Whisky fans - Lidl do it again (1 Viewer)

[daveandsan]

I'm not a common sewer of whisky but I do like a malt and I tend to stick with Glenmorangie.

 

[parknride]

I like a nice sweet Baileys

I find Bailey's on its own too sweet, so 50/50 with Tia Maria and ice, its nice

 

[MattR]

Have a thought for me , my brother is the head still man at Laphroig distillery and I don't like whiskey .

My BIL is chief brewer for a big brewery and despite frequent subtle and not so subtle hints, rarely brings any beer home, even though he is entitled to ....

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[MattR]

I find Bailey's on its own too sweet, so 50/50 with Tia Maria and ice, its nice

I make my own baileys type drink which is not as sweet - but it is terrible for the diet

 

[Gorse Hill]

I like a nice sweet Baileys

With milk

 

[TheWM]

Finally for tonight the 34 year old - £49.99.

Same deep richness of colour as the 25.

Nose: Perfumy, almost like a floral arrangement. Think weiss beer and you're on the right track. Plums are back, although their presence is moderated, unlike the liberal way they come across in the 22.

Palate: Sweet. Sherry is here alright, but the woodiness seen in the other two drifts away. Liquorish all sorts make an appearance. This is a real sherry bomb, it feels like Glenfarclas have allowed someone to play with their range and put a real mix in. Like a DJ who brings in tunes and you wait for what feels like an eternity and suddenly it drops and you immerse yourself in that moment. And then some banana/mango combo randomly hits you when you think you've got the measure of it.

Finish: Spice at the very end, with a tobacco/cigar yuminess that surrounds it. It feels like I've had a big toke on a Monte Cristo no7 without actually smoking anything. This leads to a slight dryness and big bunch of grapes that randomly appears wanting to gatecrash the party. There are faint hints of the chocolate seen previously, but the citrus has all but disappeared, edging towards a end of the evening calypso coffee (you know like an Irish coffee, but with Tia Maria).

I'm stumped. Having done the blended range, now - this one has taken me to levels that the other two could not. Is it worth the extra £15/20 over the other two? Well, whilst I instinctively want to say no - but if we all accept that a £100 whisky is not twice as good as a £50, then the answer is yes. If you like a sherried dram - then you need to get this, no ifs or buts, get it. I'd wager that the finish in the sherried casks are twice as long as the other two. It's not anywhere near as balanced as the 25, but as with the 22 - it comes in with random flavours that delight, rather than disappoint.

But overall - these whiskies are a must (given their price point). If you can't buy all 3 - then I'd suggest you go for the 25 as it balances well; however, if the balance of flavours is not your thing and you're a sherry monster then you need to get the 34. I would temper this by saying that with the price of £50 you are in real decent Glenfarclas/Aberlour territory. So, what I would say is this - I'd place this up there with a Glenfarclas 15, which is around the same price. If push came to shove, I'd go for the Glenfarclas. But. And yes, there is a but. If you've had the Glenfarclas and £50 isn't a deal breaker to you - try this. I think this may work well as the age of the components used are working really well with the active sherry cask.

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[Imbiber]

MacPhail's 15 YO at £40.00 has to be one of the best value for money malts.....distilled at arguably the finest distillery on the River Spey

 

[TheWM]

MacPhail's 15 YO at £40.00 has to be one of the best value for money malts.....distilled at arguably the finest distillery on the River Spey

Oh, do tell if you know what distillery it comes from..?

Mortlach?

 

[Gooney]

No way would I or be allowed to spend that kind of money on a whicky because as a beer drinker I would not be able to appreciate sipping it, I'm a glugger!!, however I do enjoy a Grouse with Lemonade because I can still glug that.

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[TheWM]

No way would I or be allowed to spend that kind of money on a whicky because as a beer drinker I would not be able to appreciate sipping it, I'm a glugger!!, however I do enjoy a Grouse with Lemonade because I can still glug that.

I 'glug' anything...

No shame

 

[Imbiber]

Oh, do tell if you know what distillery it comes from..?

Mortlach?

A closely guarded secret but you've got the first letter correct .....and I'll give you the next two 'a' 'c'

 

[TheWM]

A closely guarded secret but you've got the first letter correct .....and I'll give you the next two 'a' 'c'

Big Mac?

Well I never. Don't get me wrong- great whisky, I will be buying up stocks soon!

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[Neilfg]

@TheWM a star, not sure I would agree with your summaries but loved commentary. Have not tasted them all yet as it is/was a Thursday and therefore reserved for hop based beverages, but loved the reports and am looking forward to sampling them all.

 

[Bobby22]

@TheWM i have enjoyed reading your musings on whisky. As a Scot i would love to sit with a glass and enjoy it , but the whiskies i have tried either give me heartburn or repeat badly on me.

