Nice list. My go-to peated malt is Port Charlotte 10, but with prices skyrocketing, I'm almost as content with $45 Ardbeg 5 or even $35 Scarabus 46%; and $45 Scarabus Batch Strength @57% is definitely worth sampling ✌️
Great choices all around. And if I'm not mistaken, the Scarabus is widely believed to be from one of the distilleries I mentioned in this video, right ...?
Agree with the Laphraoig Quarter cask, that is a solid dram. I know people are down on it and I dont see much love on TH-cam for it, but for $60 in my market in NC, I really like Ardbeg An Oa. It is like Laphraoig Select just a straight up sweet and smoke bomb at a reasonable price. Which I like the sweeter smokey profile. I would rather pay more and get Lagavulin 16 than Port Charlotte 10.
The An OA is not bad, and priced reasonably; I just prefer the 10 Year, and the An Oa isn't in the same class (or price category) as its high ABV NAS siblings in the range. Cheers!
The closest comparisons to Lagavulin 16 I’ve found are Kilchoman Sanaig and Laphroaig Lore. Both have the peat/sherry combo and both are cheaper than Lagavulin 16 in my market….and I dare say tastier too.
very good points, but Laphroaig Lore is even more expensive than Lagavulin 16 YO nowadays. Kilchoman Sanaig is surely currently the sweet spot if you like sherried peated whiskies though.
@@617659 So, unbelievably, Lag 16 has actually gone down at my local store from 115 to 100. I pay 80 for Oogie. It's not all about the $ but I respect a distillery that respects the customer. I'm buying the lag next trime in. The 8 was very nice!
Great list and discussion, thank you! In my market (currently Texas, but I also spend a lot of time/money in Massachusetts from work trips & visiting friends) I think Lagavulin 16 is pretty consistently ~$110-$125 USD. For that price or under, I can highly recommend independent bottlings of Ledaig (especially Gordon & MacPhail, Signatory, & Douglas Laing/Old Particular) that might range from 9 YO to 16 YO and are typically 46% abv up to cask strength. I also greatly enjoy the Benromach Peat Smoke in it's various iterations over the years, which have all been non-chillfiltered, generally natural color, and usually from ~8-10 YO, sometimes in just ex-Bourbon casks but also recently several other cask expressions, typically in the $50-$80 USD range.
I am quite new to whisky, so what I am now typing should be taken with a pinch of salt, but are nevertheless my view of today. The peated whisky I have tried are Tallisker Storm, Tallisker Port Ruighe, Ardbeg Ten, Lagavulin 10 Travel Exclusive and the Lagavulin 16. And I am ranking them in this order. The Talliskers I find almost un drinkable (exaggeration but still) because of a clear underlying sharpness and roughness. The Ardbeg and the two Lagavulins are all wonderful and I believe one could change one’s mind depending upon the weather and one’s mood. However considering the two Lagavulins I will probably be choosing the 16 over the 10 every time. So depending upon the mood it might be between the Ardbeg Ten and the Lagavulin 16. I am obviously going to try the Uigeadail in the future. Greetings from Denmark
Scarabus. Basically, it's getting a Caol Ila at $35/750ml. A truly great deal. I talked a friend into making his first buy with a Scarabus. We tasted it together and both decided we're going back for the other two expressions, CS and 10, each still well under the cost of a Lag16. I think we all need to talk about different peat flavors. There are creosote peats, and medicinal peats, and bunker oil peats, and campfire peats. I think I like only the last (think Benromach, of which both the 10 and 15 are cheaper than Lag16), but I'll suffer small doses of the first (which, I believe, is also known as the 'Lapsang tsuchong' flavor note). Then there are the Italian aromatic cheese notes and the sweaty horse blanket (aka 'dirty sweat sox') notes. Those alienate me right off. I keep and recommend PC10 (made with inland peat, by the way), Kilchoman Sanaig (I have yet to sample the other expressions, but I trust they are as advertised by their devotees), Benromach 15, and Westland Peated American Single Malt. Where I'm at, the Benro15 checks in just pennies under the Lag16, while the others hover at or near $80 US.
