Laphroaig SELECT anyone ?

[Dave7]

The situation is.....
I tried ordinary Laphroaig just once and found it dreadful......way too peaty/smokey for me.
Last week, for my birthday, someone gave me a bottle of SELECT. I am frightened of opening it and not liking it but don't want to give it back and offend him.
Any thoughts ?

 

[winjim]

It will taste similar in terms of smoke and peat. The base spirit is the same, it's the aging process that differs.

I'll take it off your hands...

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I had a bottle bought for me, not a lover of it & wouldn't buy myself another, but I did manage to force it down

 

[SydZ]

If you don't like the standard stuff you won't like Select

 

[Slick]

Laphroaig is the one that finally made me realise that we don't all taste things in the same way, as there is no way you could taste what I taste and enjoy it. TCP concentrate is all I get and whilst I've never ventured anywhere near it again to try the Select, my feeling is it won't be one bit better.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

What Winjim said.

I'm another who can't stand Laphroaig, I love whisky but I can't abide the smell of Laphroaig, to me it has the aroma of a skip fire.

 

[mistyoptic]

Do you have a whisky drinking friend, who does like Laphroaig, who might swap it for something you like. I did that once with a cousin. Talisker to me, Aberlour to him

 

[oldwheels]

Laphroaig is the one that finally made me realise that we don't all taste things in the same way, as there is no way you could taste what I taste and enjoy it. TCP concentrate is all I get and whilst I've never ventured anywhere near it again to try the Select, my feeling is it won't be one bit better.

+1

 

[Dave7]

Laphroaig is the one that finally made me realise that we don't all taste things in the same way, as there is no way you could taste what I taste and enjoy it. TCP concentrate is all I get and whilst I've never ventured anywhere near it again to try the Select, my feeling is it won't be one bit better.

Yes... TCP is what we tasted.... awful stuff

 

[Scotchlovingcylist]

As others have said if you don't like the 10, the select probably won't be for you either. I enjoy both, do you want my address for posting

If you're looking for a smoky whisky without that tcp heavy peat smoke give Highland park 12 a go

 

[fullfathom5]

Laphroaig is my favourite whisky and I've got a bottle of Select on the go at present. If you don't like the 10 year old you won't like the Select either though.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

I'll come at this from another angle.....
Those peaty whiskies can be something of an acquired taste.

As our palate develops we can start to appreciate the flavours, tastes and aromas that repelled us before.

Of course, the only way to figure that out is by opening the bottle.

Depending on the giver I'd see no problem in explaining your predicament - that you're very grateful for the gift but that it's not to your taste and any chance of exchanging it? Then invite them around so that you can demonstrate why you prefer another

 

[Dave7]

I'll come at this from another angle.....
Those peaty whiskies can be something of an acquired taste.

As our palate develops we can start to appreciate the flavours, tastes and aromas that repelled us before.

Of course, the only way to figure that out is by opening the bottle.

Depending on the giver I'd see no problem in explaining your predicament - that you're very grateful for the gift but that it's not to your taste and any chance of exchanging it? Then invite them around so that you can demonstrate why you prefer another

I opened it
Smelled it
Promptly gave it away
Foul smelling stuff

 

[Tenkaykev]

That’s quite a coincidence, our daughter was on Islay a while ago while her bloke was taking part in a trail run. She ended up with bringing back a bottle of Port Charlotte “ Heavily Peated 2010 MRC01 single malt” I tried a drop last night and it tasted wonderful. First sniff smelt a bit “ medicinal “ but it was very smooth and the peatiness seemed just right. I thought to myself “ I must get some of this “ but looking online it seems quite expensive.

 

[Profpointy]

The situation is.....
I tried ordinary Laphroaig just once and found it dreadful......way too peaty/smokey for me.
Last week, for my birthday, someone gave me a bottle of SELECT. I am frightened of opening it and not liking it but don't want to give it back and offend him.
Any thoughts ?

I thought I'd got a real bargain but then after tasting it I thought Laphroig wasn't nearly as good as I'd remembered. Only later spotted it was "select" rather than the old 10 year old. After buying a bottle of the 10, I was relieved to find it was still superb albeit not to everyone's taste. Anyhow, I like the 10 a great deal but really wasn't keen on the select but did drink it rather than give it away. But that said, if you don't like the 10 it's not impossible you'd prefer the select. It may be faulty recollection but maybe the select was somewhat less smoky, but still clearly a fairly peaty whisky.

As an aside, whilst I've often been quite disapointed by some of the non-age-statement whiskies with poncy names, however a couple of the Ardbeg ones are very nice indeed, as are their 5 year old "we beastie" and their mainstream 10 - but I suspect the OP won't like any of these !