dangolf18 Posted October 8, 2012 Posted October 8, 2012 Someone in the industry told me that buying scotch aged more than 18 years is pointless. He was making the case that aging longing than 18 years doesn't do much in terms of the scotch's evolution. Wondering if there is any truth in this and if anybody has tried the 21 yo, 25 yo, and 30 yo scotches out there. Also, I was curious if anybody could explain to me why Lagavulin 12 is so much more expensive than Lagavulin 16...I can't come to terms with that (I've only had the 16, not the 12). Thanks guys!
ckearns Posted October 9, 2012 Posted October 9, 2012 I can see what your friend was getting at, however I'd say his point isn't true enough to generalize. Go to a good whisky bar and see for yourself. On your second question, the Laga 12 is a limited production Scotch and is bottled at a higher abv.
canadianbeaver Posted October 9, 2012 Posted October 9, 2012 If you ever tasted Mcallan 25 you would understand. It melts the mind my friend.
LLC Posted October 9, 2012 Posted October 9, 2012 I have a bottle of scotch from 1965 that was bottled after 42 years. It is unbelievably good and nothing 18 years old I've ever had would come close to it. I think it is best to try for yourself and come to your own conclusion.
brazoseagle Posted October 10, 2012 Posted October 10, 2012 Old Pulteney 21 year old is my go to Scotch and has been long before it was awarded best Whiskey on the planet last year with one of the highest ratings of all time.
dangolf18 Posted October 10, 2012 Author Posted October 10, 2012 Ok, now I'm eager to try pick up a 21+ year bottle! Here are the following selections my local liquor store has: Glenfiddich 21 year: $160 Glenlivet 21 yo Gordon and MacPhail Speyside:$125 1990 Aberlour 21: $90 Glenfarcas 25: $160 Macallan Fine Oak 17: $130 (not 21 yo, but hey it's Macallan) Which one would you pick? I'm thinking the 1990 Aberlour 21 year is a steal, but perhaps I'm missing something. Thanks.
Rushman Posted October 10, 2012 Posted October 10, 2012 Old Pulteney 21 year old is my go to Scotch and has been long before it was awarded best Whiskey on the planet last year with one of the highest ratings of all time. OP is a great whiskey, but best on the planet? Not sure. --- I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=20.630123,-87.069915
Rushman Posted October 10, 2012 Posted October 10, 2012 Ok, now I'm eager to try pick up a 21+ year bottle! Here are the following selections my local liquor store has: Glenfiddich 21 year: $160 Glenlivet 21 yo Gordon and MacPhail Speyside:$125 1990 Aberlour 21: $90 Glenfarcas 25: $160 Macallan Fine Oak 17: $130 (not 21 yo, but hey it's Macallan) Which one would you pick? I'm thinking the 1990 Aberlour 21 year is a steal, but perhaps I'm missing something. Thanks. My personal taste would lean me towards aberlour....i like G&MacP bottleings but I'm not a huge glenlivet fan. Have fun tasting! --- I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=20.630219,-87.069838
edlye Posted October 10, 2012 Posted October 10, 2012 Just my 2 cents. Unless your taste profile and preference is so generic that you will like everything that the forummers here personally like, you're better off locating a whisky bar with a decent selection and spending your coin on a few sessions of tastings to pin down your likes and dislikes. You can then explore certain styles of whiskies from various distilleries or work on the various expressions from a selected few distilleries whose profile you enjoy. Alternatively, you can just choose to work through all available 18 year old whiskies at the tastings to pin down which ones you enjoy.
canadianbeaver Posted October 10, 2012 Posted October 10, 2012 I would not buy a bottle before tasting. Any friends into scotch? Taste at their house. That's what I do LOL.
dangolf18 Posted October 10, 2012 Author Posted October 10, 2012 I would not buy a bottle before tasting. Any friends into scotch? Taste at their house. That's what I do LOL. Well I'm still 21, so many of my friends can't afford scotch. Some of my father's friends are into it and I've sampled quite a few. I like the Laphroaig 10 year quarter cask a lot. Lagavulin 16 is awsome, one of my favorites. I had a Bruichladdich 5 or 6 yo that was so so good. I tend to like the peatier stuff though. Talisker 10 and 18 were not my favorite. Others I've tried are Glenlivet 12, Aberfeldy 12, Macallan 12, Macallan 18, Oban 14---> Out of those, I really like Aberfeldy and Oban 14. Macallan was very disappointing...too sweet and brown sugary.