My local Total Wine was selling Scarabus CS for $39. I bought all the bottles (4) that they had. Laphr CS is impossible to find in my area. BenRiach Peated Quarter Cask is a lovely pour.
Love the journey! I figure the most similar option while saving a bunch of cash would be Saniag. Loch Gorm is usually the same price, if its available. The problem with Lag16 is that its Lag16. For my personal insanity as a "collector" there is value in having a bottle of Lagavulin 16. I shop the NY/NJ/Ct area. Laphroaig and Lagavulin are totally different prices in each state. But lets say my 2018 bottle cost me $79 while today its around $100. Obviously, there are better values but there is only one Lag16. It's just peated whisky and being that my journey is about variety I don't expect I'll ever buy another bottle at 43%. The only Diageo bottle I do buy is the Offerman 11. I find it amusing that some drinkers stick with one bottle over and over again. The same way I find it amusing that people actually spend $150 on Glenlivet 18.
The 16 year has been $90 for at least the last 3 years in my area. Just saw it at $92 about 2 days ago. Love the younger Lagavulins too, so those are easy replacements for it.
I like every whisky on this list, but it´s pretty much all over the place for my taste. What is a Lagavulin 16? It´s a typical Islay Whiskey with a good amount of peat smoke, with some coastal tanginess, its sherried and it´s mainly due to it´s age subtle and complex (if the bottle is good), filled at 43% abv. My nominees to match this are (sorted by price in my market): Bunnahabhain Toiteach, Kilchoman Sanaig, Laphroaig Sherry Oak, Ardbeg Uigeadail and Ledaig 18 - that would have been a good comparison and a price range from much more affordable alternatives (Toiteach) to much better whiskies (Ledaig 18), while the Uigeadail shows us what a higher abv is good for. I admit the Uigedail doesn´t match at all, if so, your cask strength Kilchoman would have matched as well, but at least the Uigeadail is the one very important classic when it comes to Islay+peat+sherry and therefore i can´t leave him out.
In tx we were getting the kilchoman machir bay cask 21 for like about $80-90 def good shit, Kilkerran heavily peated batch 8 and Kilkerran 8yr bourbon cask strength would be my #1s plus ptice was below $80
All 3 of my favorite Scotch Whisky has deteriorated in Quality over the last 10 years. They are The Ardbeg 10, The Lagavulin 16, and the Balvenie 12 double Wood. I think it's a purposely done move - Just like Shampoo and Cereal have very quietly reduced volume over the years without telling us!!
I’d rather have a bottle of Ledaig 18 than Lagavulin 16 any day. The prices are about the same now that Lagavulin 16 is absurdly inflated, but even if it cost much more I’d still buy the Ledaig. If budget was an issue then Kilchoman Sanaig or Loch Gorm. Edit: Actually, I completely forgot one big contender but I’m not sure if it is still available. In 2021 Diageo released a range of Johnnie Walker Black Regional blends. The lowlands was a blended scotch and a bit meh, the Highlands and Speyside were blended malts and not bad at all, but the Islay blend was a blended malt of Lagavulin and Caol Ila and it was way better than it had any right to be. I preferred it to Lagavulin 16 (!) and at one time it was available here in Australia for the equivalent of US$30. If you ever see it, buy it.
I pretty much don't buy anything under 45% abv any more, it's usually a let down, with that I love all the Ardbeg core range stuff, Ugi and Corry are at constant battle for my favorite, also love Port Charlotte 10, and Laphroiag 10, Just picked up Laphroaig Lore, and a Talisker 10 which I am really enjoying. Sadly here in the state if NC there are many I would love to try but the state abc just don't get.
Lagavulin 8. It is younger obvious, but it is good. (Youth could also be considered as a plus for peat lovers) Also good specs: 48%, non-chillfiltered and it might be uncoloured as well. For me whether I reach for the 8 or the 16 is a mood thing. When I tasted them both I expected to prefer the 8, but the 16 did it also for me.
The thing that's tough about doing these videos is that the prices of whisky vary so much from market to market. In doing my research, I confirmed that the 10 Year Cask Strength that I reference in the video is available in multiple markets at the same price or less than the Lag 16, but, of course, this may not be the case everywhere. Cheers!
