Whisky Forum - Your whisky of the year 2012 - Both good and bad!

albo · Master Of Malts Joined: 22 Mar 2011 Posts: 1888

It's that time of the year again, Santa is almost amongst us, so I thought I'd try and find out what everyone's whisky of the year was for 2012.

For me there were many many highlights, going to the whisky fringe was a chance to sample dozens (literally) of new whiskies that I'd not yet tried.

So highlights for me. . .

Glenlivet 25 - was a stunning whisky and a joy to sample this one
Black Art 3 - So good a got a full bottle
Balblair 1975 2nd edition - This was probably whisky of the year for me.

2012 also saw me as a member of the SMWS which also had it's own highlights. . .

105.18 A dram for Santa (Tormore) - Was a stunning little number I picked up earlier in the year and have saved for Christmas.
Several of the Port Charlotte 8/9 yr old bottles they released were all of a really high standard
77.29 Marmalade Cornflakes and Bagels (Glen Ord) - This was a cracking dram, one to relax and really savour.

On the other side the disappointments - The BAD - many of these came from the SMWS as well and most all of them had been serried... oddly enough.

I didn't take all the names and numbers down of the offending members, but 2 really stand out head and shoulders above the rest as pure horrid.

66.34 Hornby 00 (Ardmore) - This was nasty, rancid sulphur ridden a real disappointment for the Society to release something like this. Just remembering it turns my stomach.
4.168 Gunpowder Treason and Plot (Highland Park) - Nasty again, given it comes from one of my more favoured distilleries is bad enough, the fact that the Whisky Society upon tasting it felt the need to pass it as saleable and worse still actually ask for people to pay money for it, is just beyond me.

So my awards as are follows. . .

Best Whisky of the year - Balblair 1975 2nd edition.

Worst Whisky of the year - Split between Hornby 00 and Gunpowder treason and plot.

Let me know what the years highs and lows were for you.

Bookie · Master Of Malts Joined: 15 Sep 2008 Posts: 945

My highlights of the year have been

Balvenie Craftsmans Reserve No.1 The Cooper
Benromach 25 year old

Lowlight would be the Loch Lomond no age statement, bought a bottle as it was cheap and i was curious as i hadnt tried any Loch Lomond before, now i know why it is cheap. I dont know what the age statement bottles are like but this one was barely whisky, quite sweet and spirity.

minesascotch · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 6:01 pm Post subject:

Would agree with albo and Bookie on there choice and would add the following to my favourite list.

Glenlivet 1977 from the cask
Old Pultney 40 yr old
Red Breast 12 Cask Strength
Lagavulin 12

thankfully I have been lucky and not had any bad ones this year.

Merry Christmas to you all.

bifter · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 6:21 pm Post subject:

As I do much of my tasting with albo I concur with his selections. This year was the first that I tried HP18 and it is just as good as the hype. I was also very much taken with the Chivas 21 Royal Salute, which I tried at the Whisky Fringe, possibly the best blend I've tasted. My favourite of the SMWS PC releases was definitely 127.21, a firecracker of a dram!

On the bad side I again agree wholeheartedly with albo, some of the HP releases from SMWS were seriously disgusting and no amount of marketing can disguise that. You can't polish a turd as they say, but SMWS certainly attempted to cover them in glitter!
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"Whisky is liquid sunshine."
[George Bernard Shaw]

drPete · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 6:34 pm Post subject:

Tun 1401 Batch 5 - epic.

Ardbeg day - very average.
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Talisker 18 - the rest are just details

Quaich1 · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 6:49 pm Post subject:

Albo, this is a wonderful thread. My personal bests that I had occasion to have this year would have to be Glenfiddich 30 Year Old, Highland Park 30 (The MacPhail Collection), Port Ellen 1978, 22 Year 60.5 % abv, O.B. (Rare Malts Collection), Ardbeg 27 Year and Ardbeg 32 Year, both CS and Laing and Bowmore 25 Year old. These were all absolutely exceptional.

However, my top pick of the ones I had the good fortune to try in 2012 would be:
Best Whisky of the Year-
Port Ellen 1978, 22 Year 60.5 abv. with the Highland park 30, a very close second.

