Too late, especially after Ralphy's Whisky of the Year. It was tied w Ardbeg 10 for me for my go to bottle. one of the few u bought multiple time since I always share it. 1st time it was $48, 2nd $52, 3rd $54, 4th $58. Now the cheapest I can find it is $77.
Hey Geoff, predictable list ;-). My go-to affordable peated Scotch are Lagavulin 8, Ardbeg 5 (Wee Beastie) and Ledaig 10. But honestly, I usually prefer an IB single cask. Often young, typically affordable and usually very good. Cheers!
Couple of interesting wood smoked whiskeys definitely worth trying if you've done peat to death like me: Balcones Brimstone, Archie Rose Stringy Bark Smoked Malt
Balcones Brimstone is Smokey Whiskey on an entirely different level. I don't think I love the stuff, or even like it, but it definitely is a MUST TRY 👍
@@MrChristopherMolloy It's also corn whiskey, not malt. Completely different animal but it's really good imo. The bottle I had was very unique and wasn't overpowering on the smoke at all. Yall should get your hands on the Balcones peated single malt if you can.
Hi Geoff, great list video 👍certainly IB single casks from Ballechin, staoisha and Ledaig at CS are worth checking out and Laphraiog 10 CS is quite unique as well. Of course port Charlotte 10 always on my shelf. Bowmore when done properly can be very good,eg the tempest.Slàinte Geoff.
Almost went into the comments too soon to mention Longrow since I've recently tasted it and I think it needs some love, then remembered mystery pour is a thing, amazing list and as a one of the crazy peat fans, I approve! :)
Nice list, all excellent, but can Core Range releases from The Big Boys really be unique? I was expecting more bottles along the lines of that Ballechin or perhaps heavily-peated Glen Scotia or Longrow RED or Cu Bocan (Peated Tomatin)✌️
I did include Ballechin, and yes, Glen Scotia would have fit in perfectly. Cu Bocan isn't a brand I'm familiar with yet. Something I should rectify. Cheers Chris! 🥃
Good review and a good list. I was little suprised that you chose the Machir Bay before Sanaig. I've had Sanaig but not Machir Bay, but I definitely want to try MB. In my neighbourhood they're both $58 USD. I also did have the Longrow Peated, but I didn't really connect with it. Well I might return to it someday. Thank you.
Based on my ecperience buy Machir Bay is waste of money. Add some bucks and go straight for MB CS. This one is real powerful Kilchoman's peat monster 👍. Longrow Nas tasted for me bit odd after 1st time crack it opened but down the bottle neck lost that weird vegetal funk i didnt really like and became more rounded and nice peated and enjoyed it rest of the bottle. 👍😁🥂🙋🏻♂️
The Sanaig is a great whisky, but often very heavily sherried. I think the Machir Bay captures the house style a bit better. But either one would have worked perfectly for this list. Cheers! 🥃
@@Gwhisky Yeah, agreed G. Personally I was just commenting on my preferred Kilchoman scotch, not which was the better candidate for this particular list, so all good.
Fantastic stuff Geoff...as always by the way. Peat drams list makes me excited every time. Your list is Gr8, all nice whiskies. O know how hard is build the list just of 7 whiskies among so many good expressions on the market these days where even distilleries which have nothing to do with peat release peaty/smoky expressions but bigger choice means more fun for peatheads 😁. P.S. i love your 6pack at the end. Wish to have the same but i need more exercise 😋😅 slàinte G. 👍😁🥂🙋🏻♂️
Hah thanks, buddy. Totally agree.... more and more great options coming out these days. I tended to stick to the big brands on this list, but there are plenty of interesting smoky alternatives out there. Cheers! 🥃
@@Gwhisky i need your opinion now. I have some extra ££€ and going to buy one Loch Gorm. My choice is among 2020-2022 still available with price veey close so which one give a try. I totally trust you! 🤷♂️
Those are very good bottles in the series Geoff. My favs are Ardbeg, Ledaig, Laphroaig QC. The PC 10 and some wine finishes in the PC range are amazing peated bottles. A couple of Benromach peat smoke bottlings in the Contrasts series are great as well.
HaHaHa its really funny. Question is: where they made mistake, box or Bottle? 18yo is still mediocre whisky at 43% but at 40% there will be completely disaster in my opinion. 👍😁🥂🙋🏻♂️
Great list - thanks! How about... Kilkerran Heavily Peated - malty, peated, funky The Balvenie Week of Peat and Peated 14 - Balvenie with peat and smoke (there's nothing like the Balvenie) Octomore!
I bought the PC 10 yesterday. It’s dynamic. I’m fairly new to to scotch and never thought I’d buy a heavily peated scotch. Big fan of this and will try the Ledaig 18 next.
Calling the Bunnahabhain Toiteach a Dha the Klingon one made complete sense to me. 🤣 👽 I must agree, both Ledaig and especially Port Charlotte’s stock has gone up on my list of peated scotch. Ardbeg has gone down, Lagavulin & Laphroaig are holding steady.
