Best quality / price

@RikS, currently at Connosr # 5 top-rated, Amrut Intermediate Sherry Matured Malt is the only whisky among the top 5 rated which does not cost upwards of $ 792 average on the secondary market. Wine-searcher.com currently shows a world average price for Intermediate Sherry of $ 99 and a UK average price of $ 96. There's your sherry. It would be sweet enough too.

As for Redbreat 12, the standard and Cask Strength are two strikingly different whiskies. You should have both. Nothing else makes sense. N.B. Redbreast 12 CS is currently Connosr # 6 top-rated.

I'll say it again, in my opinion there are only 3 questions one need ask when deciding whether a whisky should be purchased (obviously current inventory is a factor as well):

1. Is this whisky worth drinking. If yes, go to question 2.

2. Is this whisky good enough to merit being in my cabinet (some whiskies I would not turn down but would not want a whole bottle)? If yes, go to question 3.

3. Can I afford to buy this whisky? If yes, buy it.

Any other analysis is not as useful. If the whisky isn't something you would drink it has no place in your cabinet no matter what. Of course, you have no control over gifts.

Everyone has their own tastes, everyone has their own threshold for what they would like in their cabinet. Everyone has different local pricing and everyone has a different budget. So I would hesitate to recommend a specific one based on quality and rice.

I do agree with @Victor that Amrut Intermediate Sherry is a fantastic whisky. I can afford it and I WOULD buy it IF I didn't have some already.

But I also hear that Glenfarclas 25 YO is great, and a CS is available in Alberta for < $300. for the price, that's great, but still too much for me.

Hope this helps.

Very tricky question indeed. I'm in partial agreement with @Nozinan yet there are whiskies that I buy which are "good for the price" (a phrase I know he hates). I'll use the example of a Connosr whipping-boy; Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye. Yes, there's tremendous batch variation. BUT for $35 (sometimes less), there aren't really any whiskies that can match it. I enjoy it. I buy it regularly. The batch variation would probably bother me more if I was paying $50 for it.

On the other hand (and this is where I agree with @Nozinan ), there are whiskies that are good, priced "reasonably" that I simply don't enjoy because of personal taste. I honestly wish I had tried Gooderham & Worts 17 Year Old Little Trinity before buying a bottle. Scratch that, if I had tried it, I wouldn't have bought a bottle. To someone who enjoys that flavour profile, $80 might seem like a steal of a deal for a well-crafted 17 year old whisky. To me, it's (to borrow a phrase from Ralfy) "a bottle of disappointment".

I'm not much of a sherried whisky guy, so my lengthy ramblings probably aren't very useful (sorry). But I think the standard Lot no.40 Rye is one of the best deals in whisky. It's a phenomenal whisky (to my palate) and it costs $40 (sometimes less). I'd say the same for Wild Turkey Rare Breed. Sixty bucks is a great price for a barrel proof bourbon THAT good. Also, Redbreast 12 Cask Strength is $110 here and it is much better than the regular 12 at $80. It's a total no-brainer for me.

For a sweet malt that delivers big value, I don't know how you could beat Glenmo Quinta Ruban for $38.

@Nozinan Eminently reasonable three steps. Though, of course, the first step hinges on having actual knowledge of the whisky in question... and my quest is to learn and try my way through. So, e.g. the recommendation for the Amrut Intermediate is very welcome. Seems to be one that consistently is highly appreciated, and at £77 strikes me as an excellent price/quality option (in the UK it's basically same price as Glendronach 18 which I suppose is also on the 'sherry bomb' list of many). Many thanks for the feedback.

@MadSingleMalt Got it, like it! Though, curious to see how e.g. a PX would compare to the QR port finish. Cheers MSM!

@OdysseusUnbound trust me, your ramblings are very welcome! At some stage I wanna dip my toe into the rye world, and I've heard that Lot 40 is indeed a good place to go!

@RikS I should add that sometimes tasting before you buy is not an option, so, especially in cases where availability will be short, it may be necessary to buy before trying. In a case like that, I start with question 3, and then I go to question 2. I base my answer not on my own taste but on the reviews and opinions I seek and trust. In cases where I can afford and my index of suspicion that I will want lots is high, if I can return them, I get as many as I will want. Once opening, if I am disappointed (like I have been with recent FC releases), I return the rest.

@RikS - You're UK based aren't you? Currently, and based solely on my personal tastes, I'd say Benromach 10 (15 & 10/100 also), Springbank 10, Ledaig 10 and Glenfarclas 15 give excellent vfm. I'd also throw Ardbeg 10 and Oogy in there as well along with Arran 14 for good measure.

Old Pulteney at c£25 is also a steal (if you get a good batch you're in for a treat!)

Talisker 18 was about £75 and while I'd only pay that for a special occasion it was worth the money. The 57 North is currently at MoM for under £60 and that is also pretty damn good - review pending.

If you like bourbon, Evan Williams White Label BiB can be found under £30, and that is an excellent easy going bourbon and gives good vfm.

@RianC Indeed I am in the UK, and we seem to have similar buds: the Benromach, Ledaig, Ardbeg 10 and Oogie are in the cabinet. Tried the 57 last week at Heathrow and it was indeed the better of the NAS ones they carry. My last ones were Laga 16 and the Laga D.E.

