Rigmorole started a discussion
10 years ago
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Older and Younger Brothers
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Pandemonium replied
Most of the time there is an interval of a few weeks before I try expressions of the same distillery. But Glengoyne and Oban have been an exception to that rule. In September I was at the Glengoyne distillery where I got a free taste of the 12yo, the 15yo, the 18yo and the Teapot dram. Surprisingly enough, I though that the 15yo was by far superior to its older brother, didn't take notes that day (still got miniatures of both expressions). I'm not sure if the different standard expressions of Glengoyne aren't treated the same way. Fantastic distillery by the way.
Same thing happened at the Oban distillery, around Christmas last year. Only here I had the opportunity to compare the standard 14yo with a cask tasting from a 9yo barrel. That being said, I don't really like the Oban single malt. The 9yo was still far too young and as it was at cask strength, it reminded me more of a strong wodka than a whisky.
10 years ago 0
Onibubba replied
@rigmorole Often. If I try an expression that I favor, I will work my way through the lineup, affordability permitting. Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Balvenie, Old Pulteney, Glendronach, Highland Park...Generally, the 18 does it for me, but there have been instances where a younger sibling prevailed (Glendronach, Hibiki).
When I try a great malt, I want to sample the whole lineup. Adversely, when I try one that does not agree with my tastes,that distllary is dead to me - there are exceptions of course.
10 years ago 0
Nozinan replied
I have sampled a few expressions from some distilleries. Off the top of my head I can think of an Aberlour tasting A'Bunadh and 18. I've done a coupe of Amrut flights, IS, Portonova and fusion, the second time adding the original CS. I think I once had the Nadurra and Glenlivet 18 head to head.
I could do Bladnochs at 9,10,11,12 years but as the latter 3 are all single cask bottlings (and I have a number of different bottles of each) it wouldn't be a fair comparison.
10 years ago 0
hunggar replied
Not long ago I tried the Yamazaki 12 yo and 18 yo head to head. They're both great drams, and I can see that they do indeed share some DNA; but they're also wildly different. I'm almost at a loss to compare them. But if I HAVE to pick a favorite, the 18 is just magical. Price aside, it's one of those special whiskies that really challenges, surprises, and rewards me all at the same time. Unforgettable stuff, really.
10 years ago 0
Have you tried bottlings from the same distillery and compared them?
Lately, I've been comparing bottlings from the same distillery. I find this is very fun to do.
For example, I've tried Highland Park 12, 15 and 18 all within a week of each other. Granted, not "head to head" but over the course of a week. I was very surprised that I liked the 15 the most. The 12 and the 18 use Spanish oak sherry casks, whereas the 15 uses American oak sherry casks. "Mixing and matching" is refill sherry and first fill sherrl, rather than with sherry and bourbon, or virgin and sherry barrels.
Of the three, I tended to like the 15 most because it had a better nose and was better balanced to my senses. The 18 from a few years back would have been the clear winner, but not these days. The nose on the 18 was subdued and more musty. The 12 is okay, but just doesn't really grab me much. Actually, I'm partial to blending HP12 with Caol Ila 12. That's a favorite vatting of mine that never disappoints, especially in a 3:1 ratio.
Springbank is another distillery that I've been comparing. I tried the 10 and the 15 lately. Both are really nice, but I liked the 10 because it had that "grotty baryardy" flavor that reminded me just a little of a rough Brora from years past, or some of the gamey Clynelishes I've adored. In the Springbank range, I've tasted quite a few 12's and 14's, as well. The Claret Wood, the Fino, etc.
The "new" (released about 4 or 5 years ago, I think?) Ten holds its own. In fact, I would say that the Springbank Ten Year is perhaps one of the best values out there today in the whisky world. It's one of those rare choices that will satisfy the senses of a beginner or whisky connosrs like us.
How about you? Have you ever compared older and younger "brothers" from the same distillery?