Different markets are odd aren't they? In Australia there is NO way you are getting a Laphroig 10 CS for less than a Laga 16, often double what a Laga 16 costs here. Uigeadail destroys Lagavulin 16, way better IMO and agree with your pick at number one, but again in Australia the Uigeadail is more expensive than Lagavulin.
@@whiskywhereabouts Just the cask strength. Standard Laph 10 is about $100 whilst the cask strength ranges from $250 - $300. Lagavulin used to be $140, now it's pushing $180 but people are not buying it at that price as much and it's starting to have 'specials' (it's original price) back at $140 from time to time. Australia is very expensive for alcohol due to extreme taxes. From Aug 1st our tax rate on alcohol will be $100 per litre of pure alcohol.
It's just his opinion, nothing wrong with that. I disagree, I think it's an excellent whisky but it won't win Whisky Top Trumps. The only thing it has going for it is smell & taste.
I believe it says it on the back label or on the packaging tube. Both of your alternatives are great (it's so nice to have a more reasonably priced Lagavulin alternative like the 8 year).
@@whiskywhereabouts Hmmm interesting, I remember watching a Ralfy review of it and he was roasting them for chill filtering the cask strength. I just pulled out a old bottle and it mentions "barrier filtered" only?
That's crazy! Here in Australia, the Lagavulin 16 is on average 50% more expensive than the Caol Ila 12, although both are readily available, which might be the difference.
Laga 16yr is garbage especially when you figure in the price. I've been saying this for 6-7yrs, I'd rather have Ardbeg 10, Laphroaig 10, Kilchoman Sanaig, Talisker 10, Port Askaig 110 and that's just off the top of my head. The last decent bottle of Laga 16 I had was bottled 2013. The 2017 bottle I had was trash that's why I haven't touched it since. Think about it this way, If the 16yr distilate was that good I wouldn't be able to find a bottle for $70-$80 at Costco all the time. A good 16yr is typically $125+. The only people that drink Laga 16yr now are hipsters that think Ron Swanson is cool and think to themselves "See, I can handle peated scotch too" uhhh no... you can't 😂
Totally agree with your hipster comment. But have to disagree this is not garbage. It is a wonderful scotch and I have been drinking it for many years now. What is garbage are the prices. Asking for a $100 or more is absolutely ridiculous and not worth it. Luckily I purchase mine on sale at $70 at a local shop so I have back up bottles. You do have some nice recommendations as well.
Lore 750 ml is priced at 240.00 CAD here in Montreal Canada. Insane! government owned and operated SAQ liquor stores. They are killing us! Lag. 16 at $ 175.00, Laph. cs at $150.00 CAD
$85 plus tax in Missouri. Still overpriced. Obviously it’s not bad whiskey but the fundamental quality of the underlying distallate means it should be so much more.
Great list. I have found that many of the Diageo basic bottles do show up at the price clubs at random times. I've been buy Lagavulin 16 at BJs Wholesale Club for $67 for the past 3 months. Last year I found it for $69 at Costco. Definitely worth loading up at those prices. My best recommendation if you can't find it at the price clubs and don't want to wait is try the Lagavulin 8 year. Yes it's half the age but it's also 48% and supposedly non-chill filtered and not colored. It's also about $60. That trade off is worth losing 8 years of age.
Excellent choices buddy. Not a huge fan of the Port Charlotte myself but, that's just me.
Absolutely great call with the Uigie. Love it.
Cheers.
Thanks! That one's hard to beat.
Nice list. My go-to peated malt is Port Charlotte 10, but with prices skyrocketing, I'm almost as content with $45 Ardbeg 5 or even $35 Scarabus 46%; and $45 Scarabus Batch Strength @57% is definitely worth sampling ✌️
Great choices all around. And if I'm not mistaken, the Scarabus is widely believed to be from one of the distilleries I mentioned in this video, right ...?
@@whiskywhereabouts I'd be shocked if it wasn't 3-5yo Caol Ila.
Wee Beastie is under 40 here. I'm having a hard time justifying buying any other peated whisky.
