I’ve found that a good rule of thumb is everything in moderation, especially when it comes to vices. That’s why when you give in to vice, you might as well go all out. This helps for two reasons… the first is that you are more likely to enjoy yourself… the second is that you most likely can’t afford to do it a lot, thus avoiding the pitfall of “too much” vice.

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve enjoyed a handful of cigars - notably the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature and the CAO Mx2 (double Maduro). I enjoyed both - the Hemingway burned a little hot at the end, but I was drawing a bit too aggressively. I also think a Maduro Hemingway would be a good catch.

As for scotch… this is where the real fun began. The list consisted of a number of unique and fun malts:
Balvenie Vintage 1972
Duncan Taylor Bowmore 40
Black Adder Blaire Athol
Black Adder Highland Park
Glenfarclas 25
Balvenie 17 Rum Cask
Glenfiddich 21 Gran Reserva
Scotts Selection Royal Brackla
and for good measure, some quality aged tequila.

There were a couple other single malts in there - but the standouts were the Balvenies and the Glenfarclas. I may have to create a dedicated tasting notes section for this site, but I have posted some thoughts over at the whiskymag forum.

Last night I met up with a whiskymag forum member, and enjoyed a handful of single malts I hadn’t had before.

Balvenie 21 Port Wood
Lagavulin 12
Glenfarclas 25
Laphroaig 30
Talisker DE
Macallan 15 Fine Oak
Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist
and

Balvenie Vintage 1972 x2

Talk about a great evening of drams! The Balvenie Vintage 1972 is one that has been highly recommended, and labeled as one of the best vintages to come out recently - it’s actually still available in shops, at least in the US. It was excellent! If they had doping in scotch like they do in sports, this was a Balvenie on HGH!! The flavors were extraordinarily pronounced and well defined, and the taste of wood that you usually find in an older malt was absolutely not there. Excellent notes of vanilla, honey, and spice. Definitely one of my favorite drams of all time.

The other surprise for the night was the Laphroaig 30. Had I not known it was a Lahproaig, I never would’ve guessed it. The reduction in peat over the age of the malt is noticeable, comparing a QC, 10, and 15 to this 30. I don’t think I entirely wrapped my tongue around it - it had a lot of sweet notes, almost as if it were sherry finished. A great dram!

Another surprise was the Macallan 15 FO. Everyone raves about Macallan, and while I tend to like it, I find that it is very overpriced for what you get. This 15 Fine Oak was very good with little to no “spirity” taste.

The Ardbeg was peat as I like it. Unadulterated, simple, without the floral to offset it. Another great dram - I’m glad I have a bottle of this, although it still needs to be opened.

The Balvenie distillery limits the production from each cask selected for bottling the 15 YO to a maximum of 350 bottles.

From the distillery website:

Nose ~ Fragrant aroma of vanilla honeyed sweetness, hints of heather and dry oaky notes.

Taste ~ Rich and complex, suggestive of years of careful ageing, it has a honeyed maltiness with vanilla oak flavours, and hints of spice. It has a long and complex finish with a touch of liquorice.

The most apparent taste is generally honey. I also usually notice the oak.

Still, what is interesting to note is the actual age of the scotch. The tube mentions that “this whisky matures in wood for no less than 15 years.” The “no less” component of that is the key. While one won’t always find a bottle older than 15 years, it is entirely plausible to get bottles that have matured over longer periods. Of my three currently in stock, I have two that are 17 YO and one that is 16 YO.

A Whisky Mag forum member from Germany posted the details from his bottling:

Bottle 14 from cask 16167, 50,4%
In cask: 17.11.1980
Bottled: 25.04.2002

You will likely immediately notice this is over 21 YO, which is the same age as their Portwood 21, which sells for double the price of the 15 YO SB.