Fantastic review, thank you; I’ve tried bowmore, ardebeg, bonahabhin, and I like to try port charlotte if I can find it. For give me for the misspellings.
Regarding the brands, I remember when I bought my first Laphraiog about 20 years ago, it tasted great with a really oily texture. But now it's not the same, could be the first wow experience or changes in my tasting pallet. But can they taste different from batch to batch so to speak ?
@@Gwhisky true, the release i had also wasnt super heavily peated - but as far as i know, they mix unpeated and peated stock 50/50, so i assume at some point they would also release 100% peated expressions
Terrific list and I absolutely love Port Charlotte Islay Barley! Outstanding!! This is currently my favourite peated scotch! Lagavulin 16 and 8 are amazing and I grab some whenever I can find them. The 8 is fairly easy to pick up but the 16 is more difficult to get here at home. Ardbeg 10 is a steady delight! Laphroaig Quarter Cask is such a delicious scotch. Terrific choice for your list! I am starting to really get into Ledaig! Fabulous video! I really enjoyed it a lot! Cheers! 🙂
I have Port Charlotte 10 and Ledaig 18 in my collection, and a local bar stocks Ledaig 10. I would count these as my favorite brands too. Many years ago, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Bowmore were my introductions to peated whisky, and I still have a soft spot for them but will likely only order them in bars rather than add bottles to my collection, unless I find independent bottlings or interesting special releases. Another that I rate highly is Westland, which is from Washington. They make a young peated whisky that has more of a woody character than is the norm for Scotch. The American single malt scene is growing, and there are many interesting bottles out there.
I've not tried the Westland peated expression, but I keep hearing it's very interesting. I'm enjoying their standard single malt, though, which an American friend was kind enough to bring over to Taiwan for me. Good stuff! 🥃
Pssssst....Scarabus. Yes on the PC10. It's nice to see Bowmore get some press. Hoooooo...The Longrow has been a big favorite in my crowd, and, around these parts it is quite unique. I had to order it online and have it delivered. These days, when it comes to 'heavily peated', I'm usually in the PC10 or my bottle of Kilchoman Sanaig. Kilchoman has got a thang goin' on there; they're doin' right by the peat.
Awesome list Geoff, I like this series. I'm surprised not to see Talisker here as I think they have a very unique character but maybe it's not considered 'heavily peated' although is Bowmore? Well all in all a great list of drams any 'peathead' would love to drink. Cheers!
I've had a bottle of Machir Bay that has lasted over 2 years as I just can't take to it. With Ledaig 10, don't like the slightly cheesy finish. I absolutely love Laphroig 10. Lagavulin 16 still my absolute favourite but expensive. Also really enjoying Ardbeg Wee Beastie. Will try the Port Charlotte soon hopefully. Managed to get a Kilkerran heavily plated but still to try
Port Charlotte, a superb choice. Bruichladdich may be the best distillery right now 🏴 Kilchoman is a tricky one because they do lots of peated whisky but I'd never associate them with "Heavily Peated". They mindfully try to be lighter than the other distilleries.
Great list👍🏻 Bruichladdich though is the weakest distillery on Islay for me, agree on the Port charlotte but Octomore and Bruichladdich not so good expressions😬 And Bowmore was the greatest visit of all the Islay distilleries they have some exceptionell releases😋😋
You're not the 1st to mention fantastic stuff in Bowmore Distillery for hand fill in craft presentation and higher abv but we need some in core range and on the market 🤷♂️👍🥂🧙♀️😁🥂🙋🏻♂️
Liking before even watching the video ✅ Actually watching the video ✅ Hearing about new interesting whiskys✅ Quality content✅ Cringy self deprecating humor ✅ Fun time & Satisfaction ✅ Bonus point: Star Trek reference ✅❤🖖 Nothing more to say other than: 🥃🖖💯🔥
Just drove to the neighboring state to pick up their last bottle of the Laphroaig 16yo and 2 bottles of Laphroaig cask strength 10yo. 2 hour round trip. Totally worth it.
Caperdonich 18 should feature on a unique peated list, even though it is not "heavily peated". It is a beautiful whisky by the way and I strongly recommend it for a future review. Ballechin STFC sherry matured (Oloroso) is actually a really good whisky. Check it out sometime. Kilkerran heavily peated series also deserves a mention here. Some of the batches are quite fantastic. Instead of the regular longrows my choices would be from the Longrow Red range. Fantastic whiskies and all totally unique. Venturing outside of the peat sourced smoky whiskies, I would recommend the Balcones Brimstone. It is a unique whisky which is really smoky but none of the phenolic peat signature. Cheers!
