Show us your whisky!
Discussion
Blown2CV said:
Interested to know what the others are?
I was wondering that as well, like virtually all alternative investments, whisky as an investment vehicle , requires a good slice of well informed knowledge as to what to buy, and when. Even with that knowledge its far from a precise science. Heck! The best investment is in drinking the stuff!
Cheese Mechanic said:
Blown2CV said:
Interested to know what the others are?
I was wondering that as well, like virtually all alternative investments, whisky as an investment vehicle , requires a good slice of well informed knowledge as to what to buy, and when. Even with that knowledge its far from a precise science. Heck! The best investment is in drinking the stuff!
Cheese Mechanic said:
Blown2CV said:
Interested to know what the others are?
I was wondering that as well, like virtually all alternative investments, whisky as an investment vehicle , requires a good slice of well informed knowledge as to what to buy, and when. Even with that knowledge its far from a precise science. Heck! The best investment is in drinking the stuff!
The Highland Park is a single cask bottling which I’ve owned for about 4 years. I'll get it valued in around 5 years’ time with a view to possibly selling.
I'm the original owner of the Talisker and this is quite actively traded and the bottle I’ve made the most (paper) profit on. Will keep monitoring the trends on this one and as such I have no time horizon in mind.
The Glengoyne I purchased recently and it was a bit more of a punt. It was interestingly chosen and bottled as part of a live internet 'tasting' which can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq0eKuHkBtg I originally wasn't too interested in the offering, but the distillery reduced the price and there's something about the selection (which I’ve burned to DVD to keep with the bottle) which I think might be valuable in the long-term. Time horizon is definitely long-term 10+ years.
Blown2CV said:
Cheese Mechanic said:
Blown2CV said:
Interested to know what the others are?
I was wondering that as well, like virtually all alternative investments, whisky as an investment vehicle , requires a good slice of well informed knowledge as to what to buy, and when. Even with that knowledge its far from a precise science. Heck! The best investment is in drinking the stuff!
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=20178123...
Anyone who bought it at £250 has lost something like £100 on it at the moment.
It'll be interesting to see what happens in the investment sense going into the future. Generally up to now it's been limited edition bottles from certain distilleries. However with companies now taking part of the "investment" profit by releasing limited edition bottles at a higher price (hold your hand up Diageo in particular!), releasing limited editions which aren't very limited, and probably more people buying bottles for investment meaning long term supply will not be as limited it will be interesting to see where things go.
NRS said:
Blown2CV said:
Cheese Mechanic said:
Blown2CV said:
Interested to know what the others are?
I was wondering that as well, like virtually all alternative investments, whisky as an investment vehicle , requires a good slice of well informed knowledge as to what to buy, and when. Even with that knowledge its far from a precise science. Heck! The best investment is in drinking the stuff!
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=20178123...
Anyone who bought it at £250 has lost something like £100 on it at the moment.
It'll be interesting to see what happens in the investment sense going into the future. Generally up to now it's been limited edition bottles from certain distilleries. However with companies now taking part of the "investment" profit by releasing limited edition bottles at a higher price (hold your hand up Diageo in particular!), releasing limited editions which aren't very limited, and probably more people buying bottles for investment meaning long term supply will not be as limited it will be interesting to see where things go.
I was gobsmacked when I entered and saw all the bottles he had. He buy bottles purely to collect and will never sell his collection or drink.
From an investment point of few, he had a fair few crackers. For example, the Bowmore Black 1964 was £80/90 in the shops when they first came out (late 90’s). They’re now 8/9K I think?
There is definitely money to be made by buying a limited edition quickly and putting it towards auction.
The Limburg Whisky Messe was this weekend so it would have been rude not to go along.
Started off with a Glendronach Revival 15 yo which was very pleasant but, after trying some of the Single cask releases, was a bit 'thin'.
I then decided to pop over to the Amrut stand and met the one of the chaps who runs Amrut. I tried the new Narrangi expression which is very good. 900 botles have been produced and I urge anyone who drinkd whisky to try it. Very innovative and the finish is the perfect blend of sherry and orange.
Onto an Edradour 12yo Port Finish. Probably the 'worst' whisky of the day for me but I would still give at 3.5 on the Lefty scale. Very drinkable.
And then this....
IMO, the best Ardbeg since the First Ardbeg Day bottling. They did have to 2014 Supernova but I was a bit to merry at the end of the day and forgot to try some!
After the Ardbeg, I needed another peaty hit so hunted around for the Octomore stand. I bought a bottle of the Islay Barley (258ppm!) but it was sent to my parent's house so it was nice to try some. Very dense and smokey, like smouldering ashes. Takes a while to open up but like all Octomores, it hides its ABV very well. Tried it with a drop of water after the first couple of sips but it does not need it. Stonking dram and is up there with the 2.2 Orpheus as the best one they have released.
