Ralfy, I was lucky enough to get a miniature of Glenfarclas 40 year old for Christmas. With such a tiny amount, how much, if any water would you recommend adding to a small pour, given that it's very old and Sherry matured?
@Hamporkcheese I got that one myself. What did you think of it? The sherry nose is pretty fantastic, but I wasn't super impressed with the actual taste.
Local shop had Bushmills for .99 USD. Got four of them for my Dad for Christmas. Used your tasting notes for how to drink it. Dad was over the moon! Best eight bucks I've ever spent on a gift. Thanks, Ralfy!
There are also webshops selling "tasting samples" of single malts that are not available as miniatures. Basically they rebottle the spirits... Converted to full bottle prices they're obviously very expensive but worth a shot to see what you like... nothing worse than having 700ml of something you hate sitting around in the shelf for a decade.
I actually took advantage of the Glenlivet 12 miniature version when they stopped producing it (either that or just stopped carrying it in the US). They reduced the price on them from US$4.00 to $1.00 a miniature bottle. I stocked up on them till I bought enough to have about five 750 ml actual sized bottles. By buying the miniature versions it was like paying US$15.00 on a 750 ml bottle instead $40-$45. This was a huge saving and I even had little bottles to store samples of other malts in.
Miniatures are not so able in Russia, as in The UK, and more than that,oficial distributor of Glenfarclas, GlenDronach, BenRiach, alcohol-selling company Veld-21 now is a bankrupt (someone's ditry hand did it). Dear Mr. Putin said that he want to introduce a new tax. It will be a tax for premium alcohol. Now it's just a chat, but it if it become real, that will be worse, than a nightmare.
@ralfystuff almost the same for Ukraine. Premium alcohol (e.g. everything except crap vodka) costs twice as much as in their origin countries. And pay attention, that we earn 3-4 times less money, than people in Europe. But pay more.
One of the few choices for us is to use Duty Free and friends as much as we can. Sad but true.
Could you recommend which single malts might be compatible to add to Teachers Highland Cream and Adelphi 'Dancy Man' in the same manner you demonstrated with the Black Bottle/ Ardbeg combo?
@ralfystuff hey, can you please tell me a good whisky brand.I have Jim Beam and Jack Daniel's.But they are not good enough for me...And where can I find a Laphroaig?
Another option is the 3 cl samples some shops sell these days. Also, kudos to Diageo (for a change) for marketing several of their core expressions in 20 cl format for a very decent price (also Port Ellen). This is an ideal format, as it allows one can get to really know a range of expressions without breaking the bank, clogging closet space or harming the liver. A pity, though, they seem to be available in the UK only.
Miniatures may be a nice way to quickly extend one's malt range or to occasionally sample a beyond-budget expression, they are mostly relatively very expensive. Converted to full bottle price, Ralfy paid 56 pounds for a 10 yo Ardbeg. I can get 2 75 cl bottles of the 10 yo or 1 Alligator for that money. Also, evaporation and oxidation are serious problems with minis, which makes the evaluation of older minis a bit of a random act.
i bought a black bottle.....not a fan. i've only had one dram of it, so i'm going to go back and give it another shot.....but it wasn't very good. I even went back and compared it to your review and my bottle was nothing close to it
@Taylor314T5 it is the same with Islay Mist. I hated it at one time but now it is one of my favourite session drams. Black Bottle is similar because it is a peat orientated blend.
Also tried the Black Bottle and the Islay Mist. First impression was not good, so I tried them both over a longer
period at different times of the day. Still nahh.
So I decided to mix them with a 1.5lt bottle Glenn Talloch, which is often drunk by my wife, if she just feel for a common whisky in stead of her Quarter Cask Laphroaig.
