Bought Laphroaig Cairdeas Portwood. It's so freaking amazing. I have an unopened bottle in the pantry I am saving. But for the life of me I can't think of an occasion special enough to crack it.
I think I’d be keeping it all for meself and friendship/cairdeas be damned !
Lambay SB +1
had it for the first time last night, very smooth 👍
Natterjack, pleasent.
I only had a sample of it. A nice drop but I wouldnt pay 50e for it when you consider the competition in that price bracket. A present of it would be welcome.
Very nice! Something like that you just need to open on a random Tuesday night or it becomes an expensive ornament that your afraid to drink.
Couldn't agree more. I'm not one for saving whiskey for a special occasion. Life's too short to leave decent whiskey in an unopened bottle.
Had this conversation with someone over the weekend who couldn't believe I finished two bottles of Thomond Gate when I could have doubled my money on them.
The only reason I wouldn't open and drink a premium whisky is if I know that I'm NOT going to like it.
Finished off some bottles recently. Getting rid of odds and ends so I can open a few new bottles. I have a bottle of Redbreast 12 CS but I'll have to get a replacement for the standard version soon.
I wasn't a huge fan of the Jack Daniels at the start. It was given to me as a present but it was one of those that got better over time and I enjoyed it at the end.
I bet you enjoyed them too! I've sampled all their releases so far and they have been decent. A fella I know sold his Redbreast 10 and made €40 after fees etc. He was trying to convince me to do the same. I see it as losing whiskey rather than gaining money especially at those prices!
Looking at the auction sites, some Redbreast Ten are selling for the same price they initially cost. What's the point in even selling it if you are going to lose money.
So how was it?
Was about to send the search party out for you Bonnie! Hope the craic is good with you? Twas a good tasting if a little overlong. I've said before that the IWS tastings lack the craic of L Mulligans or the brevity and larger samples of Celtic Whiskey. Some interesting whiskey sampled with the theme being discontinued 12 year olds. Quick notes below ranked in order of preference. All 40% except Jameson travel which was 43%.
1 - 12 year old Jameson Asian Travel Retail
Wasn't expecting too much but this was surprisingly the best of the bunch. Sherry and pot still forward. Lovely nose. Rich, velvet, orchard fruits, fruit cake.
2 - Redbreast 12 year old (2000s)
Different and better than current version. Stunning nose. Oily, Dark Fruits, Chocolate, Ginger spice. A snapshot of early 21st century pot still. Current version lacking in comparison.
3 - Powers 12 year old Special Reserve
Blend of pot still and grain. Mainly pot still but the grain helps calm the pot still spice. Rich, oily, creamy honey, cinnamon and ginger. A mellow sweetness to it.
4 - Jameson 12 year old Special Reserve
High pot still to grain ratio. Opposite of regular Jameson. 3/4 pot still to 1/4 grain. White pepper, vanilla, honey, custard, raisins, figs, spice.
5 - Redbreast 12 year old (1970s)
The star of the show before the tasting started but overshadowed by its support acts. Distilled in Bow street in the 1960s. It's unmistakably whiskey but it's not the whiskey we know today. Mature wood, musty, damp oak. Waxy, burnt rubber. I tasted 1960s Bushmills before and it smelt like cats piss and that's here too.
I remember Richard Hammond got to try his dream 1980s super car on top gear. It was a Lamborghini or Testarossa. He thought he was onto a good thing but it was terrible to drive and he couldn't wait to get back to his modern comforts. The same goes for this. A pleasure to try but better in the imagination.
It's madness. There was 7,000 bottle of those so your not gonna retire on it.
Jameson 12 year old used to be my favourite 😭
Waterford Whiskys sister Rum distillery in Grenada has started selling single farm rums. Terroir at the fore again. A number of bottles have been released at €55 a pop.
Just finished that tasting myself now. Bang on the money with that ordering and the tasting notes.
Jaysus, that 12 year old Jameson Asian Travel Retail is an absolute cracker. I'd almost be tempted to hunt it down at auction.
That 70s redbreast is worth the try, but I doubt I'll bother tasting it again.
Debating whether I crack open my newly acquired springbank 18 after those whiskeys.
Has anybody tried the 2011 Bushmills Causeway? Spotted it in O’Briens last night. Was wondering if it’s worth a punt.
Yeah it was a surprise alright. One bottle up for auction at the moment. Might be a few in for it after that tasting!
https://irishwhiskeyauctions.ie/views/product.php?id=65591624
Some Kilbeggan Single Pot Still. I thought this was average and inoffensive. If it was a person you would describe it as harmless. The ultimate insult. At 43% it was smooth, an easy sipper, one for the summer etc. 46% might have given it a bit more bite or substance. I dread to think what it would be like at 40%.
Just bought a bottle of this Tesco 12 year old single malt Irish whiskey in Tesco for €35.
Cant seem to find out anything about it online. Anyone any idea where it’s from etc?
West Cork Distillers with liquid via either Cooley or Bushmills. Can't remember which one.
Cool thanks for that. Won’t be opening until Christmas so hoping it’s nice.
One of the lads was down in Waterford for the weekend last week and picked me up a bottle of Downes No.9. Was the first Whiskey that I had that changed my opinion on what whiskey was a few years ago.
This is getting very silly indeed now. "Terroir" for rum? It's made from sugar ffs... I thought the marketing BS surrounding their whisk(e)y was as bad as it could get, but I was wrong.
As I mentioned above, I used to love Jameson 12yo (aka 1780)
Anyone know when it was discontinued exactly? Mid-00s sometime I think.
What current whiskeys would be similar? Thanks.
Looking forward to trying this release, hopefully Santy will bring a bottle.
https://whiskeytalk2u.com/2021/10/18/introducing-jameson-black-barrel-proof/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
ALL alcohol is made from sugar.
If barley can have terroir, why not sugar cane?
If anyone needs a little explanation:
To make whisky, sugars are extracted from grains by making a kind of porridge. This is strained and yeast is added. This yeast then converts some of this sugar into alcohol. This alcoholic mixture is then distilled 2 or 3 times to produce your new make spirit, which is aged in oak casks to become whiskey.
With sugar cane rum, the juice is extracted from the fresh cane and this juice is fermented to produce alcohol. This is distilled and aged rather like whisky.
So, how is one "made from sugar" and the other isn't? They are both made from agricultural products that contain sugars. Just because one of these products has "sugar" in its name doesn't actually change anything.
You can also have rum made from molasses which is a by product of sugar production. It's probably more reasonable to describe these kinds of rum as "made from sugar" but, again, all alcohol is derived from sugars.
I picked up a bottle of the Kyasuku "Japanese" whiskey in Aldi. Kyasuku Japanese Whisky - ALDI UK
It's ok. I would describe the flavour as very mild and there's a complete lack of any oomph when drinking it.