I've got a bottle of Caperdonich 18 in my vault. I'll definitely open it up at some point. Ballechin SFTC was much better than the 10, and it was decent, but not a favourite. Kilkerran Heavily Peated and Longrow Red are unicorns in most markets. The regular Longrow only recently became available again here in Taiwan. But yes, both good options. As for the Balcones... I've heard a lot of great things. I've got a bottle of their "Lineage" whisky on the go, and I definitely want to explore more from the range. Sadly the brand isn't sold here. Great picks! 🥃
Needless to say this is fully up my sleeve. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Geoff. In contrast with you I definately would have put Bunnahabhain on the list, certainly if the Staoisha is included. And on your list I was hoping to see Port Askaig. And if we talk distinctive, I would not have been surprised to see Octomore as well... And thanks for putting peat lover, frankly and noisy and insane in one sentence... Think I have to feel priviledged ... in some strange way. Slàinte mhath
To be fair, Bunna was an honourable mention. As for Port Askaig... Caol Ila was a consideration, but I stuck with these 7. It easily could have made it on, though. Unique for sure. Hah I did think of you when making this video, actually. I mean frankly. 🥃
Surprised there wasn’t even a mention of Caol Ila’s classic bonfire smoke…maybe because it’s so ubiquitous, but also unique! Not only to give Johnnie blends their smoky flavor but also on the independent bottling market, which leads to a suggestion for maybe a list of interesting independent bottlings in the future? Glad Longrow got featured at the end; it’s definitely a unique approach to peat that is quite distinct from the Islay style. Another suggestion would be peated Benriach, though I haven’t tried the current “Smoky 10” to know if it’s as interesting as the old Curiositas was.
Agree. Caol Ila is unique and it would have fit nicely on this list. Benriach is unique, as well. The newer ones are quite different from the Curiositas, but they're worth exploring nonetheless. Cheers! 🥃
Ballechin? Never even heard of it. Love learning new things from your channel - it's the best! Kilchoman is a nice pour away from the Big 3 Peaters. You should make some shorts of your lists. Isn't that what all the kool kids are doing these days to attract viewers? You should have more viewers. Dropping knowledge!
Totally surprised Highland Park hasn't been mentioned here. I was sure it was going to be your mystery pour. Have you parted ways with the brand recently?
Fair point. Yet, still can't believe how sure I was it was going to be mentioned. I guess it was due to how impressed you were by the brand in one of your fairly recent videos. Plus I almost always try to guess what your picks will be on each list you come up with. More of these please!
I want a peated Whisky to always taste like the first poor after coming back from a break. Maybe if I won the Lottery, I'd give Octomore a go. Otherwise it's PC10 for me.
I’d add the Old Ballantruan brand to the list. It’s Tomintoul’s peat distillery and they start at around $35 where I live. (NAS). They have 10 and above, but even the NAS beats a lot of whiskies at double the price for me. Super affordable, nice peat, easy to get.
Sadly it's not easy to get here. The few bottles I can find here in Taiwan are quite pricey. Definitely a line I need to explore, though. Thanks for the recommendation! 🥃
@@Gwhisky oh that's so sad to hear, super available in EU. Hopefully you'll get your hands on it, it was an entry I served to many friends that wanted to try peaty whisky and they all loved it
You nailed it! Even with your "mystery poor". I was just thinking about Longrow during the video 😂 greetings from Argentina!. And by the way, Talisker and Caol Ila are not considered heavily peated brands?
For me Caol Ila is borderline, and Talisker is moderately peated, but that's just my definition. I'm sure someone else might think differently. Cheers! 🥃
I have the Ardbeg 10, Laphroaig 10, Ledaig 10, Port Charlotte 10, Lagavulin 16, and a Ledaig Rioja on the way... Port Charlotte 10 and Lagavulin 16 sit comfortably at the top... if you add value to the picture, PC10 takes it, easily. Of all of these, I guess I could live without the Ardbeg. On paper the Ledaig 10 is better than the Laphroaig... but... Laphroaig is Laphroaig... I couldn't live without it, but I could probably survive not having a Ledaig, as awesome as it is. Laphroaig scratches a very specific itch.
I love Ledaig, but for me the highlight is the 18, which I think is exceptional. I like the 10 a lot, but like you, there are a few options I prefer. 🥃
Hot take: Port Charlotte is too sharp and the peat is not round enough. You taste that it’s not Islay peat. The Bunna travel retail Cruach Mhona incorporates 50% ABV way better and has rounder peat. Mmhhh I see this view a lot amongst my whisky buddies but never see it online. That is why I’m mentioning it. To each his own, obviously.
Great list. It's a shame that Bowmore has such terrible presentations of their core whiskies. Single cask Bowmores can be incredible, particularly the sherry-matured examples.
Port Charlotte is probably my favorite bottle shape and label, but I do prefer Ardbeg 10 whisky. I just think it has more character and depth - It's "meatier." I only buy scotch that has no added color though, so if Lagavulin 8 really IS naturally colored, I wish they'd state that on the label. Until then, I have zero interest in even trying it. I don't reward deceptive marketing practices.
