ralfy review 724 Extras - Brand versus Craft whisky bottlings.
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
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Ralfy, no BS, this is why you are the one & ONLY reviewer/commentator whose words & taste I trust without reservation, exception or “asterisk” disclaimer. One damn fine & honest vlog entry, sir. Lovely stuff indeed. Thank you very authentically. 👍🏻👏🏻
. . . happy to share the malt-moments !
Hear hear!
The amount of solid solid information in these videos is just off the charts. Especially for those of us who have little to no experience with the malt world. Thank you Ralfy, as always.
Ralfy, I completely agree with your observation regarding the duty stamp. The duty stamp reminds us all that we are children and that we need permission to decide what we consume. "You are free to do as we tell you" - Bill Hicks
. . . correct !
I don't drink whisky, but I translate for a major enterprise that owns several whisky destillaries, that's how I came to your channel... but now, apart from translating all those hints, notes, and finishes, I'm seriously considering having a wee dram myself. Your channel is great!
. . . have a memorable and marvelous malt-moment when you have a wee dram , . . . for professional research !
Like for the can of Haggis on the shelf.
The "enjoy responsibly" statement on the label has an additional meaning in the USA: In addition to telling you not to act like a jerk, it is demonstrating to the public (and especially to the courts) that they, the suppliers, do not endorse or encourage you to act like a jerk, and they will not be legally responsible for anything stupid you do after using their product.
Oh Ralfy, I love your elaboration! Thank you very kindly for always sharing your opinions not just in the spirit, but also with the industry. You see I'm just a beginner to the marvolus art of "exploring" and appreciating a whisky for what it is; not for what it does. There's no doubt your channel has enhanced my enjoyment with the hobby. Thank you very much sir! Wishing you nothing less but the best of success. 🐝☮️☯️
I am not the most experienced but I have heard several experts say a light color for a whisky was beautiful.
. . . I'm delighted to hear that !
One of those experts was you. :) Another one I remember is Horst Lüning, and Jason Debly but I am pretty sure many others too, and I would even say it's becoming common to appreciate light colors as a sign of "naturalness".
I really appreciate the specific informations about the Malt that are on the independent labels...it also just adds most definitely to the fun. More said, and with less words...
Thank you for breaking down Craft and Independent Bottler whiskies Ralfy! Also for further elaborating how you come to the decisions regarding your Malt Marks. Truly appreciate it. I too hope things change in the world of caramels, chill filtrations and standard 80 Proofs being the common face of the industry and markets. I feel the same way, honestly, about the stigma that only good whisky comes from being bonded or having an age statement attached to it. Further more, to folks who insist that the product has to be made of specific grains to be superior or come from specific countries to be superior. No disregard to your specific commentary niche which you shed a lot of light on for those not as familiar. But the entire world is out there, so I further applaud you for also doing Marks on products like Japanese/Irish Whiskies, Bourbons & Ryes. Just a fan of your reviews and commentary period. Cheers to you!
Just had an 11 year old Strathisla at last week's SMWS tasting. Was pretty good. No caramel no chill filtration, 58% cask strength goodness. Much better than the standard adulterated 12
There’s a cricket going nuts in the background. Thought it was in my house.
Thanks again for the great video Ralfy! I think, taken as part of a whole, your malt marks are a good guide to informed purchases. I take them as only a part of the pie you are serving. Then i include the knowledge i gain from your talks on chill filtration, coloring, label information, regional characteristics, distillery history, secondary markets, independent bottling and so on. A malt mark can really only be a stepping stone... no worries, we malt mates get it!
As an anorak I found the Strathisla 12 barleysugartastic a few years back but haven't bought one (apart from a gift) since, as it's a bit one dimensional. Great entry level malt/gateway drug from Chivas akin to their Aberlour 10. Cask strength ncf no colour is a natural progression on the whisky journey but it's important not to become elitist - we were all learners once. Nice appreciation of both camps and we'll explained, Ralfy. Horses for courses. Slanjeevaurus.
Oh yeah, I would love to distillers come out with whisky geek bottles of the distillers bottle range.
eric gilbert They would find it Flew off the shelves !
Unless they felt Obliged to Price it Incredibly High... (Pro Tip... They will take the Pish)
There is a bird that wants to get in the bothy.
Nice one Ralfy. I love independent bottlers but you are quite right in that they can deliver stuff that has no distillery character whatsoever. I also agree about the Highland Park dilemma. The distillery is well and truly up its own arse but I've not had a satisfactory independent bottle recently either.
Welsh Toro there seems to be so many IB Highland parks about just now. Would be interesting if Ralfy did a group review of recent HP IBs, comparing and discussing why and how so many are about just now
Hi Brian, I guess Highland Park had a lot more juice to spare 10 or 20 years ago before the whisky boom. I think one of the issues is that HP IBs are as expensive as the ludicrously priced distillery releases these days. If it's a single barrel with a reasonable age statement and high abv it wont last long and if they are 18 years and above the prices are ridiculous especially if aged in a sherry barrel. I've had some middle aged ex-bourbon ones and they're alright but nothing special. I just can't be bothered with them any more. I have a Cadenhead's 24 year old single barrel distilled in 1979 in storage. I'm pinning all my hopes on that one.
