What's the peatiest, smokiest scotch?

[blueskys]

I could not reply to the previous thread so I had to start this new one. I just wanted to say thank you to those you suggested Ardbeg 10 (Islay Single Malt)! I thought Mcclelland's Islay was smokey. Ardbeg is far superior. I happen to have both and was able to taste test them. I was blown away by the comparison.

[Tripeler]

What do people here think of Talisker? I was a Laphroaig fan until Michael Jackson suggested I try Talisker instead. I like it a bit more, but both are still great.

[comestible]

I like Talisker; a local store had Talisker 10 on sale for $40 for a while. Haven't done an A/B comparison against Laphroaig, but I think I'd slightly prefer Laphroaig.

[ncyankee101]

My favorites are the peat monster Islays - Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Laphroaig - but Talisker is my favorite non-Islay. Though it does have a fair amount of peat and smoke, it is a very different flavor profile than those three. I have never had Bruichladdich or Bunnahabhain so can't compare them. I find it more similar to Highland Park, with a little more peat and a peppery finish.

[ephnright]

Same here, Islay products are my favorite as well, so far. I haven't tried Ardbeg yet.
I did pick up Glemorangie this weekend, even better than Glenlivet, a bit sweeter and smoother but also 1/3 more $$.

[kagemusha49]

Try the port wood finish Glenmorangie - totally awesome flavor and color - dont forget to add a little water to bring it out.

[ephnright]

Haven't seen the port wood finish up here. Will keep an eye out.
Add water??... Surely you jest! Just busting your stones but I Rarely add anything to good booze.

[comestible]

Oh, I have. It wasn't an everyday tipple; someone got hold of a cask-strength single malt upwards of 25 years old. I think it was Caol Ila. Anyway, it was so intense, it was as though the flavors seemed knotted together, impenetrable, but a little water made the drink blossom, and you could really taste all the nuances.

[DavidT]

Since Glenmorangie was acquired by LVMH, they have renamed their various whiskies. The port-wood finish single-malt is now branded as "Quinta Ruban."

[blueskys]

Well, I had to share this interested tidbit. I was in a state store and picked up a bottle of Laphroaig 10 that was on sale for 50or so bucks. When checking out the clerk asked me about the product. They had a return from an individual that said it smelled funny and tasted bad maybe.  The clerk thought the batch might be tainted. They asked me to smell the bottle and see if it was ok, since they were not a Scotch drinker. I smelled it and said yep that was what it probably smells like …a campfire.  I proceeded to buy the bottle and had the please of tasting it later on. It was a roaring campfire for sure… haa.haaa…..

[ncyankee101]

Maybe the only Scotch that person had before was Cutty Sark and they thought all Scotches were supposed to taste like that.

[Lizard]

Suggestions like Peat Monster are apt, but risk venturing into the gimmicky. Ardbeg is great, but the Ardbeg supernova seems to be playing to this as well.

I really recommend just exploring the Islays and in particular, as it's not mentioned here, Caol Ila, which is lovely and peaty whilst being interesting and having a distinct character to boot.

[ephnright]

Peat Monster is available here but I've resisted for that reason. How does it compare to Laphroaig?

[ellaystingray]

Keep your eyes peeled for the Ardbeg Supernova.

And for my money, the Lahproaig Cask Strength is still the best Islay malt made.

[ephnright]

I love the Laphroaig 1/4 cask. As soon as I pour it the wife says the smell is what she imagines eating tree bark is like.
Te Bheag is peaty / smoky as well (although far less than Islay single malts), if you haven't tried it, a real nice blend.

[ncyankee101]

I second the quarter cask, though I recently tried the triple wood in a bar and quite liked it. Didn't get to try it side by side with anything I know, but my impression was just a little sweeter than the QC.

[ephnright]

I'll keep an eye out for 3x wood.
Must go pour myself a dram of Te Bheag.
Cheers.

[ellaystingray]

nyc is spot on with sensing a little more "sweet" in the profile of the Triple Wood--that is the Sherry Cask talking to your tastebuds. In regard to the Quarter Cask (which by the way is a feat of coopering as they disasemble used Bourdon barrels and reform them into smaller casks) I've found to not be quite as rich but just as aromatically powerful. The higher surface area to volume ratio seems to me, to mellow the whisky just a touch.