A honest and kind thought i want to share with you. We are heading to a world wide recession and got wars and mass unimployment coming. You are in my opinion way off timewise. The regular whisky drinker will not buy most of what you do videos about. You sound like a whisky snob but i like your videos even if i think you should review cheaper more affordable whisky that people actually buys. The whisky bubble will burst because its gotten way out of control, price wise. A nas that is chill filtered and got e 150 at 43% selling for 500usd ? Hillarious.
I touch on value and I'm critical of overpriced bottles. Also, I review whiskies at all price points. My channel's about enjoying whisky, not addressing economics or geopolitics. This is a passion project and I'll discuss whatever I like. There isn't a single bottle in this video that's NAS, 43%, and coloured that sells for $500, so I'm not sure what you're talking about. Sounds like exactly the kind of bottle I'd be extremely critical of, though. Are you sure that was a kind thought?
Totally agree….Port Charlotte 10 and Ledaig 10 are both in the top of my list.
right, Ledaig 10 is more complex vs PC, even more complex than I probably need, so PC is simply more pleasant.
Stop recommending Ledaig until I have stocked up for a lifetime. We don't want the prizes to rise!
Ledaig is disgusting.
😬😬😬
You're so right! Bottle went from ~$65 to the upper $90s here in AZ 😢
Too late, especially after Ralphy's Whisky of the Year. It was tied w Ardbeg 10 for me for my go to bottle. one of the few u bought multiple time since I always share it. 1st time it was $48, 2nd $52, 3rd $54, 4th $58. Now the cheapest I can find it is $77.
Too late. Went from 55 to 75 bucks in west Texas
I will throw in Benriach peat whisky. The old bottling of 10 years old Curiositas was my favorite and still one of my favorites.
Benriach does make some interesting smoky whisky. Cheers! 🥃
" I have no integrity." You crack me up.😂😂.
😉🥃
Hey Geoff, predictable list ;-). My go-to affordable peated Scotch are Lagavulin 8, Ardbeg 5 (Wee Beastie) and Ledaig 10. But honestly, I usually prefer an IB single cask. Often young, typically affordable and usually very good. Cheers!
Hah true... IBs are often the best option. Cheers buddy! 🥃
Couple of interesting wood smoked whiskeys definitely worth trying if you've done peat to death like me: Balcones Brimstone, Archie Rose Stringy Bark Smoked Malt
Balcones Brimstone is Smokey Whiskey on an entirely different level. I don't think I love the stuff, or even like it, but it definitely is a MUST TRY 👍
@@MrChristopherMolloy It's also corn whiskey, not malt. Completely different animal but it's really good imo. The bottle I had was very unique and wasn't overpowering on the smoke at all. Yall should get your hands on the Balcones peated single malt if you can.
Sadly I don't have access to any of those bottles, but they sound interesting. I do have a Balcones Lineage on the go, and I'm enjoying it. 🥃
Hi Geoff, great list video 👍certainly IB single casks from Ballechin, staoisha and Ledaig at CS are worth checking out and Laphraiog 10 CS is quite unique as well. Of course port Charlotte 10 always on my shelf. Bowmore when done properly can be very good,eg the tempest.Slàinte Geoff.
Cheers David! Yes, Bowmore can be good... when done properly, as you said. 🥃
Almost went into the comments too soon to mention Longrow since I've recently tasted it and I think it needs some love, then remembered mystery pour is a thing, amazing list and as a one of the crazy peat fans, I approve! :)
I was thinking the same. Just got my hands on one and it’s very farmy, unique, and delicious.
Nice list, all excellent, but can Core Range releases from The Big Boys really be unique?
I was expecting more bottles along the lines of that Ballechin or perhaps heavily-peated Glen Scotia or Longrow RED or Cu Bocan (Peated Tomatin)✌️
I did include Ballechin, and yes, Glen Scotia would have fit in perfectly. Cu Bocan isn't a brand I'm familiar with yet. Something I should rectify. Cheers Chris! 🥃
One of the most unique heavily peated whiskies I've had is Old Ballantruan. It has tons of floral notes which work really well with the peat
Haven't had any in ages. I need to revisit it. Cheers! 🥃
Good list ! My favorite Ardbeg , Laga, Laphro, Port Charlotte and Kilcho ) Slainte !
Good ones. Cheers! 🥃
Old Ballantruan has nice chocolate and leather notes with its own unique style at 50% abv - worth a look.
I agree, it's a very underrated peated non-Islay option.
Sadly hard to get and overpriced in my market. I need to revisit the line, though. It's been years! 🥃
Kilchoman, Ledaig and Port Charlotte are the top 3. Ardbeg as the widest range with many options.
Good review and a good list. I was little suprised that you chose the Machir Bay before Sanaig. I've had Sanaig but not Machir Bay, but I definitely want to try MB. In my neighbourhood they're both $58 USD.
