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retrofade

The Vice Thread --- Whisk(e)y, other spirits, beer, wine, and cigars

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I think that TSD and I have taken over enough different threads with talk of booze and cigars. As such, I figured we should have a thread specifically for that purpose. 

My plan is to post my whiskey and other spirits, as well as cigar reviews in this thread. 

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So to get us kicked off, here's my review on what I've been drinking this weekend.

Laphroaig Triple Wood

Price
$65

Color
Dark Amber

Nose
Peat, oak, a hint of iodine, and very obvious alcohol

Palate
Heavy peat at first, giving way to sherry and oak notes. There is a lot of smoke to get through, along with significant but not overpowering vanilla. It's not creamy or smooth, but it's not a punch in the face either.

Finish 
Medium finish, far more delicate than you would expect, there's a semi-sweet peatiness that lingers for a little while.

Rating
84/100

Overall
It's a very solid offering from Laphroaig. The price point here in North Carolina would make it difficult for me to make it an regular drink, but it's enjoyable. The sweetness imparted from the sherry casks combined with Bourbon barrels and Islay peat makes it a very enjoyable dram. I'd recommend it to a bourbon drinker wanting to enter into the world of peated scotches. If it were $15 less expensive for me here, I'd be more apt to purchase it regularly.

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Awesome. Makes it easier to to track both vices if in a single thread.

My whiskey palette has continued to evolve, and my go-to as of late has been sherry-casked McCallan 12, a wholly different animal than the fine-oak McCallan 10 that has been a staple in my cabinet for some time. Idk if this indicates a gravitation towards Speysides or sherry-casked scotches in general, but I really don't care, as it means on my next trip to re-up (on the 12) at Costco at $38/bottle, I'm probably also going to pick up a bottle of Costco's 25-year Speyside on spec (IIRC McCallan makes it for them).

A good friend bought me a bottle of Bowmore 15 for Christmas (which IMO seems to have a very similar profile to Amrut Fusion), I also find I can finally enjoy the 14-yr Oban that's been sitting in my cabinet since 2010ish. Along with the smokey HP 12 and my diminishing supply of Hakushu 12, I guess my palette has expanded more than it has shifted.

 

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For Scotch, my normal go to is The Balvenie Doublewood 12 year. Great bang for the buck, can be found for < $50/bottle.Aged in oak and finished in a sherry cask, makes for a smooth yet complex drink.

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1 hour ago, TheSanDiegan said:

Almost picked up a bottle of this yesterday:

lagavulin-16-year-old-single-malt-scotch

Can anybody tell me from firsthand experience how this compares/would compare to Highland Park 12?

 

HP12 has prepared you for the peat you'll experience in Islay whiskeys. But Islay drams really amp it up to 11, and add in a lot of brine and smoke. 
While HP12 has a peaty smoke that's balanced with some sweet honey and grass notes, Lagavulin 16 is going to hit you in the mouth with smoke, peat, brine, peppery heat, a hint of sweeetness, and then finish with more peat and smoke.

As a disclaimer, I love Islay drams, they're amazing... but they are a bit of an acquired taste. Since you like the HP12, I think you'll enjoy them, and Lagavulin 16 is, like I said, the epitome of a classic Islay whiskey. 

I have to drop $100 (or $90 if I'm lucky) for a bottle of it out here, but I know it goes for $55-65 at Costco in California. It's well worth the $90 that I get it for (and then have to take my sweet time drinking it), so it's definitely worth picking it up for less than that. It's still my favorite scotch, even though my flavor profiles and likes have shifted a bit since the first time I had it. I thought it was harsh and medicinal the first time, and now it's a smooth easy drinker to me. 

If you like it, I'll give you some other Islay suggestions that are excellent as well.

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41 minutes ago, retrofade said:

HP12 has prepared you for the peat you'll experience in Islay whiskeys. But Islay drams really amp it up to 11, and add in a lot of brine and smoke. 
While HP12 has a peaty smoke that's balanced with some sweet honey and grass notes, Lagavulin 16 is going to hit you in the mouth with smoke, peat, brine, peppery heat, a hint of sweeetness, and then finish with more peat and smoke.

As a disclaimer, I love Islay drams, they're amazing... but they are a bit of an acquired taste. Since you like the HP12, I think you'll enjoy them, and Lagavulin 16 is, like I said, the epitome of a classic Islay whiskey. 

I have to drop $100 (or $90 if I'm lucky) for a bottle of it out here, but I know it goes for $55-65 at Costco in California. It's well worth the $90 that I get it for (and then have to take my sweet time drinking it), so it's definitely worth picking it up for less than that. It's still my favorite scotch, even though my flavor profiles and likes have shifted a bit since the first time I had it. I thought it was harsh and medicinal the first time, and now it's a smooth easy drinker to me. 

If you like it, I'll give you some other Islay suggestions that are excellent as well.

In that case I'll likely stick to the HP12. Your description of the smokiness of the Lagavulin 16 is kind of how I read it in the HP12.

St-Javelin-Sm.jpgChase.jpg 

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8 minutes ago, TheSanDiegan said:

In that case I'll likely stick to the HP12. Your description of the smokiness of the Lagavulin 16 is kind of how I read it in the HP12.

The peat in the HP12 is much more muted than you find in anything from Islay. If you're interested in a more economical entry into the world of Islay then Laphroaig 10 or Ardbeg 10 are probably your best bets. 

In my opinion, Islay drams rank among the top spirits in the world. That being said, they certainly aren't for everyone. 

