Australian travelling to USA

Hmm.. are you set on Scotch malt whisky only? What the U.S. does have is a huge range of boutique bourbons and ryes. Or the new wave of boutique malt whiskies - you could bring back something that you can't normally get easily in these parts!

Failing that, I guess you could save some money on whisky you want and know that you can get, like the Corryvreckan you mentioned.

Oh and congrats on first post! Been a while coming!

Being an American living in Australia who just came back from the UK I have a few suggestions!

First let me say WELCOME TO THE FORUM!

Next off do you like American whiskies at all? If so one of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection might be worth a look as from what I'm told they run at around $80 in the US and $300ish in AUS.

However Highland Park, look for an older whisky and if possible 21 year old and higher as I've been informed by those that I trust that the distillery is running rapidly out of older stock. In fact if you look on MoM you can't find an official release older the 21 years old and on TWE you won't find an official release older then 25 years old. When I left for Scotland there were quite a few 30 year old HP's around. Now I can't find any (glad I bought one!) and at around $300 AUS I thought it was a steal. Also with HP in mind there is a duty free only bottling of 30+ year old HP, cask strength that Jim Murray rated in the 90s. I believe it was HP Vintage 1978 and he rated it 95.5. It was my one regret that I ran out of money to afford a bottle of this. It was duty free/travel retail only and around the $300 AUS mark if I recall correctly.

Pretty much speaking whiskies are cheaper in the states from everything I've seen so a lovely Talisker 18 or 25 yr old would probably make you happy. I grabbed 2 Talisker 25's while I was in Scotland. Totally haven't regretted it one I saw the prices back in AUS.

You'll be able to find some single malts cheaper in the states, but where I think your best bet is is grabbing some lovely high end American and if possible Canadian whiskies. Even entry level American whiskies over here (Knob Creek, etc) run at $100+ a bottle where in the states they'll go for $40ish.

ENJOY YOUR TRIP MY FRIEND!

Thanks for the replies so far. I can't really go wrong. I land back in Sydney on the Friday and then have Whisky Live on Saturday. I've just been looking into the American whiskeys. There are some varieties of Knob Creek that seem extremely good value compared to AU prices. Ill look into the ones you mention too. I've never tried American but this is time to branch out. Any suggestions on liquor stores in Los Angeles that are worth looking at? beverage Warehouse is one that has stood out so far..beveragewarehouse.com/search/….

@Mallard, you might try getting intel on stores by contacting @BlissInABarrel, who works in a wine store in the LA area. There are other Connosr members in the LA area also. LA is one of the best areas in the US to get good prices and good availability. You will almost certainly require a car for transportation there. The best stores and bars there are excellent whisk(e)y resources. You will GREATLY increase your chances of making the most of this opportunity by getting the maximum information in advance.

@Nozinan started a discussion very recently on the American whiskey portion of this same topic. There is a lot of information there for you in the discussion comment trail.

I've got your Corryvreckan on sale here in Maryland now for $ 65 including the tax...but it is a long way from Los Angeles to Maryland. (Isn't it @BlissInABarrel?) @Mallard, you will be able to get great prices on Scottish malts at the best stores in LA.

if you have time to plan arrange for a delivery from Master of Malt or Whisky exchange to your hotel. It usually takes a week ( to Florida). Most Hotels will hold a package if it arrives a day or 2 early.

Then you could get a bottle of Bladnoch (55% sherry matured - currently available 10,11,12 year old). If you take a bottle of Bladnoch home to AUS, the only thing you'll regret is not taking 2...

@Mallard, if I were in your shoes I would probably be looking to do a lot more on this trip than merely picking up some bottles. I would be making friends and building up a personal network. You have products at hand in Oz which aren't sold in the USA, such as Glenfarclas 15 and Bailie Nicol Jarvie, which YOU can bring over to some new LA buddy. You might find someone willing to actually have this or that requested bottle waiting for you in return for making one of those whiskies available to you. And you will also have the opportunity to drink with a new friend, of course. All the time you need in your business trip is one spare evening to make it happen. There is much more opportunity here for you than merely more liquor stores in which to browse.

... following Victor's line of thinking, you might try these folks:

www.lawhiskeysociety.com

Check out www.klwines.com who have a Hollywood location. Good selection of more unique malts.

@Nozinan Come to think of it, the uk sites may ship down under...

Thanks everyone for your help. What a great community. Sorry I seem to have abandoned my thread; I've just been getting ready for my trip, which has come about suddenly. @Nozinan I wish I could get it delivered from the UK. Amazon is so cheap. However I think I'd have to pay duty here which makes it impractical. @Victor your suggestion is excellent, I wish I had time. There might be another trip in a month or so which will give me time to look into those options. The Corryvreckan sounds like a good deal.
@valuewhisky Thanks for the tip on K&L. There are some great options on their site I will let all you know what I get but I might be back for more advice whilst I'm over there

Well, I went to the liquor store today and picked my whiskies. I went to a place called Beverage Warehouse. The guy on the checkout saw my Aussie driver licence and said that they get a lot of Australians in the store.

I suppose my choices were a little predictable but I think they will be of good quality:

Highland Park 18. I love the 12 so I can't wait to give this a try. Ardbeg Corryvreckan. Old Pulteney 17. The 12 has only just started to be sold in Australia but I haven't tried it yet.

My only fear is that these will raise the bar, and I'll end up buying them all the time.

Just by way of update. I've been surprised that my favourite of the three I've bought has been the Corryvreckan. It's like an explosion in my mouth that goes beyond the HP. I've had Ardbeg 10 before but it was nothing like this.

@Mallard, purring over the Corryvreckan?...it sounds like you are just now discovering that you are a Big Flavours Guy. Welcome to that club! Give that HP18 3 months open-bottle before expecting a lot, and 4 months to max best flavours.

@Mallard - great choices! The Corryvreckan is a beauty. I was enamoured with it until the Uigeadail stole my heart. It didn't happen immediately; the OOgie needed a few months before I could discover its charms, much like the HP18. I've tried the OP21 and it is a cracker, full of fruits and flowers and sugars.

There are many great whiskies for you to discover that are perched below your new benchmark. Isn't this fun?!

@Victor Yes it's funny. I've been drinking scotch seriously for about two years now. I jumped in with bottles of Laphroaig and Ardbeg quite early on but found them overpowering and I didn't enjoy them very much. Just as whisky is an acquired taste, I guess I'm able to enjoy the big flavours more now as I have drunk more. Thanks for the tip about the HP18 too. I've had a few drams off the top but will leave it for a while now.

@paddockjudge yes it is fun. The whisky tasting event has given me lots of new ideas. It will take me years to get around them all now.