@@tommysimpsonandtheloadeddice Great point!
Agree with the Laphraoig Quarter cask, that is a solid dram. I know people are down on it and I dont see much love on TH-cam for it, but for $60 in my market in NC, I really like Ardbeg An Oa. It is like Laphraoig Select just a straight up sweet and smoke bomb at a reasonable price. Which I like the sweeter smokey profile. I would rather pay more and get Lagavulin 16 than Port Charlotte 10.
The An OA is not bad, and priced reasonably; I just prefer the 10 Year, and the An Oa isn't in the same class (or price category) as its high ABV NAS siblings in the range. Cheers!
The closest comparisons to Lagavulin 16 I’ve found are Kilchoman Sanaig and Laphroaig Lore. Both have the peat/sherry combo and both are cheaper than Lagavulin 16 in my market….and I dare say tastier too.
Love the Sanaig. A great alternative, especially if you're leaning into the sherry.
very good points, but Laphroaig Lore is even more expensive than Lagavulin 16 YO nowadays. Kilchoman Sanaig is surely currently the sweet spot if you like sherried peated whiskies though.
my vote goes to the Sanaig too!
Ledaig 10 just (and I mean just) shifted price in Chicagoland from $60 to $80. Binny's led the way, no doubt tracking popular reviewers.
That's getting a little steep ...
Thank you for saving me a few dollars. I was gonna buy the Lag 16 for Christmas but I'm in love with Ardbeg and seems it's just a better value.
Enjoy it. Cheers!
Do not underestimate Laga 16. You also should try this one!
@@617659 So, unbelievably, Lag 16 has actually gone down at my local store from 115 to 100. I pay 80 for Oogie. It's not all about the $ but I respect a distillery that respects the customer. I'm buying the lag next trime in. The 8 was very nice!
wish i found this channel earlier
anyway, subbed! time to browse more videos on the channel
Thanks! Happy to have you aboard. Cheers!
Great list and discussion, thank you! In my market (currently Texas, but I also spend a lot of time/money in Massachusetts from work trips & visiting friends) I think Lagavulin 16 is pretty consistently ~$110-$125 USD. For that price or under, I can highly recommend independent bottlings of Ledaig (especially Gordon & MacPhail, Signatory, & Douglas Laing/Old Particular) that might range from 9 YO to 16 YO and are typically 46% abv up to cask strength. I also greatly enjoy the Benromach Peat Smoke in it's various iterations over the years, which have all been non-chillfiltered, generally natural color, and usually from ~8-10 YO, sometimes in just ex-Bourbon casks but also recently several other cask expressions, typically in the $50-$80 USD range.
Good point. Taking a chance on independent bottlings of quality stuff can open up a lot more choices in better presentations.
I'm also in Texas. East Texas. Ardbeg is my favorite but I'm interested in more good Scotch. Stores around me are pretty limited. Any suggestions?
Very important and significant points all newbees and seasoned drinks should review. Good job. Thanks.
Appreciate it!
Love your videos bro! ❤ keep em up, Peat Heads Unite!
Appreciate it!
I am quite new to whisky, so what I am now typing should be taken with a pinch of salt, but are nevertheless my view of today. The peated whisky I have tried are Tallisker Storm, Tallisker Port Ruighe, Ardbeg Ten, Lagavulin 10 Travel Exclusive and the Lagavulin 16. And I am ranking them in this order. The Talliskers I find almost un drinkable (exaggeration but still) because of a clear underlying sharpness and roughness. The Ardbeg and the two Lagavulins are all wonderful and I believe one could change one’s mind depending upon the weather and one’s mood. However considering the two Lagavulins I will probably be choosing the 16 over the 10 every time. So depending upon the mood it might be between the Ardbeg Ten and the Lagavulin 16. I am obviously going to try the Uigeadail in the future. Greetings from Denmark
You've already found some pretty strong peated whiskies. A lot more where they came from ... Cheers!
