whisky review 433 - How To Buy Whisky
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- Опубликовано: 26 июл 2024
- . . . some practical advice from my own experience on how to go about buying whisky (and other quality spirits)
To comply with Google Adsense policy this video is an independent non-profit review and is not selling or linking to a site that sells the product being reviewed.
So I started watching Ralfy because I wanted to learn about whisky. But now I watch him because I like his style.
I could listen to him for hours (and do)
Me too, Ralfy is just to cool for school..
In the States we are in a whisky/whiskey renasisaince. So many choices. The American Bourbon/Rye scene has really come into its own. Producing world class Whiskey. Ralfy: Almost all the Scottish Single Malts and Blends that you review can be attained within a 30 minute to an hour drive from my home, even though I live in the wilds of Arkansas. Did have to drive to Little Rock to purchase some Glenfarclas 10, well worth it. We are truly in a Golden Age of Whiskey/Whisky. Let us enjoy it.
Hi,
As a whisky rookie I have had great help from your reviews.
Here in Denmark things have actually improved. During the last 10 years alcohol taxes have decreased by almost 45%.
We have a number of quite fine specialty retailers with a good selection of both standard bottling’s and indy bottling’s. And the good thing is they sell a lot online giving them the volume to keep prices reasonable in the shops (not really low though).
I can recommend your advice regarding supermarkets. By being alert towards good bargains I have recently purchased:
Ardmore Traditional Cask (like you Ralfy) for 24£.
1 Littre bottles of Dalwinnie 15, Caol Ila 12 and Tallisker 10 for 33£.
Cardhu 12 and Glenlivet 12 for less than 20£.
Not truly unique bottles for sure but a decent little selection for a whisky rookie like me at prices my budget can survive.
You are extremely astute in terms of the economics of what we young Americans call the "sin tax".
i know that this video is 4 years old (it's legally a scotch now) but i want to spend some word about buying on amazon (i buy from the italian one) it's very good to be a sniper on amazon, and i'm not talking about special days or holidays, i'm talking about an every day task, to check on amazon the prices of the nice malts we wants, because sometimes happens that amazon drop the price of really nice bottles just for one , two or three bottles and then raise the price up again at the normal retail prices. As an example in the last two days i purchased two bottles at really really nice prices, the first one was the Bladnok Adela 15yo celebrating the reopening of the distillery , i paid 38 €, after my purchase it went again up to 109 €, and the second bottle ( that i ordered yesterday) arrived today i paid 116€ for a bottle of Douglas Laing XOP Bruichladdich 25 yo 1991 single cask (197 bottles), and now the price is back up to nearly 300€.
But sometimes i get nice bargain at the supermarket where i found the Nikka from the barrel at the lowest price of all the shops and online stores. You never now where it will be the next bargain and i love to hunt bottles! (sorry for my poor english ).
Bracchi Alessandro Fine Art 100% correct bought my last few bottles of single malt on amazon, great prices at the moment
I had no idea whisky auctions were a thing! Really useful piece of information!
Great video as always Ralfy! Love your reviews. Excellent information all the way through, especially the bit at the end about drinking water, not bothering other people, and not letting other people bother you. Keep up the great work!
This makes me wish I still lived in the UK. Here in Norway the only option is the government owned alcohol outlet. To be fair their prices are not too high considering its Norway, and they have a surprisingly large selection. I looked into ordering online but to bring whisky into the country I'd have to pay alcohol tax, import tax, freight tax and if the bottle's not reusable I'd have to pay an environmental tax too. In the end it's be five times the price!
I'll be looking forward to your Balvenie review Ralfy. Out of the many SMW's I tried during my Scotland trip last summer, the 12yo Single barrel (12736) was one of my absolute favourites. Needless to say, having the opportunity to shake hands with Mr. Stewart himself, prior to our tasting session at the distillery, didn't make the experience less memorable. Once again, thank you so much for the effort you're putting into your vlogs. It's highly appreciated.
In the Netherlands, the situation is a bit better. To sell strong alcoholic beverage, you need a special license over here. Most supermarkets don't bother getting one, so there's a huge amount of specialised liquor stores available which sell at (online-)competitive prices. :)
Well Helloooo, "YOU MANIC MALTY MANIACS" . quick Malt mention From Rory in London :) Love your Work Ralph. :)
Videos like this make me glad to live in the Netherlands(this and bordering Belgium and Germany for beer). Import taxes are calculated here per Liter with 100% alcohol. It's around 1,6 euros per liter. Add regular taxes to that and I think you pay around 3-4 pounds more per bottle.
