Whisky Forum - Looking for good Islay for present

SB · New Member Joined: 18 Nov 2019 Posts: 1

Hi! New to the forum here.
I am looking for a present for my brother. He's fond mostly of Islays.
I'm thinking of getting him a bottle up to about 200$ (CAD).
I thought of the Laphroaig Lore, but finally he isn't particularly interested as he feels the sherry casks usually "downplay" the peatiness (his words) and it's less his type.
Has anyone tasted the Lore and what is your opinion on it?
I was also considering the Bunnahabhain 18 years, it's a distillery he likes. Any take on this one in particular?
Also any take on the Kilchoman products? I saw a few at the store but I'm not familiar with them.

I am very open to any suggestions, but keep in mind that in Quebec we unfortunately don't have access to a variety of scotch as wide as I would have liked.

Thanks!

Alexppp · Master Of Malts Joined: 16 Jul 2010 Posts: 1791

The Bunnahabhain 18 is not smoky and does have a lot of sherry in it - it's excellent but not necessarily what your brother would want based on your description. If you want Laphroaig, is the 10 year old cask strength available in Quebec? That's the Laphroaig to go for in my opinion - I would stay away from most Laphroaigs without an age statement.

The Kilchoman range is great - what's available there? The Machir Bay for example is a very good, no-frills peated whisky. Apparently some of it has been aged in sherry casks but it's not something I can detect when I'm drinking it. The closest neighbour in terms of flavour profile to Kilchoman would be Ardbeg in my opinion (another great option as you can't go wrong with Ardbeg, especially the 10 year old).

John · Moderator Joined: 21 Apr 2006 Posts: 876 Location: UK

One whisky which I would suggest is the big peaty Ardbeg Corryvreckan, if he enjoys big peated non sherried Islay whiskies then you don't get much better than this.

Quaich1 · Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2019 5:50 pm Post subject:

I did a whisky event some months ago in Niagara, Ontario and one of the single malts I presented was the Laphroaig Lore and it got a lot of attention that night from individuals with varied tastes. Smoky, peaty and chili notes abound.
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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)

lincoln imp · Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2019 7:03 pm Post subject:

Quaich1 · Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2019 7:31 pm Post subject:

lincoln imp · Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2019 9:08 pm Post subject:

TheWM · Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2019 11:31 pm Post subject:

Craig Mac · Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2019 12:32 am Post subject:

Cobra · Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2019 9:28 am Post subject:

Hi I am new to Islay but I love Coal Isla 12 and Ardbeg 10