I also did have the Longrow Peated, but I didn't really connect with it. Well I might return to it someday.
Thank you.
Based on my ecperience buy Machir Bay is waste of money. Add some bucks and go straight for MB CS. This one is real powerful Kilchoman's peat monster 👍. Longrow Nas tasted for me bit odd after 1st time crack it opened but down the bottle neck lost that weird vegetal funk i didnt really like and became more rounded and nice peated and enjoyed it rest of the bottle. 👍😁🥂🙋🏻♂️
IMHO, Sanaig is head and shoulders better than Machir Bay. Haven’t tried Loch Gorm, but many say this is even better than Sanaig
The Sanaig is a great whisky, but often very heavily sherried. I think the Machir Bay captures the house style a bit better. But either one would have worked perfectly for this list. Cheers! 🥃
@@Gwhisky Yeah, agreed G. Personally I was just commenting on my preferred Kilchoman scotch, not which was the better candidate for this particular list, so all good.
Longrow…going have to give it a try ….love me some Campbeltown funk!! Just not very accessible in my neck of the woods.
Yeah it's great stuff, but as with any SB, it's tough to find. It only recently became available here again. Cheers! 🥃
Fantastic stuff Geoff...as always by the way. Peat drams list makes me excited every time. Your list is Gr8, all nice whiskies. O know how hard is build the list just of 7 whiskies among so many good expressions on the market these days where even distilleries which have nothing to do with peat release peaty/smoky expressions but bigger choice means more fun for peatheads 😁. P.S. i love your 6pack at the end. Wish to have the same but i need more exercise 😋😅 slàinte G. 👍😁🥂🙋🏻♂️
Hah thanks, buddy. Totally agree.... more and more great options coming out these days. I tended to stick to the big brands on this list, but there are plenty of interesting smoky alternatives out there. Cheers! 🥃
You know I love these lists, its fun and I hope folks take it as that.
Longrow ( gold label ) and Loch Gorm are two other good picks 🙂
Hah of course. These are just for fun! Love Loch Gorm! 🥃
@@Gwhisky i need your opinion now. I have some extra ££€ and going to buy one Loch Gorm. My choice is among 2020-2022 still available with price veey close so which one give a try. I totally trust you! 🤷♂️
Those are very good bottles in the series Geoff. My favs are Ardbeg, Ledaig, Laphroaig QC. The PC 10 and some wine finishes in the PC range are amazing peated bottles. A couple of Benromach peat smoke bottlings in the Contrasts series are great as well.
Flavour structure of Bowmore is quite odd to some people..i don't like Bowmore on my initial sip..but later on i started to enjoying it
I don't mind Bowmore. Not a favourite, but it's unique and depending on the release it can be good. 🥃
Funny, the bowmore 18 picture abv, is different on the bottle and on the package...
Hah good catch. Didn't notice that myself until just now. 😂
HaHaHa its really funny. Question is: where they made mistake, box or Bottle? 18yo is still mediocre whisky at 43% but at 40% there will be completely disaster in my opinion. 👍😁🥂🙋🏻♂️
That's exactly what I was wondering! 😄. I agree, too low ABV for a whisky of that age. A real pity...
Hello Geoff! You know we share the same taste (almost). Ledaig which we like. I guess you have but if not. Try some peated Glen Scotia 👍
Love peated Scotia! 🥃
Great list - thanks!
How about...
Kilkerran Heavily Peated - malty, peated, funky
The Balvenie Week of Peat and Peated 14 - Balvenie with peat and smoke (there's nothing like the Balvenie)
Octomore!
Good picks! They'd fit in nicely here! 🥃
Balvenie Week of Peat is pretty good!
You're right, it is! 🥃
I bought the PC 10 yesterday. It’s dynamic. I’m fairly new to to scotch and never thought I’d buy a heavily peated scotch. Big fan of this and will try the Ledaig 18 next.
Calling the Bunnahabhain Toiteach a Dha the Klingon one made complete sense to me. 🤣 👽
I must agree, both Ledaig and especially Port Charlotte’s stock has gone up on my list of peated scotch. Ardbeg has gone down, Lagavulin & Laphroaig are holding steady.
Heh...Since I tend to refer to Bunnahabhain as 'Bunny', that would make their Toiteach a Dha the 'Klingon Bunny'. I'm still struggling with that.
2:28 not sure if u ever heard of ceobanach but that was the VERY best peated Bunni
Haven't tried that one. I'll keep an eye out! 🥃
@@Gwhisky it might be discontinued, but good luck!
Fantastic review, thank you; I’ve tried bowmore, ardebeg, bonahabhin, and I like to try port charlotte if I can find it. For give me for the misspellings.
Macallan 12 is my fave peated whisky.
Its sad only yours 😅👍🙈🥂🙋🏻♂️
Great list. I can't wait to move to the isle of Islay.
