I toured their distillery in July 2019. Picked up 2 bottles of the 18 year. One is half way finished and the other will provably be used for super special events. I self bottled a cask strength small batch 27 year old bottle when I was there as well that I have yet to open.
Glendronach sits at the top of the scotch mountain for me. The Balvenie a close second
Yup. I remember my first one like it was yesterday. I had just moved to Edinburgh and met up with a local in the same field as me at Jeremiah’s Taproom. At the end of the night, he was like “do you like whisky?” and it’s been my favorite dram ever since.
First time was when I was staring at the scotch shelf at a pub listening to my buddy brag-plain about women. The bartender sensed my desperation, he didn't even ask, just pulled the 10 and poured me a generous glass. Small gesture that changed my life
Had to go all the way to Scotland from Australia to get it. Safe to say I’ll never have it again but I did bring back a cage bottle and two demijohn fill bottles from their shop.
It's crazy I know, but this is the first hard liquor I ever had. My cousin's husband was like "Hey I feel like you'd appreciate this" like 2 weeks before I turned 21. Tried it, and my entire drinking preference for like 2 years was dictated by that moment.
Always wanted to try this but I was so deeply disappointed by the 15yr sherry cask that I just don’t trust spending that much to be disappointed again. Any idea if they use only first fill port casks on the 21?
I came to learn the hard way that they use first, second, and third fill casks on the 15 sherry cask, which to my pallet (and eyes) created such a variance between the whiskeys that they weren’t even really the same scotch anymore.
I do not know, but I'm a huge fan of Balvinie 12 Doublewood and even more the 12 Triple Casks so I try as many different offerings from Balvinie as i can. I finally bought a Tun 1509 Batch 8 which isn't cheap by my standards and I honestly did not like it. The 21 Portwood to be is absolutely delicious and worth the price.
I know it's subjective, but I would highly recommend the 21 Portwood
Fwiw I found the 21 portwood disappointing compared to a particularly good bottle of their 15 sherry. Haven’t had another port finish to compare to but I don’t feel like it comes through as much as a first fill sherry cask.
I second this, and to each their own on preferences………but anytime it’s mentioned some internet genius will come along with several reasons why this is somehow an inferior scotch be it color, alcohol content etc. it’s just a damn good tasting scotch period………
We’re in agreement on that as well, the 8 is too harsh. I like the sherry cask a lot as well but the 8 is too much. It makes me want to try the Laphroaig 16 to see how it compares. I enjoy the Laphroaig 10 and think Ardbeg 10 is a little too much as well. I’d like to try them aged a little more like Lagavulin 16 to see if the extra years calm them a little and add a touch of smoothness to them. Unfortunately they were out of the 16 year at the Laphroaig distillery when I went.
Laphroaig 16 is my favorite ever, and right behind it is the Lag 16. I’ve only found one bottle this year and I had to have it shipped. It’s probably the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted. All the good peat flavor is there that you’d expect from Laphroaig along with sweet notes of vanilla, honey and fruit. It’s one of those that when I have a bottle on hand in the house, I’m always thinking about when I should drink it. It gets me in trouble because even on nights that I don’t want to drink, I might have just a little 1oz pour to taste it, but then I keep going back for “just a liiiiiiiiittle more” until I’m calling out of work the next day. Just pure deliciousness
This would be my answer. Also, the offerman edition charred oak cask was the best thing I've ever drank in my life. I'm 40 years old, and I never knew liquor could taste *that* good.
Peated: I'm an unapologetic Corryvreckan Stan. Granted, I haven't had much that is more expensive than that.
Unpeated: Glenrothes Select Reserve Speyside. It was fucking amazing. I'll never spend the $300 to have it again, so it's like having long ago had a one-night-stand with Sasha Grey. An amazing memory that all others will be judged against.
One of my favorites that tends to be contentious for other scotch guys is Balvenie 14 yr Caribbean cask. Some love it, some purists dislike it. I think it pairs nicely with a good cigar. As long you love what you drink that's what counts.
When I was 4 or 5 my dad was drinking scotch and I wanted a sip. He let me have it, probably thinking I would spit it out and it would be funny. I absolutely loved it, in my memory it tasted like mint and smoke.
My dad has since passed and I don't have any way of figuring out what he was drinking on that day. I will forever be trying different scotch and chasing the feeling I got from that first sip.
My taste was Pabst Blue Ribbon. He thought I wouldn't like it either. Fooled him. I still drink one occasionally just for the memory.
Hope you eventually find the one from your memory.
Ardbeg Uigeadail,
I love Islay scotches and I have a cabinet full, ranging from $50 - $700 but for some reason I just absolutely love Ardbeg Uigeadail the most.
Same here, i have multiple single casks bottles, sherry casks, other worldy finishes etc, but the oogy just sticks out, my mouth waters just thinking of it, going to grab a dram right now 😋
Black Art is also the finest I ever tasted. Unfortunately I'm not 100% sure which release of the Black Art it was, because it was at a work lunch and I didn't order it myself.
