In Germany the 170€ we're the cheapest price of all three. Only the new 18 was reachable for that price. Even the 16 ist hard to find below. Some private sellers might give the 16 away for less than 160€, but it is hard to find. But back to the new 18. I really liked it. It tastes really well aged.
That's a shame. Is it possible for you to order Laphroaig 16 from Amazon.CO.UK at a lower price? I've saved money on certain things by ordering from Amazon.COM before 🤷♂️
Great video, those old 18s are sorely missed. Completely agree that more people should be discussing the 16. What a beautiful bottle of whisky at a reasonable price. Yet to try the new 18. Cheers! 🥃
Such a great and useful video! Thanks! I have only tried the 16 YO of these three (the bottle being almost empty by now). I have an unopened 18 YO (old expression), of which I don’t know quite what to expect, purchased about three years ago for almost the price of the new expression. This comparison is so much more informative than someone just giving tasting notes of one bottle. To me it’s really the “relative” flavors and aromas that are of interest in reviews like this. I also really appreciate that you blind taste the three, not letting expectations affect the comparison.
Thanks Erik! I'm glad that I was able to do this comparison and also glad that you have a bottle of the old 18. If you haven't tried it before then I think you're in for a treat. Cheers 🥃
Good comparison review Shane! It is concerning that there is an ongoing theme amongst whisky reviewers that the whiskies being released today aren't as good as those released 15-20 years ago. It makes me wonder what the whiskies currently being distilled, to be released 15-20 years from now will be like. Cheers!
It really is worrying. There are still great whiskies to be had but quality has a different flavour profile now. These old gems like the old 18 are very hard to replace without spending mega bucks now. Cheers 🥃
Loved this comparison. Thanks for doing it!! I hope you enjoyed it. To my knowledge these have not hit the US yet. At least not near me I was early in my whisk(e)y journey when they discontinued the L18. At the time I was spending $30-60 per bottle but I decided to pay up for one (about $110ish if I remember correctly) from a store that still had some. It’s in the bunker waiting for a rainy day. I will say… I have really enjoyed the 16 in the interim and I bought a 15 the same day I grabbed the old 18 that is open and being enjoyed as well. Agree that their cask strength ($90ish here) seems to be the way to go. Have you tried any of their Private selects? They are about $250 here and I haven’t rationalized paying for one yet. I want to try one as I seek out single barrel bourbons and enjoy the “unique” experience that a SiB theoretically gives but that’s spendy!!
Thank you 🙏 When I first tried the 16 honestly I was disappointed that it wasn't a replacement for the old 18... but viewed in its own light and considering the price, it's a solid and recommendable dram 👍 I haven't tried any private selects. I don't think I've ever even seen one for sale. Laphroaig is a distillery that I'd like to explore more of from the Independent Bottlings though. Which is possibly a cheaper way of getting a small batch experience from that distillery 🤔 Cheers 🥃
The goal is to draw money from people who have it, and therefore these prices are not meant to be competitive but to be exclusive unfortunately. As a consumer and bot a rich one, for the price of this i can get 2 Ledaig 18 and 2,5 Laphroaig 10cs. That's all i need to know.
I would certainly get more enjoyment out of Ledaig 18 or Laphroaig 10CS too! There is undoubtedly an element of 'making something that will attract those willing to spend £175 on a bottle'. Many of the distilleries are at it. I don't think they care too much whether it sells or not though. Every bottle of overpriced whisky that sits on a shelf for many years is free advertising for that distillery. We're talking about thousands of eyes over the years. That builds familiarity with the brand, instills a feeling of prestige and quality and all of this undoubtedly sells bottles of Laphroaig 10 and Oak Select.
Thanks for this.!The first release of the 16 is different than the more recent releases. (Purchased a case) The first release has a more rounded profile and cask influence probably from the presence of older whisky. The original 18 is my all time favorite value whisky. I was pumped to hear that the 18 had been rereleased, but it hasn’t made it to the states yet, and at the new price; not in a rush to get it.
Excellent review Shane. Never have had the priviledge to try the old 18yo ... and with the new being priced as it is, I doubt I will find a bottle on my shelf. Slàinte mhath
Smokeshow 😎 the 16 might not fill the shoes of the old 18 but at the current price it's a solid buy with little comparable competition from the other Islay distilleries. Cheers 🥃
I remember (really) enjoying a Glenfiddich 18 at around 50 pounds some ten years ago, now it’s double the price and not the same quality, so I know exactly how you feel. Great video, happy to be a subscriber!
Thanks George. The thing that really stings about stuff like Glenfiddich 18 is that the price is rocketing up and they still won't make it 46% and NCF. Which for the price is a requirement IMHO. I feel the same way about glenlivet 18. It was a beautiful dram a few years ago at 43% and £50. But now it's double the price and 40%. They're making it hard to justify. Cheers 🥃
Great tasting comparison, Shane. You went to a lot of trouble to be as fair as possible with the blind tasting angle. Haven't had the new 18yo but am a great fan of the old bottling ( mine was also bottled 2014) due to its wonderful balance and phenomenal integration of the old fading peat smoke with the fruits, the malty core and the gentle oaky astringent finish. Love the stuff. The 16yo definitely represents the best value of the three at today's prices. You're dead right there. It lacks the elegance and subtlety of the old 18yo but compensates with its more youthful energy and verve in its more up front smokiness. Many thanks again for the detailed and very informative comparison. Cheers
Wow Shane! What a great run through! Expectations are so high for these new 18’s including PC18, especially for the $$$ price, that it’s normal to be critical and as you say, maybe the effort and maturation is not what it once was. I have an old 18,16,Lore in the bunker as well as an older 25… and multiple 10 cask strength’s and Cairdeas, so I don’t feel the need to chase this new 18…. You did the homework for me😇 …. However you’re new 18 is freshly cracked and May or may not improve over time? Cheers 🥃…. Til…
Thanks John. Sounds like you're well stocked. This is my last bottle of the old 18 but I have a Lore, several Cairdeases and many 10CS too 🙂 very pleased that the 10CS is still available and relatively affordable. I bought my new 18 on release day and gave it some time and airing but yes it's fresh. I think it would be nothing short of a miracle for it to catch up with the old 18 but I will be keeping an eye on it. Cheers 🥃
Hi David. I might review it if I can get a sample but I might end up sitting that one out. Too much in the queue at the moment! Review of the latest 10CS Batch 17 coming soon though. Cheers 🥃
Love this! So many notes and sadly the old ones will be missed. I have not discussed the 16 as ... it is not available here, at all! Crazy. This may be very hopeful thinking, but I think in a couple of years, we are going to see whisky prices fall. The prices are just to high to sustain, not with the cost of living these days.
