ralfy review 784 - Ardbeg Lord of the Isles @46%vol:
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- Опубліковано 20 сер 2024
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Whisky is for drinking. Amen. Congratulations for 10 years and congratulations for opening a $1500 whisky bottle.
Haha yeah I thought the same thing. But yeah tbf I will buy and open 1 this year too.. Ardbeg the older whisky's are so damn expensive.
Edit: bottle is around 2000euros now..
I got hooked on whisky in the 1980's. For a special occasion I bought a bottle of Macallan 18yo with the bottle marked 1967. I loved it so much I drank a couple more as well. I paid $87 Australian at the time. :) I now see those exact bottlings on line for up to $10,000. I don't regret drinking them as I loved them. I do wish I could taste that bottling again as I think my palate has developed a lot on 30 years and I would appreciate them even more now.
Hello Ralfy from sunny Greece. I accidentally saw one of your very first videos in 2011, while i was studying Law. Today, after so many years, when i am tired in my office, i pour a dram and i still enjoy your vlogs as if it’s the first time. I am telling you that to say thank you. Thank you for persuading me to join the malt world but also thank you for remaining the same person with the same passion and integrity as when you started. Keep up the good work up there my friend. Sláinte!
I couldn't have said it better! Sláinte!
. . . happy to share the malt-moments !
the best comment
I've had bottles that I bought for 70-150 euro, thats are now worth 1000+, no regrets here, glad i had the chance to taste them at a good price.
Lucky You sir. 🥃💥🥃
Which ones, just out of interest?
@@Powerslider Hey sorry for the late reply, it got lost in my mentions.. One of them was Karuizawa Asama, it's not a 100% Karuizawa if i remember correctly, it's sold at 1500 now... I also had some other japanese ones that went up 10 times in price. The one i'm sad about is the Hakushu 12 year old, i used to buy it for 40 euro's and it's around 200 now, if you can even find it. Used to be my go to whisky.
“I can smell it already...” - the spontaneous look on your face as your nose gets wind of the malt is priceless. One of your finest presentational moments.
Thank you for sharing this special Ardbeg with us ralfy. I could not stop smiling through the vid.
Ralfy, if I had my will, you’d never stop making these vlogs. They are priceless.
. . . happy to share !
I think this is the best review i have seen from you Ralfy and the bar is very high! The utter delight on your face when your nose first picks up the Ardbeg is priceless... you cant fake those shows of absolute happiness! Some really interesting points made and has made me think more about my Whisky journey. I thank you and look forward to the extras video!
My mouth is watering. I can almost smell the spirit! Thanks Ralfy.
Dear Ralfy, congratulations on your tenth anniversary, many happy streaming returns and thank you for all you have done for the whisky awareness.
. . . happy to share !
Of all the fancy Ardbegs I've tried the 10 year is still my favorite.
$1,699 if you can find it in the US. I'll, once again, live vicariously through you, Ralfy.
Tasted Ardbeg - Lord of the Isles at a friends place last year, very good single malt. Totally agree that whisky is for drinking, I too have opened discontinued whiskies, some would say it's a shame to open it, but my reply would be, no it's a shame not to open i".
Congratulations Ralfy! Cheers to another 10! I thouroughly appreciate your reveiews each week, and eagerly await the next!
I had this issue with the Daftmill Summer Batch lately just seeing the newer auction prices...brought it to a private tasting where I couldn't step back from opening it the moment it was on the table. Good choice. ;)
Hey Ralfy Thanks for not doing those pathetic/boring and long winded live streams that everyone else is doing. Less is more!
Ardbeg does NO wrong. Love them all.
Maybe they've done some mistakes during the years... but I love the core range!
I am new to Scotch whisky, but I bought a bottle from Kingsbarns Distillery during a recent trip to Scotland (my first but hopefully not my last.)
Maybe at 65 I’m late to the game, but I’m sure glad I found your videos. Looking forward to learning a lot.