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See, this is why I am a beer snob instead of a whiskey snob. I can spend 12 bucks to get a fun rare-ish import of high quality instead of 40 bucks for the entry level equivalent (Glenmorangie).

Remember that every argument you have with someone on MWCboard is actually the continuation of a different argument they had with someone else also on MWCboard. 

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29 minutes ago, happycamper said:

See, this is why I am a beer snob instead of a whiskey snob. I can spend 12 bucks to get a fun rare-ish import of high quality instead of 40 bucks for the entry level equivalent (Glenmorangie).

The $40 of whiskey can go a longer way than $12 of beer. 

 

And obligatory

 

61790976.jpg

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1 hour ago, retrofade said:

 Lagavulin 16 is going to hit you in the mouth with smoke, peat, brine, peppery heat, a hint of sweeetness, and then finish with more peat and smoke.

 

I'm the only one in my house that will touch it.  I absolutely love it.  I'm a big fan of the Lagavulin 16.  I had found a bottle at Costco for $59.  I'm going to get another to keep on hand.

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For the person that wants to give Single Malt Whiskey a try for the first time I would recommend this:

GLEN MORAY SINGLE MALT 12 YEAR 750ML

Costco had this for $28 and it usually sells in the 30-40 range.  Very smooth for any palate.  After the first bottle I bought two more to keep on hand for guests.

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21 minutes ago, East Coast Aztec said:

The $40 of whiskey can go a longer way than $12 of beer. 

Yeah. But if you want 40 bucks worth of beer, you just buy multiple 12 dollar cases.

If you want 12 dollars worth of whiskey, tough shit.

21 minutes ago, East Coast Aztec said:

 

And obligatory

 

61790976.jpg

Money.

Remember that every argument you have with someone on MWCboard is actually the continuation of a different argument they had with someone else also on MWCboard. 

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18 minutes ago, happycamper said:

Yeah. But if you want 40 bucks worth of beer, you just buy multiple 12 dollar cases.

If you want 12 dollars worth of whiskey, tough shit.

Money.

Say a 750ml bottle sets me back $50. I'm getting 18-25 pours out of that bottle, and I'll have two drinks with a cigar. That's $2-$2.75 per drink.

While I can stretch a bomber of a good stout over a cigar, unless I get it at a helluva good price, I pay less per drink not just with scotch, but also with bourbon, rum, etc. On the other hand, if I'm just picking up a 6-pack of local product, at approx. $1.50 a bottle, I'll pay less for the beer than I would for liquor.

That being said, ECA pretty much nailed it - why limit oneself to one or the other? Life's too short.

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4 hours ago, CockyUNLVPoster said:

I'm the only one in my house that will touch it.  I absolutely love it.  I'm a big fan of the Lagavulin 16.  I had found a bottle at Costco for $59.  I'm going to get another to keep on hand.

Same here. I'm the only one here that will drink it and I always buy a couple every time I'm at Costco. Good stuff. I have noticed the price steadily increasing though

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6 hours ago, retrofade said:

HP12 has prepared you for the peat you'll experience in Islay whiskeys. But Islay drams really amp it up to 11, and add in a lot of brine and smoke. 
While HP12 has a peaty smoke that's balanced with some sweet honey and grass notes, Lagavulin 16 is going to hit you in the mouth with smoke, peat, brine, peppery heat, a hint of sweeetness, and then finish with more peat and smoke.

As a disclaimer, I love Islay drams, they're amazing... but they are a bit of an acquired taste. Since you like the HP12, I think you'll enjoy them, and Lagavulin 16 is, like I said, the epitome of a classic Islay whiskey. 

I have to drop $100 (or $90 if I'm lucky) for a bottle of it out here, but I know it goes for $55-65 at Costco in California. It's well worth the $90 that I get it for (and then have to take my sweet time drinking it), so it's definitely worth picking it up for less than that. It's still my favorite scotch, even though my flavor profiles and likes have shifted a bit since the first time I had it. I thought it was harsh and medicinal the first time, and now it's a smooth easy drinker to me. 

If you like it, I'll give you some other Islay suggestions that are excellent as well.

 

Lagavulin is one of my favorites, but the price has increased so much over the past 10 years or so that I don't get it nearly as often as I used to, back in my day I used to get it for around $40/bottle (/shakes fist in the air and yells at kids to get off my lawn). I really enjoy the peatiness of the Islays, and Lagavulin gets it just right for me as far as balance between the peat and a smooth drink. Before the Whisky craze hit, Lagavulin and Laphroaig 10 were the only widely available Islays here, and the Laphroaig was just a bit too harsh. I enjoy the Bowmore 12 for a decent Islay at half the price, really love the Bowmore 17, but again very spendy.

I'm a desperate man
Send lawyers, guns, and money
The shit has hit the fan

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13 minutes ago, Mano said:

Lagavulin is one of my favorites, but the price has increased so much over the past 10 years or so that I don't get it nearly as often as I used to, back in my day I used to get it for around $40/bottle (/shakes fist in the air and yells at kids to get off my lawn). I really enjoy the peatiness of the Islays, and Lagavulin gets it just right for me as far as balance between the peat and a smooth drink. Before the Whisky craze hit, Lagavulin and Laphroaig 10 were the only widely available Islays here, and the Laphroaig was just a bit too harsh. I enjoy the Bowmore 12 for a decent Islay at half the price, really love the Bowmore 17, but again very spendy.

I think I asked @retrofade the wrong question... how does the Lagavulin 16 compare with the Bowmore 15?

 

St-Javelin-Sm.jpgChase.jpg 

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