Scarabus. Basically, it's getting a Caol Ila at $35/750ml. A truly great deal. I talked a friend into making his first buy with a Scarabus. We tasted it together and both decided we're going back for the other two expressions, CS and 10, each still well under the cost of a Lag16. I think we all need to talk about different peat flavors. There are creosote peats, and medicinal peats, and bunker oil peats, and campfire peats. I think I like only the last (think Benromach, of which both the 10 and 15 are cheaper than Lag16), but I'll suffer small doses of the first (which, I believe, is also known as the 'Lapsang tsuchong' flavor note). Then there are the Italian aromatic cheese notes and the sweaty horse blanket (aka 'dirty sweat sox') notes. Those alienate me right off.
I keep and recommend PC10 (made with inland peat, by the way), Kilchoman Sanaig (I have yet to sample the other expressions, but I trust they are as advertised by their devotees), Benromach 15, and Westland Peated American Single Malt. Where I'm at, the Benro15 checks in just pennies under the Lag16, while the others hover at or near $80 US.
Some great picks, here. Scarabus and other independent bottling are definitely the way to game Caol Ila for value.
My local Total Wine was selling Scarabus CS for $39. I bought all the bottles (4) that they had. Laphr CS is impossible to find in my area. BenRiach Peated Quarter Cask is a lovely pour.
Bunnahabhain Toiteach A Dha with 20% water added tastes just like Lagavulin 16 to me!
I agree with your take on Laphroaig. I had the Laphroaig 27yo once. It was wicked!
The really aged Laphroaigs I've had the chance to try have all been outstanding.
Thank you for this!!
Prices you're talking about are hilarious.
😂😂😂
Laphroaig quarter cask is around 35€.
Last time I bought Laphroaig 10,it was under 30€(recently).
Sounds like you've got some really good options. Cheers!
@@whiskywhereabouts Yes,but I rarely pay more than 50€ for a bottle.
Talisker 10 is 30€,and I usually don't need anything better.
Cheers.
Find my lot of bin at Costco for 70 some dollars so I don’t really see the point of getting a much younger whiskey for similar taste as Lagavulin
I recently bought Lagavulin 16 for 67€.
Right now,it's 72€.
Love the journey! I figure the most similar option while saving a bunch of cash would be Saniag. Loch Gorm is usually the same price, if its available.
The problem with Lag16 is that its Lag16.
For my personal insanity as a "collector" there is value in having a bottle of Lagavulin 16. I shop the NY/NJ/Ct area. Laphroaig and Lagavulin are totally different prices in each state. But lets say my 2018 bottle cost me $79 while today its around $100.
Obviously, there are better values but there is only one Lag16. It's just peated whisky and being that my journey is about variety I don't expect I'll ever buy another bottle at 43%. The only Diageo bottle I do buy is the Offerman 11.
I find it amusing that some drinkers stick with one bottle over and over again. The same way I find it amusing that people actually spend $150 on Glenlivet 18.
Love the Sanaig ... If you can find the Loch Gorm for about the same price as Lag 16, that's a great alternative.
The 16 year has been $90 for at least the last 3 years in my area. Just saw it at $92 about 2 days ago. Love the younger Lagavulins too, so those are easy replacements for it.
I wish there was a 16 CS instead of the 12. The 12 was better before Lagavulin got bought out by Dia. Gee. Oh.
they are $75 at Costco right now..stocked up!
I like every whisky on this list, but it´s pretty much all over the place for my taste.
What is a Lagavulin 16? It´s a typical Islay Whiskey with a good amount of peat smoke, with some coastal tanginess, its sherried and it´s mainly due to it´s age subtle and complex (if the bottle is good), filled at 43% abv.
My nominees to match this are (sorted by price in my market): Bunnahabhain Toiteach, Kilchoman Sanaig, Laphroaig Sherry Oak, Ardbeg Uigeadail and Ledaig 18 - that would have been a good comparison and a price range from much more affordable alternatives (Toiteach) to much better whiskies (Ledaig 18), while the Uigeadail shows us what a higher abv is good for.
I admit the Uigedail doesn´t match at all, if so, your cask strength Kilchoman would have matched as well, but at least the Uigeadail is the one very important classic when it comes to Islay+peat+sherry and therefore i can´t leave him out.
