Thanks for reviewing the PX I haven't had it yet, it's just too expensive in my area $132. I have the Cask Strength from '22 and I really am enjoying it. Cheers!
I really enjoy this Irish whiskey! I am a dyed in the wool single malt lover as my favourite spirit to drink but this Red Breast is lovely!! Sharing is wonderful! Whoa $90 bucks! It’s a lot it’s pricey here in Vancouver!! Cheers! Oh! Have you had Loch Lomond 12? Yikes!! A friend suggested it’s awful! I will give it away! Hubs dislikes it too!
Hmmm….. I quite liked my L12 from 3 years ago… especially for only $32 at the time. Maybe you had a bad batch ? Happy to hear you are enjoying the R PX!!! Good juice! Cheers 🥃
@@justwhisky Thanks John! he LL is about $75 here before taxes and that's a good price for scotch locally but it was just very unpalatable. It certainly could be a bum batch. I should try another bottle to see out of interest. I am happy you had a good experience! Wow $32!! Amazing! I hope you are having a terrific summer!! 🙂
This was fun to watch :) I've always been curious about that Springbank Rum cask but like you said, mixed reviews. I completely agree with you on Springbanks needing to increase their abvs slightly as they get older. Man I really need to get my hands on an IB Jura, seems where the party is at. That Old Pulteney 17 was a beauty. Cheers John, some great whiskies meaning some great memories. 🥃
At first glance, my initial thought was, "So THAT'S where all the Campbeltown juice is going!" Impressive! Me? I'm quite fond of the Kilkerran Heavily Peated batches. As for Ardnamurchan, that 02.22 was well beyond 8/10 for me. I blinked and missed out on the 09.22 but have been loving the 05.23 (I bought a backup recently from a slightly more expensive local shop I use for such emergencies). I'm sure you had a great ride getting through all those bottles! Imagine the price those 18-21 year-old Springbanks would fetch at, say, 50% ABV. Like, horror-flick scary!
Greetings Andy, Yeah that A 02/22 could probably score higher but if that was a 9, and the 09/22 was a 10, and the 05/23 was an 11….😳 If/when they get into age statements…. Spinal Tap scores I’m sure! Cheers 🥃
Excellent walkthrough of the empty bottles, John. To bad that the older bottlings seem to "drown" a bit for you being too quiet or subtle, lacking "oompf" to really impress you. I think, I understand you, actually. even if I don't experience the same. Cheers! 🥃
Thanks Benny! I enjoy doing these trips down memory lane. I have high expectations for older SB’s and K16’s… especially with the high prices… and for me I find they lack that Wow factor with standard 46%. Cheers 🥃
Wish more distilleries would give us residual ppm. Do you know if they measure the phenols after aging or before? I only ask because it seems that the CS is 32% more ppm than the non cs, which correlates with the whisky strength being 32% higher than the non cs.
Great episode. Sadly, I will likely never buy a distillery bottling of SB18 or older given the prices. I am considering buying the SB15 for $170 near me though. But we’ll have to see if even that is enticing given that I live near a K&L
Harsh words for the 46% SB but I agree. Just found a $90 10 as a backup, so I can pour a nice dram from the old bottle without remorse or guilt etc. Its nice. But a splash or 12 really brings it alive. I find I do that alot if the CS is to hot. And the old Arran 10 was ao good i have 2 backups and never pulled the trigger on a new version. I think I'm in the minority but I liked it more than the 14.
That 14 is the #1 unicorn dusty bottle for sure and I'd certainly grab one in an instant if I saw it. It could still be priced at $75 too. I have a nearly full bottle of the old 18 and I thinks it's for a bit to much sherry casks in the mix. It's one of those 46% 18 year old, cause , y'know, older is better
The new Arran 10 is sweeter than the old. I prefer the old bottling, though I can't say the new one is bad. I did have a bottle of the new one (a 2023 bottle kill), but I won't buy another anytime soon with options like e.g. Glencadam 10 available. On the other hand I would definitely buy another bottle of the old Arran 10, if I can find it at a fair price.
Great bottles kill review John. That old particular Jura 12 must've been something special. I have seen the 48.4% version of it and I wonder if it would be good to go after. I have tried some on your kills list and I agree with your take on those. Cheers!
I really don't think price should be taken into consideration when putting a score on a whisky. Prices will vary a lot, whereas the content in the bottle is the same.
The majority of my reviews price doesn’t play a factor but if something is Expensive I have higher expectations…. LL12 is a solid fruity delight… especially at $30… Cheers 🥃
@@justwhisky I fear coming off as a little difficult here. I too will of course have higher expectations if I've paid a lot for a bottle, but expectations should neither go into a score. To be useful to others, it should be an as objective as possible piece of information about the quality of the whisky. Others might have the whisky available at a different price, and might not share your expectations. It's an impossible thing anyway, reducing the tasting experience to a number, but it can be useful as long as it's an attempt at objectivity.
Thanks for reviewing this IB Craigellachie. I have a Berry Bros & Rudd 14yr CS Craigellachie that is not what I expected it to be, I need to revisit that bottle. Cheers!
