Kilkerran Heavy Peat

SPEAKER_06 0:09

Welcome to the Whiskey Chasers, where we talk about our passion for whiskey and its history, either amongst ourselves or while interviewing distilleries. Hello while enjoying a glass. I'm Steve. I'm Nick, and I'm Chris. Please enjoy responsibly while enjoying this week's episode of The Whiskey Chasers.

SPEAKER_05 0:29

We start a new series without Steve. Not that we don't like Steve, but Steve's doing his tax thing again. Back in the back in the Twilight Zone. We're gonna be doing a couple recordings without Steve and have uh have a couple guests on. Today we've got Ryan, who's been on the podcast a couple times.

SPEAKER_07 0:47

Hey.

SPEAKER_05 0:48

He said he he doesn't love it, but he would he would be a part of it, I guess.

SPEAKER_07 0:52

So he twisted my arm.

SPEAKER_05 0:54

It was a hard twist. It's really hard to get him on here. Yeah, we had to really fight for it.

SPEAKER_07 0:59

I had to remind you guys. Usually we do Scotch series in the fall.

unknown 1:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:04

And uh yeah, it was about Christmas time. And I said to Chris, hey, what happened? We never scotch episode. Yeah, we never did it.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

Christmas came, no heanie whistle. I was right. Christmas came, no scotch series.

SPEAKER_05 1:21

Scotch. It was sad. But now we're doing a scotch series. We're here and we've actually just kick it off, got a brand new bottle that none of us have had before. Kill Kil Kilcaran?

SPEAKER_04 1:33

There's two R's, so maybe it's Kilkaran.

SPEAKER_07 1:37

Or Kill or Kilcarin. Kilcarin.

SPEAKER_04 1:40

Don't know who Karen is, but.

SPEAKER_03 1:41

Kil Karan.

SPEAKER_07 1:42

Yeah. Sorry, Kieran.

SPEAKER_03 1:43

Don't know which Karen, but sorry. Kill Karan. That's what it is.

SPEAKER_05 1:47

Kill Karen. Slow it down. This actually came uh from a recommendation of Tipsy. He said he got a bottle. It was him and his brother-in-law that got a bottle and uh opened it and finished it in one sitting and said it was very, very good. So we'll uh we're gonna see. This one is their small batch. Now that's weird for a scotch thing to say on the on the outside of it, but it's a small batch, uh single malt scotch that is heavily peated. That's what it says right on the front.

SPEAKER_04 2:17

Heavily peated, heavily peated. The label is interesting. The label reminds me, the top of the label reminds me of a book from the like a paperback book from the 70s. But the bottom looks like something you would see at the beach, like it's beachy. Because you see where it says single malt scotch whiskey. The way that the the letters are different. The what would you call the font? And then down below it's got small batch, but it looks like it's in a a uh one of those uh lifesaver things. What do you call the like sensible like you know, like the donut you throw to people? Yeah, doesn't that look I get what you're saying? Like something you'd see at a beach, like like a like a sign, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 2:57

But then from here up, that looks like something somebody uh like in uh like one of those little illustrations, like in between chapters or yeah, something like that.

SPEAKER_04 3:07

Yeah, yeah. Isn't that interesting? Like two different doesn't exactly go together.

SPEAKER_05 3:11

It doesn't fit. I was about to say it doesn't fit. It it reminds me of uh like if you see in TV shows or movies where they have like a secret top secret file and they like open up and it's got stamped on it like secret. That's what that reminds me of.

SPEAKER_04 3:24

And then the picture of the tower itself is like what is that from like the the dark tower series? That's that's what kind of what it looks like. It's the tower, man.

SPEAKER_05 3:35

Maybe they're just big fans.

SPEAKER_04 3:36

I don't know. It's cool. I like the label, it's just there's a lot of different things going on. Established in 2004, uh-huh, so it's not that old. Well, somewhat older. I should say, I shouldn't say that anymore. It's two 2025. That's uh just yesterday. That's 21 years old.

SPEAKER_05 3:52

Yeah, it's old enough to drink now.

SPEAKER_04 3:54

Like it, yeah, that's not that old. This thing's been around long enough for someone to become old enough to drink.

SPEAKER_05 4:00

So I told Mary, uh, my car is an 09, I think. And so I told her, I was like, it's crazy to think that in like four or five years, this car is gonna be old enough to start drinking itself.

SPEAKER_07 4:16

Oh, your humor goes unappreciated, Nick.

SPEAKER_04 4:19

Campbelltown malt, since it was unusual for old Campbell Campbelltown distilleries to be called after a Glen, a custom usually more associated with Spaceide region. That makes sense.

SPEAKER_07 4:31

I'm not sure why they care about that.

SPEAKER_05 4:33

It's something to do with like spacides, their region takes on like Glenn Cairn, Glenn Levitt, Glenn something is normally like their thing. And like they they're very proud of that. That's why you see all the different glens, that's like normally a spaceside thing. As if it's Glenn in front of it or Glenn involved, it's a good idea that that's gonna be coming from a spacide distillery. Now, why they do that, don't know. Not a clue, not not a clue, but everyone uh in Scotland apparently recognizes that and they're like, We won't touch it, that's yours. Have at it.

SPEAKER_07 5:05

Oh, yeah. So there's some social conventions here. Yes. So are these like the bad boys for uh throwing a little bloom in there?

SPEAKER_05 5:14

So there's a reason why they they haven't.

SPEAKER_04 5:17

Everybody's like, what you little yeah, and that's why they named themselves the Kill Karens.

SPEAKER_03 5:21

Yeah, you're not doing it right. Shut up.

SPEAKER_05 5:25

So they uh they actually got their start in uh let's see, it was 1872. So if you notice on the bottle it says established or started in 2004, they had a period where it was all shut down. Most of the distilleries in Campbelltown were gone. So this was opened in 1872 by uh a family. So it was um a dad and two brothers. And when the dad passed away, the two brothers kind of took over. And as I understand, there was kind of a family feud that happened between the two brothers, and the one that started this distillery pretty much said, uh, here's the middle finger F you. I'm gonna go do my own thing. Ironically, now, I think it was 2000 they finally opened back up. But how they decided to open back up is very interesting because they they are one of three distilleries in Campbelltown, but all three distilleries are owned by the same company, and it's Springburn that owns them all. So the distillery that this originated out of because of a dispute between brothers now owns all the distilleries there in Campbelltown, and they all utilize each other for their scotch.

SPEAKER_07 6:46

Is it the same family still involved?

SPEAKER_05 6:49

Generations down the road, but yeah, it's it's still the same family that generations long time. I mean, like further down the road, they decided to bring it back and buy it out and restart.

SPEAKER_04 7:01

So then there's a little bit about why they're why they were called Glengyle.

SPEAKER_05 7:06

The Glen Gile building, so where the distillery was, that still remained intact during the whole time because there was clubs that kept it open and kept it looking nice. So that's the distillery that they bought and put back into production. Uh, but they were not able to put the name as the bottle uh because it was taken. Yes. The distillery can't use the name Glengal for the whiskey, but can for the distillery because it's the original Glengal distillery. And the reason they can't use it for their whiskey is someone has already trademarked that name for their blended whiskey, like bottle.

SPEAKER_07 7:50

How would they get that name for a blended bottle if it has nothing to do with it?

SPEAKER_05 7:54

I'm assuming because it's Glenn, I'm assuming it's some for company in Spayside.

unknown 7:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 7:59

That owns or even something hasn't been put out yet, but it's been trademarked.

SPEAKER_05 8:02

They have the name and the rights to it because they're blended bottle, they're blended whiskey. So these guys could not put the Glengal as the name. They had to create a different one. So again, they I mean, these guys started out as a feud, separated. Now they are all owned by the same company. Um, and it gets down to the point where I believe, if I remember right, this distillery. So uh the the Glengal distillery gets their peated barley from uh single or sing Springburn distillery. So they apparently there that's where they have a malting floor, they have everything there at that distillery. So they um that's where they take all their barley to be malted and dried out with the peat, and then they send it on to them to then produce it and be done.