It seems that we've found the secret to drinking Laphroaig without getting angry: exclusively drink things which don't invite comparison to the 40% 10yo 😂
I absolutely love the 16 but I have neither tried the old nor the new 18 and it sounds like I'm just gonna stick with the 16. Thanks for the review Shane 🥃
The 16 is certainly the smart buy. I wonder how much longer it will exist at the current price with it making the new 18 look so expensive by comparison 🤔 Cheers! 🥃
Thanks for the thorough review. Perhaps there is older whisky in some of the Laphroaig batches and/or expressions that may have an impact? Lore is NAS but supposedly has old whisky (at least the first batches) in it along with the newer juice. Love your music bed btw. Cheers! 🍻
Thanks! I believe it's first fill bourbon across the board. I think you can taste that they're quite different bourbon casks as time goes on though. Very interesting!
So the same happened to Laphroaig 18 that happened to the Glendronach 15 revival. Containing mainly much older distillates than 15yo it was fantastic. After discontinuation it just wasn’t the same anymore.
fascinating! great comparison Shane! Sad results though. I love Laphy. I have a not so old Laphroaig Quarter Cask (2010ish) and a not so old Laphroaig 10 (2006ish) and I did comparisons to the current versions and it really is a remarkable difference. The old versions are definitely more phenolic and more complex. Better rmouthfeel etc.. I don't remember how it tasted but the Quarter Cask in around 2005 was one of my favourites and it was gnarly (or maybe I felt so as i was a whisky "beginner" then). What makes it so different? Did they change the distilling process?... I heard somewhere (and I don't remember where, so it might be wrong info) that the newer Laphs have longer fermentation (>70hrs compared to less than 50hrs before Suntory took over).... I'm not saying that's it, I just wonder why it tastes so different. Oh I wish I could try some Laphs from the 80ies or even older ones.... 🥺 Great video! Love your style! Cheers mate!
The difference between old and new is even bigger with Ardbeg. Especially with Uigeadail. I had a bottle of very first Uigeadail from 2003 and it was pure tar, grease, wax, mouthfeel was thick and viscous as today’s version is light, thin, watery, more like smoky punch in the face, little bit of sweetness in the end. By the way I have a quarter cask from 2005 still unopened. I believe the first batch was 2004.
@@Wekotin oooooh you’re in for a treat once you open the old bottle. I wish i stashed some away but no…. Drank it all and probably didn’t appreciate as much as i should have….. Cheers!
Unfortunately never had the pleasure of the old or new 18 as at the time, I was out my price range (I didn't know any wiser then 😂) and it's definitely now outside my price range. I did however pick up the 16 at the beginning of the year. Not opened it yet as I've been finishing off last year's cairdeas. Good comparison video with alot of effort put into it being fair as possible.
Ah in hind sight there are a few expressions we should have all stocked up on! The 16, while not the equal of the old 18, is a fine dram. Hope you enjoy it 👍🥃
As always, love your reviews. There are, for me, two points that need to be mentioned. One, in my experience, a freshly opened bottle tends to be more tight and closed but, in a year, can be altogether different and better. So for me that makes this side by side a bit imbalanced. Second, although in terms of pure numbers the new 18 is double, the pound/dollar is truly worth less than it was in 2014 and even than 2019. Inflation is real! So in terms of adjusted value, the new 18 is not really double the cost - though yes it is more expensive. I love the old 18, and still have 1 unopened bottle. I also have an unopened 16. The new 18 hasn’t arrived in my area yet. By the way I also loved that 200 year anniversary 15 yo, and still have 2 more of that left! Thanks for a great review!
Thanks Gary 👍 There are always going to be issues with comparing things like this. Especially when we consider that Old Bottle Effect exists, even in a sealed bottle. And that distilleries use different malt, different casks, different staff over the years. I think what I've done here is actually as fair and objective as can be though. Neither of the two old bottles had been uncorked more than a couple of times and both had been stored with at least a shoulder fill level. At least partly because I had it in mind to do a comparison between the old 18 and 16 so left them alone on purpose. Over the years I've become very familiar with the old 18, it's as I always remembered it and I'm beyond a doubt that the difference I was tasting is because it was just better. Adjusted for inflation, the roughly £70 that I used to pay around 2014 for the old 18 is £93 in today's money according to the Bank of England. So what Laphroaig are asking is around double what they used to. Assessing value is always hard and yes making whisky is expensive... but I started comparing value in terms of relative cost to the 10yo in this video for the precise reason of eliminating inflation and it seems to me that Laphroaig (and Bruichladdich, Dalmore, Macallan, etc) are just being greedy when it comes to their high teen and above whiskies. To be fair, part of the reason why the prices are often shooting up so unevenly (HP18 went from £50 to £120 in a few months! And we're all familiar with what Talisker just did) might be because they're trying to factor in variances and standard costs over those 18 years... but if you own your own warehouse space then I find it hard to justify that 18yo whisky that used to cost around 2x what 10yo whisky used to cost now costs around 4x what 10yo whisky now costs. IMHO I think the rise in absolute cost we're seeing on L18 is mostly because they see others doing it and getting away with it 🤷♂️ The list of 18yo Scotch below £100 is now very short though. Deanston, Glen Moray and Speyburn are rare in still offering that. I have bottles of all three that I've not yet opened. I hope they'll at least be as good as this new L18. Cheers 🥃
@@WhiskyLock thank you for such a thoughtful response! Listening to you is always enjoyable, and educational, and most appreciated. And yes, I see your point about the price elevation. As you say, and here we are! Thanks again, Gary
Really interesting video, the old 18 was one of the first 'serious' bottles I ever bought about 10 years ago, back then I could get it for 80 Euros! I'm a bit on the fence about Laphroaig I also really liked the old quarter cask but they seem to have toned it down a lot to appeal more to the masses. Prices are definitely an issue paying 175 for a bottle of 18 is just a bit much especially when the quality doesn't live up to what we used to have. Recently I did buy a 16yo IB from MoM, it's quite nice and I felt a bit more OK about paying 150 for a cask strength bottle but it doesn't have the same balance and complexity that I remember from the 18. It might all be a bit nostalgic but but sometimes I think it makes more sense to stop chasing 'what we used to get' from distilleries like Laphroaig.
