I’m going to pick up a Lagavulin 16 to compare the Caol Ila with, and probably the Port Askaig 100 proof also. Really enjoying the Islay whiskies nowadays.
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@Cambs13 / Stuart. The Port Askaig 100° Proof is an excellent dram IMV, a very honest expression that is pretty banging fer t’ money. Despite already having a bottle in reserve I’ve just now sprung fer another, as I’m down to the last fifth of my first bottle & it’s one I really greatly enjoy.
Great that Amazon have once more dropped the price down to £42-90 with prime delivery, now that M.o.M. have restocked to offer some honest competition.
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I’ll definitely pick one up at that price. I did a bit of googling and it seems most likely that it’s from Caol Ila. What do you reckon?
From highest frequency of others suppositions in reviews that I’ve read or watched I would say Caol Ila or Lagavulin are strong front runners, in that order. But quite a lot of trickery can be done with different caskings, which leaves plenty of room for a good mystery.
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I’m sure I’ll have fun trying to work it out 
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Waitrose have the Cotswold whisky down to 30 from 39 pounds. Picked up a bottle this morning. Looking forward to trying something different. Mind you, a Scotchman buying English whisky?! My ancestors will be turning in their graves!
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Popped into my local co-op convenience store to pick up some bread, crumpets 'n bagels, mission accomplished & also picked up this to 'ave a try of. Supposed to be quite passable with a subtle nuanced sherry influence.
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Wee Beastie 29 quid on Amazon atm. They’ll be giving it away at this rate…
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First dram tonight. And rather lovely and fantastic for the price. I’m getting nuts amongst other stuff, a wee bit like Bunnahabhain Moine. So maybe Bunnahabhain could be a contender…
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Having said the above, watching a Ralfy review of the 10 yr, bottled slightly less abv than this, and he thinks it is Caol Ila matured in heavily peated casks from other distilleries, and I’d trust his thoughts more than mine on the detective work! It is delicious, and will not be the last bottle of this I buy, as well as some of the other Port Askaig range.
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Yeah Ralfy is a cracking reveiwer, very engaging & knows his stuff.
It really is delicious stuff, cracking well balanced, with good layering of complexity. A very rewarding dram with very well dialled in smokiness, pretty much a no brainer for t’ asking price.
Anyone thinking of laying out £35 ish for Laphroig quarter cask should spend a few pennies extra & try this IMV!!
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Yep. It does make that sort of stuff look just like a supermarket mass produced whisky. And not much more to pay for something much more memorable. Funny though, six months ago, there’s no way I would have said I was a peated whisky fan. How times have changed! I suspect this is probably the way for most folks, starting from the simpler lowlands or Speyside stuff before moving on.
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Yeah I’ve got a good mate who very much appreciates nice whisky/eys who’s a bit resistant to trying more peated expressions, but most of his experience is tempered by stuff on offer under £30 in the supermarkets.
I too have found myself really surprised at what you can get for not too much more than the standard supermarket offerings with a little more due diligence of time spent on research. I’ve always previously found more peated smokey expressions intriguing, but am finding a whole new level of enjoyment, from exploring 'em more seriously.
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Obviously going to have to buy one now. After putting it in my basket on Amazon I now have five different bottles in my basket. Will have to whittle them down.
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Had you drank more before ordering, you might had seen 10 in your basket…
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We really liked it too.
Probably preferred it to the bottle of Lagavulin 16 we have open at the moment
Today’s deliveries… The Arran is a replacement for a finished bottle which I really enjoyed, lovely stuff.
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The Ledaig is rather nice. At 36 on Amazon or 33 on MOM, it’s a bargain.
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Quite a few bottles of single malt ordered in the wee hours & early this afternoon.
First off a whopping 5 bottles of this >>
Only one bottle from this order is fer me. My good friend Beaker is completely blown away with the S&A&D&F batch no #01 he tried & quickly escalated from wanting two & then not wanting to miss out, when I told him how quickly batch #02 sold out. He doesn’t do internet, so nice to help a good mate treat himself, particularly one who is so generous in spirit! As a reference point he is a big fan of Ardbeg Uigeadail & thinks this is just as good, if not better even!
Also ordered another bottle of this, as it is only recently back in stock & I’ve really been enjoying the first bottle I ordered. >>
Think I rate it as my third favourite of my mystery distillery Islay single malt expressions, next rung down from t’ Port Askaig 100° & not on the same level as the S&A&D&F #01, but comfortably better than the Finlaggen cask strength. Very nice at a shade under £40 IMV. Well Worth a shot for anyone who already knows that they like the Port Askaig 100° or Port Charlotte 10, as it’s similar in profile/delivery to the Port Askaig.
Also succumbed to some glass want & ordered a couple of these too. >>
Thought these were well worth experimenting with, though I’m very pleased with my Bormioli Rocco Sorgente 300ml whisky tumblers, as they definitely improve the nose & taste of a good whisky immensely over using a standard tumbler, due to the profile changes throughout the glass.
All the above ordered today. Which brings me to risking a punt on a couple of bottles of this, ordered in this morning’s wee hours & arriving tomorrow. >>
This wuz briefly on at £37-09 last night when I ordered, but now back up to £51-10.
Taking a balanced view from all the reviews I’ve read or viewed, it certainly looked well worth a punt at that price. But the good humour, sheer enjoyment, banter & bonhomie of this review swung it for me last-night.
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