SPEAKER_07 8:52

So each is each distillery known for focusing on something unique?

SPEAKER_05 8:58

So what I've been able to find out is they they are um they're like they're like a small bourbon distillery here in America, is what they remind me of. Because each each distillery has about four bottles that they do offering-wise. Um, and they're all like small batch or something unique, kind of a one-off limited series. Um, this one they put out once a year. So they have on there, it's a small batch. Um, not very many barrels go into it, heavily peted. That's not a normal thing for them. I think this is batch number nine. So they've only done nine batches of this, nine releases of this bottle so far. So each distillery has about four, maybe five offerings that they put out, but they're they're like unique slash experimental for that distillery. So as I as I was doing the research on it, it very much sounded like we're one company, we own all these distilleries, but we need something that sets each one apart. So the thing that sets this one apart is they do quote unquote small batches that are very limited kind of thing. I mean, it's not an old distillery, they they can't put out old, old stuff. So they're very uh it sounds like they're heavily relying on that small batch, no age statement kind of feel. Because this one has no age statement, but it's which for a scotch is nuts. Yeah, it's weird to see like no age statement on it, but their their focus is it's a small batch heavily peated. That's their focus for this bottle.

SPEAKER_04 10:35

When it doesn't taste young at all. Oh, and what's the proof on it? It doesn't taste like 80-proof, like your typical scotch. It could be the peat, but it just feels like it's punching.

SPEAKER_05 10:46

Yeah, it's not 80-proof. Um, what would you what would you guess?

SPEAKER_04 10:50

Uh I'd probably say it's like a I wouldn't be surprised if it's actually right at 100 or a little over. Uh 59.2. 59?

SPEAKER_03 10:59

59.2. Well, you double that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 11:01

So that's actually closer to it's almost 60. That's almost 120. Yeah. That's in the 110s.

unknown 11:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 11:08

That's in the 110s. It's a hefty boy. So I thought so.

SPEAKER_05 11:12

It but it doesn't drink like that.

SPEAKER_04 11:14

No, it's not drinking like harsh or like very proofy, but it does taste stronger in alcohol than typical. Right. And proof, I should say. But then also you get a lot of that peat. When I take the initial sip, there's a really an overwhelming amount of sweetness. Yes. Even by the time. And I can't figure out what that is or where it's coming from or what it's almost apple-y, like apple juice, kind of. Okay, yeah, I get that. But like more like the juice, like less like the actual fruit. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_05 11:44

Uh, yeah, that it's it's very sweet and light. Now it's from Campbell Town, which, if I understand right, is as kind of leaning more towards like a space-side region, which would make sense with the flavor of it. It's very light, very fruity, not very floral. But also that peat is unique, not strange, it's different.

SPEAKER_04 12:07

Yeah, I like it. I think it's complimenting this. It's because it's it's sweet in the beginning, but then it falls, the sweetness falls off. But actually, that's sweet when it fades into that peat, it's a it's a really good transition. And not one I've ever had with peat before, I don't think. I don't think I've ever had anything that was like that peated and that that would follow up after some sweetness. It's really interesting, like unique and interesting.

SPEAKER_05 12:31

It's almost like like a smoked apple.

SPEAKER_04 12:34

Because that little bit of apple fades pretty fast, but that sweetness lingers into the peat, and then the the smoke, the peat, and then the smoke take over. Right. And then they give you like a finish of uh of almost like bread the alcohol on the end. Like, I think that's where you're getting the proof, is right at the end, because that's what lingers in your throat is like this is hey man, this is more proof than you realize, you know, kind of a thing. But it's really good. What do you think, Ryan? He's over there like doing little sips and trying to figure it out.

SPEAKER_07 13:06

Yeah, I'm having a hard time uh putting my finger on the on the flavors. It is interesting, and it does leave you with like some tingling in the tongue. Um so that high proof does kinda sit there and do a little dance. It kind of strikes me that the the the good old mouthfeel. It's a little maybe like oily, which is a kind of unique too. It just feels it feels a little bit different in your mouth than other things, I guess.

SPEAKER_04 13:45

I don't know. Yeah, you get that sometimes. Uh, I think oily is a good way to describe it. We've talked about that before. It coats the mouth and yeah, that's yeah, it coats.

SPEAKER_05 13:55

If there was more uh kind of like a tannin feel to it, I'd almost like do feel like it was more like a white grape than an apple, but it's not very it's no tannins, it's not dry. Um now, would it surprise you guys based off of flavor that this distillery is literally only open three months out of the year for production? They're not producing very much then.

SPEAKER_03 14:18

Wow, they're only open three months out of the year for production.

SPEAKER_05 14:22

Is that because of this like weather and stuff? Or no, so they're open October through December. And the biggest reason that I understand why in reading about it and doing more research is the same production team, or um I'd say production team for this distillery is for all three distilleries. So I think they spend three months pushing out all that they can on this distillery and then moving to the next one. New three months pushing each more, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 14:53

369, and then they take the last couple off. Right.

SPEAKER_05 14:56

Good thing. But it's such a small town that that wouldn't surprise me. Like there's three people that run it and that's it. Like the fact that there's only three distilleries in Campbellstown strikes me as unique and interesting. Because you look at I mean, I mean, if you look at even like Highland, like there's so many distilleries that are there. You look at um even like Isla, there's so many distilleries that are there. This one's got three. Is it an island?

SPEAKER_07 15:31

It's a town. A lot of times they're the same thing over there. I'm just curious about this one. Like, I mean, yeah, if it's just a uh town, three distilleries might not be so few, you know.

SPEAKER_05 15:47

So let's let's put it this way it at its peak, uh Campbell's town had over 30 distilleries. So that may change things. That's insane.

SPEAKER_03 15:59

So they went from 30 to 3. Like, where do you work? Distillery. Where do you work? Distillery. Where do you work? Uh Walmart. Like one in every five people work somewhere different.

SPEAKER_05 16:09

So they went down from 30 to 3. And I've gotta believe it's gotta be a small town. And I gotta believe that's why they they couldn't survive.

SPEAKER_03 16:20

It can't be that small if there was 30. It was an island and they're probably landlocked.

SPEAKER_04 16:25

It was in the it was in the name, right?

SPEAKER_05 16:27

There's only so much scotch that you can put out that's gonna be different from each other, especially if you have 30 different ones all in the same location. There's gotta be only so much that you can say different wise, like, hey, this is my scotch. Why?

SPEAKER_04 16:41

Well, because it's what I was gonna say, like, well, are you you know they're using the same ingredients, they've gotta be sourcing the same ingredients. So are these distilleries just producing that much differently that you can justify we have three different distilleries? Right. Or you you know, otherwise you just make them at one place.

SPEAKER_05 16:55

I think their biggest reason for doing a three is because at least I know at least two of them were from the original family. Like that was kind of like a heritage thing of we have to open up both. And supposedly they're different from each other, they're different in flavor. Um, I gotta believe that's why they separated, because they did not see eye to eye when it came to that.

SPEAKER_04 17:16

Gotta keep them separated.

SPEAKER_05 17:17

But I find interesting if they if they didn't see eye to eye in flavor, then how come one of the distilleries does all of the malting? You would think that's where a lot of the flavor would come from. So it'd be very similar to each other.

SPEAKER_04 17:31

It's boasting heavily peated, right? Right. Um small batch, and heavily what they're doing differently, as opposed to like other air quotes heavily peted scotch. I mean, it is heavily peated, but it's not like it's like most things that are heavily peted will say, Well, we're doing this, we're doing that, or what would you give that on the peat level there, Ryan?

SPEAKER_07 17:51

I I kind of feel like it's building somehow. Like the as I'm drinking it, it feels like the peat is getting bigger and bigger.

SPEAKER_04 18:00

More intense it's intensifying as you're going through the glass.