Availability also marvelous, at least in my area. Local big liquor shop houses over 14.000 different kinds of whisky and have plenty of time and knowledge to support that. I can only advice Dutch people to really find your nearby shop, every big city has one. And it's always nice when you get on good terms with the owners, you can get notified when they have new things in store that might suit your pallet.
It's quite nice to see that an experienced drinker like Ralfy has the same thought and buying process as me. Someone who has just been drinking for a few years.
Ralfy, you're the best!
In the USA, each state has its own liquor control laws. I live in Oregon, which has a state run, state priced, & state selected "chosen list" of liquor. It can only be purchased in the state liquor stores. I check the state list prices vs online, the state isn't bad on pricing (no added shipping), but will utilize online stores and trips out of state to find whisky's not on our list (Black Bottle). Some states even have Drive-thru stores.
Eyewateringly expensive, you must be talking about, The Whisky Shop. I have or never will buy anything from them, thanks for the review Ralfy.
I love your videos Ralfy. Keep them coming!
Good bud as usual bud...got to tell u I had a dram of amrut fusion and I added 2 teaspoons of ardbeg based on an earlier review urging us to try new things with our whiskys. It turned out great...kind of a smokey brown Suger. Cheers
At my local co the Ardmore traditional is currently at £19!snapped up a cheeky wee bottle,top stuff for that price 👍🏻 great vids 👌🏻
Hi Ralfy. Love the videos. they have brought me to another level in whiskey knowledge and appreciation, thanks for all you do! I live in Canada and can attest to your statement on price. A standard bottle 12 year old Glenmorangie costs me a few cents shy of $90 here in British Columbia. For Talisker and Lagavulin you are up in the $150 range. All the more reason to be more selective in buying which makes your advice even more valuable I suppose! Cheers
Great videos keep up the good work. Very informative. Subscribed.
Greetings from Canada, Ralfy. A couple of points: not all of Canada is the same in terms of liquor. Alberta's liquor system is privatized, and the selection there is not limited by any government agency. In most cases, the problem in terms of selection in Canada traces back to the Canadian representatives or their parent companies, who either do not wish to get more esoteric products brought here, or do not choose to sell here. It is as frustrating to those of us in the business as it is to the customer. In terms of taxation, most Canadian provinces will tax a bottle of whisky that sells at $60 retail at anywhere from $15 to $20 a bottle. There is also federal excise tax of about $4 a bottle.
Also, a small point: tobacco and cigars are not considered a narcotic, just a controlled substance. :)
Always enjoy your videos! Come visit Canada again sometime soon.
The BEST bit of advice you have ever given us Ralfy and its importance often goes sadly unheeded, is H2O!!
Not only for bringing out flavours It should go hand in hand with All Spirits.
Dehydration is no joke and in a small way one can see the more immediate results of water or lack there of in the simple affect of hangover. Imagine what happens over time... we're literally pickling our organs without it.
Peace
Took a punt on Oban 14..failed..took a punt on Balblair 2000 vintage..beautiful! I guess with whisky, you will some & you lose some! Great video Ralfy! Cheers!
On a recent holiday in Brittany, I was in a small town and needed a bottle. No specialist shops, so went to the local supermarket. Found a bottle of Glenfiddich 12 yo. That'll do in a pinch. It cost the equivalent of $28 US. In New Jersey, that same bottle costs $48. Taxes and duties I guess. Wow!
I hate to be "that guy" but I'd love to see another springbank 10yo review! ... I just started a bottle and am loving it, really settles out of the vinegar nose about 3 days in. Thanks for all your time spent on these Ralfy!
Thanks Ralfy. In the US, the online sellers are a great value, all about service and fast shipping, plus they sell more than the 20 popular or overpriced bottles locally sold. Our local shops in Colorado are out of line. $105 for Laga 16, $65 for it online. Huge variance!
Nice video....good content, thank's!
