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What Whisky/Whiskey are we drinking this month?

artanevilla

I know there's a thread on recommending Whiskeys/Whiskys but there's none on general tasting as far as I can see.

Similar premise to the beer thread, but we'll say month instead of week as drinking a €50/60 bottle of Whiskey/Whisky a week is probably not a good idea...

I picked up a bottle of The Glenlivet Master Distillers Reserve on my travels recently. No age statement.

Not the most complex Whisky in the world. It's quite nice though, smooth and fruity, very strong taste of pears, and a tiny bit of spice. Drank with a splash of water.

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Technophobe

Wailin wrote: »

Lagavulin 16 is probably a nicer islay in that it's less medicinal, more rounded and earthy than both the ardbeg and Laphroaig.

Let us know what you think of them side by side. I'm a big fan of the ardbeg and anything from them.

Had that on my list but jaysus if another whiskey delivery arrives I'll be shot..Have a seriously well stocked larder after some pre COVID19 travel and a significant birthday.
Must post the list in case it interests anyone or they have feedback

Hogzy

newbie runner wrote: »

Not sure they are underated,as they are fairly pricey to be honest.The palo cortado 18 well over €200 and rum finish over €500

I never said underpriced

Technophobe

Wailin wrote: »

Lagavulin 16 is probably a nicer islay in that it's less medicinal, more rounded and earthy than both the ardbeg and Laphroaig.

Let us know what you think of them side by side. I'm a big fan of the ardbeg and anything from them.

Still prefer the Laphroaig and it's not a case of the Ardbeg being too peaty..Ardbeg has a bit more sharpness to it I think and not in a good way for me..

Then tried both with a tiny splash of water and still prefer the Laphroaig I think
Nothing wrong with either but probably expected more from the Ardbeg...

NIMAN

Cazale wrote: »

What one you get?

Apologies, missed your reply.

It was December Episode 2.
Spade & Bushel 14yo Marsala finish single malt
Currach single malt founders Wakame cask
Two Stacks Smoke and Mirrors Peated Stout

Still haven't tried it. Maybe tonight?

Cazale

Technophobe wrote: »

Still prefer the Laphroaig and it's not a case of the Ardbeg being too peaty..Ardbeg has a bit more sharpness to it I think and not in a good way for me..

Then tried both with a tiny splash of water and still prefer the Laphroaig I think
Nothing wrong with either but probably expected more from the Ardbeg...

Sorry to hear the Ardbeg 10 isn't to your taste. The sherry finished Uigeadail and burgundy finished Corryvreckan are definitely more interesting than the standard 10. The Ardbegs in general are definitely an acquired taste so Id recommend getting samples or doing a tasting first. Hopefully it grows on you!

Cazale

NIMAN wrote: »

Apologies, missed your reply.

It was December Episode 2.
Spade & Bushel 14yo Marsala finish single malt
Currach single malt founders Wakame cask
Two Stacks Smoke and Mirrors Peated Stout

Still haven't tried it. Maybe tonight?

Mine arrived the day after that tasting so I watched it on the night with an empty glass. I find if I don't drink them live that I never get back to them. Must put aside a night to try them.

Cazale

One of the whiskey nerds

in work mentioned Springbank to me the other week and how its the most hands on distillery in Scotland with 100% of production onsite. Found this video on their process which I thought was interesting enough. They make Springbank, Longrow and Hazelburn whisky.

Useful.Idiot

Cazale wrote: »

Mine arrived the day after that tasting so I watched it on the night with an empty glass. I find if I don't drink them live that I never get back to them. Must put aside a night to try them.

Definitely worth a go, miles better than episode 1 IMO. The currach seaweed wakame cask in particular was a very interesting whiskey.

Cazale

Going through some prices achieved on irishwhiskeyauctions.ie. Not an exact science but looks like the Waterford prices are slowly decreasing.

December
Waterford, Micro Cuvee Lómhar - 5 bottles all around €300
Waterford Ratheadon Edition 1.1 - €175-185
Waterford, The Pilgrimage Bottle - 3 bottles (2*900, 1 at 1060)

November
Waterford, Micro Cuvee Lómhar - €511-555
Waterford Ratheadon Edition 1.1 - €205-220
Waterford, The Pilgrimage Bottle - €1150-1255

October
Waterford Ratheadon Edition 1.1 - €200-260
Waterford, The Pilgrimage Bottle - €1300

Redbreast 32 Year old Dream Cask
Dec 2020 - €1920-2100
Dec 2018 - €1150-1160

Midleton Very Rare 2020 - In December 10 bottles sold for between €830-970

brinty

Picked up a bottle of clonakilty single grain Bordeaux cask finish in my local SuperValu

â‚¬51 quid, not bad

Cazale

dos29 wrote:

Really not liking the new Powers bottles, but I think it's affecting my perception of taste too. Seems more pungent or something, amazing how much sight can affect even when aware of it. Still good for hot ones. Talisker 10 for nightcap, recently revisited with a bit better awareness, and glad to have grabbed a couple of bottles while on Xmas offer.