SPEAKER_07 18:03

Yeah, the sweetness is kind of taking background now. Where like the first drink it was like, oh sweet.

unknown 18:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 18:13

But now I'm just getting the building peat, and the sweetness is kind of fading a little bit.

SPEAKER_05 18:18

So they do uh let you know how many PPMs we talked about the PPMs and smoke. Um, so again, LaFroig is gonna be around 50. This one's 45. Okay, so that's pretty up there. It's pretty up there. I mean, that's gonna be like log villain-esque kind of thing, but even theirs is very different from this peat fl like flavor-wise. Like this may be heavily peted. The smoke is down, right? I'm not getting that like smokiness from.

SPEAKER_04 18:46

I was talking to somebody the other day about this, and there really is a difference between peat peat and peat smoke and the scotchy smoke, the campfire smoke. There's a big difference between the two. I feel like sometimes you get both, but sometimes you get one or the other.

SPEAKER_05 19:00

I feel like the ones that are heavily peted, so like think Highland Park, right? It's something that's like heavily peted, just not that smoky flavor. I get a lot more like, and it may be just mental, but a lot more like salty, kind of sea salt feeling, like flavor to it, just hints of it, but it it almost comes across saltier than smoky, which is it's almost like a smoked salt they would use.

SPEAKER_04 19:28

Like if somebody's wanting a really smoky scotch, um, I don't know if I would just give them the pediest thing I could find because they're just different flavors, you know what I mean. There is very peaty scotch that is also very smoky, but I've had very peated scotches that aren't that smoky, but they're heavily peated.

SPEAKER_07 19:43

How do they do that? Because I thought like giving the peat flavor was through smoking it.

SPEAKER_05 19:51

So uh the process for the peat and the smoke aspect is they take, yeah, they take their malted barley so they get their barley wet to have them start malting. And then when they want to stop, when they want to dry it out and kind of start stop that process, traditionally they have this huge malting floor. So think of garage floor, um, and they pump in the peat smoke. So the the the the heat is coming from the moss, um, but along with the heat comes all of the smoke that you're throwing in it at the same time. And a lot of the old traditional malting floors, they the only windows, so to speak, the only way for everything to escape the heat, the the smoke was at the top. They had top vents that they would kind of open up and close, almost like a damper on a grill. So the more the more heavily peted stuff, the more smokier stuff, um, they tend to drop those dampers, those vents down so it stays in there and really clings to it. The smoke will cling to the the wet as it dries out. The less peater stuff, they tend to let those dampers kind of wider open, or like open wider so it vents out more, but you're still drying the peat with the heat. That's traditional.

SPEAKER_07 21:07

Right. But that but that combines the the peat and the smoke together. Right. So how do you get lots of peat without concentration, right?

SPEAKER_04 21:18

Heavier dose of concentration of peat, or or maybe more pungent peat.

SPEAKER_05 21:23

Because each uh each region's gonna have their their location where they pull their peat. Um, and that's like there, along with the water. So, right, American bourbon is like, hey, we have our limestone water. Kentucky's big on we have our limestone water, and that's what makes our stuff the best and changes our flavor. Scotland is saying we've got our peat and we have our water source. Our peat location we might share with other distilleries, but we're not going to it's that's our boasting thing. Like that's one of the things we boast about. So we're not going to share it with everyone. Kind of thing. And you got some that are more like Isla is more kind of off oh close to the sea kind of feel. And Highland's going to be inland. So they're going to be taking it more from like a woods, foresty kind of feel, which is where you're going to get a lot of that moss uh flavor from the peat as they smoke it out. Or yeah, as they they heat up the barley. Less and less companies are doing malting floors because of the process. It's it's extreme. It takes a lot. So what they're doing is there's new companies that are shortening that window. So they they uh almost uh chemically enhance uh the malted barley versus the natural like old school way of doing it. So you could get peted like here in America, you can order peted uh barley or you know peted this or peted that because they've they've found a way to introduce that uh idea into just normal grains that a grain company will produce and then ship out so it's become less and less traditional now the the ones that are very traditional you can tell because they're gonna be intense very intense with their peat or very intense with their smoke we had one Ladeg do you remember Ladeg? Ladeg I I don't doubt that they were not the traditional way because it was not smoky it wasn't about this one they supposedly do the traditional way that's that's okay so out of the two I would have guessed something more Ledegish but that's also why I wonder if this is closer to a space side and region and flavor because this is very light spaceside space side's not very peaty and it's not very smoky. It's normally fruitier lightier floral um more think like honey kind of uh feel flavor to it that's what I get with a lot of spacesides that's what I wonder if this is kind of closer to a space side in region than anything else because there is peat to it but it's not it's not the focus you know it's not the main chapter.

SPEAKER_04 24:11

The difference between that going back to that campfire versus the peat I was talking to a buddy at work the other day about that because he was saying he liked um heavily smoked scotches and he's been going in and saying that he thought that was peat. So he was going in saying I want a really high highly peated scotch and he was getting stuff and he was drinking it and he was like this is good but this isn't what I wanted. You know what I mean? This isn't really and I said it's really is what you're talking about is very similar to like dark fired Kentucky and Latakia because he wasn't understanding the difference and I said there's they're both the same process you take tobacco leaf the only difference is there is you know you have one that's an American tobacco and the other one's Turkish oriental tobacco but they're both being smoked basically the same way in a barn. They come out two completely different types of leaves tasting two completely different types of waste. No they're both smoked you can tell they're both smoky. But one's more barbecue and the other one's more campfire. And that's exactly what you're talking about when you're talking about peat levels and everything else.

SPEAKER_05 25:12

And they it's tough but um we've had some really good scotches that were like more campfire creosote less barbecue less peat less whatever you know so I also wonder if the peat level that you're getting like hinting towards you're not really getting like an intense peat level out of it for saying it's heavily peated, right? I also wonder if that is from the proof point. Not very many scotches go above 80 proof well and this one's well over this one's well over and the ones that we've had that have been well over have not been overwhelming with their peat level. I think of the Logavilin uh special edition ones that we've had they're up 110 115 I think in proof point and they've been delicious and wonderful. But they tone down the flavor a little bit. It's almost like the peat is muted because of that. And I wonder if watering it down proofing it down brings out that peat level even more that peat flavor even more but if you do that kind of like putting water on a campfire.

SPEAKER_03 26:13

Right.

SPEAKER_04 26:13

It really intensifies the smoke.

SPEAKER_05 26:15

Yeah but also makes me wonder does that change it enough for them to say this isn't what we want like I I can think of two bottles that we've had that are similar to this in proof point and also flavor where it's not as intense it's friend this is much more uh friendlier for someone that's not a scotch drinker. This is very friendly. Which is crazy because it's dang near 120% right but I can only think of two others that we've had that have been that way that I'd be like yeah I I could give this to a a non-scotch drinker and I think they'd appreciate it. Now if we proof this down would I be saying the same thing well I was just about to say I don't think that this would be good.

SPEAKER_04 26:58

Um I don't think I would enjoy it. I think this would be very basic kind of and like just all right. I don't think I would like it proof down. If this was 80 proof I don't think it would be very good at all. And I almost makes me want to like throw a few drops of water into sea I think it would ruin it. Because I think it would just and it again it doesn't taste high proof or anything but I think that it that proof works together with the flavors to make uh a fairly intense overall experience. And I'm enjoying the heck out of it. Like I could see going through like you said tipsy like thing there went through a bottle of this with his buddy I could see that it's really really good and for something that has no for a scotch that has no age statement it does kind of know name you know like it's very good. Open since 200 2004 2004 yeah 21 years ago I guess not quite probably but it might be one of the youngest distilleries in Scotland at that point. I mean other than like the ones that just broke out you know like the well we had one that was like real up and coming was that Lidaig it might have been Ledaig.

