Show us your whisky!
Discussion
This is a bit of a cheat since it isn’t actually mine but since some of you on here appreciate the fine light spirit of The Balvenie I thought you might enjoy it.
I work for the company and this is the meeting room that I get to use which is nice.
The display as a whole is quite tasty
But there are a few really special bottles
A bottle of 1964 vintage
A bottle of Cask 191
An older bottling of 50 year old
I work for the company and this is the meeting room that I get to use which is nice.
The display as a whole is quite tasty
But there are a few really special bottles
A bottle of 1964 vintage
A bottle of Cask 191
An older bottling of 50 year old
shirt said:
lefty. have you ever been to the isle of wight? there is [or maybe was, this was then i wer a bairn] pub called the white mouse which has hundreds of different whisky's lining the bar. it would definitely be right up your alley.
Went to the White Mouse last summer for the 1st time since I lived on the sunny IoW; it was always a great place to go and eat, with a proper 'home cooked food' atmosphere; but it has now been bought out by Hall & Woodhouse breweries and has been turned into a nondescript eatery, more interested in turning tables, than producing good quality food. Still has a stunning view from the garden terrace though.Sorry for rambling....my point was: No more whisky lined bar!!
Edited by matc on Friday 6th March 13:47
George 500 said:
This is a bit of a cheat since it isn’t actually mine but since some of you on here appreciate the fine light spirit of The Balvenie I thought you might enjoy it.
I work for the company and this is the meeting room that I get to use which is nice.
The display as a whole is quite tasty
(display deleting in the interest of brevity)
SOOOO....I work for the company and this is the meeting room that I get to use which is nice.
The display as a whole is quite tasty
(display deleting in the interest of brevity)
Whens the inargual PH distillery visit and sampling then??
Oh nice car btw
Edited by MickC on Wednesday 11th March 09:45
MickC said:
SOOOO....
Whens the inargual PH distillery visit and sampling then??
Oh nice car btw
Approve of your choice of British Manufacturing too!Whens the inargual PH distillery visit and sampling then??
Oh nice car btw
As for the distillery visit it is possible to visit The Balvenie distillery but in many ways the best one to go to in the Glenfiddich one (which is next door). The Glenfiddich one is free and consistently wins awards.
The Balvenie one you have to book and is really quite special. You do it in groups of 8 and it finishes with a tasting of the range up to (I think) the 21y/o Portwood. At £25 it is therefore quite reasonable
Even better go up and do both!
Lefty Guns said:
Glenfiddich tour is OK but the whisky's so-so. Commercialised, run-of-the-mill tat in IMHO.
Balvenie would be superb (and the 21yo Portwood is tremendous)
A sad and unfortunate misconception by those who perceived that they have moved on (all IMHO Balvenie would be superb (and the 21yo Portwood is tremendous)
). Seriously though I challenge you to taste it blind (ie without any preconceptions) and tell me that it is "tat".We do find some frustration with this attitude on the basis that it is the world's single most awarded malt whisky and the 18 y/o is the single most awarded malt variant period (it has only ever been beaten in IWSC blind tastings once- yes you did read that correctly)
I'll grant you a few years back it went through a rough patch but all I can say is that if it is 12 y/o you are after I would take the Glenffiddich over The Balvenie every time- and I'm in good company there as that is also the view of David Stewart our Master Distiller.
The frustration is that you create an absolute world class whisky which all the serious whisky experts proclaim superb in blind tastings (sometimes not even blind- see Jim Murray's whisky bible or witness the fact that in Michael Jackson's final tasting he voted Glenfiddich 12 as the best £30 malt consumers could buy) and then consumers who THINK they know better proclaim it as "tat".
Me? Glenfiddich and The Balvenie are both fantastic tipples but when you start getting into the aged variants little can beat the Grant's 18 and 21
Edited by George 500 on Thursday 12th March 22:05
Well I've never been much of a fan to be honest. You're as entitled to your opinion as I am but please don't get all personal because you happen to disagree with me. You work for the company so your opinion is hardly likely to be unbiased eh?
I just bought a bottle of 21yo a few weeks ago (previously knoiwn as Gran Reserva I believe?) and was massively disappointed by just how, well, plain it was.
I've also got the Caoran reserve and it's been on my shelf with only a couple of drams taken in the 2 or 3 years I've owned it. Not terrible by any stretch but, again, just a bit dull.
I've tasted quite a few over the years, some are better than others but none have ever made me change my mind about the product or the brand. It is without doubt very well marketed and that's laudable.
IMHO
Slainte!
I just bought a bottle of 21yo a few weeks ago (previously knoiwn as Gran Reserva I believe?) and was massively disappointed by just how, well, plain it was.
I've also got the Caoran reserve and it's been on my shelf with only a couple of drams taken in the 2 or 3 years I've owned it. Not terrible by any stretch but, again, just a bit dull.
I've tasted quite a few over the years, some are better than others but none have ever made me change my mind about the product or the brand. It is without doubt very well marketed and that's laudable.
IMHO
george500 said:
consumers who THINK they know better proclaim it as "tat".
I generally don't buy whisky on the recommendation of master distillers or specialist whisky writers. I don't pretend to know better than the experts but I'll taste anything, give it a fair and unbiased trial - and i'll call it as I see (or rather, taste) it. And I'm going to stand by "tat". But thanks for the sermon anyway.Slainte!
