My Dad gifted me a bottle of Oban and a bottle or Bowmore for my 18th, but that was long enough ago that I don't really remember much. Last year, a friend gifted me the Laphroaig 10, and since then I've started down the road of trying to figure out what I like best. So far, that's the Laphroaig, the Laddie, and the Oban. I've also tried a few other things friends have brought over, and a few blends I got in 50ml bottles, but none of them were good enough to revisit in the full-size bottle. Of the blends, I liked Dewar's 12 the best - nothing much to complain about.
Here're my quick tasting notes for everything pictured above.
- Laphroaig 10: Vanilla, toasted marshmallow.
- Ardbeg 10: Similar, but less peat, less vanilla, more campfire smoke.
- The Laddie: Hot cinnamon, toasted marshmallow
- Lagavulin 16: Murky, muddy, dirty, peaty, capsaicin, medicinal... it's better than it sounds. Probably the most complex here.
- Oban 14: Wow, that's really good. Fruity, rich, sweet, great for the whole family.