SPEAKER_07 28:01

They were all modern remember that yeah it might have been Ladaig yeah Ladegue modern Scotch you're you're a big scotch guy what do you think of this I I've been watching you and I haven't been able to tell he's and he's really trying to pull everything out of it this one's a difficult one for me for some reason I'm not quite sure how I how I feel about it like over the course of the the ounce you know yeah it seems odd to me um like the the combination of like the the sort of oily texture the the low smoke the high peat um the way that the the flavor starts to accumulate over the course of of the class um there are interesting things happening yeah I yeah I wonder if it you you said that you would give it to somebody who's not a scotch drinker I I wonder how I wonder how long they would like it. Because like I okay so credit to them for making something that as you drink it the experience changes. That's really cool. I so props for that you could hope for that with with anything that's that's a great thing to have yeah yeah yeah uh it's like it's kind of willy wonka you know like you you uh you start off with one flavor you end up with something else over the case like snoss but yeah or what it's like the multi uh coarse thing like for like first you're eating it and you're tasting like the mashed potatoes and gravy then you get to the roast beef and then you go on to the other whatever uh so it it's kind of like that so that's cool but the way that the for me the peat seems to dominate after a while um and the other things recede it's a little it's hitting me as being like a little more potent than I really want it to be.

unknown 30:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_07 30:15

Yeah I don't know if I'd well harsh maybe harsh not harsh in like the like it's drinking hot or there's like some wrong edges but harsh like the bottom of a bowl sometimes gets yes and you're like do I keep smoking or do I dump this out? Right.

SPEAKER_05 30:33

And not every pipe tobacco is like that but yours a little more intense you get a little some of them might get harsh towards the bottom of the bowl and they're just is it kind of like a uh like a punch in the face or a slap in the face after a while like it it builds an intensity you you said that the flavor keeps changing and like it kind of builds over time. Would you say that after a while it's almost like a a punch in the face of the peat of like now I understand why this is heavily peated. Before was kind of there.

SPEAKER_04 30:59

I I kind of okay so I don't have all the right words for this but it's not sour but there's something something if you could strip away the sour that makes you pucker but there's something that kind of like starts to curl your tongue a little bit like there that whatever that underlying thing is that I don't have a name for um that's why I well that's why I equate to harsh that's exactly like what I think you've it if you ever had pineapple where uh you eat it and it's so good and sweet it's like a perfect pineapple but after if you eat a lot of it after a while if you ever notice it starts prickling your your tongue in your mouth and you but you keep eating it you know what I mean and then it's like you got a bunch of needles in your tongue exactly yeah that pineapple became harsh right the overall experience of that became harsh right so do you kick do you keep ingesting it and keep having the prickles because there is still flavors going on and you really like the flavor. But it's got it's changed your experience with it has changed now and it's harsh it's it's biting you a little it's fighting you a little bit uh and I feel like that's what he's trying to describe a little bit is you know what by the time by the time it's over it it's almost tastes young it starts tasting younger to me maybe that's a better way to say it the kind of the way like a young thing well maybe it's like a like a would you say green apple on this one maybe it's maybe it's that uh kind of brightness that isn't quite sourness but a little bit tart kind of a thing happening like you would get with a green apple that you associate with like a young an unripe yes unripe kind of a thing where it's like oh I'm hitting that point like that was kind of cool but I think I'm done. But it's only towards the end of it. I feel like the overall beginning of experience was really good.

SPEAKER_05 32:58

Would you say you start with the beginning experiences you started out eating like a really good green apple and then towards the end you're eating a red delicious where you know you're eating an apple but like there could be better.

SPEAKER_04 33:09

Like it's kind of like it's kind of harsh like it it it's not that it lost its red delicious tend goes toward the the flavorless side which I wouldn't feel like if anything uh Ryan's talking about like being a kid and eating candy right and you're so excited you get to eat it and say nobody's around and it starts off okay it's Turkish delight. Yeah right so uh you know Edmund is eating his Turkish delight and it's great and he's overdoing it and then towards the end he feels sick. Yeah right so his overall experience changed towards the end it's almost like going back in time. This is worse now than it was like it was good and then I overdid it or something and uh you know same thing with being a kid where you eat so much you get a tummy ache right I think that's kind of not exactly because I don't have no tummy ache but it's kind of what you're talking about. And I get that like I feel like my experience with it now I still have a little bit left my experience with it now is more on the on the like if I had this at the beginning I'd be like this is young this is kind of harsh this is kind of um not bitter but the words you would use to associate with bitter right things like things of that nature. And all the sweetness that you get when you first sip it that's gone away yeah that's completely gone for me.

SPEAKER_07 34:32

And it's just where does it go?

SPEAKER_05 34:34

It's on the nose it's on the nose for me.

SPEAKER_04 34:35

Like every time I raise my glass to drink it I can smell it but taste overall our overall our palates have become accustomed to whatever that was. So that has escaped us. And then now what we're just picking up is another introduction of that that same flavor that that ending flavor that you get that that where the peat's wearing off and you're getting into that kind of that strength of the proof and I think that our palates maybe have become overwhelmed with this because it's such a punch in the face in a good way that now all I'm getting when I sip it is the ending portion. I'm not getting the first two thirds I'm getting the last to do with the oily texture.

SPEAKER_07 35:13

Could be overwhelming our taste buds yeah like the first experience of it but then it coats and then whatever happens next your your taste buds aren't picking up that same thing. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 35:25

Oh I mean overall though I still really like what flavors are going on here in mine because even that last third of flavor it's a strong flavor. It's like an anes an asset. It's like a licorice flavor it's a strong flavor. You know I wouldn't call it licorice I'm just saying it's like a a licorice flavor like that strong flavor. Like a coffee is a strong flavor licorice is a strong flavor. Whatever's going on in here is a strong flavor. And I do like it.

SPEAKER_05 35:50

Well it's interesting is uh so I keep bringing up the idea of when you first started drinking it or even the smell it came across like a uh spaceide right um only on the very beginning yeah right it kind of had that feel kind of juice the juice on really is what I got a lot of it but now when you start drinking it more it turns into a highland oh yeah it turns it turns into that more peaty but earthy kind of feel I would say less although it is still lacking a little bit of smoke right for even for a high but it's almost like it went from we're a space side to now we're highland yeah we're but we it's almost like they to their credit like you said earlier uh Ryan was they have somehow created a way for it to be ever changing in experience and flavor like it it's it's a like a Willy Wonka. It keeps changing the more you drink it. Like it's not the same as before now there's something else. To their credit they've done a really good job of that and almost hiding where they originate because it it's almost like a space side but then it turns into a Highland. Like they do a really good job of saying I don't know that we want to claim we're either but we're our own thing. Like we're we're cable's down like we we're special we're unique we can play to both parties without you realizing that you switched from drinking a space side to now a Highland. Like that I've never I don't know of any scotch that we've ever had that I've felt that way of like ooh wait did I did I pour myself something different now? Like I this is not the same glass that I had before it really is its own thing.

SPEAKER_04 37:39

Yeah compared to all the other things I've had it's yeah I I'm with you I don't think I've had anything else that has quite taken me on this particular journey with the undul with the undulations yeah yeah uh I what I will say this for it though I agree with everything you're saying Ryan well you get to I think after at the end of the first glass you get to this point where all you're tasting is kind of the last third however for me that last third is an enjoyable experience to the point where I would continue drinking this. So very it wouldn't be one of those bottles where like you get to this point you're like okay now I don't think I want I don't think I want another glass I could see getting into the groove right like you slip into that groove like I'm in fourth gear kind of a thing and I'm gonna keep on going. Like I'm on the freeway I'm in fourth gear and now I can just cruise. And I think um although if I were to pour another class I don't think the process would start over because my palate is overwhelmed. But I would pick up that last third do you think it would change something no I don't think so I I think at this point I think I mean I don't know we'd have to try it but I think I've I've come down to this like I'm getting the same flavors every sip now but I like those flavors to the point I would continue drinking this in a setting if we were to pop this bottle. I've had some where I get to the point where towards the end I I like the overall beginning towards the end of the glass I'm kind of like done and I wouldn't want another pour. That being said I would go back to it another time but it's like a one glass at a at a time type of a bottle this one I I could see people thinking that but I think I would continue drinking this because where I'm at now with it like if I take another sip it's that last third I missed the two thirds of the of the original flavor. But I like that last third enough that I would continue drinking it.