Regarding the brands, I remember when I bought my first Laphraiog about 20 years ago, it tasted great with a really oily texture. But now it's not the same, could be the first wow experience or changes in my tasting pallet. But can they taste different from batch to batch so to speak ?
i'm really looking forward to ardnahoe, lagg and ardnamurchan to add their characters to the peated whisky market.
Me too! Only tried Ardnamurchan so far. Not what I'd call "heavily peated" stuff, but Lagg and Ardnahoe should fit the bill. 🥃
@@Gwhisky true, the release i had also wasnt super heavily peated - but as far as i know, they mix unpeated and peated stock 50/50, so i assume at some point they would also release 100% peated expressions
@@ffll8427im with you with this. Hope its just a matter of time 🤞😁👍🥂🙋🏻♂️
Terrific list and I absolutely love Port Charlotte Islay Barley! Outstanding!! This is currently my favourite peated scotch! Lagavulin 16 and 8 are amazing and I grab some whenever I can find them. The 8 is fairly easy to pick up but the 16 is more difficult to get here at home. Ardbeg 10 is a steady delight! Laphroaig Quarter Cask is such a delicious scotch. Terrific choice for your list! I am starting to really get into Ledaig! Fabulous video! I really enjoyed it a lot! Cheers! 🙂
Very kind words, Christine. Glad to hear you're enjoying the videos and the whisky. Cheers! 🥃
@@Gwhisky Thanks for the lovely reply! 🙂
Love your channel and content!
Thanks so much! Merry Christmas! 🥃
I have Port Charlotte 10 and Ledaig 18 in my collection, and a local bar stocks Ledaig 10. I would count these as my favorite brands too. Many years ago, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Bowmore were my introductions to peated whisky, and I still have a soft spot for them but will likely only order them in bars rather than add bottles to my collection, unless I find independent bottlings or interesting special releases. Another that I rate highly is Westland, which is from Washington. They make a young peated whisky that has more of a woody character than is the norm for Scotch. The American single malt scene is growing, and there are many interesting bottles out there.
I've not tried the Westland peated expression, but I keep hearing it's very interesting. I'm enjoying their standard single malt, though, which an American friend was kind enough to bring over to Taiwan for me. Good stuff! 🥃
Pssssst....Scarabus. Yes on the PC10. It's nice to see Bowmore get some press. Hoooooo...The Longrow has been a big favorite in my crowd, and, around these parts it is quite unique. I had to order it online and have it delivered. These days, when it comes to 'heavily peated', I'm usually in the PC10 or my bottle of Kilchoman Sanaig. Kilchoman has got a thang goin' on there; they're doin' right by the peat.
Literally every bottle you just listed is fantastic. A man of taste, you are. You're friends too, while we're at it. Cheers! 🥃
Port charlotte is my wife’s favorite, and I do love it myself. Mine is The Balvenie 14 Week of Peat. However the price is usually too high for me.
Week of Peat is good stuff, too! 🥃
Awesome list Geoff, I like this series. I'm surprised not to see Talisker here as I think they have a very unique character but maybe it's not considered 'heavily peated' although is Bowmore? Well all in all a great list of drams any 'peathead' would love to drink. Cheers!
Hah for me Bowmore is peatier than Talisker. Not that I've looked into the ppms, but it's always hit me as a peatier whisky. Cheers! 🥃
Cool list. Love bunahabain names :D you always suggest kingsbarns, I might go for hole bottle till it's available.
Hope you enjoy. As I said, it's good if you get on well the the Classic Laddie. 🥃
I've had a bottle of Machir Bay that has lasted over 2 years as I just can't take to it. With Ledaig 10, don't like the slightly cheesy finish. I absolutely love Laphroig 10. Lagavulin 16 still my absolute favourite but expensive. Also really enjoying Ardbeg Wee Beastie. Will try the Port Charlotte soon hopefully. Managed to get a Kilkerran heavily plated but still to try
I agree
Cheers buddy! 🥃
Port Charlotte, a superb choice. Bruichladdich may be the best distillery right now 🏴
Kilchoman is a tricky one because they do lots of peated whisky but I'd never associate them with "Heavily Peated". They mindfully try to be lighter than the other distilleries.
Great list👍🏻
Bruichladdich though is the weakest distillery on Islay for me, agree on the Port charlotte but Octomore and Bruichladdich not so good expressions😬
And Bowmore was the greatest visit of all the Islay distilleries they have some exceptionell releases😋😋
Keep in mind I'm looking for unique peated whiskies. They aren't all here because they're favourites, although many of them are... 🥃
You're not the 1st to mention fantastic stuff in Bowmore Distillery for hand fill in craft presentation and higher abv but we need some in core range and on the market 🤷♂️👍🥂🧙♀️😁🥂🙋🏻♂️
Liking before even watching the video ✅
Actually watching the video ✅
Hearing about new interesting whiskys✅
Quality content✅
Cringy self deprecating humor ✅
Fun time & Satisfaction ✅
Bonus point:
Star Trek reference ✅❤🖖
Nothing more to say other than: 🥃🖖💯🔥
Lol now you're just buttering me up. Cheers buddy... thanks for all the support. You're a legend! 🥃
My favourites are PC 10 and Longrow 18
Great whiskies! 🥃
Good job 👍
Thanks Ryan! 🥃
Just drove to the neighboring state to pick up their last bottle of the Laphroaig 16yo and 2 bottles of Laphroaig cask strength 10yo. 2 hour round trip. Totally worth it.