I'm curious about the Glenfarclas 15... but also the Glendronach 12.... I'd like something sweet now that we get a few warm evenings (and I'm pretty stocked up on a few Islays).

@MadSingleMalt Glenmo QR is $95 here !!!!

@RikS - I've had both the 'farclas 15 and the 'dronach 12 - I'd stump up the extra few quid every time and get the former. It was much richer and less overtly sweetly sherried (a problem I'm having with a bottle of the 'farclas 12 currently, as it happens). Both are decent though and I would say suitable for your particular needs!

Well you've got some interesting points of view to consider and dine great recommendations too. Based on ratings @Victor had a great suggestion and I agree with @RianC too. One "bang for your buck" malt I'd suggest is Kilkerran 12. It doesn't fit your criteria for a sweet malt but it is fresh and lively with background peat. A friend said it's like sunshine in a glass after tasting it. In my opinion it is very good vfm

@RikS I must say that despite many people liking the Glendronach 12 as a value sherried malt I struggled to finish my bottle. I've recently opened an Arran 10 and although it's a bit shy it has lovely sweetness (citrus, vanilla) and gentle Oak. Another possibly (a very good price for 46% ABV and NCF).

@OdysseusUnbound have you had it? I’m curious about port finishes. One of my hopes at the spirit of Toronto show this year was to try some...alas, there were none.

@RikS the Glenfarclas 15 over the Glendronach 12. Not close in my opinion.

@RikS had lot 40 this weekend. Like having diff whiskies. Fruity, sweet, then rye spice in stages. Good stuff

@RikS redbreast 21 is not cheap, but it is fantastic. I second a lot of what I’ve heard from the rest of the crew. Lot 40. Glenfarclas 15. Kilkerran 12. Benromach 10.

@nooch @Hewie @RianC seems to be a rather clear consensus that for a sweet and rich sherry bomb to sip on a warm summer's evening (believe it or not, there's 29C in London now)... Glenfarclas 15 is a better option than the Glendronach 12. So, far the only one I have in that category is the A'bunadh, and I suppose to some extent the Quinta Ruban (though that's port, not sherry).

Here are some good values for what they are in standard bottlings (so it is readily available), which I ordered by price to best of my knowledge:

1. Benromach 10
2. Springbank 12 CS
3. Glendronach 15 Revival
4. Old Pulteney 21
5. Glenfarclas 25

@asmazda I've never tried the Glendronach 15, but I've seen many many reviews claiming it's outstanding. Unfortunately, it's not available any longer in the UK... only on the secondary market for about 150%-200% the cost of the Glendronach 21... (which is annoying as I've seen old reviews stating that it was at a price point between the 12yrs and 18yrs)

@RikS Good point, I should exclude Glendronach 15 and Old Pulteney 21 from the list since they have been discontinued. Unfortunately, with how whiskey demand is increasing and distillers shifting the good stock to higher-priced bottlings it's really hard these days to find a good quality and bang for the buck with standard bottlings. These days I mostly purchase independent botllings, but you need to carefully do your research and pull the buying trigger quickly before sold out.

@RikS I had the glendronach 15 and found it very good, but not outstanding. My understanding is that early batches had significantly older whiskies that were included to make an impact on the market after the stills were silent for an extended period. To buy a bottle now, I would still go Glenfarclas 15 - which is better than their 17 or 21

@nooch, you are absolutely correct about the Glendronach 15 Revival. The open bottle on my shelf is like Christmas cake in a glass. I know that reference is used often, but this one is all that. The spices are so different from other sherry bombs, both on the nose and the palate.

@paddockjudge i wish I could have tried the GD15. Seems there's not much love for the GD12, though plenty for the Glenfarclas 15.

Value does not increase the quality of a great whisky, it only makes that whisky more affordable. Each of the below listed expressions is a great whisky, regardless of price. IMO they present good value in many jurisdictions. I would proudly serve all off these at a tasting without hesitation

1. Corby's Lot No 40 Rye.

2. Aberlour A'Bunadh CS.

3. Johnnie Walker Green Label 15 YO.

4. Stagg Jr. barrel proof Bourbon.

5. Macallan 12 YO Sherry Cask... not the double oak.

@nooch I had it at a tasting back in November or December 2017. I really enjoyed it (it tasted like dark chocolate-covered cherries) but I don’t know if I’d pay $95 for it...

@RikS, perhaps I should set aside a pour of Glendronsch 15 YO to go with your bespoke whisky, Smokey Desire.

@paddockjudge I had a mini of the 15 and the 18 back in the day when a friend of mine used to mule for me from Europe and I needed to get up to 1.14L.

I enjoyed them, and found the 15 more pleasant than the 18. But so did Rlfy and I wonder if I was impressionable then.

It's possibly Rlfy, Serge, etc. influence us, but I think there are few points that are hard to refute:

1. The Glendronach 15 has much more flavor intensity than the 18: the 15 feels like it's all or mostly first-fill casks whereas 18 feels like it's all or mostly refill casks.

2. While the 18 has more complexity it's drier and relatively more oak tannins (if that's your thing).

3. Back in the day the 18 was significantly more expensive than the 15.