Picked up some Talisker Dark Storm and some Skye while in Mexico City airport this past week. Interested to give them both a shot and see what they are like.
Recently got my finedrams shipment of the glendronach 18 (but really a 24) and the arran 18. Overseas prices just destroy what I can get at home
I used to be able to buy Talisker Storm for like $39, which I thought was an unbelievably priced scotch. I won't say it was anywhere close to my favorite, but I thought it was a solid drink for the money. I am partial to Ardbeg's. I have an Ardbeg 19 and an Ardbeg Supernova lined up for a party on Wednesday.
How long does it take for shipments to come in? I just checked on a few bottles and it’s a lot cheaper than what I’ve been seeing in stores.
To texas, I think it was a week or 10 days or so. Shipping is a little pricey, but I ended up saving about 30% on my last shipment vs buying here. And they have a much bigger selection than what you'll find in any store stateside
Yeah. They ship it as sodium chloride irrigation solution or some nonsense. I guess that's how they get around states that don't permit alcohol shipments
I've always been wary of using sites like finedrams as they invariably use USPS and that's a no-go while shipping alcohol locally at least - much less internationally. I mean I've shipped and received plenty of "olive oil" and "marinade" via UPS / Fedex - USPS is a different story.
I was just pricing some stuff on fine drams yesterday. About 15-20% cheaper than local places even with shipping, plus the local selection is shit.
It's a gamble for sure, but I've used them twice without issue and will continue to do so until I get burned
As a resident of Alabama, this sounds very awesome yet also very dangerous. And by dangerous I mean to my wallet
scotch jokes aside, Oban 14, Blavenie 12, Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or are always good single malt scotches to start with, albeit pricier than they used to be. If you want to experience peat then Lagavulin was my go to starter.
Definitely not my favorite but definitely not near my least favorite either. Though, what I picked up was Dark Storm, which I have never tried, so I am going to remain optimistic.
For single malt in the mid $30 price range, I don't see how you can beat Storm. It's certainly not the best stuff out there but great for the price and as an entry to single malts. Just shop around a bit - I've seen it as much as $70 (absurd) and as low as $32. I had the Talisker 27 at a scotch bar a few months ago. They had it as a weekly special and I couldn't pass it up. I'm never going to be a guy that does proper Scotch reviews, but it was a solid A.
Gotta get NYGator to give his review. I rarely taste much of anything aside from enjoying it or not (though there are a few out there where I get tastes of something but I can never truly figure it out), but he seems to have a gift. I'm not jealous or anything though...
LOL, thanks, but I can't do this with scotch anymore. I drink too much bourbon and I never really tried to understand scotch in the way that I am starting to understand bourbon. That said, my process is to taste it and roll it around on my tongue while reading other reviews to try to understand what they are tasting. That helps me learn what they are identifying as flavors, feels, etc.
Based on your 50+ bottles, any suggestions on some to try? I am still pretty new to scotch so still feeling my way around to figure out exactly what I enjoy.
Not sure on price range, likely under $100, but if its worth it then will go over (I have been eyeing the Dalmore Cigar Malt, just haven't pulled the trigger yet). I don't mind some peaty flavors to it but the strong peat is not my jam. So far, I have been enjoying the lighter ones that tend to be aged in non-bourbon barrels.
Imo, I'd stay away from dalmore unless you know you like it. They tend to be overpriced and under spec'd. My personal opinion would be to try things from a few different regions to get a feel for what you like. I don't tend to like speysides, for example. Off the top of my head, you could get the highland park 12, glendronach 12, and the glenmorangie sampler pack with the regular 10 year, a sherried, a port finished, and a dessert wine finished mini for about $100. That would give you a good feel for speyside, highland, and orkney. Gun to my head for a $100 bottle - I'd probably go with an arran 18.
Looking at getting a $200 bottle for a Colleague as a Wedding Gift. Any suggestions? Right now we are looking at a Balvenie 21 YR
Ledaig 10 is tough to really figure out but I am not a fan. nikka coffee grain is a huge hit for me, if you can get that bottle buy it.
I posted this in the Bourbon thread but there was a nearby grocery store that had an attached liquor store that went out of business so inventory was 50% off. I got the Auchentoshan 21 for $105, Bowmore 26 for $237, and Laphroaig 28 for $417.
Ok, you are on a different level than mine. I would so love to taste an old laphroaig. I love that whisky, laphroaig 10 is my go to. I switch with quarter cask from time to time
Ledaig is what turned me on to scotch. It was the first non-medicininal peat that I tried. But that's what I love about the juice... there's a million flavors to explore between the regions, finishes/maturations/independent bottlings
exactly, ledaig is what I brought up because it’s a tough one to figure out for me. Sometimes I love it and sometimes it is disappointing. I guess it depends on what I ate or maybe it’s just mental. Heard it was best to let it sit for a good 30 minutes. i am never unsatisfied with my mouthful of peat when I drink a laphroaig It must be a mental thing.
Scotch still has my Started getting into American whiskey recently and while it’s been fun and delicious it’s the mistress in this relationship
Only whisky I put on ice is bourbon, it’s so powerfull, almost too much for me so I like to dilute it a bit.
Purchased this yesterday to kill off any corona. Big fan but I love peat and cask strength so definitely not for everyone.