The new bottle is a travesty. I have the old bottles of Three Swallow and a Ten Year old single cask next to the new Gold label. As Vito Corleone said look how they massacred my boy.

KnicksInSix

Having some Aberfeldy 12 tonight which is dangerously drinkable.

newbie runner

The bottles are not lasting as long as before the pandemic...I'm not sure why. It's still 24 hours ina day the last time I checked.

Technophobe

Cazale wrote: »

Sorry to hear the Ardbeg 10 isn't to your taste. The sherry finished Uigeadail and burgundy finished Corryvreckan are definitely more interesting than the standard 10. The Ardbegs in general are definitely an acquired taste so Id recommend getting samples or doing a tasting first. Hopefully it grows on you!

It's perfectly drinkable:)
I signed up for the CWS Ardbeg tasting at the same time as buying the Ardbeg 10, so am going to get the opportunity to taste them all..

Maybe I had too much peaty whiskys over the Christmas period and was too used to the taste..think I expected a smoother drink with a stronger smoky peaty flavour..Will leave it for a week or so or until tasting night and try again..
Thanks again for the recommendation

DARK-KNIGHT

First teeling whiskey tonight

Rum cask small batch at 46%

Absolutely gorgeous

Beanstalk

Technophobe wrote: »

It's perfectly drinkable:)
I signed up for the CWS Ardbeg tasting at the same time as buying the Ardbeg 10, so am going to get the opportunity to taste them all..

Maybe I had too much peaty whiskys over the Christmas period and was too used to the taste..think I expected a smoother drink with a stronger smoky peaty flavour..Will leave it for a week or so or until tasting night and try again..
Thanks again for the recommendation

Really enjoying Ardbeg An OA though i would love to try the Uigideal

Cazale

Master of Malt and Amazon are no longer delivering whiskey to the North. My pour and sip monthly subscription has been suspended. If whisky exchange follows I may dump the missus!

Beanstalk

Noticed this recently alright! Wonder if its temporary while sorting things out or is it a permanent decision?

BonnieSituation

Cazale wrote: »

Master of Malt and Amazon are no longer delivering whiskey to the North. My pour and sip monthly subscription has been suspended. If whisky exchange follows I may dump the missus!

I cancelled my Whisky-Me sub (that goes to ParcelMotel) on Friday and then they dispatched it.

Emailed about a refund and they were straight on it. I might try and grab it again as a one off when they do the Cask. Keep me updated!

mik_da_man

Had a Cask Strength Weekend which comprised of the following:

1. Spade and Bushel 10 yr CS - 57.5%
2. Hyde 8yr CS 59%
3. Mizen Head 14yr CS 56%
4. Currach Founders CS 58.4%
5. The Irishman 2020 CS 55.2%
6. Writers Tears Mizunara CS 55%

An interesting line up, the S&B and Hyde were fine, nothing remarkable really.
The Mizen Head caught me off guard, I really enjoyed it, no need for any water there
Currach is an interesting one, very different, definitely had a salty/brine type of lingering flavour
Irishman 2020 was as expected, generally I feel that the CS versions don't offer much above their standard releases.
Writers Tears Mizunara - I've had this before and thought it was ok, but this second time I did enjoy it more, few drops of water really opened it up.

Cazale

Cazale wrote:

Master of Malt and Amazon are no longer delivering whiskey to the North. My pour and sip monthly subscription has been suspended. If whisky exchange follows I may dump the missus!

Disaster averted. Master of Malt and pour and sip have both restarted deliveries to the North.

Black Sheep

Can I ask, how do you handle your Master of Malt deliveries to Northern Ireland... Do you live there, have family there, or are you using some kind of mail minding service? If the latter, which one?

Cazale

Black Sheep wrote:

Can I ask, how do you handle your Master of Malt deliveries to Northern Ireland... Do you live there, have family there, or are you using some kind of mail minding service? If the latter, which one?

I'm in Kildare. The mother in law up North is my mail minder!

Black Sheep

Cazale wrote: »

I'm in Kildare. The mother in law up North is my mail minder!

Cheers. I've got no family in NI. A bunch in England and Scotland but now that's about as much use as a chocolate kettle, because even if they take possession of something for me we're still back to postage issues and an inability to visit :pac:

killbillvol2

Black Sheep wrote: »

Cheers. I've got no family in NI. A bunch in England and Scotland but now that's about as much use as a chocolate kettle, because even if they take possession of something for me we're still back to postage issues and an inability to visit :pac:

My brother in London is currently holding a substantial stash for me. I'll be taking a drive over to visit whenever this annoying germ goes away.

Cazale

Doing a bit of research on Irish peated whiskey. I always thought Connemara was the only peated whiskey until recently but I found details on a number of Cooley releases from a few different sources. Most were probably just variations on Connemara. I've seen a few of them on auction sites and the Celtic Whiskey bar in Killarney has a few of them to drink too. Did anyone ever try or come across any of them?