Mike Clark
It's never too late, never.
Cheers!
Welcome to Scotch whisky, hope it’s agreeable for you, but not to much :)
Agreed, never too late and infact lifetime and palate experience with foods and other comestibles often leads to a rather positive foundation from where to start.
Wow great whisky and happy 10 year anniversary
I could almost smell that through my TV. Great moment. Thanks for sharing !
Oh how wonderful it is to see a (good) video with zero dislikes!!! Proscht from northern Switzerland Ralfy!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful and historic moment Ralfy!
I wish I bought Port Ellen 6th release from Lagavulin back in 2007, it was £125! Now.. £2500. Well, it was way over my budget at the time.
I've bought a PE 6th release in 2009 for 334€ (a bad label discount) instead 554€. I was very lucky and enjoyed the whole bottle without any regret.
Happy 10th Ralfy! I hold you personally responsible for depleting my bank account!!!
I really appreciate that new camera angle or lense or whatever it is that you've changed.
Keep it! Looks great!
This was the whisky that got my father-in-law into peated whisky. He used to hate peated/islay whiskies but once he got his lips round this he has been one of the biggest Ardbeg fans out there. Another great review Ralfy
My father bought this I have the casket box and bottle on display in my living room with my whisky collection.
All I have to say is thanks Ralfy.
Great vid Ralfy -- thanks for sharing this special moment.
Highly appreciate and respect your notes about sticking to your budget at the end there!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the tasting profiles of older whisky like "classic Ardbeg. It's a privilege to be able to vicariously experience a bit of history and a rare whisky through your reviews.
Great video as always malt mate. Completely agree with you on not paying out too much to chase quality, there is plenty of whisky out there to enjoy with fellow malt mates! I was fortunate enough to visit Islay last year with a good friend of mine and taste a glass of a 25yr that was £1000 a bottle (which we got for free!), but (thankfully for my wallet) I still preferred the 16yr old priced at £47. It is a beautiful part of the world that anyone should visit if they have the chance. Keep up the fine work sir !
also gratz on 10yr!
Thanks, Ralpf. You share it with us. I think we are good company.
Loved the review Ralfy. And thanks for the blending ideas.
Hi Ralfy, interesting point about recreating rarer malts by vatting your own. Any chance of a vlog covering your top ten recipes? Cheers
. . . yes, I will explore the principles !
@@user-ky9uc6wm4g cheers.. and happy to offer any help in sampling new recipes you are working on. Just send them my way! Lol
Jag Singh that’s an awesome idea
Great idea if you could provide some ratios of obtainable malts to create a throwback that I could never afford like a 1972 Brora.
I found several suppliers of new toasted and charred oak barrels and the prices are reasonable. I would love to blend some creations with your help and barrel them!
Thank you!
@@user-ky9uc6wm4g I would love that! great idea!
Whiskey Wash News Flash regarding the Barton Whiskey Warehouse Collapse There are currently 6,657,063 barrels of whiskey aging in Kentucky. The barrels affected in this incident represent about 1/3 of 1% of that total, and that’s just in Kentucky. There are a few million more aging in Tennessee, Indiana, and other states. Those are crazy numbers...Woww!
Ralfy, thank you for sharing. I had a simply delightful 17 minutes with you. I could almost taste the whisky.
Off topic but I was recently reading a history book that mentioned a prison camp on the Isle of Man where they interned German familes for the first few years of the war. Back in 1939, the authorities did not appreciate that there was a difference between regular Germans and the German Jewish families who were fleeing persecution. How ironic that the Brtitsh interned potential Nazi spies alongside the Jewish refugees. There was a synagogue and Jewish cemetary on the island during the war. The synagogue is long gone but I believe the Jewish graves are still there.
A dream bottle! Definitely savor every last drop.
