After several months of eyeing this bottle, finally pulled the trigger on this bottle of Bunnahabbhain 21:



I wasn't sure about it because there's no reviews out there so didn't know what to expect, but since the Bunnahabbhain 12 is one of my favorites at that age/price I took a leap of faith. As soon as I opened it I knew I wasn't going to be disappointed because the nose was very similar that of the 12. Once in the glass the notes are very similar, ocean saltiness, with a stronger barrel smell which I assume it's because of the age. The taste was great, that maritime taste I love about Bunnahabbhain is very present, and it's also a touch sweet. The finish is smooth and Long. Overall very happy with the purchase.

thanks everyone for the feedback on the Ardbog. It was recently re-released here (sorry, I mean, the local liquor board has it on sale again) and I was confused by this. I guess there was some unallocated amount from last year that the LCBO got a hold of. I picked up 2 bottles already (returns are allowed) just in case it was super-rare.

it's pricey, but for a one-time item I don't mind too much. I will probably crack one soon and see how I feel.

and lol at El_D. Damn you :D

Tens, absinthe is kinda cool if you get a chance to do the whole fountain / louche thing, but you really need to enjoy that anise taste to get into it. If you've had pastis or arak then you'll have an idea about the whole thing. If you hated those then you're not likely to enjoy absinthe.

and as Jusbe notes it is used to excellent effect in Sazeracs and also in Corpse Revivers #2.

interesting i bought a Bunnahabbhain 21 recently too.
will probably open it at the WE.

can i ask how you paid for your version ?
mine was 75euro.(bit more than 100$)

I paid $130 for mine. A couple of weeks ago I saw a bottle of 22 year-old Bunnahabbhain for like $105 at the same store, but it was gone this weekend when I went again.

Just tried the Laphroaig Cairdeas Port Finish.

I really liked the port finish on this one. Rating = 3.5/5, rates somewhere between the quarter cask and the 18 for me in the Laphroaig line.

If you can find it it's worth a try.

just added some HP12 to the mix, and this is what I am working with now,



clearly trying to transition from bourbon to whiskey, but it has been a slow process. Last night was the first time I bought a scotch and didn't grab a bottle of bourbon as well

http://www.wyomingwhiskey.com

Received this as a gift in the single barrel version awhile back. Description is pretty spot on and it's a bourbon I've been enjoying lately. Looks like they are starting to distribute in other areas outside of Wyoming now too.

Big,

That's like a perfect six bottle range of whiskey.

Companta is at total wine for $100 any idea on how long these are going to be available? I'm taking a break from drinking and have 2 new bottles I got a couple weeks ago. Would hate it if they ran out and don't get more.

What is the second bottle from the right?

I believe that's the year-old Pappy.

ET,

He also has the rare Aberlour 1!

That one must be a bit rough.

will do a small clynelish tasting later.
i really like the distillery.they do a slightly peated malt.

second from the right is the RVW 12 year.

got a bottle of Elijah Craig 12 yr old 23.99 at TW&M
was wondering if this is a bourbon you splash with water and get different tastes?
originally wanted to get some eagle rare, a few bucks more but sold out.
anyone have Elijah Craig>Eagle Rare?

also got a bottle of speyburn 10 yr scotch not an expert by any means but 20.99 for the gift set, a great buy. like it much better then glenvilet 12yo(only other single malt scotch ive tried) very pleasant on the palate.

I know there is much better whiskey out there but I like to keep things pretty cheap since I am a newb to enjoying the vast world which is whiskey.

Opened a bottle of Highland Park 15 and totally agree with El D that it's a big step above the 12. I'll do a 15/18 comparison later on, but very happy about this purchase at the moment.

Can anyone explain the science behind this to me? It seems counter-intuitive that all else being equal, aging an additional 25% would yield significant gains.

I would expect the benefits from additional aging would follow a sort of half-life curve. Do the recipes and types of barrels differ between the 12 and 15?

Or is it just that experienced whisky drinkers are just able to discern and appreciate relatively small differences?

I was reading a little bit about this yesterday, and it is not only the aging but also the types of barrels and the quality of the aging spirit that makes the difference. I read that HP uses different types of casks to age the 15 than they do for the 12. Another example is Springbank which uses oak/sherry cask distilled whiskies to create their 10 year old but 100% sherry cask matured spirit to create the 15 year old. I also think that distilleries save their best barrels for longer aging, but I may be wrong on that.

MorTilt,

I personally prefer Eagle Rare to Elijah Craig, but EC is perfectly fine and a solid one to get started with. You'll definitely see some taste differences adding a little water/ice.

I also think getting some cheap whiskies of different varieties is definitely the way to go. Do that first while you're figuring out the basics and what you like, plenty of time to get more expensive/advanced later.

Glenmorangie fans,

Anyone try the Companta yet? klwines is sold out, but Caskers currently has it for sale. Considering it, but still undecided.

Diablo,

What's the sale price? I considered it at $100 on klwines, but decided against it because of the no age statement and they hype of previous year's Glenmorangie selection (the Ealanta). Seems like if you like wine-y scotches this could be a good one.

ET,

$125 vs k&l wines $100. I think I'm gonna pass unless I read someone saying it tastes similar to the Artein.

Diablo,

You may be in luck!
http://spiritsjournal.klwines.com/kl...tor-is-in.html

Total whiskey noob here, been trying a bunch of cheap whiskeys in sample bottles (Maker's Mark, Gentleman Jack, Jameson, etc). Right now my only metric for judging them is smoothness lol. I like whiskey in general though so looking to step my game up. Any recommended beginner whiskey tasting guides or anything like that floating around?

Edit: Turns out the first page was a good place to look