I must say that combination ended in a nice smoother Glenn Talloch with a nice decent taste of peat!
ralfy, i love pausing your face at different intervals to what expression comes up,between the reviews. could catch on !, keep up the brill work mr malty
There are some miniatures that are available when the standard bottle is no longer around. For example, the Highland Park 21 year old at 47.5% is virtually extinct but the miniature is relatively easy to come across. Just another way that miniatures can be useful.
Ralfy, that moment when you were genuinely surprised by the quality of the Arbeg miniature was classic. Keep these reviews unscripted, entertaining, and educational. That's why we keep coming back.
Have to say I haven't tried the standard Sheep Dip, but I have a bottle of the Sheep Dip 1990 Old Hebridean and it's fabulous stuff. A vatting of 19YO Dalmore, 20YO Fettercairn and a 25YO Ardbeg...
Thanks for the video, cant help but agree on you with this subject. I've myself used miniatures to get to know the different malts, since you can get alot of miniatures for the price you would pay for a normal size bottle :)
Indeed you could do a few whisky revisits when you've got the time.
Now I've seen a number of 375 mL (half) bottles but these are typically from the BIG producers like Jim Beam, Bacardi, and Jack Daniel's. Buffalo Trace also saves the half bottle for their experimental releases. However when you compare the price to volume, the full 750 mL bottle often winds up being cheaper.
Did that nose on that Ardbeg 10 change your previous marks from two years ago?
To go along with this topic, I think I'd love to see more half bottles of whisky (375 mL or even 500 mL) but priced accordingly. That way you could have even have some to share with friends and get their opinions.
I've read the problem with these sizes is that the glass makers charge the same price a bottle no matter the volume.
definitely an extra mark onto the Ardbeg reviewed two years ago ! Half bottles have never been a feature with malts as Producers wish to keep things standardised (keep costs down) with standard and mini's.
definitely an extra mark above the Ardbeg reviewed two years ago ! Half bottles have never been a feature with malts as Producers wish to keep things standardised (keep costs down) with standard and mini's.
Hi Ralfy, thanks for all the great posts! I've learned so much so far plus discovered Auchentoshan along the way. I've noticed the barrel on your shelf behind you... is it just for show or are you aging something in it? What are your thoughts on the miniature barrels barrels offered on ebay and such meant for maturing whisky and wine? Is there a particular type of whisky more suitable to home barrel aging?
The barrel on the book case has no Whisky in it, and I suggest that if you cask-age at home, don'y use expensive whisky, and keep a constant eye on cask development. ... good luck.
Hi Ralfy. I personally think miniatures make a lot of sense ... and this presentation/packaging is not being exploited to its fullest extent.
What I would love to see is miniature becoming widely available in airport duty free shops. With all the travel restrictions on carrying liquids in cabin baggage, I would imagine most travellers would find it convenient to purchase alcohol in 50ml sizes. I certainly would. One can also carry multiple whiskies that way and stay under legal customs quotas.
i have kept a lot of miniatures over the years. you just have to look in the out of the way small shops or ask the people behind the counter if they have any old mini's around. i find that sometime you will get them for a reduced price. thanks for a great video on miniatures.
Great stuff as always, Ralfy. On the subject of reusing the miniature bottles: do cork tops require special cleaning to prevent it from influencing the new whisky?
I can only agree that buying minatures is a great way of deciding whether or not to spend your money for a full-size bottle. I do that whenever I have the oppostunity.
Sadly in Bulgaria the only minatures you can get are from the most "popular" 5-6 distilleries (talisker, oban, lagavulin, etc.) :(
@ralfystuff My only real complaint with these offerings from Spencerfield Spirts, is that they are both bottled at 40% abv. On the plus side, both were re-blended by Richard Paterson, Pig's Nose has a higher than average malt content for a blend in this price range, and Sheep Dip is bargain priced for a vatted malt in the 8 to 12 year range.
Ralfy, I was lucky enough to get a miniature of Glenfarclas 40 year old for Christmas. With such a tiny amount, how much, if any water would you recommend adding to a small pour, given that it's very old and Sherry matured?
