Yep - Port Charlotte 10 for me too. I get dried apricot and bacon. Lagavulin 16 was my gateway Islay - I can still remember the way it shocked and delighted. I also really like the oily mouthfeel I get from the Ardbeg 10.
At 48% abv and non-chill filtered, I think Lagavulin 8 year old deserves to be on this list, or at least get a strong honorable mention. It's younger, but doesn't taste too young to me, unlike the Ardbeg Wee Beastie. The price on the Lag 8 is also friendlier as compared some of the other base Islay offerings.
Agreed. The Laga 16 is trash, way overated because of Hipsters that want to be like Ron Swanson 😂 For me Laphroaig 10yr CS and Arebeg Corryvreken destroys anything on this list. Also Kilchoman 100% Islay a great dram.
Talisker 10 years got me into enjoying whisky about 20 years ago. But it was the Laphroaig Quarter Cask that blew my mind. That taste of cold smoked salmon, the feeling of being down wind from a charcoal barbecue... Ardbeg Uigeadail and Laphroaig QC are still my two favourites.
The Wee Beastie is my gateway to peated scotch. I’m hooked. Bourbon and rye drinker for years. Love them both, but this peated liquid gold from Scotland is something special. Thanks for your videos!
Laphroaig was the first Islay that I tried, because it was the only Islay that the liquor store in my town had. I liked it and decided to try the Ardbeg 10, when I found it in a nearby town. Then the Ugie, and then the Port Charlotte. Haven't tried Lagavulin, yet, because, in the PA state stores, it's over $40 more than most of the other Islays. My brother gave a tasting note, for Ardbeg 10, that I'll never forget. He said it'd be like licking a mermaid's taint, on the deck of a burning ship, during a storm.
My current fav is a bottle of Old Malt Cask Bruichladdich single cask 15 bottled 2006. Shame I cant get more :( 50% alc/vol and pure vanilla honey and smoke yum!
At the moment PC10 is possibly my #1 whisky, not just Isla. Buries Laga 16 for taste and price IMO. Laphroaig was one of my formative single malt experiences in the '90s, and I fear that it, like many other big name whiskies, will not be the same drink I used to enjoy 28-30 years ago - haven't had it this millenium, don't want my memories to be spoilt if it has deteriorated. Maybe I need to go for the cask strength. Ardbeg I have totally missed... was on a 6 year bourbon binge around the time it was earning it's reputation, and now everyone says it's lost quality. Kilchoman Senaig is also better than Laga 16 for me, and it's a NAS! Need to try the Loch Gorm. Can't wait for the first Kilchoman 10 year old.
I also think of Ardbeg 10 as the benchmark to witch I judge all the Isla whiskeys and I have a hard time choosing between that and Port Charlotte 10 (love em both so much). I often try other more expensive bottles and always come back to Ardbeg 10 both for flavor and the value.... I would much rather have 2 bottles of Ardbeg 10 than any of one of the special releases costing twice as much or even more in some cases.
What's funny and hopefully not sacrilege, my go-to preferred smoky Islay whisky is from . . . the Isle of Sky!!! Talisker 10. But I do enjoy all of the Islay stuff nonetheless. Being new-ish, there's still a few of these I have to try before making up my mind. This could take many years of research.....
Great video! I totaly agree with the No.1, PC 10 is just a fantastic dram. But the other 4....well, to me there are a few others that I prefer more....Lagavulin DE before The 16yo, Corryvreckan before The Uggie, Laphroaig QC before the 10yo, Kilchoman Machir Bay before Ardbeg 10. And that's the great thing, there are so many different tastes to choose from. Imho, there's a whisky for different times and i also think ther's a whisky for every one....one just have to find the right one/ones
watched this video with the sole purpose of seeing if the Port Charlotte would get the respect its due !! I love all on this list, PC gets extra credit also for the integrity bottling .
From a Core range my favorite is definitely the Ardbeg Corryvrecken. It's expensive yes but it's 60% and just tastes like apple wood smoked maple bacon and I can't get over it lol. I'm also a very big Bowmore 18 fan it's premium but just fantastic. And I always like Lagavulin's Distillers Edition much more than the 16 since it's usually higher proof and heavily finished in Oloroso Sherry it's exceptional I of course also agree with the #1 though it's just so hard to go wrong with the PC 10 I really want to try the other offerings from Kilchoman I've only had the Machir Bay which is not bad
Mine was Lagavulin 16. Its really an experience when you are used to Jonny Walker Red and coke and a friend suggests you an Islay neat. Mind blown, life changed for the better.
@@markotbI was given both a Lagavulin 16 and Port Charlotte 10 for Christmas last year. Neither bottle lasted long and both made me a lifetime scotch fan.