As far as less satisfying drams that I encountered this year, Elements of Islay, Ar2 was I thought overly rough around the edges and shockingly intense. Working in a coal mine for 5 days in the dark with a raspy throat would be the equivalent effect on my system. Though, what do I know, some people pay good money to vacation in tropical snake infested, bacteria-ridden, infectious disease "hotspots" so it's all a matter of taste, whether vacations or whisky. I really haven't had any horrible whiskies this year though. I was looking for what Jim Murray describes as the cursed sulphur-ridden drams but I never had the bad fortune to hit any of them head on, though my latest drams of my Lasanta are proving to have some sulphur traces.

Wink

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"Always carry a large flagon of whisky in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake."
W.C. Fields (1880-1946)

Alexppp · Master Of Malts Joined: 16 Jul 2010 Posts: 1791

I had the pleasure of trying the Glenfarclas 30 at a tasting, and it was probably my whisky highlight of the year. Along the Glenfarclas, I'd have to put the Bunnahabhain 18, which was also excellent. It was the first time I tried anything from the Bunnahabhain range, and even the 12 entry level made a fantastic impression - in fact I liked it as much as the 18.

These three are my best whiskies of the year - for worst, there's no competition: it's the Drumguish no-age statement, awful stuff!

Brummie · Master Of Malts Joined: 08 Feb 2010 Posts: 661

New (or at least new to me) outstanding whiskies for me in 2012 where:

Laphroaig PX Cask
Cutty Sark 25 year old
BenRiach Septendecim 17 year old
Balvenie Craftsmans Reserve No.1 The Cooper (thanks to hearing about it on here)
Lagavulin 12 2012 release, never fails to satisfy.

Cant say i have had anything bad in the past year.

Gregor · Master Of Malts Joined: 25 Apr 2008 Posts: 798

The Balvenie Craftsmans Reserve No.1 The Cooper was special. Also got to taste the Glenfarclas 40 year old, superb i now want a full bottle. Recently had a bottle of the Compass Box Flaming Heart 4th release, loved it.

Have to say i was let down a bit with the Ardbeg Day and Galileo, they were decent enough Ardbegs but didnt blow me away. I suppose as some of the Ardbeg Committee bottlings have been brilliant i have high hopes for them all.

Quaich1 · Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 1:13 pm Post subject:

Drover · Master Of Malts Joined: 06 Jul 2009 Posts: 271

A few which i have had in the past year that were very special are:

Glen Grant 1992 Cellar Reserve
Glenmorangie Signet
Highland Park 30

and a few regulars that are as good as ever:

Highland Park 18
Lagavulin 16
Talisker 57 North
Ardbeg Uigeadail

Big Mac · Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 2:48 am Post subject:

albo · Master Of Malts Joined: 22 Mar 2011 Posts: 1888

Big Mac · Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 2:43 am Post subject:

albo i have been thinking about this for a couple of days since you posted. Still considering it as i have had a few outstanding drams this year, but i will post to say what has been really outstanding for me in the past year. I have a few new to me bottles arriving from Scotland on Friday so i will reserve my comment until then.

k1ranki · Double Malt Member Joined: 31 May 2012 Posts: 93

No 1 - Glenfarclas 40 yr old is simply outstanding, the 30 yr old is consistently good and undervalued ( long may that continue as it's still affordable :just).

Agree with comments on the Tormore 105.18 -blew me away, cracking dram

Best Value - Arran Eagle , haven't had a duff bottle from Arran for years now and this is as good as anything I tried this year

Most surprising - Blue Hanger - classy, balanced and reasonable price

Most Disappointing - Macallan Gold. Not a bad dram BUT as a replacement for the 10yr old Sherry Cask really not up to the mark at all. Anything from Macallan should be class leading and this is way off the mark:.I am really disappointed with the direction this brand is beginning to take, veering towards the artistic, and almost overlooking the contents. No point in starting up the age debate here, but most people know that younger whiskies by their very nature have not cost as much to produce:you pay your buck, you take your choice:: sorry but there is far better value out there at the moment.