An intro to the "Ocean"

Not an expert but out of the 3 that you mentioned I've tried the Bowmore and the Talisker. Not a big fan of the Bowmore see if you can buy a small bottle of the Bowmore 350 ml retails for around $25 cdn. I'm a big fan of Talisker I might suggest to try Caol Ila 12yr. If you can find either Classic Malts Coastal Collection / 3 x 20cl www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-7627.aspx or Classic Malts Strong Collection, at least with these choices you get 3 different bottles of 200mls. www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-4594.aspx Best of luck.

@cheeserandyburg If your looking for an Islay type whisky that is easy on the wallet try McClelland Islay. it is a good example of a young whisky that has more talent than the 12yr old big brother, with a nice price tag. A good 5yr old nicely priced whisky, and is 40% abv. My only other peated style near the ocean but not an Islay would be Highland Park 12yr. Hope this is helpful.

i would go with the bowmore 12 year, though i find that the bowmore 15 has more of the sea salt action than the 12. also, i don't know if you like seafood, but i participated in a bowmore event where the brand ambassador taught us how to pair it with oysters. that creates all sorts of interesting notes to the bowmore as well! i feel that the bowmore is the most salty out of the 3 you're deciding. would you be able to get the bowmore 15 year instead?? Lagavulin 16 and Ardbeg 10 has the sea salt action, too. there's a running debate here regarding how much the air impacts the whisky, but ardbeg's distillery cakes their walls with salt...it's their way to get more of the saltiness into the ardbeg. some people disagree and think it's a marketing ploy, but i find that the ardbeg has that brininess that you're looking for as well. hope that helps..i kinda gave you more options :/ oopsy..

@cheeserandyburg i would go with the bowmore 12 year, though i find that the bowmore 15 has more of the sea salt action than the 12. also, i don't know if you like seafood, but i participated in a bowmore event where the brand ambassador taught us how to pair it with oysters. that creates all sorts of interesting notes to the bowmore as well! i feel that the bowmore is the most salty out of the 3 you're deciding. would you be able to get the bowmore 15 year instead?? Lagavulin 16 and Ardbeg 10 has the sea salt action, too. there's a running debate here regarding how much the air impacts the whisky, but ardbeg's distillery cakes their walls with salt...it's their way to get more of the saltiness into the ardbeg. some people disagree and think it's a marketing ploy, but i find that the ardbeg has that brininess that you're looking for as well. hope that helps..i kinda gave you more options :/ oopsy..

@cheeserandyburg actually come to think of it. if you're heart is set on the 3, you're better off with the talisker...i was just looking at some of my a tasting notes here..... but of course leave it to other people who will respond!!! :D i'm sure they'll be more helpful!

For me out of your 3 the most 'oceanic' is HP12. But I guess it is also the least peaty/smoky. I don't know the Bowmore 12 yet, but I guess its very peaty. The Talisker is indeed. Also peppery. For wintertime I would prefer this one, keeps you warm indeed!

@BlissInABarrel

Thanks so much for chiming in with such enthusiasm! This isn't a final list or anything, i have about 15 malts noted down to try in the near future, out of those 15 I've only got a couple Islay's - thats why the more opinions the better! Lagavulin 16 has been on the list from the start, but its $114...and I'm having a hard time letting go of that much cash at the moment on a malt especially when I'm just getting into more complex, peated, ocean'esque whiskys. As for the seafood - Saying I love it is an understatement. So anything with seaweed, clams, oysters, lobsters, scallops.. (you get the point! lol) is good to go with me. The Bowmore 15 is $90 around here, quite a "big" departure from the Bowmore 12 y/o at $52.

Thanks again for the tips.. I may just grab some Talisker 10 and Bowmore 12 while I'm at it and spoil myself. You only live once right?

@Wills

Very good to hear. The smokiest whisky I've ever had was Johnnie Black. Of course thats a blend, a good one at that, but I wasn't really enjoying all the smoke/peat taste back then. Now that several years have passed my tastes have changed, and I'm interested in rediscovering something new like that again. The HLP 12 seems to strike the right balance and doesn't go overboard with the smoke and peat. Thanks again!

@cheeserandyburg based on your "cravings" I would recommend the following nautical winter warmers;

1. Talisker 10- like being smacked in the face with a wet kipper. But in a good way.

2. Bruichladdich Rocks- takes a bit of getting into but once you do you'll love it.

3. Lagavulin 16- For me, the Ultimate Islay/maritime dram, or certainly of those that I've tried. As seaworthy as Captain Ahab...

thar she blows!