Craig is always a safe bet. Old Particular diluted down to a respectable 48.4 is the risk. I would have liked to pick up that Jura because I had access to the same cask but I let it slip away. I'm woRking on a 15 year bourbon matured and an 11 year old Craig from a sherry butt. At cask strength, from different bottlers, so they're fun. I prefer my indie bottles to not have a finishing but you never know what's on the horizon
Agree these Old Particular’s are fun especially at their price point. I’ve got a couple more Craigallachie indies up my sleeve for eventual review. Always nice to hear from you… Cheers 🥃
I just received a bottle of this for father's day. My first time, and it's very special. At 77 years old, I have owned and enjoyed many boats as an avid fisherman. I am now yearning for another.❤
This sounds like a good one for the price. I have only had samples of Torabhaig so far, maybe I'll hold out just a bit longer. As you mentioned, there are just too many new distilleries to try and keep up with! Thanks.
Peat and sherry is hard to ruin but some malts get a bit shy to open up in the beginning. I had a small sip of this in a bar and I enojyed it but of course I haven't spent time with it. Future looks bright for Torabhaig, cheers John 🥃
Great review of new Torabhaig John. It sounds interesting based on your review and experience so far. I haven't dabbled into Torabhaig yet but I will keep an eye out for it. It sounds like your CS has opened up nicely for you and is likely the way to go for the first purchase.
Whisky Lock/Shane also said that it comes across as younger than am 18 year old, too. I love Port Charlotte, but it's £175 here, which is a tough sell for me when I can buy Ledaig 18 for £80. Although Ledaig 18 is the best value single malt out there in my opinion. It's certainly stands out from the crowd with regards to age/quality/price ratio.
The PC18 is not a grown up PC10…. But more in line with the PC cask exploration series wine influenced offerings. Agree the L18 offers relative value comparatively. Cheers🥃
I just ordered 2 bottles! I can't wait!! 🙂I have seen some terrific reviews. I skip a lot of the Ardbeg special releases but this is a beauty!! Wow it's cheap in the U.S.!
@@justwhisky Yes! I can't wait to get the BBQ going and crack this beauty open! I also wish the Ardbegs were priced appropriately! Big time! Right on John! My husband is enjoying the Spectacular! Cheers! 🙂Love the tshirt!
Thanks for reviewing this whisky. I have had some of the Jura core range but nothing really stood out for me. I have heard IB Jura is what to look for though. Cheers! P.S. Bunna 18 is around $280 in my shop in the Midwest.
I do not understand their approach. Sure, have a few easy to buy bottles, but why not more unique expressions? This sounded good, and I would pick it up too. cheers!
@@justwhisky Yes! Now for a real treat Canadian Club 40 year old Canadian whisky is fabulous and worth the high price. Having said that my jam is scotch! It's nice to have some special expressions.
@@christinecamley I’ve heard good things about that CC40 But haven’t tried it… honestly with soooooo many bottlings world wide it’s impossible to keep up…. So my focus is narrowing mostly due to money.
Great video. Always tough to hear about prices. Thank you for sharing. In my market the Offermans are usually not to bad in price and I've enjoyed them. That one, I may just buy. Cheers!
Thanks for tuning in… I’m at the point now where less is more… Offermans have been relative good value and quite enjoyable! One of my annual treats for sure! Cheers 🥃
The last Lagavulin Offerman edition was £70 here in the UK. The latest edition is £90. That's a huge price increase, and I refuse to pay it. There has to be a limit.
Don't get mad at the distillers, everything is going up due to supply lines that were severely disrupted during Covid while the worth of your dollar/quid keeps dropping. Or let's just say, what hasn't gone up?
Point well taken… what triggers me is the inequities with certain distilleries like Ardbeg where their core 10 yr is $60, Bizarre bbq NAS 50.9% @ $85 and many NAS @ 46% @ $140 and up… defies logic !!! But the kool-aid drinkers soak anything and everything thrown at them no matter the cost. And then there is Macallan and Diageo and others following suit…with smoke and mirrors. I understand inflation but not extortion. Cheers 🥃
A gentleman's rant, one might say. Well done, you. I'm a Weebeastie man, myself. It's a solid ABV, price, and flavor. BUT I don't go for their off shoots so much until I watch a review of it OR I'm over at one of the Scotch Test Dummie's homes and try it over there. Cheers to ya!
Thanks so much Charlie and Jean, Agree… I have no problem with Ardbeg core range but geeez they are really taking the piss outta their “ special releases “ price wise. Thanks for good friends in high places 😇 Cheers 🥃
I think it's pretty evident that Ardbeg makes a lot of profit on their special releases...with that being said I still love the Ardbeg10 ,the Uigeadail and the Corryvreckan, So if that helps them keep the prices on the core range stable then so be it... I just don't buy into the hype, because the core is good enough for me.
a VERY civilized rant, indeed . . . i only buy blends now, to vatt with my old stock from 1991-1999 with high ABV . . . hobbies have their limits, aye , just whiskies !