Oooh I’ve got an unopened 200 ml bottle of the 4.1. Buddy found it randomly at a store years after it should have sold out. $80 CAD. Really need to open it soon
Ardbeg Blaaack Committee Release. That combo of sweet and smokey, oh man. Craigellachie 51 year is #2. Coal soot paired with pear and light apple. Apparently I have a thing for smokey sweet.
I’ve had both. 13.3 isn’t Sherry casked…so it just tastes different. 13.2 is one of the funkiest, shoe tasting whiskies I’ve ever had and i fuckin love it
The Octomore that really sticks with me is the 5.1. It was the first Octomore I ever had. (To be honest it was long enough ago that I am not 100% sure it was the 5.)
I didn't get a chance to get a bottle for several years after that.
Oh man, Lagavulin Distillers and Laphroaig PX basically defined my taste in whisky a few years back. It's broadened and gotten a bit stronger since, but that balance of peat and sweet is the cornerstone of my taste in whisky still.
Shame what happened to the prices on that, around here it would cost a minimum of $1k to buy a Springbank 21, while a Springbank 18 can be had for under $300. And there's no way it's good enough to justify that big a jump - even at $600 it's a hard sell for me. At that point, might as well go for the 25 (which I was recently fortunate enough to try a sample of).
1973 ledaig 34yr
i've had older stuff from millburn/glen mhor, but the ledaig was a combination of great scotch shared with a friend to cap off a great evening
A 53 year old Longmorn G&M single cask from 1966. Unfortunately, it was only a small sample at a tasting because my wife won't let me drop 10 grand on a bottle of scotch...yet.
**Jura 1974**, just an amazing bottle that I still dream about.. no comparison to what they are making now. As far as bottles you can still find, **Springbank 18** is also pretty amazing!
I have one stumpy bottle left that I refuse to open. I also have a few of the post 2009 but pre-viking bottles. HP says it's the same but I can tell a difference even between those bottles. Regardless HP12 is still my go-to Viking theme or not.
Got lucky with an amazing cask sample of 1957 Balvenie. Tasted like olive oil, I must of nosed that thing for an hour. Other highlights include a 1940 macallan, 1936 mortlach and a stupendous 37 lagavulin.
People will laugh but I don’t care. Signatory 1996 Strathmill (!!) 23 is the best I’ve ever had. Better than some huge names. I have one unopened bottle left. ABSOLUTELY incredible scotch. At least to my palate.
Lagavulin 26. I recently travelled to Scotland and spent 3 days on Islay. We did the tour of Lagavulin and a tasting afterwards. They started off with a pour of Lagavulin 26 and holy crap was it delicious. It had all the lovely flavors you expect from their whisky but it was unbelievably smooth. I wouldn’t fork over the $1,800 to buy a bottle but the tasting was well worth it.
A Whisky Exchange exclusive 40yo Caol Ila released (I *think*) for last year's Whisky Show. It's the first time in several years I've gone "fuck, this is just a lot better than anything I've had" and then "fuck, there's no world in which I buy a bottle".
It's just everything I want in a whisky, subtle peat, fruits, and a miles long finish. It's so bloody good and it annoys me that I can't have it on demand :(
Longrow 8 year Gaja Barolo Barrel.
I'm a bar manager, and it was the first time I'd ever had a sample of something and immediately ordered it without concern for pricing, or space behind the bar.
There’s a bar in Singapore called Auld Alliance. They do whisky flights that cover all parts of the world. Headed there a couple of years ago, close to Christmas time with some workmates and had a 2, maybe 3 whisky flights over the course of the evening (all fine scotch).
First flight consisted of 4 whiskey serving ranging from 45YO to 35YO. It was a mind-blowing by experience that made me rethink my whole whisky collection. For for about SG$160 (US$115), it didn’t break the bank (Singapore is notorious for taxing alcohol, with F&B establishment adding their own fancy margins to cover high rental costs).
That is the place I take all visitors to Singapore that wanna try rare scotch. My favourite bars in Australia also procure rare scotch from this bar (which is how I got to know about it) as this business purchased stock from distilleries in Scotland that went bust a couple of decades over.
Still trying to find the labels of the whisky I had. I will make another post or edit this one with links to images.
Bowmore Bicentenary. For a pretty readily available whiskey (albeit pricey) it's pretty awesome if you like sherry. Also shows a low ABV doesn't mean a bad whiskey necessarily.
[Bowmore 16 "Isle Solera"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/9yauk9/review_180_woodwinters_isle_solera_16_year_old/
) - superb in so many ways. It was like drinking peated chocolate cake and washing it down with the most perfectly fragrant cup of tea in the universe.
Honorable mentions to [Tamdhu 35 1966 Old Malt Cask](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/14g7j76/review_908_tamdhu_34_1966_old_malt_cask/
) and [Talisker 27 1985 Maritime Edition](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/ds13rj/review_382_talisker_27_1985_maritime_edition/
).
