Good Buys on Scotch??

[MVNYC]

I was just wondering if anyone knew of a particualrly cheap way for me to get my Scotch fix. I generally drink Lagavulin but am annoyed with the recent rising of prices. What is the cheapest place to pick up a bottle of a fine single malt? BevMo? Costco doesnt carry Lagavulin to my knowledge

[ashwood]

dalmore is good. $25 for thier 12 year.

[DavidT]

As noted above, Trader Joe's is selling the Dalmore 12-year old single malt for $20. While it is very good, Dalmore is a Highland whisky and it does not have the strong peaty flavor of the whiskies from Islay.

[JMF]

True, but it has that great marmalade thing going on, finestkind!

[DavidT]

Just returned from a visit to my local Trader Joe's in San Francisco. They have 3 Islay single-malts for sale.

1) The Finlaggan "Old Reserve" single-malt sells for $17. My understanding is that Finlaggan is a "negociant-type" whisky. The distributor goes to whatever distilleries on Islay have excess inventory, buys it at a discount and then bottles & sells it under the Finlaggan label at a very attractive price.

2) Laphroig single-malt sells for $30. I think it is the 10-year old bottling.

3) An 18-year old Islay single-malt, distilled by Bowmore, is being sold under the Trader Joe's label for $40.

As I mentioned in my prior post, TJ's also has several Speyside & Highland aingle-malts for sale at very reasonable prices.

[monkeyrotica]

If you know anyone travelling abroad, give them a list of your favorite brands and they can try the duty-free shop. Some of the markdowns are impressive (a $200 of Johnny Walker Blue for $120 in the Bahamas).

[DavidT]

Do you live near any Trader Joe's stores? Here in San Francisco, TJ's is selling 12-year old Dalmore single-malt (from the Highlands) for $20. They are also selling some very good single-malts under their house label, distilled by some of the best distilleries in Scotland, for $20-$30. I have also seen an Islay single-malt on their shelves at a very reasonable price.

[MVNYC]

Do you know who makes their house label? I might try the Islay one next time out. Thanks

[DavidT]

The TJ's House Label single-malts are made by a variety of distillers. The name of the distillers are clearly stated on the labels. So far, I have seen single-malts distilled by Macallan, Bowmore and Aberlour. They have ranged from 10 to 14 years in age.

[OttoLink10]

Do try their Islay "mystery scotch," which is called Finlaggan! For $18, you can't beat it. Their blended scotch is only $10. Haven't tried their own single malt yet. They have Balvenie "Double Wood" for $34, which is very good, and the 10-yo Laphroaig for $32.

[JMF]

Get a job in a liquor shop so you can get it at cost.

[sku]

There has been a shortage of Lagavulin for several years now that will likely continue for several more. I don't know where you are, but in southern California, it's been a while since I've seen it anywhere under $60. Here is a topic from the Scotch Blog discussion site with a few different prices, apparently it's cheaper on the east coast: http://s3.phpbbforfree.com/forums/whi...

Have you tried Laphroig. As you may know, it's another peaty Islay scotch and it's much cheaper and more available than Lagavulin. I can get the 10 yo at Trader Joe's for about $30.

[MVNYC]

I was unaware of the shortage. i moved to CA Feb 05 from NYC, so i guess that accounts for my shock at how expensive it is out here. Laphroig is good, thanks for the suggesetion

[ChrisZ]

Lagavulins warehouse caught on fire and they lost a lot of their inventory. The pricing in NY is around 60+.

[Chinon00]

White Horse Blended Scotch actually includes Lagavulin in the blend. I've never seen it over $15. It's not single malt but give it a whirl (if you already haven't). In my opinion for everyday scotch (if there should be such a thing) it's ideal.

[fnarf]

Second the White Horse recommendation. It's the only blend with a noticeable Islay tang. Good stuff. Don't be a single-malt snob; many single malts are inferior for solo drinking and were never intended to be enjoyed that way, while a good blend can be a good bargain. Save your $60 Lagavulin for special occasions (when your guests are gone!)