Ralfy, u young malty monk from mississippi we didnt ask for you to take us into the underground system of the whisky business lol. But yes, as always your reviews are precise and informative
fantastic. great advice. I was trying to find your video on buying in airports. I have friend who is picking me up a travel exclusive bottle
Controlling nature of governance, yes, but I don't have to sell my house to have access to health care or to send my kids to a day care...That's a sacrifice we're ready to make. Alcohol sales are managed by the provinces and what bothers me is the little access to the new products. Keep up the good work Ralfy! Alba Gu Brath!
How I buy whisky:
1. Go to Ralfystuff
2. See what Ralfy recommends
3. Never be disappointed
And it's not that I can't think for myself, it's just that good whisky can be quite expensive as of course we all know and it is almost essential to have a guide when buying. Nobody better than Ralfy
and nothing wrong with that.after all people need to remind themselves that its still just a bottle of alcohol which we nerds sometimes pay obscene amounts of money for.second opinions are important.
Great advice, thanks.
Vodka and Blends are shockingly expensive in Skandinavia, but infact older single malts and cognacs can be much cheaper in tax-countries...
I'd like to see a vlog on the economics of whisky distilling - how much grain costs, how much spirit it produces, cost of warehousing, etc. Considering the prices they are charging, it may be interesting.
Of course one of the problems with allowing the free market to export spirits from the UK was the governments introduction of the UK Duty Stamp scheme in October 2006. This effectively allowed the large corporate owners of distilleries for example, to protect their export markets by allowing them to only supply the independent trade, who may wish to compete with them internationally, goods bearing the UK Duty Stamp which has to be legally removed from every bottle prior to export. Can you imagine the cost involved in the removal of these stamps? The fine for failing to so being currently £250.00 per bottle. This definitely contributes to the lack of choice outside the UK as British exporters find the regulations so impractical to comply with. Go onto the HM Revenue & Customs website and download a copy of Public Notice DS5 to see what a problem it is to compete on equal footing for the independent UK importer / exporter.
an excellent contribution to our understanding of the situation.
Labour strikes again.
that is about the same philosophy i have for buying whisky.
1.curiousity
2.online reviews to see whether the notes suit my palate
3.30% risk
i enjoy reading whiskyfun ect and your reviews but at the end of the day my own palate decides
talking about spoiled for choice...i live in Germany and when i started my whisky journey i was amazed at how much of an extensive range German online retailers offer.plus the prices are very low.i bought a Bladnoch 22yo single cask for 69 Euros.
and Ralfy, theres more.Germany is amazing in the way that not many people here have a clue about Whisky apart from the Glenlivet 12s and whatever they see in big supermarkets.just recently i bought a Longmorn 15 official bottling from the 90s that nobody even knew here and that was sitting lonely on the shelves gaining dust.
I live in Canada, and i have to say Ralfy is right on the money!
It's actually quite frustrating.
Ralfy you should start buying your whiskies in the Netherlands. The prices here are probably the lowest in all Europe. Standard pricing on the Ardmore Traditional 0,7l for instance is 25E or lower.
Edit: I forgot to thank you for the good advice you've given in this video. Thanks :)
Well done!
I've been to Cadenhead in Edinburgh and London. I love those places. What do you think?
Your so right Ralfy, we Canadians pay through the nose for imported Single Malt Scotch.
Every once in awhile they (LCBO) discount one (err, throw us a bone) but those are snatched up in a blink.
Recently they discounted Glenlivet Nadurra 16 years for $69, all gone in 3 days (I managed to get one before they were gone)
Ralfy is the voice of reason regarding all things whiskey
Cheers
$69 - that's what £35? Indeed not bad at all for a 16 y.o. Glenlivet Nadurra. Almost a 1/3 off the UK recommend retail price.
William Hesson Yes, agreed but Glenlivet and say Glenfiddich are both reasonably priced here. Single malts like Balvenie, Aberlour and Ardbeg to name a few are priced really high and always seem to be in "Limited Supply" in the government controlled liquor stores here in Ontario.
Cheers
That must be dreadful - I'm based in England - even the corner shop has a few bottles of decent whisky - some nice Jura, Bowmore, Aberlour and the like. I can just pick up something nice at the supermarket. Indeed I bought a bottle of The Balvenie 14 y.o. Caribbean Cask earlier today. I'm a big fan of The Balvenie - the 12 year double wood is my go to nice but not pricey whisky. But if Ican get it the 17 y.o. Double Wood is a wonder to behold. It's a bit steep - about £75/bottle - but I don't have the superlatives to cover the quality of that dram.
