The Scotch Thread

[Eride]

Have always been a fan of the Balvenie Double Wood, the 12 is a fantastic entry level dram... this year they are celebrating the Double Wood's 25th anniversary. I was lucky enough to taste their special release commemorating the occasion, it was sensational!

Anniversary_ by Erik McRitchie, on Flickr
DSC_0650 by Erik McRitchie, on Flickr

[asp integra]

Balvenie Double Wood is probably my favourite Scotch. Absolutely delicious and for the price you really cant beat it ($66-70) at superstore

[ercchry]

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Balvenie Double Wood is probably my favourite Scotch. Absolutely delicious and for the price you really cant beat it ($66-70) at superstore

That glendronach 12 for $50 a shelf down is hard to say no to also

Even the $36 tomatin 12 they have is decent, not as sweet as the other two. But crazy value

[Eride]

Big fan of the Balvenie but Glendronach has some of my favorite juice right now. The 12 is very good, the 18 is sensational if you ever get a chance to give it a try!
DSC_1486 by Erik McRitchie, on Flickr

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

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Just scored a Jura 21 year old 200th anniversary edition for $119.00 at Costco... That is a real good deal on this!

Convinced a buddy to grab me a bottle of this when he was passing through Costco today. Pretty stoked to try it.

[RX_EVOLV]

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Convinced a buddy to grab me a bottle of this when he was passing through Costco today. Pretty stoked to try it.

Keep us posted.. if it's good maybe I'll grab one too..

[Inzane]

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Keep us posted.. .

I was hoping you’d chime in on my Johnnie Walker comment a few posts back. I hadn’t been paying attention to the market for a while but thought maybe you’d have a better idea on what’s been going on.

[RX_EVOLV]

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I was hoping you’d chime in on my Johnnie Walker comment a few posts back. I hadn’t been paying attention to the market for a while but thought maybe you’d have a better idea on what’s been going on.

I haven't noticed too much of a price increase with the standard JW offerings. Green Label still ~$80, Gold Label still ~$85, and Blue Label ~$250. They did discontinue the Platinum, which was ~$125, and re-branded it as the 18yo, which I think is now ~$150. Haven't see any of the Explorer's club series lately but that would be crazy if the Gold Route now costs as much as the Royal Route...

[Inzane]

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I haven't noticed too much of a price increase with the standard JW offerings. Green Label still ~$80, Gold Label still ~$85, and Blue Label ~$250. They did discontinue the Platinum, which was ~$125, and re-branded it as the 18yo, which I think is now ~$150. Haven't see any of the Explorer's club series lately but that would be crazy if the Gold Route now costs as much as the Royal Route...

I thought Platinum always was an 18yr blend. It effectively replaced the old 18yr Gold label didn’t it?
Anyway, from what I saw in the duty free at YYC last week:
Platinum was ~$220ish.
Gold Route was ~$235ish.
Blue Label was ~ $230ish (on sale)
Royal Route was $320+

And like you said the more standard offerings (black, double black, gold reserve and the new green) were more or less at pricing I expected.

Btw, I also noticed Green label appears to have been rebranded. It was called “Green Island” or something like that and it came in a box (unlike when it was silently re-released after a brief hiatus a couple years back with no box).

[RX_EVOLV]

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I thought Platinum always was an 18yr blend. It effectively replaced the old 18yr Gold label didn’t it?
Anyway, from what I saw in the duty free at YYC last week:
Platinum was ~$220ish.
Gold Route was ~$239ish.
Blue Label was ~ $230ish (on sale)
Royal Route was $320+

And like you said the more standard offerings (black, double black, gold reserve and the new green) were more or less at pricing I expected.

Btw, I also noticed Green label appears to have been rebranded. It was called “Green Island” or something like that and it came in a box (unlike when it was silently re-released after a brief hiatus a couple years back with no box).

There is an Island Green (which is comprised of a blend that is almost entirely different than the Green Label) that is duty free exclusive.

