What is your favorite Scotch Whiskey

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Whoops I got confused I have never seen a Lagavulin 18 either. The 16 is what I was thinking about when I mentioned the 18. I have never tried the 16 year old yet. I must have been thinking about Laphroaig 18. Is there a Lagavulin 14 or 15 ?

Sorry

[black mamba]

I've only heard of the 12 and the 16, and never even seen the 12, though have read reviews on it. Laphroaig 18 is my absolute favorite.

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I've only heard of the 12 and the 16, and never even seen the 12, though have read reviews on it. Laphroaig 18 is my absolute favorite.

I tried some Bunnahabhain 12 year old (craft edition I think.) Un-chill filtered natural color (sort of hazy that is good) 46.3% Alcohol by volume about $48.00 for 750ml. They make another version of this one that is chill filtered and colored it is also supposed to be good but craft edition should be better.

This is supposed to be the smoothest of the Islay malts and I have to agree this stuff is very smooth and very tasty. I find it has a taste of rich chocolate in the end. The other flavors I can't place a hand on. This one is not Peaty and Smokey like the other Islay malts. I like it. I bought this on the advice of the liquor store owner hoping I didn't make a mistake (he finds Laproaig 18 to be fabulous I merely find it to be very good but many other people find Laphroaig 18 fabulous also personal tastes)

I can see my friendly neighborhood liquor dealer has a spot in his heart for smooth aged liquors and although this is only 12 years old it is very mellow but it's flavor is very fitting for a mellow scotch and I don't regret buying this one. It is well worth the money.

If I blind tasted this I would never guess it is an Islay single malt Scotch. So many whiskies so little time.

[black mamba]

Just last night I added Ledaig to my single malts. This one is from the Isle of Mull by the Tobermory Distillery, bottled at 86 proof and 10 years age.

This is really an excellent Scotch, and an excellent value as well. $48 for a 10 year old might seem a little high, but the distiller sure knows what he is doing, because this is just as smooth and flavorful as any 15 yr old I've ever had. The flavor profile is Islay all the way, and actually tastes more like Laphroaig 18 than anything else I could compare it to. The very light straw gold color completely belies the amount of flavor this dram holds. Highly recommended.

[black mamba]

Well, I'm reviving this thread because I just received a wonderful bottle of single malt for Christmas.

It's Ardbeg Uigeadail Islay single malt. Non chill-filtered and bottled at an honest and flavorful 54.2% alcohol, it is pronounced Oog-a-dal. It is Ardbeg's most popular label at the store my wife purchased it at, and is a blend of 10 to 16 year old whiskies according to the purveyor, so a definite step up from the standard 10 year old Ardbeg. As I type this, I'm sipping on a couple ounces of it, neat. Typical Islay peat smoke and brine, but with an additional touch. This is finished in ex-sherry casks, so has a wonderful raisiny sweetness on the finish, along with a nice tingle on the tongue from the additional alcohol.

After drinking half of my pour, I have added just a splash of cool filtered water. The nose has changed dramatically. Now the wonderful, rich barley aromas come through, pushing the smoke slightly to the background, although the brine is still up front and dramatic. Now the flavor is smooth and balanced, completely delicious, very similar to Caol Ila 12. But . . . I miss the tingle!

My thought is, that if you spend the extra money to get this non chill-filtered, higher alcohol version, then drink it for what it is-- a strong but smooth, very special pour. After all, if I want the flavor of Caol Ila (which I often do!), then why spend more to get it? VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !!

[elof_alv]

That's kinda silly question. If you do some research you'll find that if you had tried whiskey from one Scottish distillery a day you'd need over 5 years to do that. Then consider that each distillery would have at least few different types... well I'd say that before you find your favorite your liver will give up on you and you'd be gone.
I'd say from my humble experience that single malt is the way to go. JW is all blended so yeah, green might be more complex but it'll never beat well aged single malts!

[Nimick]

Well, I'm reviving this thread because I just received a wonderful bottle of single malt for Christmas.

It's Ardbeg Uigeadail Islay single malt. Non chill-filtered and bottled at an honest and flavorful 54.2% alcohol, it is pronounced Oog-a-dal. It is Ardbeg's most popular label at the store my wife purchased it at, and is a blend of 10 to 16 year old whiskies according to the purveyor, so a definite step up from the standard 10 year old Ardbeg. As I type this, I'm sipping on a couple ounces of it, neat. Typical Islay peat smoke and brine, but with an additional touch. This is finished in ex-sherry casks, so has a wonderful raisiny sweetness on the finish, along with a nice tingle on the tongue from the additional alcohol.

After drinking half of my pour, I have added just a splash of cool filtered water. The nose has changed dramatically. Now the wonderful, rich barley aromas come through, pushing the smoke slightly to the background, although the brine is still up front and dramatic. Now the flavor is smooth and balanced, completely delicious, very similar to Caol Ila 12. But . . . I miss the tingle!

My thought is, that if you spend the extra money to get this non chill-filtered, higher alcohol version, then drink it for what it is-- a strong but smooth, very special pour. After all, if I want the flavor of Caol Ila (which I often do!), then why spend more to get it? VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !!