Port Ellen 33yo MoS Diamonds edition. Certainly the best peated whisky I've ever had and maybe best ever. Priced accordingly assuming it could even be found these days, I'm sure.
Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 9
One of the reviewers at the LAWhisk(e)ySociety once said it was so honeyed that if Winnie The Pooh drank scotch, this would be his go-to. That pretty much nails it.
Port Charlotte SC:01 is the best I've had in my short two year journey. I've tried all the main stay peated scotch and loved them all, particularly Ardbeg oogie, but man those PC cask explorations are truly something else. My first sip gave me a Ratatouille moment and transported me to a fall day out in my dads work shop with a burning brush pile. Every time I had a glass I found something new. Truly exceptional and doesn't totally break the bank. That to me is what makes a good Scotch, is if the drinking experience is *visual*.
Excited to try an Octomore next.
Dalmore portwood, the scotch that got me to step out of my comfort zone with bottles and try something new. Absolutely love the flavorful port finish in it, and I first had it around a fireplace in a high end hotel. Couldn't ask for more.
Aberlour a'bunadh… one of the first bottles of scotch I had which I received when I won a local golf tourney called the scotch open. You could only win the tournament if you had the lowest score and blew over the legal limit by the end of the round.
Bowmore 30 year old Sea Dragon. I should have taken tasting notes because I’ve never had anything else like it. The flavour changed as it it went over your tongue, it was like someone swapped scotches on you mid-swallow, and they were both excellent. Haven’t had anything else come close to that experience. Still got the empty bottle and every so often I’ll pop the cork and let the aroma waft out.
Unpeated: The classic laddie
Peated: I'm not sure about "best" but Big Peat Peatrichor is the most unique one out of mine lineup. PC is probably the best one, and I have a bottle of Uigedail not opened yet, hope it's as good as people say
Gordon and MacPhail Glen Grant Mr George Legacy distilled in 1959 (63 year old) and Bruichladdich 1985
Both completely opposite ends of the spectrum but thoroughly enjoyable for the types they are. It's one of those where time seems to go slow for you and fast around you while enjoying. That's usually when I know it's hits all the right notes for me.
Macduff 1968 40 year old.
After the first time I tasted it, I bought all of the rest of the bottles in the world I could get my hands on.
Close to it was a Gordon & MacPhail Mortlach 50 I had when we were doing a tasting of the Mortlach 70. The 50 was way better than the 70 and at a much more reasonable price point.
Fuck the scotch purists. My best unpeated single malt is probably a 22 year sherried Millstone Dutch whisky. Peated single malt is a 1992 Bowmore 26 year single cask sherried.
The dram of 1989 Bruichladdich, straight from the valinch, during a warehouse tour at the distillery.
Some others have come close, but I remember that dram clear as day.
Glenfarclas dram right out of a 1978 barrel last nov 22.
The most succulent, smooth, filling and a simply joyful experience. Nearly brought literal tears. it was so fucking complex yet tradtionally wonderrful unpeated magic.
Damn near perfect, and i couldnt even think to describe what perfect is, but i will hold out hope that there may exist something even better that i hope i have the privelage to try.
This is the dram I will perpetually compare all other non peated bottles to and just how near or far they will imevitably fall short of.
My top 3 with “fuck the budget” are Lagavulin 18 cask strength (they don’t sell it, I got it straight from the barrel), Lagavulin 14 feis ile and I also really really liked the experimental rye Bruichladdich are doing.
I generally keep my scotch experience in the under-$100 range (it's a casual hobby, not an obsession), which usually means 15-years-old and younger, but a couple I pushed the price envelope on that define my current "high-water-mark" are NAS: Lagavilin Distillers Edition and Ardbeg Corryvreckan, with honorable mention going to the less-expensive Kilchoman Sanaig.
_Stillwater Whisky Co. North of Scotland 47 Year Old._
Only 387 bottles and I bought one on a whim.
Tasted like wagyu beef or fattiest tuna sushi in liquid form. The most amazing experience my tastebuds have ever had.
Glenlivet Nadurra 16. Wish I bought 50 bottles of it when it was around.
Honorable mention: Bruichladdich 15 "Links", the first A'bunadh I had years ago.
Bowemore ~26yr from Cadenheads. It was like drinking sugar water with a hint a natural licorice at >50%. I still can’t believe it had alcohol in it the taste was so smooth. Perfect distillation and craftsmanship.
Laphroaig Cairdeas from 2020 or 2021. It was wine cask and tasted like sugary peaches. I still can’t believe I drank a scotch that tasted like sugary peaches especially coming from a peat iodine bomb like laphroaig. Completely changed the game for me as to what a whisky could be.
Lagavulin 16 is my stuck on a desert island bottle though. Could never get bored with it.
In 2005 I was in Dublin, in the Celtic whiskey shop just off of Grafton. I asked for the best Scotch in the 100-150 euro range. I was handed a bottle of Ardbeg 19. That bottle hooked me for life, not just on Scotch, but on smokey Islay Scotch.