@cheeserandyburg - The Bowmore 12 was surprisingly Islay but not Islay, although I think the Talisker is better. Haven't tried Highland Park 12 yet, so I can't comment. Judging by the prices, it sounds like you're in Ontario? The Laphroaig Quarter Cask is also pretty good, although some people find it too rough...if you're willing to jump into the Ocean and see if you can swim, I'd recommend it over the others (and it will run you about the same as the Talisker).

@YakLord "if you're willing to jump into the Ocean" thought that was the intention of this thread ;)

Btw. another briny/oceanlike whisky is Scapa 16yo. Not so peaty though.

You can also check this thread for some ideas: connosr.com/wall/discussion/…

@cheeserandyburg ah I absolutely agree with wills regarding the peppery note on the HP12. one thing that i find about the hp standard expressions is that the peppercorn spices can really punch you in the throat (when having it neat, of course), but the beautiful thing is that your saliva can mimic that of honey syrup and it glosses over each taste bud to combat the heat during the finish. it's a nice contrast. quite fun and lovely. HP kicks ass!

As far as things being expensive...HOLY F!!!! the Bowmore 15 is roughly $78 in Cali...Which state do you live??? is there some loophole where I can help you buy stuff in calif for you and i can mail it?? hmm i wonder if that would be cheeper... let me know!! :D i'd love to help you out if i can!!!

ah...as far as tasting bowmore with oysters..here's the order to sip it with oysters, according to the brand ambassador 1. sip a bit of the salt water from the oyster 2. then sip your whisky 3. eat the oyster, but make sure you leave a lil bit of the oyster juice/sea water in the oyster shell 4. pour the bowmore into you shell 5. and slurp the bowmore/oyster juice down! :D

okee....i'm gonna buddy request you after i message you to see if i can help you out with this expensive BS!

I have no clue but I guess it's not that easy to help him out. Otherwise the state would lose money and the state is not willing to lose money to his pple! ;(

I heard it's not possible to ship alcohol to the US e.g. (maybe Canada too). Even if I wanna ship only 1 bottle to my grandma or something like that...

@Wills awww.....well thanks for the info. that really sucks. no wonder people fly over to cali and buy a suitcase full of booze. ah..it all makes sense. you can't lie and tell the mailman you have apple juice in the shipping box?? humdinger :/

@BlissInABarrel I honestly can't tell you because I am not from the US. Just heard it's quite similar to Sweden where alcohol is restricted. Although its kinda off-topic I am interested in this too. Maybe some expert can clarify this one :)

Btw. I would love to buy Bourbon for the cheap prices you have in the US. The shipping would let the costs explode.

@Wills time for you to visit california! :D cool thing. i only joined connsor sometime last week, and 6 days in i ended up meeting victor and julie from connosr in person. they flew in from maryland and i drove up to los angeles to see 'em. traffic took 2.5 hours for me but it was well worth it. so...long story short, what i'm saying is that you'll have fun with me drinking in cali and we can have all the bourbon you want over here! AND it's warm! :D

@BlissInABarrel That sounds great, glad you had a nice time. Guess from this meeting with Victor on you are only drinking high proof bolt/intense whisky ;)

One day I am going to visit California, although Canada is top on my wishlist! Need to save some money :)

@BlissInABarrel - while @cheeserandyburg's profile doesn't say where he is, judging from the prices he's quoted, he is probably, like me, in Ontario, Canada, where the Liquour Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) has a monopoly on most liquour sales.

Bowmore 15 Darkest is about $90 CAD, while the 15 Laimrig is almost $100 CAD, and unfortunately, we can't import through the mail...technically, we could, but we'd have to use the LCBO as a shipping agent and then pay an import duty equal to the value of the bottle we were importing...

It does indeed sound like @cheeserandyburg is from Ontario. Alas, the Talisker 10 has been bumped up AGAIN (2nd time in about six months) to now $80 by the good folks at the LCBO (and it's not entirely taxes...the Ontario Auditor General took a strip off of the LCBO earlier this year for setting shelf prices and giving the mark-ups to the wholesalers/distributors, instead of using their purchasing power - the single largest purchaser of alcohol in the world - to lower their costs and provide more competitive pricing).