Platinum was 18yo but now they just have a 18yo that's gold-ish in color. No more Platinum. ~$220 for a platinum is probably one of those because-we-can pricing, and not the new MSRP for platinum since it's discontinued.

[Inzane]

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There is an Island Green (which is comprised of a blend that is almost entirely different than the Green Label) that is duty free exclusive.

Dammit, I would’ve grabbed a bottle if I’d known that. It was around $85 if I recall. Do you know if it’s any good? I didn’t look closely at it but does it have an age statement?

[OTown]

Any Auchentoshan Three Wood fans here? My favorite all around quality yet affordable scotch so far

[ercchry]

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Any Auchentoshan Three Wood fans here? My favorite all around quality yet affordable scotch so far

I try to not keep this one in the house, cause it goes down too easy!

[tirebob]

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Any Auchentoshan Three Wood fans here? My favorite all around quality yet affordable scotch so far

I have gone through a couple bottles of the Three Wood. Auchentoshan has some nice offerings all around.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

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Any Auchentoshan Three Wood fans here? My favorite all around quality yet affordable scotch so far

Had some at my mom's place at Thanksgiving. It was pretty good. I would consider buying a bottle.

[RX_EVOLV]

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Dammit, I would’ve grabbed a bottle if I’d known that. It was around $85 if I recall. Do you know if it’s any good? I didn’t look closely at it but does it have an age statement?

I'm about half way through my bottle and it's pretty good. ~$80 is probably the price for it. I wouldn't pay more. It's a no age statement.

[tirebob]

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I'm about half way through my bottle and it's pretty good. ~$80 is probably the price for it. I wouldn't pay more. It's a no age statement.

I personally do not worry about age statements these days. Younger or older does not mean much really as long as it is a good bottle. I have had 8 year old scotches that are wicked and tasted 30 year old scotches that are just meh. I know Glenmorangie for example does not age statement many of their special editions, but it is well known they will use their 12 year old original as a base and then age a further 2 years in unique barrels to add the the taste experience.

My point being, who cares if there is no age statement so long as the product in question is known to be good. A quick internet search can yield a wealth of info on virtually most scotches.

[RX_EVOLV]

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I personally do not worry about age statements these days. Younger or older does not mean much really as long as it is a good bottle. I have had 8 year old scotches that are wicked and tasted 30 year old scotches that are just meh. I know Glenmorangie for example does not age statement many of their special editions, but it is well known they will use their 12 year old original as a base and then age a further 2 years in unique barrels to add the the taste experience.

My point being, who cares if there is no age statement so long as the product in question is known to be good. A quick internet search can yield a wealth of info on virtually most scotches.

I agree that NAS doesn't necessary meant it's bad, and one with an age statement doesn't mean its good either. However I think there are certain elements that I really enjoy are usually found in older whiskies that can be missing in the younger ones, so if it's something that cost >$125 a bottle, I rather take the gamble with an age statement than with the NAS. I have no problem buying NAS but I definitly do more research on those than with an age statement. My most recently purchases:

Compass Box Flaming Heart 2018 (NAS)
Glenfiddich Experimental #4 Fire and Cane (NAS)
Glenlivet 18 years old (Age)
Glenlivet Guardian's Chapter (NAS)
Laphroaig Cairdeas 2018 (NAS)
Bruichladdich Single Cask - Hermitage Cask - 18 yo (Age)

[Inzane]

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Any Auchentoshan Three Wood fans here? My favorite all around quality yet affordable scotch so far

I have not tried the Three Wood. But I bought a bottle of their standard 12yr a little while ago and thought it was pretty awful. One of only a few purchase regrets.

[Inzane]

Does anyone have intel on which distillery(s) provide the current bottlings for Costco Kirkland brand scotches?

I was in our new store location (Leduc) the other day and saw an 18yr Speyside Single Malt (Sherry cask or aged), blue label. Pretty great deal too at ~$80. I almost bought it until I noticed GlenFarclas 17yr right beside it for $85.99. Couldn't pass that up but I may try the Kirkland next time.