The Bar Towel

Full disclosure but I used to do marketing work for Glenfiddich. (no longer, however)

During that time I tried all of the year olds 12, 15, 18, 21, 30, 40 and 50 (which goes for $25k+ per bottle) and my preferences were 15 and 30.

For the money 15 is good value for what you get, IMO. And available in Nfld.

Cagiva650 wrote:Nova Scotia has the Ardbeg and the interesting Penderyn. It may be time to go to Halifax for a few at the Hart and Thistle, and shop for whiskey.

Have one for me.

One more excellent hard to find option, but available in NS.... not as peaty as Ardbeg: Bruichladdich Rocks. Highly acknowledged as well. A blend, not a single malt.

Glen Breton 17 year old cask strength aged in ice wine barrels, if you can find it is wonderful. I would also suggest Scapa 16 and Lagavulin 16.

Penderyn is certainly a lovely choice! Flavour profile preference is certainly paramount and there is so much variety in the marketplace. Whisky lover's might consider an offering from well known bottlers at the LCBO as well or International whiskies like Amrut Fusion or Mackmyra First Edition (tasting notes are on LCBO site). Here are some of the currently available Duncan Taylor Scotch whiskies along with tasting notes and pricing. There's something for every palate!
Cheers,
R+R

1999 DIMENSIONS GLEN ELGIN (DUNCAN TAYLOR & CO.)
VINTAGES 292680 | 700 mL bottle

Price $ 92.95

Hints of Cigar boxes and malt, beeswax and gingernut biscuits on the nose. Gentle palate entry with soft spices, manuka, gooseberries and custard. The finish is long and supple.


1994 DIMENSIONS GLEN MORAY (DUNCAN TAYLOR & CO.)
VINTAGES 292706 | 700 mL bottle

Price $ 169.95

Aromas of light peat and butterscotch. Creamy and rich with notes of fruits, pistachio nuts , barley, sugar and a juicy oakiness. Biscuit like finish with a hint of nutmeg

1997 DIMENSIONS MACDUFF (DUNCAN TAYLOR & CO. LTD.)
VINTAGES 292490 | 700 mL bottle

Price $ 103.95

On the nose soft smoke melds with dried grass, cereal sweetness and toffee apples. Sweet apples, hint of ginger, lemon and smoke on the palate. Creamy long finish with herbs, prunes and stem ginger in syrup.

1997 DIMENSIONS ROYAL BRACLA (DUNCAN TAYLOR & CO.)
VINTAGES 292508 | 700 mL bottle

Price $ 105.95

Aromas of desiccated coconut and pineapple on the nose with a little floral character and spice.Creamy, butterscotch, vanilla and figs on the palate. The finish features shortbread, butter and sweet nougat.

2000 DIMENSIONS GLENLOSSIE (DUNCAN TAYLOR & CO. LT
VINTAGES 292482 | 700 mL bottle

Price $ 91.95

Crisp and robust. Very rounded. Nose of Plum wine and black pepper notes, floral and toasty with hints of molasses.Fruit and sweet spices with a buttery candied orange finish

Really enjoyed this one.

DUN BHEAGAN ISLAY 8 YEARS OLD SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/lcbo/produ ... anguage=EN

A few years ago, Beppi had his annual Scotch peek right around Robbie Burns and he cited Ardbeg, and noted the price in ON (something like $80 or so at the time) and pointed out that it was way cheaper in NB (maybe $55?). I got a crapload of them, but wish I had bought out the whole province! Great stuff.

My go to are any of the Highland Park or Dalwhinnie ones, but if I was going to shell out for something more expensive, Oban or Ardbeg would be pretty solid choices. Lagavulin was great until the price went completely insane.

Until 2006 or so, Ardbeg was considerably cheaper in Ontario... then some American writer/mag awarded them distillery of the year and the price was jacked up.

I love Ardbeg 10, it's probably my favourite. There a lot of smoke in the flavour though, so I probably wouldn't gift it. I'd put Laphroaig at the opposite end of the spectrum with an abundance of peat.

The single malts can really exude particular flavours, so unless you really know his taste/preference, I'd go for a more neutral/balanced flavour.

Glenfiddich is certainly easy-drinking. As Sid said, I'd probably put Glenfarclas & Dalwhinnie in a similar flavour profile (though it's been a while since I've had either).

Ever tried the whisky from the Glenora distillery on Cape Breton?

This thread has inspired me to buy a good Scotch. I get home from work just before 2am and an ounce or 2 of scotch, neat with a drop of water sounds pretty good. I imagine the scotch is a better idea than a decent sized snack, but I am no expert.

I enjoyed the Amrut Fusion quite a bit. Admittedly, I only got it because I'm Indian and was intrigued by it. I've only been to India once and all my liquor dealings were black market purchases as the state I'm from has a liquor ban.

Black market purchases seemed easier than spending more time in an airport after a 13 hour trip (with a 6 hour drive remaining,) signing documents to legally buy liquor.

I don't remember what the Whisky I drank was (mostly because I had 3/4 of the bottle and started using ice made from tap water), but these were the beers.

http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/haywards-2000/13467/
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/haywards-5000/13468/

Let me tell you, when you don't have an option, and you just want some alcohol, you don't give a damn what it is.

I had the Ardbeg 10 last week for the first time and really enjoy it. Quite excellent.

I have about 8 single malts at home and my favourite is Jura Superstition. It has a little bit of everything without making it bland because of that fact. It's slightly smokey, not too rich but with a touch of sweet, with a bit of fruitiness and has nice spice to it. Plus at $63 a bottle, it's a great value without breaking the bank.

Also really enjoy the Nikka 12 (from Japan) and this summer Smokehead was perfect around a campfire, as it's incredibly smokey and just seems to match the situation perfectly.

Yep, this thread has popped an idea. I'm going to do whiskey week on my blog, around Robbie Burns. Whiskey is like un-hopped beer, that's been distilled. It's basically a first-cousin!

Oh, and one of those Welsh bottles is on sale at the LCBO right now, $10 off! Great value, I'm picking one up asap.

midlife crisis wrote:Ever tried the whisky from the Glenora distillery on Cape Breton?

I had a bottle years and years ago. I don't keep whiskey tasting notes, but I recall it being good enough that if I had a lineup of decent scotches it wouldn't look out of place. I don't remember enough about the flavour profile, but I thought it was pretty middle of the road.

Last I looked it was quite expensive in ON, not sure I'd shell out for it if it were on the higher end of the spectrum.

Anyway, not much help but there you go!

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I would go with the Ardbeg if I could get it in Newfoundland. But I can't. I'm going with the Glenfiddich Cask of Dreams. Dad always liked Glennfiddich, and this one is getting good reviews. It is $99. The same price as most places in Canada. Usually liquor (and beer) is much more expensive here.

Cheers

I finally picked up an Ardbeg Uigeadail... it's $20 cheaper in Alberta, so I made a quick stop in the calgary airport.

I'm surprised how different it is from the standard Ardbeg... much bigger flavour, but I find the iodine more forward than the smoke that I love. Nice underlying, gentle sweetness though.

Derek wrote:I finally picked up an Ardbeg Uigeadail... it's $20 cheaper in Alberta, so I made a quick stop in the calgary airport.

I'm surprised how different it is from the standard Ardbeg... much bigger flavour, but I find the iodine more forward than the smoke that I love. Nice underlying, gentle sweetness though.

That one is on my radar for my trip to Buffalo this month. I'm hoping to find a bottle for much less than the LCBO's $166 mark-up.