What an extremely complicated thought process explained in such a perfect way.
Amazing to my mind, that a short whiskey-drinking Scotchman could be so precise and clear.
I know - I know "whiskey-drinking Scotchman" is a redundancy, but what the hell! right?
Not so much on the short stuff you seem to be the biggest in this field anyway.
Ralfy, you are a true genius and a whisky messiah!
Brilliant extra review ralfy , your spot on , looking forward to seeing what the non islay peated whisky is
I was just speaking as to influencers. They work at every level. It's human nature to be influenced, as it is easy to (whether knowingly or NOT) become an influencer, if you create or share any kind of content [or are in a network of the industry]. As long as we are influencing based on quality of experience and ethic, no harm done.
Hi Ralfy. Thanks for all the hours of informed whisky prognostication. Making my first trip to Scotland next month. Are there any scotches I should look for that are not commonly distributed in the US?
. . . look out for Distillery-only bottlings at distileries you visit, and have a good trip !
Thanks Ralfy, I appreciate your commentary
Howdy Ralf) New checkered shirt! I do like checkered shirts myself (got a great variety of such). here I am, sippin' my Glenfiddich 12 year old glass in my red and black checkered shirt and The Fiddich ain't that bad). But a week ago it seemed to me less palatable, but ok now maybe because i was feeling ill. It's getting cold in Moscow so It's time for a dram and new purchases. What couldya recommend on a cold evening to go a long way at the chimney piece?
Awesome Ralfy, your the Best. I have to say I like Chrish 12345 comment on how you can mark the whisky's a little different.
It's all about the presentation for most people not the whisky itself like the whiskey vault said
Nice video
good info Ralfy.
speakn of Ardmore ::wink:: Teachers has a nice dolup of peaty Ard dun up n decent casks...great valu 4
th $€£.
The Malt Mark is little more than a Ralfy Tradition isn't it?
At it's most useful it is a quick reference for yourself to look back over a certain year and see the Best and the Worst IRO (in Ralfys opinion)..
We have everything here. Ralfy finally makes it clear that the average whisky has average taste and is for the average consumer. As we are watching Ralfy's videos, we are not that average target, average consumer. The non-average whisky has stronger tastes and is of course "better" (define that...;-) ), it has personality and and and can't please everyone! The more persoanlity, the more people don't like it. That's why it's about your taste and that marks have to be understood as ideas not definitive marks and that you, the non-average consumer, can find this 88 whisky NOT your taste and another 85 whisky "better" (for you). It means : there is a difference between quality and persoanl tastes (and of course Ralfy makes that clear when he gives marks) ... but I think 90% of non-average consumers don't really notice that. And it's for everything you eat or drink or also you watch or hear and do...
Yes, would love to see better presentation of Strathisla
Quick question. Was going through old vlogs and watched how to preserve whisky. How did the preservation gas work out??what do you think of using glass marbles to take up the extra space as is done with Madeira? Thoughts?
. . . it works very well on all liquors, I have old malts totally fresh after ten years in opened bottles.
My favourite Independent Bottlers.... Adelphi.....Signatory... Gordon & MacPhail....(In order of preference actually) Don't ever seem to have quality issues with these ones.
. . . Adelphi do good stuff !
I have never had a bad Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask. They have always been very good or excellent. However, I'm quite selective. I discard most of them and give a quite a bit of thought about which ones I'm going to buy. That goes for all the independent bottles I buy.
Ralf why not have a 'craft' mark and a 'branded' mark option so that people can judge the scores in context, they will know the branded mark will be more about value for money and accessability and the craft mark will be more on the pure quality of the malt?
That's touchy. Even reading it makes it seem that branded whiskies are inferior to the craft whisky category when we know very well there are a lot of well known products practicing all the chill filtration, caramel color adding, standard proofing out there widely available that are fantastic drams. Like he said, a lot of the craft and independent bottler whiskies out there are terrible, plain and simple. I think having the Malt Mark signifies his niche. His mantra (Regarding Malt Marks anyway) has always been they must be Malted Barley whiskey with Age Statements. Those are his only rules. Personally, anything above 85 has always been a satisfying dram to me based on his Marks regardless of style of whisky. I do wish he'd branch out to the non aged statement whiskies of the world. His input on small companies while they're up and coming would be fantastic commentary. Especially if we wait out a few years and see where some of those brands take off!
All just opinions from a fellow Malt Mate friend. Cheers to you.
. . . I will just keep the malt-marks formula as it is, it seems to work best that way !
Any experience of Carn Mor Bottlings
Hi Ralfy. Do you thing you could do a review of 1792 small batch bourbon?
Really enjoying these extras Ralfy!
HI. Does anyone have any experience with the Carn Mor Indi Bottlings...I have got a couple and wondered about your thoughts?
Ralfy, the presence of a UK Duty Stamp on a relevant bottle of whisky for example, does not guarantee that UK excise duties have been paid on the bottle in your possession.
