What whisk(e)y are we drinking? (Part 2)

adaminho

Sorry to hear that Cazale. I'll raise some of these for you later.

1901Rory

Sorry to hear that Cazale. You’ve kept this page ticking over and I’ve enjoyed reading your take on things. Take care.

Technophobe

Look after yourself Cazale, that's the most important thing.

You will be missed here and I definitely have enjoyed your opinions and contributions, so stay in touch..

Your peat knowledge will be missed!

Electric Nitwit

**** @Cazale, sorry to hear that.

My whiskey drinking is limited by two young kids at the moment so I don't post here much, but I read it with (jealous) interest and your posts have been great

Good luck getting through this, hope you get on top of it and are doing OK

c.p.w.g.w

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118512842#Comment_118512842

Got a bottle of Buffalo Trace(as a gift) and was very surprised by now smooth and nice it was... myself and a buddy had half a bottle last weekend

Cazale

Thanks for all the messages lads. It's very much appreciated and I'm overwhelmed. There is an episode in the last series of Curb Your Enthusiasm where Albert Brooks organises his own 'live' funeral so he can hear the eulogies. It takes Larry David to come along to spoil the love in by reminding the audience of what a prick he really is....

I'm a bit shook tbh and I was going to just abandon everything but a few posts here and a really lovely private message has put things into perspective. I had plans before to review some rare Irish whiskey I've tried. I might just do that and spend the next few months researching and reading up on things. You don't need to be on the field of play to analyse a football match I suppose.

Anyway that's enough derailing the thread from me so no more replies etc. Let's get back to the whiskey!

Ivefoundgod

Wishing you the very best Cazale, just echoing what others have already said but your posts in here were always so knowledgeable and full of information for a newbie like me. Hope to see you back in the future, take care of yourself.

PHG

Best of luck Cazale, hope you get back to normal asap! Really liked your reviews and input, so hopefully you put more up when you can.

10000maniacs

Got a bottle of Slane whiskey as a Christmas present from my brother this year, the taste is awesome. Different to any of the standard bottles. Sweeter.

Black Sheep

Good luck man!

It will be hard, but you’re the kind of guy who will find new passions, new challenges and strive to be knowledgeable and as expert in those as you are with whisky…

DeniG2

as a relative newcomer to whiskey (just over a year collecting) I just want to say a big thank you Cazale, I’ve learnt a lot from your posts/reviews, best of luck and good health

Beanstalk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118516647#Comment_118516647

Wow really sorry to hear that Cazale you'll be missed around here and especially with all your knowledge. Wishing you good health.

OwlParliament

Good luck to you Cazale. I've always enjoyed reading your posts here from the sidelines.

ZV Yoda

Cazale - sorry to hear that. I hope you can get it under control and back to full health.

As a workaround, maybe you could schedule your whiskey tasting in the mornings!

I agree with the other comments above - you’ve been a stellar poster on here. The voice of reason. Mind you, you’ve also cost me a fair few quid thanks to your recommendations!

lawrencesummers

Cazale, you should conside moving your alcohol consumption to first thing in the morning, That should stop the alcohol affecting your sleep at night.

Its might lead to divorce, unemployment and multiple arrests for drunk driving but you will still get a few drops in.

DeniG2

bought these 5 bottles this week, I’ve only tried the Connemara so far, pleasantly surprised, I didn’t think it would hold up against any peated scotch but it’s actually quiet nice, perfect week day sipper, I’m expecting a bigger peat hit from Wee Beastie

what are the thoughts on Connemara, is it generally well liked around these parts?

ZV Yoda

I like my peated whiskeys (especially Islay) and I'm a fan of Connemara.

Black Sheep

I'm mainly an Islay drinker and I had a few Connemaras recently with a friend, in a hotel bar. Good way to introduce someone to peat if they are a fairly cautious drinker of Irish whiskey.

Would I buy a bottle? No, probably not, but sometimes it does surprise me that no Irish whiskey producer has decided to go maverick and do a seriously high octane peated whiskey in an attempt to put something out that would rival the best of Islay. But I don't know anything about whiskey production, I presume there are a variety of reasons going beyond what people's expectations of what Irish whiskey should be are. Must we always go light on the peat, though?