SPEAKER_05 39:34

Chris you and I have had our fair share of opening bottles and finishing them in one sitting but in that experience alone we've had bottles that we've opened and finished within like four or five hours and we've had bottles that we've opened and finished and it took a full eight hour day. Uh I think of Christmas where we opened that bottle of scotch for the first time at like eight nine o'clock in the morning and we finished it at like four or five at night. Like it took us a full day of drinking we really took our time with it. But then I think of the four gate one that we had that we opened and that was done within a couple hours. Like it was it was gone.

SPEAKER_03 40:11

And that was that was a foolproof right that was that was pretty high proof but I I look at it that way so good.

SPEAKER_05 40:16

When it was gone we wanted more so when people ask me like would you want another glass I think of that that kind of range of is this a bottle that I'd want to open early in the day and take my entire day through and just slowly drink it all day or is this one that I'd want to have done in two hours because it's so good I what you're saying that whole two thirds that the last part of this would cause me to say this this is going to be an old all day drinker. I agree I'm glad you said that I can't this would be like a short period of time.

SPEAKER_04 40:45

No I think you slip into a groove and like I said I just you know every sip I'm having now it's that I'm getting the same consistent like last third right uh but what I'm getting consistently is good. I like it. Uh that being said it would be something I would sip on for a long period of time until it's yeah yeah until I'm done drinking or it's gone or whatever.

SPEAKER_05 41:06

But now I don't think I could mix flavors with this guy and feel good about going back to it. Now you guys both have pipes which is uh involving different flavors it's gonna change the flavors right is it a good thing would you say having a pipe with this glass was it a good decision I don't know if I would like it as much without a pipe to now bring that up okay because I just took the last sip of this um and that was a really good sip.

SPEAKER_04 41:31

Do you think there's pieces in the scotch that are missing in the the the although Ryan and I might have different opinions on this because I'm smoking daybreak which is a light a light English an early morning it's early morning pipe. It's a light English soon to be discontinued thanks a lot STG um anyway we won't get we won't get into that next uh and it's it's a very good light English but that being said it's it's giving me the flavors of Laticia and everything else and the Orientals that you aren't getting because you are smoking um I went with Prince Albert um and because I had no idea what what this Kilcarin was going to be so I didn't want to interfere with it.

SPEAKER_07 42:17

I wanted something mild just to let it do its thing. And uh yeah I didn't get was one overpowering the other well oh Prince Albert won't overpower anything. No no yeah definitely but was the scotch overpowering Prince Albert no I don't think so but I do kind of wonder what the experience would be like if I was working with other flavors. Prince Albert is like white bread.

SPEAKER_04 42:44

Right exactly and and and the scotch would be the peanut butter on that like it's hard to say how much the bread but this is like eating pumpernickel with peanut butter you know what I mean like it's it's adding to the flavor. And I will say uh I mean I only did it the one way but I wonder if you would have enjoyed this a lot more with even this light English blend. Yeah. Because it's not overpowering but it's enough I think it's giving me the campfire smoke that this is lacking. Yeah and I didn't get I didn't get that and the leather you know what I mean yeah and probably a good and I really yeah you gotta try that yeah try this out. Would you like some more scotch as well? Just to see how it goes. I think uh I think it's gonna change your overall uh and that's what I'm saying like smoking this smoking this blend and drinking this scotch is a recipe for all day like you know what I mean this is potate this is like potato chips on a couch like I'm not gonna quit till the bag's empty it's good I was gonna say in other words they they they pair so well they're they they complement each other so well that you wouldn't get tired of either one I'm not getting tired of it now that being said I'm I'm I'm losing out on the for the the first two thirds of the flavor that was wowing Me, but what I've gone into now is I'm in this very good, enjoyable meat potatoes experience.

SPEAKER_05 44:07

So would you say it almost took it from more of a space hide for you and not into a highland, but more of a like an isla?

SPEAKER_04 44:13

Yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_05 44:14

Like more like Lafroy, Glogval, like more smoke.

SPEAKER_04 44:17

I guess in the beginning it was like all three. You know what I mean? It was giving me different versions of scotch. And then, like Ryan said, all of a sudden it dropped off the in my opinion, it's the first two-thirds of the flavor dropped off. The last third, which you could consider one note. Is it one-noted? Maybe, kind of, at this point. But there's nothing wrong with one note scotch, especially when you're smoking a blend that's kind of picking up where the scotch is leaving out. Yeah. So I'm getting all that peat along with the smoke. And uh it's just an overall good, it's basic wings, you know what I mean? Where I'm not, I'm not eating like it's the crazy sauce wings. I'm eating barbecue, like plain old plain Jane wings, you know what I mean? It's good. It's meat and potatoes, I guess, is what I should say. Uh it's just good. It's not blowing my socks off with the flavor, like it was in the beginning. In the beginning, it was a little bit blowing my socks off with the flavor. Yeah, I thought so. I thought so. Just because like what Ryan was saying was like spot on. It is such a progression of flavors. You like like you're taking a tour of scotch in a glass, you know what I mean? But then that drops off and you're kind of like, where did it go? You know, but there's nothing wrong with what's left behind. Yeah, even the room note of that smells good, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_07 45:32

I think your daybreak supplemented it with some really nice flavors, but for me, I think this would be something that I'd say, like, one glass and I'm I'm done, and I'll come back to it another day and do another glass. You're kind of tapped out. It's like your favorite episode of a of a TV show rather than a favorite movie, full-length movie. I wouldn't say this is my favorite episode, but like it's like one of those, like an episode you could watch over and over again, but it's only like 45 minutes, and then and then you're you're done. You're out the door.

SPEAKER_04 46:07

But I I guess here's my question to you, Ryan. If I give you a bottle that tasted like that from the first go, what would you think about that? That'd be a pretty decent bottle, you think, or no? Like strip away the first two thirds, and that's what it tastes like from the beginning. I think it's still a decent, I think it's still a decent experience.

SPEAKER_05 46:26

I think it's a decent experience, but to Ryan's point earlier, I think you're taking away the significance and the specialty of this bottle. If you if you do that, yes. If you do that, you take away what's unique about this.

SPEAKER_04 46:40

And if that's the case, you just have a glass of every now and then you get the whole experience.

SPEAKER_05 46:44

Right. But I I look at the big picture as a whole, right? I was about ready to ask, like, who would you recommend this to because there's so many scotches out there and they're so unique and so different. If I look at this the history of this this company in this bottle, you go from 30 distilleries on an island, which they are an island. I looked uh looked them up. So they're they're part of a peninsula, right? So peninsula is an island, but okay, go ahead. They're surrounded by the sea.

SPEAKER_01 47:08

I wasn't gonna say anything.

SPEAKER_05 47:09

Yeah, they're not so they're they're not uh landlocked. Um but landlocked. Um but you take into consideration that this this town had 30 distilleries at one point, and then decades later, centuries, what it feels like centuries later, they then bring back three out of 30. So now you have a history of a a town that we did a lot of scotch and we did a lot of distilleries. Now we have three and we have to figure out a way to compete with the big boys. This is honestly a really good way to compete with the big boys, of uh a Willy Wonka kind of feel where it changes every so often and it isn't one thing. Now, I think if you took out the the two-thirds and left the the last third, I don't think that there's anything unique or special that would cause me to go, I'll recommend this bottom. No, you know what I mean.

SPEAKER_04 48:03

Like I said, it's just a decent right at that point. And that point, well, okay, I guess here's my next question. What's the price point on this?

