Question about malts

[OnlyTheBest]

I love the Islay malts I would like to know if anyone has had Ardbeg Uigeadail? i like the idea of the sweetness and the smoky flavor of the peat together.

Which Ardbeg do you like the best there are so many to choose from.

My favorite flavours together are sweet and smoke...what have you had that you like alot....not just Ardbeg but others with that intense peat and sweetness and taste of the sea..leather chocolate and orange peel as well. YUM! I love a long finish too.

Has anyone had Caol ila? How about Lagavulin 16yr?

I know its not Islay but how about Ben Nevis?

Thanks so much for your input.

[cdh]

I'm not a fan of the Ardbegs I've tried. I taste too much seaweed in them.

For the sweet & peat effect, I'm quite a fan of the Bowmore sherry-cask aged.

I've had 3 or 4 varieties of the Caol Ila, and they're all spectacular. Not so deeply smoky as most Islays in the Laphroaig and Lagavulin models.

Try Talisker and Highland Park for more interesting island malts.

Edited October 18, 2005 by cdh (log)

[Brad Ballinger]

How about Lagavulin 16yr?

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I'm a huge fan of the Lagavulin 16 year. Has a strong finish, and isn't overly sweet.

By the way, if you haven't come across it yet, check out the following web site: http://www.islaywhiskysociety.com/.

[OnlyTheBest]

I'm not a fan of the Ardbegs I've tried.  I taste too much seaweed in them.

For the sweet & peat effect, I'm quite a fan of the Bowmore sherry-cask aged. 

I've had 3 or 4 varieties of the Caol Ila, and they're all spectacular.  Not so deeply smoky as most Islays in the Laphroaig and Lagavulin models.

Try Talisker and Highland Park for more interesting island malts.

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Thats interesting you say that about highland park i have a bottle of it and dont really care that much for it. which of the Caol ila did you find had the most peat flavour along the sweetness. I love laphroaig ..love the taste of the sea now if i could find THAT with some notes of chocolate and fruit...maybe orange that would be fantastic

Thanks so much for your opinion.

[OnlyTheBest]

How about Lagavulin 16yr?

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I'm a huge fan of the Lagavulin 16 year. Has a strong finish, and isn't overly sweet.

By the way, if you haven't come across it yet, check out the following web site: http://www.islaywhiskysociety.com/.

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It has been a long time since i have the lagavulin but i remember that i liked it alot i was really interested to know about some of the others that i had not had like the Ardbeg but i may buy a bottle of the Lagavulin 16 i did REALLY like it.... just looking for that sweet smoky flavour. thanks for your opinion

[Laksa]

Have you tried the Glenfiddich Solera Reserve? It's Speyside, not Islay, but it's pretty sweet, and more oaky than smoky. Seems to be sweeter now than when I first opened the bottle 6 months ago.

BTW, does whisky deteriorate once the bottle is opened? If so, how long should it be kept?

[gethin]

BTW, does whisky deteriorate once the bottle is opened? If so, how long should it be kept?

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[cdh]

which of the Caol ila did you find had the most peat flavour along the sweetness. 

My answer wouldn't have much meaning for you... all of the Caol Ilas I've tried have been single cask bottlings... which means essentially unrepeatable. The one that might still be available from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society has plenty of peat to it, with an almost road-tar edge to it.

I agree that Highland Park is different from Islays, but it is still nice... but in an very un-Laphroaig-like way.

[TongoRad]

I'll second the Bowmore. If you're familiar with Laphroaig and Lagavullin then Bowmore would be the next logical malt to try, especially if you want that intense peat and sweetness and taste of the sea. The 12yr definitely has what you're looking for plus it really is quite elegant. They also have a bottling called Legend, which has an amazing peat-saturated nose. The finish isn't all that much, but I tend to biased towards the bouquet to begin with, and at around $20/bottle I go through a few bottles a year. It may also be worth investigating.

I happen to love Laphroaig 15yr, it is definitely my favorite malt (I love the peatiness). But if you can manage to get to try the Highland Park 18yr, definitely do. It may change your mind about their malts. I think it is quite wonderful, concentrated and complex, and it gave me a new appreciation for the 12 when I had them side by side.