These high priced OB 18s are certainly doing a good job of making the IB stuff look like better value. I think the new 18 states NCF but conveniently still doesn't mention colouring... it's like Laphroaig are in denial about e150a even being a thing. Compare that to an IB and you're actually getting quality with guarantees from people who just seem to care more. I agree that lamenting the direction modern whisky is taking is not the most productive approach. But when it comes to rising prices and falling quality I no longer feel like I'm getting my moneys worth on things like this and will probably stick to the 10CS and maybe Quarter Cask. It's not so much a case of having a whinge but that certain things I used to love are no longer viable or available. Here's hoping that the imminent 10CS batch 17 will be as good as the previous one! Cheers 🥃
@@WhiskyLock100% agree one of the things I love about your channel is your focus on value and exploration of newer distilleries. It's actually quite exciting to imagine what the next 10 years has in store for us. We just need to navigate all the change as enthusiasts.
I think these new prices are here to stay now, unfortunately. Best we can hope for really is that interest wanes at this current pricing, and over time there’s a deflationary effect where prices stay the same as wages increase, to effectively bring the spending power required to purchase an 18 year old expression back into line again with closer to what it used to be. As things are though, at £180 a bottle, the juice needs to be more than just good for me to get my wallet out.
I think you're right. Any cooling or contracting of the market now will surely just mean that distilleries stick to younger malts and blends. I can't see 18yo whisky going back down to £60-70 again in our life time. Certainly now at the quality we used to have.
Agreed. I'm not in the industry, but I don't think they can afford to produce whisky at the same price anymore. There is a limit where people will walk away though and I think this could mean some distilleries will simply have to close. Just did a trip to Islay and Campbeltown and some of the distilleries are really worried, particularly that you can buy SOME of their whisky on auction cheaper than the RRP.
If you're in the USA, Total Wine & More sells a Mystery Malt called Glen Fohdry (which might be Balvenie), and they bottle a Peated 18 @47.1 which sells for $100 ✌️
I think they wanted us to think of Lore that way. What with putting it in the dark green tube similar to what the 15 and early batches of 18 were in and with John Campbell releasing details of the percentage of aged components in the first batch. I think Lore is clearly younger than these expressions though. And much caskier. The complicated cask recipe shows. I think Lore is good. Even good value perhaps. But it's very different to the 15, 16 and 18s IMHO.
Hi! Honestly it's not something I do very often. I like to enjoy whisky with full attention on the malt. I'm much more likely to pair food with a pale ale, IPA, bitter or lager. Whisky is for before or after food 🙂 although I admit that I'm intrigued by the idea of pairing reasonably priced whisky with food and will look into it. Do you have any recommendations?
@@WhiskyLock every so often I get together with a few friends and we'll have a charcuterie with some wines and whisky, and I love the way the different flavours go together. Especially some cheeses go really well with scotch. It's not something I would use my more expensive malts on though 😉. Apart from that I'm not really experienced with it either, I was just wondering if you happened to have any recommendations.
I'm writing this little point before the review proper. I just bought the 16 a few weeks back for £80. The 18, which is two years older, is £175. More than twice the price. The price is completely insane and I'm writing this even before you review it but I'm expecting it to be a complete waste of money. Distillery Laphroaig disappointing us yet again. I do have some independent 18 and I'm expecting good things as always. 18 year old whisky has become a rip-off and the whisky industry is drifting into complete rip-off. It can go to hell. I'm becoming highly selective but the truth is I'm falling out of love with whisky and the whisky industry due to the prices. I've been a very big spender for the past ten years but I've had enough and going back to my wine love. I'm drinking my whisky stash rather than wasting my money on the mediocrity on sale these days. There is decent stuff but it's way too expensive for what it is.
It's such an easy prediction that the new expression will cost twice as much and be half as good isn't it? We've seen it all before... There are noticeable differences in flavour between the 16 and new 18 but certainly not a huge difference in quality IMHO and that makes me wonder how much longer we will see the 16 at under £100. It's simply the smart buy at this point. I too am feeling a little less love for whisky. Bad value for money makes it harder and harder to find things to be excited about. Too often I feel like I have a choice between recommending something that's way overpriced or being the broken record of "too much, too much!". As much as we can try to stay positive, the truth is that we get less than we used to and some types of whisky is becoming exclusively for the rich.
@@WhiskyLock Cheers mate; I hear you. I'm not hating on whisky. I could never do that. The fact that I'm so disappointed with what's going on right now should be an indicator of my passion. You and I have both been drinking whisky longer than most so we have some perspective I think. I'm also getting this vibe from Ralfy himself. A massive part of our whisky journeys has been to explore the landscape and try many different distilleries and their expressions at various ages. I've forgotten more whisky than most have tried. I know that single malt whisky is a luxury product which commands a price. A couple of decades ago I asked a colleague to pick up a bottle of Talisker 10 when she went to the supermarket. She came back gobsmacked that it was £29 and she and her husband were far wealthier than me. The question I keep repeating is what are we paying for? It's obvious to me that Laphroaig 18 is completely overpriced as is Talisker 18, Glendronach 18, Lagavulin 12 and countless bottles of whisky. Those examples are obvious but these days I sometimes trawl through the 'Latest Releases' section of online retailers (in the ridiculous hope of getting a bottle Springbank 10 or some such) only to find really mediocre independent offerings or stupidly priced half-decent stuff. There's an ocean of Caol Ila, for example, so why does a bottle aged in a crummy cask, or casks, for 12 years cost so much? Are Balvenie doing some sort of magic to charge what they do? It's not even as though the stuff in the bottle is that good. I buy good rum as you know but I'm selective. However, I can buy rum for £80 which will blow away any whisky for the same price or Talisker 18, Laphroaig 18, Glendronach 18, etc, etc. There are good new distilleries coming on stream and it's just as well I enjoy young whisky as well as old. Nevertheless, I'm dipping into my stash and cracked an Old Pulteney 21 to remind me of the old days. I also opened a single cask, cask strength (51.2%) Cadenhead's bottling of 24 year old ex-bourbon Highland Park distilled in 1979 and that tastes unlike anything today. I bought it at auction years ago and it's time to start opening this treasure. It's very funky and has notes of blue cheese like Dolcelatte but sweet soft white fruit too. I'll send you a sample. Got some old Velier Caroni you might like too. We were lucky to enjoy great whisky at good prices but it's a thing of the past unless the bubble bursts. I'm still buying but my stash is supplying me with stuff that doesn't exist any more. I bought it with that expectation so here we go. WT
Thanks! I think it comes down to whether you want the best possible aged Laphroaig (the old 18) or are happy with the best bang for buck (16). If you're after the best you can get and enjoy the oily, waxy, rich profile that you get with old malt then I think €172 is justified for the old 18. It's a fantastic whisky. The new 18 just doesn't come close.
