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13 years ago
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first tasted, Lagavulin 16, and it was also mi first single malt: I was totally hooked...one week after I bought a bottle of Ardbeg 10...
13 years ago 0
My first islay whisky was an Ardbeg 17, and it was love at first taste :-) It was the summer of 2000 and I had been visiting my cousin and her then boyfriend, now husband for a couple of days while exploring Copenhagen and on the last evening he found 2 bottles of whisky. I can't remember what the first whisky was but the second one was the Ardbeg 17. I was hooked on that taste from the first sip and went home to buy my own bootle that autumn. Unfortunately that bottle is long gone but I have 5 other Ardbegs in it's place.
13 years ago 0
Like, I think, most of us it was the Lagavulin 16. In fact, it was my first whisky ever on the Millenium Eve. I was hooked at the first sip.
13 years ago 0
I'm the same as @JoeVelo, my first whisky ever was an Islay malt. Bowmore 12.
13 years ago 0
My first Islay tasting was a Mini of Bowmore 12 yr, then bought a bottle of Bowmore darkest and finally moved up to Laphroaig 10 yr. Eventually I'll make to Arberg ;)
13 years ago 0
An Ardbeg TEN ... still one of my favourites. @whiskyshiba: My first contact with Laphroaig 10 was pretty the same. Hated the smell and taste of it. 5 years later I'm loving it ;-)
13 years ago 0
As many others Lagavulin 16. As many othersupon encountering of an Islay malt, at first I was repelled by the medicinal, peaty and smoky notes. It simply was too much. Needless to say I grew to love those notes.
13 years ago 0
@Lars, I began my Islay journey like yours. I started with the Froyg, then Bowmore, then Lagavulin and everything in between, except for Ardbeg. But up until recently, I tried my 1st Ardbeg, the Uigeadail. Now I can't get enough Ardbeg. My current favorite is the Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist.
Hurry up! We're all waiting for you here in ArdbegLand ;)
13 years ago 0
@666ppm, Nowadays it takes the peat Monster, Octomore, to bring me back to those days.
I even cook my BBQ with peat.
13 years ago 1Who liked this?
Laphroaig 10 year old , taste explosion , did not even know what or where Islay was. Love at first sip. Was my anniversary that day & got two pleasant surprises at the same time. LOL
Only quarter cask available here now. Unfortunately
Thanks for the memories
13 years ago 0
Lagavulin 16; it was love at first taste. After sampling a few speyside, I couldn't believe the boldness of the islay whiskys.
13 years ago 0
My first Islay whisky was a bottle of Bowmore 12 followed by a Laphroaig 10, but before that my first peaty malt was a bottle of Talisker 10 year old. The Islay malts are fine, but the Talisker from Skye is better and far more complex!
13 years ago 1Who liked this?
@MacBaker62 I as well prefer Talisker 10 to both Ardbeg 10 and Laphroaig 10. However I think the Lagavulin 16 is a notch better. The additional 6 years of maturation do play an important role.
13 years ago 0
The first islay i tried was an ardbeg 10yo, when i first opened the bottle it made me wonder how any body could enjoy a whisky like this. Two years later i find myself being drawn to islay malts more and more.
13 years ago 0
My first Islay was Laphoaig 10 as well. Had no idea what I was getting into, but loved the taste from the beginning.
13 years ago 0
My first Islay was Islay Mist, a good but unremarkable blend (not sure what malts go into it). After that first bottle, have never tried it again...
13 years ago 0
My first Islay was closely follwed by my second, as it was at Whisky Live 2008. Until then i had been very limited in what i knew about whisky and in what I tasted, so my mind opened on that day! The first one i tried was Auld Reekie, a 10yr Islay which at the time knocked me for six! I didnt like it either, however my opinion of Islay malts changed almost immediately as i then moved on to the Bowmore stand and tried some of their malts, which impressed me!
13 years ago 0
Lagavulin 16Y ... Taken aback by the peaty, medicinal smell, but knew this deserved perseverance... Bought my Ardbeg 10Y today, total span between the two bottles : 2 weeks...
And like Whiskyshiba, I too enjoy a sherried whisky but nothing can compare to the stubborn character of an Islay malt.
13 years ago 0
Like @MacBaker62 I started my Islay adventure with Bowmore 12 and Laphroaig 10, in that order. Loved both straight away.
13 years ago 0
Lagavulin 16 here again. It took a few drams (at different dates) before it became one of my favorites.
13 years ago 0
Laphroaig 10 year Cask Strength. Quite the interesting evening; I was very excited to open it and when I did, I thought I had perhaps made a mistake (the nose made me sit back and stare at the bottle for a few minutes). But after sipping it, it was the start of a continuing love affair : )
13 years ago 1Who liked this?
Laphroaig Quarter Cask, this very afternoon in fact. Love the smokiness of the nose, but I'm unsure about the taste: my untrained palate found it very herbal, à la Fisherman's Friend, and very different from the smoked beer I enjoy. I'll have to try it again at some point.
12 years ago 0
As far as my notes go, my first Islay was the Kilchoman Winter 2010.
12 years ago 0
Lagavulin 16 about five minutes after I had tasted Talisker 10 year for the first time, the two distilleries (or islands) have battled for my heart and mind ever since.
12 years ago 0
As I recall, I had 2 Islay Whiskies the same night at a very good local Restaurant, The Scotsman: It was well stocked with wines and better expressions of Malt Whiskies. I can't remember the order of the Malts, but it was probably Bowmore and then Laphroaig; these were pre dinner drinks - The real surprise came after dinner when our host poured a large measure all round from an old cut glass bottle and it was magic in a glass. Millburn 15yo. I'd not seen it before or for that matter since. Alas, 'The Scotsman' is long gone. This Birthday bash was 50 years ago; It was my 19th. and I remember it well.
One of the things i remember is that the Bowmore was so pale, yet it was so very, very peaty. I couldn't understand how this could be. I didn't know much!
12 years ago 0
Arbeg 10 and Talisker 10. Both on the same day! I still love them. Have finally been able to find the joy in Lagavulin 16 as well. For a long time I couldn't stand it but the other day tried it again and was ecstatic. Tried it again and again over a period of time to make sure it wasn't a fluke and it tasted just as good or better. I will now for sure buy a second bottle when this one is finished!
12 years ago 0
Laphroaig 10 - followed a couple days later with the Lagavulin 16. I bought 3 bottles of single malt to really begin my journey into the world of scotch (well, whisky), and these were two of my first. Really lucked out since I basically picked them on a whim at the time.
12 years ago 0
After a decade of enjoying my sherried whiskies, in 1987 I tasted my first Islay whisky. It was a Laphroaig 10. I hated it at first. It smelled like iodine, medicine, chinese herbals, and my grandpa. After a few more drams, I got past the initial peat blast and picked up sherry notes, citrus, and apricots. It was pure joy.
I start with sherried whiskies but always end a perfect day with an Islay.