IcedCanuck Posted October 10, 2012 Posted October 10, 2012 I REALLY like having a drink of Highland Park 25 with a cigar. I have never purchased a bottle of the 25 but will drink it at cigar lounges. I did, however, buy a bottle of Highland Park 18 and was disappointed to say the least. It was still good scotch and I'd buy another bottle but IMHO it is nowhere near as good as the 25.
khomeinist Posted October 12, 2012 Posted October 12, 2012 Try to do a distillery flight by age. Maybe Caol Ila or Glenfarclas? You should notice a more refined and complex spirit as you move up in age. Some prefer a younger, fresher taste profile with distinct peated barley flavors. Others like the complexity that only long-term aging can produce. It is a matter of personal preference. Enjoy the journey. Glenfarclas 25 is an outstanding product IMO.
Marker Posted October 12, 2012 Posted October 12, 2012 Aberlour 21 for $90 is a great deal. The abundah is $80 most places. Aberlour is a sweeter scotch so if you don't like sweeter this might be a no for you.
B.HOBS Posted October 17, 2012 Posted October 17, 2012 I have had the honor to sip on a dram of Macallan 25 Year Fine Oak, which was heaven in a glass. I currently have a bottle of Glenlivet 21 year...Which I love, but I will agree that not terribly too much is gained there from their younger iterations. However....the Balvenie 21 year Portwood is something special. I love that stuff, so I highly recommend it! It really boils down to the Distillery, your budget, and how refined your scotch palette is.
canadianbeaver Posted October 23, 2012 Posted October 23, 2012 So the new house fave is Glenlivet 18... it is very smooth and tasty. It goes great with cigars or appetizers and a really great thing about it is we found more friends at our house on Saturday liked it across a range of tastes. We even had a "nosing" of 4 SM scotches and it won. Dalwhinnie 15 McCallan 10 Glenlivet 18 Glenmorangie something or other
maverickdrinker Posted October 23, 2012 Posted October 23, 2012 With winter coming, it's time to pull out the scotch bottles.....
Rogers72 Posted October 25, 2012 Posted October 25, 2012 I agree with most of what is said above. It would more proper to say that after 18 years or so, the cost often takes you past the point of diminishing return. But its brand specific. I prefer a Talisker 10 or 18 over a 25. Similarly, I like Highland Park 12 better than 18. Then others, I like the older whisky MUCH more than their younger counterparts but just not enough to pay for them often (McCallan, Glenlivet). In general, I find myself staying away from much over 16 b/c it's just not worth the money to me...even if they may be slightly "better" whiskies. There is also a MUCH bigger selection at most stores in the 10-16yr range and many unbelievable options in that range for 50-80USD.
canadianbeaver Posted October 25, 2012 Posted October 25, 2012 Whoo hoo... Bottle of Scapa 16 came in the door tonight! Gift from my cousin!
dangolf18 Posted October 25, 2012 Author Posted October 25, 2012 Well I ditched the 18/21yo idea. Grabbed 3 bottles of Ardbeg Uigedaile ($58) considering great reviews and the heavy discount. Also got a bottle of Glengoyne 17 for around $50. I tried the Ardbeg and have to say I like Lagavulin 16 a lot better. Sort of bummed that I have 3 bottles. My palate is not that refined and I should really try before I buy. I'll just stick to the 12's when they go on sale at Costco...they seem to do the job.
Lotusguy Posted October 25, 2012 Posted October 25, 2012 Well I ditched the 18/21yo idea. Grabbed 3 bottles of Ardbeg Uigedaile ($58) considering great reviews and the heavy discount. Also got a bottle of Glengoyne 17 for around $50. I tried the Ardbeg and have to say I like Lagavulin 16 a lot better. Sort of bummed that I have 3 bottles. My palate is not that refined and I should really try before I buy. I'll just stick to the 12's when they go on sale at Costco...they seem to do the job. Let us know how you like the Glengoyne 17. I still think it's one of the best values out there.
dangolf18 Posted October 25, 2012 Author Posted October 25, 2012 I'll let you know. BTW Lotus, I got these from K&L Wines. They actually have some pretty good deals.
Lotusguy Posted October 25, 2012 Posted October 25, 2012 I'll let you know. BTW Lotus, I got these from K&L Wines. They actually have some pretty good deals. That's where I do most of my spirits shopping as well
.png.9c3d798c7bff27b9a437c0a03c703654.png)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now