SPEAKER_05 48:10

So I I paid 90 bucks for this. Now, in in in true fashion and full honesty, uh, I paid 90. Tipsy did not get this from his own store. He actually tried it somewhere else, then brought it into his store. He paid close to 120 for the bottle. So, but you're also talking, uh, we're we're talking cash strength at this point. I mean, we're talking 118.

SPEAKER_04 48:32

I'm not saying it's not worth the money, but what I'm saying is the last third is not worth that money.

unknown 48:37

Right.

SPEAKER_04 48:37

So if if you're gonna spend that much, you do want the overall experience every time. So you would have to have a glass of this now and then. I think to be like, okay, the last third is good, and like I'm gonna chug through this, not at that price point. That's like not no, because there's there's $60 bottles of scotch that are I would say the same thing.

SPEAKER_05 48:58

Then have an H statement.

SPEAKER_04 48:59

This is a great flavor that would comparable flavor to what I'm talking about, the last third. And uh yeah, I could easily put this bottle, like kill this bottle, and no problem. And then I wouldn't feel bad about it. That's the price.

SPEAKER_07 49:09

Do you think the last third tastes young?

SPEAKER_04 49:11

Oh, yeah, yeah. I don't I think it tastes young and I think it, but it's good, but it's over overall, it's good. Also, it's proof it's it's scotch at that proof point is so unique. You know what I mean? I'm just enjoying young or not, I'm enjoying the scotch flavors at a higher proof point, and that's kind of what you get with that last third on the on the palate.

SPEAKER_05 49:30

So let me clarify something. You guys might be able to help answer this. You guys both like scotch and you both like bourbon. You've had both, you drank both, you appreciate both. Would you guys say there's a difference in definition or flavor when it comes to a young scotch versus a young bourbon?

SPEAKER_03 49:46

The youngest scotch I've ever had would be an old bourbon.

SPEAKER_05 49:49

Hard to say. Right. So that's that's that's what I'm trying to get at is a young scotch as an old bourbon. So we don't do as many scotch uh series as I would love, because I love my scotch. But as a scotch scotch guys, would you say there's a difference between a young bourbon flavor-wise, and there's a difference between a young scotch? Because when we say young bourbon, it's normally acetony, bitey, alcohol-y.

SPEAKER_04 50:16

So you don't get that with scotch, I don't think, because a young scotch is still gonna have if you can find a young scotch for one thing. Uh, if if there were to be, I don't even think they make four years like like actual scotch. I don't know, maybe they do, but what you would get differently from that to bourbon is the intensity, the intensity of the flavors. So a young scotch is still gonna have way more flavor than a young bourbon, right? And then the lower proof point. So that's gonna mask what you typically what you get with a young bourbon is what you said, uh acetony, bitey, uh thin. Thin is for me the the the I don't really care if it bites or not. I'm to that point where bite me, bite me, please. You know what I mean? I don't care. I want flavor, I want a punch. But what I don't want is thin. And that's what you get with young bourbon. You would never get that, in my opinion, with a young scotch, because uh the the overall flavor of scotch is not thin.

unknown 51:09

Right.

SPEAKER_04 51:09

You know what I mean? And we've had space sides that are, I guess, thin for scotch, but the overall flavor of even those is way more intense than a young bourbon, in my opinion. Like a like a young spaceside is candy and uh candy corn. You know what I mean? It's like it's a it's a joke, it's it's cotton candy, you know what I mean? But when you compare that to young bourbon, it still has way more flavor. You give a a young scotch, a spaceide scotch, to some non-scotch drinker, and they're gonna go, oh my god, what is that? Fire water, like just it's so smoky. What is this? You know what I mean? Like, I did that before. I gave like what I consider to be like candy, like uh cotton candy to Laura one of scotch, and she's like spitting it out. It's so smoky, I can't take it. And I'm like, wow. Like my mind is so different, you know what I mean? Because I've tried stuff, you know. But so I guess in that vein, what I'm saying is even a young scotch, you could not compare the two uh of a young Scotch to a young bourbon because the flavors are just not to say I hate burb, I love bourbon flavors, but uh young bourbon flavor is just you really, really, really gotta pick it out versus like young scotch is still freaking scotch, right?

SPEAKER_05 52:26

But it's it for us, it's muted. For us, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 52:29

Yeah, but it's still you try them side by side, you're gonna be like, well, I'll take the scotch. You know what I mean? Like I think J and B, you know what I mean? Cheap old scotch. I've had cheap old scotch that I've been like, well, I'll take this over, you know, some junk bourbon, you know, like well, that what is that, two years old? Like, like uh, or you know, or whatever, like the the half gallon stuff that's like maybe 36 months, like just thin, thin, thin, thin. I like like think of JTS Brown. I love JTS Brown, not the bonded, the half gallon, yep, the 80 proof. I love that stuff, but it is basically sweet, like unsweet tea. Like, you know what I mean? Like, and if you were to put that up against JB and you were going off only on flavor, like I want you to tell me which one packs more flavor. Everybody is gonna say J B. Everybody, because JTS Brown, 80 proof, is like it's like watered down unsweet tea. You know what I mean? It's good, it's not bad, it's just the flavors aren't as intense, even at a young point. What would you say, Ryan?

SPEAKER_05 53:30

How would you define young for scotch versus young for bourbon? Is it two different things for you?

SPEAKER_07 53:35

Yeah, I I I think I agree with what Chris was saying, but uh whatever that is, that the youngness is there's something there's a similarity there. And maybe uh the uh high peat, high proof, one-notedness of the of the last third is like a really similar flavor to uh or gives off similar vibes as a young bourbon somehow for a different reason. But I I agree with what Chris was saying, but um and I yeah, I wish I knew how young this actually is because I feel like I f I feel like it's kind of um it's kind of messing with me a little bit, like mentally, you know, like wait, what is what am I tasting? Is this a young scotch? Or is it just the that particular high high P high proof combo that's like striking that same chord with me that's making me go like okay, I think I think that's enough.

SPEAKER_05 54:44

So would you say young young scotch is like it's it's a one and done feeling? Or is it more like that's it, we're done. Like that's that's enough for now. Not necessarily one and done. Like I enjoyed it, but it's it's intense and I need to be done. More so like that's enough. I don't I don't know that I need not intensity, I just don't need more of that flavor.

SPEAKER_07 55:04

I don't need any more of that flavor, yeah. But I'm missing the licorice, and I do like licorice. Um, yeah, I'm not I'm not picking up.

SPEAKER_05 55:11

You just gotta drink more of the bottle, apparently.

SPEAKER_07 55:13

Maybe so.

SPEAKER_05 55:15

See, you so Ryan, you and I talked the other week about young Scotch, and I said there's two that I have absolutely just disliked, and I have a bottle. Well, I think I might have both still, like a little bit of both still, but Logvolin did an eight-year-old. I did not like that. That was too young. And then we talked about Ardbeg. I have their wee beastie, which is five years. That was too young. Ardbeg does a lot of five year stuff too.

SPEAKER_07 55:42

I think I like the wee beastie, uh, if I remember right.

SPEAKER_05 55:45

But when I when I look at like youngness for scotch versus bourbon, bourbon youngness is like there's no flavor. It's not that it's not muted, it's just I I taste that I taste alcohol. That's what I mean with that when I say thin. Right. Like I just taste alcohol. You know, I there's no there's no real um the oak and the liquid didn't have enough chance to interact with each other to bring out a different flavor.

SPEAKER_04 56:10

It's thin.

SPEAKER_05 56:11

It's whereas Scotch is too young, Scotch, it's almost bitey in the sense that the flavors aren't muted, they just didn't have enough time to marry.