Glad to see you have eased back on the added water, Ralfy. I often felt you added too much, especially with the standard 40 per cent offerings.As the old Scots saying goes: what's the point of starting a fire then immediately putting it out?Plus, letting it breathe: I can do the breathing for both of us, the whisky and me, thank you.A little water on the cask strengths is more logical but, at the end of the day (when we usually pour a dram) it's all down to preference.So thanks for your guidance.
Nice review!
*runs off to try that mock Brora recipe*
Cheers Ralfy! Enjoy that dram like you know how!!
6:00 Dr who reference: wibbly wobbly....timey wimey......stuff....
Ralfy,
You're a great man. Knowing that this Ardbeg is so expensive now and you still uncorked it for a review ( even though it's your 10th anniversary)
You should and could have asked your fellow malt mates whether it would have been a better choice to sell the bottle and donate the proceeds to several charitable institutions.
By the way, I'm almost certain that you still have in your possessions other whiskies that are equally if not more expensive.
Really admire your spirit and outlook in Life.
Cheers!
All the best.
I don't think it follows that, just because one has an audience and owns something expensive that they do not, that audience can or should "decide" whether you need to sell the item to satisfy the audience's ideas of "generosity". If people want to be virtuous, they can sell their own items and make their own donations.
I feel it's the intent of many folks working at distilleries to make something as good as it can be to be opened and savoured, smiling all the way through.
@@knarfzxc- That could well be true, but I'm not always convinced that those people are now the ones making the decisions as to what gets made or how.
I wish they had access to your videos in China, you are a great teacher and they are in need of teaching. I was horrified to learn that they often have the exact opposite views of you and me when it comes to wine and whiskey and other fine drinks. Which is to say its a way to flaunt your wealth to make the poor feel bad in order to feel satisfaction, only the label matters. Kind of like the way “exclusive” is a plus word but much more extreme over there. That is why you can choose your own label on some wine bottles such as Chateau Latour and an expensive vintage of your choice in order to impress your acquaintances. The content doesn’t matter much.
Instead of hating on them I see a great need for learning which they are often denied. Fortunately we sometimes meet them in hotels, bars and other places and can offer gentle words of wisdom.
I really feel at home on your channel with likeminded whiskey fans who appreciate whats in the bottle in the same way I do.
Hear hear, sir...not to open a can of worms, but your observation is spot-on: many people in countries like China or India who have become newly well-off (at least by local standards) in recent years are interested in boosting their social status by the acquisition and consumption of what are seen as luxury goods - due in part to the long periods of economic and/or political deprivation suffered by their families and compatriots. It's a understandable psychological response; it is what it is...thumbnail bargain basement sociological analysis completed. You're welcome.
I see why you hesitated to open it. great to see it being enjoyed
Watching this in 2022. My goodness, how the mighty Ardbeg has fallen.
Fantastic Ralfy
I remember in one of your old videos you took forty creek barrel select and added a few drops of ardbeg to make the Atlantic bridge! I ought to try that one for my self
If I remember correctly, Ralfy suggested in any older video to add a bit of Laphroaig to any bottle that was a disappointment to make it more palatable. I’ve occasionally used that trick and it worked beautifully.
True, forty creek is no disappointment though, atleast for the price imo. Not sure if you were were referring to forty creek as a disappointment, my bad if your weren’t 😅
No, Francesco. I wasn’t referring to forty creek barrel with my comment...it was just a recollection of another one of Ralfy’s many great suggestions for improving our experience with enjoying whisky that was similar to the one that you remembered. I’m sorry for any confusion.
Ah I see, no worries! And yes Ralphy has made some great suggestions throughout the years, that’s for sure
Agreed. I have to admit that I have an unopened bottle of Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix from 2010. My (then) wife bought it for me as a christmas gift, but the price has skyrocketed since and I just haven't been able to bring myself to open it. Might as well hold on to it for another decade.
I’m going to try a glendronach Allardice with 10 % ( to start with ) Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, to get the dry and musty flavors out of the glass,
or maybe just add some water with a universal measuring device :)
But the glengloyne + Oogy is definitely going to happen to :)
Macallan M :-)
Thoroughly enjoyed that.
