I WANT to open everything as soon as I get it. I am now wondering why I don't just do that. With the exception of a few special bottles I want to keep tucked away for a while there is really no reason I couldn't just sample everything right away. For me it probably comes down to the number of bottles that I have room to store that are readily accessible.

I finished off my Laphroaig Quarter Cask and Arbeg Uigeadail this week, so I am making way for a small bottle opening party soon. Laphroaig 18 will definitely be one bottle that gets opened - have never tried this before and looking forward to it.

My notes on the Lagavulin 12 Cask Strength, 2014 edition (54.4% ABV)

Nose: ashes, charcoal, clean, sweet, maritime, faint citrus, mineral, a little antiseptic. There is a camphor note hidden in the background which I would have liked to be more prominent. That note needed water and time to come out.

Taste: sweet arrival with tropical fruits. Turns spicy, sweet peat.

Finish: peaty, spicy, sweet, a little citrus. Long, with a sweet and spicy taste that lingers for a while.

Overall: sweeter than the 2013 edition, with delicious notes of tropical fruits, but fewer mineral notes. The camphor note I love is hidden and takes away a few points for me. This one needs water and a lot of patience to really show its full potential.

I give it an 89/100.

Hah! Finished work for the year, sitting at home and thinking of enjoying a pour of Uigeadail but know that I finished off a bottle a couple of months ago and hadn't yet replaced it.

Go to rummage around in my scotch cupboard to see what I'm gonna open and *shazzam* an unopened box and bottle of Ardbeg's finest appears before my eyes that had been tucked away in the back.

Early Merry Xmas to me and cheers to you all!



*slurp*… uh, I mean *sip*

I ended up grabbing a bottle and glad I did. Pretty interesting unique stuff, mixture of the sweetness you'd expect from a bourbon, spiciness of the rye - cinnamon like, and a peaty finish.

y'know, for some reason I always read those bottles as being whiskeys finished in casks-previously-used-to-store-cocktails, rather than premixed cocktails. I have no idea why, I went back to the website and the description is very clear and of course agrees with you.

I'll blame it on the fact that we don't get those bottles (or most other HW really) here so I've never seen the bottles in person <_<

Teerenpeli Kaski, matured in sherry casks. Was about to give it ++/+++, but the aroma was very good and fulfilling, so ++(+). All in all the dark color and sweet taste, apparently from the sherry history, made it interesting.

That's all from the eve, merry christmas!

I'm not usually good at tasting notes or getting specific things from the nose of whisky, but damned if the Balvenie 14 Caribbean Cask doesn't smell a hell of a lot like banana bread

I'm at a random place in Portland, btw, with prices like $11 for an ounce of Hibiki 12, $9.50 for Highland Park 12, and $10.50 for Redbreast 12

No tax too

I hate living in DC

Hah, got inundated with Uigeadail today — one bottle from my wife and another bottle from my daughter!

I was gonna say that receiving scotch for Christmas sure beats getting slippers or something like that, but then again I did receive a great pair of slippers also, which will keep my feet nice and toasty while sipping away in the future. Ah, life is good.

Got rid of another bottle. Jura 16 Diurach's Own. Don't want to be rude, but this is like a blend. Nice for getting drunk, which is not my only goal. You have thought your strategy is like Johnny Walker Black Label, selling more, more volume. Not fooling me. +(+)/+++. Will not buy again. Your ****ty names: Superstition, etc. Who's in charge?

Life is not good right now.

Bumping because they are having the same party again tonight.

Bringing the IW Harper because it's always a pleasure.

Hopefully some other fools will bring bottles this time.

What bar?

McMenamins Rams Head

Had Elmer T. Lee Commemorative for $7.75 and some other randomly interesting stuff too

The Classic Laddie just made me continue to believe there's something good. Even if your bottle is, to say the least, a bit suspicious, you know how to make WHISKY.

any good iphone apps for looking up or keeping track of bottles? gathering info?

You have that many?

jk, good point. I have a primitive Excel tabula myself, with the vital stuff: when bought, when finished, and (of course) rating.

I use whiskybase, but I don't know if they have an app.

Have some room to take a few bottles out of the basement:




Going to have just a little taste of each:

Way too late to edit apparently.

I tried the Auchentoshan 21 first, figuring this would be my favourite of this bunch. It was good. I liked it. Very tame. Light, somewhat floral, lots of honey, sugary, subtle, hint of orange peel for me. I was a bit surprised that it is finished in sherry casks as I didn't really notice much sherry in there. 43%.

I tried the Amrut Fusion next. NOT subtle. I would have sworn this was finished in sherry casks but it is not. Very rich. Raisins. Light peat/smoke at first for me but largely disappeared. Also had a quick punch of burnt rubber/ash very early on but that was gone quickly and never returned. Much better than I was expecting having read mixed reviews. Spicey, sweet and fruity after first couple tastes. 50% abv but I wouldn't have known it.

Bowmore Tempest was up next. Batch 2 if it matters. Strong burn when I first stuffed my nose into the glass. Peat, fall leaves. Sweet underneath. Little bit of citrus. Very peppery. Caramel? Hot. Meant to try with a little bit of water but never got around to it. 56%.

I saved the Laphroaig 18 for last. Quarter Cask is the only Laphroaig I have tried in the past and I still remember the first time I tried it. It went a little something like - Nose: OMG, this stuff is vile. Taste: WTF, who just switched out that vile smelling mess for this tastiness!? I largely favour sherried drams with less peat but every now and then I enjoy a good Islay as well. Serious anise on the nose for me at first and then gone? Peat. Smoke. First taste is a big smoke bomb, giving way to sweetness. More toffee on subsequent nosing. Hints of honey and vanilla come out more after the initial smoke punch. Third in a row I meant to add some water to but finished it before that happened. 48%.

Of these four, I think Amrut wins round one for me. Toss up between Auchentoshan and Laphroaig after that. I will likely reach for the Auchentoshan more often as it is just easier to drink and more closely aligns with my preferred flavor profile but the Laphroaig is pretty amazing. I wanted to like the Bowmore Tempest more than I did based on all the rave reviews I had read but it just didn’t do it for me on the first pass. I will forgive this transgression and be sure to force myself to finish the bottle at some point…no doubt. I have yet to find a bottle that I liked so little as to never finish (although, I have a bottle of Tullibardine Port Finish that still tempts that fate).

great review thx.
the tempest needs some time&water.
batch 2 was my favorite so far what i remember most was smoked caramel.

Is it possible you got the Auchentoshan and Amrut glasses crossed up?

That would nicely explain my impressions on the sherry influence. Certain that they didn't get crossed up though. My nose and palate just suck.

Ballechin #6 Bourbon Cask. Not bad but not ten points. ++((+))/+++. Nicely peated. Sensing some cut grass in there? Think I'll get back to this one down the road, when more experienced.

Pappy New Year!

what is this rating system you keep posting?

+/+++ bottom line. Almost all whiskies will reach at least that one
+(+)/+++ some interest, not totally condemned
++/+++ ordinary good single malt
++(+)/+++ there is something in there above the ordinary. The ++((+)) was an improvisation for something just slightly over ++. Just so I'll not forget it
+++/+++ best rating possible

Clynelish 14. Enjoyed the nose, at least moderately. Some experts apparently almost only go with the nose, something to think about; it should more or less all be there.

Felt the long finish, mentioned in the review at MoM, a bit strange one.

Should be very classy, but my "vote" is xx/xxx. Next.