Whisk(e)y Lovers thread

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MightyQuin said:
FIFY....:sneaky:

Very ladidah, I must say. This is taking it to a new level indeed.
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:ROFL: The part about the water is bullschit just wanted to see if anyone would actually comment :p

The only water I use is good old Fourways Tap passed through a Brita water filter jug.

On the topic of water, a mate who has done about three trips to Islay swears blind that there is a particular water available in Scotland that makes a huge difference than just using any old water in your whisky. He had plans to start bringing it in but that did not come to fruition. I am not that bad.

edit - I remember seeing this article, which i haven't read yet: https://scotchwhisky.com/magazine/the-whisky-virgin/26197/am-i-adding-the-wrong-water-to-my-whisky/
 
Quad said:
:ROFL: The part about the water is bullschit just wanted to see if anyone would actually comment

The only water I use is good old Fourways Tap passed through a Brita water filter jug.

On the topic of water, a mate who has done about three trips to Islay swears blind that there is a particular water available in Scotland that makes a huge difference than just using any old water in your whisky. He had plans to start bringing it in but that did not come to fruition. I am not that bad.

edit - I remember seeing this article, which i haven't read yet: https://scotchwhisky.com/magazine/the-whisky-virgin/26197/am-i-adding-the-wrong-water-to-my-whisky/
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Jirre I was actually thinking 'check this guy, importing water for whisky, must be a snob'.
 
Well, there are merits to it. Considering a part of the whisky's flavour is from the water where it's manufactured, it makes sense to use more of the same water to get the notes to come forward. I wouldn't go that far, though. I use Valpre still sping water if I want to dilute a dram a bit.
 
Quad said:
:ROFL: The part about the water is bullschit just wanted to see if anyone would actually comment :p

The only water I use is good old Fourways Tap passed through a Brita water filter jug.

On the topic of water, a mate who has done about three trips to Islay swears blind that there is a particular water available in Scotland that makes a huge difference than just using any old water in your whisky. He had plans to start bringing it in but that did not come to fruition. I am not that bad.

edit - I remember seeing this article, which i haven't read yet: https://scotchwhisky.com/magazine/the-whisky-virgin/26197/am-i-adding-the-wrong-water-to-my-whisky/
Click to expand...

I'm Scottish born and bred and we have the most incredible tap water over the whole country. I don't know anyone there who buys water like we do in SA. Or rather like my wife does.

On the subject of adding water, I use a pipette I got from a whisky shop in Scotland with an Islay or anything smokey and add a drop or two to bring out the flavours. I know quite a few people who do this and my father did so that's probably rubbed off on me. I generally prefer nothing with anything of quality, but I'll add water to a VAT 69 or 3 ships, or indeed an ice cube to a bourbon.

On the other hand, my wife adds ice to every dram. Each to their own I say, it's all about the whisky.
 
I actually think Famous Grouse isn't a terrible cheap whisky. Again, it comes down to taste, which is the nice thing about whiskies :D
 
So last week, I was certain that I had an open Caol Ila somewhere in my stash and decided to see if I did, indeed, have a bottle.

Rummaging around, and much to my surprise, I happened upon this:

a34cec541225dcf713d87bd9700495f8.jpg


Lagavulin Distillers Edition, distilled 1997, bottled 2013, finished in PX casks.

I opened the box, hoping it was still sealed, only to find that younger Quad had probably poured two drams and decided that it was awful and it remained relegate to the back of the whisky cupboard. So I would have most likely bought this on one of my many overseas business trips back towards the end of 2013/beginning of 2014. This was during a time I couldn't stand whisky that had any sherry influence.

I thanked my palate for maturing, thanked younger me for leaving older me a bottle of Laga and decided to give it another go....

Nose: Germolene, kreosote, salt (lots), then peat smoke follows with toffee pudding sweetness. Were those floral notes floating about? Water releases more peat smoke and butterscotch and yes, there's definitely some floral notes peeping through. There's a background of cool minerality.

