260656 Mon Dec 03 07:28:44 -0800 2001 10 26 International 0 1377393 I am looking for something a bit special for a Christmas present for someone and thought a "very" good bottle of single malt might be in order. I am no expert on these matters, so any help would be appreciated on a) What sort b) Where to buy ( I tried Milroy's in Soho but was not impressed ) My budget is c£100 per bottle and the person in question is a great fan of the rather peaty taste of laphroig etc Ta S Mon Dec 03 07:28:44 -0800 2001 0 Simon Majumdar 1 1377394 There is a good whisky shop in Covent Garden (of all places). I think it's on Russell St. Mon Dec 03 07:33:40 -0800 2001 1377393 0 Winot 2 1377397 Oddbins is really very good on single malts. Mon Dec 03 08:56:29 -0800 2001 1377394 0 Tony Finch 1 1377399 The top end of the malt market is largely in the hands of independent bottlers. Murray McDavid (www.murray-mcdavid.com) is one company with a wide range of bottlings from different distilleries. They've also just bought and re-opened the Bruichladdich distillery on Islay (if your friend likes peated malts then Islay is your friend). I think there is online shopping available from their website. One of the issues in the malt market ATM is the explosion of different 'finish' whiskies. These products get their normal ageing time, plus a year or two in another cask - a sherry, port, bourbon or whatever barrel - which imparts other flavours. They're fun, but whether they justify the price hike is a moot point. If you're prepared to go up to £100 you should get a very special bottle - 25 year old say. Adam PS. Simon - thanks for the tip re. Newby Teas. Bought some for the missus, who is a tea-fancier, and she absolutely loves them. Mon Dec 03 09:03:21 -0800 2001 1377393 0 Adam Lawrence 2 1377400 Thanks for this Will check out the site happy to help on the Newby Tea front. Nice people who make superb tea S Mon Dec 03 09:06:18 -0800 2001 1377399 0 Simon Majumdar 3 1377408 As a final thought, Berry Bros. & Rudd in St James'has a good selection, both on the website (www.bbr.co.uk) and (more extensively) at the shop (they have a spirits room) phone 020 7396 9600. In particular, they sell a number of aged malts under their own label as "Islay Malt", "Speyside Malt" etc, which, although, identifed in terms of the distillery, still offer better value than the 'labelled' brand. Go figure. A first rate selection is to be had at the Scottish Malt Whisky Society (www.SMWS.com) but you need to join or find someone who is a member to order for you (not me I'm afraid, in an ironical display of parsimony I sponge off a Scottish friend who has already stumped up the cash...) Gareth Mon Dec 03 11:59:43 -0800 2001 1377400 0 Gareth Williams 1 1377404 If you are looking for something similar to Laphroig, but a bit more expensive, a bit more special and quite a bit better, I would recommend the double casked Lagavulin, which I believe comes in 16 year batches. Wont come near to your 100 pound budget but is seriously great stuff for those who get off on the peaty flavors. In terms of where to look, I am not sure which of the places I have been to were Milroy's, but there is one place on Old Compton, and then a place that I think is quite a bit better on Greek Street (has some kind of alliance with Royal Mile Whiskies in Scotland, which is a fantastic shop if you are ever that way, quite free with the tastings and dont have to be a member as is the case with most of the few great shops). If you are looking on the web, you might also want to look at scotchwhiskey.com, which is a bit more varied then www.murray-mcdavid.com (i.e. there is a bit more schlock to wade through) but also has a much greater selection if I recall correctly. You cant go wrong with the Lagavulin double cask. Also, a word of warning, be careful if anyone recommends the cask strength whiskies (generally more expensive and considered to be some of the best by many whiskey aficianados), they are very strong and many people do not like them as sipping whiskies. A lot of people find that the strength of the alcohol overwhelms the flavours, unless a bit of water is added. However, many whiskey drinkers (such as myself) do not prefer to put water in their whiskey, and hence do not find the cask strength whiskies a very good option on a day-to-day basis. Having said all that, they can be great on a cold and rainy day when you want the fire coursing through your veins without delay. Mon Dec 03 10:56:32 -0800 2001 1377393 0 TJ 2 1377407 I am now going to contradict the advice I gave to you, and recommend a cask strength whiskey in exchange for which you should earn your friend's undying love (first born child always seemed a bit much to me, and anyway, who the hell wants someone else's kid, like your own kid isn't enough grief). I went on the scotchwhiskey.com site after posting, just to refresh myself on what they have there, and I saw that they have a Banff cask malt whiskey (1968). I have had this a few times in the past (a very good friend shared a glass or three with me of his bottle, the only other one I have seen). For a cask strength whiskey, it is a very manageable 42% or so, the batch is limited to 66 bottles and the distillery is now closed. I cant say this is the best whiskey I have ever had, but it is close, and it is certainly a very rare bottle to come across. 85 pounds, plus shipping, should fit right under your budget. Now, you should only hope your friend shares. Mon Dec 03 11:58:35 -0800 2001 1377404 0 TJ 1 1377458 As a big fan of peaty single malts, I'd still have to say my all time (money no object) single malt is not an Islay; it's a Campbeltown, one of the older Springbanks, I think it was a 30-year old. It's still peaty, but more subtle than the Islays. Tue Dec 04 12:06:28 -0800 2001 1377393 0 Janet A. Zimmerman 2 1377462 Given a generic area to which to gravitate, I would be inclined to go the peaty Islay route. With the exception of Bowmore, which really leaves me cold (even the older vintages), its pretty hard to mess up with any of the following in filtered or cask strength and almost any year: Lagavalin, Laphroig, Ardbeg, and Caol Ila (rather rare). These are also Islay malts, though by me slightly less liked: Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, and Port Ellen. That said, I will concur with one of the other people who posted that Springbank is a class unto itself, particularly in the older vintages. +20 year old stuff fetches $100-200 a bottle (70-140 Sterling), but seems a damn bargain given what red wine prices are these days. Springbank has a depth, richness and wisdom that almost every other wisky I have ever tried lacks. It is profound stuff. 17 year old Ardbeg and cask strength Laphroig are monsterously good stuff though. In contrast to one other poster on this thread, I also think that cask strength (particularly Cadenheads) is the preferred route. Cask strength whisky, water or not, almost always has more to offer. I have literally fed drops of cask strength whishy to non-whisky drinkers and non drinkers for that matter, and at least out of courtesy they have expressed surprise and admiration that something so potent could be so rich. Tue Dec 04 22:46:47 -0800 2001 1377458 0 Mao 3 1377466 Thank you all for all the help In the end I chose a 20 yr old Port Ellen as I understand that the distillery closed some 19 yrs ago and I thought it was a nice thought to sample something that will soon be defunct. Well within my budget S Wed Dec 05 05:32:25 -0800 2001 1377462 0 Simon Majumdar