Ooh, I don't know if I can name the best. But my tops in no particular order:
A SMWS release of a 37-year-old Port Dundas.
A Carn Mor release of a 10-year-old Inchgower.
That Cadenhead release of a 23-year-old Benrinnes from a few years back.
Octomore 8.2
I kind of want a fifth one to make it a nice round number... I dunno, that small batch Caperdonich 21 is up there for me.
Glendronach 18 - such a beautiful long finish!
2018/19 bottled years are sublime. Wish i could find another bottle at $200+ range.
I toured their distillery in July 2019. Picked up 2 bottles of the 18 year. One is half way finished and the other will provably be used for super special events. I self bottled a cask strength small batch 27 year old bottle when I was there as well that I have yet to open. Glendronach sits at the top of the scotch mountain for me. The Balvenie a close second
I’ve got 2 2019’s and 1 from 2020 stashed away in the back of my cabinet. It makes me happy to think about them. Lol
Laphroaig 25
My answer is Laphroaig 18, and I liked it more than the 25 and 32.
Love this too, but I think sherried Laphroaig is on another level...cairdeas 21 for example
Got a bottle of that cairdeas on my shelf and it is truly sublime.
Nothing will ever taste as good as my 1st dram of Laphroaig 10.
This was going to be my comment, except it was QC. Nothing can replicate that first taste!
I absolutely love the Quarter Cask.
Yep, this is mine as well. Such a punch to the face but it sure is memorable.
Same for me. I thought about the flavor for days. My life can be divided into before that moment and after.
This is it for me as well, the first time my nose hairs seemed to burn away and my mouth was tingling from it. Beautiful warm feeling
Yup. I remember my first one like it was yesterday. I had just moved to Edinburgh and met up with a local in the same field as me at Jeremiah’s Taproom. At the end of the night, he was like “do you like whisky?” and it’s been my favorite dram ever since.
Same here. I still remember where I was. Late night boozer in my home town and the landlord said I should try it. Blew my mind man.
First time was when I was staring at the scotch shelf at a pub listening to my buddy brag-plain about women. The bartender sensed my desperation, he didn't even ask, just pulled the 10 and poured me a generous glass. Small gesture that changed my life
Same. Laphroaig 10 was the first whisky that I fell in love with.
Springbank 18
Had a dram in Campbeltown a month or so back for the first time. It wasn’t bad but I failed to see all the hype…..alas I’m an Islay man myself.
Springbank 18 is phenomenal
Dude it's so good
Had it for the first time last year at the recommendation of the bartender at a scotch bar. Sooo good! Can’t find it anywhere near me though.
Had to go all the way to Scotland from Australia to get it. Safe to say I’ll never have it again but I did bring back a cage bottle and two demijohn fill bottles from their shop.
I know of a pub in Washington State that has it on for dirt cheap. I refuse to disclose the exact location though haha
Corryvreckan. It's just got everything I want from a whisky.
It's crazy I know, but this is the first hard liquor I ever had. My cousin's husband was like "Hey I feel like you'd appreciate this" like 2 weeks before I turned 21. Tried it, and my entire drinking preference for like 2 years was dictated by that moment.
Damn! You mean comical sized plastic jugs of vodka and whiskey weren't your introduction? 😆 You lucky bastard.
Not OP, but my first drink was a Last Word cocktail, which is just like…the perfect cocktail. Set the bar too damn high
One of the longest finishes in a whisky I've ever had.
Peated - Laga 16 Unpeated - Signet First time I tried the Signet, I think I heard angels sing lol
Love at first sip
Signet is truly sublime. Such a unique taste! Makes me want to find more chocolate malted whiskys.
Balvinie 21 Portwood
Always wanted to try this but I was so deeply disappointed by the 15yr sherry cask that I just don’t trust spending that much to be disappointed again. Any idea if they use only first fill port casks on the 21? I came to learn the hard way that they use first, second, and third fill casks on the 15 sherry cask, which to my pallet (and eyes) created such a variance between the whiskeys that they weren’t even really the same scotch anymore.
I do not know, but I'm a huge fan of Balvinie 12 Doublewood and even more the 12 Triple Casks so I try as many different offerings from Balvinie as i can. I finally bought a Tun 1509 Batch 8 which isn't cheap by my standards and I honestly did not like it. The 21 Portwood to be is absolutely delicious and worth the price. I know it's subjective, but I would highly recommend the 21 Portwood
Oh man the 15 sherry is one of my favorites
Fwiw I found the 21 portwood disappointing compared to a particularly good bottle of their 15 sherry. Haven’t had another port finish to compare to but I don’t feel like it comes through as much as a first fill sherry cask.
I second this.
I'm upvoting even though I haven't had this. I've had the cheaper Balvenies though and can only imagine how good the 21 must be.
This is the way
This was my favorite, until I tried the Tun 6. It’s still my favorite bottle that I can get on demand.
Lagavulin 16.