Always loved Lagavulin, Jura 10 is a light peated bottle
In tx we were getting the kilchoman machir bay cask 21 for like about $80-90 def good shit, Kilkerran heavily peated batch 8 and Kilkerran 8yr bourbon cask strength would be my #1s plus ptice was below $80
That's tremendous value. Cheers.
All 3 of my favorite Scotch Whisky has deteriorated in Quality over the last 10 years. They are The Ardbeg 10, The Lagavulin 16, and the Balvenie 12 double Wood. I think it's a purposely done move - Just like Shampoo and Cereal have very quietly reduced volume over the years without telling us!!
Also the Laphroaig 10 year can be bought for £30 and is consistently a great drink over the years.
That's great value. The 10 year should cost about $15 USD more, here.
I’d rather have a bottle of Ledaig 18 than Lagavulin 16 any day. The prices are about the same now that Lagavulin 16 is absurdly inflated, but even if it cost much more I’d still buy the Ledaig. If budget was an issue then Kilchoman Sanaig or Loch Gorm.
Edit: Actually, I completely forgot one big contender but I’m not sure if it is still available. In 2021 Diageo released a range of Johnnie Walker Black Regional blends. The lowlands was a blended scotch and a bit meh, the Highlands and Speyside were blended malts and not bad at all, but the Islay blend was a blended malt of Lagavulin and Caol Ila and it was way better than it had any right to be. I preferred it to Lagavulin 16 (!) and at one time it was available here in Australia for the equivalent of US$30. If you ever see it, buy it.
That Ledaig 18 is a fantastic choice, but here in the US, it's going to cost nearly $100 more than the Lag 16...
Great video
Thanks!
I pretty much don't buy anything under 45% abv any more, it's usually a let down, with that I love all the Ardbeg core range stuff, Ugi and Corry are at constant battle for my favorite, also love Port Charlotte 10, and Laphroiag 10, Just picked up Laphroaig Lore, and a Talisker 10 which I am really enjoying. Sadly here in the state if NC there are many I would love to try but the state abc just don't get.
More good choices.
Port Charlotte 10 @50abv, everybody bow down.
Lagavulin 8. It is younger obvious, but it is good. (Youth could also be considered as a plus for peat lovers) Also good specs: 48%, non-chillfiltered and it might be uncoloured as well. For me whether I reach for the 8 or the 16 is a mood thing. When I tasted them both I expected to prefer the 8, but the 16 did it also for me.
Nice to have a more reasonably-priced alternative to the 16 that comes in a nice presentation. Enjoy!
I found a place selling this expression for $90, is that a fair price?
That's about what it should cost, but it's often priced more than $10 higher.
lagavulin 8 year old is 2/3 price £48 UK v £69 for 16. Also 48% abv. Very enjoyable whisky.
Funny you should mention it; that one's coming up not the channel soon. Stay tuned!
Still too much.
I bought Lagavulin 8 today,for 42€,in Germany.
Laphroiag 10 is forty percent abv. You are thinking of the ten year old CS which is far more expensive.
The thing that's tough about doing these videos is that the prices of whisky vary so much from market to market. In doing my research, I confirmed that the 10 Year Cask Strength that I reference in the video is available in multiple markets at the same price or less than the Lag 16, but, of course, this may not be the case everywhere. Cheers!
Different markets are odd aren't they? In Australia there is NO way you are getting a Laphroig 10 CS for less than a Laga 16, often double what a Laga 16 costs here.
Uigeadail destroys Lagavulin 16, way better IMO and agree with your pick at number one, but again in Australia the Uigeadail is more expensive than Lagavulin.
Are all the Laphroaigs priced so high, or is it just the cask strength?
@@whiskywhereabouts Just the cask strength. Standard Laph 10 is about $100 whilst the cask strength ranges from $250 - $300. Lagavulin used to be $140, now it's pushing $180 but people are not buying it at that price as much and it's starting to have 'specials' (it's original price) back at $140 from time to time. Australia is very expensive for alcohol due to extreme taxes. From Aug 1st our tax rate on alcohol will be $100 per litre of pure alcohol.