William Hesson I have a bottle of Balvenie 14 CC, price in Ontario was around $110 CDN. The Glenlivet 16 yr Nadurra was discounted to $69 cdn, but sold out fast. Quite a discrepancy between the 2 (price wise)
I use your videos for whiskey advice. 'Cap'n Jimbo's Rum project' for rum advice. I also use IWSC website to find bargain wine, spirit award winners from the supermarket, lidl and aldi won gold for whiskey's recently. The wine they select is usually top drawer. I also look at the online whiskey retailers for reviews from other spirit lovers. Also I use rate beer to check beer ratings and a youtube review site as well.
Wonderful!
I second that Dave M Cheers !
Nice vídeo , thanks.
brilliant as ever!
In Sweden it is relatively easy to buy although expensive. All liquor stores are owned by the state and while prices and opening hours are less than stellar, the range, servixe and availability is great. Most have a large selection to begin with. If they don't have it they check through other storrs or central stock and order it for you free of postage and other extra charges. Not perfect, but for quality quite good.
maybe a review to address to distilleries and producers to see if everything said on the bottle is true
Some great advice there ralfy. It's true what you said at the end of your clog, whisky is a great servant, but a very bad master!
I would prefer to buy locally and support the mom and pop shops around me, but it just doesn't seem worth it. So I do about 80% of my whisky shopping online and just do it in bulk. There are a plethora of options available to me online and at much better prices (even when including shipping). It just makes sense. But I'll still stop in the mom and pop shops and if they have something good/unique available at a nice price, I'll jump on it.
My experience was a bit different at the distilleries on Islay. They seemed to be right in line with the local shops around Leeds and even online.
Here in Canada the provinces set their own liquor laws and prices. I live in Ontario and it is controlled by a nanny state government with government liquor stores having a monopoly on sales, selection and prices. Ralfy has experienced first hand the Liquor Control Board of Ontario and knows how much it sucks! I'm waiting and hoping for a change in government and a overhaul of the oppressive liquor laws in this province.
In Ontario, we have a limit selection of Canadian Whiskies, much less Scotch, Bourbon, Irish and etc.The wheels of change are in motion, but very slow.
Here in Japan the whisky situation is great i havent seen a single whisky ralfy has reviewed that isnt available here. Same goes with other spirits though newly released Liquers such as St Germaine etc took 2 years to be available here.
hi Ralfy .. love your lessons and tips.
but what sites do you use most when you buy online.
and if you do not like the smoke flavor which regions would you recommend and distilleries???.
because I have a habbit to take speyside whiskeys every time I buy and are afraid of trying new because I will not be disappointed. I have probably as many also have Glenlivet glenfiddich Glenfarclas knockando Cardhu glengrant Glenmorangie.,and I have few different ages of each desilleri.
besides, I have a single talisker 25 never tried it yet.
and bought a few blends that you have tried but do not like smoke flavor which unfortunately i can taste.
thanks in advance
christian denmark
malt master machines :)
Do you have tips specifically for buyers in the US? For people like me who don't live near big enough cities to sustain a specialist shop, it's pretty hard to find anything that isn't a big marketed standard. The taxes and shipping from online places can double the price. It's hard to get off the standard path around here.
check out on-line purchase options.
Here in Germany you can be lucky with either supermarkets or online retailers...
One supermarkt once sold the Talisker 18yo for 50€, but also i've never seen the Bushmills 16yo below 60€ in a shop - online i can get it for about 40€ shipping already included...
here where i live i'm pretty lucky since there is the headquaters of a hughe supermarket company nearby and they have a hughe range of whiskies at kinda low price
Which online whisky retailers would you recommend ralphy 😎
Must say I love Germany for the variety of liquor (online) stores/supermarkets, many with prices below of what you'd pay in the UK (due to lower taxes?!). Not to forget ebay.de is the only one (I know of) still allowing whisky sales, just hope they keep it up as long as possible.
Ralfy how cold is in your studio?
Ralfy, lastly ...speaking of UK beers, have you had the opportunity to try the Guinness Foreign Extra Stout (Nigerian imported@7.5%)
It over $50/case in USA and for the price Im wondering if it really IS "the bees knees"!!
