin 16yo contains caramel colouring (which I don’t see as a taint but some do) to satisfy the American market for darker whisky so your rationale for your ranking doesn’t hold water.
jimbob75
pfm Member
Islay bound soon, and although distillery tours are currently few and far between we're booked on a warehouse tasting at Bunnahabhain. It's not a distillery I'm familiar with, so have ordered the 12 for 'research'. I've had a bottle of Stiuireadair in the past, which was nice enough, if not overly complex, and I'm not a massive sherry fan (although I love the peat marriage in Uigeadail). I know the 12 is still sherried but am hoping for a more nuanced dram. I think the smokier Toiteach a Dha might also be a hit with me.
No idea what we'll be trying from the cask, but I'm sure the shop will have some goodies, and there seem to be a few distillery specials available for purchase...and it'd be rude not to. So, any Bunna lovers have recommendations?
Or anything else for a full day and evening on the island? Staying at Port Charlotte. Slainte.
No idea what we'll be trying from the cask, but I'm sure the shop will have some goodies, and there seem to be a few distillery specials available for purchase...and it'd be rude not to. So, any Bunna lovers have recommendations?
Or anything else for a full day and evening on the island? Staying at Port Charlotte. Slainte.
SteveG
pfm Member
We also usually stay in Port Charlotte when we take the motorhome over there (which we've been trying to do once a year of late), in the campsite just outside the village, and it's a nice little place. The food in the Port Charlotte hotel is pretty good and we also usually visit the Lochindaal Hotel for a pint and a whisky although haven't tried the food there. It's a bit more rustic but very dog friendly.
My tip for a day trip would be to combine a visit to Kilchoman Distillery with a walk along the lovely beach at Machir Bay, which is very close to the distillery (and has one of their malts named after it). The food at the distillery is also good - the Cullen Skink being particularly good.
I've done distillery tours at Kilchoman, Bowmore and Laphroaig and a tasting at Lagavulin (this was during Covid when they weren't doing tours) - and all were good. Kilchoman was an interesting one as it's much smaller and family owned, so quite different from the rest. Haven't done Bunnahabhain yet unfortunately, although I do have their 12 and the Stiuireadair and like both.
This was Ludo enjoying Machir Bay:
My tip for a day trip would be to combine a visit to Kilchoman Distillery with a walk along the lovely beach at Machir Bay, which is very close to the distillery (and has one of their malts named after it). The food at the distillery is also good - the Cullen Skink being particularly good.
I've done distillery tours at Kilchoman, Bowmore and Laphroaig and a tasting at Lagavulin (this was during Covid when they weren't doing tours) - and all were good. Kilchoman was an interesting one as it's much smaller and family owned, so quite different from the rest. Haven't done Bunnahabhain yet unfortunately, although I do have their 12 and the Stiuireadair and like both.
This was Ludo enjoying Machir Bay: