Islay for everyday

Islay Mist 8 year - a Laphroaig-based blend. There is a review here: connosr.com/reviews/islay-mist/…

A second review of the Islay Mist 8 is here (misidentified as Arran Islay Mist): connosr.com/reviews/arran/…

@Nolinske Here in Australia, Islay blends are hard to come by, but I have recently purchased a bottle of "Black Bottle" , I haven't tried it yet though. Also "McClelland's" has just come onto the market, they do a blend for each region, not sure on quality or availability though? Another tip I have heard Ralfy talk about is to get a blend, maybe even something slightly smoky like a Johnnie Walker Black and add just a tiny bit of something peaty like ardbeg, you would be suprised how you can make a cheap blend taste pretty good darn good, all the while making your ardbeg stretch a little further! Hope this helps!

@Nolinske Q: Are there any quality islay whiskeys either malt or blended in the $15-25 price range?

A: No.

Go ahead and find something you like in the $20 range, but don't expect it to be anything like Ardbeg or Lagavulin. You can get some drinkable, slightly peated blends like Black Bottle or Black Grouse, but these are worlds away from Ardbeg and Lagavulin. Bowmore Legend is certainly drinkable and not really bad tasting, but it's so watery and thin and weak that I have a difficult time recommending it even if you see it for $25. I've heard good things about Finlaggan, but I've never seen it in my neck of the woods. I cannot recommend McClelland's Islay: just because something is peaty doesn't mean it's good.

@valuewhisky - quite right...while there may be affordable blends that contain peated whisky, but they won't be in the same league as Ardbeg and Lagavulin...with things like Islay Mist and Te Bheag you can certainly taste the influence Laphroaig and Talisker (respectively), but there is also a great deal of sweet grain whisky propping it up...is it drinkable? Yes, but nowhere near as good...also, I've read not so good things about the McClelland's range from Morrison-Bowmore...

@valuewhisky @YakLord thanks for the honest answer and I was afraid that my daily price range was too low for quality mislays. With Bourbon it is much easier to find great whiskeys under $30 but with Scotch it just is a much harder task. I may try bowmore or black bottle but it sounds like I will not be as satisfied as I am with lower priced bourbons.

I do recomend the McClelland's range to many people as just an idea of what they are getting into when they want to try scotch without breaking the (piggy) bank. They do offer an idea of the regions including Islay. They are super cheap and you get what you pay for but at that price they are hard if not impossible to beat.

@valuewhisky +1

Laphroaig Quarter cask € 35, very good dram.

@Nolinske Just to follow up on your last comment - I know where you're coming from. I used to drink bourbon for years before I got into scotch, and I primarily just drank bourbon under $30 (of which there are several worthy candidates). So when I decided to try out scotch, I came in with the mindset that "if I can get good bourbon for $20-$30, I should be able to get good scotch for the same price." False! I wasted a lot of money trying lots of different cheap scotches before I finally decided that I simply can't drink scotch all the time - just have to drink it less often to be able to afford the decent stuff, like Ardbeg. For me there's not a single scotch under $25 that can compete with the enjoyment of a good bourbon of that price, or two $10-12 six-packs of beer (which is about how many drinks I get out of a bottle of whisky).

@valuewhisky I think I am learning from the post what u said exactly. When I want to drink scorch I should not try to find substitutes, but I should drink the ardbegs and lagavulins of the world more infrequently but savor the experience. My passion is still Bourbon which is good for my wallet, but I love to mix a nice peated Scotch in there from time to time. I will just stick with the better bottles and let them be the treats that they are.

I agree with you guys. Also growing up on Bourbon (Louisville, KY native). I find myself buying one or two Scotches per month. I usually lean North and enjoy things like Glenmorangie and Balvenie. My everyday stuff is usually Basil Hayden's or Woodford.

@Nolinske: Try Big Peat! This is a Vatted Malt and is sensational: Perhaps just a little over budget (depending on your location) but here (Aust.) the cheapest 'Islay'. Certainly not one to be missed - The batch currently available locally is one of the finest Whiskies I have ever tackled!

Good Luck.

@valuewhisky, @Nolinske, @JJBoud - the same applies to Canadian whisky: there are some Canadian whiskies that are decent enough to be drunk neat and which fall into the $25 to $30 range, but Scotch is a whole other beast.

Islay Mist and Te Bheag are good comprimises if you're looking for an inexpensive - but reasonably decent - peated blend...but they'll still run you $30 to $40 a bottle - about half of what you'd pay for a bottle of Laphroaig QC or Talisker 10.

Cheapest Islay that I enjoy around here is Laphroaig Quarter Cask... it's cheaper than the Laph 10 and Talisker (though still $75... I can't help but laugh at $15-25 as here there is no such thing as any scotch in that range). Bowmore 12 is cheaper but I don't enjoy it as much.

@lostboyscout haha I know I know ignorance isn't always bliss when I wrote the $15-25. That was the knowledable Bourbon drinker speaking. I can find eagle rare, Buffalo trace and several other inexpensive gems in that range so I wishfully put that on the post. I have quickly learned the error of my ways haha :)

Going back to the original idea, personally I wouldn't want to drink complex Islay malts all the time, even though they're my favourite type of whisky by far. To me that would make them routine, and that simply wouldn't do... I find I drink a peaty Islay around once a week -- maybe less. For daily drivers, I like to drink bourbon (and it seems I'm not alone on that one). Around here Buffalo Trace is $40 a bottle, making it more economically viable than the classic Laphroaig Quarter Cask (which is $75).

@Nolinske Exactly my thoughts, I´d rather have a good bourbon (lots of cheap ones!) than a Islay-ish blend with a lot of grains in it. I tried the Black Bottle but it just doest really satisfies and its not that peaty... I do like good old JW Black Label, its smoky, cheap, available on Easter Island and pretty big for a blend.

In my opinion, Black Bottle is quite enjoyable. If you drink it back to back with the Islay biggies, it is noticeably simpler. When I drink Black Bottle, it's usually my first or only dram of the evening, and I quite like it. Just don't compare it to your Islay favorites and expect it to be on the same level.

"smoke peat everydayyyy!"

Update: The store where I work got a shipment of McClelland's in the new packaging. I took home a bottle of the Highland last night and it is drastically different from the last. Ashes right up front. Burnt wood. The finish held some of the flavors I remembered but at first I didn't want to swallow. After it sat for a bit it mellowed out. I'll have to think twice before recomending this again.

@JJBoud - sounds painful...here are two more reviews (not authored by me, I might add) of budget Islay whiskies (blend and single malt):

Islay Mist 8 - scotchblog.ca/scotch_blog/2012/…

McClelland's Islay - scotchblog.ca/scotch_blog/2012/…

Finlaggan Cask Strength is very good. Reputed to be young Lagavulin.

I came across black bottle for $20 so I said what the heck. I find it actuallly has good flavor and a nice light peat. Its very similar to glenfiddich 12. But the black bottle has a little grain flavor and some peat on the finish but it's really a great bargain blend.

I'm definitely in the minority here, but I like McClelland's Islay.. It seems to be a divisive whisky.: Jim Murray rated it at 88/1000 at one point, but many/most whisky lovers tend to dislike or dismiss it. It's been some time since I have had it, but if you like young Bowmore (Legend) , the similarity is striking. Even with the caramel coloring, low proof and the young age, it's really not bad. (I tried another no name/no age single malt--can't remember the name, but it was probably watered down young Caol Ila--and it didn't come close.) I wonder if the problem that many have with McClelland's is that they first of all don't like Bowmore and especially not young Bowmore. While Bowmore 12 was my gateway whisky--and I now find it considerably less enchanting than when I first tried it--- I have also noticed that Bowmore in general is a divisive whisky (at least when it comes to standard and non-vintage expressions). If you have already tried and like Bowmore Legend or even 12 (considerably better), I would suggest giving McClelland's a try.

For for some points of reference, Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Laphroaig and now Kilchoman are my favorite Islays (every expression that I can get my hands on and also afford).

What I usually do if I want to save some money is pick up Black Bottle and add some Laphroaig CS. I think that this would also work with Ardbeg 10. (I can't find the Ralfy video where I learned this trick, but it should be easily accessible.) That's also not bad Islay for everyday.

@Jonathan just wanted to add: my keyboard is screwed up. When I type letters, I get numbers...hence the typos...

I don't know if its been said yet but give the Bruchladdich 10yo a try. Entry level price with a great taste. Much less peaty then The super peated distillerys of Islay but still a great expression of the islay style.

Try Black Bottle it is a blend of Islay whiskys and is very good about £17.50 GBP.

Just an addendum to my post about Mclelland's Islay. Eight months after tasting it and finding it decent, I picked up some last night.and, to put it mildly, I really could not find much to like about it. My only explanation is that, when I first tried it, peat was still an entirely new taste for me and I liked anything that even vaguely tasted like it. I can only guess...but I'm glad that at least I didn't buy a handle. In any case, I second (and third, fourth and fifth) the recommendations for Black Bottle!

@Jonathan, N.B. McClelland's Islay goes way downhill with oxidation. If you first like it, gas or decant it to keep it as something you like.