Now this being said, I am talking about very nuanced personal preferences. I've never tasted anything Master Distiller John Campbell has done that I don't like. I just always find myself going to the Cask Strength.

[ephnright]

Specifically, I believe they use Makers Mark casks, for the 1/4 cask. An awesome spirit! Must pick some up, been awhile.

[ellaystingray]

BeamGlobal owns both Laphroaig and Maker's Mark so that would figure, but I don't recall hearing that the 1/4 cask is specifically Maker's. I do know that Laphroaig "usually" uses Maker's Mark casks though. So that might be true.

[ncyankee101]

I find McClelland's more peaty than smokey, and pretty mild compared to the monsters (Ardbeg, Laphroaig, Lagavulin). It is heavy on the brine though, which makes sense since it is thought by most people to be 5 yr old Bowmore (seeing as Morrison Bowmore produces McClellands).

Bowmore 12 yr is a well-respected Islay but has a very different flavor profile than the big three.

[BillB656]

An interesting Whiskey Flavor Map has been circulating round the webosphere lately
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=whiske...

[DavidT]

Very interesting chart/map. Thanks for the link!

[kagemusha49]

I would think that Laphroaig is the peatiest smokiest scotch. That doesn't mean it's the best Islay malt - I'd say Bowmore and Ardbeg and several others from Islay would be better. Someone mentioned Johnny Walker Double Black - it's got a lo of Islay malt in it, but it is a blend. For half the price of Double Black and still a fair amount of Islay smoke there is Black Bottle.

[estilker]

Agreed about the Laphroaig. Lagavullin is up there as well, but more balance.

Also try Smokehead. A new very commercial/hip single malt. I've read it's most likely a young Laphroaig or Lagavullin. It's a bit raw though.

Second Bowmore and Ardbeg. Very partial to Bunnahabhain and Bruichladdich as well. Although the latter is hardly smoky.

[nickls]

However, Bruichladdich does make the Octomore, which it seems was made specifically to cram in as much smoke and peat as possible.

I haven't tried any of the Octomore bottlings, so not sure if it is more of a gimmick or an actually drinkable Scotch.

[sku]

Octomore is technically the peatiest Scotch in parts per million of peat phenols coming off the still. I have only had the first edition, but I thought it was very good, not just a gimmick by any means; huge smoke but also some sweetness to balance it out and better than Bruichladdich's other peated experssion, the Port Charlotte series.

The more recent editions are even peatier but I haven't tried them yet.

[estilker]

I'll keep my eye open for Octomore. Sounds like something I would like a lot.

My latest addition was the Organic Bruichladdich.

[lambretta76]

I agree with sku about the Octomore. I'm not the biggest fan of peated scotches (I despise Lagavulin and most Laphroaigs), but for some reason I found the second Octomore quite nice. Not something I'd drop $150 on, but not something I'd turn down if offered to me. If I remember correctly, it's a younger whiskey, maybe three to five years or so. It's very well balanced for being a peat bomb (and for being so young), without the salty undertones I find in most Islays.

[Terrie H.]

+1 on Laphroaig for the strength of peat.

[Veggo]

I'm not familiar with some of the labels mentioned here, but I wouldn't want any more peatiness than Laphroaig.

[Terrie H.]

Total agreement - when I was a novice and had the Laphroaig, my first comment was that it tasted like the air smelled in Scotland. I was visiting the outer Hebrides. It is the peatiest (is that a word?) that I've tasted.

[davis_sq_pro]

Johnny Walker Double Black is nice (certainly far, far better than the normal JW), but it's a relative lightweight in the smoke department. The smokiest I've tried to date has been the Lagavulin Distillers Edition from two or three years back. Compared to it, from a smokiness perspective, the JW Double Black might as well be vodka.

[comestible]

This comment could go as well in the cheap drinks thread, but I agree, and thank the folks on this board, for suggesting Black Bottle. It's the best blend I've found so far, nice smoke, good flavor, and half the cost of a single malt.

[DavidT]

Have you tried the Finlaggan malt, which is from Islay and sold by Trader Joe's for under $20?

[DavidT]

Have you tried "The Peat Monster," from Compass Box?

http://www.compassboxwhisky.com/pdf/PeatMonster.pdf

Or how about the new "Double Black," from Johnnie Walker?

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article...