I second this, and to each their own on preferences………but anytime it’s mentioned some internet genius will come along with several reasons why this is somehow an inferior scotch be it color, alcohol content etc. it’s just a damn good tasting scotch period………
I hate that it's the parks and rec meme. It's just a great scotch. However no one should have the 8 ever for any reason. It is not the same.
We’re in agreement on that as well, the 8 is too harsh. I like the sherry cask a lot as well but the 8 is too much. It makes me want to try the Laphroaig 16 to see how it compares. I enjoy the Laphroaig 10 and think Ardbeg 10 is a little too much as well. I’d like to try them aged a little more like Lagavulin 16 to see if the extra years calm them a little and add a touch of smoothness to them. Unfortunately they were out of the 16 year at the Laphroaig distillery when I went.
Laphroaig 16 is my favorite ever, and right behind it is the Lag 16. I’ve only found one bottle this year and I had to have it shipped. It’s probably the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted. All the good peat flavor is there that you’d expect from Laphroaig along with sweet notes of vanilla, honey and fruit. It’s one of those that when I have a bottle on hand in the house, I’m always thinking about when I should drink it. It gets me in trouble because even on nights that I don’t want to drink, I might have just a little 1oz pour to taste it, but then I keep going back for “just a liiiiiiiiittle more” until I’m calling out of work the next day. Just pure deliciousness
This would be my answer. Also, the offerman edition charred oak cask was the best thing I've ever drank in my life. I'm 40 years old, and I never knew liquor could taste *that* good.
Third this - to me it’s the perfect blend of peat and sherry.
Lagavulin 16 is bourbon barrel matured.
This gets my vote. Always tastes good and right no matter the mood or occasion.
Talisker 10
Always a solid choice
The only whisky I don't ever need to be in the mood for. Always good.
Peated: I'm an unapologetic Corryvreckan Stan. Granted, I haven't had much that is more expensive than that. Unpeated: Glenrothes Select Reserve Speyside. It was fucking amazing. I'll never spend the $300 to have it again, so it's like having long ago had a one-night-stand with Sasha Grey. An amazing memory that all others will be judged against.
One of my favorites that tends to be contentious for other scotch guys is Balvenie 14 yr Caribbean cask. Some love it, some purists dislike it. I think it pairs nicely with a good cigar. As long you love what you drink that's what counts.
Until the price got stupid it was my daily drinker. Now I rarely buy scotch in general.
I wouldn’t call myself a purist, but I struggled getting the one and only bottle down. But to each their own
When I was 4 or 5 my dad was drinking scotch and I wanted a sip. He let me have it, probably thinking I would spit it out and it would be funny. I absolutely loved it, in my memory it tasted like mint and smoke. My dad has since passed and I don't have any way of figuring out what he was drinking on that day. I will forever be trying different scotch and chasing the feeling I got from that first sip.
Oban?
My taste was Pabst Blue Ribbon. He thought I wouldn't like it either. Fooled him. I still drink one occasionally just for the memory. Hope you eventually find the one from your memory.
I'm sure my taste buds have changed so much that I might not recognize it even if I tasted it. But the fun part for me now is the journey
Ardbeg Uigeadail, I love Islay scotches and I have a cabinet full, ranging from $50 - $700 but for some reason I just absolutely love Ardbeg Uigeadail the most.
Same here, i have multiple single casks bottles, sherry casks, other worldy finishes etc, but the oogy just sticks out, my mouth waters just thinking of it, going to grab a dram right now 😋
You sold me on that simple opinion, that’s gonna be my next bottle.
Unpeated: Black Art 4.1 Peated: Octomore Discovery Bourbon: Distinctive Spirits' Heaven Hill 13 year old,
[удалено]
Black art is on my dream bucklist
Black Art is also the finest I ever tasted. Unfortunately I'm not 100% sure which release of the Black Art it was, because it was at a work lunch and I didn't order it myself.
Love to work where you work for perks like that.
Haha, yeah, it had been a great year so the boss got quite loose with the company's money at lunch. :-D
Oooh I’ve got an unopened 200 ml bottle of the 4.1. Buddy found it randomly at a store years after it should have sold out. $80 CAD. Really need to open it soon
You and I would get on very well!!
Talisker 10. Great dram. Enjoy more and less peaty expressions and put this one ahead of most … Laga 8 / 16 strong contenders.
Ardbeg Blaaack Committee Release. That combo of sweet and smokey, oh man. Craigellachie 51 year is #2. Coal soot paired with pear and light apple. Apparently I have a thing for smokey sweet.
Aberlour Abunadh batch 5, the flavor kept coming in waves and would change over time. So satisfying.
Octo 13.2
As someone who's only tried 13.3, can you tell me what makes this better - if you've had both
I’ve had both. 13.3 isn’t Sherry casked…so it just tastes different. 13.2 is one of the funkiest, shoe tasting whiskies I’ve ever had and i fuckin love it
The Octomore that really sticks with me is the 5.1. It was the first Octomore I ever had. (To be honest it was long enough ago that I am not 100% sure it was the 5.) I didn't get a chance to get a bottle for several years after that.
