Finlaggan is a conundrum. Bottles from the Finlaggan brand (a product of the “Vintage Malt Whisky Company Ltd.”) contain a single malt from an Islay distillery.
The company keeps a very tight lid on the identity of its source, breaking silence only to insist that Finlaggan does now, always has, and always will contain whisky from the same distillery. If we are to believe the company, we must trust our nose and not our ears in order to divine the secrets of this pale liquid.
A favorite topic of whisky forums, the identity of Finlaggan’s source is thought to be Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Ardbeg, or Caol Ila. It’s very likely that the OR (Old Reserve) contains younger whisky – perhaps in the 6 year range – although a bottling of 10 year-old is available in some markets. The fascination with this whisky comes primarily from its absurdly low price. A bottle at my local Trader Joe’s (the primary reseller of Finlaggan in the U.S.) costs $18. This makes it, by a wide margin, the cheapest single-malt available to me.
The astounding part is that it’s actually QUITE GOOD. A good, peat-forward, single malt for $18 a bottle? Mystery aside, that makes Finlaggan a rarity in a world where Ardbeg can sell out of $100 bottles of 10 year-old malts named after reptiles.
Finlaggan itself is named after the ruins of Finlaggan Castle, a historic site on Loch Finlaggan on Islay, which was the residence of The Lords of the Isles.
NSC Comments:
Worth every bit of $20
Very creamy
Vanilla
No real smoke
Black pepper on the finish
Best value ever!
Appeals to frugal peatheads
Round 2: Glen Deveron 16 Year Old – Royal Burgh Collection
Cost: $60 USD
Region: Highland
Fun Facts:
The Deveron is the river valley and district on the eastern edge of Speyside. The distillery, on the banks of the river is called Macduff and looks across the river to the town of Banff.
The whisky appears under the name Macduff in some independent bottlings. The distillery was built in 1962 and most of the output finds its way into the William Lawson’s blend.
NSC Comments:
Sweet
Disappears fast from the tongue
Bottom of the rack
Not liked
No redeeming value
The worst we have had. Chris has finally been de-throned.
Bonus Round: Original Magnum Cream Liqueur
Cost: $42 CDN
Region: Speyside
Fun Facts:
Next door to Longmorn, and under the same ownership. Both distilleries were built in the 1890s but Benriach closed down in 1900 and remained silent till it was reopened and rebuilt in 1965.
In 1975 output was increased from 660,000 gallons/annum to 750,000 gallons/annum.
NSC Comments:
Terrific
Much superior to a Baileys or Carolines
Does carry a hint of Scotch with it.
Great dessert, thanks Trevor!
Bonus Round: Kavalan Concertmaster – Port Cask Finish
Cost: $42 CDN
Region: Taiwan
Fun Facts:
NSC Comments:
4th Bottle – many comments, just very, very few of them were about the scotch.