Brilliant Ralfy
My Lord....you've made my mouth water and made me thirty at 8am....HAHAHA. I would love to see a vlog on your recreations!
Thanks Ralfy. I’ve enjoyed our malty journey together.
Omg...drooling🤤
Awsome! Thanks Ralfy!
This is one of my favorite malts of all time. Slainte Mhath my friend!
Thank you so much for the blending advice! I’ll try at least one of them this weekend!
Drink and enjoy your whisky! Well said Sir!
I have been dabbling in blending just like you mentioned, and I`ve created some exquisite blends if I do say so myself! One consists of 25% Uigeadail and 75% 21 year old first fill sherry cask strength Glenburgie (G&M 57.9%). It is an absolutely wonderful dram. =)
I really wish this video went another 20 minutes, great stuff.
Opened! More of this Ralf...!!!
Congrats, Ralfy, a great achievement choice ! Slainte !
While it's no doubt phenomenal stuff, the Quality/Price Ratio on expensive whiskies, even if high performance, is totally out the window - although this doesn't really apply as much to bottles bought at lower prices and then held while the market price went through the roof. Various people could afford a Lord of the Isles, if they could find one, but even a nearly perfect whisky would be hard pressed to justify the current price. Ralfy is right, however: whisky is for drinking; once the collectibility and flip price become the concerns, great whisky bottles become nothing more than trophies and doorstops.
I wish we saw more if his first impressions
Hi Ralfy,
What a great review. This is the benchmark for how to do a VLOG - personal, thoughtful, informative, unpretentious, respectful. Thanks for sharing. Happy 10th (Digital) Anniversary. Check your bottle code. What year was this bottled? Your whisky may be older than 25 yrs. Cheers!
Followed a bottle of Lord of the Isles at auction lately. Sold for 6000CAD. I had one bid in at 1500 then it flew up!
. . . just crazy money !
@@user-ky9uc6wm4g Right! Then the 20% that the auction house charges 7200CAD total..😠 I did manage to score an old malt cask Longmorn 20 and Cadenhead Glen Mhor 20 for a great deal though.
just looked on the whiskey exchange it has this at £1500
. . . they charge a lot !
@@user-ky9uc6wm4g Yup. You've been my town, Toronto Canada. LCBO is still the liquor monopoly in Ontario and they control the 1 and only auction house as well.
Ha! Who would have guessed that the rule of thirds from Photography would apply to blending whisky?
Cheers mate!
Meant to be open and enjoyed
Absolutely !! wanking over unopened rare bottles or flipping for futures is not for me whatsoever, share in the best of appreciative company and on your own too having a great internal discourse.
I bought a couple of these from your beloved SWA and one of them I cannot for the life of me find the laser etched bottling code. Also the label has been glued, which I know can happen over time... All the same, I hope it`s not a fake!!!!
ralfy.....god bless you man!!
Damn I would enjoy a bottle with someone like you who really appreciates whisky for drinking, and afther or before whatever, I would pay another great bottle like this to drink the both off us, because I don't like the drink someone's expensive stash. 👍
Now this is luxury!
I love ardbeg. It’s got to be my favorite scotch
Quality vlog. Enjoying massively. Any 50/50 A'Bunadh/Ardbeg 10 works ok. Consider timelines: Did you try Lord Of the Isles amidst its contemporaries circa 1994/1996 e.g. Springbank 21 (aka 35 due to closure). Looking at what we have circa 2019 will make this "Lord" shine, but back in the day...? A ton(tops). Next time you're in the Bon I would love to buy you a very large pint. Blessings you big maltymetallicall amessianicmetaphysicalmultiplemaltissimo.
Love this channel.
I still can't bring myself to open the Flaming Heart.