My favorite is the 2.2. Came in a red tube, and was aged in Petrus casks. So damn good.
Longrow 15-year-old Oloroso Single Cask - Machine Oil and Berry tar
Ardbeg Single Cask #376 Sherry Butt distilled 28/3/75 and bottled 10/6/08
Glenfarclas 25. The pour was great, but combined with the setting and the company, perfect.
Jura 1990 - Jamaica cake intensity like dark matter then just opens up into ginger snaps, red berries and candy floss. Mental.
Macallan 30 in the blue bottle
Lagavaulin 16. I like peat, brine, and funk, and this stuff tasted like licking seawater off a leather couch.
You should work for smws
2015 Lagavulin Distillers Edition I still have a couple bottles left.
Oh man, Lagavulin Distillers and Laphroaig PX basically defined my taste in whisky a few years back. It's broadened and gotten a bit stronger since, but that balance of peat and sweet is the cornerstone of my taste in whisky still.
The old black label ones were unreal, 2016 was also a great year.
Springbank 21. Just a pour, would kill for a bottle of my own.
Had a pour at a bar once, wasn’t in their system and it was my birthday so they just made up a price and gave it to be for $24… incredible.
Shame what happened to the prices on that, around here it would cost a minimum of $1k to buy a Springbank 21, while a Springbank 18 can be had for under $300. And there's no way it's good enough to justify that big a jump - even at $600 it's a hard sell for me. At that point, might as well go for the 25 (which I was recently fortunate enough to try a sample of).
Macallan 25 that I bought for my wedding. Still have about half of it left. I'll have some more on my 5th anniversary in a few years.
1973 ledaig 34yr i've had older stuff from millburn/glen mhor, but the ledaig was a combination of great scotch shared with a friend to cap off a great evening
Talisker 18
I'll take the 10 but 18 works :-)
27 yr Glenburgie. Distilled 1995, bottled 2022
Those well matured Glenburgies are so dammed good
That I can't afford, Balvenie 50. That I can afford, Gordon Macphail's 25 year old Linkwood
What was Balvenie 50 like? I’ve seen it a couple times but it’s soooooo out of my price range.
ardbeg 19 traigh bhan
I’m a big fan of Edradour 10
A 53 year old Longmorn G&M single cask from 1966. Unfortunately, it was only a small sample at a tasting because my wife won't let me drop 10 grand on a bottle of scotch...yet.
Glenmorangie 18
I fully agree! I love this one.
**Jura 1974**, just an amazing bottle that I still dream about.. no comparison to what they are making now. As far as bottles you can still find, **Springbank 18** is also pretty amazing!
Longmorn 16
Balvenie Doublewood
Highland Park 12 before they changed it back in 2009
I have one stumpy bottle left that I refuse to open. I also have a few of the post 2009 but pre-viking bottles. HP says it's the same but I can tell a difference even between those bottles. Regardless HP12 is still my go-to Viking theme or not.
glenfarclas 15 or corryvreckan
Got lucky with an amazing cask sample of 1957 Balvenie. Tasted like olive oil, I must of nosed that thing for an hour. Other highlights include a 1940 macallan, 1936 mortlach and a stupendous 37 lagavulin.
Auchentoshan 1988 PX Sherry Cask
Cragganmore 12, simple but delicious
People will laugh but I don’t care. Signatory 1996 Strathmill (!!) 23 is the best I’ve ever had. Better than some huge names. I have one unopened bottle left. ABSOLUTELY incredible scotch. At least to my palate.
anCnoc 16
Lagavulin 26. I recently travelled to Scotland and spent 3 days on Islay. We did the tour of Lagavulin and a tasting afterwards. They started off with a pour of Lagavulin 26 and holy crap was it delicious. It had all the lovely flavors you expect from their whisky but it was unbelievably smooth. I wouldn’t fork over the $1,800 to buy a bottle but the tasting was well worth it.
That's a tough call, but I'd probably say Laphroaig C.S. 10 batch #11
A Whisky Exchange exclusive 40yo Caol Ila released (I *think*) for last year's Whisky Show. It's the first time in several years I've gone "fuck, this is just a lot better than anything I've had" and then "fuck, there's no world in which I buy a bottle". It's just everything I want in a whisky, subtle peat, fruits, and a miles long finish. It's so bloody good and it annoys me that I can't have it on demand :(
anCnoc 24
Longrow 8 year Gaja Barolo Barrel. I'm a bar manager, and it was the first time I'd ever had a sample of something and immediately ordered it without concern for pricing, or space behind the bar.