Clonmel 8 year old peated

Bottled by the 'Celtic Whisky Compagnie' in France. A double distilled peated malt from the Cooley distillery. Winner of Gold medal in the 2002 'Concours Mondial De Bruxelles'.

Craoi na Mona 10 year old single malt

Craoi na Mona is Irish for 'heart of peat'. This was produced by Cooley and bottled for the famous Berry Bros. & Rudd shop. It's quite similar to the standard NAS Connemara.

After maturing for 10 years in Ireland in American Oak casks, the Irish single malt is shipped over to Scotland where it spends a few short months in casks that had previously matured heavily peated Islay malt (Laphroaig).

First spirits 8 year old peated malt

A hard to find special, private bottling of peated single malt from Cooley Distillery.

Impressive Cask peated Irish Malt

Distilled at Cooley in 1999 and put into a bourbon cask for eight years, before being bottled at cask strength for the Far East market.

Inishowen Irish Whiskey

Hint of peat

Now Discontinued

Distilled, Matured, and Bottled by the Cooley Distillery

James MacArthur Old Masters 1992 Peated

A 14-year-old peated Cooley malt bottled at cask strength in 2006.

Magilligan Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey

Distilled By the Cooley Distillery this is one of the very few Peated Single malt Whiskeys from Ireland.

Michael Collins 10 Year Single Malt Lightly Peated

From label - Handcrafted in small batches at the last remaining independent distillery in Ireland, this whiskey is inspired by the legend of Michael Collins, leader of Irish independence. Robust and complex, with a subtle peatiness, this single malt is double distilled for proper balance of purity and character, then matured in small bourbon seasoned casks for a minimum of 10 years. Wonderfully balanced, dry yet fruity, with a long, subtly sweet smoky finish, Michael Collins is both a luxurious pleasure and a testament to Ireland.

Slieve Na gCloc Single Peated Malt

A double Distilled Peated Single Malt from the Cooley Distillery named after the "Stoney" Mountain that overlooks the Cooley Distillery. A long discontinued Bottling that was mainly for the European Market.

Suir peated malt 1992 Limerick Distillery

Adelphi started bottling single cask Cooleys very early on. This single cask hails from the Louth distillery's fourth year of production. Nearly all Cooley's malts from this era spent their lives in a bourbon cask. Aromas of rubber and wet leather give way to some lovely Cooley light, sweet fruits.

There was of course a large number of different iterations of Connemara itself. Some of them listed below.

Connemara Cask Strength Peated Single Malt
Connemara Bog Oak finish
Connemara Sherry Finish Peated Single Malt
Connemara Turf Mór
Connemara 12 Year old Peated Single Malt
Connemara 22 Year Peated Single Malt
Connemara Pure Pot Still
Connemara Distillers Edition
Connemara Peated Single Malt
Connemara 13 year old single cask
Connemara 14 year old single cask
Connemara 15 year old single cask
Connemara 16 year old nectar
Connemara 18 year old single cask
Connemara 13 year old sherry cask
Connemara 17 year old sherry cask
Connemara 8 year old

Black Sheep

I definitely had the standard Michael Collins blend. In Solas on Wexford Street many years ago.. It could even have still been the Modern Green Bar back then (Why did they ever rebrand that bar? But I digress... Solas itself is now gone). But perhaps only the 10 year old was 'lightly peated'. Looking at some pictures online, I'm kind of nostalgic for those long-necked bottles used in the original Michael Collins blend. Nice looking.

I remember seeing the Inishowen, but I never tried it. The label is a bit 'oirish' but in a way oddly prescient of the way Sliabh Liag went for the label of their seaweed gin, which I still refuse to attempt to spell.

The Inbetween is mine

A bit of a long shot...I had a tasting of WhistlePig 12yo Rye recently, and it was fantastic...has anyone come across it in store?
Would like to get my hands on a bottle of possible

odyssey06

The Inbetween is mine wrote: »

A bit of a long shot...I had a tasting of WhistlePig 12yo Rye recently, and it was fantastic...has anyone come across it in store?
Would like to get my hands on a bottle of possible

CWS seem to have the 10 year old for €123?
https://www.celticwhiskeyshop.com/Whistle-Pig-Straight-Rye

BonnieSituation

Black Sheep wrote: »

I definitely had the standard Michael Collins blend. In Solas on Wexford Street many years ago.. It could even have still been the Modern Green Bar back then (Why did they ever rebrand that bar? But I digress... Solas itself is now gone). But perhaps only the 10 year old was 'lightly peated'. Looking at some pictures online, I'm kind of nostalgic for those long-necked bottles used in the original Michael Collins blend. Nice looking.

Change of ownership.

Used to be my local. God those were the days. Nothing like being being a local in the likes of there at 19yo!