77anorak 1 month ago
@77anorak
one single drop !
ralfystuff 1 month ago
just bought a Mac 18 year miniature... i cant afford $150 a bottle... but now i can taste an 18 year!!! yay miniatures!!!!
Hamporkcheese 1 month ago
@Hamporkcheese I got that one myself. What did you think of it? The sherry nose is pretty fantastic, but I wasn't super impressed with the actual taste.
antoniorossiz 1 month ago
Local shop had Bushmills for .99 USD. Got four of them for my Dad for Christmas. Used your tasting notes for how to drink it. Dad was over the moon! Best eight bucks I've ever spent on a gift. Thanks, Ralfy!
GrayNeko 1 month ago
Comment removed
77anorak 2 months ago
There are also webshops selling "tasting samples" of single malts that are not available as miniatures. Basically they rebottle the spirits... Converted to full bottle prices they're obviously very expensive but worth a shot to see what you like... nothing worse than having 700ml of something you hate sitting around in the shelf for a decade.
dergitarristde 4 months ago
Really looking forward to seeing a review of the sheep dip and pigs nose blend... Both bottles contain some excellent juice, IMHO.
Love watching your videos, Ralfy. They're always entertaining and extremely educational. Keep up the good work!
Cheers
ThyeWinterGardens 4 months ago
Hi Ralfy,
Are there any pitfalls to beware of when buying old miniatures - off Ebay perhaps - in terms of quality? Any advice gratefully received.
MrBlootered 4 months ago
@MrBlootered
the main thing is ensuring the cap seal is intact and the bottles not a fake !
ralfystuff 4 months ago
I actually took advantage of the Glenlivet 12 miniature version when they stopped producing it (either that or just stopped carrying it in the US). They reduced the price on them from US$4.00 to $1.00 a miniature bottle. I stocked up on them till I bought enough to have about five 750 ml actual sized bottles. By buying the miniature versions it was like paying US$15.00 on a 750 ml bottle instead $40-$45. This was a huge saving and I even had little bottles to store samples of other malts in.
MrMariusroyal 4 months ago
@ralfystuff thank you so much!
babkaba 4 months ago
Miniatures are not so able in Russia, as in The UK, and more than that,oficial distributor of Glenfarclas, GlenDronach, BenRiach, alcohol-selling company Veld-21 now is a bankrupt (someone's ditry hand did it). Dear Mr. Putin said that he want to introduce a new tax. It will be a tax for premium alcohol. Now it's just a chat, but it if it become real, that will be worse, than a nightmare.
Wayfarer8 4 months ago
@Wayfarer8
a real shame about availability in Russia.
ralfystuff 4 months ago
@ralfystuff almost the same for Ukraine. Premium alcohol (e.g. everything except crap vodka) costs twice as much as in their origin countries. And pay attention, that we earn 3-4 times less money, than people in Europe. But pay more.
One of the few choices for us is to use Duty Free and friends as much as we can. Sad but true.
moristar1101 1 month ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Hi Ralfy,
Could you recommend which single malts might be compatible to add to Teachers Highland Cream and Adelphi 'Dancy Man' in the same manner you demonstrated with the Black Bottle/ Ardbeg combo?
MrBlootered 4 months ago
@MrBlootered
Glenfarclas 10yo, Caol Ila 12yo (peaty) and Springbank 12yo.
ralfystuff 4 months ago
Damn good idea for those of us on a budget! Thanks Ralfy.
w0033944 4 months ago
Thanks Ralfy for teaching us how to break federal laws!
seroyer2 4 months ago
@ralfystuff hey, can you please tell me a good whisky brand.I have Jim Beam and Jack Daniel's.But they are not good enough for me...And where can I find a Laphroaig?
