Any single malt afficionados here?

[asliarun]

You nailed it. Exactly my thoughts too. Only, I'm not sure of the huge class difference between the Bowmore and Lagavulin.

Thanks. Lagavulin 16 is certainly more popular with most people and reviewers. But personally it has been a while since I had it, so I cannot say with a lot of authority if Bowmore 10 is significantly inferior. I can say it is different and has it's own character.

And truth be told, i am more that curious to try older aged versions of Bowmore. Ot has so much character that I am sure a 12 or 16 year version will taste even better.

I feel that Glenfarclas 12 is a similar underappreciated whiskey.

 

[captrajesh]

I feel that Glenfarclas 12 is a similar underappreciated whiskey.

Never heard! Will look for it. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[sud98]

Actually if you follow Jim Murray, Paul John has also featured in his top whiskeys.

amrut... chosen by jim murray for his whisky bible definitely makes the cut

Tried the Dalwhinney 15, super smooth and a nice new single malt (atleast for me).

 

[captrajesh]

I am not an expert by any means but to me Paul John Brilliance is better than Amrut Fusion.

Classic case of the oft said phrase: To each, his own.

I had recently called on an old friend after a long time and was delighted when he offered Paul John. It's good but nothing special is the first thought that came to mind. Need to pick up my own bottle for multiple sessions to come to a definite conclusion.

 

[all4music]

from past few years - every new year eve celebration has been all about enjoying some good drink with some great company [friends and music].
this year we had Dalmore 12 years with us. usually i've found single malt whiskeys to be little hard compared blended whiskeys but not this one. it was way smoother and almost sweet.

other recent acquaintance is Ardbeg 10 years. it was a shocker and surprise. when we first opened the bottle the super smokey nature threw us off guard and but later on it was all smooth and vanilla.

 

[hydrovac]

THE YAMAZAKI 12 Year Old

I sampled this Japanese single malt last evening. In my opinion, this is overpriced and overrated.
I'm wondering why they're all sold out quickly in US, one has to judge if this is worth the price.

 

[sud98]

I am not sure what has gone wrong. I remember tasting them a few years back and found it really good, but something is not right with the current batch as I found it really average now.

 

[hydrovac]

+1 @sud98

Back a few years YAMAZAKI 12 was same price range as other good 12yr scotches and tasted like one.
The media and hype (not justified?)... I wish it cost as much as it used to circa 2015.

 

[arj]

They dod not anticipate the impact they will make and could not really scale up. thats the reason they are downplaying Yamazaki and Hibiki and trying to promote brands like Umeshu. Incidentally was surprised to find Bowmore and Laphroig are now Suntory Brands !!

Incidentally the Nikka Coffey is now well available and if you have the intent, is a good time to stock up on that for the future

 

[hydrovac]

True... In 2014 Suntory bought Jim Beam which, from an Islay perspective, sees two of Islay’s most iconic single malts (Bowmore and Laphroaig) under the same ownership.

 

[Nikhil]

Way behind the curve on the Japanese whiskeys here.
But have been partial to the Hibiki for some time now and really like the smooth flavour.

I just got a bottle of The Chita recently and looking forward to tasting that soon.

Talking about overrated and demand created problems - there is a trend now where "Special Collections" are being churned out by distilleries mainly for the airport duty free segment. Beware of any of these which do not carry the age of the whiskey on the label (8, 12, 15, etc). This is a strict requirement of the single malt tradition and those that do not mention this are not what they are made out to be. You could have a good one but more often that not they are pure marketing.



.

 

[arj]

Way behind the curve on the Japanese whiskeys here.
But have been partial to the Hibiki for some time now and really like the smooth flavour.

I just got a bottle of The Chita recently and looking forward to tasting that soon.

Talking about overrated and demand created problems - there is a trend now where "Special Collections" are being churned out by distilleries mainly for the airport duty free segment. Beware of any of these which do not carry the age of the whiskey on the label (8, 12, 15, etc). This is a strict requirement of the single malt tradition and those that do not mention this are not what they are made out to be. You could have a good one but more often that not they are pure marketing.



.

Chita is a single grain and my preferred genre of Whiskeys ie more on the pleasant /honeyed taste rather than the peaty/smoky kind

 

[Hari Iyer]

I was trying to figure out from this thread does anything will help improve SQ

 

[hydrovac]

Way behind the curve on the Japanese whiskeys here.
But have been partial to the Hibiki for some time now and really like the smooth flavour.

I just got a bottle of The Chita recently and looking forward to tasting that soon.

Talking about overrated and demand created problems - there is a trend now where "Special Collections" are being churned out by distilleries mainly for the airport duty free segment. Beware of any of these which do not carry the age of the whiskey on the label (8, 12, 15, etc). This is a strict requirement of the single malt tradition and those that do not mention this are not what they are made out to be. You could have a good one but more often that not they are pure marketing.

As a growing number of Scotch producers admit a scarcity of aged stocks, no-age-statement (NAS) expressions are becoming more prolific, with a number of exciting new bottles launched... this stuff is not poured hot out of the still into your glass; by law, Scottish Whisky must be left to mature for 3 years. So NAS Scotch is at least a toddler.

However, some producers and connoisseurs have argued such prejudice could actually limit innovation in the industry, particularly in light of a demonstrable lack of very old liquid.

Despite widespread contention, one thing is clear, as old stocks shrink and experimentation is more generally accepted in the industry, no-age-statement whiskies are carving a niche in the Scotch market.


...

 

[Nikhil]

As a growing number of Scotch producers admit a scarcity of aged stocks, no-age-statement (NAS) expressions are becoming more prolific ...

Aha! So that's what they are called. You make a good point on the innovation side.

We were talking about Amrut the other day and the point was made that in India the whiskey ages much faster than it would in Scotland. Something along the lines of 4-5 years vs the 8 - 10 in Scotland. Has brought in a whole new dimension to the whiskey discussion.


.

 

[jai1611]

One thing to remember about Japanese whiskies : they dont have strict origin rules to be branded as Japanese (unlike Scotch). I remember looking up a brand. Turns out they import bulk scotch, bottle it in Japan and sell in the international market as "Japanese" whisky

 

[raghupb]

I was trying to figure out from this thread does anything will help improve SQ

One "patiala" peg will set the mood.
The brain will "magically command" all elements of the sound system

Aha! So that's what they are called. You make a good point on the innovation side.

We were talking about Amrut the other day and the point was made that in India the whiskey ages much faster than it would in Scotland. Something along the lines of 4-5 years vs the 8 - 10 in Scotland. Has brought in a whole new dimension to the whiskey discussion.

Amrut makes some fine peated whiskies if one enjoys the burnt rubber flavor

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[coaltrain]

Chita is a single grain and my preferred genre of Whiskeys ie more on the pleasant /honeyed taste rather than the peaty/smoky kind

Then you’ve probably already tried Balvenie DoubleWood and TripleCask?
If not, you’re in for a treat.

 

[Nikhil]

Amrut makes some fine peated whiskies if one enjoys the burnt rubber flavor

Have had a few Amruts. Definitely did not taste of burnt rubber.

Then you’ve probably already tried Balvenie DoubleWood and TripleCask

Great recommendations ... need to revisit that end of the trough.


.

 

[sud98]

Tried the Nikka from the Barrel.

For a whiskey which is around 51% its really smooth and refined. Very unlike other Japanese whiskeys but superb nonetheless. Hate the bottle though, cant pour without it dripping out.