[Fultonius]

I'm about 3 drams in and I'm not sure about it. I'll need to have a side by side tasting with something reliable.

Definitely caught out by the no age statement thing - I knew it would be nothing spectacular at £25 but probably had a bit of crossover in my synapses with the June release of this https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/laphroaig/laphroaig-15-year-old-200th-anniversary-edition-whisky/

Which I passed up for various reasons then regretted it afterwards.

[Joepicalli]

I wish it here noted that I have found my perfect whisky. The fucker obviously has to cost God's Crotch, but no matter the Boy has two of each vital organ. The whiskey is "The Yamazaki" twelve year old from the Suntory distillery. When I tasted it I actually froze I simply couldn't believe how good it was. It has been years since a whisky has stopped me in my tracks like that (well while I've been sober). In between buying my first and second bottle it has increased in price by 40%; apparently a single barrel bottling of one of the components of the 12 year old was voted the best whisky in the world by just about anybody who counts, and there went the price. Any way if you can get a dram do give it a try. I know the Rising Sun on Fulwood Road has a bottle.

[a dense loner]

Ha I've been drinking that for at least 3 years Joe! God I feel like I've out-tasted you for once

Cross Scythes and Broadie also stock it, the latter at an outrageous price that was probably before price went up as well

[slackline]

Scotch Git

[moose]

Heads up! New raft of specials at Booths, the pick of which is undoubtedly Aberlour 12 y.o. non chill filtered (NCF) at half price - £26. This is a complete bargain.  Personally I find the 10 yo anodyne, the cask strength A'bunadh a hot mess (I'm in a minority there), and the normal 12 y.o (double cask) and 16 y.o good but overpriced. But, the 12 y.o NCF is great. It's at 48% abv and, to my admittedly raddled tastes, combines the intensity of the A'bunadh with the depth and drinkability of the standard 12 and 16 y.o (tastes like a halfway house of those two but on steroids).  At £52 it was a bit overpriced, but at.... £26... I'm off back to get another couple of bottles (particularly as it's rumoured to be going discontinued / occasional).

[andy_e]

I'll see you in booths tomorrow for a scrap over the last bottle. Let's hope your infatuation with pugilism isn't physical and is all in your head!

[robertostallioni]

Talisker Storm-£21 in Tescos at the mo - reduced to clear everywhere but Bradford. Because I bought em all already.

Very um... Moreish?!!!

[moose]

Cool... some new specials in Booths too - including Scapa Skiren.  You don't often get Scapa on offer so I'm tempted.  But I have a bit of a bias against these "new" whiskies that replace the age statement with a vaguely atmospheric (usually pseudo-Celtic) name - and keep the price the same - just seems a way to pass-off immature spirit (not that I am fundamentally against No Age Statement or young malts - some are great - but most often it just seems a dishonest means of charging more for less).

[Reprobate_Rob]

Been keeping my eye out for this one - Booths have just put the Aberlour a'bunadh on offer at £33.
A much better batch than the last couple too, if you ask me.

[moose]

Is it batch 52 in your locale? So, is that a good ' un?  Must admit to finding A'bunadh a bit "hot" generally - often  doesn't seem to carry it's strength too gracefully.

On a US binge of late... Dry Fly wheat whiskey Cask Strength is the best of the current bunch. Though I have high hopes for the the Jefferson's Special Reserve.

[Reprobate_Rob]

It's batch 54. 51 and 52 weren't much craic by all accounts, and i missed out on the 53 which was a apparently very good, but i'm definitely liking this one.
49 was the last one i had and i absolutely loved it.

I'm pretty early into my whiskey odyssey to be fair though, haven't really ventured beyond the Speysiders that i know i enjoy, and I particularly enjoy the Aberlours.

Been meaning to have a look into bourbons - any recommendations, or should I just hunt down that Dry Fly you mention to get started?

[moose]

Cheers, re US whiskies, the Dry Fly would not be normal "starter" - it's a bit of a specialist product - a 60% abv wheat whiskey rather than a bourbon.

My favourite bourbon that is available in well-stocked supermarkets (Waitrose sell it) is the Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage. 

Other good ones at the same price point (around £35) are Elijah Craig, Eagle Rare, and the Four Roses Single Barrel and Small Batch (not the cheaper Yellow Label).  Wild Turkey is good too, if you can get the 50% abv "101" version, rather than the more common "80" (40% abv), and you share my taste for rye-heavy aggressive bourbons.  The best widely available cheap bourbon (around £25) is probably Bulleit - better than the likes of Beam and Jack Daniels.  Buffalo Trace is decent too.

 If you get to a specialist off-licence, and are prepared to splash out, my absolute favourites are Blanton's Gold & Straight from the Barrel, Booker's, and Noah's Mill.  Old Grandad 114 is brilliant too - and cheaper than the others - but a bit aggressive for some tastes. If you fancy something a bit different, I am a big fan of high-rye content rye whiskies - High West and Bulleit Rye are current favourites.

[Paul B]

Apologies for the sin that is about to follow.