Is there anything i can do to alleviate this or is there a whisky that you can recommend that wouldn't cause these symptoms.

Slàinte

Bobby

 

[TheWM]

@TheWM a star, not sure I would agree with your summaries but loved commentary. Have not tasted them all yet as it is/was a Thursday and therefore reserved for hop based beverages, but loved the reports and am looking forward to sampling them all.

@Neilfg I'm an amateur at best. So can I just reiterate that - I don't want people to think that I know anything about anything.

These were my personal tasting notes and my opinions thrown down onto paper in an evening. I would also add that whilst some of the notes I have scribed may seem at first a little 'food and drink' pretentious bullshit, having spent a little while having tasting sessions in one or two places, I was converted from it tastes good/great to I can pick out some notes.

But - I've never really publically done a taste test and if it wasn't for @Mattyjwr I really only wanted to alert people to this deal rather than offer a 'verdict'. Sorry Matty - I'm putting this all on you Besides @funflair he's my 'dad', and boy, will I get grounded when he finds out about this.

That said - I would love to hear other views and opinions. In my view there's no wrong or right - just different views on things like this which are subjective. Another man's trash is another man's treasure (see British vs European MH's )

Notwithstanding the above, I am a self styled man of the people and my comments and points are really there to help the average guy on the street, who may know (as I did) sweet FA about various topics and again, I should make this clear again - whilst I will always stand by what I've said, whatever it is I have said is aimed to help, not to hinder and is based on my experiences. And as such - whilst I love whisky and have a little collection, I believe that if you look hard enough you can get a decent bottle of spirit for £30. I say spirit as this was initially whisky (which you can still do although less prevalent). However, to stay ahead of the curve there are some amazing rums, armagnacs and bourbons (less so now), that are still available for the average 'Joe', hence I wanted to draw attention to forum users to these bottles.

But as you'll probably see, I know the square root of FA in most things so keep on asking questions. That said - I've done my fair share of whisky now and 'other' things so I feel able to comment, if only to let others know of my experiences so they don't need to ask the dumb questions that I need to!

Anyway - Neil - I know you probably didn't want/expect any of this but you started it

* as a postscript - I should advise that all my tastings were done without any water (a drop of water in a dram opens up the flavours trapped in molecules), so that does need to be taken into account - but I did have an Aberlour 12 soon after the above tatstings as a 'baseline' and it felt quite weak and lightweight in comparison.

I hope the above makes sense and sets out the scene - this forum has helped me no ends, if I can contribute in my own little way, somehow in some way - it just feels right to do so.

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[TheWM]

@TheWM i have enjoyed reading your musings on whisky. As a Scot i would love to sit with a glass and enjoy it , but the whiskies i have tried either give me heartburn or repeat badly on me.

Is there anything i can do to alleviate this or is there a whisky that you can recommend that wouldn't cause these symptoms.

Slàinte

Bobby

Bobby - I would love to help - I'm sure we could find you something that you will enjoy. I do; however, have to advise you that my father in law is also Scottish and detests whisky and I have yet to find him something that he enjoys (mainly as he refuses to try or experiment and heads straight for the vino).

What have you tried, and what is it that you don't like? My guess is your palate is not used to whisky as bitterness and burn is often an indication that someone is new to whisky and the palate is reacting to the alcohol rather than enjoying the subtle aromas and flavors that lie beneath. Once you get used to single malts, bitterness and burn are not even noticeable unless of course it is a poor or tainted scotch.

Without teaching you (or others) to suck eggs - I hated whisky. In fact I hated cider, gin and wine too. Mainly due to the fact that what I drank (in my early teens) was shit. Think Bells, K cider, or Concorde. The older I get, and the more I appreciate the finer things in life (and more to the point - I can afford them) - I enjoy a decent whisky/gin/wine.

 

[MattR]

@Neilfg I'm an amateur at best. So can I just reiterate that - I don't want people to think that I know anything about anything.

These were my personal tasting notes and my opinions thrown down onto paper in an evening. I would also add that whilst some of the notes I have scribed may seem at first a little 'food and drink' pretentious bullshit, having spent a little while having tasting sessions in one or two places, I was converted from it tastes good/great to I can pick out some notes.

But - I've never really publically done a taste test and if it wasn't for @Mattyjwr I really only wanted to alert people to this deal rather than offer a 'verdict'. Sorry Matty - I'm putting this all on you Besides @funflair he's my 'dad', and boy, will I get grounded when he finds out about this.