Hi! Are you talking about the standard 10 that's 40% or 43% depending on where you live? It's 40% here and honestly I haven't bought it in years. I find it too weak and I'm very frustrated that Laphroaig won't improve it (higher ABV, remove colouring and chill filtration). The flavour profile always used to be good but it's too watery and dies off too quickly for me at the low strength. 10 Cask Strength on the other hand is a glorious dram. Some batches are better than others and they're almost always noticeably different but always worth getting IMHO. I'll probably be reviewing the latest batch this Tuesday. Spoiler: it's very good! If you're frustrated by the low strength 10yo I'd recommend trying the 10CS and experiment with adding a tiny amount of water with a dropper until you find your sweet spot.
Price wise? I'd have a look on whisky auction sites and search for recent completed listings. I think I've seen it selling for around £150. That might change now that it's been re-released. If you're looking to sell one though and you appreciate whisky I'd argue that it's worth more to a whisky drinker than it will actually sell for. It's very, very good whisky that doesn't currently have a lot of hype. Cheers 🥃
£175 equates to $225 these days, which is absurdly overpriced. Consider that Loch Lomond 18 @46% still sells for about $70, Glen Moray 18 @47.2% about $90. Also consider that the very excellent Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength and their annual Cairdeas release regularly sell for about $90. So I will not pay more than $120 for an 18, and even then it better be a high-strength gem, which means I'm out ✌️
@@WhiskyLock Yep. Unfortunately there are enough sad middle-age guys with money to burn to keep these inflated prices climbing and climbing. The thing is, and I know you know this, that there's a process a new Scotch drinker goes through, and without experience, they feel like there's something magical they're missing out on with these overpriced bottles, but there really really isn't ✌️
Absolutely 100% and this is something we need to be careful of. Once opened it's a matter of time until the flavours begin to change. Sometimes for the better. Over a long enough time frame often for the worse. Not allowing bottles to sit with low fill level for more than a few months will help minimise disappointment. The two old bottles I was tasting here both had very high fill levels until recently.
I use argon gas wine preserver for bottled I've started but I know I may not go back to for a while. In especially I use it for young peated whisky. To be honest, I have no idea whether it really works, it's to hard to test empirically, but I haven't had one go flat since I started using it and each can is about £20 from popular online shopping sites.
@@myevokebab if you think it works then go for it 🤷♂️ I haven't tried it because it's hard to test as you say. I just try to either finish open bottles in a reasonable time or decant into smaller bottles for long term storage.
With Lagavulin 16 of the past 10 years I found that this literally happens overnight. I would say this is because of poor quality superficial, short duration finishing in sherry casks which doesn't permeate the whole spirit. I don't buy Lagavulin 16 anymore.
It would seem so 😣 if you're considering the new 18 I'd recommend settling for the 16 at a much lower price or keeping an eye out for the old one at auction.
@@WhiskyLock I think I have about 6 left of the old 18 year old in the green tube. I also bought one of the 16 years olds from Amazon.. but it seems to have mixed reviews.
@@theseeker3771 Now that's some wise buying. I wish I had more of the old 18 left. The 16 is a good dram. Good whisky. Good value by today's standards. Just don't compare it to your old 18s 😬
laughing emoji was unintended.(i left it on by the shelve and fell asleep.my magic finger somehow pushed it..) wish the inflation can be controlled..if it rises like this, its even bad for the conglomerates like diageo,pernod ricard,bacardi,william grants and sons,brown forman etc.. no wonder why the stock is plummiting
Sleep emoji... thats quite a skill! The big guys are certainly playing a different game but I feel that the next 10 years will be 'interesting times' for all...
@WhiskyLock I got an old 18 on auction a few years back for pretty much the cost of the new edition at the end of the day. Didn't feel so smart tbh but anyhow... Is the Ardnahoe worth the money? It's 78 euros (68 pounds) over here plus shipping
@@Atthapong15 Ardnahoe Inaugural is an expensive 5yo... but I'm actually going to say yes. A good dollop of Islay peat and some really nice sherry. It's young but punchy and quality through and through. And you're getting a little piece of Islay history. That's my opinion 🥃
Yes very much so. My opinion is that demand (for various reasons) is causing us to get less than we used to. And I can't see things going back to how they were in our life times. If we want great quality and value for money then we probably shouldn't be looking at the higher age statements anymore 😕
In Germany the 170€ we're the cheapest price of all three. Only the new 18 was reachable for that price. Even the 16 ist hard to find below. Some private sellers might give the 16 away for less than 160€, but it is hard to find. But back to the new 18. I really liked it. It tastes really well aged.
That's a shame. Is it possible for you to order Laphroaig 16 from Amazon.CO.UK at a lower price? I've saved money on certain things by ordering from Amazon.COM before 🤷♂️
@@WhiskyLock order in UK is possible, but with customs and delivery you are Back at the price Range of the 18 😕
@@theflow1546 import duty is a pain these days 😔
Great video, those old 18s are sorely missed. Completely agree that more people should be discussing the 16. What a beautiful bottle of whisky at a reasonable price. Yet to try the new 18. Cheers! 🥃
Glad now i just purchaced the 16 for half the retail price of the new 18.. Doh im am now thining of hunting down the old 18 :D
Thank you for taking the time to go so in depth in your comparison.
Thanks Andrew 🥃👍
Great video Shane. Loved this format. I think blind tastings, ironically, can be very insightful.
Thank you very much 👍🥃
Very good episode and interesting approach! Greetings from Poland!
Cheers Piotr 🥃
Fantastic video, Shane! Thanks!
Thanks Wouter 👍🥃
Such a great and useful video! Thanks! I have only tried the 16 YO of these three (the bottle being almost empty by now). I have an unopened 18 YO (old expression), of which I don’t know quite what to expect, purchased about three years ago for almost the price of the new expression. This comparison is so much more informative than someone just giving tasting notes of one bottle. To me it’s really the “relative” flavors and aromas that are of interest in reviews like this. I also really appreciate that you blind taste the three, not letting expectations affect the comparison.