At the point of production and then bottling the majority of spirits bearing a UKDS on the back label then sit in a bonded warehouse until they are sold but without excise duties having been paid. The UK Duty Stamp is an indication that the ultimate destination for the goods is intended to be the UK duty paid market. However, where a hand applied UKDS has been affixed to a bottle of relevant product it is more likely that such a stamp has been affixed just prior to the goods passing ax duty point, ie, having the excise duty paid immediately prior to the goods being placed into a duty paid regime.
UK Duty Stamps are a valuable commodity to smugglers and other criminal gangs that counterfeit alcohol and there are now very convincing counterfeit UKDS appearing on smuggled, stolen, and counterfeit spirits.
UKDS stocks of spirits in bond which are subsequently decided to be released for export have to have their UKDS removed under very strict monitoring procedures governed by HMRC.
The UK government currently believes that one in six bottles of spirits consumed in the UK will not have had any UK taxes paid on it..... Just saying....
. . . 1 in 6 ! with vodka, I thought it would be more. Duty tax will always be an emotive battleground between State Control and human resourcfulness. Duty payable on sugar would be a good option for filling the deficite of alcohol tax avoidance. People can make their own alcohol, but cant make sugar ! and alcohol production needs sugar. Public health improvements would be dramatic.
Git Glen Keith for £19 from Bargain Booze the other day... Quite enjoyed it,
What is that chirping sound
. . . hens in the farm along the road.
Everyone ignores the recycle symbol? I always recycle my bottles.
Who recycles Whisky Bottles!?
Although we have shops selling empty Spirit Bottles with a string of Poundland LEDs in for twice the price of a full one!
Hi Ralfy. I follow a few websites/vlogs and blogs and I do sometimes wonder why some of them attempt to describe the colour before moving onto nose, palate etc. Means nothing to me...or am I missing a point? Cheers
. . . I agree with you. Colour is a cosmetic association when in reality being natural from cask extract is what really matters.
ralfydotcom. That's reassuring Ralfy. Wish we had the same labelling requirements in the UK as in Germany so at least we know for sure uf E150 has been added...maybe it's possible to find out on German liquor sites. By the way....is the next review a Ledaig? I'm not a regular peat drinker but do enjoy when in the mood. I enjoyed the 12yo and am tempted with the 18 but not sure whether to go for it given it is £70+.
Hi Jag, the colour can tell us quite a lot about what we are about to drink providing it's natural colour. If it's a sherry barrel are we drinking ex fino, which is more common than people think, or oloroso? (Different sherry, different cask profile.) If it's 12 year old ex-bourbon with hardly any colour we can assume it's a refill cask and not first fill. None of this effects the quality of the actual drink, and these barrels are a matter for the distillery or independent bottler, but it does inform us consumers and builds a mental picture of the drink for drink geeks like myself. Good drinks are a story and I like to explore them.
Welsh Toro Hi Welsh Toro. Yes agree.. colour can indicate type of cask, refill and age etc. My point being is if there was greater transparency on E150 then I would know for sure which bottles I should be focussing on. Otherwise there is no point if there is a slight chance that E150 is present. Cheers.
Absolutely Jag. There should be transparency about natural or artificial colour. There is in Germany where it is a legal requirement to put it on the bottle.
Did you mean to say that Chivas Bros, is a,
"Big MaltyNational Company"
3:38
And by God man get Catoctin Creek on a review video one of these days!
Ralfy - I hear on the news that Scotland has just introduced minimum pricing on alcohol.. Your thoughts? (They are now talking about doing the same in New Zealand - as if copying the formula will somehow cure the arseholes of their behaviour when intoxicated.)
. . . it's a good idea, malt whisky is well-above minimum pricing threshholds !
Nothing has ever been truer than that.
Was that simile or allegory?
. . . bit of both !
The libertarianesque dialog in the beginning; I couldn't enjoy it enough. I'm right there with ya.
Ardmore 20 year old ?
. . . very tasty, if you get the right one !
❤️👍🥃
HEY RALFY!!!! Please (if you get a chance and care to) check out an American single malt whiskey from Oregon called Bull Run. I had a chance to try this one recently and it was quite impressive and complex as all get out & go..... CHEERS!!! :)
Автор , сделай субтитры пожалуйста.
The niche group is your audience, so your reviews should be tailored to your audience instead of catering to those who wouldn't spend their time following you.
. . . but after a few basic malts, newbies find ralfy when they start their malt-mission for knowledge.
Ralfy... while you're still alive, don't you think it would be cool if you guys could join the United States as like the 51st state of the Union. I mean I think it would be a blast!
Let's stress the positive here. In one blow you get to leave behind all the stodgy UK stuff and join in the, like, rebellion, man...
Become a state! It would be great!
Cheers.
Love your work, but i see totally shilling for this north star: more appeals, more waffle, more touching, unexpectedly high mark.
Woohoo, first!
.
. . . Verified as First !
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ralfydotcom First in old Germany 🇩🇪👋🏼🤠