That said - I would love to hear other views and opinions. In my view there's no wrong or right - just different views on things like this which are subjective. Another man's trash is another man's treasure (see British vs European MH's )

Notwithstanding the above, I am a self styled man of the people and my comments and points are really there to help the average guy on the street, who may know (as I did) sweet FA about various topics and again, I should make this clear again - whilst I will always stand by what I've said, whatever it is I have said is aimed to help, not to hinder and is based on my experiences. And as such - whilst I love whisky and have a little collection, I believe that if you look hard enough you can get a decent bottle of spirit for £30. I say spirit as this was initially whisky (which you can still do although less prevalent). However, to stay ahead of the curve there are some amazing rums, armagnacs and bourbons (less so now), that are still available for the average 'Joe', hence I wanted to draw attention to forum users to these bottles.

But as you'll probably see, I know the square root of FA in most things so keep on asking questions. That said - I've done my fair share of whisky now and 'other' things so I feel able to comment, if only to let others know of my experiences so they don't need to ask the dumb questions that I need to!

Anyway - Neil - I know you probably didn't want/expect any of this but you started it

* as a postscript - I should advise that all my tastings were done without any water (a drop of water in a dram opens up the flavours trapped in molecules), so that does need to be taken into account - but I did have an Aberlour 12 soon after the above tatstings as a 'baseline' and it felt quite weak and lightweight in comparison.

I hope the above makes sense and sets out the scene - this forum has helped me no ends, if I can contribute in my own little way, somehow in some way - it just feels right to do so.

I'll be tasting my whisky collection in a different light before getting one of the Lidl whiskies - I enjoyed reading your tasting notes - thank you.

 

[vin0114]

you dont seem to have much empathy for us part time alcoholics God bless Lidl

must admit that we do drink far more wine and beer than whisky but I do appreciate the love of a pure malt and look forward to xmas coming round when I usually receive a couple of very nice reasonably priced malts

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[Techno]

I'm not a great connoisseur of whisky (certainly not enough to pay over 30 quid a bottle ) but I do prefer a single malt or pure/blended malt to a blend that includes grain whiskies.
Lidl also do a cheaper pure malt called Glen Orchy which isn't bad either, though not as smooth as Arbrachan

http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum...n-price-pass-it-on.78669/page-13#post-1627813

 

[Silver-Fox]

Bought my 2 bottles today
might just have to try them later

 

[TheWM]

@richr what ones did you go for... and have you opened them yet..?

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[DBK]

Call me a heathen but I like Metaxa 7 star. About £25 a bottle. Like whisky too! (And whiskey)

 

[TheWM]

Call me a heathen but I like Metaxa 7 star. About £25 a bottle. Like whisky too! (And whiskey)

Is that the orangey type tasting spirit that you're meant to have slightly warm?

My mate gave me some earlier this year, I quite liked it.

 

[Techno]

Is that the orangey type tasting spirit that you're meant to have slightly warm?

My mate gave me some earlier this year, I quite liked it.

No it is Greek Brandy Cointreau is possibly what you're think of?

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[TheWM]

No it is Greek Brandy Cointreau is possibly what you're think of?

Yes, it was definitely Greek, I may be confused.

 

[Judge Mental]

Got a real taste for Grappa this summer. not the white stuff @5€ but the amber liquid from about 12€. Imaging my dismay when i run out and tried to source here and its 3-4 times the price

 

[Silver-Fox]

@richr what ones did you go for... and have you opened them yet..?

I went for the two Bens

Just cracked open the 28 year old

First time i have ever had a bottle of whisky with a cork

I like my drink with ice only and i am defiantly not a connoisseur. I know what i like and this tipple is nice.Its not as smooth as Bushmills and leaves a slight after burn on the back of the throat.
Now the ice has melted a little the Ben has definitely mellowed. I cant tell you i can taste this or that or muse on the smells but it must be good as my head went a bit squiffy and i finished my glass off.

Im off to try the Ben 22 now

Back soon

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[MattR]

I went for the two Bens

Just cracked open the 28 year old

First time i have ever had a bottle of whisky with a cork

I like my drink with ice only and i am defiantly not a connoisseur. I know what i like and this tipple is nice.Its not as smooth as Bushmills and leaves a slight after burn on the back of the throat.
Now the ice has melted a little the Ben has definitely mellowed. I cant tell you i can taste this or that or muse on the smells but it must be good as my head went a bit squiffy and i finished my glass off.

Im off to try the Ben 22 now

Back soon

Try it with a drop or two of water

 

[Silver-Fox]

Ok im back and can still type

Now Ben 22 is also taken with ice 3 cubes to be precise

This one has a very distinct aroma, im not sure what maybe oak

It also leaves a definite after taste at first i likened it to a mild cleaning fluid, not that i drink a lot of cleaning fluid mind
Now the ice has half melted it has mellowed but still has a bit of an after taste but not cleaning fluid now but im not sure what it is, but its not unpleasant.

I think this one will have to grow on me

 

[Silver-Fox]

Try it with a drop or two of water

I let the ice melt a bit

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