Whisk(e)y Lovers thread

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I have a soft spot for Glenfiddich.

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Luben said:
I could very well be imagining it. I do find a big similarity between the Octomore and the Port Charlotte although the Octomore is heavily peated. The similarity could come from some common in the distillery and not the Peat, it's just a point of discussion and not an argument.

If you line up Lagavullin, Ardbeg, Bowmore and Port Charlotte, I find the former 2 have a lot more pronounced medicinal notes whereas the Bowmore is a lot more toned down.
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I love Lagavulin and it's amazing to hear how flavor perceptions differ between people. That's what makes it so interesting.

For me the most medicinal expressions are those of Laphroaig, which works extremely well with the brinier notes imparted by the cask aging process on Islay itself. Only a small part of Lagavulin is actually aged on Islay itself.

Others again agree more with you re. Lagavulin and feel it tastes more medicinal....

My top 3 is Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroaig.
 
That's the thing about peated whisky. Medicinal iodine smell. Tastes even worse. Like being in hospital.
How do you get to like peat ? Or is it an acquired taste / smell ?
 
MightyQuin said:
I love Lagavulin and it's amazing to hear how flavor perceptions differ between people. That's what makes it so interesting.

For me the most medicinal expressions are those of Laphroaig, which works extremely well with the brinier notes imparted by the cask aging process on Islay itself. Only a small part of Lagavulin is actually aged on Islay itself.

Others again agree more with you re. Lagavulin and feel it tastes more medicinal....

My top 3 is Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroaig.
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Ah, the Lagavulin part is interesting. The briny notes are from maturing in Islay therefore exposed to the salty was whereas the other briny Islay whisky could be matured elsewhere therefore resulting in the difference that I perceive (whether real or not)

I personally have a mental block when it comes to Lagavulin, I tasted it early in my whisky journey and it turned me off Islay whiskies. Uigedail has since remedied that gross mistake. I've become quite peat desensitized since, always looking for more peat.
 
HunterNW said:
That's the thing about peated whisky. Medicinal iodine smell. Tastes even worse. Like being in hospital.
How do you get to like peat ? Or is it an acquired taste / smell ?
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It took time for me to acquire the taste, the sweet and peat of Ardbeg Uigedail is what turned me onto peaty whiskies, well in addition to the peaty whisky of the speyside region.
 
Luben said:
Ah, the Lagavulin part is interesting. The briny notes are from maturing in Islay therefore exposed to the salty was whereas the other briny Islay whisky could be matured elsewhere therefore resulting in the difference that I perceive (whether real or not)

I personally have a mental block when it comes to Lagavulin, I tasted it early in my whisky journey and it turned me off Islay whiskies. Uigedail has since remedied that gross mistake. I've become quite peat desensitized since, always looking for more peat.
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I found this, which could be shooting down my overly simplified peat theory:

And this is where a primary difference between Lagavulin and Laphroaig is discernible on our palate: Malt made at Port Ellen uses Lagavulin’s / Diageo’s peat, which is dug from a bog at a very different location and altitude to Laphroaig’s peat bog. The peat bog at the lower altitude, which in millennia past may have been below sea level, has a much brinier, seaweedy composition than the peat from the other field. So if you’ve directly compared Lagavulin and Laphroaig and felt that one seemed more maritime-like, with perhaps a saltier tang or a more seaweedy undertone, then this might well explain it.

A lot of "may" and "might" in there, but very interesting indeed.

Also:

And for those who argue as to whether or not salt and environment plays a role during maturation, we could also consider whether the casks were matured on Islay or whether they were transferred to the mainland and matured halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh!
 
MightyQuin said:
I found this, which could be shooting down my overly simplified peat theory:

And this is where a primary difference between Lagavulin and Laphroaig is discernible on our palate: Malt made at Port Ellen uses Lagavulin’s / Diageo’s peat, which is dug from a bog at a very different location and altitude to Laphroaig’s peat bog. The peat bog at the lower altitude, which in millennia past may have been below sea level, has a much brinier, seaweedy composition than the peat from the other field. So if you’ve directly compared Lagavulin and Laphroaig and felt that one seemed more maritime-like, with perhaps a saltier tang or a more seaweedy undertone, then this might well explain it.

A lot of "may" and "might" in there, but very interesting indeed.

Also:

And for those who argue as to whether or not salt and environment plays a role during maturation, we could also consider whether the casks were matured on Islay or whether they were transferred to the mainland and matured halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh!
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Ah, so it "might" not be the smoke from my socks. It's quite an interesting snippet of info(thanks), I think more tasting is now warranted.
 
KantSnyer said:
Pondered ordering a bottle but the wife will kill me, got the Quarter Cask for the same price couple weeks back also on special from takealot :thumbsup:
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So I was mistaken - I went searching for my QC last night to give it another try and then when I couldn't find it and happened upon a liter bottle of PX cask that was dipped into and left, remembered that it was actually the PX cask I did't like. Anyway, decided to have some last night. My taste buds have obviously matured over the years because, **** me, is it delicious!!! :oops:
 
Gees thats a bargain. We had friends bring them in from the States and UK worked out to R1500 each.
 
Ok, I am biased, but the liquid is actually very good.
It's lead whiskies are Cardhu and Clynelish, so if those appeal to you, you'll probably enjoy it.
I do prefer Speyside single malts, so this is a winner for me.
And at R400, it's a no-brainer really.
 
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