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Any One for a Scotch?

impolyt_one

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My girlfriend is going back to Japan for a couple weeks after Christmas, she's already asking me which bottles I'd like her to bring back, so I browsed rakuten for a bit. Don't want to ask her to buy anything I can't bear to open and drink, so they aren't gonna be too expensive, but she'll spend some money on them and Japan has everything, so it's looking like I'm gonna get (this post is gonna help me remember what I said in a week's time too :p): -Hakushu heavily peated -a Karuizawa from the '80's -maybe one of the older Yoichis - 1990 or 1989 -a Duncan Taylor Peerless of some sort, probably a Bowmore - 27yr looks nice at about $130 -Can anyone comment on the Elements of Islay series? Br1 and Lg1 are looking interesting and cheaply priced
 

ama

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Originally Posted by impolyt_one
My girlfriend is going back to Japan for a couple weeks after Christmas, she's already asking me which bottles I'd like her to bring back, so I browsed rakuten for a bit. Don't want to ask her to buy anything I can't bear to open and drink, so they aren't gonna be too expensive, but she'll spend some money on them and Japan has everything, so it's looking like I'm gonna get (this post is gonna help me remember what I said in a week's time too :p):

-Hakushu heavily peated
-a Karuizawa from the '80's
-maybe one of the older Yoichis - 1990 or 1989
-a Duncan Taylor Peerless of some sort, probably a Bowmore - 27yr looks nice at about $130
-Can anyone comment on the Elements of Islay series? Br1 and Lg1 are looking interesting and cheaply priced


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list

The Br1 is great and I haven't had the Lg1. Everything I've tasted and heard about that series is top notch so I doubt you could go wrong with any of them.
 

impolyt_one

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ama

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Originally Posted by impolyt_one
Thanks man, I'll lock the Lg1 into the list, it's a smaller bottle at 50cL, but it's 6980 yen, which is fairly reasonable if it's good.
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/arai-saketen/10001874/

I may trade out the Duncan Taylor Peerless for a Murray McDavid, I think the cask finishes MM uses are kinda neat and they're well priced (all around $50)
Laphroaig 11yr w/ Chateau Petrus finish:
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/fitch/10005142/

14yo HP w/ Lafite finish
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/fitch/10005140/


Sounds good. I haven't had either of those two on your list, but I love trying interesting cask finishes especially on scotches that I know the house style well enough to really appreciate the difference.

I have tried a Petrus finish a couple times, most recently on a sample of Octomore Orpheus that I got. Its a strong fruity finish in my experience and I like it a lot.

The only time that I can recall tasting a Lafite finish is on Bruichladdich Cuvee A and it sucked. That should be taken with a grain of salt though, because I thought that everything in that series sucked, so the fault that I found in it probably did not lie in the finishing, but in the product being finished.
 

impolyt_one

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I also got my dad a bottle each of Yamazaki 12 year, A'bunadh #30, and Glen Keith (our family's name, so it's something for him to put in the front of the cabinet) 10 for Christmas this week, so the collection I started for him on his birthday and father's day this year has swollen to about 9 or 10 bottles I think by now.
 

impolyt_one

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I'm asking for more brain cells this Christmas, to compensate for all the whisky drank so far.
devil.gif
 

Alter

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Originally Posted by impolyt_one
I'm asking for more brain cells this Christmas, to compensate for all the whisky drank so far.
devil.gif

Hey Impolyt, Do you follow the blog about Japanese whisky called Nonjatta http://nonjatta.blogspot.com/ ? It is quite good. A funny and scathing review today for an offering from Kirin: "Dunbar Pure Malt (Kirin-Seagram). 42 per cent alcohol. Nose: Plasticine, cardboard, glue, oak, orange, candle wax, licorice... urinal cakes.
 

impolyt_one

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lol, yeah I have been following nonjatta and am in the super dead group on facebook for it.
I'm weeding through the Karuizawas on rakuten and there doesn't seem to be but one or two I'd want to get. Not a single bottle of the 'Vintage' line in any rakuten shop. Will need to scour the web further.
Also getting excited about getting that Hakushu heavily peated version. Seems like a special bottle.
 

Alter

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Originally Posted by impolyt_one
lol, yeah I have been following nonjatta and am in the super dead group on facebook for it.
I'm weeding through the Karuizawas on rakuten and there doesn't seem to be but one or two I'd want to get. Not a single bottle of the 'Vintage' line in any rakuten shop. Will need to scour the web further.
Also getting excited about getting that Hakushu heavily peated version. Seems like a special bottle.


Try Takamura; http://www.rakuten.co.jp/malt-takamura/

The actual shop is fairly near my office and I was thinking to drop by in the next week or so...I could look around for you if you are after something special.
 

Mr T

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As a relative newcomer to SMS I am starting to get confused by all of the limited editions. Recent purchases include HP and Lagavulin 16s which are easy enough.

OTH, the MacAllan 12 has the term "Elegancia" on it, the MacAllan 18 is "Fine Oak - triple cask matured," and the Bowmore 15 is "Mariner." Are these three all limited editions? I haven't opened the MacAllan 18 or Bowmore yet but it seems that the MacAllan 12 is different than what I tasted at a bar recently.

Great thread.
 

Kid Nickels

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I just got two nice single malts for Christmas; Cragganmore 12 yr. (Speyside) and Bruichladdich 12 yr. Second Edition (Islay). Really enjoyed the Cragganmore.... medium body... very smooth, hint of fruit. Bruichladdich is a smokier malt... a bit earthier. Anybody have any recommendations?
 

ama

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Originally Posted by Kid Nickels
I just got two nice single malts for Christmas; Cragganmore 12 yr. (Speyside) and Bruichladdich 12 yr. Second Edition (Islay). Really enjoyed the Cragganmore.... medium body... very smooth, hint of fruit. Bruichladdich is a smokier malt... a bit earthier. Anybody have any recommendations?

Well, what are you interested in trying and how much do you want to spend?
 

Kid Nickels

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Originally Posted by ama
Well, what are you interested in trying and how much do you want to spend?

Well I'm trying different bottles over the holidays... right now I'm preferring a medium bodied Scotch... not TOO peaty and similar price range ~ $50-ish... thanks.
 

ama

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Originally Posted by Kid Nickels
Well I'm trying different bottles over the holidays... right now I'm preferring a medium bodied Scotch... not TOO peaty and similar price range ~ $50-ish... thanks.

Highland Park 12 or 15
Springbank 10
Clynelish 14 yo
Glengoyne 12 yo, 15 yo or Cask Strength
Balvenie Doublewood, 15 yo or Small Batch
Longmorn 16 yo
Bunnahabhain 12 yo

All of these are pretty interesting malts. None of them are too aggressively peated or sherried. They are more or less in the order that I prefer them in and they all should be in your price range.
 

Kid Nickels

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Originally Posted by ama
Highland Park 12 or 15
Springbank 10
Clynelish 14 yo
Glengoyne 12 yo, 15 yo or Cask Strength
Balvenie Doublewood, 15 yo or Small Batch
Longmorn 16 yo
Bunnahabhain 12 yo

All of these are pretty interesting malts. None of them are too aggressively peated or sherried. They are more or less in the order that I prefer them in and they all should be in your price range.


hmmm... thanks. That's the second recommendation I've gotten for Springbank. Maybe try that next.....
 

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