Lagavulin 16 vs 8yo or something else?
Discussion
It turns out that I skipped 'Whisky for beginners' and jumped straight in at the Islay end 
Having had Ardbeg 10, Ardbeg Correyvrecken and Lagavulin 16 I've got a choice to make for my next Islay, traditionally bought by Mum for Christmas.
Correyvrecken was my favourite with the 10 being the easiest drinking.
I should stick with what I know but I'm a sucker for trying new, love to her experiences of those who have tried the Lagavulin 8.
Having had Ardbeg 10, Ardbeg Correyvrecken and Lagavulin 16 I've got a choice to make for my next Islay, traditionally bought by Mum for Christmas.
Correyvrecken was my favourite with the 10 being the easiest drinking.
I should stick with what I know but I'm a sucker for trying new, love to her experiences of those who have tried the Lagavulin 8.
I'm a huge Islay fan and currently have a bottle of Laga 8 on the go. I like it but nowhere near as much as the 16, it just isn't as rich. I'm not very good with describing whiskies but I'd say it is a bit rougher and less complex than the 16 which I suppose is to be expected being much younger. It is still very drinkable though. There is still an initial peaty punch but I don't find the finish as enjoyable as the 16.
I also really like Corryvreckan which I very much enjoyed, much more so than the Laga 8. This is smokey, definitely an Ardbeg, but also spicy which makes it nicely different from the 10 which I have to say is probably still my favourite whisky.
Personally, whilst I do enjoy the Laga 8, if you really liked the Ardbegs you've had I would perhaps try their Uigedeal (spelling?) or even an offering from Laphroaig. The 10 year old is excellent imo, and the Quarter Cask and PX Cask are also very very good.
All of the Bruichladdich whiskies I've tried have been good, from the non peated Laddies to the "heavily" peated Port Charlottes but especially the Octomores, sadly once my bottle of this has gone, I doubt I'll be able to afford to replace it for a while.
Hope this helps!
I also really like Corryvreckan which I very much enjoyed, much more so than the Laga 8. This is smokey, definitely an Ardbeg, but also spicy which makes it nicely different from the 10 which I have to say is probably still my favourite whisky.
Personally, whilst I do enjoy the Laga 8, if you really liked the Ardbegs you've had I would perhaps try their Uigedeal (spelling?) or even an offering from Laphroaig. The 10 year old is excellent imo, and the Quarter Cask and PX Cask are also very very good.
All of the Bruichladdich whiskies I've tried have been good, from the non peated Laddies to the "heavily" peated Port Charlottes but especially the Octomores, sadly once my bottle of this has gone, I doubt I'll be able to afford to replace it for a while.
Hope this helps!
Hoofy said:
Can't remember the website but the one everyone recommends allows you to order single dram samples for about £5 each. Maybe ask your mum to order a few for you?
A couple of years ago my wife bought me a selection of samples for Christmas, not daring to guess what I wanted in a full bottle.It turned out to be one of the best presents I've ever had as it opened up a whole world of new whiskies I'd never have bought a full bottle of - some I liked some I didn't but all were whiskies I wouldn't have tried otherwise having stuck to the same few distilleries for years.
MondyJim said:
All of the Bruichladdich whiskies I've tried have been good, from the non peated Laddies to the "heavily" peated Port Charlottes
I've thoroughly enjoyed the 2-3 bottles of Laddie and an Organic I've had over the years. A bottle I gave as a present was also top of the list for the recipient, who genuinely likes his whisky. I'm getting the Port Charlotte for Christmas, how does it compare to the Lagavulins and Laphroaigs?Mark Benson said:
Hoofy said:
Can't remember the website but the one everyone recommends allows you to order single dram samples for about £5 each. Maybe ask your mum to order a few for you?
A couple of years ago my wife bought me a selection of samples for Christmas, not daring to guess what I wanted in a full bottle.It turned out to be one of the best presents I've ever had as it opened up a whole world of new whiskies I'd never have bought a full bottle of - some I liked some I didn't but all were whiskies I wouldn't have tried otherwise having stuck to the same few distilleries for years.