Thanks Erik! I'm glad that I was able to do this comparison and also glad that you have a bottle of the old 18. If you haven't tried it before then I think you're in for a treat. Cheers 🥃
Good comparison review Shane! It is concerning that there is an ongoing theme amongst whisky reviewers that the whiskies being released today aren't as good as those released 15-20 years ago. It makes me wonder what the whiskies currently being distilled, to be released 15-20 years from now will be like. Cheers!
It really is worrying. There are still great whiskies to be had but quality has a different flavour profile now. These old gems like the old 18 are very hard to replace without spending mega bucks now. Cheers 🥃
What a great presentation of this much-anticipated release. Outcome is (no spoilers) very instructive ... Cheers!
Thank you very much 🙏🥃
Loved this comparison. Thanks for doing it!! I hope you enjoyed it. To my knowledge these have not hit the US yet. At least not near me
I was early in my whisk(e)y journey when they discontinued the L18. At the time I was spending $30-60 per bottle but I decided to pay up for one (about $110ish if I remember correctly) from a store that still had some. It’s in the bunker waiting for a rainy day. I will say… I have really enjoyed the 16 in the interim and I bought a 15 the same day I grabbed the old 18 that is open and being enjoyed as well.
Agree that their cask strength ($90ish here) seems to be the way to go. Have you tried any of their Private selects? They are about $250 here and I haven’t rationalized paying for one yet. I want to try one as I seek out single barrel bourbons and enjoy the “unique” experience that a SiB theoretically gives but that’s spendy!!
Thank you 🙏 When I first tried the 16 honestly I was disappointed that it wasn't a replacement for the old 18... but viewed in its own light and considering the price, it's a solid and recommendable dram 👍
I haven't tried any private selects. I don't think I've ever even seen one for sale. Laphroaig is a distillery that I'd like to explore more of from the Independent Bottlings though. Which is possibly a cheaper way of getting a small batch experience from that distillery 🤔 Cheers 🥃
Excellent and informative review as usual!
Thanks Sandy 👍🥃
Great shoot out Shaun!! Cheesy lactic notes rock 🎉
Indeed! 🧀 Cheesey cheers! 🥃
The goal is to draw money from people who have it, and therefore these prices are not meant to be competitive but to be exclusive unfortunately.
As a consumer and bot a rich one, for the price of this i can get 2 Ledaig 18 and 2,5 Laphroaig 10cs.
That's all i need to know.
I would certainly get more enjoyment out of Ledaig 18 or Laphroaig 10CS too!
There is undoubtedly an element of 'making something that will attract those willing to spend £175 on a bottle'. Many of the distilleries are at it. I don't think they care too much whether it sells or not though. Every bottle of overpriced whisky that sits on a shelf for many years is free advertising for that distillery. We're talking about thousands of eyes over the years. That builds familiarity with the brand, instills a feeling of prestige and quality and all of this undoubtedly sells bottles of Laphroaig 10 and Oak Select.
Thanks for this.!The first release of the 16 is different than the more recent releases. (Purchased a case) The first release has a more rounded profile and cask influence probably from the presence of older whisky. The original 18 is my all time favorite value whisky. I was pumped to hear that the 18 had been rereleased, but it hasn’t made it to the states yet, and at the new price; not in a rush to get it.
Excellent review Shane.
Never have had the priviledge to try the old 18yo ... and with the new being priced as it is, I doubt I will find a bottle on my shelf.
Slàinte mhath
The old one is phenomenal if you get the chance. The new one is missable considering the price. Just my opinion! Cheers 🥃
Brilliant smokey showdown. The 16 is at the top of my to buy list and pushed up even higher now. Cheers!
Smokeshow 😎 the 16 might not fill the shoes of the old 18 but at the current price it's a solid buy with little comparable competition from the other Islay distilleries. Cheers 🥃
I remember (really) enjoying a Glenfiddich 18 at around 50 pounds some ten years ago, now it’s double the price and not the same quality, so I know exactly how you feel. Great video, happy to be a subscriber!
Thanks George. The thing that really stings about stuff like Glenfiddich 18 is that the price is rocketing up and they still won't make it 46% and NCF. Which for the price is a requirement IMHO.
I feel the same way about glenlivet 18. It was a beautiful dram a few years ago at 43% and £50. But now it's double the price and 40%. They're making it hard to justify. Cheers 🥃
Great tasting comparison, Shane. You went to a lot of trouble to be as fair as possible with the blind tasting angle. Haven't had the new 18yo but am a great fan of the old bottling ( mine was also bottled 2014) due to its wonderful balance and phenomenal integration of the old fading peat smoke with the fruits, the malty core and the gentle oaky astringent finish. Love the stuff.
The 16yo definitely represents the best value of the three at today's prices. You're dead right there. It lacks the elegance and subtlety of the old 18yo but compensates with its more youthful energy and verve in its more up front smokiness.
Many thanks again for the detailed and very informative comparison.
Cheers
Cheers! 🥃
My favorite whisky ). Shane good job. Slante !
Cheers mate 🥃
@@WhiskyLock )))
Wow Shane! What a great run through!
Expectations are so high for these new 18’s including PC18, especially for the $$$ price, that it’s normal to be critical and as you say, maybe the effort and maturation is not what it once was.
I have an old 18,16,Lore in the bunker as well as an older 25… and multiple 10 cask strength’s and Cairdeas, so I don’t feel the need to chase this new 18…. You did the homework for me😇
…. However you’re new 18 is freshly cracked and May or may not improve over time?
Cheers 🥃…. Til…
Thanks John. Sounds like you're well stocked. This is my last bottle of the old 18 but I have a Lore, several Cairdeases and many 10CS too 🙂 very pleased that the 10CS is still available and relatively affordable.
I bought my new 18 on release day and gave it some time and airing but yes it's fresh. I think it would be nothing short of a miracle for it to catch up with the old 18 but I will be keeping an eye on it. Cheers 🥃
Look forward to your review of the 2024 Laphroaig Cairdeas. Cheers
Hi David. I might review it if I can get a sample but I might end up sitting that one out. Too much in the queue at the moment! Review of the latest 10CS Batch 17 coming soon though. Cheers 🥃
Love this! So many notes and sadly the old ones will be missed. I have not discussed the 16 as ... it is not available here, at all! Crazy. This may be very hopeful thinking, but I think in a couple of years, we are going to see whisky prices fall. The prices are just to high to sustain, not with the cost of living these days.
A Shane review of Laphroaig whisky and no mention of 10yr old piss 🙂
Enjoyed this one Lock top stuff.