Palate: Warm, spicy, peat. Lots of savoury salt. Then the sweetness from the PX cask starts coming through. Think black forest gateau, dark stewed fruits. Smoke lingers without overpowering. Floral notes wisp in and out. This is all against a mineral backdrop (think Springfield, Life from Stone). Wow, just wow. Water smooths things out, takes away the punch, makes it lighter and sweeter. It doesn't need water. I don't know if this was just me but water seemed to release a bit of alcohol burn?

Finish: Sweet, then salt making way to dry peat ash. Very long. Lingers long after you've put it down in typical Lagavulin fashion.

Verdict: Right up there with the best drams to pass my lips this year. This is big and bold. Very complex, lots going on. I kept finding something else with each sip. After some thought and getting over the initial wow factor, my biggest, and only criticism is that this is bottled at 43% ABV (travel retail market). It could have been even better had it been bottled with at least an ABV of 46%. I think that would have been an ideal starting point for this whisky.

I see bottles are changing hands at GBP100 on auction sites. I probably paid around R700/800 for this back in the day.

To conclude, when putting the bottle away, I spotted the top of what looked like a Caol Ila box. A distiller's edition that young me didn't like. I might give that a go this weekend.
 
Quad said:
So last week, I was certain that I had an open Caol Ila somewhere in my stash and decided to see if I did, indeed, have a bottle.

Rummaging around, and much to my surprise, I happened upon this:

a34cec541225dcf713d87bd9700495f8.jpg


Lagavulin Distillers Edition, distilled 1997, bottled 2013, finished in PX casks.

I opened the box, hoping it was still sealed, only to find that younger Quad had probably poured two drams and decided that it was awful and it remained relegate to the back of the whisky cupboard. So I would have most likely bought this on one of my many overseas business trips back towards the end of 2013/beginning of 2014. This was during a time I couldn't stand whisky that had any sherry influence.

I thanked my palate for maturing, thanked younger me for leaving older me a bottle of Laga and decided to give it another go....

Nose: Germolene, kreosote, salt (lots), then peat smoke follows with toffee pudding sweetness. Were those floral notes floating about? Water releases more peat smoke and butterscotch and yes, there's definitely some floral notes peeping through. There's a background of cool minerality.

Palate: Warm, spicy, peat. Lots of savoury salt. Then the sweetness from the PX cask starts coming through. Think black forest gateau, dark stewed fruits. Smoke lingers without overpowering. Floral notes wisp in and out. This is all against a mineral backdrop (think Springfield, Life from Stone). Wow, just wow. Water smooths things out, takes away the punch, makes it lighter and sweeter. It doesn't need water. I don't know if this was just me but water seemed to release a bit of alcohol burn?

Finish: Sweet, then salt making way to dry peat ash. Very long. Lingers long after you've put it down in typical Lagavulin fashion.

Verdict: Right up there with the best drams to pass my lips this year. This is big and bold. Very complex, lots going on. I kept finding something else with each sip. After some thought and getting over the initial wow factor, my biggest, and only criticism is that this is bottled at 43% ABV (travel retail market). It could have been even better had it been bottled with at least an ABV of 46%. I think that would have been an ideal starting point for this whisky.

I see bottles are changing hands at GBP100 on auction sites. I probably paid around R700/800 for this back in the day.

To conclude, when putting the bottle away, I spotted the top of what looked like a Caol Ila box. A distiller's edition that young me didn't like. I might give that a go this weekend.
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Wow, that's quite a comprehensive tasting write-up. I don't even have a mental sense of some of the tasting notes.

I store my open and unopened bottles separately so I unfortunately would not end up in your predicament of finding open gems. Mind you, I remember what's in my collection so I don't have surprise discoveries.
 
Luben said:
Wow, that's quite a comprehensive tasting write-up. I don't even have a mental sense of some of the tasting notes.

I store my open and unopened bottles separately so I unfortunately would not end up in your predicament of finding open gems. Mind you, I remember what's in my collection so I don't have surprise discoveries.
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I need to do a stock take. My collection has gotten a little out of hand and I've lost track of what's in it. I started very casually collecting around the year 2000ish. I used to separate open bottles but then need the space for sealed bottles and then had to rearrange over time to use the space as effectively as possible.

