What's your latest whiskey purchase?

[bredman]

I've had ones at 59.6, 59.2 and 2 totally different bottlings at 58.9

A little surprising. I recall Noel Sweeney saying they watered Cask Strength down just a tad to hit a consistent ABV. It avoids the hassle of getting new labels approved by Excise.

Interesting David ... maybe that is the case now so, especially with the new label style. Thanks for that I did not know but certainly prior to some date the abv was a moveable feast . One to keep an eye on.

Adding water to a 'cask strength' whiskey isn't very sporting, i hope that is not the case. With Scotch malt that isn't allowed, for a while they used the term "Full Strength" or "High Strength" whenever they did this procedure, but now afaik they print nothing on the label. Imo "Cask Strength" should only be used when no water is added at all.

[jcskinner]

Nice one

Know what you mean

Fair Play ... sometimes it's good not to give a fiddlers

He's already cleaned me out of a Bush single cask and a Tyrconnell Crianza this year, but he likes the oul Comber a lot, and given the amount of heart attacks he's had in his time, who knows how many more bottles we'll get to enjoy together?
So it's baked beans for a few weeks, and good whiskey come Christmas!

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Adding water to a 'cask strength' whiskey isn't very sporting, i hope that is not the case. With Scotch malt that isn't allowed, for a while they used the term "Full Strength" or "High Strength" whenever they did this procedure, but now afaik they print nothing on the label. Imo "Cask Strength" should only be used when no water is added at all.

Totally concur and yes a slight cheat but as a small company trying to find their way I think we can forgive them adding a minimal amount of water to save on costs

He's already cleaned me out of a Bush single cask and a Tyrconnell Crianza this year, but he likes the oul Comber a lot, and given the amount of heart attacks he's had in his time, who knows how many more bottles we'll get to enjoy together?
So it's baked beans for a few weeks, and good whiskey come Christmas!

Well what ever you do don't tell him how much the whiskey cost so ... so your not just a cynical hack

[shanel23]

A Glenmorangie - the Lasanta from their extra matured range - I got the sherry cask one

[bredman]

A Cadenhead's Cooley 13 60.6% arrived in todays post.

[JohnM]

I think Cadenhead bottle some of the best Cooleys. Cooley don't bottle much at cask strength either.

What year was this one bottled, bredman?

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

The 13yo is a beast(as are most of them), I love it, quite unlike Connemara ... meaty and bold

I have a full set and all were from a batch of casks from 1992

Cadenhead's 10YR Cooley Peated Malt 59.8% Bot 2003
Cadenhead's 12YR Cooley Peated Malt 60.0% Bot 2004
Cadenhead's 13YR Cooley Peated Malt 60.6% Bot 2005
Cadenhead's 14YR Cooley Peated Malt 58.7% Bot 2006
Cadenhead's 15YR Cooley Peated Malt 58.6% Bot 2007
Cadenhead's 16YR Cooley Peated Malt 57.4% Bot 2008


Cadenheads notes on the 13yo

Nose: Smoked Cheese, kippers, smouldering ashes.
Palate: Very smooth, sweet smoked kippers oily and well balanced.


Where did you get your bottle bredman ?

Not much of it around, I think Berlin Cadenheads might be the only ones stocking it ...

[bredman]

Where did you get your bottle bredman ?

Not much of it around, I think Berlin Cadenheads might be the only ones stocking it ...

The Cadenhead's shop at Campbeltown. They had the 13yo and 14yo. The "World Whisky" page on their website doesn't seem to work, so i phoned them up, i assume it's the same for their other stores too.

[bredman]

I think Cadenhead bottle some of the best Cooleys. Cooley don't bottle much at cask strength either.

I'm a cask strength drinker primarily. Cadenheads have been consistently good in recent times.

[Malt-Teaser]

I won't go through the whole list of samples I recently acquired, but they did include a trio of Irish:
Redbreast 12y, Greenore 15y & Inishowen

So these will be added to my tasting notes in the next days.

[Fionnán]

I just ordered a bottle of Willet bourbon yesterday. It's a small batch distillery and, most importantly, it's one of the last remaining pot still bourbons and i've been planning on trying it out for quite some time. I'll let you all know how it goes

[bredman]

I'm looking forward to this in the near future. A Tamdhu 26 50.1%. Bottled for the members of the whiskywhiskywhisky forum.

[JohnM]

I have a couple of them on order. Costs a lot to have them sent to Ireland, though. Love to know how it tastes.

[bredman]

Oops, i forgot to mention these -

[shanel23]

Bottle of 10yr old Ardbeg . Tried it last night - not a fan of peated whiskies in general but thought I'd give this one a shot - didn't change my mind.

[John]

Hi Shane,

You may have gone in at the deep-end there if you were trying to develop a taste for the peated range. Maybe try something lighter like a 12yo Highland Park? It wouldn't be as smoky as the Ardbeg and is usually more balanced with honey on the nose and a 'pearish' finish.

Just a suggestion

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Or even a Locke's 8 year old ... a nice cooley with just a hint of peat or a whisp of smoke. A lovely light but balanced whiskey I think and the slight peat notes do enhance it.

[JohnM]

Longmorn 30 Year Old (Gordon and MacPhail) and a Highland tasting set from Master of Malt.

[shanel23]

Hi John and IWC

Yep may have gone full pelt with the Ardbeg alright - will give the Highland a try - Locke's 8 yr old - have a bottle - must try it

The other thing about the Ardbeg that really disappointed was the colour of it - When I poured it in the the glass I was like - Jaysus don't like the colour of that ! Shouldn't be a factor but it is . Lately have tried quite a few offerings from Scotland ( Glenmorangie , Singleton and a few Macallans ) - and each was a rich deep "whiskey" colour which for me adds to the experience of drinking whiskey . The really pale Ardbeg was onto a loser from the pour

[JohnM]

I suppose that's one of the reasons distillers add spirit caramel to whiskies. I don't knwo which ones, but some of the Glenmorangies would be coloured. Some would just get their colour from wine casks.

[bredman]

The use of e150, imo, should be banned. We need to shake off this perception of colour and quality. The addition of colour is a deception against the consumer as many believe darker whiskies are older and therefore superior.

[varizoltan]

2 bottles of Tullamore DEW Heritage, which is only available at the heritage centre

if yous want some, better hurry up, because they are down to their last few cases, i was told today

[John]

Will the 'Heritage' not be a regular feature of the Tullamore line up then?
Cheers,
J.

[varizoltan]

they have asked for more, but they were turned down

[bredman]

Popped into the Worksop Sainsbury with the Mrs, just so i could check out the whisky offers, not many offers but i was very surprised to find three bottles of Dun Leire 8, so i relieved them of two bottles.