I brought my folks back some Bulleit Rye as a gift from our recent trip and sampling it now I'm really impressed:

https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/bulleit/bulleit-rye-whiskey/

Reasonably complex and a lot less harsh than the rye I tasted at the likes of Woodford Reserve and this time, at Town Branch distillery. For the price it's really worth letting your guard down.

[moose]

Big fan of Bulleit Rye myself - for my money, it's the best value US whiskey of any breed (though Elijah Craig, Evan Williams Single Barrel and Wild Turkey 101 run it close - lots of good value in US whiskey). 

It sounds like you have  a taste for "high rye" whiskeys.  Bulleit is made from a 95% mash bill - the other ryes you mention are much lower in rye - perhaps as low as 51% (that is, possibly a couple  % from a normal bourbon).  All 95% rye spirit is sourced from the same place (MGP in Lawrenceburg) and different brands just apply additional aging (or not) to their own requirements.  So, Bulleit is essentially the same as the some much more expensive high ryes.  That said, the best ryes I have had recently are High West's Rendevous Rye and Double Rye - which seemed just a bit more interesting (they tend to do substantial additional aging and mix older and newer spirits). 

If your interested in something a bit different, I rather liked Corsair's Quinoa whiskey - odd but pleasant earthy / nutty taste.

[Paul B]

That makes SENSE, thanks . Wild Turkey 101 was the other option.

[moose]

That makes SENSE, thanks . Wild Turkey 101 was the other option.

You would not have suffered from it - all of the "middle shelf" Wild Turkeys I have had - the WT 101, Russell's Reserve, and Rare Breed (i.e. everything except the bottom-shelf Wild Turkey 80) have been good.  WT use a "high rye" mash bill for their bourbons (around 35% iiir) which makes them taste a bit more "spicy" and interesting than most.  The bourbons I tend not to like have none or very little rye - e.g. Makers Mark which is entirely corn.

[andy popp]

I'm not really a whisky drinker so this might be a totally philistine comment but someone gave me a bottle of Kilbeggan for Christmas and its proving most drinkable.

[moose]

the Irish certainly have a way with blends -  they always make me "gip" less than  the scotch equivalents - the grain content is generally less metallic / vodka-esque.  I quite like Powers myself.

A nicely priced Irish that I really like is Writers Tears - you occassionally see it at M&S - good value for a pure pot still whiskey.  Tyrconnell is a nice and quite cheap irish single malt.  And, then there's the double distilled, peated Connemara whiskies, if you fancy a half-way house between an Irish and a Scottish style.

[slackline]

Is this one of Monoliths blends?  Almost definitely not since a) they're not crimping; b) its for Alan [something] Keswick

[Monolith]

Sadly not Slackers but it looks amazing!

I'm pleased to report that tickets are now on sale for a part of my new business - Spirits Festival. I can appreciate that it's a way for some of you to travel but it promises to be a pretty eclectic day taste-wise. Be great to see some of you there if it's of interest.

http://www.spiritsfestival.co.uk/

Twitter for updates: https://twitter.com/spirits_fest

[andy_e]

That looks cool as fuck, good luck Tom (and good luck to anybody going, it sounds like a pretty brutal day of drinking...)

[Muenchener]

I'm not really a whisky drinker

Me neither, but I decided it was time to try out the local single malt. The Bavarian Alps being almost entirely limestone have the hardest of hard water, not what I would normally associate with successful whisky production, but what do I know? Almost nowt. We shall see.

Aaaaand ...

That was surprising. Almost entirely different from scotch. Softer, very fruity, not at all unlike a good plum schnapps. At first taste probably not something I'll be making a habit of, but interesting to try.

[Muenchener]

... and produces the worst hangover in living memory.

Although I drink so little spirits that quite possibly anything would produce that effect. Plus with the weather I'm not sleeping well anyway.

[GraemeA]

I'm not really a whisky drinker

Me neither, but I decided it was time to try out the local single malt. The Bavarian Alps being almost entirely limestone have the hardest of hard water, not what I would normally associate with successful whisky production, but what do I know? Almost nowt. We shall see.

Aaaaand ...

That was surprising. Almost entirely different from scotch. Softer, very fruity, not at all unlike a good plum schnapps. At first taste probably not something I'll be making a habit of, but interesting to try.

Thanks for the tip off, I was transiting through Munich today and saw the Slyers selection, they have a taster box, 4 different ones. Obviously it is now awaiting a tasting. I will report back.

[moose]

Heads-up to fellow Pennine dwellers: Booths have lot of very good malt offers at the moment - £10 off Ardbeg, Glenmorangie 10, Old Pulteney 10 etc. 

The pick though is Aberlour 12 y.o. non chill filtered with £20 off - a bargain.  It is a 48% abv sherry monster that is like a more complex A'bunadha; a far more vigorous beast than the anodyne Double Cask 12 y.o and 10 y.o.  I've bought 2 bottles already, and might return to get the rest.  I am not really an Aberlour fan... but this stuff is great, if you are lucky enough to find it left in stock.