But I do have some ridiculous things, like 6 or 7 liters of Ardbeg 10 (1 liter bottles purchased at duty free) and probably about 5 bottles of Ardbeg 10 in 750ml. Some of those 1 liter I probably got >10 years ago. I have 13 bottles of the old Black Bottle, in tubes, which used to be my daily until they changed the formula and phucked it up. I went on a spree and bought up as many bottles as I could and now have 13 left. I think I must open one.

cb0e0bf5016ee7be244d36293957c575.jpg
 
Quad said:
I need to do a stock take. My collection has gotten a little out of hand and I've lost track of what's in it. I started very casually collecting around the year 2000ish. I used to separate open bottles but then need the space for sealed bottles and then had to rearrange over time to use the space as effectively as possible.

But I do have some ridiculous things, like 6 or 7 liters of Ardbeg 10 (1 liter bottles purchased at duty free) and probably about 5 bottles of Ardbeg 10 in 750ml. Some of those 1 liter I probably got >10 years ago. I have 13 bottles of the old Black Bottle, in tubes, which used to be my daily until they changed the formula and phucked it up. I went on a spree and bought up as many bottles as I could and now have 13 left. I think I must open one.

cb0e0bf5016ee7be244d36293957c575.jpg
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You should gift one to @morkhans. I have been looking for another black bottle for ages but seems they are all gone.
 
The old black bottle was a gem! I could only get my hands on 2 before they switched formulas. 13 is impressive.
 
Quad said:
I need to do a stock take. My collection has gotten a little out of hand and I've lost track of what's in it. I started very casually collecting around the year 2000ish. I used to separate open bottles but then need the space for sealed bottles and then had to rearrange over time to use the space as effectively as possible.

But I do have some ridiculous things, like 6 or 7 liters of Ardbeg 10 (1 liter bottles purchased at duty free) and probably about 5 bottles of Ardbeg 10 in 750ml. Some of those 1 liter I probably got >10 years ago. I have 13 bottles of the old Black Bottle, in tubes, which used to be my daily until they changed the formula and phucked it up. I went on a spree and bought up as many bottles as I could and now have 13 left. I think I must open one.

cb0e0bf5016ee7be244d36293957c575.jpg
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I did the same with the Black bottle as well when the formula was changed, I've only got 1 bottle left. I've still got 16 bottles of the old Wild Turkey 101, haven't been drinking that much bourbon recently.

My current 4 x 1.7m shelving is insufficient even when doubling up the bottles. I'm in the process of selling houses so I'm hoping the new place I get will have enough space for the entire collection to be displayed.

I am interested to know whether there's a difference in the older bottlings versus the newer of the Ardbegs.
 
Hey guys I will be flying as follows next week.

SA->Madrid->Toulouse
Paris->Madrid->SA

Where do I look for duty free whisky's to bring home? On the way to france or the way back? I am not in the Madrid side long enough on the return leg to even look anywhere do I look SA side? Or are there no options here?
 
Snyper564 said:
Hey guys I will be flying as follows next week.

SA->Madrid->Toulouse
Paris->Madrid->SA

Where do I look for duty free whisky's to bring home? On the way to france or the way back? I am not in the Madrid side long enough on the return leg to even look anywhere do I look SA side? Or are there no options here?
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Try and look at the duty-free websites and see what's available so you can narrow down you options. If all else fails, look for the Amrut Fusion in SA Duty-free on your return, it's such an exceptional whisky. Last time I got it for R900.
 
Luben said:
Try and look at the duty-free websites and see what's available so you can narrow down you options. If all else fails, look for the Amrut Fusion in SA Duty-free on your return, it's such an exceptional whisky. Last time I got it for R900.
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Awesome, thanks. At least there is still that SA duty free on my way in then :)
 
So on the basis of you guys mentioning VAT 69 and seeing it go for R120 at Checkers. I decided not to be a snob as I venture into this world of yours and after trying at least 12 very good whisky's give it a shot...

For R120 its not bad at all. Two blocks of ice and its ready to go :)
 
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