The Uigeadail is my favorite too, and I've had all of the Ardbegs.

[fotobaerchi]

GlenKinchie 10yrs. or Cardhu 12 yrs. Light whisky with almost no smell of sherry.

[jlday70]

For me Scotch is more of a regional thing. I am a fan of the highland scotches, but don't have much experience with any of the islays. Also for me single malt is the way to go i'm not a big fan of blended.

[sm-100]

I got a bottle of Macallan 12-year for Christmas and had my first drink last night. It was terrific, I can only imagine how good the 18-year must be. Have to put that on the list for next year. Anyone ever drink them side-by-side and can compare? I'm curious what effect a few years has on the taste and smoothness.

[mete]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...istillery.html

Here's a very sad story !!

[mr.trooper]

I've been trying to get into Scotch, and have been amazed at the variations.

Cutty Sark is ... OK.

JW Black is pretty good, seems to be well rounded.

Laphroaig is smokey in the extreme. I cant see the difference between that and a bottle of BBQ 'liquid smoke'... But a buddy of mine swears by the stuff, and drinks it like it's going out of style.

[Peruna1998]

This thread needs reviving.

I had the distinct pleasure of living in Scotland for two years. the beer was great, the whisky was better. I have been lucky to go back to visit friends many times and build up a nice collection of single malts. It is my drink of choice. I am surprised that my favorite distillery has not been mentioned in this thread, Highland Park from the Orkneys. It is a mixture of the Speyside and Island style. I had the good fortune to visit the distillery once, and it is nicely sited on a spring above Kirkwall. It offer s 12-, 18-, and 25-y/o single malt. I have had all. My wife was kind enough to gift me a bottle of the 25 y/o this year on our tenth anniversary. I think it ranks up there with the Macallen 25 y/o as one of the best examples of single malt whisky.

My other favorites are the Campbeltowns: Springbank and Longrow. These have a rich caramel color. They are not as peaty as your Island whisky (Lagavulin, etc.) or as flowery as your highland whisky (Macallan, etc.). They are again, more complex and vanilla. Hard to find, but excellent.

If it is a highland whisky you seek, though, look to Royal Lochnagar. There 12 y/o is oft overlooked, but is a wonderful example of the region.

As for the islands, this thread is correct that Lagavulin is difficult to beat. I was lucky enough to lay my hands on a special edition that was rebarrelled in sherry casks. It somewhat tames the briney, peaty fire of Lagavulin.

Slainte.

[TornadoRaino]

I like Highland Park 18 and Lagavulin 16 as well.

I tried a very small sample of Glenfiddich 50 year. I work as a waiter in a nice restaurant and I was serving a team from Glenfiddich and some journalists. They were doing a food pairing with Glenfiddich 12, 15, 18, 25, and 50. A few of the journalists weren't Scotch drinkers so after the first couple of tastings they opted to not drink the whiskey. When they left I drank one of the untouched 50 year tasters. It was only a few drops, the reps actually used an eye dropper to " pour " the glasses. I just remember that it had a very intense flavor, very woody from all the time in the casks and a sweet note as well.

[will_1400]

I've got a bottle of Glenfiddich 12 year single-malt that I'm working right now. It's definately the smoothest whiskey I've yet to try.

[Jack Black]

Lagavulin for me, but there are a lot of good whiskies! The ones I've got in the cupboard at the moment are Lagavulin 16, Highland Park 12, Ardbeg 10, Jura Legend, Jura Superstition, Arbelour 10, Arbelour a'bundah, and I've got a 'mystery' cask-strength Speyside put into cask 1n 1994 and bottled 2010. Oh, and there's a bottle of Famous Grouse in there, which like the Arbelour and the two Juras, was a present.

[timbit]

Bushmills 1608 is good. McCallan 12 year old and Balvenie 12 Double Wood are both reasonably priced and very tasty.

[Bloodstriker]

I got a bottle of Macallan 12-year for Christmas and had my first drink last night. It was terrific, I can only imagine how good the 18-year must be. Have to put that on the list for next year. Anyone ever drink them side-by-side and can compare? I'm curious what effect a few years has on the taste and smoothness.

I've gone through multiple bottles of 12, 18, 21, and 25. I'm currently working through a bottle of 30.

I'm not a big fan of 12. It's my go-to bottle when I have guests over that want to drink hard liquor but don't appreciate scotch.

To be fair, I don't dislike the Macallan 12, but for the price is rather go with Highland Park 18.

My favorite out of the Macallans that I have would be the 25. The 30 is a bit too spicy for my taste. However, if I factor in price to satisfaction, then I would go with the 21.

To answer your question, the 18 is a big step up from the 12. Much smoother, and the nose is much more complex.

[Irminsul]

Lagavulin.jpg

Lagavulin 16 Years. Love me some Islay single malt.

[RyanW]

Speaking of Macallan, I just picked up a Macallan 17 Fine Oak and enjoying it. Agree with Blood Striker 100%