babkaba 4 months ago
@babkaba see whisky review 155 and following 10 or so, great serie, bye
zeusminator 4 months ago
Comment removed
MrBlootered 5 months ago
Ralfy whats your thoughts on Balblair vintage 2000 1st release? just got a bottle.
aeroshade88 5 months ago
@aeroshade88
I don't know this one, I prefer older Balblairs, ... but good luck with it.
ralfystuff 5 months ago
Another option is the 3 cl samples some shops sell these days. Also, kudos to Diageo (for a change) for marketing several of their core expressions in 20 cl format for a very decent price (also Port Ellen). This is an ideal format, as it allows one can get to really know a range of expressions without breaking the bank, clogging closet space or harming the liver. A pity, though, they seem to be available in the UK only.
bpbleus 5 months ago
Miniatures may be a nice way to quickly extend one's malt range or to occasionally sample a beyond-budget expression, they are mostly relatively very expensive. Converted to full bottle price, Ralfy paid 56 pounds for a 10 yo Ardbeg. I can get 2 75 cl bottles of the 10 yo or 1 Alligator for that money. Also, evaporation and oxidation are serious problems with minis, which makes the evaluation of older minis a bit of a random act.
bpbleus 5 months ago
@bpbleus
The Ardbeg miniature shown in the Vlog cost me $5
ralfystuff 5 months ago
i bought a black bottle.....not a fan. i've only had one dram of it, so i'm going to go back and give it another shot.....but it wasn't very good. I even went back and compared it to your review and my bottle was nothing close to it
Taylor314T5 5 months ago
@Taylor314T5
give it more time, it is an unusual flavour which needs adjusting to. If its really not for you, swap it with a friend for another liquor.
ralfystuff 5 months ago
@Taylor314T5 it is the same with Islay Mist. I hated it at one time but now it is one of my favourite session drams. Black Bottle is similar because it is a peat orientated blend.
LordGeorgeRodney 5 months ago
@LordGeorgeRodney
Sorry, but I feel the same as Taylor314T5.
Also tried the Black Bottle and the Islay Mist. First impression was not good, so I tried them both over a longer
period at different times of the day. Still nahh.
So I decided to mix them with a 1.5lt bottle Glenn Talloch, which is often drunk by my wife, if she just feel for a common whisky in stead of her Quarter Cask Laphroaig.
I must say that combination ended in a nice smoother Glenn Talloch with a nice decent taste of peat!
swingray62 5 months ago
ralfy, i love pausing your face at different intervals to what expression comes up,between the reviews. could catch on !, keep up the brill work mr malty
snakio 5 months ago
Comment removed
MrBlootered 5 months ago
There are some miniatures that are available when the standard bottle is no longer around. For example, the Highland Park 21 year old at 47.5% is virtually extinct but the miniature is relatively easy to come across. Just another way that miniatures can be useful.
bldelluc 5 months ago
Ralfy, that moment when you were genuinely surprised by the quality of the Arbeg miniature was classic. Keep these reviews unscripted, entertaining, and educational. That's why we keep coming back.
Bltz1075 5 months ago
Hi Ralfy,
Have to say I haven't tried the standard Sheep Dip, but I have a bottle of the Sheep Dip 1990 Old Hebridean and it's fabulous stuff. A vatting of 19YO Dalmore, 20YO Fettercairn and a 25YO Ardbeg...
DrClaw78 5 months ago
Thanks for the video, cant help but agree on you with this subject. I've myself used miniatures to get to know the different malts, since you can get alot of miniatures for the price you would pay for a normal size bottle :)
nbs90 5 months ago
@ralfystuff
Indeed you could do a few whisky revisits when you've got the time.
Now I've seen a number of 375 mL (half) bottles but these are typically from the BIG producers like Jim Beam, Bacardi, and Jack Daniel's. Buffalo Trace also saves the half bottle for their experimental releases. However when you compare the price to volume, the full 750 mL bottle often winds up being cheaper.
shuboy05 5 months ago
Did that nose on that Ardbeg 10 change your previous marks from two years ago?