It seems that we've found the secret to drinking Laphroaig without getting angry: exclusively drink things which don't invite comparison to the 40% 10yo 😂
I absolutely love the 16 but I have neither tried the old nor the new 18 and it sounds like I'm just gonna stick with the 16. Thanks for the review Shane 🥃
The 16 is certainly the smart buy. I wonder how much longer it will exist at the current price with it making the new 18 look so expensive by comparison 🤔 Cheers! 🥃
Thanks for the thorough review. Perhaps there is older whisky in some of the Laphroaig batches and/or expressions that may have an impact? Lore is NAS but supposedly has old whisky (at least the first batches) in it along with the newer juice. Love your music bed btw. Cheers! 🍻
Totally interesting review. Did you mention the cask types?
Thanks! I believe it's first fill bourbon across the board. I think you can taste that they're quite different bourbon casks as time goes on though. Very interesting!
So the same happened to Laphroaig 18 that happened to the Glendronach 15 revival. Containing mainly much older distillates than 15yo it was fantastic. After discontinuation it just wasn’t the same anymore.
Agreed. Some distilleries seem to have cottoned on to how important word of mouth is but are trying to game the system...
fascinating! great comparison Shane!
Sad results though. I love Laphy. I have a not so old Laphroaig Quarter Cask (2010ish) and a not so old Laphroaig 10 (2006ish) and I did comparisons to the current versions and it really is a remarkable difference. The old versions are definitely more phenolic and more complex. Better rmouthfeel etc..
I don't remember how it tasted but the Quarter Cask in around 2005 was one of my favourites and it was gnarly (or maybe I felt so as i was a whisky "beginner" then).
What makes it so different? Did they change the distilling process?... I heard somewhere (and I don't remember where, so it might be wrong info) that the newer Laphs have longer fermentation (>70hrs compared to less than 50hrs before Suntory took over).... I'm not saying that's it, I just wonder why it tastes so different.
Oh I wish I could try some Laphs from the 80ies or even older ones.... 🥺
Great video! Love your style!
Cheers mate!
The difference between old and new is even bigger with Ardbeg. Especially with Uigeadail. I had a bottle of very first Uigeadail from 2003 and it was pure tar, grease, wax, mouthfeel was thick and viscous as today’s version is light, thin, watery, more like smoky punch in the face, little bit of sweetness in the end. By the way I have a quarter cask from 2005 still unopened. I believe the first batch was 2004.
@@Wekotin oooooh you’re in for a treat once you open the old bottle. I wish i stashed some away but no…. Drank it all and probably didn’t appreciate as much as i should have…..
Cheers!
Unfortunately never had the pleasure of the old or new 18 as at the time, I was out my price range (I didn't know any wiser then 😂) and it's definitely now outside my price range. I did however pick up the 16 at the beginning of the year. Not opened it yet as I've been finishing off last year's cairdeas.
Good comparison video with alot of effort put into it being fair as possible.
Ah in hind sight there are a few expressions we should have all stocked up on!
The 16, while not the equal of the old 18, is a fine dram. Hope you enjoy it 👍🥃
As always, love your reviews. There are, for me, two points that need to be mentioned. One, in my experience, a freshly opened bottle tends to be more tight and closed but, in a year, can be altogether different and better. So for me that makes this side by side a bit imbalanced. Second, although in terms of pure numbers the new 18 is double, the pound/dollar is truly worth less than it was in 2014 and even than 2019. Inflation is real! So in terms of adjusted value, the new 18 is not really double the cost - though yes it is more expensive. I love the old 18, and still have 1 unopened bottle. I also have an unopened 16. The new 18 hasn’t arrived in my area yet. By the way I also loved that 200 year anniversary 15 yo, and still have 2 more of that left! Thanks for a great review!
Thanks Gary 👍 There are always going to be issues with comparing things like this. Especially when we consider that Old Bottle Effect exists, even in a sealed bottle. And that distilleries use different malt, different casks, different staff over the years. I think what I've done here is actually as fair and objective as can be though. Neither of the two old bottles had been uncorked more than a couple of times and both had been stored with at least a shoulder fill level. At least partly because I had it in mind to do a comparison between the old 18 and 16 so left them alone on purpose. Over the years I've become very familiar with the old 18, it's as I always remembered it and I'm beyond a doubt that the difference I was tasting is because it was just better.
Adjusted for inflation, the roughly £70 that I used to pay around 2014 for the old 18 is £93 in today's money according to the Bank of England. So what Laphroaig are asking is around double what they used to.
Assessing value is always hard and yes making whisky is expensive... but I started comparing value in terms of relative cost to the 10yo in this video for the precise reason of eliminating inflation and it seems to me that Laphroaig (and Bruichladdich, Dalmore, Macallan, etc) are just being greedy when it comes to their high teen and above whiskies.
To be fair, part of the reason why the prices are often shooting up so unevenly (HP18 went from £50 to £120 in a few months! And we're all familiar with what Talisker just did) might be because they're trying to factor in variances and standard costs over those 18 years... but if you own your own warehouse space then I find it hard to justify that 18yo whisky that used to cost around 2x what 10yo whisky used to cost now costs around 4x what 10yo whisky now costs. IMHO I think the rise in absolute cost we're seeing on L18 is mostly because they see others doing it and getting away with it 🤷♂️
The list of 18yo Scotch below £100 is now very short though. Deanston, Glen Moray and Speyburn are rare in still offering that. I have bottles of all three that I've not yet opened. I hope they'll at least be as good as this new L18. Cheers 🥃
@@WhiskyLock thank you for such a thoughtful response!
Listening to you is always enjoyable, and educational,
and most appreciated. And yes, I see your point about the price elevation. As you say, and here we are! Thanks again,
Gary
Really interesting video, the old 18 was one of the first 'serious' bottles I ever bought about 10 years ago, back then I could get it for 80 Euros! I'm a bit on the fence about Laphroaig I also really liked the old quarter cask but they seem to have toned it down a lot to appeal more to the masses. Prices are definitely an issue paying 175 for a bottle of 18 is just a bit much especially when the quality doesn't live up to what we used to have. Recently I did buy a 16yo IB from MoM, it's quite nice and I felt a bit more OK about paying 150 for a cask strength bottle but it doesn't have the same balance and complexity that I remember from the 18. It might all be a bit nostalgic but but sometimes I think it makes more sense to stop chasing 'what we used to get' from distilleries like Laphroaig.
These high priced OB 18s are certainly doing a good job of making the IB stuff look like better value. I think the new 18 states NCF but conveniently still doesn't mention colouring... it's like Laphroaig are in denial about e150a even being a thing. Compare that to an IB and you're actually getting quality with guarantees from people who just seem to care more.