Happy to see Port Charlotte at #1. Bowmore was my gateway to Islay and I still think it is hugely underrated aside from it generally being overpriced for better bottlings.
Surprised the Uigeadail is below the 10 but I guess price might be a factor and the 10 is a more "pure" islay whiskey. I'm debating on buying either the port charlotte or lagavulin 8 sometime soon, the lagavulin is actually cheaper where I am. Also funny that you noticed the citrus in Ardbeg. I find it stands out the most in their An Oa.
I always say that Ardbeg10 is the king. Integrity bottling and well priced. Doesn't have to be as good as it was, as long as the label specs dont change its perfect. It doesn't even need to be on the list. Everything else is just everything else.And everything else will have their pros and cons. I always buy Laph10 CS even though it's colored because it's great and very well priced with an age statement. PC 10 may taste great with all the great specs but it's pricey and I'm always looking for something else. It's a "trapped on an island bottle" for sure but we're not yet trapped in our 15 minute cities yet. I love most the Sanaig/ Loch Gorm debate. And then there's the Diageo disappoinment. ......never ending Islay discussions.
Uigeadail to me trumps the 10 and Laphroaig 10 , to the degree that i would never buy ardbeg 10 but id still buy Laphroaig 10 because the price. Port charlotte i still have to try
@@mrgringo7289 my philosophy is that you don't need to support the King and you don't even need to like the king but Ardbeg10 is the least expensive, and coming in with the best specs and an age statement makes it GREAT in some regards. I have 2 backup bottles and yes, I can see never buying another. 43% Laph10 was the first bottle I vowed to never buy again, but batch 16?????? Where for art thou? Funny thing...I bought a PC Islay Barley 2012 and I didn't love it. The 2013 is getting a lot of compliments on lists like this. I find it to be over priced so the last PC I bought was the even more expensive SC01. Very Yummy.
Ranking Ardbeg 10 above Ardbeg Uigeadail strikes me as an epic fail. There is so much more complexity and flavor in Uigeadail. It also seems like this list was made by people relatively new to whisky, and I definitely agree with you on the ones that were missed. If I had to make my own top 5, it would probably look something like this: 1. Octomore 2. Ardbeg Corryvreckan 3. Ardbeg Uigeadail 4. Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength 5. Kilchoman Loch Gorm
Can't argue with the picks... especially the Ardbegs... Kilchoman probably does earn more than a mention. Machir Bay (more affordable and less sherry forward) maybe instead of the Laphroig 10?...
Totally agree. Except the Ardbegs. Their Quality constantly going down the last 10 Years. Also they massive overprize there Special NAS Bottlings. I dont buy Ardbegs anymore until that has changed. But enough of complaining.😅 Port Charlottes Quality also changed over the last Decade, but in different Direction. The 10 has become a Benchmark for me and all Members of the Cask Exploration Series where above it. Great Bottlings. Thanks for your good Work and pointing some Eyes on really Good Stuff. Greetings from Germany 😎🤘
@@Derchlands sounds like you got a bad batch? I really thought the 8 was better than the 16. But you really need to let it air out for 10 min in the glass for the flavours to come through. Without doing that, yes the 16 is way better straight out of the bottle
I was surprised not seeing the Kilchoman on the list, one of my favorites from Islay along with PC. Great to see Phil not letting it slide and placing it as an honorable mention 😉 cheers mate! 🥃
I've had a mixed experience with Port Charlotte. I need to give it another try. I love the Laphroaig Quarter Cask, Ardbeg Oogie (which won my March Malt Madness this year), and Lagavulin 16. One of the best videos I've watched on Islay whiskies.
Heh...I think the reason that Port Charlotte 10 has outstripped all the others is that it uses barley peated with inland peat, rather than the typical Islay island peat. Of those presented, I will drink only the PC10 and the Lag16. I have a Laphroaig 10 CS in my cabinet, but it is there as a warning to innocent nOObs and to suss out the cultists in the crowd. In two years time, I expect Kilchoman to dominate this category. Caol Ila also seems to get little in the way of notice, despite being the largest producer on Islay. I've been pushing Scarabus to any and all who will listen. That stuff is seriously good value for the money. Have you been hanging with the Malt Activist? All that shouting at the camera and jumping around with monkeyshine on your faced looks more like his style. Mayhaps you're experimenting?
Port Charlotte 10 was my gateway into Scottish single malt. Ran into it by pure luck at a tasting my friend took me to years ago. Thrilled to see it dominating like this now. :)
@@trombonegamer14 I know right??? A bar nearby was doing one of those brand sponsored tastings for Bruichladdich, so we got to try several different expressions (Laddie, Octomore, some special releases) but the PC10 was a crazy eureka moment for me. It’s still my all time favorite.
