Can sulphur ever be acceptable?

Sure it can be acceptable. If you're a fan of Karuizawa for instance, you'll probably admit that hints of matchsticks or gunpowder can be enjoyable. That's clearly sulphur. On the other hand, there's the organic kind of sulphury compounds (think of cooked cabbage, fungicide, rotten eggs) that I personally don't like at all.

I've experienced sulphurous notes before, it's mostly been apparent in the finish / aftertaste. For me it's acceptable but only to a certain level.

My threshold for this would be quite low. I can't imagine that it's something which distillers would go out of their way to achieve.

Several distillers, including Mortlach and Old Pulteney, deliberately run their stills fast and/or through steel condensers in order to produce a sulphury spirit. Roseisle will aslo prodcue this style for three months of the year. In the main, most of the sulphury notes created in the spirit are broken down by the wood over the maturation process.

It's a matter of personal sensitivity. The new GlenDronach (12-15-18) are often described as sulfury, but, if they are, then I cannot tell.

If it is part of the distillery style, than it's fine. But if it's due to a "corrupt" barrel, than it's not.

I think that too many distilleries pay no heed to shipping barrels in the hot months of the year. The barrels arrive tainted and then they use sulfur to kill the taint and some of that sulfur gets into the whisky when they use the barrels. I also think that refill barrels can be dangerous that way. For me, sulfur can be a make/break factor. I have taken several bottles back to the store due to sulfur problems. If the sulfur is too strong, price is not a factor. I don't want to spend $60 on too much sulfur any more than I want to spend $160 on it. But I am more likely to take back an expensive bottle whereas the cheaper bottle might end up with a friend or for company that uses ice.

@Cunundrum

You're lucky your stores will take back opened bottles. I don't know if the LCBO would if the reason is you taste sulfur...

@Nozinan They absolutely would refund you for a bottle, but if purchase is older than month they'd credit to a gift card. Some of the more senior Product Knowledge Specialists (aka cashiers) are "trained" to detect off armoas and flavours so I'd say that as long as you seem reasonably knowledgable about describing the volatile taint from the bottle, they'd buckle and refund/credit.

@AdamH

Good to know....I suppose it would have to be near full... Less strength to the "it's off" argument if you return the last 50 cc...