561023 Mon Sep 29 08:18:55 -0700 2008 6 13 New England 0 4069534 We stopped off at the piano bar within the Wentworth in Jackson, NH, after dinner the other night to have a shot or two of scotch. We had done this last year and it was a lot of fun, hanging with the old money crowd and watching them dance and sing to songs that were about twice as old as me. This time, we tried their scotch samplers. One of the samples was a shot of Laphroaig (from Islay). I downed about half of my shot before slamming it back down and squeezing my face with my hands as hard as possible while making noises that weren't all that different from those of the alpacas we saw earlier in the day in nearby Milan. It was by far the worst thing I have ever tasted, and after my poor insides had calmed down a bit, I asked the bartender exactly how Laphroaig was made. He said that because there are few (if any) trees in Islay, they use peat and seaweed in the making of the scotch. This is what explained the earthy dung smell and the iodine taste of the drink. My pores literally were oozing the smell of peat well into the next day, and I could taste iodine in my mouth for many hours. So I guess my question is, could it be possible that anyone out there actually LIKES to drink Laphroaig? Next time I go to the Wentworth, it'll be nothing but Glenfiddich for me! Mon Sep 29 08:18:55 -0700 2008 14771 hiddenboston 1 4069670 can we assume that you don't care for raw oysters either? personally I love Islay's, especially Laglovulin (sp?). Mon Sep 29 09:04:21 -0700 2008 4069534 104728 qianning 2 4069721 Heh, your assumption would not be incorrect. It was really more the peat than the iodine that did me in. I love the smell of turf burning in a pub on the west coast of Ireland, but I'm not crazy about having it in my drink. The Wentworth does have a nice selection of drinks at their bar, though. I also had a shot of Auchentoshan (a mild lowland scotch) and loved it. Mon Sep 29 09:20:12 -0700 2008 4069670 14771 hiddenboston 3 4072186 The majority of single malt producers use some peat in drying the malted barley, though to varying level and effect. Glenfiddich does use some peat in the drying, though not nearly as much as a typical Islay. The peatiness is also mellowed somewhat through the use of sherry casks (along with rum and bourbon casks), where Laphroaig, and most Islays, I believe, uses only bourbon casks. Islays also get some peaty character from the water used to make them, which takes on flavor from the boggy island itself, not just from the drying. Glenfiddich, on the other hand, uses pure spring water. If you like Auchentoshan, you might consider giving some Irish single malts a try. The lighter flavor of the Lowland whiskies comes from their not using peat in the drying process, and triple distilling the whisky. This is also what gives Irish whiskey its light flavor. Good Irish single malts are finally becoming more widely available around here. I've converted to drinking them instead of Scotch over the last couple of years as I found myself preferring the lighter bodied Scotches, and found more complexity in the Irish whiskies. I do still enjoy Scotch from any region, including Islay, however. Pure pot still Irish whiskies are also light, like Irish single malts and Lowland Scotch, but have a little more spiciness, or complexity. It's still very difficult to find good pure pot still whiskies, however. Hopefully they catch on, but in the meantime, try an Irish Single malt. Tue Sep 30 09:34:19 -0700 2008 4069721 36408 danieljdwyer 3 4080618 it really is an individual taste thing, to me the islay's, especially ardbeg and lagavulin are delightful treats to be savored, but then again, so are duxbury oysters, or a good strong pot of lapsang soochong tea or a pu-er tea. On the other hand good burgundy has never made much sense to me, too subtle for me i'm afraid. by the way, i haven't been to wentworth in jackson in years and years, last time i remeber being there the first bottle of wine was corked (no problem returning it, but still) and the pot roast was as perfectly presented as it was tasteless. (still can't figure out how it is possible to screw up pot roast!) Fri Oct 03 19:02:04 -0700 2008 4069721 104728 qianning 1 4070671 I personally enjoy Laphroig for it's peatiness and agree with gianning and LOVE Lagavulin. The way the Scotch is made, the malts are smoked over burning peat and the salt spray in Islay helps flavor the Scotch also. There really are no equals to the whickey from Islay. Love it or hate it. Thanks to your opinion, now there's more for us. Mon Sep 29 15:22:39 -0700 2008 4069534 27342 trufflehound 2 4072205 The Woman in The Hat, who prior to going to the UK drank no Scots whiskey, now loves Lagavulin, and turns up her nose at Laphroig as a "weak sister" version. She does concede that it's best if you've just come in off a drizzly walk on the moors (i.e., it's not a "summer-y" kind of drink) and that if you're not expecting it, "downing half a shot" can be a little like sticking your head into a fireplace... Tue Sep 30 09:41:01 -0700 2008 4070671 11398 silverlakebodhisattva