My whisky adventure has been a quest to find something I like better than Laphroaig 10. I have yet to find it though PC 10 and oddly enough Talisker come really close. So for me it's: 1 Laphroaig 10 CS 2 Laphroaig 10 43% 3 Port Charlotte 10 4. Ardbeg 10 5. Lag 16 On another note, I managed to pickup a bottle of Laphroaig 16 surprisingly cheap expecting to be blown away. Nope, it's ok but not that great. All the ones above beat it.
I swore by Lagavulin 16 back in the ‘90s when it was virtually unknown. I went back to it in the early 2000’s and freaked. It tasted weak and cheap. Figured it was a warehousing issue not being able to keep up with the popularity. Nobody has unlimited supplies of anything. With price going through the roof and popularity soaring and my disappointment I left it alone. Mid 2010’s I gave it another shot. It was better but still not at that 90’s mark I so remembered. Now I see multiple different Lagavulin editions that are way overpriced. I bet that memory is now in on of those I tied editions at well over $100. They say memories last forever. Time will tell.
I first tried it in the 2010s, at which point already some of the older scotch fans were saying it had gone downhill. At the time I really liked it, but when I've had it since it's been a shadow of its former self, the cask quality is clearly not so good now, and its lacking in body and clarity by compsrison.
Peated whisky was my gateway and first love but honestly I'm growing tired of them, which I never thought I'd say. My top available bottles are Laphroaig 10 CS, Ardbeg Ugie, Laga 8, PC 10... been meaning to try Kilchoman.
You just gotta take a break. I stopped drinking scotch period for a while, trying out gin, rum, tequila. Tried some Islay stuff I still had on my shelves and it blew me away like it was my first time
I got that way with really hoppy IPAs, I burned out on them. It's taken about seven years to get back, and I still don't like the 100 IBU ones. But I can finally enjoy Bell's Two Hearted Ale again, one of my long-term favorites.
I've tasted the PC10 three times now from three different bottles and I still fail to see what makes it so special. Just like Classic Laddie, which I emptied a whole bottle of without thinking it was above average even for a second. Either I have exceptionally bad luck or I just don't like Bruichladdich.
I have a dumb question; i know nothing about scotch (i’m a rum guy) but why is Bowmore hardly mentioned in any of you Islay scotches videos? I always was told it was a great scotch?
Love all those sir. I’m almost exclusive Islay. They list you have is on my permashelf. The Talisker 10 is also high on my list. Greetings from Gainesville Fl, USA.
I bought the Uigeadal and i was biterly disappointed. I thought i would love it but i much prefer the Ardbeg 10. Maybe i got a bad bottling but it was NOT good. PC10 however has always been consistently good. The minute i tried it it became N1 and that's the same thing for so many of us here:
I must say I'm not sure how you can rank both Ardbeg Ten and Uigeadail in the top5, and not even mention Corryvreckan that is just so much better... Overall I still like your list quite a lot. Sanaig is also my big rising star nowadays :)
I am only getting into whiskey, so i might just not get it. But, what is the obsession with alcohol levels? Also with colour. How does it matter at all?
You made me leap to my cabinet and get my Ardbeg Corryvreckan out 😊 Glad i bought it yeeeears ago for a fairly reasonable price. I forgot it is heaven (57.1 %). No Caol Ila in the line up though 🤔 I beg to differ. I should get into the Kilchoman though…
I like Port Charlotte but it is now up to US$80 where I'm at and that is, IMO, overpriced. It used to be $62 and was a good deal at that price, but for $80 I'd rather have Ardbeg.
I really like your videos. And I am a Peathead. I love the Uigeadail and also the Port Charlotte. Tha being said, my absolute favorite whisky is the Corryvreckan. I am surprised that you never mention it.
Hi Phil. Even before I watched this video I thought that port Charlotte 10 would be Nu 1 and deservedly so.A quality malt and it’s still wallet friendly. As always an A1 video, slàinte Phil.
I'm late to this video but stumbled upon it. My gateway scotch was highland Park 10 year and that smacked me so hard I wasn't ready for that heavy peat note but fell in love real quick and now I've progressed into Bruichladdich
I love, love, love these Islay single malts!! Fabulous channel and I am so happy I found your channel! I saw you on Geoff's channel and I am so glad I connected!! Right on to everything discussed here!! Thanks so much!! Cheers!! 🙂
Lagavulin 16 it is. I know it's gotten more expensive, as has everything else, but a 16yo for 70€ when on sale is hard to beat. Especially for a whiskey as great as this. Number 2 would be Port Charlotte 10 followed by Laphroaig Quarter Cask which offers outstanding money for value. If money wasn't an issue, I'd go for an old Ardbeg IB because f*** LVMH and their prices.