Edited October 19, 2005 by TongoRad (log)

[OnlyTheBest]

I'll second the Bowmore. If you're familiar with Laphroaig and Lagavullin then Bowmore would be the next logical malt to try, especially if you want that intense peat and sweetness and taste of the sea. The 12yr definitely has what you're looking for plus it really is quite elegant. They also have a bottling called Legend, which has an amazing peat-saturated nose. The finish isn't all that much, but I tend to biased towards the bouquet to begin with, and at around $20/bottle I go through a few bottles a year. It may also be worth investigating.

I happen to love Laphroaig 15yr, it is definitely my favorite malt (I love the peatiness). But if you can manage to get to try the Highland Park 18yr, definitely do. It may change your mind about their malts. I think it is quite wonderful, concentrated and complex, and it gave me a new appreciation for the 12 when I had them side by side.

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I have not tried the bowmore but i have seen the 12 and was thinking about trying that as well. have you had the laphroaig cask strength? i keep hearing alot about that too. I need to try the 15 as well. I know its all good but i would just love to find that smoky peaty taste with some sweet fruits or chocolate.

thanks for your opinion

[Adam Balic]

I love the Islay malts I would like to know if anyone has had Ardbeg Uigeadail? i like the idea of the sweetness and the smoky flavor of the peat together.

Which Ardbeg do you like the best there are so many to choose from.

My favorite flavours together are sweet and smoke...what have you had that you like alot....not just Ardbeg but  others with that intense peat and sweetness and taste of the sea..leather chocolate and orange peel as well. YUM! I love a long finish too.

Has anyone had  Caol ila?  How about Lagavulin 16yr?

I know its not Islay but how about Ben Nevis?

Thanks so much for your input.

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Yes, I have had the Ardbeg Uigeadail, a very nice malt. The 17 YO is about to go of line for a while (I prefer the 10 YO, so not a problem), there is also a 'Very Young' 6 YO cask strength Ardbeg, which is very sweet, but a little coarse. Of the Islay malts Ardbeg is the has the strongest combination of sweet/smoke. Caol Ila was a similar smokey aroma, but always falls short on the taste to me. Laphroaig I find a little boring, but nice enough, Bunnahabhain and Bowmore ditto.

Lagavulin and Bruichladdich would be the other two distilleries that I would target, although they are very different in character. Not much smoke in the latter.

If you want to stick to smoky/sweet single malts, possibly one of the more similar to Ardbeg isn't from Scotland at all, but is an Irish Whiskey, "Connemara". This is an interesting malt, but can be over priced, so look around for it. There is a 40% and cask strength bottling, the latter is sweeter, but I prefer the former.

[Brad Ballinger]

I happen to love Laphroaig 15yr, it is definitely my favorite malt (I love the peatiness).

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I purchased a bottle of the Laphroaig 15 (being a fan of the 10). I poured a glass, and then gave the rest away. For my taste, I found it lacking character and not nearly as complex or interesting as the 10 for whatever reason.

[OnlyTheBest]

i saw the connemara yesterday but didnt think about it as there is so many others i want to try first. what would you recomend then as a collection of bottles for a variety of tastes that are good changes from the islay malts?

I am finding that i am needing an occasional change from the intensity of peat...i love it but i need variety. STILL though i like the flavours of chocolate heather orange peel etc. whatever it is...i love intense flavour....cant have it boring at all.

any recomendations?

Yes, I have had the Ardbeg Uigeadail, a very nice malt. The 17 YO is about to go of line for a while (I prefer the 10 YO, so not a problem), there is also a 'Very Young' 6 YO cask strength Ardbeg, which is very sweet, but a little coarse. Of the Islay malts Ardbeg is the has the strongest combination of sweet/smoke. Caol Ila was a similar smokey aroma, but always falls short on the taste to me. Laphroaig I find a little boring, but nice enough, Bunnahabhain and Bowmore ditto.

Lagavulin and Bruichladdich would be the other two distilleries that I would target, although they are very different in character. Not much smoke in the latter.

If you want to stick to smoky/sweet single malts, possibly one of the more similar to Ardbeg isn't from Scotland at all, but is an Irish Whiskey, "Connemara". This is an interesting malt, but can be over priced, so look around for it. There is a 40% and cask strength bottling, the latter is sweeter, but I prefer the former.

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[slkinsey]

I happen to love Laphroaig 15yr, it is definitely my favorite malt (I love the peatiness).

