What's your latest whiskey purchase?

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Bushmills Millennium malt Pre-Selection. Distilled 1975, bottled 1994. 50% abv.

Any chance of mailing me a picture, if you have the time of course. Cheers

I'll stick it up on my archive site.

[varizoltan]

@T2 Dublin airport

2 Yellow spot, (they still have some) €60
Tullamore Black 43 not much left, and they are discontinued, €35.55
Bushmills 1608 personalised for the americans going home after the football match, with 2 glasses in a box €58
Knappogue castle 17 yrs old €59

[JohnM]

An Arran Devil's Punchbowl and one of these http://www.whiskynotes.be/2012/irish-wh ... qus_thread

[matt]

Bought this one recently

Jameson_Grace_02.jpg

[Pudge72]

Besides being "extra smooth" and from Jameson Distillery, what is the backstory to "Grace" whiskey?

[JohnM]

It was produced for duty free in Japan, I think. I also think it's just regular Jameson in the bottle. They also had it for a while in Midleton a number of years ago.

I've recently picked up

Karuizawa 1983
Greenore 8 - the old bottle
The Knot
Jameson 18
Macallan 12
Ardbeg Galileo
And a bottle celebrating the Celtic centenary, signed by "various" players.

[Pudge72]

The Cask of Yamazaki 1993. It's supposed to be excellent.

I can't wait to crack open and try a bottle of Yamazaki 18 that I picked up in Illinois in early May. I'm trying to be good and get my open bottles down to 29 before opening another...but this one is really calling to me!

Ok...so desire won out over lower open bottle count. I have only closed off one bottle, with another on death's door, so my open bottle count is still in the 30's. Last night, my neighbour and I 'pre-celebrated' our birthdays by cracking open the Yamazaki 18 and the Sonnalta PX, along with pouring some Talisker 18 to end the evening (that bottle has been open almost five months now).

The Yama was excellent with notes of plum, grape, raisin, some floral notes, and what we thought was some vanilla and cinnamon. I will have to find out how this whisky is aged as it is a unique profile to what I have previously had. The Sonnalta PX had loads of fruit, as expected, but we both picked up a strong note of overripe banana peel on the nose that I found to be an off note. My friend really enjoyed it. I'm hoping the sweet banana that I tasted on the palate wins out over the ripe peel.

[Pudge72]

It was produced for duty free in Japan, I think. I also think it's just regular Jameson in the bottle. They also had it for a while in Midleton a number of years ago.

Ahhh, the joys of marketing to different parts of the world. Thanks for the info, John!

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

The Yama was excellent with notes of plum, grape, raisin, some floral notes, and what we thought was some vanilla and cinnamon. I will have to find out how this whisky is aged as it is a unique profile to what I have previously had...

I wonder if it has been matured (or part matured) in Japanese oak or Mizunara Oak as they call it.

Seemingly it is quite different from European and US oak. According to ULF Buxard's excellent book on Japanese whiskey it was first used initially after world war II as they could not get in Supplies of bourbon or sherry barrels. It was first thought not to be a great option as it leaked heavily and imparted a rubbery taste. However better coopering (it as that simple a fix ) and if not used as a first fill it was found to be quite good and imparted some lovely aromas "such as sandal and agar wood(also called eagle wood).

[Pudge72]

The Yama was excellent with notes of plum, grape, raisin, some floral notes, and what we thought was some vanilla and cinnamon. I will have to find out how this whisky is aged as it is a unique profile to what I have previously had...

I wonder if it has been matured (or part matured) in Japanese oak or Mizunara Oak as they call it.

Seemingly it is quite different from European and US oak. According to ULF Buxard's excellent book on Japanese whiskey it was first used initially after world war II as they could not get in Supplies of bourbon or sherry barrels. It was first thought not to be a great option as it leaked heavily and imparted a rubbery taste. However better coopering (it as that simple a fix ) and if not used as a first fill it was found to be quite good and imparted some lovely aromas "such as sandal and agar wood(also called eagle wood).

Excellent call IWC! After some google digging for a Yama 18 review that actually gave some maturation details, I found this particularly excellent write-up at 'Whisky For Everyone': http://whiskyforeveryone.blogspot.ca/2010/03/have-just-tried-yamazaki-18-years-old.html.

It turns out that my thoughts (this whiskey seemed to have both bourbon and sherry cask characteristics to my palate-in-training) and yours (go Mizunara Oak go!!) are all included in the final product. Very interesting (and quite enjoyable on Saturday).

[Pudge72]

Sorry for the slight deviation to this thread for the Yama 18 discussion (hopefully people find the link that I just posted to be informative). To get almost back to the original topic for this thread, my next whiskey purchase will likely be a bottle of Jameson 18 (I believe that the LCBO stock is marked as the 'Master Selection', though my understanding is that, whatever the wording of the label ('Limited Reserve' may have been a previous variation of the 18 yo labelling), the content of the bottle has not varied.

