+10

Post of the Year candidate.

Loved the Lagavulin 16 too, tried it at a pub. Can't wait to get a bottle of it, have to agree with the superb value. It seemed very complex, like all the flavors/notes.

I went with store bought pecan pie...but bacon something sounds about right.

MO,

For scotch tastings I do with friends, we generally do a main round of tasting with maybe some crackers or something, but usually nothing. Then we start drinking whatever we like and have some dinner, which could be just about anything. I do like the idea of shortbread cookies with scotch, though.

my xmas present from the lady was a bottle of the lag 16, timely too as i am just about through the bottle of 12 yo cask strength and don't have much else in the house. she's a keeper

Try a piece of crystallised ginger with your whisky - sounds weird, but seriously just give it a go.

Also bitter chocolate with whisky.

Just stumbled over this thread...scrolled to the end...and there it is.

Lagavulin 16

You beauty.

now i have my Ardbeg Uigeadail open since a good week and it really is the best whisky i ever had. (i did not yet get into whiskys older than 18 years).
i am still absolutely a noob with whiskey, but what i can say is that after adding some water just to get it slightly under 40% (54,2% cask strength), it is amazingly oily and smooth, not burning your teethridge at all, like many others.
the nose is amazing, but i lack knowledge to describe.
it goes down like nothing else, already difficult to keep it in your mouth, first of all.
very warming, first smoky, then ... i still lack knowledge to describe and dont wanna copy what someone else said, but it has like 3 levels.
first you like the smooth taste, then it builds up with smoky then many other tastes, then its warming with nearly no end in sight.
i tried it at ~30, 35 and 40%, and i think its best around 35%.
its really complex and is still drinkable at 30%, but i like it when a zip has a major impact,
and it helps me with drinking just one a day, every dram is amazing like that. i bought it for 70€ from a local shop, because i know the owner, but its avaiable for 60€ in the internetz and thats a great offer for that quality.

try it, im sure youll love it if you are into the peaty islay`s.

How does everyone store their open whisky?

I store mine in a dark closet, sometimes in the box that it came in. The closet is probably around 70 degrees.

The problem that I am having is even after a bottle has been open a week the nose changes pretty significantly. I get almost a vinegar smell on some of the bottles. Not overpowering vinegar just a touch. The taste remains unaffected.

The bottles that had a vinegar smell were:

Pretty much all peaty bottles. Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Talisker, and some non peated - Aberlour Abunadh

My bottle of Macallan 12 sherry seemed to smell and taste better after being open for a while.

What am I doing wrong? Should I move the bottles to the cooler basement?

I just store mine in the open on the kitchen worktop. Have had bottles that have been open for over a year and never noticed any real difference with them over time.

I'm surprised there would be such a noticable change after just a week. Still, keeping them in the basement is probably a better bet.

Glenmorangie was a great recommendation. Love it. Now I'm looking to try some smokier stuff...I'm thinking Talisker based on what I've read.

and a late edit to add, the Glenmorangie is way better if you don't add any water imo.

Got a bottle of Glenfiddich 18 and a bottle of Hennessy Black (cognac). The glenfiddich seems incredibly..ordinairy, for lack of a better term. I can't see anything special about it and it's pretty harsh going down, especially for being 40%. Seems like really poor value compared to others.

As for the Hennessy Black, I don't really know what to think? I've only had one other cognac, Remy Martin VSOP. This tastes much different. Is it even a cognac? I don't know, it's so different. What's the deal with this stuff? Not sure if I like it yet as I've only had one taste.

Ok I used to think that rye was foul
But apparently that's cause I only ever could find beam in nc. Since moving up moth found ri which is ok but overpriced IMO, a couple bottles of sazerac which were both really good even their bottom shelf one but I got some whistle pig for Xmas and it is the nuts. I have never seen it before. If you can find it get it.

It wasn't this thread that turned me onto it, but I totally agree.

During a power outage that happened in Hollywood last month, a friend of mine busted out a bottle of Glenlivet on night one. Had quite a few and it was great. When the outage went into the next night, a few friends finished that off and one of them busted out a bottle of Dewer's. Didn't like it much at all, especially after having the Glenlivet (a chapped lip didn't help).

When the outage lasted even another night, there was nothing left on the shelf, so the key to hidden cabinet was busted out and an unopened bottle of Lagavulin was presented. HOLY SH*T!! I can't have anything else now. His P.O.V. was that it was a type of drink that you use for momentous occasions and cherish that memory. I want Lagavulin to be my nightly drink and save the REALLY expensive ones for the cherishing moments.

Glad I saw this thread though. Some really good recommendations I want to try.

druid,

Whistlepig (~70) is awesome. Tons of great ryes coming out nowadays. Some others to try are Masterson's (~65), Templeton (~35), Willett (a bunch, starts at ~35), and High West (a bunch, starts at ~35).

Van Winkle rye is amazing and at $50 its amazing value for a rye that is actually 18 years old despite what the label says.

Nice. Never seen masterson, templeton or high west I don't think. I think I tried Willet in a tasting and liked it alot.

They have some van winkles behind the counter at a liquor store here but they aren't for sale. Pretty annoying

I thought exactly that too. I had a minatures pack with the 12, 15 and 18. I thought the 12 was ok but I'd probably never want to buy a whole bottle of it. The 15 was a little smoother, and probably a little more complex due to the edge being taken off it by the extra aging. The 18 was a similar step up, and was a decent whisky which I may buy a full bottle of, but only if it were at the same kind of price as the 12 - it would be a good ~£25 bottle. For the money it is completely ordinary and unremarkable.

Agree on the Glenfiddich 18 also.

I'd have to go back and think, but it may be one of the bigger disappointments in a bottle that I've had.

I mean, you can get something like Glenlivet Nadurra for the same price here and it's not even a fair contest.

Ron Swanson from the show Parks and Recreation is fan of Lagavulin 16.

Here are the new bottles that I received as gifts over the holidays:

Talisker Distillers Edition
Bruichladdich "The Organic"

I'll let you know how they go.

I finally got around to opening my Aberlour Abunadh and I really like it.

It is my first cask strength bottle and I do need to add a bit of water to cool it off but the flavor is amazing. I didn't think I would like the sherry cask since I didn't like the Macallan sherry, but this tasted nothing like the Macallan. It has more of a cinnamon stick flavor and is not nearly as sweet as the Macallan.

I highly recommend picking one up if you come across it.