Thnx mate
Hallo Ralfy, Maltie Marshmallower of Mordor haha. I really like your intros and of course all the knowledge displayed in your videos. See, I'm fascinated with 12 year old whiskey, (because I can't afford older ones), but now I'm wondering about so called "cheap" brands, like Ye Monks, for instance. Could you please make a review on that brand? You know, in my Country brands like Vat '69 and Passport Scotch don't have a good reputation, but I've watched your reviews and if I remember well, you considered them quite good brands. So I'm wondering about Ye Monks then. I'm still not sure if buying a bottle worth it. Besides, that good old fashioned "Ye" word for "The", as ancient English, makes me think of good ol' times. But I don't want to buy a bottle only for its label.
Love the videos Ralfy, you mentioned springbank, thats next on my list, which one i'm not sure about though. 10, 12c/s or 15. any advice?
12cs
*****
Thanks Ralfy, i enjoyed watching your tour of the distillery too.
I live in the states and im thinking about ordering whisky online because there isnt much of a selection where i live.i might try out this one site hopefully i dont get ripped off
Cheers from Venezuela
Here in Finland all alchohol purchase, stronger than beer, is controlled by government monopoly Alko liquor store chain. They have just about anything readily available, but at a relatively significant price. Because of the finnish... tendency for using alchohol in large quantities, the government has decided to heavily tax all alchohol in an attempt to reduce alchohol consumption.
Australia puts a huge tax on Alcohol.
I hear that Saudi Arabia has some quite steep import duties...
I just wish Scotch wasn't so expensive. But when you think about everything that goes into making it, it's a bargain.
You're alright, Ralfy.
Speaking of whisky books, I've considered picking up Ralph Steadman's book on whisky. Read that one, Ralfy?
Australia has a massive excise tax on alcohol and distilled spirits. It makes all decent whiskey unaffordable. I've ordered some stuff we cant get down here, but I dont think I'll bother doing it again... too expensive
It's too bad the selection is so limited in Ontario. We're not allowed to buy anything online either :(
Hi ralfy..
I recently joined your channel..
And can you believe i also recently discovered whisky....no i don't live under a rock.. I live in South Africa..
We are a traditionally brandy and rum drinking nation.. And have a limited variety of decent scotch.
My question is what is the B grading on scotch...what is the meaning of it.. I know Bells have a lower B grading tahan vat69.
Can you clarify this for me.. Because i an developing a taste for scotch.
Kind regard.
Pieter.
. . . It's just down to quality and reputation. Some whiskies are best for cocktails, whilst otheres are sippers !
If possible, try before you buy..and thx dear malt mate.
Thank you very much for this one. I generally enjoy your vlog anyway, but I think this one was even a bit more enjoyable. Especially for the 'do not take it too serious'. Fully agree, because then you easily lose the fun part. For me, sharing Whisky with friends, always makes it taste better.
Hi Ralfy, Im passing through bham Duty free in a few days, What will I be able to buy from here that is quality, good value for money and difficult to find in the shops and warehouses? I generally like Isla, peaty and island malts.
best to ask the people at the DutyFree till, they generally know what they are selling ! Good luck !
I'm in Brazil...and everything costs almost 200% more than in any other country...
Thats funny. The supermarkets near me are more expensive than the local liquor stores, and have less variety.
. . . and less whisky sales !
Btw picket up a Litre bottle of Speyburn 10 years on dutyfree for about 20,11 Punds. Have tasted it and think it was a good bargain for the price..
More Bourbons!
Ey Ralfy do you know any online shops that still have the G&McP Caol Ila you just reviewed? I was able to find other years but they don't seem to be first fill casks anymore.
I'm in Germany here but I'm willing to pay for shipping if i can find one.
It sold out rather fast in many shops.
Maybe you want to try Whisky.de great online shop! Presumably the biggest in Germany. Good service and diagrams according to the taste of the spirit by means of accumulated data from other users. Have yet to be disappointed by them. Free shipping for any oder over 80€. Plus they have tasting vids on most of their whiskies. The guy that does them, Horst Lüning is almost a German Ralfy.
