Choices for a special gift.

[Tim Peck]

Hi there.
I'm afraid I've only joined here to get some advice on a gift for a friend who has helped me install the plumbing for my house refurbishment. He is a retired plumber and would not accept any money for his work - and I am on a limited budget - so I thought the easy option would be to buy a nice bottle of single malt.
I think I remember him telling me, some long time ago, that his favorite single malt was Lagavulin - but I may have been a bit drunk at the time and can't be 100% sure.
My shortlist, at the moment is -

LAGAVULIN 1996 or 1995 DISTILLERS EDITION

BUNNAHABHAIN 18 YEAR OLD

SCAPA 14 YEAR OLD - I had a taste of a very nice Scapa in the late 1990's and it was a very very pleasant dram. Easy to drink but with a hidden depth and complexity.

Some form of Strathisla. I had one shot of very old and dark Strathisla at,the best pub in the country - The Grove in Huddersfield. It was very dark and deep and rich, very much like a supercharged Rum. It was not like any other whiskey I have ever tasted but was quite delightful. Unfortunately I cannot remember what denomination of Strathisla I sampled that night. Having looked through many internet retailers, even if I could find that particular Strathisla, II think it would probably be so old and rare, it is most likely well out of my price budget.

The LAGAVULIN and BUNNAHABHAIN are chosen because I have a vague memory that his preferred tipple is LAGAVULIN - so I was thinking an Islay may be the way to go. However I am not sure, so I thought a LAGAVULIN 1996 or 1995 DISTILLERS EDITION, softened by sherry casks, or the BUNNAHABHAIN 18 YEAR OLD, might be a safe compromise.


The Scapa and Strathisla are perhaps my personal preferences. I can't be sure he would appreciate either of them.

I don't want to buy him a drab dram but I don't want to risk offending his taste buds either.

My budget is around the £100 mark and I would be most grateful for any opinions and recommendations.

If you have managed to wade through the whole of this message and still have the will to respond, I would be massively grateful.

All the best,

Tim

[unblended]

im not a big islay fan but I would go for lagavulin 12 year old

the scapa 14 year old was very good but hard to find as it is now a collectable

dont know enough about the other two to give any comments

richard

[sorren]

Hi Tim.
My advice if your looking for a Lagavulin is try Tesco they still do the distillers edition although it might not be the 95 now.. still around the £70 mark.. an older Strathisla will prob cost more than your budget.. for your money you could look at Ardbeg dark cove around the £100 mark.. there are plenty of great choices out there for the £100 mark so good luck ..

[Alexppp]

You can't go wrong with either the Lagavulin Distillers' Edition or the Bunnahabhain 18, they're both excellent drams, as is the Lagavulin 12 as unblended suggested.

One thing I will say is that if you're not sure about how serious a whisky drinker your friend is, go for the Distillers Edition or the Bunnahabhain, not the Lagavulin 12 or any other cask strength whisky. If he's not used to drinking whisky at a strength higher than the usual 40-46%, the Lagavulin 12 might come across as unusually harsh or strong (especially if he's not used to adding a bit of water in his whisky).

[Tim Peck]

Thanks for the replies Sorren and Unblended.
I have found a bottle of Scapa 14. The problem I have is that I don't know if it will be bold enough for someone who prefers Islay.
I've looked up Dark Cove and it looks like it may be a very good choice Islay. Peated but not overpowering.
I've seen the Tesco 1995 Distillers edition and it does look very tempting. Great value at that price.
Any recommendations welcome.

All the best,
Tim

[Andy M]

The Lagavulin Distillers Edition 1999 is very good, and is available for £73 here https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/lagavulin/lagavulin-1999-bottled-2015-pedro-ximenez-cask-finish-distillers-edition-whisky/ the Bunna 18 is also a good price from Master of Malt

[Tim Peck]

Thanks Alexppp.
My friend is familiar enough with single malt. He certainly wouldn't drink a cask strength without a drop of water.
My preference is not to buy cask strength though. 43-46 abv idealy.
The Lagavulin 12yo looks like a good choice at a very good price.
Thanks for all the advice. I'm thinking Dark Cove, Lagavulin Destillers or BUNNAHABHAIN 18yo maybe good right now.
How about a Caol Ila - (maybe the 17YO Unpeated). How does Caol Ila compare with Ardbeg and Lagavulin?
Open to any suggestions.
All the best,
Tim

[Tim Peck]

I am curious to know whether the Bunnahabhain 18 YO has the depth and complexity of the other options here? (or does it have more subtle complexty?)
Can someone who has sampled the BUNNAHABHAIN 18 YEAR OLD and the Lagavulin Destillers 1995/6 tell me how they compare?
All the best,
Tim

[Tim Peck]

Thanks Andy M.
Lagavulin Destillers1999 looks very good for the price.
All the best,
Tim

[Alexppp]

[Tim Peck]

Thanks AlexPPP.
Appreciate all this good advice.
All the best,
Tim

[Fergie]

A few I would highly recommend which haven't yet been mentioned are:

Highland Park 18 year old
Talisker 18 year old
Laphroaig Lore
Glenmorangie Signet if your budget can stretch
Glencadam 21 year old
Glengoyne 21 year old

[dramblersanonymous]

If you want to do something a little different, the likes of the Kilchoman Sauternes cask is still available at The Whisky Exchange and is excellent. About £75

[Timp]

[WinBase]

if he likes islay's, Get him a bottle of lagavulin 16yo plus a bottle of ardbeg Uigeadail, both are excellent drams and together will cost around £100 with free delivery if you look around online at somewhere like master of malt. GL[/u]