Great bottles. Absolutely love the 16, and you can't go wrong with the CS. Enjoy! 🥃
Hello Geoff,
Great List, i would add Ruadh Mhor (peated Glenturret) to that List.
unique Style, delicous, IB.
Greetings from Germany 😎🤘
I haven't had enough Glenturret, but I have tried a few of their expressions. They definitely would fit nicely on this list! 🥃
Caperdonich 18 should feature on a unique peated list, even though it is not "heavily peated". It is a beautiful whisky by the way and I strongly recommend it for a future review.
Ballechin STFC sherry matured (Oloroso) is actually a really good whisky. Check it out sometime.
Kilkerran heavily peated series also deserves a mention here. Some of the batches are quite fantastic.
Instead of the regular longrows my choices would be from the Longrow Red range. Fantastic whiskies and all totally unique.
Venturing outside of the peat sourced smoky whiskies, I would recommend the Balcones Brimstone. It is a unique whisky which is really smoky but none of the phenolic peat signature.
Cheers!
I've got a bottle of Caperdonich 18 in my vault. I'll definitely open it up at some point.
Ballechin SFTC was much better than the 10, and it was decent, but not a favourite.
Kilkerran Heavily Peated and Longrow Red are unicorns in most markets. The regular Longrow only recently became available again here in Taiwan. But yes, both good options.
As for the Balcones... I've heard a lot of great things. I've got a bottle of their "Lineage" whisky on the go, and I definitely want to explore more from the range. Sadly the brand isn't sold here.
Great picks! 🥃
alright alright Im picking up Port Charlotte 10 today
Nice!
Needless to say this is fully up my sleeve. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Geoff.
In contrast with you I definately would have put Bunnahabhain on the list, certainly if the Staoisha is included. And on your list I was hoping to see Port Askaig.
And if we talk distinctive, I would not have been surprised to see Octomore as well...
And thanks for putting peat lover, frankly and noisy and insane in one sentence... Think I have to feel priviledged ... in some strange way.
Slàinte mhath
To be fair, Bunna was an honourable mention. As for Port Askaig... Caol Ila was a consideration, but I stuck with these 7. It easily could have made it on, though. Unique for sure.
Hah I did think of you when making this video, actually. I mean frankly. 🥃
Great choices Geoff, Respect!.
What do you think of the Laphroaig 10 y/o cask strength?
Thanks buddy. Love the 10 CS! 🥃
Surprised there wasn’t even a mention of Caol Ila’s classic bonfire smoke…maybe because it’s so ubiquitous, but also unique! Not only to give Johnnie blends their smoky flavor but also on the independent bottling market, which leads to a suggestion for maybe a list of interesting independent bottlings in the future?
Glad Longrow got featured at the end; it’s definitely a unique approach to peat that is quite distinct from the Islay style.
Another suggestion would be peated Benriach, though I haven’t tried the current “Smoky 10” to know if it’s as interesting as the old Curiositas was.
Agree. Caol Ila is unique and it would have fit nicely on this list. Benriach is unique, as well. The newer ones are quite different from the Curiositas, but they're worth exploring nonetheless. Cheers! 🥃
@@Gwhisky maybe a list of top (or most unique) peated non-Islay whiskies??
Heyyyy there’s Ballechin again 😂
@@MaLiCeCoLtRaNe I like it!
The Bruchladdie Octomore is insane but expect to pay £170 per bottle!!
Hmm KK HP, Longrow and Talisker for me
Did you get a chance to try Ardbeg BizzareBQ? It's my favorite Ardbeg right now.
Never tried it. 🥃
Best middle name ever ‘no integrity’!
😂😂😂
Surprised Octomore releases didn't get a mention. My personal favourites.
More of a PC guy myself, although I do love a good Octomore. 🥃
Lagavulin 16 and Port Charlotte 10 are absolute gems
Ballechin? Never even heard of it. Love learning new things from your channel - it's the best! Kilchoman is a nice pour away from the Big 3 Peaters. You should make some shorts of your lists. Isn't that what all the kool kids are doing these days to attract viewers? You should have more viewers. Dropping knowledge!
I should be doing that! Good advice and glad you're enjoying the lists, buddy!
I am surprised why Caolila didn’t show up in your list of peated whiskey 😮😮
I love Caol Ila, and it's unique. It easily could have made it on the list. 🥃
That PC flex image got me good
PC10 for the win!