To go along with this topic, I think I'd love to see more half bottles of whisky (375 mL or even 500 mL) but priced accordingly. That way you could have even have some to share with friends and get their opinions.
I've read the problem with these sizes is that the glass makers charge the same price a bottle no matter the volume.
shuboy05 5 months ago
@shuboy05
definitely an extra mark onto the Ardbeg reviewed two years ago ! Half bottles have never been a feature with malts as Producers wish to keep things standardised (keep costs down) with standard and mini's.
ralfystuff 5 months ago
@shuboy05
definitely an extra mark above the Ardbeg reviewed two years ago ! Half bottles have never been a feature with malts as Producers wish to keep things standardised (keep costs down) with standard and mini's.
ralfystuff 5 months ago
Hi Ralfy, thanks for all the great posts! I've learned so much so far plus discovered Auchentoshan along the way. I've noticed the barrel on your shelf behind you... is it just for show or are you aging something in it? What are your thoughts on the miniature barrels barrels offered on ebay and such meant for maturing whisky and wine? Is there a particular type of whisky more suitable to home barrel aging?
Thanks again!
rhirsch81 5 months ago
@rhirsch81
The barrel on the book case has no Whisky in it, and I suggest that if you cask-age at home, don'y use expensive whisky, and keep a constant eye on cask development. ... good luck.
ralfystuff 5 months ago
What is the best places to find miniatures, say online or in Paris or in Europe?
bonheurbrun 5 months ago
@bonheurbrun
online retailers and e-bay.
ralfystuff 5 months ago
Hi Ralfy. I personally think miniatures make a lot of sense ... and this presentation/packaging is not being exploited to its fullest extent.
What I would love to see is miniature becoming widely available in airport duty free shops. With all the travel restrictions on carrying liquids in cabin baggage, I would imagine most travellers would find it convenient to purchase alcohol in 50ml sizes. I certainly would. One can also carry multiple whiskies that way and stay under legal customs quotas.
shyamalramachandran 5 months ago
What do you think about signatory vintage line? is this line 43 abv always?
Would you mind talk about lines like, signatory vintage, connosieur's choice, distillers edition,..... what's that means, profiles, so on.....
Thanks ralphy, excellent review again
zeusminator 5 months ago
@zeusminator
all these Independent bottling options will continue to be mentioned as Vlogs progress !
ralfystuff 5 months ago
i have kept a lot of miniatures over the years. you just have to look in the out of the way small shops or ask the people behind the counter if they have any old mini's around. i find that sometime you will get them for a reduced price. thanks for a great video on miniatures.
bushmillsrare 5 months ago
I love how excited you get Ralfy. It's hard not to get caught up in it :D
EssThree 5 months ago
Great stuff as always, Ralfy. On the subject of reusing the miniature bottles: do cork tops require special cleaning to prevent it from influencing the new whisky?
Ginias12 5 months ago
@Ginias12
no, just keep your corks fresh and dry. Check carefiully before re-using.
ralfystuff 5 months ago
I can only agree that buying minatures is a great way of deciding whether or not to spend your money for a full-size bottle. I do that whenever I have the oppostunity.
Sadly in Bulgaria the only minatures you can get are from the most "popular" 5-6 distilleries (talisker, oban, lagavulin, etc.) :(
zinafbahur 5 months ago
From your comments, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the both the Pig's Nose and Sheep Dip blends.
MacBaker82 5 months ago
@MacBaker82
thanks for the 'pointer'
ralfystuff 5 months ago
@ralfystuff My only real complaint with these offerings from Spencerfield Spirts, is that they are both bottled at 40% abv. On the plus side, both were re-blended by Richard Paterson, Pig's Nose has a higher than average malt content for a blend in this price range, and Sheep Dip is bargain priced for a vatted malt in the 8 to 12 year range.
MacBaker82 5 months ago