I needed a little break but I then wondered past this BenRiach. How can anyone say 'no' to a 1996 PX finsh? Unforunately, they did not have any for sale as I would love to have taken one home. Lots of raisins, almost christmas pudding-y. A really good dram.
And now for something completely different. The Blaue Maus. German whisky is not really good. There are a few excpetions of course, this being one, but a lot of their whiskies are very spirit lead, almost schapps like. This had a similar nose to most but the tatse was very strange. It wandered through schapps, onto leather, straw, a farm like taste and then the wood came through with a bitter, but not unpleasant, punch. It was the surprise whisky of the day and one which needs a lot of time to get to know. I went in not expecting much but this really intrigued and I wish I had bought a bottle now.
I needed to introduce my neighbour to the delights of Japanese whisky. Chichibu had a stand for the 3rd year running and had some new samples. 6yo sherry cask was my choice and it should be coming out at some point this year. Very good and there is no way you would think that it was 60%! If they can make whisky this young taste so good then I cannot waiting for the first round of 18 yo bottlings in 2017/18. Cask 1388, watch out for it.
There was also a bottle of the Joker on the stand. This is the last of the card series and is now fetching silly money. One for investing in rather than drinking IMO but it was pleasant, just not at 700€ a pop!
After getting some much needed fresh air, we had a look at a stand which was offering samples of rum and tequila. I cannot remember what we tried but I am no fan of tequila, although I was very surprised at how nice it was. I just find it too much like water if that makes any sense. The taste is so subtle that for 50€+ a bottle, I would rather have a whisky. The rums were good but not remarkable. The problem I have with rum is it is very nice but I cannot afford to drink both it and whisky!
Onto Switzerland. I needed to try some more whisky from Appenzeller land. Dreifaltigkeit from Säntis is one of my absolute favourite whiskies. If you have the chance to taste then do. It is so think that you chew it as opposed to drinking it. Smokey, bacon, pork belly, apples more smoke. Just brilliant.
Onto the last whisky of the day. I saw this bottle when I arrived and knew it would be the last one that I try beofre jumping on the train back home. Like the 1996 BenRiach but with everything turned up to 11. They were selling bottles two years ago but it was too rich for me at 450€. Looking back, I really should have bought one as this was the whisky of the weekend for me. Lotes of tropical fruit, raisins and sherry. The empty glass still smelt fantasic on the following day.
That concludes another year and I only purchased 4 bottles: Amrut Narrangi x2 (which were both signed by the Amrut chap), the 2014 fall bottling of George T Stagg and the new Octomore 7.1.
Sláinte!
Started off with a Glendronach Revival 15 yo which was very pleasant but, after trying some of the Single cask releases, was a bit 'thin'.
I then decided to pop over to the Amrut stand and met the one of the chaps who runs Amrut. I tried the new Narrangi expression which is very good. 900 botles have been produced and I urge anyone who drinkd whisky to try it. Very innovative and the finish is the perfect blend of sherry and orange.
Onto an Edradour 12yo Port Finish. Probably the 'worst' whisky of the day for me but I would still give at 3.5 on the Lefty scale. Very drinkable.
And then this....
IMO, the best Ardbeg since the First Ardbeg Day bottling. They did have to 2014 Supernova but I was a bit to merry at the end of the day and forgot to try some!After the Ardbeg, I needed another peaty hit so hunted around for the Octomore stand. I bought a bottle of the Islay Barley (258ppm!) but it was sent to my parent's house so it was nice to try some. Very dense and smokey, like smouldering ashes. Takes a while to open up but like all Octomores, it hides its ABV very well. Tried it with a drop of water after the first couple of sips but it does not need it. Stonking dram and is up there with the 2.2 Orpheus as the best one they have released.
I needed a little break but I then wondered past this BenRiach. How can anyone say 'no' to a 1996 PX finsh? Unforunately, they did not have any for sale as I would love to have taken one home. Lots of raisins, almost christmas pudding-y. A really good dram.
And now for something completely different. The Blaue Maus. German whisky is not really good. There are a few excpetions of course, this being one, but a lot of their whiskies are very spirit lead, almost schapps like. This had a similar nose to most but the tatse was very strange. It wandered through schapps, onto leather, straw, a farm like taste and then the wood came through with a bitter, but not unpleasant, punch. It was the surprise whisky of the day and one which needs a lot of time to get to know. I went in not expecting much but this really intrigued and I wish I had bought a bottle now.