I tried some in May at a bar, and really picked up a citrus (tart) and tropical (sweeter) fruit profile with some chocolate in the background that was really enjoyable. Does this profile jive with other peoples impressions of this whiskey? If so, or if not, what have your experiences been with this bottle?

I found it superior (more flavour dimensions and better balance) to the enjoyable Jameson Gold (so to my mind it is worth the extra Can$20 that the LCBO charges). I am utilizing birthday gifts to hopefully swing the purchase this week as the LCBO inventory of this bottle is disappearing rapidly. Any info/feedback is greatly appreciated!

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Sorry for the slight deviation to this thread for the Yama 18 discussion (hopefully people find the link that I just posted to be informative). To get almost back to the original topic for this thread, my next whiskey purchase will likely be a bottle of Jameson 18 (I believe that the LCBO stock is marked as the 'Master Selection', though my understanding is that, whatever the wording of the label ('Limited Reserve' may have been a previous variation of the 18 yo labelling), the content of the bottle has not varied.

I tried some in May at a bar, and really picked up a citrus (tart) and tropical (sweeter) fruit profile with some chocolate in the background that was really enjoyable. Does this profile jive with other peoples impressions of this whiskey? If so, or if not, what have your experiences been with this bottle?

I found it superior (more flavour dimensions and better balance) to the enjoyable Jameson Gold (so to my mind it is worth the extra Can$20 that the LCBO charges). I am utilizing birthday gifts to hopefully swing the purchase this week as the LCBO inventory of this bottle is disappearing rapidly. Any info/feedback is greatly appreciated!

The 18 varies slightly from batch to batch as it is basically a small batch bottling every year but they will keep it in a certain character profile so the batch variances will be quite small.

As to plumbing for the 18yo I would do so too if the difference was only 20Dollars ... over here the difference between the Gold and J18 is 50Euro with the Jameson 18yo being 125Euro. So for us it is one to seriously think about before you splash the cash.

[Pudge72]

The 18 varies slightly from batch to batch as it is basically a small batch bottling every year but they will keep it in a certain character profile so the batch variances will be quite small.

As to plumbing for the 18yo I would do so too if the difference was only 20Dollars ... over here the difference between the Gold and J18 is 50Euro with the Jameson 18yo being 125Euro. So for us it is one to seriously think about before you splash the cash.

Thank you so much for the info Adrian. The Gold is Can$90 while the 18 is Can$110. This appears to be another example where, for whatever reason, Irish whiskey is cheaper in Ontario, than it is in Ireland!!! We have a similar situation in North America where almost every bottle of Canadian whiskey that is available in the US is cheaper there, than within Canada. I truly don't understand the application of domestic taxation to alcohol...ever!.

I will likely be picking up the bottle of J18 today (assuming the LCBO on-line inventory is accurate).

[Jobi]

I wonder if it has been matured (or part matured) in Japanese oak or Mizunara Oak as they call it.

Seemingly it is quite different from European and US oak. According to ULF Buxard's excellent book on Japanese whiskey it was first used initially after world war II as they could not get in Supplies of bourbon or sherry barrels. It was first thought not to be a great option as it leaked heavily and imparted a rubbery taste. However better coopering (it as that simple a fix ) and if not used as a first fill it was found to be quite good and imparted some lovely aromas "such as sandal and agar wood(also called eagle wood).

When the Hibiki blend was launched in the US, the Suntory table at one of the whisky shows had samples of the individual components including the stand-alone Mizunara-matured component. I can't recall details but remember it being one of the highlights of the night.

[Pudge72]

The 18 varies slightly from batch to batch as it is basically a small batch bottling every year but they will keep it in a certain character profile so the batch variances will be quite small.

As to plumbing for the 18yo I would do so too if the difference was only 20Dollars ... over here the difference between the Gold and J18 is 50Euro with the Jameson 18yo being 125Euro. So for us it is one to seriously think about before you splash the cash.

Thank you so much for the info Adrian. The Gold is Can$90 while the 18 is Can$110. This appears to be another example where, for whatever reason, Irish whiskey is cheaper in Ontario, than it is in Ireland!!! We have a similar situation in North America where almost every bottle of Canadian whiskey that is available in the US is cheaper there, than within Canada. I truly don't understand the application of domestic taxation to alcohol...ever!.

I will likely be picking up the bottle of J18 today (assuming the LCBO on-line inventory is accurate).

Ok, so I had to change course as the LCBO on-line inventory was once again inaccurate. Fortunately, through hard learned lessons, I called ahead to the store to find out that the one bottle showing at the location I was going to go to, did not exist. Other than to advise that the J18 is on re-order, they could not give me a timeline as to when it might next show up.

