- Joined
- Jun 17, 2004
- Messages
- 8,436
Nimick,
sorry I didn't notice this thread before now. I am one of those guys who doesn't believe that he collects, until he counts the object--at last count I had over 120 bottles of unopened malts, and always 9 opened. Pretty high turnover. I would say that, first of all:
Depending on where you live, you can save a lot of money by buying malt bottled by independent bottlers, rather than the original distillery. Some of these can even be better thna the original distiller bottlings. This si espeically true of brands like Macallan, which spend so much money on advertising that their prices are high relative to what they deliver. If you live in a city with a liquor store with a large selection, they should have some of these. Otherwise, depending on your state, some of the large liquor stores will ship to you, and you will certainly pay less that way than if you buy locally.
Also keep in mind that a number of malts are matured in sherry or refill sherry casks, and may not say so on the label. This includes many Islay malts such as Laphroaig (not all of them). Macallan malts (except the Fine Oak series) are also usually matured in sherrry or refill sherry casks.
Perhaps the best "bang for the buck" is the 12 year old Dalmore, from the northern Highlands. You should be able to pick that up for under $25, and if you are lucky, under $20.
If you do decide that you like the Islay malts, the levels of "peatiness" range from Ardbeg (most) to Bruichladdich (least, on average).
For other, milder malts like Glenkichnie, you could try Glengoyne.
For something really unique, you could try Springbank. This is the only Campbelltown distillery in current production, and quite uniqe. Unfortunately, since they know that they have a monopoly, their prices are high.
sorry I didn't notice this thread before now. I am one of those guys who doesn't believe that he collects, until he counts the object--at last count I had over 120 bottles of unopened malts, and always 9 opened. Pretty high turnover. I would say that, first of all:
Depending on where you live, you can save a lot of money by buying malt bottled by independent bottlers, rather than the original distillery. Some of these can even be better thna the original distiller bottlings. This si espeically true of brands like Macallan, which spend so much money on advertising that their prices are high relative to what they deliver. If you live in a city with a liquor store with a large selection, they should have some of these. Otherwise, depending on your state, some of the large liquor stores will ship to you, and you will certainly pay less that way than if you buy locally.
Also keep in mind that a number of malts are matured in sherry or refill sherry casks, and may not say so on the label. This includes many Islay malts such as Laphroaig (not all of them). Macallan malts (except the Fine Oak series) are also usually matured in sherrry or refill sherry casks.
Perhaps the best "bang for the buck" is the 12 year old Dalmore, from the northern Highlands. You should be able to pick that up for under $25, and if you are lucky, under $20.
If you do decide that you like the Islay malts, the levels of "peatiness" range from Ardbeg (most) to Bruichladdich (least, on average).
For other, milder malts like Glenkichnie, you could try Glengoyne.
For something really unique, you could try Springbank. This is the only Campbelltown distillery in current production, and quite uniqe. Unfortunately, since they know that they have a monopoly, their prices are high.
.