I needed to introduce my neighbour to the delights of Japanese whisky. Chichibu had a stand for the 3rd year running and had some new samples. 6yo sherry cask was my choice and it should be coming out at some point this year. Very good and there is no way you would think that it was 60%! If they can make whisky this young taste so good then I cannot waiting for the first round of 18 yo bottlings in 2017/18. Cask 1388, watch out for it.
There was also a bottle of the Joker on the stand. This is the last of the card series and is now fetching silly money. One for investing in rather than drinking IMO but it was pleasant, just not at 700€ a pop!
After getting some much needed fresh air, we had a look at a stand which was offering samples of rum and tequila. I cannot remember what we tried but I am no fan of tequila, although I was very surprised at how nice it was. I just find it too much like water if that makes any sense. The taste is so subtle that for 50€+ a bottle, I would rather have a whisky. The rums were good but not remarkable. The problem I have with rum is it is very nice but I cannot afford to drink both it and whisky!
Onto Switzerland. I needed to try some more whisky from Appenzeller land. Dreifaltigkeit from Säntis is one of my absolute favourite whiskies. If you have the chance to taste then do. It is so think that you chew it as opposed to drinking it. Smokey, bacon, pork belly, apples more smoke. Just brilliant.
Onto the last whisky of the day. I saw this bottle when I arrived and knew it would be the last one that I try beofre jumping on the train back home. Like the 1996 BenRiach but with everything turned up to 11. They were selling bottles two years ago but it was too rich for me at 450€. Looking back, I really should have bought one as this was the whisky of the weekend for me. Lotes of tropical fruit, raisins and sherry. The empty glass still smelt fantasic on the following day.
That concludes another year and I only purchased 4 bottles: Amrut Narrangi x2 (which were both signed by the Amrut chap), the 2014 fall bottling of George T Stagg and the new Octomore 7.1.
Sláinte!
I was there for 3 days and that seemed to be enough time to visit the distilleries, go for walks and generally explore the island. I would not have said no to a couple more but time always seems to be tight.
If you want a good B&B, then I can recommend The Old Excise House opposite Laphroaig.
If you want a good B&B, then I can recommend The Old Excise House opposite Laphroaig.
Just in case you are not aware, you can get discounts and freebies by joining the various distillery fan clubs, the relevent ones for Islay and Jura are:
Friends of the Classic Malts (for Lagavulin and Caol Ila) www.malts.com/index.php/users/register
Kilchoman Club Member www.kilchomandistillery.com/user/register
Diurachs (Jura) www.jurawhisky.com/en/become-a-diurach
Friends of Laphroaig www.laphroaig.com/friends
Ardbeg Committee www.ardbeg.com/ardbeg/committee
The Inner Core (Bowmore) www.bowmore.com/inner-core/
The North Star (Bunnahabhain) www.bunnahabhain.com/news-and-events/north-star
Friends of the Classic Malts (for Lagavulin and Caol Ila) www.malts.com/index.php/users/register
Kilchoman Club Member www.kilchomandistillery.com/user/register
Diurachs (Jura) www.jurawhisky.com/en/become-a-diurach
Friends of Laphroaig www.laphroaig.com/friends
Ardbeg Committee www.ardbeg.com/ardbeg/committee
The Inner Core (Bowmore) www.bowmore.com/inner-core/
The North Star (Bunnahabhain) www.bunnahabhain.com/news-and-events/north-star
krallicious said:
I was there for 3 days and that seemed to be enough time to visit the distilleries, go for walks and generally explore the island. I would not have said no to a couple more but time always seems to be tight.
If you want a good B&B, then I can recommend The Old Excise House opposite Laphroaig.
Another vote for the Old Excise House. Emma's cooking is top notch, and it feels really welcoming. If you want a good B&B, then I can recommend The Old Excise House opposite Laphroaig.
It's also walking distance from Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroaig. If you go for the extended tastings, this is worth a lot! Believe me, the tastings aren't stingy...
Four days is enough to get a good flavour of things, or hit all the distilleries if that's your thing. Jura is really the best part of a day as there isn't much else to do once you've had a walk. Mind you, going upto Coryvrecken is a two day job by all accounts...
MonzaEvo said:
Slight off-topic...... As many of you seem to have made the trek, how many nights stay on Islay would you recommend to get the most from the island/distilleries?
Rgds
Jonathan
ps - Current stash = Bowmore Tempest 5, Caol Ila Moch, Jura Origin, Hibiki 17 and Kavalan
you could do them all in a day on a bowmore post office bike... sounds like a challenge to me!Rgds
Jonathan
ps - Current stash = Bowmore Tempest 5, Caol Ila Moch, Jura Origin, Hibiki 17 and Kavalan
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