SPEAKER_03 56:23

They're not they're not mature, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 56:25

They didn't have enough time to to have a good marriage together. Uh it's like it's like your high school sweetheart compared to your wife, right? Like you as a high school sweetheart, you kind of you have a lot of fights. It's one's one's immature and one's over dumb shit, right? As a married couple, you're like, okay, we're fighting, but this is serious. This is serious. Like these are over real life good topics kind of thing. Like, I'm gonna challenge you in this, and I'm gonna be challenged at what you're talking about. The the young stuff is like, eh, I'm not gonna, I'm not looking to challenge you in your thought. I'm looking to challenge you as a person because I kind of want to just poke the bear and see what happens, kind of thing. You know, I have this this tendency or fear of when I talk to someone about like scotch, that that was too young for me. It tasted too young, for them to put it in the perspective of bourbon and go, ooh, I don't want acetony alcohol-y.

SPEAKER_04 57:21

That's not Scotch. We're talking about that bitey, acetony, alcohol-y, what you say when people, if people don't know, it's we've had like young stuff that was 80 proof, and we've had young stuff that was 120 proof. Right. And I've and uh I've had uh some 120 proof that was less bitey, less acetony, less than the 80 proof.

unknown 57:45

Right.

SPEAKER_04 57:45

So actually fairly often. Um, so it has nothing to do when we talk about that, it has nothing to do with the proof. That's what goes to show you that if you try something that's bitey and what you would think, and that you're like, oh, this is alcohol-y, this is the burn, the burn or whatever. That actually has nothing to do with proof because we've had we we uh there were, I remember that one time we were like consistently in the hunt over 100, 100-proof, 120-proof, and then we drank something in the 80-proof and it was young. And we were like, ooh, this bit. You know what I mean? How do you go from 120-proof on the regular to something 80-proof that bites? Because that biteiness is not proof, it's it's really it's uh it's it's the youngness, it's the immaturity of the of the spirit. That's almost like there's no flavor to back up that that alcohol. So all you end up getting is like drinking straight vodka, kind of where you you would you would also get that acetony, bitey kind of alcohol-y flavor.

SPEAKER_05 58:40

Have you guys ever been bitten by uh a snake or by a dog or by an animal? Uh no, no. By a dog? Were you expecting it? No. That I think so. The reason I bring that up is I think that's the bitiness I think of in my head. Not necessarily that it was a a bite as in pungent or stint or just bad, right? It was more so I wasn't expecting that, and it wasn't a good experience. It wasn't my favorite.

SPEAKER_04 59:05

It's the same thing that you get when you bite into a fruit that's unripe. It's uh it's that bitter, uh not good fruit. You know what I mean? Like we've all had even bananas when you get them in there. We've all eaten a green banana. I was too, we didn't wait long enough. It's the same thing. If you ever eat one of those, it's like all of a sudden it's more sour, it's more, you know, bitey. It's it's just not good. It's green, you know what I mean? And I think that that's what you get with a younger uh aged bourbon specifically, and it has nothing to do with proof, which a lot of people I think equate that to alcohol proof. And it has nothing, it has everything to do with the lacking of the flavors that typically take over the proof. So where you don't realize you're drinking something that's alcoholic, you know. In my in my opinion, that's that's how I feel. I feel like it's the same way. I've bitten into apples before that were not ripe, or peach that was not ripe, and immediately I'm like, ugh, that's how I taste. That's like the same experience I have when I have a bourbon that is underaged.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:04

I've never had a scotch that I go, ooh, this is bitey, right? Or a bitey experience. I've had bourbons that I'm like, ooh, this is bitey. I've got two cats. I've got one that's a little shit, that I'll be asleep at night. Last night's a great, great example. Asleep at night, it wants to crawl up into bed with me and lay between the wife and I, but it didn't like where I was laying. So I woke up out of a good deep sleep to it biting my arm. I would have thrown that cat out the window.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:34

That's so I'm not expecting not a cat guy. If if I got woken up by that way, oh man, that would have been the end of that cat.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:43

That's that is the best picture for me to paint for bourbon bite experience. I'm not expecting that. I'm not expecting the anger that follows.

SPEAKER_07 1:00:53

You throw the bourbon out the window.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:58

For scotch, I'm expecting those flavors. It's just young. It just didn't mellow out enough.

SPEAKER_07 1:01:05

It's kind of like uh, yeah, like the peat, I like peat, but there's something like at the edge of it, like the edges start to curl up a little bit, or something like that, where it's like, oh I guess usually the smoke like takes care of the edges, but but in this case, it like starts to curl, and you're like, oh, what was that? See, I think going back to it.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:26

My I the way my mind works when when you explain that, going back to what I was saying before, is it's and I don't get this with every buttons certain tobaccos that are harsh towards the end of the bowl. And that's exactly what you're explaining to me. Like I enjoyed this up to the at like, and sometimes it's even like halfway down, and I start fighting it, right? I have to make the decision, do I keep lighting this and tamping this, or do I just knock it out? Because I'm not enjoying it anymore. It's become a fight. And it's like what you're saying, it's curling up. The flavors aren't good, it's becoming more and more like, you know, and it's less enjoyable. That like what you're describing to me is is what harshness is what I can equate to harshness in a pipe.

SPEAKER_07 1:02:08

Yep. I think that's a good description for my experience of this one. I wouldn't want to say I like I definitely wouldn't say it's bad. I'd I I'm like, it's cool that this exists. I would I would drink it every now and then.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:22

Now, you and Chris might be more particular than I am when it comes to bottles that you have in your collection. Chris might be more particular in flavor. You might be more particular in price tag that you're willing to spend on a bottle. Would you have this bottle? Would you look for this? Would you want this? Would you seek it out? No after half no? Okay, why is that?

SPEAKER_07 1:02:42

Definitely the price point is is a deterrent. Um what if what if this was half the price? 60 bucks. Yeah. I might get it, I might get it for 60 bucks.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:51

Especially if there was some hesitation on there.

SPEAKER_07 1:02:54

Yeah, okay, so it wouldn't be just for me. Okay, you'd only have it for now and then for like a glass here and there for for now and then, but especially like for the Willy Wonka, and I'm thinking like Whiskey Club. Like, I know guys are gonna be coming over. I'll put something out that that they'll want to try. Um, I would want to show this to people. I would I would want to give people this experience, but I but I would I would if I was gonna buy it, I would buy it more for the opportunity to share it with other people than to drink it for myself, because I would want to say, like, hey, check this out. This is kind of cool. But it wouldn't be the thing I would grab if I was thinking like, I'm in the mood for scotch tonight.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:43

When you look at bottles, do you also take into consideration the event surrounding you pulling it out, the experience?

SPEAKER_07 1:03:51

This might be the first time.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:52

Okay, all right.

SPEAKER_07 1:03:53

I don't usually think of that. Okay, that's fair. That's fair, yeah. But now that I've had this, I I think like this would be a cool one to have on the shelf. I think it would stay there for a long time. If I thought I'm the only one who's ever gonna drink this, nobody else I know cares and would want to try it, I wouldn't, I probably wouldn't spend the money on it. I'd probably just buy something else.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:14

What about you? So I I agree with what Ryan's saying, and I think um I would do that similarly, where I would give this to people specifically. However, for me, the price on this is not enough to justify, like it might be enough to justify having a bottle of it, but then I I wouldn't use it the way I'd want to. So, in a perfect world, if this was $80, this would be a regular on my shelf. And I think I would drink it fairly often. And I think at that price point, for me, that price point would be fine to open it up, have the initial, like I said, I think I would have the initial experience, and then I would continue on a few more glasses because I I am enjoying the what I'm getting still out of it, even after the first glass. Uh, and at the price point, I wouldn't feel bad about doing that. I I think the flavors I'm getting on the subsequent second and third glass don't justify $120 price tag, if that makes sense. They do justify, in my opinion, an $80 price tag.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:13

Does it justify a $90?

