Picked up a couple of fun bottles this afternoon. The Offerman Lagavulin is great. Normally I avoid whisky finished beers or beer finished whiskies. Nothing wrong with this one. It's been a while since I had Lagavulin 16, so maybe it's time to revisit.

Very intrigued by the 11yr lagavulin. How's it compare to the standard 16yr? Curious how the Guinness casks affects it.

It's been too long since I had the 16 but I feel this 11 is more mellow and less smoke. The smoother mouthfeel and mellow finish is my only guess at the effect of the Guinness casks. Definitely didn't have any Guinness beer flavor.

I'd need to pick up a bottle of the 16 to get more specific. I definitely like this much better than their younger Game of Thrones edition. I'll be interested in reviews by the above posters. I was pleasantly surprised.

Got a bottle of Laphroaig Lore and tried it for the first time tonight. If you like the 10, you will love the Lore!

Picked up a bottle of Smokehead a couple days ago. Wow, it is pretty intense, but I like strong peated stuff. It actually burned my eyes when I went in for a sip. Anybody else try it? Also got a Tomintoul that isn't too bad.

Finally picked up a Balvenie 17 year, I'm excited to try it tonight.

Picked up a bottle of Tobermory 12 yesterday. Unpeated and lots of things going on. It's EX bourbon casked and is a good middle of the road if you want something without smoke or sherry influence. Lots of tropical fruit, some salt, savory at times, no burn. Very different than what I usually drink.

MediAg13 said:

---

Finally picked up a Balvenie 17 year, I'm excited to try it tonight.

---

Hands down one of my favorites for anyone who hasn't tried it. Better than some I've had with double the price tag.

Now if I can just find the Dalmore Port I would be happy.

Anyone have an opinion on Dalmore Port Wood vs the Cigar Malt? Looking to get a bottle to share with my brother on vacation and trying to decide between these two.

$1250 for one bottle. What do you buy? Profile should be for someone that likes it smokey and peaty. Thought?

Two years ago I bought my dad MaCallan 18 triple cask. It was around $200 a bottle, but he helped me do a major home renovation and that was what I wanted to give him as a thanks. Since COVID happened, it spiked to 400+. He was more interested in drinking it than selling it, he just said we'd enjoy it twice as much now.

We had a family vacation recently where all of my family could get together and we drank that bottle. Was just incredibly smooth and went down way too easy. Was a great family memory. We all agreed that anything triple cask MaCallan puts out is just incredible as we had all had some other ages before.

Now I'm on a hunt to buy any triple cask I can find. Was traveling recently and ran through all the liquor stores in Biloxi. Got two bottles of 15 year triple cask.

If y'all have any on the shelf you're not going to get around to, I'll take it off your hands for a good price.

MediAg13 said:

---

Anyone have an opinion on Dalmore Port Wood vs the Cigar Malt? Looking to get a bottle to share with my brother on vacation and trying to decide between these two.

---

I am not a scotch expert but I actually happen to have both.

I like the Cigar Malt...a lot.

I know people that enjoy the Port Wood but to me I just couldn't get into it. Too "wine"-ish. I likely wont finish the bottle unless friends come over and want to try it.

There ya' go, good pour for a birthday dram.

Always tasty. One of my favorites

Second pour tonight Balvinie 21 yo Portwood. Mmmmmm. It only comes out on special occasions.

Thought it might be fun to see what everyone has in the rotation currently and what you are wanting to add. Here are the Scotches I have right now. I am wanting to add Lagavulin 16, and I want to get some Oban 14 or Little Bay.

I have both in my liquor cabinet and I prefer the port wood to the cigar malt. The port is a lot smoother, I get a lot of alcohol on the palate from the cigar malt, but the cigar malt is a little more complex.

For me, I put the Balvenie 17 yr and the Dalmore port wood in a similar category, both very easy to drink.

Another one that's very good like Balvenie 17 is Aberlour 18.

Grabbed a pre-order from Total Wine for the Glenmorangie, Barrel Select Release No. 2, 'Cognac Cask Finish' Aged 13 Years. Now to wait for delivery in the fall...

Oban would be a nice contrast to that range. So would Dalwhinnie 15 and Springbank 10-15

Friend is getting married. His favorite scotches are Oban and Lagavulin. We're going to secure 2-3 bottles for a get together to celebrate. Price range out the door is 500-600. He's not interested in volume as he's got a decent collection of whisky around the $100 price point. The object is to buy 2-3 bottles than a group of guys can enjoy and empty while telling stories around a fire pit.

Would definitely appreciate any suggestions, options. Thanks!

I have heard Oban 14 is fantastic. Out of the ones I have are there any it is similar to?

With that price range you can get a bottle of both Oban and Lagavulin with enough left over to get some more. If the group likes the briny smoky flavors, I can say Talisker is a fantastic pour as well.

AgBQ-00 said:

---

With that price range you can get a bottle of both Oban and Lagavulin with enough left over to get some more. If the group likes the briny smoky flavors, I can say Talisker is a fantastic pour as well.

---

I believe he has Oban 14, and I know he's had Lag 16 at my house. Is there anything similar out there that will impress him for the "special occasion" he's looking for?

I'm also wondering if this wouldn't be a good opportunity to do a range. One of the guys loved Highland Park. I'm a honk for Macallan. Maybe one that's smooth, one in the middle, and one that's smoky?

Maybe consider Ardbeg Uigedail for one that is a flavor bomb?

Thanks see the chart and maybe that should be my guide but looking for a nice competitor for Macallan 12 sherry oak. Finding that bottle harder and harder to find (prefer to not buy online) so looking for other options. Preferably similar price or lower.

planoaggie123 said:

---

Thanks see the chart and maybe that should be my guide but looking for a nice competitor for Macallan 12 sherry oak. Finding that bottle harder and harder to find (prefer to not buy online) so looking for other options. Preferably similar price or lower.

---

MacAllan and GlenDronach are the distilleries at the top of sherried scotch food chain. Balvenie and Aberlour are a half step behind those two IMO. I honestly cant say I've had a bad pour from any of those 4. Can't really go wrong with any of them.

Awesome. I nearly settled on GlenDronach last night. Will give it a shot!

planoaggie123 said:

---

Thanks see the chart and maybe that should be my guide but looking for a nice competitor for Macallan 12 sherry oak. Finding that bottle harder and harder to find (prefer to not buy online) so looking for other options. Preferably similar price or lower.

---

Glenfarclas makes a pretty great sherried scotch too.

I did the Glenkinchie tour while I was in Scotland in 2019. They were doing some work on the grounds to prepare for more visitors. It had been primarily a source for blending but a little more than a decade or so ago (edit: one website says late 1980s), as the interest in scotch started rising again, they decided to start runs for single malt. The tasting room was awesome. Because they had a smallish number of Glenkinchie offerings, they had a range of Diageo brands to sample, as well.

I will be in the UK later this year and have family there that I can ship to. Is there anything I should look at buying there to bring back that would be more difficult to get here in the states that would be worth it? Not looking to break the bank on anything though.