The age of whisky

[Buzzly]

As a newcomer to whisky (Thanks for all the good advice in the New to whisky thread), are the older whiskies considerably better/more complex than the younger ones.

I do appreciate that all things we taste/smell will always be fairly subjective but with my fortieth birthday coming up it is something I would like to understand.

The only forty year old I could even come close to affording would be the Glenfarclas but with that kind of money I could purchase a nice Ardbeg, Tali 18 another Lag 16 and maybe another nice 18. Having said all that I could get 7/8 bottles of the 30/40 price range.

In general I will probably only currently have around £700 a year to spend on whisky so I wonder if it is worthwhile sacrificing quantity to taste some older expressions or not.

The only older (if you can call it that) expression I have had is the Glenfiddich 15 which I think is far superior to the 12. Is this always the case?

Thanks in advance.

[Alastair]

Age doesnt always mean better. Sometimes a bit of youthfulness in a whisky is a good thing. For example Laphroaig Quarter Cask is superb and has no age statement and is a good example of how a younger expression can be better than its older sibling (IMO) and also a good example of how the quality of a whisky also depends on how it was matured (the quality and type of cask can make a difference), also what strength it was bottled at and whether it is chill filtered or not.

The Glenfarclas 40 year old is superb and for a distillery bottling of this age is a good price but i would say get to know some more whiskies first and spend your money on a few bottles. The Glenfarclas 30 and 25 are also very good if you wanted to spoil yourself a little for you birthday.

[James T]

I would say most whiskies peak (price/quality) at around 18 years to 21 years, they are still very good after that but it is then very much the rarity you are paying for. Having said that there are many exceptional single malts 21 years plus, whether you will think they are worth hundreds of pounds more than say a Highland Park 18 year old depends really on your disposable income.

As Alastair says the Glenfarclas 40 is superb but there is a long list of very good whiskies you could try for the price. Having said that it is always good to mark a special ocassion with a special whisky, only you can decide which way to go.

[Big Mac]

I am very familiar with the Glenfarclas core range which is excellent. I assume you have enjoyed some of it as you have chosen the 40 year old or is it simply a price thing as the Glenfarclas is the best value 40 year old on the market in my opinion.

I would recommend buying a few bottles rather than one bottle, if you like Glenfarclas my recommendation would be the 17 year old and 30 year old. Other than that treat yourself to a few 18 to 21 year olds such as Macallan, Highland Park and Talisker and happy 40th when it comes.

[albo]

I think there has been some very sage advice in this thread.

The truth as stated above, is, it's for you to decide if you want to spend that kind of money on one bottle, or as you point out, on several bottles.

As for the question of whisky getting better with age, generally yes to a point, 18/21 yrs as suggested above seems about fair when you bring price into it. For me it depends rather on where is Whisky is from what its been matured in etc. I find that Islay's perform better at a younger age, I like the peat kick with some powerful youthful spirit underneath, however, I prefer a more refined older sherried finish much as I like the Glenfarclas 105 and a'Bundha, I think sherried whisky is better when it's older. While the sherry marries well with the wood and creates wonderful nuances, I think that the peat is less intense and not as in your face with age.

The best way to find out what your own preferences are is to try a couple of bottles from the same distillery of different ages and see how you think they perform.

Glenlivet 12 and 18
Old Pulteney 12 and 17
Glenfiddich 18 (against the 12 and 15 you have tried)
Glenfarclas 10 and 21
Laphroig 10 or Quarter Cask and 18

All of the above will be available at the supermarket or online and shouldn't set you back too much, and should give you a much better idea of what age does to a whisky and what you get out of that.

I can though understand wanting to have a 40yr old on your 40th, and it's probably the last landmark birthday where a bottle the same age wouldn't be stupid expensive. Though perhaps you should have a couple of 18yr olds instead f'nar f'nar!

[William]

Buzzly, have you considered going to a whisky tasting event such as The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show in London, this year's TWE Whisky Show is on 5th & 6th October 2013. It really is the best whisky tasting event in the UK and for the ticket price you get to taste some amazing whiskies. Here is a list of the whiskies that were available to taste at last years show:
http://www.whisky-show.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/WS2012_DramList.xls

You will see there was a number of 40 year old whiskies including Glenfarclas 40, Glenrothes 40, Tamnavulin 40, Bunnahabhain 40, Fettercairn 40, Glengoyne 40, Tomatin 40, Glenury Royal 40.

There is a video of the 2012 TWE Whisky Show on youtube
http://youtu.be/igOWbgleH04

Tickets are usually around £100 and include a meal usually prepared with whisky by a celebrity chef such as Martine Nouet. Ticket prices also include most of the whiskies in all the exibitors range plus you get to taste a "Dream Dram" some of have selling prices in the thousands of pounds. I can highly recommend the TWE Whisky Show to spoil yourself and taste some whiskies which otherwise you would never get the chance to taste. More details on there website:
www.whisky-show.com
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There's no bad whisky. Just good whisky and better whisky.

[bifter]

As above, I can only offer my personal opinion from experience. I don't think many people would deny, as a general rule, that older whiskies are generally smoother and 'better' than younger ones. However, as albo mentions, sometimes a peaty Islay number is best when young and vital. Furthermore I believe a whisky can spend too long ageing in wood and acquire lopsided or undesirable characteristics. The best whiskies I've tried, to my mind, have been in the 16-25 year age bracket but then I have only tried a few whiskies older than this!

Tasting events are good for trying older whiskies but sometimes important subtleties (e.g. the finish) can be lost if you're trying a range of whiskies in a short period. It is also possible to obtain older whiskies more cheaply via independent bottlers. Although Glenfarclas 40 is accepted as great value there was recently a 40yo Glen Moray at SMWS which, from memory was around £225. I blagged a wee sample and it tasted great!
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"Whisky is liquid sunshine."
[George Bernard Shaw]

[chrisg]

I can highly recommend The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show to anyone looking to treat themself to something special, going to the show was by far my best whisky experience to date. I have been a couple of times and will certainly be going again, although not this year. And the price is pretty good considering there is no stupid voucher system and the selection of whisky available and you get a quality meal thrown in and it is in central London.

[Kenny M]

I have to say i do like a special whisky to mark a special occasion and having tasted the Glenfarclas 40 year old i can say it is a special whisky. I got the chance to taste it at a whisky event. Having said that you can buy a few older whiskies for the price of the Glenfarclas, by that i mean 18 to 30 years old. Only you can decide. As you are only at the start of your whisky journey i would say go for a few good bottles such as Talisker 18, Highland Park 18 or 21, Glenfarclas 30, Glenfiddich 21, Ardbeg Uigeadail or Corryvreckan, Laphroiag 18..... I could go on and on.

On the other hand Williams suggestion of The Whisky Show is a great idea, i would say you could go to this for around the same price as a bottle of Glenfarclas 40 if you seek out a cheap flight and decent priced hotel in London.

[Quaich1]

My way of trying some of the rarest single malts has been to frequent some high end single
malt bars in Toronto. There clearly is a correlation between increasing whisky age and increasing price, but as many have said the correlation between taste and age isn't quite as clear cut. I can give more examples personally where older drams have been among the best I have ever tasted. However, I have had a few older malts where taste profile was on the descent. I also have been of the mind that I would rather spend $50. for a very rare dram just to try it rather than investing $1000. and up for the bottle. I have probably tried well over a dozen of the really high end ones by the ounce and have not regretted it. I then still had left plenty to buy more moderately priced bottles. Anyway that's my approach at the moment with a few exceptions.


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"Always carry a large flagon of whisky in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake."
W.C. Fields (1880-1946)