Is it worth the price?

I’ve had bottles of both and would like to throw my hat in the 25 year olds camp. Don’t get me wrong the 21 year old is nice but, not that much better than the 18year old in my opinion. The 25 though is just magical, a truly exceptional mouth feel with a finish that goes on for ever. Personally I even prefer it to the 30 year old too. I read that your bottle of 25 is at a slightly lower strength. However 48.1 down to 45.7 is not the end of the world for such a great whisky.

This hasn't really got anything to do with anything, but I really rankle at some of the gouging that goes on here in BC. The HP 12 is $67.50. That I can deal with. But the 18 is $150, which is pretty steep, even for such a highly regarded dram. Very frustrating. Worse yet, when you leave the country, you're only allowed one bottle before you have to pay duty, which is insanely expensive on its own (think $60 a bottle). Canada is a wonderful place to live and I love it, but it's pretty unkind to whisky nerds.

@HeartlessNinny I could agree more! I find that a number of bottles are considerably higher in price, but there are bottles that don't vary in price when compared to neighbouring States. I too am a proud Canadian, but I am not the model traveller.....I tend to bring much more than is allowed by customs. So far I've been lucky!

Thanks for your input CaptinTom. I've been contemplating on the HP 25, but will keep it. After all, all of the releases over the past few years has rendered lower abv's, with the recent (48%) scoring the highest. It will be interesting to see how the new one will score. I also ordered the 30 year old......so needless to say, I am refraining from buying whisky for a time while. At least for a month or so. :) Cheers!

You might want to try buying from Master of Malt online. Their prices are considerably cheaper. I just made a purchase and I am quite happy with the results.

@DaveM unfortunately, because I live in Ontario, I cannot purchase liquor or wine from online sources other than the LCBO. The LCBO controls the market here. That is the major issue that most enthusiasts and connoisseur's have here. Otherwise, if I could buy from Master of Malt or the Whisky Exchange! I would in a heartbeat!

@DaveM. I don't believe MoM or TWE ship to Canada, neither do any other online suppliers. BTW@StevieC. The 18 at the distillery was the equivalent of around $100 and the 21 was around $140 as I recall. The 30 is out of sight in BC at $500. But hey, we do have healthcare and our vaunted social safety net. Doesn't mean we can't complain though.

I'll tell you what irks me. I just looked on the BCLiquor Stores website and what do I find in their new listings? Not a nice Springbank 18 or a Glendronach Revival or a Talisker 18 or anything that the average schmuck might be able to afford. No. I see 11 Dalmores, 1 bottle of each ranging in price from $4000 to $32,000. How insane is that? Talk about catering to the rich and famous and ignoring the rest of us.

All you could do is write Master of Malt and see if Canada is restricted or not. I am in the US fortunately.

@DaveM it's not up to MoM. I'm sure they'd love more business, but it's illegal to ship alcohol into Canada. It's not even legal to operate your own store. We are stuck with our government agencies unless we go across the border.

@BlueNote That sucks! Sounds to me like it's all bang or bust! A few years ago, the LCBO decided to create the "Whisky Shop" in select outlets. Their aim is to cater to the seasoned whisky connoisseur or budding enthusiast. It is obvious that there is a large target market, etc. It sounds like a great concept, however, the selection if fairly limited. Numerous press releases claim that consumers are interested in finer wines and higher end spirits.

I understand the reality of pricing in our market, and I have grown to accept it. My only wish is for an increase in selection! Why can't the largest liquor purchaser (LCBO) in the world have more to offer to the consumer? Instead of building more outlets, they might want consider looking at constructing "specialty" whisky shops in larger urban areas. I believe the SAQ has a store that solely sells whiskies in Montreal. Just a thought.........

It's true that you cannot ship any sort of alcohol into Canada. It's illegal. In BC, it is legal for private business to operate a store that sells spirits, but that's a relatively recent innovation -- I think maybe 10 or so years past.

The only thing I would be able to do is ship something to a US address, then drive down and pick it up. But then you'd incur the wrath of the duty tax (unless you're out of the country for 48 hours or more), and you'd be foolish not to declare it -- should you get checked and they find some unopened bottles, you'd be punished pretty heavily. I actually calculated how much it would cost to ship a bottle of Uigeadail to a private address, then added duty and compared it to the local price. The difference? Fifty cents. Talk about a waste of time!

@BlueNote I wish from time to time that BC Liquor would bring in some new stuff as well, but at least the selection is generally pretty good. And gradually -- oh so gradually -- it seems to improve.

Haven't tried the HP 25, but the 21 was quite good. As for pricing issues, I agree, @StevieC, and anyone else from Canada who is reading this discussion, the pricing - and selection - is all over the place, although we are now allowed to (legally) transport spirits between provinces if we do it ourselves...hence the reason that if I have to travel for business, I spend a lot of time (at home) looking at prices to see what is cheaper elsewhere...for instance, in New Brunswick, Talisker 10 is about $15 to $20 cheaper a bottle than it is elsewhere in Canada (last year, after a trip to Calgary, I sat down and looked at some of the prices across the country - dan-the-tax-man.livejournal.com/41876.html - and concluded that our pricing structure is just messed up).

@YakLord Our pricing system would have to be totally revised in a much saner way just to get to messed up. It's downright crazy as it is!

Our insane pricing goes beyond liquor, beer, etc. We get hosed on most general merchandise in this country. Greed runs the show. And they wonder why we Canadians are so conservative when it comes to spending.

@StevieC Fair point. A friend of mine lives very close to the US border (only a few minutes away, in fact). Needless to say, he buys all his groceries, gas, etc. south of the border. The cost is just so much lower.