Just get the Laga 8
Imagine the pretension required to refer to lagavulin 16 as “problematic and watered down”
It's just his opinion, nothing wrong with that. I disagree, I think it's an excellent whisky but it won't win Whisky Top Trumps. The only thing it has going for it is smell & taste.
I love Lag16, but it's not worth its asking price and it isn't a unique offering when it comes to a peaty smoky Scotch.
Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength is chill filtered, where was your source for saying it wasn't? Either way, it's a much better whisky than Lagavulin 16 imo.
Great list by the way. I'd offer Lagavulin 8 and Ardbeg Ugie.
I believe it says it on the back label or on the packaging tube. Both of your alternatives are great (it's so nice to have a more reasonably priced Lagavulin alternative like the 8 year).
@@whiskywhereabouts Hmmm interesting, I remember watching a Ralfy review of it and he was roasting them for chill filtering the cask strength. I just pulled out a old bottle and it mentions "barrier filtered" only?
Lagavulin 16 is 79.99 here at Binnys😊
About as good a price as you're likely to see.
@whiskywhereabouts been that for about 1 years, right after they moved it up to 119 ish! The outcry was heard
i may be a philistine but talisker skye is a cheaper alternative. 👍
Caol Ila 12 is Lagavulin 16 Lite
They start with the same malt, and you're absolutely right that the differences in the distillation are meant to make Caol Ila lighter ...
Lag 16 still $75-$80 I'm my area. Caol Ila 12 is $90+ when I can even find it
That's crazy! Here in Australia, the Lagavulin 16 is on average 50% more expensive than the Caol Ila 12, although both are readily available, which might be the difference.
That's a pretty great price on Lag 16. Cheers!
You got to be kidding. Caol Ila12 is at least 20% MORE$$!!!...
It has risen from £49 to nearly £80 almost overnight.
Ouch.
70 € in Germany
Well bought!
Or just buy the Lagavulin 8.
It's nice to have the option of a quality, but younger, less expensive option.
Laga 16yr is garbage especially when you figure in the price. I've been saying this for 6-7yrs, I'd rather have Ardbeg 10, Laphroaig 10, Kilchoman Sanaig, Talisker 10, Port Askaig 110 and that's just off the top of my head. The last decent bottle of Laga 16 I had was bottled 2013. The 2017 bottle I had was trash that's why I haven't touched it since. Think about it this way, If the 16yr distilate was that good I wouldn't be able to find a bottle for $70-$80 at Costco all the time. A good 16yr is typically $125+. The only people that drink Laga 16yr now are hipsters that think Ron Swanson is cool and think to themselves "See, I can handle peated scotch too" uhhh no... you can't 😂
Totally agree with your hipster comment. But have to disagree this is not garbage. It is a wonderful scotch and I have been drinking it for many years now. What is garbage are the prices. Asking for a $100 or more is absolutely ridiculous and not worth it. Luckily I purchase mine on sale at $70 at a local shop so I have back up bottles. You do have some nice recommendations as well.
Are you serious???
I think laphroig lore can replace the Ten cs
I generally see Lore coming in at a higher price than the 10 Year CS or the Lag 16, but if you can find it for less, go for it!
Lore 750 ml is priced at 240.00 CAD here in Montreal Canada. Insane! government owned and operated SAQ liquor stores. They are killing us! Lag. 16 at $ 175.00, Laph. cs at $150.00 CAD
$85 plus tax in Missouri. Still overpriced. Obviously it’s not bad whiskey but the fundamental quality of the underlying distallate means it should be so much more.
That's a pretty good price these days. Cheers!
Great list. I have found that many of the Diageo basic bottles do show up at the price clubs at random times. I've been buy Lagavulin 16 at BJs Wholesale Club for $67 for the past 3 months. Last year I found it for $69 at Costco. Definitely worth loading up at those prices. My best recommendation if you can't find it at the price clubs and don't want to wait is try the Lagavulin 8 year. Yes it's half the age but it's also 48% and supposedly non-chill filtered and not colored. It's also about $60. That trade off is worth losing 8 years of age.
When the 16 year is within $10 of the 8, you know you've found a great value!
Outstanding video!
Thank you! Cheers!