Of the three you listed, the most 'oceany' for me would be the Talisker 10, but I would strongly recommend the Strong Malts pack (Cragganmore 12, Talisker 10, Lagavulin 16) at $55 as an excellent value and easy way to get introduced to the Talisker 10 and Lagavulin 16. Get it before the current inventory is gone!!

lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/lcbo/…

The HP 12 is a great bottle as well, though you will need to wait about four months after opening the bottle, before it really hits its' stride.

I forgot one; Caol ila 12yo. As nautical and warming an experience as snorting lobster bisque of a mermaids back..

I'm a huge fan of Islay (am planning a visit next year!), but of the three you mentioned off the top, my favourite is Talisker. I also like HP12 but I don't think it has that autumn-by-the-campfire element to it. @Pudge72's suggestion to buy the minis is a great one. By from what you describe, I think you would be looking for a Lagavulin 16 Year Old. Amazing dram, very easy to find (but overpriced at the LCBO).

As you get used to Islays, I urge you to try Laphroaig - my #1 favourite whisky. It's hugely peaty so be prepared! The Quarter Cask is readily available, though I love the 10 Year Old. But both are fantastic. Also try The Peat Monster, a blended malt of Islay and Speyside - it's pretty great too. Slainte!

@cheeserandyburg " Whats a good 'Islay'esque' malt for someone just getting into more complex scotches?"

For your first Islay. Rip the bandaid off real fast and buy the Laphroaig 10, pure Islay salt, peat and smoke.

@smokeybarrels - "Talisker 10 - like being smacked in the face with a wet kipper. But in a good way."

This sounds great! The Lagavulin will probably wait for now, since its a pretty heavy hitter. Great suggestions. I looked at Bruichladdich and liked what I heard, but its almost impossible to get over here.

@YakLord
You got it! Ontario here too. The prices are outrageous compared to the States and elsewhere. $72 for the DoubleWood from Balvenie, and prices online and in the States selling it as low as $38. Ludicrous!!

@BlissInABarrel Unforuntely I'm not in the States... in times like these I wish I was! lol The taxation and monopoly over the liquor over here is ridiculous. The only thing we can order "within" Canada is Wine.. only by the case. Not hard spirits. As mentioned below by another member, we only have ONE place to buy our stuff from, and their mark up on imported whisky is $13+ per 750 bottle, on top of other duty, and taxes. I've even gone so far to think about mailing it in from the States, but once you get caught once they "flag" your shipments in the near future, not to forget the fines to pay for smuggling.. not worth it in the end. As for the oyster tip, I'm getting hungry just thinking of that. Thanks for the tips and generosity!!!

@Pudge72

I looked at that, it is a pretty good range. Not a bad price either, sure they could bring it down.. not like that will happen though anytime soon though.

I had to check the LCBO site when you mentioned that Talisker was brought again. Perhaps this is something before the holiday season only? and it'll return back down to its original price shortly after. Theres a great article out there on the web about the LCBO asking the distributors to charge them more for what they buy.. (scratches head) but thats what the article clearly stated. For those living in Ontario that aren't familiar with it can read about it more here: torontolife.com/daily/daily-dish/…

Surprised no other Ontarians have mentioned it, but If you're not against blends I would suggest checking out Té Bheag. It's mostly (unchillfiltered) Talisker and costs $37. Not the most complex dram out there, but for it's price range it's one of the best at the LCBO.

@SMC - that or the Islay Mist 8yr, which has some Laphroaig in it ($29.95)...although there is also a 17yr old available ($78.95).

@YakLord

The Islay Mist 8 looks like a great bargin and is getting quite good reviews. Maybe i'll just get that instead of the Bowmore! It may be a blend, but it sounds like a really nice one. I don't see any reviews on this site of it either, maybe i'll provide the first.

@SMC...great suggestion that I would wholeheartedly second to 'cheeserandyburg' (while kicking myself for not making the suggestion sooner). My understanding is that it is about 40% malt (much higher than most blended whiskies), which is likely all, or mostly, Talisker. If I had to guess, there is also a sherry cask component to this whisky (either the malt blend includes a sherry aged whisky, or the blend itself is aged to some degreee in sherry casks). Imho, even if you don't like blends, this bottle is well worth making an exception to the rule.

LCBO inventory update: the Strong Malts Collection is now sold out. I hope that it is brought back, but I worry as they had been clearance selling the individual bottles that make up the SMC. Some of the Talisker 10 bottles appear to still be on the shelves.

lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/lcbo/…