I am not totally convinced of the integrity of the Lord of the Isles. It is a 2001 bottling of a 1975-76 casking, but sold in 70 cl bottles. 70 cl became mandatory only after the EU mandate of standardisation effective 10 years after a country was accepted formally into the EU. It wasn't until 1992 that the European Union was officially formed, with Britain's membership coming into force in November 1993. One saw only 75 cl bottles at 43% ABV. The anticipated 70 cl rule for Scotch Whisky was most welcome in the UK, as was the minimum 40% ABV rule, so that Blended Scotch could be sold faster and with a much higher quantity of Single Grain whisky in smaller bottles. The UK switched to 70 cl bottles only after 2003. There is something that doesn't quite jell. I hadn't seen 70 cl bottles of Scotch before 2005-06, when I was in Germany.
Would love to see a re-review of this one.
Wonderful and thank you.
Heh ralphy.. great show.. love all the adjectives...
I can only imagine how good that is. I had a chance to try Ardbeg Twentysomething 22 year old at the distillery, amazing! I've been doing some experimentation with Ardbegs Correyvrecken by adding some drops to a bottle of Cu Bòcan that I was a bit disappointed in. It adds the nice smoke and covers that taste of crushed vitamin C I get in Tomatin whisky (as much as it can). I look forward to your sharing of mixes. Cheers!
Thanks for sharing.
420 BLAZE IT YOOOOOOOOO
Time = Wibbly Wobbly...
@ralfy Can you do an extra that touches more on your experience with older Islay malts? I gather a lot of people favor younger Ardbegs and Laphroaigs since they emphasize the spirit and phenolics, but a lot of us also may not be able to afford or come across the special stuff. I’ve bought Laphroaig PX and other ‘engineered’ younger bottles hoping to taste more diversity, but have concluded you just can’t replace age in the cask. What are we missing? Is it worth the hunt and the price? Thanks and cheers.
pOP! cONGRATULATIONs!!
You look great with a beard!
Legendary whisky!!! How much did you pay for it? Great review props on opening up the bottle, can you send me a sample? 😁🤞
Hey Ralfy! Did you tip the bottle to keep the cork wet constantly for all those years you have had it?I have a bottle of 18yr Oamaruvian from NZ Whisky Collection which I'm saving for my sons 18th Birthday in 14 more years. I know about looking after bottles/cork over a few months/years, cork wetting/light/heat etc, but wonder if there's anything I should be doing when storing for over a decade? Cheers!
Keep in a cool, dark location, out of direct or indirect sunlight (or any artificial light, for that matter). Store upright: although you can occasionally turn them on their sides to moisten the corks, always return to an upright position. That's pretty much the standard storage advice.
Many people would pay a lot just to be able to tell their whisky friends: "I've had Lord of The Isles with Ralfy in his Manx bothy"
Eh, I don't know about the Uigeadail these days Ralfy, I reeeeaaaaaaly don't.
"Et tu, Islay?", is all I got to say about that.
. . . perhaps I should then, to say what needs to be said.
Ralfy, what are your favorite malts for after a rich spicy meal (garlic, curry, etc. as you mentioned). Something that isn't wasted but adds to the enjoyment? Awesome thoughts here!
. . . Bowmore ticks the box !
Aye...share with friends who appreciate it properly.
Wonder what it would cost now .
Vocabulary=vocabulary+1
Swithering.
Is this the highest scoring malt to date ??
I think you should have waited for me. However.
4:00 in the video - point of no return.
So is being born 😎
Maybe you wanna re-visit this one?
Ralfy,
I must say the black mold of your bothy is not doing you any favours. It may be natural but so is cancer. On this your 10th anniversary of making these invaluable reviews it is perhaps a great time to choose another venue before the one you are in contributes to an illness.
Curtis
Sincerely,
I always thought it was soot. Pretty sure it is.
@@margaretlafountain4762 Nah, it's "only" Baudoinea compniacensis (a.k.a. "whiskey fungus" - completely harmless and tasty to boot!)