It looks like Dan's have some of the whisky "deals" on again that may be worthwhile if your stocks are getting low. Some of the other Islay's that are on Member Offer are:
Lagavulin 16 $169 <— (cough)
Lagavulin 8 - $104
Bunnahabhain Stiuireadair - $92
See I can make a whisky post without cynical remarks about the current state of pricing in Australia.
How would you drink this?
Neat in a glass. Other methods also possible.
It's important people drink it the way they appreciate it best.
For me, that's a wide tumbler, dash of spring water down the side, swirl and watch the legs, smell and enjoy.
agreed. love the smokeyness
lovely jubbly
come on Dan, bring on $100 Lagavulin 16 again!
Food science can help you replicate 90% of the flavor. Peat is quite harsh and very inexpensive, but I use charred and toasted JD barrel and maple chips. An ultrasonic cleaner is affordable. A copper bubbler cost me $30 to make. I usually use Craigellachie at 46% , then proof it down to 42% before drinking. My process transforms it from an OK dram to a "damn, why didn't I do this before" dram.
It's different than the Laga, but also subjectively nicer and more approachable. Laga has a bit of an accustomisation period, the modded dram is nice from the start.
Look up EtOH for the science.
Sounds very adventurous, but I'm too lazy and old for that kind of fun. Just want a drinkable liquid out of the bottle with not much effort put into it by myself.
There's an even easier way… smokebox + fish bubbler. or even a cocktail smoker.
I was a regular Lagavulin drinker, until it doubled in price.
bit more complex than that, some of the flavour comes from iodine, it’s not just smoke.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not claiming to produce a Lagavulin or create exact replicas of any other whisky. What I am suggesting is that one can approximate certain whiskies and even enhance others with simple chemistry, particularly by infusing wood flavors.
Heavy peated malt is readily available, as are barrels, but 16yrs is a long time to know if you're on the money… small barrels will probably get you there in 4yrs, O2 bubbler + wood sticks or chips + heat will get you there in weeks.
@raybies: How can I get started with this madness? I'd love to get in to the hobby, no idea how to start.
@Jayphen: It's definitely a process. I've been accumulating chemistry equipment for quite some time.
The simplest approach is likely using an Air Still Pro, which should provide you with the fundamentals of pot and reflux distillation. This will allow you to discern the flavors that carry over and when you need a neutral base for maceration… think of it a small scale way to experiment.
Certainly, you could scale up, but I can’t imagine what people do with such a large quantity of spirits.
Next, invest in an ultrasonic cleaner, this speeds up maceration and wood aging… people even tenderise steaks with it.
You'll require a significant number of either chemist beakers or jars.
The rest you should be able to customize according to your needs.
Today’s experiment is a burnt orange maple oak whisky (see: https://i.ibb.co/mRS2XGg/Capture.jpg). I find it quite enjoyable if a bit sweet, though the Mrs thinks it's too strong and bitter.
Alternatively, you could watch several episodes of "Whisky Tribe" or "Still It" on YouTube and follow their advice.
If you want to brew beer then maybe get a Brewzilla w/ either a Pot or Reflux head instead of the Air Still.
Kegland.com.au offers great value, but local brew shops offer advice.
I don't drink much, but I do experiment, and if I mess up a batch up it goes back in the faints barrel for redistilling.
There's a lot to learn, be patient the end results are usually better than anything commercial you can buy. Everyday I learn more, but my results aren't necesarily better, and there's nothing really hard about the whole process.
@raybies: Thanks mate, I'll have to come back to this later. I was looking at the Air Still Pro a couple of weeks ago, wasn't sure about it but good to hear it is a good place to start. It sounds like a lot of fun, just a bit intimidating to get started with it. I'll check out those channels you've mentioned. Would not mind to brew beer either to be honest, but if I can produce vodka I can get the wife onboard. Cheers
8 is better anyway imo (48% vs 43% helps)
8yo might be a good candidate to force age/mod.
Picked up 2 bottles @$110 each at Dano's 2 or so weeks ago
Man I should have bought 2 bottles, it's divine!
ahh the days, meat pie in school tuck shop was $1,etc …. won’t be seeing $100 16 yr old lagavulin again
I’m a big single molt man, always will be.
Islay lover. I love it
More or less smoky than Ardbeg 10?
Noticeably less. Ardbeg 10 has been described as a mouthful of cigarette ash and that's the reason I like it. I like Caol Ila 12 too but they are very different.
Really enjoyed this recently, but I went the Aberlour 12 for $95 as I have not tried it before. Cheers.
This is much better than the Lagavulin 8, not quite up to the 16, but I would say a great buy at this price. A very fine peated single malt indeed!
The Port Charlotte at $110 is worth a mention as well.
I remember getting it for $65 at costco back in 2021. I guess it's partly my own fault for introducing so many people to it over the years.
Lagavulin is currently $144.99 at Kent Street Cellar. Ask for price beat.
Wow. 99 for call Ila 12 is a bargain now? If I remembered correctly, the last bottle I purchased should be less than 80. Better go for the distiller edition. The moscatel finish gave it more layers. Highly recommended. Or any ib caol ila at cask strength. Don’t worry about the age, caol ila is awesome even at 5-7 years old. Mostly 😉
There is a spend $100 get $10 off code that ends midnight. Use code GET10 at checkout. I added a $3 bottle of coke to get it for $92.
This is one of my absolute faves. And the others are up there too.
Thanks.