3 SPIRITS you'd take on an desert island?

Well, @Georgy I would take the three best whiskies which I have ever tasted to a deserted island in the Pacific Ocean. They are Thomas H. Handy 134.8% barrel proof, William Larue Weller 2014 and Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beast. In stead of cigars, I would insist to take Glenmorangie Signet, HP 25 and 30 with me. However, I would trade all those whiskies for female company. A man has to know his priority.

I'm fairly inexperienced with rare/high end whiskies, so my choices may seem pedestrian. But here goes:

1. Lagavulin 16 Year Old
2. Macallan Rare Cask (yes, it's overpriced, but it really is fantastic)
3. Springbank 10 Year Old

I don't know cigars well, but I've enjoyed quite a few over the years. I'm willing to learn more about that here too....

@NamBeist so beautifully put ) also, I love it when people mention whiskies I know I'll have a hard time finding anywhere ))

@OdysseusUnbound At one whisky place in Moscow, 10 people were asked which distillery they would save, if every other one had to be demolished for good, and 9 out of them said "Springbank", so I guess Springbank is one of their top 3 desert island whiskies as well) and understandably so )

Just like in whiskies, I love a lot of complexity in my cigars. And the most complex cigars I've found are Cubans. No contest. They do have issues with quality control, and every once in a while you can pick up a bad one, but they are delicious.

1) Macallan Cask Strength 2) Four Roses 125th Anniversary Ltd Ed Sm Batch 3) Alberta Premium 25 YO.

I selected these from among my favourites. It wasn't easy. Another three could take their place tomorrow, depending upon the mood. The process employed was head to head elimination. They were the survivors.

Cigar Selections:

Cohiba El Presidente 10 YO, Cuba

Monte Cristo Cigaritto or Cigarillo, Cuba

Cohiba Siglo II, Cuba

@paddockjudge What? Nothing peated ???

@OdysseusUnbound He can peat the whisky with the cigars.

There used to be a number of lists on this site that had a similar topic.

For me it would depend partly on wether I was bringing 3 bottles to last me the rest of my life or whether I could have as much as I wanted of those three whiskies. Why? Because although the temptation would be to choose from among the 15 whiskies in my top five, If it were only one bottle I would be tempted to drink them more often, then would run out and be missing it. So maybe something a little less tempting but that holds its quality long term, like a CS Laphroaig. If it was an unlimited supply, I wouldn't have to worry about it going off, so I could go with something like an Amrut.

Ultimately my three choices would likely be:

Booker's 2015-01 Aberlour A'Bunadh batch 33 Amrut Peated CS

Springbank 10, Ardbeg 10, Talisker 10. You could leave me on that island forever. I don't smoke, so I should get 3 more: Lagavulin 16, Arran 14, HP 18.

@BlueNote If non-smokers get three more I choose Amrut Single (bourbon) cask, Caol Ila CS and Highwood 90/20

@Nozinan Right on. Who needs cigars when you've got those beauties to keep you company.

Absolutely, and I find smells take away from the appreciation of subtle spirits. And cigars are nothing if not smelly.

@Nozinan Two of the guys in our group are high end cigar aficionados. Those things are expensive, like $20-$25 apiece. I don't mind a whiff of the smoke, but that's as close as I'm getting.

Scotch Springbank 21yo Highland Park 18yo Lagavulin 16yo

Cigars Liga Privada No. 9 Montecristo No. 4 Cohiba Siglo 6

@paddockjudge how much you want for the rest of that macallan? Haha

@BlueNote I enjoy smoking 2 cigars a week at the most, so I'm nowhere near so-called aficionados )) I wouldn't want to smoke more than that, even if I had the means to. I feel like they would lose their magic for me

@casualtorture, I won't take more than a penny for a glass...someday we will share a dram of Macallan CS. I suspect @Nozinan will desire to be there, he is more than welcome to join us.

Only 3? That's hard. Well I would take bottles wich I had more then one of and didn't bore me at any time: ● HP 18 ● Ardbeg Uigeadail ● Talisker 18

And water instead of sigars

I want to be marooned on @DutchGaelisch's island.

@MadSingleMalt Then it wouldn't be deserted

@DutchGaelisch I don't know what's going on, but I do find the standard Ardbeg 10 YO more appealing than his cask strength brother which is so loved and admired by so many whisky fans. I'm drinking this cask strength beast right now as I'm writing this. It's a great whisky, but...the 10 YO is, to me, fresher, creamier and more vegetal which is a delightful combo, in my book.

Laphroaig 10; Balvenie 12; Talisker 18

Octomore Orpheus 2.2, Abraham Bowman 10 yo Rye, 69.4% ABV, William Larue Weller Bourbon.

@Georgy, asking anyone to settle on three and ignore the other 200 in his cabinet is like asking, "Which would you prefer to have amputated, a leg, or an arm?"

It has been several years since I smoked a cigar. If I did so now, or on the desert island in the future, I would not also be drinking any of those whiskies with it.

@Victor, Leg

@Georgy I have to agree with you. The Ten is really the only Ardbeg you need. I hope it doesn't disappear into the NAS sink hole.

@dcbill Oh Yeah. Good choices. I might substitute the Balvenie 15 Single Cask for the 12 Double Wood. But Talisker 18? No substitute.

@paddockjudge Yeah, it's hard to raise a leg. Much easier to bend an elbow.

I would gladly trade my cigars for Octomore Comus 4.2 (61%), Century 25 YO Calgary Stampede 100th Anniv (40%), and William Larue Weller (67.3 or 70.1%)

@Georgy When I look at my own history cabinet, I've had 5 bottles of Uigeadail in the last couple of years and are going to open number 6 (fall is coming). In that same period I've had only 1 bottle of the 10 and half a bottle of the 10 is staring at me in my cabinet...... Don't get me wrong, I don't mind to visit your Desert Island. The 10 is a decent peat benchmark, but for me I'll have the Uigeadail a sweet-peat benchmark.

Laphroaig 10 CS

Cadenhead's living cask of Campbeltown malt as it was in May, 2010—at the Edinburgh shop

Six Isles Pomerol Finish

@Georgy, my inclination with this discussion would be to do as @paddockjudge has started to do,...post about 30 different Desert Island Trios. My five or so Connosr 1.0 Desert Island Lists never contained fewer than 11 whiskies each, and that of a single genre per list.

My list would be different according to different specified conditions, such as 1) unlimited supply of each whisk(e)y/spirit, or limited to just 1 bottle each?, 2) limited to any whisky/spirit, or just ones we currently own in stock?, 3) limited in price, or including legendary bottles we've never seen?, 4) limited to commonly available products which almost anyone can find and afford, or not?, etc.

I think that what you really want to know is, 1) what do you like the most?, and 2) what do you consider to be the best all-occasions spirit choices? For me to choose just one set was to limit myself to those extremely few products which routinely give me involuntary "Oh My God!" reactions when I partake of them. But giving my best honest answer to your question means listing whiskies which maybe the majority of Connosr members will never see or taste, much less own. I chose ones of which I have owned bottles. If I were choosing ones I have tasted but of which I have never owned bottles I would probably have included two whiskies not mentioned.