Whoozit said:
MondyJim said:
All of the Bruichladdich whiskies I've tried have been good, from the non peated Laddies to the "heavily" peated Port Charlottes
I've thoroughly enjoyed the 2-3 bottles of Laddie and an Organic I've had over the years. A bottle I gave as a present was also top of the list for the recipient, who genuinely likes his whisky. I'm getting the Port Charlotte for Christmas, how does it compare to the Lagavulins and Laphroaigs?The best Islay I've had in the past year was the first release of cadenhead's 175th anniversary 9 year old Islay closely followed by the Laphroaig Cairdeas quarter cask. For a young reasonably priced cask strength it was surprisingly smooth but very peaty and oily. Octomore is worth trying and a bottle will likely last a while even though it is a bit pricey.
I normally get a bottle from my mum that request but this year I've asked her to pick something from an independent bottler that takes her fancy.
I normally get a bottle from my mum that request but this year I've asked her to pick something from an independent bottler that takes her fancy.
Another Islay fan here...I even made a 5 day pilgrimage back in April and managed to visit all the distilleries including a claim on the building site at Ardnahoe which is yet to open
I try to rotate my open bottles to give them all a chance though Ardbeg and Laphroaig tend to dominate usually.
One I keep going back to though is Kilchoman Machir Bay which I sometimes think is better than Ardbeg 10 y/o...bordering on blasphemy there I know...
The only real disappointment has been Laphroaig Select which I realised with hindsight is marketed as an introductory malt, but is markedly poorer overall than the 10 y/o which I started on before graduating to QC & PX etc.
Some of the independent bottlings are very good too, for a raw satisfying blast of Islay you'd be hard pressed to better a bottle of The Ileach.
I try to rotate my open bottles to give them all a chance though Ardbeg and Laphroaig tend to dominate usually.
One I keep going back to though is Kilchoman Machir Bay which I sometimes think is better than Ardbeg 10 y/o...bordering on blasphemy there I know...
The only real disappointment has been Laphroaig Select which I realised with hindsight is marketed as an introductory malt, but is markedly poorer overall than the 10 y/o which I started on before graduating to QC & PX etc.
Some of the independent bottlings are very good too, for a raw satisfying blast of Islay you'd be hard pressed to better a bottle of The Ileach.
Hoofy said:
Can't remember the website but the one everyone recommends allows you to order single dram samples for about £5 each. Maybe ask your mum to order a few for you?
https://www.masterofmalt.com/samples/http://www.drinksbythedram.com/
mcflurry said:
Hoofy said:
Can't remember the website but the one everyone recommends allows you to order single dram samples for about £5 each. Maybe ask your mum to order a few for you?
https://www.masterofmalt.com/samples/http://www.drinksbythedram.com/
https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/12983/ledaig-1...
This is a lovely whisky for the price. Try to always have bottle of it in the cabinet.
This is a lovely whisky for the price. Try to always have bottle of it in the cabinet.
vixen1700 said:
https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/12983/ledaig-1...
This is a lovely whisky for the price. Try to always have bottle of it in the cabinet.
Agreed, one of the best bottles I bought last year when trying a few non-Islay malts for a change...another similar was Benromach Peat Smoke although the Ledaig was the better of the two.This is a lovely whisky for the price. Try to always have bottle of it in the cabinet.
I sell booze for a living and Ardbeg is my personal peaty favourite.
As you seem to enjoy that , I'd look at Caol Ila.
If you can find rocking horse poo Talisker 10, that's good for a mass manufacturer.
The current trend for evocative names rather than years is an indication of the sudden popularity of single malts in India, China and to a degree Japan.
12 years ago that demand didn't exist and the stocks laid down ran out faster than expected, younger malts are being blended in, thus the proliferation of named malts rather than age quoted ones.
For the uninitiated single malts are from a single distillery not a single batch or year, and the year on the bottle is the youngest batch used.
As you seem to enjoy that , I'd look at Caol Ila.
If you can find rocking horse poo Talisker 10, that's good for a mass manufacturer.
The current trend for evocative names rather than years is an indication of the sudden popularity of single malts in India, China and to a degree Japan.
12 years ago that demand didn't exist and the stocks laid down ran out faster than expected, younger malts are being blended in, thus the proliferation of named malts rather than age quoted ones.
For the uninitiated single malts are from a single distillery not a single batch or year, and the year on the bottle is the youngest batch used.
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