On the nose, this is a classic Lagavulin. This will cause the liquid to slowly trickle down the sides of the glass with older whiskies moving slower than older whiskies. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. Posted on Published: August 30, 2022- Last updated: September 3, 2022. Finish: Long and spicy, with notes of figs, vanilla and smoke! Perhaps more than any other spirit, theres an inherently complicated nature to scotch whisky. When I am in the mood for Islay, uigeadwil And Lag 16 are my go to drams. The complexity is lost a bit in the mouth, but its still full. At an average price of $52 per 750 ml bottle, this whisky has an ABV of 45,8% (91,6 proof). From Eastern Scotland try the Glendronach peated expression or, if you can find it, The Macallan Rare Cask Black Edition. A light and clean finish, its a great whisky to sip on in those cooler months of the year, as its taste almost evokes Thanksgiving-esque tones. With notes of vanilla, coffee, dark chocolate and citrus, your palate will begin its journey on a path of familiarity just to end itself on a wild ride nobody was expecting. Color: Amber, like tea steeped not-quite-enough. Grade: 4 Oban 14 Color: Milk Chocolate Oban is one of the few urban distilleries left in Scotland. The award for the Best 20 YO Single Malt went to another legendary Scotch whisky: Mortlach, 20 YO, 43.4% ABV, 750 ml, $250. ABV: 43%. It was only a few years later that the town was named Oban after the distillery. The nose is filled with a hearty mix of tobacco and leather. Its a great smokey and peaty single malt for beginners to try. This is a Scotch to enjoy neat with a few drops of water to open it up making it more approachable. I am a bar and liquor shop owner in Oaxaca, Mexico where I have tasted hundreds of different spirits; perhaps more than I should! The official tasting notes of the judging panel described the whisky as having: A dark amber hue signaling its years in the cask. There was a second distillery already sharing the site with Lagavulin which was absorbed by the company in 1837. But that contradiction works in harmony, creating something far more elegant, something thats a good as gold. The French oak actually has a low density to it that allows the spirit to be enriched, deep inside the cask. Its thick on the tongue and has a sweeter, almost Bourbon-like flavor with notes of cherries, vanilla and honey. Spice and the sea are present in your mouth with a spicy medium finish. 70cl / 56.5%. $92 AT DUBAIDUTYFREE.COM. Aberlour keeps things simple. Springbank was founded in 1828 by Archibald Mitchell and today is owned by Mitchells great-great-great-grandson, making it one of the few independent distilleries trading blows with giants like Diageo. Lagavulin 16: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whiskey; 43% ABV. $19.50 USD . The use of worm coil condensers limits the amount of copper contact the vapor receives, resulting in notable meaty aromas of bacon fat and raw steak. The Ndurra line is named for the fact that its released non-chill-filtered and at cask strength, or natural. While the rough cut Ndurra is fantastic and the winner of Double Gold at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, those who want a little more refinement should look no further than The Glenlivet 18. Oban Little Bay Small Cask Scotch Whisky $71.99 Buy Now. Best Overall Scotch. It's very similar to (and cheaper than) The Balvenie Single Barrel 15 year and a little bit lighter in style than Oban 14, but stands up well against any unpeated ex-bourbon malt. GlenAllachie, 15 YO, 46% ABV, 750 ml, $95 took similar honors as the Best Single Malt from Speyside. Read More: The Dalmore Releases Sherry-Cask Finish 12-Year Scotch. Oban whisky is very different from many of its West Highland kin. It internationally holds a spot as a really good entry level peated whisky. Lagavulin, what are you doing? Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Support Malt Each Month By Becoming A Patron. Introduced in 2017, Ardbegs An Oa Scotch Whisky blends together a few different cask strengths into a single vat. In those parts of the world where there is an absence of trees, peat has often been utilized as a source of heat. Light floral with dark fruit in the nose followed by a well layered oily presence on the palate with dark sugar on the edges and a full-bodied finish. This is a little deceptive as this is a measure of the ppm phenol in the malted barley. In areas where there is a lot of rain, for example, the peat has a large proportion of sphagnum moss. Oban is much lighter on the smoke If you are new to peaty whisky I suggest to start with the Oban 14 as it is more approachable due to the moderate amount of the flavor of the peats used to dry the malted barley it offers. Novices should start by exploring the regions of Scotland. Oban is a port city in central Scotland, and its namesake distillery borrows a little of this and a little of that to produce an extremely well-balanced Scotch that displays all the extremes of Scotland's flavor. The peatiness is incredibly well balanced against some caramel sweetness, rich, smooth and delicious. No, not just because it takes more time to create, but those extra years really pack on the flavor intensity more powerful than youd imagine. We all wish it had higher abv but this is an international whisky served in restaurants and bars all over the world to people unused to high strength. The peat is accompanied by toffee, butterscotch, caramel, some light pickled seaweed with sesame seeds on top, nori and some more coastal aromas. Ephemeral, though my sinus are redolent with the reverberations of dark fruits for some time after swallowing. Prices and visitors' opinions on dishes. Given that both brands are owned by Diageo and produce single malt whisky, these are easy to compare which we will be doing going forward. Aberlour A'Bunadh Scotch Whisky $99.99 Buy Now. Charl loves to learn about new products and tries everything he writes about. Floral and dried dark fruit on the tongue with a balanced long finish