DeniG2

I agree, Connemara is nice but you wouldn’t pick it over Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Laphroaig or anything else from Islay.

Even a peated Speyside like Benromach is nicer than it, but hopefully more Irish distilleries will get the hint and try be more adventurous with peat.

cloudatlas

I'm leaning towards getting a RB12 for St. Patrick's day this year. I'm out of the loop because I don't live in Ireland. Is there something else I should be purchasing at the moment? I drink Black Bush, tried Black Barrell, green spot, power's lane, writer's tears, hinch bottlings.

flended12

I'm not even a 3rd cousin of a whiskey expert however I'd second the Connemara one up above, had it a few years ago.

My current xmas batch was Jameson Black Barrel, Carribean Bushmills, 2 Bottle a Roe & Co!

All good. Thankfully no Original Jameson as it cuts the gizzard out of me!

PHG

Brought back a Teelings Taster set with me at Xmas. Tried the Single Malt there. Really like it, think I prefer to the Redbreast 12.

Prefer the initial taster when neat but it’s like a tequila burn going down. Tried ice then to soften the after.

As usual the gf tried it and was like how can you drink that :)

Cazale

Up North at the moment. Visited a few pubs (Guinness 0.0 only for me) and stumbled across a nice collection of old whiskey bottles in one of them. The barman let me take about a dozen of them down from the shelf and take some photos. I'll post the Ulster bottles for now. All empty unfortunately!

James McAllister and Sons from Ballymena most famous brand was Clan Colla which has been reestablished by the Galway based McAllister Spirits recently.

The Comber distillery stopped distilling in 1953 and fully closed a few years later. A 30yo bottle of old stock was released in the 80s. Another brand that has been reestablished last year. This time by Echlinville Distillery in Down.

The home to the original Tyrconnell and Inishowen Whiskey. The Watt distillery was based in the Bogside and closed in the 1920s.

Electric Nitwit

On the subject of peated/Islay, has anyone tried Johnnie Walker Island Green?

Travel exclusive one. They say "it's a rare combination, showcasing a greater influence of Island malts – most prominently Caol Ila – those who have tried Johnnie Walker Green label will find Johnnie Walker Island Green to be a smokier, more intense expression of the original."

Getting the ferry to Wales next week and Irish Ferries duty free collection looks poor enough. That looked interesting, but would like to hear someone tell me it's worth €55. I'm a big fan of the double black, so hoping this might be a step up from that

Black Sheep

If you like JW Black and Double Black then the various middle and higher end expressions are generally considered good. The Gold is particularly good at the middle price point, lots of Clynelish in there.

Not had the Green but a lot of Caol Ila goes into blends and they’ve probably just bumped it up, I’d say it will be decent.

Electric Nitwit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118549662#Comment_118549662

Cheers. I'll probably go for it, unless they have more on board than on their website and they have something more interesting!

overpronator

Arran 10 tonight. Very very nice drop for 50 quid. Would equate it to Bushmills 10 but a few levels nicer.

Black Sheep

Finished a Lagavulin 16 last night.

If anyone is a Lagavulin fan and is a member of the various groups/clubs dedicated to it, they may be aware that in the US and in some EU countries there is a perceived "shortage" of the 16, leading to various apocalyptic declarations that pricing will treble in the coming years, that it will be impossible to acquire and so on.

I can see stormy times ahead for pricing and availability in general, I think the cost of good scotch can only but rise in the future, such is life. But I'm not particularly worried, paying more bothers me less than total unavailability, and on that score the concerns have the feel of deja vu to me. I've been drinking Lagavulin since... 1998 maybe? ... And I can remember the "drought" in the early 00s where bottles were very hard to come by and there were predictions that stocks of peated whisky in general would be depleted by 2021... It did not come to pass. If anything, we've had a period where the 16 was so readily available in the past decade that maybe that's part of the problem.

ZV Yoda

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118547650#Comment_118547650

Jaysus, that sounds right up my street. I didn't even know about Johnnie Walker Green (which is weird for somebody who always has a bottle of Black Label in the cabinet).

<Googles "where to buy Johnnie Walker Green label in Ireland">

Every time I check this thread, it costs me money.

2011abc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118521840#Comment_118521840

Coffee is just as geeky as whiskey!Im enjoying both lately .