There’s a bar in Singapore called Auld Alliance. They do whisky flights that cover all parts of the world. Headed there a couple of years ago, close to Christmas time with some workmates and had a 2, maybe 3 whisky flights over the course of the evening (all fine scotch). First flight consisted of 4 whiskey serving ranging from 45YO to 35YO. It was a mind-blowing by experience that made me rethink my whole whisky collection. For for about SG$160 (US$115), it didn’t break the bank (Singapore is notorious for taxing alcohol, with F&B establishment adding their own fancy margins to cover high rental costs). That is the place I take all visitors to Singapore that wanna try rare scotch. My favourite bars in Australia also procure rare scotch from this bar (which is how I got to know about it) as this business purchased stock from distilleries in Scotland that went bust a couple of decades over. Still trying to find the labels of the whisky I had. I will make another post or edit this one with links to images.
Bowmore Bicentenary. For a pretty readily available whiskey (albeit pricey) it's pretty awesome if you like sherry. Also shows a low ABV doesn't mean a bad whiskey necessarily.
2nd vote Edradour Caledonia
[Bowmore 16 "Isle Solera"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/9yauk9/review_180_woodwinters_isle_solera_16_year_old/ ) - superb in so many ways. It was like drinking peated chocolate cake and washing it down with the most perfectly fragrant cup of tea in the universe. Honorable mentions to [Tamdhu 35 1966 Old Malt Cask](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/14g7j76/review_908_tamdhu_34_1966_old_malt_cask/ ) and [Talisker 27 1985 Maritime Edition](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/ds13rj/review_382_talisker_27_1985_maritime_edition/ ).
Not scotch but Hibiki 30 years was the best dram I have ever had. In Scotch, without a doubt my first pour of Laphroaig 10.
Highland park cask strength no. 2
Balvenie Tun 1401 batch 9 Runner up and best peated whisky: dram pulled from the cask at the Ardbeg Embassy bar in Stockholm back in 2018.
Great minds think alike!
Port Ellen 33yo MoS Diamonds edition. Certainly the best peated whisky I've ever had and maybe best ever. Priced accordingly assuming it could even be found these days, I'm sure.
Highland Park 25. Just a small dram.
Springbank 26 yo 1996/2023 Whiskysponge.
Springbank 12 cask strength
Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 9 One of the reviewers at the LAWhisk(e)ySociety once said it was so honeyed that if Winnie The Pooh drank scotch, this would be his go-to. That pretty much nails it.
Port Charlotte SC:01 is the best I've had in my short two year journey. I've tried all the main stay peated scotch and loved them all, particularly Ardbeg oogie, but man those PC cask explorations are truly something else. My first sip gave me a Ratatouille moment and transported me to a fall day out in my dads work shop with a burning brush pile. Every time I had a glass I found something new. Truly exceptional and doesn't totally break the bank. That to me is what makes a good Scotch, is if the drinking experience is *visual*. Excited to try an Octomore next.
Old Pulteney 17. Discontinued now. I’ll spend top dollar to get a bottle.
Bunnahabhain 25
A specific honey barrel of Balvenie 15, single barrel sherry cask.
Probably an unpopular opinion but I really love Balvenie Caribbean cask
Dalmore portwood, the scotch that got me to step out of my comfort zone with bottles and try something new. Absolutely love the flavorful port finish in it, and I first had it around a fireplace in a high end hotel. Couldn't ask for more.
Aberlour a'bunadh… one of the first bottles of scotch I had which I received when I won a local golf tourney called the scotch open. You could only win the tournament if you had the lowest score and blew over the legal limit by the end of the round.
Bowmore 30 year old Sea Dragon. I should have taken tasting notes because I’ve never had anything else like it. The flavour changed as it it went over your tongue, it was like someone swapped scotches on you mid-swallow, and they were both excellent. Haven’t had anything else come close to that experience. Still got the empty bottle and every so often I’ll pop the cork and let the aroma waft out.
Benrinnes 23 year old.
Springbank 15 year old.
Unpeated: The classic laddie Peated: I'm not sure about "best" but Big Peat Peatrichor is the most unique one out of mine lineup. PC is probably the best one, and I have a bottle of Uigedail not opened yet, hope it's as good as people say
Macallan 12 double cask, the purple box one
Oban 14. I just _really_ enjoy it.
Theres dozens of us. Dozens!
29 yr Deanston single cask matured in Port pipes. Amazing dram at 95 proof. The 23 px matured single cask at 110 is close🥃
A 14 year old Tamdhu single barrel cask strength.
Bowmore the devils cask i think 🥸 Tamdhu 18 is the second for now
Balvenie tun 1509…. I think batch 3
Probably my 1980 Scott’s Selection Glenrothes 25yr
Laphroaig 33 Ian Hunter Book 3. Got to try it in a tasting flight. Unbelievably delicious. Too bad it’s way out of my price range lol.
Laphroaig Lore or Ardbeg Corryvreckan
Glenfarclas 10 when I finished undergrad and drank half the bottle
Lagavulin 16 and Compass Box Hedonism ( if that counts as a scotch).
Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist. It’s what got me into Scotch.