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I purchased a bottle of the Laphroaig 15 (being a fan of the 10). I poured a glass, and then gave the rest away. For my taste, I found it lacking character and not nearly as complex or interesting as the 10 for whatever reason.

I feel the same way about Laphroaig. The 15 year "refines away" some of the unique funkiness and character that makes Laphroaig so special. This is not to say that I don't like aged spirits, but I do find that the longer spirits age the more they tend to sacrifice their uniqueness and gravitate towards an "aged" sameness. I feel the same way about Calvados, where I tend to find the younger specimens more evocative of apples whereas some of the older bottlings might as well have been made from grapes.

[OnlyTheBest]

I happen to love Laphroaig 15yr, it is definitely my favorite malt (I love the peatiness).

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I purchased a bottle of the Laphroaig 15 (being a fan of the 10). I poured a glass, and then gave the rest away. For my taste, I found it lacking character and not nearly as complex or interesting as the 10 for whatever reason.

I feel the same way about Laphroaig. The 15 year "refines away" some of the unique funkiness and character that makes Laphroaig so special. This is not to say that I don't like aged spirits, but I do find that the longer spirits age the more they tend to sacrifice their uniqueness and gravitate towards an "aged" sameness. I feel the same way about Calvados, where I tend to find the younger specimens more evocative of apples whereas some of the older bottlings might as well have been made from grapes.

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that is a good point about the older malts heading towards a sameness i didnt look at it that way but i can see what you mean. i do hate things boring.

what others do you like then tell me?

[TongoRad]

I happen to love Laphroaig 15yr, it is definitely my favorite malt (I love the peatiness).

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I purchased a bottle of the Laphroaig 15 (being a fan of the 10). I poured a glass, and then gave the rest away. For my taste, I found it lacking character and not nearly as complex or interesting as the 10 for whatever reason.

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Ooh, a nearly full bottle, the lucky bastage!

In my experience there is some real intensity and depth there, but it doesn't come at the expense of any complexity. Overall what appeals to me, I suppose, is a certain evocative quality, a pitch-soaked-timber element that goes so well with the brininess, seaweed and all that. Hmmm- that may not sound too appealing but it works for me. I also get heather, toffee, etc. but they come on late. I haven't had the 10 in a few years but it is the one that got me into single malts in the first place, so maybe it is time to pick some up and do a side by side for the hell of it.

ETA:

This is not to say that I don't like aged spirits, but I do find that the longer spirits age the more they tend to sacrifice their uniqueness and gravitate towards an "aged" sameness.

I think you do have a point there, in fact I recall thinking something along those lines the last time I sampled the Macallan 25yr, but I just don't think it applies to the Laphroaig 15yr.

Edited October 19, 2005 by TongoRad (log)

[gethin]

[quote name=TongoRad' date='Oct 18 2005,

I feel the same way about Laphroaig. The 15 year "refines away" some of the unique funkiness and character that makes Laphroaig so special.

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Laphroaig 10 yr old was for many years my favorite whisky (perhaps it still is - I need to drink a lot more whisky to check this out) - for the same sort of reasons that old fashioned white Rioja- tasing of turpentine and pineapple and cream soda - , was my favorite wine, cheap grappa was far more interesting to me than fancy grappa, and as you say young calva rather than aged calva. They are things that really taste of themselves, and of the localities and agriculture that produced them.

I love really distinctive malts - and a lot of them have really strong associations for me.

I'll never taste Bunnahabhain without thinking of the brave, desperate, angry, wonderful, confused Glaswegian woman with whom I first drank it , as we sat around the deathbed of her only son , in a London AIDS ward in 1989.

I'll never taste Talisker without thinking of wild, romantic weekend in a hotel overlooking Tobermoray Bay in 1993. ( I know it's a Skye whisky, but for me it's tied inextricably to my memories of Mull).

I'll never taste Penderyn 2005 Grand Slam bottling , without thinking of the well deserved and long overdue spanking we gave the English earlier this year!!!

Perhaps Penderyn 2005 Grand Slam bottling is my favorite malt after all.

What I'm drinking right now though is Laphroaig Quarter Cask. its 96 proof but you wouldn't guess it from the taste and mouthfeel , its fruitier and perhaps less upfront and demanding than the 10 yr old, but still with a real Laphroaig character. The second glass tasted even better than the first - i think i'll probably have a third .

Gethin