Instead, I decided to pick up a Signatory Vintage (UnChillFiltered Collection) Clynelish 18 yo, 46%, distilled in 1992, which was on very low inventory. A local pub had purchased a bottle of this in the spring for one of their monthly whisky tastings and I sampled it on two occasions to discover the 'waxy' note that seems to be the signature of Clynelish. I really enjoyed it, and have been looking to add this bottle since then. Since this bottle is cheaper than the Jameson 18, the savings (plus some existing savings) still puts me about 1/2 way towards the purchase of the J18 whenever it does come back to the LCBO. It will almost certainly be my next purchase, likely before the end of November.

[SixCats!]

Hi all,

Soon to be mine (brought back by a friend visiting Ireland) a bottle of POWERS JOHN'S LANE 12 Year old SPS Irish Whiskey!
POWERS to the People!

Regards,
SixCats!

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Hi all,

Soon to be mine (brought back by a friend visiting Ireland) a bottle of POWERS JOHN'S LANE 12 Year old SPS Irish Whiskey!
POWERS to the People!

Regards,
SixCats!

Enjoy Tom, hopefully you'll think it is as awesome as we think it is. You'd better get practicing with regular Powers first just to really get a fell for the bigging up of the Powers profile.

Remember this is no shrinking violet but a beefed up Powers that has also done a few rounds of steroids

I'm thinking the Duke Nukem of the Powers family

[Pudge72]

Hi all,

Soon to be mine (brought back by a friend visiting Ireland) a bottle of POWERS JOHN'S LANE 12 Year old SPS Irish Whiskey!
POWERS to the People!

Regards,
SixCats!

Enjoy Tom, hopefully you'll think it is as awesome as we think it is. You'd better get practicing with regular Powers first just to really get a fell for the bigging up of the Powers profile.

Remember this is no shrinking violet but a beefed up Powers that has also done a few rounds of steroids

I'm thinking the Duke Nukem of the Powers family

Another 'new to Irish whiskey' question...what exactly differentiates John's Lane from regular Powers? Is the JL a cask strength version of the regular (a la 'Toshan Valinch vs. Classic)? Thanks in advance for satisfying my curiousity!

[Peter White]

I got the last bottle of 17 year old Twin Wood Knappogue Castle in Ally's yesterday-I just need a 1990 one to complete the collection! AND of course I know how difficult this will be but it'll be interesting trying!

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Another 'new to Irish whiskey' question...what exactly differentiates John's Lane from regular Powers? Is the JL a cask strength version of the regular (a la 'Toshan Valinch vs. Classic)? Thanks in advance for satisfying my curiousity!

It's bottled at 46% but I don't think it is just a case of extra abv ... it has a more robust pot still character than the normal Powers would have. It basically is quite different while staying true to the Powers style. Possibly heavier potstill being used or a bigger pot still ratio.

Others might have a better or clearer explanation as I've totally forgotten how it was originally explained to me

[Good Whiskey Hunting]

Another 'new to Irish whiskey' question...what exactly differentiates John's Lane from regular Powers? Is the JL a cask strength version of the regular (a la 'Toshan Valinch vs. Classic)? Thanks in advance for satisfying my curiousity!

It's bottled at 46% but I don't think it is just a case of extra abv ... it has a more robust pot still character than the normal Powers would have. It basically is quite different while staying true to the Powers style. Possibly heavier potstill being used or a bigger pot still ratio.

Others might have a better or clearer explanation as I've totally forgotten how it was originally explained to me

It's all the robustness of Powers refined without any of the continuous still portion and let age for another 4/5 years, to my knowledge. Whatever they done they done good!

My latest purchase was a few bottles of Tyrconnell 5 star I found lurking in a little place near me at the bargain price of €27 each. That's €5 cheaper than the current bottling.
Needless to say, I emptied their stocks.

[IainB]

From what I remember the Powers NAS is about 75-80% pot still and the rest grain, average age 7-8 yrs, almost all bourbon cask (maybe a small element of refill sherry?), and bottled ad 40%.

The regular Powers 12yo is supposedly similar but older.

The Powers JL 12yo is 100% pot still with a greater sherry influence and of course 46% and Nonchillfiltered. It seems to me theres a small element of 1st fill sherry but that's just a guess.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

I love to know what I'm on these days as I should take some

Yes of course, sure isn't it not a Single Pot Still as opposed to a blend ... Dooohhh

And your right about a touch of sherry Iain. It did not even dawn on me to read the back of the box ... my brain is obviously on a different planet these days.

I think I need a holiday

[Pudge72]

Thanks guys for the info!! So PJL has more sherry influence...the evolution in my whisky journey suggests that I will join the chorus in loving this stuff whenever I can finally get a bottle!

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Finally found another Yellow Spot in Foxes on College Green at a slight premium of 67.50. None on display so guessing the end of their stock also.

Spotted a few bottles in McCambridges in Galway but was very dismayed to see they had priced it at €99