with a soft layer of honey. The NYISC is one of 10 different competitions that include, among others, the New York International Wine Competition, the Berlin International Spirits Competition and the Melbourne International Beer Competition. Diageo does these, classic malts of Scotland, box sets. Vanilla and baked fruit lay in the mouth with a light coating of vanilla followed by a balanced finish with lingering vanilla notes. Named for the famous whirlpool that lies to the north of Islay and winner of The Worlds Best Single Malt in 2010 by the World Whiskies Awards, Corryvreckan is intense, non-chill-filtered experience of peat and pepper aged in virgin French Limousin oak. The peat, toffee, butterscotch and caramel combined also make me think of mocha. Speyside, to the east, with distilleries like The Macallan or The Balvenie, is known for whiskies with a delicate richness that doesnt rely on peat so, expect a lot of sherry and rum casks for aging. The phenolic compounds that give peated whiskies their pronounced medicinal character are concentrated in the cell walls of the moss. As the ice melts, it will water down the beverage too much which will affect the taste of the whisky. Not any longer. There are more than 20 variations available from the brand. All Rights reserved. Lagavulin 16 vs Oban 14: Which is better? After 18 years the two liquids are blended together and, after being allowed to marry, are bottled. Required fields are marked *. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. What is unusual about The Singleton is that each of the three brands has a specific geographic area where its sold: Glendullan is sold in North America, Dufftown is reserved for Europe and Glen Ord is exclusive to Asia. $22.00 USD . Talisker 10, Lagavulin 16, and Diageo are entities that elicit mixed feelings in me. Ive irregularly returned to this and enjoyed other variants since then. Today, you can find peated malt whisky from Ireland to Australia. Theyve also proven to be very popular with consumers. Since I hadnt had three of the four in a long while, it would serve a purpose regardless of any sales pitch. If you want the peat influence to be subtler, less medicinal and more cold smoke and earth/brush, then look at Caol Ila. Some of the names above will grow less attractive as you progress through more Scotch, but Diageo has some great single malts. Would be interesting if you were to add the other staples: Ardbeg 10, and Laphroaig 16. It combines a prominent smoky peat note, with fresh fruit, cooked cereal notes and a tangy salty note. all while retaining a distinctive and unique taste. Serve it or with a little bit of ice to draw out the flavor further. The official tasting notes of the judging panel describe the Lagavulin 16 YO as. If youre looking for more fruitiness than spice, another fantastic Ardbeg is Uigeadail, which substitutes virgin French Limousin oak for ex-Sherry casks. It has a peat and oyster, rockpool, character. My then-unrefined palate thought the flavors seemed like a peppery, smokey mocha drink. Peated whiskies that are finished in sweet wine casks add sweetness and dried fruit flavors over the smoke and medicinal character imparted by peat. Its still the active ingredient in oral analgesics such asChlorasepticspray. The Little Bay scotch whisky has a balance between its textured and flavorful tasting notes, which include malt, green apple, dried apricot, salt, chocolate and orange. Aberlour, 16 YO, Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The flavors of the Highlands are too diverse to pin down with a single broad stroke; the region is so big that its home to distilleries that represent the entire flavor spectrum. And the dark color is closer to coffee or Coca-Cola than a typical Scotch. Historically, many Speyside whiskies had a peat component in their single malts. I write about wines and spirits and the hidden corners of the world, A Bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail surrounded by newly, A Peat Bog on Islay With Newly Harvested Peat, The peat furnace used to produce peat reek when. Ian Hunter was the last direct family member to have ownership of Laphroaigs distillery and was said to have traveled to Americas beloved bourbon country where he found all kinds of new casks that would not only provide new tastes but better consistency, too. Unlike on the nose, the peat and smoke are more consistent all the way. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. The competition is unusual in that it is one of the few competitions that relies entirely on judges drawn exclusively from the beverage trade. Others do paid-for content with brands. In the Orkney Islands, among other places, much of the peat derives from partially decomposed heather. I've found that adding a drop of water as close to a single drop as you can get helps bring out the flavor. Oban was established in 1794 while Lagavulin was established in 1816. The brands scotches are produced on original Victorian-era machinery in order to stay true to whats worked well all this time. While he has been coached to niche down, he has many passions. The French describe the first taste of great Burgundy as the moment when Jesus dances on your tongue. Orange peel and oak lay on the tongue with winter spices on top of the medium finish. Both whisky brands are situated in Scotland, with Lagavulin established on the isle of Islay while Oban was established in the Kintyre Peninsula. However, I very much enjoyed it. Macallan is a well-known name, even by those that arent the most devoted scotch drinkers. . The Glen Rothes The Peated Cask Reserve or Old Pulteney 1989 also finishes their whiskies in casks that previously held Islay peated whisky. Each bottle starts the maturing process in old bourbon casks of American white oak then later ages in Oloroso sherry barrels, both of which help bring that intense color and bold flavor. In oral analgesics such asChlorasepticspray winter spices on top of the moss 14: which is better against caramel! 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