Whisky Club

[baggiebloke]

I love the Islay stuff but is that Laphroaig the REALLY smokey one? I did a Burns night thing a few years ago and no one else liked it so I drank the rest of the bottle. Not a great idea as it turned out.

Lagavulin, neighbours to Laphroaig, offer an even more intense peaty malt. And Ardbeg.

I love em.

[baggiebloke]

The difference between Lagavulin and Laphroaig is the boom-flavour-intensity of the taste.

It's reflected in the price with the former, longer aged malt being £48 ish and the latter regularly available for about £30. Or £18 at the Oldswinford Tesco Express but I bought the entire stock for that, all consumed.

Ardbeg completes my Holy Islay Trinity.

[Salter Spring]

I’ve noticed ardbeg 10 at £37 a bottle a couple of times now in Tesco (£47 again on my
last visit), good value at that price..

[baggiebloke]

I’ve noticed ardbeg 10 at £37 a bottle a couple of times now in Tesco (£47 again on my
last visit), good value at that price..

They sometimes have a Bowmore 10 at good value too, and some of the Dalwhinnie is occasionally on offer

Yes. They reduce the Bowmore 10 to £25 occasionally.

Buy buy buy!

[MassDebater]

I keep trying to tempt myself into buying a Bladnoch 14 year old, anyone know owt about it? Just struggling to part with £90 for a bottle of booze!

[hudds]

There is a 10 yr old Laphroig available and probably other age noted ones more expensive - the unaged ones will be 3 plus years minimum casks, unlikely any more than 3 but some casks could be if the blender requires an older cask for the right result. Still very nice at 3!
75% approx of cost of brown spirits is post distillation (storage/maturation/packaging) so older ones will be pricey - doesn't always follow you will prefer the taste - all down to personal preference. 16 yr old Lagavulin though imo is well worth the wait.

Do ypou stand outside the maturation warehouse for 16 years after first account is taken in the distillery spirits receiver?  Well, perhaps the bottling warehouse, so it's a bit longer.  You must have strong legs.

---

I think the Lagavulin is a more rounded dram so doesn't come actoss as strongly peated as the Laphroig (though it is I think) - different peat beds used which may make a difference to some of the phenols flavour too...Laphroig claim theirs is unique.

Clare Island whiskey here in Mayo is taking barrels from Connacht Whisky (up in Ballina) and aging them at sea on boat in one of the harbours, hoping for a more intense flavour as a result. It will be a single malt but wont be able to officially call itself an Irish whiskey as its not matured in a bonded warehouse ( couldn't get a bond for the boat...) One to look out for!

You could overlay an excise warehouse approval under the trade facility policy criterion in Blighty (Scotchland fer Scotch) fer a boat either as an annex to an existing excise warehouse or as "the" warehouse (a "place of security" approved by HMRC in UK law). 

So long as there is a “place” (of security) the excise warehouse is conceptual.  I've got shipping containers, kitchens, sheds, single vessels/drums etc approved but I had to explain to one client I couldn't get warehouse approval from HMRC for the top of Ben Nevis.

[baggiebloke]

I keep trying to tempt myself into buying a Bladnoch 14 year old, anyone know owt about it? Just struggling to part with £90 for a bottle of booze!

I've been to the distillery, it's the most southerly in Scotland. 

I'm not familiar with the 14 year old but am happy to share yours.

Thanks, in anticipation.

[Old Stroller]

I'm not familiar with the 14 year old but am happy to share yours.

Thanks, in anticipation.

There’s a quote you wouldn’t want taking out of context! 

[MassDebater]

I'm not familiar with the 14 year old but am happy to share yours.

Thanks, in anticipation.

There’s a quote you wouldn’t want taking out of context! 

top 'arfs

[hudds]

You could overlay an excise warehouse approval under the trade facility policy criterion in Blighty (Scotchland fer Scotch) fer a boat either as an annex to an existing excise warehouse or as "the" warehouse (a "place of security" approved by HMRC in UK law). 

So long as there is a “place” (of security) the excise warehouse is conceptual.  I've got shipping containers, kitchens, sheds, single vessels/drums etc approved but I had to explain to one client I couldn't get warehouse approval from HMRC for the top of Ben Nevis.

I'm sure similar may be possible in Ireland but no distillery on or near Clare island yet (though the crowd doing this maturation are thinking of starting one) so they couldn't swing it. Perhaps there was a cost issue too or revenue wete being awkward. Ypou could have come over and talked to them until they surrendered or jumped in the sea had you but known.

In BlIGHy yPOu don't need a distillery to have a maturation warehouse.  I'm setting up loads of new maturation warehouses of various sizes under "trade facility" policy and a lot of the spirits are from the the new distilleries.  Is'pect Oirish law still contains the old UK law (which has been consolidated and liberalized) so the ROI law may be less permissive.  In which case the game is lost before a ball is kicked. or hurled or bounced.