Edited by Lefty Guns on Thursday 12th March 22:05
Pot Bellied Fool said:
Visited the distillery back in September and still exercising considerable self-discipline & only allowing myself a tot to savour...
Un-chilfiltered from Edradour (the smallest distillery).
Edradour distillery is nice and I treated myself to a bottle of ten year old, would also recommend Macallan for those trying to get into whisky ! Un-chilfiltered from Edradour (the smallest distillery).
As for my collection, being a student is seriously getting in the way of any serioud collection and I have to rely on the bottle I get from my dad every christmas !
lefty guns said:
Well I've never been much of a fan to be honest. You're as entitled to your opinion as I am but please don't get all personal because you happen to disagree with me. You work for the company so your opinion is hardly likely to be unbiased eh?
Apologies if my response was perceived as being personal it certainly wasn't meant to be and I grant you I am hardly impartial!lefty guns said:
I just bought a bottle of 21yo a few weeks ago (previously known as Gran Reserva I believe?) and was massively disappointed by just how, well, plain it was.
I will confess that for me the 15 and the 21 don't live up to the 12, 18 and 30. As it happens the 15 and 21 are a slightly different (sweeter) formulation. They are still rated highly (and score much better than the 12, 18 and 30 with girls) but don't quite tick my boxes in the same waylefty guns said:
I've also got the Caoran reserve and it's been on my shelf with only a couple of drams taken in the 2 or 3 years I've owned it. Not terrible by any stretch but, again, just a bit dull.
If there is a child born out of wedlock in the family then this is it. A good example of what happens when you give the marketeer control of range strategy...lefty guns said:
And I'm going to stand by "tat".
Unfortunately if my previous response sounded irked this is potentially what caused it. Whilst as a matter of opinion you may not like the product you should recognise that this is something that many have put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into. The findings of competitions and whisky writers may not move you but you should recognise that the product may be many things but it is unfair to describe it as tat. I could put forward a number of competitor products that I would argue are less well crafted but I would describe very few as tat, call it an industry-wide code of respectIf you are one of the few who can truly judge a drink in an unprejudiced manner having seen the bottle then I commend you as it is a very rare skill (one I certainly don't possess). Otherwise perhaps next time you see a GF 18 in a bar have a cheeky nip and see what you think. If that can't be an advert for Glenfiddich then I will concede that you are a lost cause to us!
Slainte!
George, I hope you noticed that before you posted I edited my previous post to say that "tat" was a bit strong...
It would appear that I've not sampled some of the best of the range so I'll get a bottle of 12yo over the weekend and let you know what I think. And I promise I'll give it a fair shot!
I'm a huge fan of Ardbeg but I'm first to admit that there are a few bottlings that I'm not keen on so I hope you'll believe that name means nothing to me - if I like a dram I'll drink it and tell people I like it and if I don't I'll say so.
It would appear that I've not sampled some of the best of the range so I'll get a bottle of 12yo over the weekend and let you know what I think. And I promise I'll give it a fair shot!
I'm a huge fan of Ardbeg but I'm first to admit that there are a few bottlings that I'm not keen on so I hope you'll believe that name means nothing to me - if I like a dram I'll drink it and tell people I like it and if I don't I'll say so.
Edited by Lefty Guns on Thursday 19th March 11:33
George 500 said:
A good example of what happens when you give the marketeer control of range strategy...
This is pretty much what I was getting at in my first post about the brand and I'm pleased you agree that it does happen. I feel the same has happend with the 21... I've maybe just been unlucky with my choice of expressions from the distillery.Slainte
Lefty Guns said:
George, I hope you noticed that before you posted I edited my previous post to say that "tat" was a bit strong...
It would appear that I've not sampled some of the best of the range so I'll get a bottle of 12yo over the weekend and let you know what I think. And I promise I'll give it a fair shot!
I'm a huge fan of Ardbeg but I'm first to admit that there are a few bottlings that I'm not ken on so I hope you'll believe that name means nothing to me - if I like a dram I'll drink it and tell people I like it and if I don't I'll say so.
Just noticed your edit (but only after I posted- apologiesIt would appear that I've not sampled some of the best of the range so I'll get a bottle of 12yo over the weekend and let you know what I think. And I promise I'll give it a fair shot!
I'm a huge fan of Ardbeg but I'm first to admit that there are a few bottlings that I'm not ken on so I hope you'll believe that name means nothing to me - if I like a dram I'll drink it and tell people I like it and if I don't I'll say so.
)If you can stretch to it I would say that at £40 for the 18 and £25 for the 12 the 18 does represent conspicuously good value for money...
... but then I would say that
I've just picked up a bottle of the Glenfiddich 12yo at Waitrose so will give it a try myself later. I have to admit my tipple of choice is Jack Daniels but I'm open to being converted.
Just going back to a comment a page or two ago, Southern Comfort is revolting sweet muck and tastes like cough medicine. I had a bottle years ago which I left at my parents place because it was so vile there was no way I was going to drink it. It's still there, at least 6 years later. If it was JD, Grouse or even Bells it would have lasted about 2 weeks maximum!
Just going back to a comment a page or two ago, Southern Comfort is revolting sweet muck and tastes like cough medicine. I had a bottle years ago which I left at my parents place because it was so vile there was no way I was going to drink it. It's still there, at least 6 years later. If it was JD, Grouse or even Bells it would have lasted about 2 weeks maximum!
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