I agree that lamenting the direction modern whisky is taking is not the most productive approach. But when it comes to rising prices and falling quality I no longer feel like I'm getting my moneys worth on things like this and will probably stick to the 10CS and maybe Quarter Cask. It's not so much a case of having a whinge but that certain things I used to love are no longer viable or available. Here's hoping that the imminent 10CS batch 17 will be as good as the previous one! Cheers 🥃
@@WhiskyLock100% agree one of the things I love about your channel is your focus on value and exploration of newer distilleries. It's actually quite exciting to imagine what the next 10 years has in store for us. We just need to navigate all the change as enthusiasts.
I think the price of the 18 is hard to justify when the 16 is less than half the price. I was not expecting it to be cheap but wow.
Yes... also makes you wonder how much longer the 16 will be available. At least for the current price 🤔
@@WhiskyLock Yes, I might get some more 16 as it's hampering the 18 sales for sure.
I think these new prices are here to stay now, unfortunately. Best we can hope for really is that interest wanes at this current pricing, and over time there’s a deflationary effect where prices stay the same as wages increase, to effectively bring the spending power required to purchase an 18 year old expression back into line again with closer to what it used to be. As things are though, at £180 a bottle, the juice needs to be more than just good for me to get my wallet out.
I think you're right. Any cooling or contracting of the market now will surely just mean that distilleries stick to younger malts and blends. I can't see 18yo whisky going back down to £60-70 again in our life time. Certainly now at the quality we used to have.
Agreed. I'm not in the industry, but I don't think they can afford to produce whisky at the same price anymore. There is a limit where people will walk away though and I think this could mean some distilleries will simply have to close. Just did a trip to Islay and Campbeltown and some of the distilleries are really worried, particularly that you can buy SOME of their whisky on auction cheaper than the RRP.
Well done, person who is not Kamala Harris, well done.
If you're in the USA, Total Wine & More sells a Mystery Malt called Glen Fohdry (which might be Balvenie), and they bottle a Peated 18 @47.1 which sells for $100 ✌️
When the 18 was discontinued, wasn’t the Lore a quasi replacement? How would it compare to this company?
I think they wanted us to think of Lore that way. What with putting it in the dark green tube similar to what the 15 and early batches of 18 were in and with John Campbell releasing details of the percentage of aged components in the first batch.
I think Lore is clearly younger than these expressions though. And much caskier. The complicated cask recipe shows. I think Lore is good. Even good value perhaps. But it's very different to the 15, 16 and 18s IMHO.
Hey shane, question for you (maybe even a video idea). What are your favourite food pairings for different styles of whisky?
Hi! Honestly it's not something I do very often. I like to enjoy whisky with full attention on the malt. I'm much more likely to pair food with a pale ale, IPA, bitter or lager. Whisky is for before or after food 🙂 although I admit that I'm intrigued by the idea of pairing reasonably priced whisky with food and will look into it. Do you have any recommendations?
@@WhiskyLock every so often I get together with a few friends and we'll have a charcuterie with some wines and whisky, and I love the way the different flavours go together. Especially some cheeses go really well with scotch. It's not something I would use my more expensive malts on though 😉. Apart from that I'm not really experienced with it either, I was just wondering if you happened to have any recommendations.
@@stijnhintzen Cheese and whisky sounds great. I can imagine that some peated whisky will go well with cheese. Needs further investigation! Cheers 🥃
I'm writing this little point before the review proper. I just bought the 16 a few weeks back for £80. The 18, which is two years older, is £175. More than twice the price. The price is completely insane and I'm writing this even before you review it but I'm expecting it to be a complete waste of money. Distillery Laphroaig disappointing us yet again. I do have some independent 18 and I'm expecting good things as always. 18 year old whisky has become a rip-off and the whisky industry is drifting into complete rip-off. It can go to hell. I'm becoming highly selective but the truth is I'm falling out of love with whisky and the whisky industry due to the prices. I've been a very big spender for the past ten years but I've had enough and going back to my wine love. I'm drinking my whisky stash rather than wasting my money on the mediocrity on sale these days. There is decent stuff but it's way too expensive for what it is.
It's such an easy prediction that the new expression will cost twice as much and be half as good isn't it? We've seen it all before... There are noticeable differences in flavour between the 16 and new 18 but certainly not a huge difference in quality IMHO and that makes me wonder how much longer we will see the 16 at under £100. It's simply the smart buy at this point.
I too am feeling a little less love for whisky. Bad value for money makes it harder and harder to find things to be excited about. Too often I feel like I have a choice between recommending something that's way overpriced or being the broken record of "too much, too much!". As much as we can try to stay positive, the truth is that we get less than we used to and some types of whisky is becoming exclusively for the rich.
@@WhiskyLock Cheers mate; I hear you. I'm not hating on whisky. I could never do that. The fact that I'm so disappointed with what's going on right now should be an indicator of my passion. You and I have both been drinking whisky longer than most so we have some perspective I think. I'm also getting this vibe from Ralfy himself.
A massive part of our whisky journeys has been to explore the landscape and try many different distilleries and their expressions at various ages. I've forgotten more whisky than most have tried. I know that single malt whisky is a luxury product which commands a price. A couple of decades ago I asked a colleague to pick up a bottle of Talisker 10 when she went to the supermarket. She came back gobsmacked that it was £29 and she and her husband were far wealthier than me. The question I keep repeating is what are we paying for? It's obvious to me that Laphroaig 18 is completely overpriced as is Talisker 18, Glendronach 18, Lagavulin 12 and countless bottles of whisky. Those examples are obvious but these days I sometimes trawl through the 'Latest Releases' section of online retailers (in the ridiculous hope of getting a bottle Springbank 10 or some such) only to find really mediocre independent offerings or stupidly priced half-decent stuff. There's an ocean of Caol Ila, for example, so why does a bottle aged in a crummy cask, or casks, for 12 years cost so much? Are Balvenie doing some sort of magic to charge what they do? It's not even as though the stuff in the bottle is that good.
I buy good rum as you know but I'm selective. However, I can buy rum for £80 which will blow away any whisky for the same price or Talisker 18, Laphroaig 18, Glendronach 18, etc, etc. There are good new distilleries coming on stream and it's just as well I enjoy young whisky as well as old. Nevertheless, I'm dipping into my stash and cracked an Old Pulteney 21 to remind me of the old days. I also opened a single cask, cask strength (51.2%) Cadenhead's bottling of 24 year old ex-bourbon Highland Park distilled in 1979 and that tastes unlike anything today. I bought it at auction years ago and it's time to start opening this treasure. It's very funky and has notes of blue cheese like Dolcelatte but sweet soft white fruit too. I'll send you a sample. Got some old Velier Caroni you might like too.