SPEAKER_04 1:05:14

Maybe. Yeah. I mean, under $100 would probably be again. I have a different budget than most people when it comes to that stuff. So maybe uh it would definitely have to be under $100. $80 would be a sweet spot for me. If I cracked this open um at an $80 price point and had the first glass, I'd be like, wow, this is so much value. But then the second glass, I'd be like, oh, this is why it's $80. This is good.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:39

This is good, but like I don't feel bad about having having a third glass.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:42

You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 1:05:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:43

Does that make sense? Like, and I think every time I would do that, I'd be like, Yeah, and then when it's empty, I'd be like, Yeah, I'm gonna buy it again, you know, 80 bucks or whatever. Yeah, I'll buy it again, you know. But if it was 120 bucks, I'd be like, well, that was fun. That was a fun experience, I'm gonna be like uh. And I think that that goes back to I I like what you're saying, Ryan, but I don't have anything on my shelf that I wouldn't drink myself and drink a lot of. I I've I have had things in the past and I've either poured those out for people or I've finished them myself or whatever. But I don't, I won't rebuy a bottle if it's not something I want to sit down and drink, period. So I do have bottles out there that were given to me or they were a the first time purchase, right? And but when they're gone, they're gone. But there are bottles like as soon as I finish it, I have to replace this because I enjoy this. I enjoy giving this to people. I think everybody should have one of these, right? Like that's how like 90% of my bar is made up of that stuff. The other 10% is gifts that I've gotten or things that I have, I'll try it and I okay, I'm not gonna get this again. It's good or or it's or it's bad, you know, or um actually if it's bad, I keep that on the counter and I try to get rid of it quick. I won't even put it back on the shelf because I'm like, this is just does not merit spots. You know what I mean? I don't have and I have space issues. So, but I I so for that, if I would never buy a bottle thinking um I'm not gonna really drink this, but I will give this to people. Now, I if I was given a bottle, maybe I'd be like that. But I'm not gonna go out and buy a bottle that I'd be like, this would be great for, which maybe because I'm not as generous. Like, like it's kind of way more generous coming from. But I I want to have stuff that I'm like, I effing love this. Try it. You know what I mean? This is so good. I get this, like, oh, it's empty, I'll buy another one, no big deal. You know what I mean? Uh and I think at 80 bucks, that would be one of these bottles for me. I'd be like, Yeah, I like it. I love it. Like, watch, drink this and then let's drink it again, then see what you think. You know what I mean? And then I'd love, I'd love to see people's reaction of like, wow, that changes. Like, yeah, it absolutely does. But in my opinion, we could keep drinking it, you know what I mean? Or we can put it away and try something else. But I I think for some people, and this might be you, Ryan, the letdown of this isn't what it was a minute ago, and I'm done with it. I like that. That's loyalty, man. That's like this, I'm getting duped. I don't want to keep drinking this. Like, this isn't what I well, it wasn't.

SPEAKER_07 1:08:14

It's no longer what it was. I didn't, yeah, it wasn't a disappointment that it that it changed. I thought it was cool that it changed, but but to continue on. But the thing, the thing that it changed to was like fine to experience, but it wasn't like the the best part.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:29

I get you.

SPEAKER_07 1:08:30

The best part. I get what you're saying. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:32

So with this bottle, what was the best part for you? At what point was it this is the this is the mountain, the the peak of the mountain, and we're going downhill from here?

SPEAKER_07 1:08:40

The second third, I'd say probably, yeah. Like the first part was like, Oh, how about that? And then, yeah, and then it kind of gets in. And yeah, for me, there was sort of like a peak that it crossed, and then and then it was like, Oh, wait, this other flavor is like taking the taking over. And you notice that right away.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:59

All of a sudden, every time you take a sip, you're like, it's the same, the same flavor.

SPEAKER_07 1:09:02

Yeah, and it's building, yeah, it's not getting out of the way, it's growing and growing and growing, and and then it starts to curl at the edges, and then it's like, okay, that was enough.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:12

See, I I hate to say this and don't hate to say it at the same time, same time. I've conflicted on this idea that that's what this uh distillery, this bottle has going for it. Is it's not a LaFroig, it's not a Log Villant, it's not a Highland Park, it's not uh you know uh Glenfitic, it's not a Glen Levet, where it's like I know what I'm getting every time. Even if they do a finished uh series kind of thing, I know what to expect at the start. I don't know on the finish, I have an idea, but I don't fully know. This guy is like every bottle I grab is potentially I don't know. It's gonna ch it's going to exponentially change over the course of me opening the bottle, me having a glass, it's going to change over time. I don't know another Scotch brand bottle distillery that I've had that experience with that I'm like, I'd go back for this. You know, I I I don't know anyone else off the top of my head, and I think that's what they have going for them.

SPEAKER_07 1:10:17

If I if I lived in in the same town, it would be really cool to like check out whatever new thing they're putting out. Like I would go to the distillery and try a thing because I'd be excited about whatever kind of creative thing they're doing. But if I had to pay 120 bucks just to taste and see that yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:38

Well, I think we can all agree that it isn't uh you a unique scotch.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:43

It is. I don't know that it's worth 120. 8090, I'll I'll take 8090. So you're with me on that.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:48

Yeah, I'll take 8090 for would you pay for would you keep that on your shelf or 89? Would you get it again?

SPEAKER_03 1:10:53

Say you could get it for 80 bucks.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:54

Man, okay, so that's hard for me when it comes to scotch. There is one bottle that I will I don't have right now I need to replace, but it's the only bottle that I will ever consistently have in my collection. And that's a log of 16. Everyone else, when it comes to scotch, you could take it or leave it, you could brown. Not that I could take it or leave it, everything else when it comes to scotch is it's a memory and a moment, and I'm fine with leaving that memory moment with that bottle and not trying to recreate it or not trying to recoup it, if that makes sense. So I don't need another bottle of that because um uh, for instance, the there was a bottle that Chris and I opened for Christmas. We never had this before, we've never seen this before, we've actually never had anything from the region. It was a lowland scotch. After having it, it was really, really good. I've had it once and I'm good. Not in the sense that it wasn't good, but I don't want to recreate that. Like I'm fine not recreating that moment because I I don't know that I'd be able to I don't know that I'd be able to recreate it exactly as it was, and I don't know that I want that scotch if I can't do that. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_04 1:12:10

So I'm good with having one bottle of this and being done, not necessarily because it wasn't good or wasn't bad, but just having the experience of it and yeah, see, and I think we all have certain bottles like that when it comes to scotch, that are our own bread and butter. I'm sure uh Ryan has definitely has some. Uh, for me, that LaFroig 10, and I've had other LaFroigs that have been great. Like I but I've said it before, even with due to the price and the availability and everything else, I think Lafroig 10 is better than the for those for all the aspects. The Freud 10 is better than the Froig uh lore, better than all the other one-offs, the quarter cask, all that stuff. Because you have to factor in overall flavor, yeah, but then also price and availability and everything else. So for me, that's why Lafroig 10 is for me the best. And I and I would have that over anything else because I like it. It's my thing. Well, what's your what's your go-to scotch? If you had to like go to a desert island and you only had one scotch for the rest of your life, based on everything, price and availability, not just like unicorn stuff, like LaFroig 10.

SPEAKER_07 1:13:15

You same way, dude, dude, nice, same, totally the same. Yeah, my heart belongs to LaFroy 10. That's it, man. But I love trying the other stuff. I mean, yeah, there's so much great stuff out there, but um, but yeah, I'm I'm with you.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:28

Yeah, it's just it's just good.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:31

We'll have to revisit that on the LeFroig 10.

SPEAKER_05 1:13:33

Yeah, we got a LeFroig in the series, so really excited for that guy.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:37

Oh, nice, it's coming up.

SPEAKER_05 1:13:39

It's coming up, it's coming up. So yeah, I think this was uh it was a good model. I wouldn't get it again because of the experience. Like it wasn't a bad experience, but I don't need to, I don't want to, I don't need to try to recreate.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:49

I think it was a good recommendation, and I'm glad we tried it. I enjoyed it. I did too. Till next time, Ryan will be joining us again. I guess he will. Next time.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:02

Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you want more great content and other perks, be sure to support the show by clicking the link in the show notes. We can be reached on our website, whiskeychasterspot.com, with any ideas for the show. Thanks again.