Probiers mal bei whisky.de das ist der größte Versandhandel in Deutschland... super Service, Geschmacksdiagramme mit gesammelten Eindrücken anderer Nutzer und Verkostungsvideos bei vielen Malts. Der Herr Lüning ist schon fast ein deutscher Ralfy ;) auch generell gute Tips rund um Whisky.
little addition to my comment... sadly Germany is not a great whisky drinking country... Exports to Germany are getting bigger and bigger every year though. the high street shops are usually restricted to wine shops with a little niche of whisky. usually the range is very limited and the prices are through the roof.... not so cool but there are a couple good ones. if you are looking for special bottlings, online is the place to start your search. It's also always good to check a big Real store or even the bigger Edeka Ecenters... I found them to have an excellent range, considering them being supermarkets
Oliver Mühle Yup whisky.de is where I bought all my bottles for the last year but they do not have this specific one. They got a great range of good bottles though, just not this one :)
Oliver Mühle "sadly Germany is not a great whisky drinking country"
why sadly?i mean it may sound egoistic but you better hope it stays that way.i never had to rush out for a bottle of whisky in Germany.have you ever taken a look at UK online shops such as Whisky Exchange or Master of Malt?it seems everything apart from the standard Bottlings is either sold out or discontinued whereas in Germany you can comfaortably wait another month before you buy this or that indie bottling.
are you outside filming this?
I'm in Istanbul, and here we have 300% tax on all alcohol. A bottle of Lagavulin 16 runs for about $150 US.
shockingly expensive.
Oh god, and here I thought Australia was getting royally screwed for our alcohol taxes and price mark ups.
Yeah and it keeps going up. Just the other day I paid $16 US for a pint of Guinness. Holy crap..
OMG! It's criminally high. In Serbia, Lagavulin 16 is around 50-55 EUR/65-70 USD. (tax included)
kovke1985 Wish we had those kind of prices over here. Drinking good alcohol is a very expensive habit, unfortunately.
Does anyone know methods for buying whisky in Canada (British Columbia)?
Costco has laugavulin 16 for 53 USD on sale.
be careful with the term "narcotic" it is extremely loosely legally defined and in some cases it's definition can extend to innocuous substances like coffee. Usually, however, (at least in the US) tobacco products are not classified as narcotics and to a significant extent neither is alcohol.
The VAT 69 which is available in Australia cannot be the same whisky that you get in the UK. Not a green bottle and it is not a pleasant whisky at all! BNJ however is wonderful, especially at such an affordable price.
Amen to the Octomore bit, esp. 6.2, pure insanity!
Amen to it? As Ralfy said, it's no longer a whisky really for drinking. All I ever see from people now is endless unopened collectors items...
Matt Bailey
Amen as an affirmation of his statement, I certainly do not approve of the situation. :-)
How to buy whiskey? Easy ask Ralfy.
shocking how taxes can destroy having fun. my balvenie doublewood 12 years costs me 33 € here in germany, for me a great whisky at a good price!
Ralfy hey!
The John Pertwee & Tom Baker era or theez Matt Smith / Peter Capaldi years?? (...or sumwer N Btween?)
Th formr had Radiolab hookt on "Who from waybac!!...boy they wer th days my fren!!
L8r
Ralfy, since you have frequently opined on the merits of restraint in the consumption of whisky, how do you justify to yourself your expenditures on liquor that you can't possibly consume?
Steve "no unopened whisky bottles and none over two years old" Cannon
Canada is horribly restricted when it comes to whiskey its crazy
I took her to the supermarket. I don't know why, but I had to start it somewhere.
So it started......there.
How is blablair vintage? Any good
yes, generally good.
thanks
what's a good website for whiskeys in northwest USA
K&L Wine merchants is pretty good, unless you live in Washington or Montana they don't allow shipping spirits to individuals.
Sorry I was wrong they don't ship spirits to the northwest.
Ross Fudd
darn....was hoping there were some that shipped regardless of the law...i think some online auctions do
(WA)
Well said sir i can buy a bottle of hp 12 online from a shop here in Ireland for 50 euro plus 7 for delivery.Now i can buy it online in a shop in england for 35 euro plus 11 for delivery i wud love to buy this in my own country but tax here is a bloody joke
costs me €13 for delivery. Where you getting yours?
H Merc master of malt.com merc
blantons?
Look at hipster Ralfy on his Mac book!