We were lucky to enjoy great whisky at good prices but it's a thing of the past unless the bubble bursts. I'm still buying but my stash is supplying me with stuff that doesn't exist any more. I bought it with that expectation so here we go. WT
Great video!! I just got the the Laphroaig 16 for 102 euro. I can get the old 18 for 172 euro. Is the 70 extra euros worth it?
Thanks! I think it comes down to whether you want the best possible aged Laphroaig (the old 18) or are happy with the best bang for buck (16). If you're after the best you can get and enjoy the oily, waxy, rich profile that you get with old malt then I think €172 is justified for the old 18. It's a fantastic whisky. The new 18 just doesn't come close.
@@WhiskyLock thanks for your reply. Keep up the good work with reviews. This video was great :)
has the quality of Laphroaig 10 deteriorated in the new batches? I bought the version in the old tube. But the bottling date is the end of 23
Hi! Are you talking about the standard 10 that's 40% or 43% depending on where you live? It's 40% here and honestly I haven't bought it in years. I find it too weak and I'm very frustrated that Laphroaig won't improve it (higher ABV, remove colouring and chill filtration). The flavour profile always used to be good but it's too watery and dies off too quickly for me at the low strength.
10 Cask Strength on the other hand is a glorious dram. Some batches are better than others and they're almost always noticeably different but always worth getting IMHO. I'll probably be reviewing the latest batch this Tuesday. Spoiler: it's very good!
If you're frustrated by the low strength 10yo I'd recommend trying the 10CS and experiment with adding a tiny amount of water with a dropper until you find your sweet spot.
What is a reasonable valuation of the old 18year old?
Price wise? I'd have a look on whisky auction sites and search for recent completed listings. I think I've seen it selling for around £150. That might change now that it's been re-released.
If you're looking to sell one though and you appreciate whisky I'd argue that it's worth more to a whisky drinker than it will actually sell for. It's very, very good whisky that doesn't currently have a lot of hype. Cheers 🥃
£175 equates to $225 these days, which is absurdly overpriced.
Consider that Loch Lomond 18 @46% still sells for about $70, Glen Moray 18 @47.2% about $90.
Also consider that the very excellent Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength and their annual Cairdeas release regularly sell for about $90.
So I will not pay more than $120 for an 18, and even then it better be a high-strength gem, which means I'm out ✌️
I agree. Some will say that the price is the price. I say that the current price can't be justified. I'll stick to the 10CS. Cheers 🥃
@@WhiskyLock Yep. Unfortunately there are enough sad middle-age guys with money to burn to keep these inflated prices climbing and climbing.
The thing is, and I know you know this, that there's a process a new Scotch drinker goes through, and without experience, they feel like there's something magical they're missing out on with these overpriced bottles, but there really really isn't ✌️
Do you find that peated whisky can sometimes lose it's "oomph" one it's opened though?
Absolutely 100% and this is something we need to be careful of. Once opened it's a matter of time until the flavours begin to change. Sometimes for the better. Over a long enough time frame often for the worse.
Not allowing bottles to sit with low fill level for more than a few months will help minimise disappointment. The two old bottles I was tasting here both had very high fill levels until recently.
I use argon gas wine preserver for bottled I've started but I know I may not go back to for a while. In especially I use it for young peated whisky. To be honest, I have no idea whether it really works, it's to hard to test empirically, but I haven't had one go flat since I started using it and each can is about £20 from popular online shopping sites.
@@myevokebab if you think it works then go for it 🤷♂️ I haven't tried it because it's hard to test as you say. I just try to either finish open bottles in a reasonable time or decant into smaller bottles for long term storage.
With Lagavulin 16 of the past 10 years I found that this literally happens overnight. I would say this is because of poor quality superficial, short duration finishing in sherry casks which doesn't permeate the whole spirit. I don't buy Lagavulin 16 anymore.
@@theseeker3771 cask finishes and low ABV both make whisky susceptible to going 'flat' in the bottle IMHO
So the moral of the story is that the equivalent whisky is now twice the price and half the quality.....
It would seem so 😣 if you're considering the new 18 I'd recommend settling for the 16 at a much lower price or keeping an eye out for the old one at auction.
@@WhiskyLock I think I have about 6 left of the old 18 year old in the green tube. I also bought one of the 16 years olds from Amazon.. but it seems to have mixed reviews.
@@theseeker3771 Now that's some wise buying. I wish I had more of the old 18 left.
The 16 is a good dram. Good whisky. Good value by today's standards. Just don't compare it to your old 18s 😬
3:50 surprise mfer
😂
laughing emoji was unintended.(i left it on by the shelve and fell asleep.my magic finger somehow pushed it..) wish the inflation can be controlled..if it rises like this, its even bad for the conglomerates like diageo,pernod ricard,bacardi,william grants and sons,brown forman etc.. no wonder why the stock is plummiting
Sleep emoji... thats quite a skill!
The big guys are certainly playing a different game but I feel that the next 10 years will be 'interesting times' for all...
@@WhiskyLock amen 🙏
Well, that's another bullet dodged as I can be content with the old LP 18 and use the money for that new Ardnahoe inaugural release instead!
If you're stocked up on the old 18 then you're sitting pretty 👍 enjoy the Ardnahoe. Cheers 🥃
@WhiskyLock I got an old 18 on auction a few years back for pretty much the cost of the new edition at the end of the day. Didn't feel so smart tbh but anyhow... Is the Ardnahoe worth the money? It's 78 euros (68 pounds) over here plus shipping
@@Atthapong15 Ardnahoe Inaugural is an expensive 5yo... but I'm actually going to say yes. A good dollop of Islay peat and some really nice sherry. It's young but punchy and quality through and through. And you're getting a little piece of Islay history. That's my opinion 🥃
🥃😊👍😊
laws of diminishing returns applied here - as in the past 10 years recently . . . sad.
Yes very much so. My opinion is that demand (for various reasons) is causing us to get less than we used to. And I can't see things going back to how they were in our life times. If we want great quality and value for money then we probably shouldn't be looking at the higher age statements anymore 😕
@@WhiskyLock i would buy the odd bottle to BLEND with older stocks I have pre-2008