There should be a comma after "unique". 😀
Totally surprised Highland Park hasn't been mentioned here. I was sure it was going to be your mystery pour. Have you parted ways with the brand recently?
No, but this list is for heavily peated brands, so HP wasn't really a consideration. Still love the stuff!🥃
Fair point. Yet, still can't believe how sure I was it was going to be mentioned. I guess it was due to how impressed you were by the brand in one of your fairly recent videos. Plus I almost always try to guess what your picks will be on each list you come up with. More of these please!
I want a peated Whisky to always taste like the first poor after coming back from a break. Maybe if I won the Lottery, I'd give Octomore a go. Otherwise it's PC10 for me.
I’d add the Old Ballantruan brand to the list. It’s Tomintoul’s peat distillery and they start at around $35 where I live. (NAS). They have 10 and above, but even the NAS beats a lot of whiskies at double the price for me.
Super affordable, nice peat, easy to get.
Sadly it's not easy to get here. The few bottles I can find here in Taiwan are quite pricey. Definitely a line I need to explore, though. Thanks for the recommendation! 🥃
@@Gwhisky oh that's so sad to hear, super available in EU. Hopefully you'll get your hands on it, it was an entry I served to many friends that wanted to try peaty whisky and they all loved it
PC is great, but as for Unique Heavily Peated Whiskies You cannot miss Octomore :)
That's fair. 🥃
Hope the Octomores became just bit cheaper 🤞👍😁🥂🙋🏻♂️
You nailed it! Even with your "mystery poor". I was just thinking about Longrow during the video 😂 greetings from Argentina!. And by the way, Talisker and Caol Ila are not considered heavily peated brands?
For me Caol Ila is borderline, and Talisker is moderately peated, but that's just my definition. I'm sure someone else might think differently. Cheers! 🥃
I have the Ardbeg 10, Laphroaig 10, Ledaig 10, Port Charlotte 10, Lagavulin 16, and a Ledaig Rioja on the way... Port Charlotte 10 and Lagavulin 16 sit comfortably at the top... if you add value to the picture, PC10 takes it, easily. Of all of these, I guess I could live without the Ardbeg. On paper the Ledaig 10 is better than the Laphroaig... but... Laphroaig is Laphroaig... I couldn't live without it, but I could probably survive not having a Ledaig, as awesome as it is. Laphroaig scratches a very specific itch.
I love Ledaig, but for me the highlight is the 18, which I think is exceptional. I like the 10 a lot, but like you, there are a few options I prefer. 🥃
You posted my comment what i love slàinte 👍😁🥂🙋🏻♂️
Bowmore makes incredibly good whisky ..only, not for their core range which they'll be primarily judged on
Huh, you call it the 'Klingon one' too.
Hot take: Port Charlotte is too sharp and the peat is not round enough. You taste that it’s not Islay peat.
The Bunna travel retail Cruach Mhona incorporates 50% ABV way better and has rounder peat. Mmhhh
I see this view a lot amongst my whisky buddies but never see it online. That is why I’m mentioning it. To each his own, obviously.
Hah damn that is a hot take. Cruach Mhona is pretty good, too, gotta say. 🥃
Did sir make this list just to feature his favourite port Charlotte? 😂
No. But yes. 🥃
Great list. It's a shame that Bowmore has such terrible presentations of their core whiskies. Single cask Bowmores can be incredible, particularly the sherry-matured examples.
Agree! Bowmore has some killers out there. It's a shame they're the exception and not the rule. Cheers! 🥃
Port Charlotte is probably my favorite bottle shape and label, but I do prefer Ardbeg 10 whisky. I just think it has more character and depth - It's "meatier." I only buy scotch that has no added color though, so if Lagavulin 8 really IS naturally colored, I wish they'd state that on the label. Until then, I have zero interest in even trying it. I don't reward deceptive marketing practices.
Most of the big players are really disappointing
Keep in mind this is a list of unique characters, not best. Although there's some overlap for me. 🥃
A honest and kind thought i want to share with you.
We are heading to a world wide recession and got wars and mass unimployment coming.
You are in my opinion way off timewise.
The regular whisky drinker will not buy most of what you do videos about.
You sound like a whisky snob but i like your videos even if i think you should review cheaper more affordable whisky that people actually buys.
The whisky bubble will burst because its gotten way out of control, price wise.
A nas that is chill filtered and got e 150 at 43% selling for 500usd ?
Hillarious.
I touch on value and I'm critical of overpriced bottles. Also, I review whiskies at all price points. My channel's about enjoying whisky, not addressing economics or geopolitics. This is a passion project and I'll discuss whatever I like.
There isn't a single bottle in this video that's NAS, 43%, and coloured that sells for $500, so I'm not sure what you're talking about. Sounds like exactly the kind of bottle I'd be extremely critical of, though.
Are you sure that was a kind thought?