1. Port Charlotte 10 2. Laphroaig 10 3. Lagavulin 16 4. Big Peat 5. Laphroaig Select Would have included Octomore 11.1, but they are limited edition. For me Ardbeg Ten and Uigedeali are overrated. I have the Corryvreckan sitting on my shelf. Yet to open it yet.
Connemara is Irish but they import the peat from Islay and it kicks ass! Plus in NJ, the Ardbeg 10 is twice the price...but so damn good. All right time to open and try this 58%abv Smokehead High Voltage (about $60). I hope it's good but I never hear you (UK) guys talk about it so that always makes me nervous. Cheers
My daughter gifted me a bottle of Lagavulin 16 for Christmas. She knows nothing about Scotch bought it as advised by a co-worker . It was expensive so she thought it would be good based on that suggestion and the over $100 USD price. What she did not know is that I do not care for peated Scotch based on previous experiences. Also, it is a chill filtered and artificially colored Scotch. Not enchanted. I am reluctant to open it and prove once again, I don't care for the peat. I thanked my daughter and told her I would save it for a special occasion. Am I missing something? I might be more interested in a lightly peated or non peated Islay. Any thoughts ?
Gotta be honest, I've never understood why Laphroaig 10 has a reputation for being so frenolic and medicinal, I've had it quite a few times, and it struck me as pretty flavourless and flat, especially as compared to something like Ardbeg 10 (which was my first single malt.)
dumb. kilchoman machir bay should be there instead of oogie if you already have the 10 from ardbeg higher. and octomore should obviously be #1 as the gold standard for peat instead of the 10 from bruichladdich. i also think there should be quick honoroable mentions from islay's other distilleries: bowmore's vault edition no.1 atlantic sea salt, caol ila's 12, and bunnahabhain's toiteach a dha.
What are people paying for Lagavulin 16 in different areas? In my area, the NJ-Philly metropolitan area, I've seen it as high as $120 USD, but know of a couple stores that have it as low as $89 USD.
My fav is Uigeadail, next is Laphroaig Quarter Cask. My favorite underrated Islay is Caol Ila 12. The rest of this list is all good stuff, but I keep those three around all of the time.
I drank Scotch whisky long before it became popular. It isn’t nearly as good as it used to be. The rush to produce enough quantities to satisfy the market has made distilleries take shortcuts that probably have their founders spinning in their graves. Case in point: Back then, I never bought a Scotch whisky with a label that read “Aged # Years”. To get a whisky that actually stayed in the barrels during the stated time period, the label had to read “# Years Old”. Good luck finding that on any bottle of Scotch that’s not been saved from the past.
I tried the ardbeg 10 the other day and found it blah. Will try again. Uigedail not available easily. Tried it oncr at a party and loved it. Lagavulin is 2-3 times the price of others which dissuades.
the order of peated scotches goes highland park > talisker 10 > caol ila > lagavulin 16 > laphroaig 10 > ardbeg 10 > port charlotte 10 > then any octomore
For me 1) Ardbeg Wee Beastie, a lot cheaper and better and more complex than the 10 IMO, it’s a young Uggie. Uggies great but too expensive where I live. 2) Laphroaig 10 or Teen in Kiwi, lol, despite the bad stats, we get it at 43% in Canada, it’s all around very complex and powerful. 3) Lagavulin 8 as others have said, I find the 16 highly overrated and generic and weak, and now way too pricey, I’ll pass. Love to try the Charlotte, never have😢
Smash the LIKE Button Guys!! Great video as always Phil, did you use the Victoriana bottle during the teasing shots on the window sill? I bought the Loch Gorm last year based on your recommendation, I've enjoyed it. The Benromach Peat:Sherry is also a great one to check out if you haven't already reviewed that bottle. Cheers
@@FirstPhilWhisky we did a blind with the contrast peat sherry and the loch gorm. The latter was much brighter and fruitier and the better whisky in my opinion.
Bowmore as a whole, is kind of hard to rank. The stuff they distilled in the 60s and some of the early 70s are all among the best whiskies ever produced. The 80s are almost exclusively some of the worst whiskies ever produced. They went back to distilling great whisky in the 90s but it seems like the distillery never went back to bottling great whisky and all of the good modern bowmores have been bottled by independent bottlers. I don't think any other distillery has had such a wide range of quality from the best to worst over the decades.
I'm not putting Laphroaig as a gateway to Islay, for most people it will be a run away! Still so, for the quality and price the 10 is still the best the Cs even more but more pricey