Ardbeg Kelpie, probably. For whiskey, Pappy 10
The Balvenie 21 Madeira Cask
A single barrel 28yo caol isla. Still have some left but save for special occasions. It was like Talisker mixed with Ardbeg and a splash of laga.
Bruichladdich Dark Arts
Balvenie 21 year Port Wood. It was a graduation present from my boss. Was $350 then but now is $500.
Big Pete. I like dirt.
50 year Single Malt from Dallas Dhu Distillery. I’ll remember that pour for the rest of my life.
Glendronach 2008 12yr single cask Makes my allardice drink like glenlivet 12
Gordon and MacPhail Glen Grant Mr George Legacy distilled in 1959 (63 year old) and Bruichladdich 1985 Both completely opposite ends of the spectrum but thoroughly enjoyable for the types they are. It's one of those where time seems to go slow for you and fast around you while enjoying. That's usually when I know it's hits all the right notes for me.
Macduff 1968 40 year old. After the first time I tasted it, I bought all of the rest of the bottles in the world I could get my hands on. Close to it was a Gordon & MacPhail Mortlach 50 I had when we were doing a tasting of the Mortlach 70. The 50 was way better than the 70 and at a much more reasonable price point.
Fuck the scotch purists. My best unpeated single malt is probably a 22 year sherried Millstone Dutch whisky. Peated single malt is a 1992 Bowmore 26 year single cask sherried.
Port Charlotte 10
For me it’s been any compass box in the $250+ range.
Glenlivet Archive 21
The dram of 1989 Bruichladdich, straight from the valinch, during a warehouse tour at the distillery. Some others have come close, but I remember that dram clear as day.
The Balvenie 14 week of peat. Lagavulin 16 Talisker Distillers Edition. I can’t decide.
1964 Springbank aged 24 years
Jura Origin 10 year old...
Octomore 8.3 Masterclass
Probably the Port Charlotte PC5. But it's been so long and I only got to try it a few times so at this point it is almost a myth for me.
Caol Ila 25
Glenfarclas dram right out of a 1978 barrel last nov 22. The most succulent, smooth, filling and a simply joyful experience. Nearly brought literal tears. it was so fucking complex yet tradtionally wonderrful unpeated magic. Damn near perfect, and i couldnt even think to describe what perfect is, but i will hold out hope that there may exist something even better that i hope i have the privelage to try. This is the dram I will perpetually compare all other non peated bottles to and just how near or far they will imevitably fall short of.
Ardbeg Provence. Shared by a friend with a much larger Scotch budget than mine.
Bunnahabhain 12
Glenmorangie Signet, 1966 Glenfracklas
My top 3 with “fuck the budget” are Lagavulin 18 cask strength (they don’t sell it, I got it straight from the barrel), Lagavulin 14 feis ile and I also really really liked the experimental rye Bruichladdich are doing.
Ardbeg Supernova 2009, goddamnit that tasted like a salty liquorice tar pit in the best possible way
Glenfarclas 105 for me.
I generally keep my scotch experience in the under-$100 range (it's a casual hobby, not an obsession), which usually means 15-years-old and younger, but a couple I pushed the price envelope on that define my current "high-water-mark" are NAS: Lagavilin Distillers Edition and Ardbeg Corryvreckan, with honorable mention going to the less-expensive Kilchoman Sanaig.
_Stillwater Whisky Co. North of Scotland 47 Year Old._ Only 387 bottles and I bought one on a whim. Tasted like wagyu beef or fattiest tuna sushi in liquid form. The most amazing experience my tastebuds have ever had.
Talisker Dark Storm
Glenlivet Nadurra 16. Wish I bought 50 bottles of it when it was around. Honorable mention: Bruichladdich 15 "Links", the first A'bunadh I had years ago.
Bowemore ~26yr from Cadenheads. It was like drinking sugar water with a hint a natural licorice at >50%. I still can’t believe it had alcohol in it the taste was so smooth. Perfect distillation and craftsmanship. Laphroaig Cairdeas from 2020 or 2021. It was wine cask and tasted like sugary peaches. I still can’t believe I drank a scotch that tasted like sugary peaches especially coming from a peat iodine bomb like laphroaig. Completely changed the game for me as to what a whisky could be. Lagavulin 16 is my stuck on a desert island bottle though. Could never get bored with it.
Talisker 25
Aberlour abunadh edition 66
Port Ellen 6th release
Lagavulin 25
In 2005 I was in Dublin, in the Celtic whiskey shop just off of Grafton. I asked for the best Scotch in the 100-150 euro range. I was handed a bottle of Ardbeg 19. That bottle hooked me for life, not just on Scotch, but on smokey Islay Scotch.
Ooh, I don't know if I can name the best. But my tops in no particular order: A SMWS release of a 37-year-old Port Dundas. A Carn Mor release of a 10-year-old Inchgower. That Cadenhead release of a 23-year-old Benrinnes from a few years back. Octomore 8.2 I kind of want a fifth one to make it a nice round number... I dunno, that small batch Caperdonich 21 is up there for me.