One non "high street" whisky @ ~ £80 ?

[nloken]

Dear all,

I thought this might be a fun exercise for the whisky drinking population of XMTS.. As alcohol, and spirits in particular, is extremely expensive here in Norway, I always try to bring home the one bottle of whisky allowed by customs regulations when ever I travel abroad. (some higher power forbid that my whisky selection should grow thin..) Still not quite settled, but I might be taking a weekend trip to dear old London in mid July, which brings us to the matter at hand;

If you had to pick one bottle of whisky, preferably not a "high street brand", meaning something which is not excessively available throughout, which would you choose? (Please note that even such as Old Pultney would fall in this category here in Norway, as we are often left with a somewhat depressing selection at an even more depressing price..) The whisky should be a single malt Scotch and the available budget is ~£80.

Let the fun begin! 3-2-1....GO!!

[English Bloke]

Bladnoch...

[nloken]

Bladnoch...

You've got me quite intrigued, John. Would this be something one might find around London?

If going across, I will make sure to again visit the Whisky Exchange again, as this is truly a spot to find those odd bottles of whisky!

[nloken]

Oooh, I just checked and they have quite a selection of Bladnoch at the Whisky Exchange.. Any specific age or other which you would recommend, John?

[Paul Henry]

Have a look at this whisky and other spirits ,but mainly whiskymporium : Vintage House 42 Old Compton Street, Soho
they have a huge selection and worth a look at the Macallan cabinets if nothing else

[English Bloke]

hehehe... ALL of them.

Seriously (and from the Whisky Exchange's available selection), if it were me I'd go for either (or preferably both) of these:

Bladnoch 1992, 19 Year Old, Sherry Butt - 70cl at 55% - £48.49 Inc. VAT (£40.41 Ex. VAT)

Bladnoch 18 Year Old, Sheep Label 70cl at 55% - £49.25 Inc. VAT (£41.04 Ex. VAT)

Both relatively affordable (for an £80 budget). Both quite special and not 'run of the mill'. Both give you a fine idea of the quality of Bladnoch Malt. It's heaven in a glass nloken, though you might need a tiny drop or two of mineral water in it to bring it down from 55%.

Forced to put one over the other? The 19 year old, but only based on MY taste. They are both superb.

[English Bloke]

Good call Paul...

Must look that up next time I'm in the smoke.

[nloken]

Have a look at this whisky and other spirits ,but mainly whiskymporium : Vintage House 42 Old Compton Street, Soho
they have a huge selection and worth a look at the Macallan cabinets if nothing else

Oooh, that sounds like yet another small piece of heaven on earth to visit! Duly noted! Cheers mate!

[nloken]

hehehe... ALL of them.

Seriously (and from the Whisky Exchange's available selection), if it were me I'd go for either (or preferably both) of these:

Bladnoch 1992, 19 Year Old, Sherry Butt - 70cl at 55% - £48.49 Inc. VAT (£40.41 Ex. VAT)

Bladnoch 18 Year Old, Sheep Label 70cl at 55% - £49.25 Inc. VAT (£41.04 Ex. VAT)

Both relatively affordable (for an £80 budget). Both quite special and not 'run of the mill'. Both give you a fine idea of the quality of Bladnoch Malt. It's heaven in a glass nloken, though you might need a tiny drop or two of mineral water in it to bring it down from 55%.

Forced to put one over the other? The 19 year old, but only based on MY taste. They are both superb.

Your taste might not be so different from my own. I have a weak spot for the sherry casks, so perchance the Bladnoch 19 might be a way to go. My teeth are watering as I write this..!

Still, though, more suggestions are very much welcome!

[Lime]

Bruchladdich!