For those with a fancy for Islay single malts, do try Ardbeg. It may be a little more than a comparable Laphroaig, but there is some balance going on there in addition to that heavy hit of smoke, brine and iodine. Start with the 10. It's on the rough side, like other 10 year heavily peated Islays, but different. But I've come to absolutely love the Uigeadail. Very complex, a sweetness sneaks in. It is a bit spendy, but it's sippin' whisky that you savor. Not something for every day.
On the Speyside malts, I've stumbled on a 15 year Glen Moray that is surprisingly well-rounded. This is the first time I've seen anything from that distillery in our local market. All that Speyside has to offer in abundance. Just the right amount of sherry aging, not so overdone as some in nearby distilleries further upstream on the Spey can sometimes be. (MaCallan, Aberlour, Glenfarclas).
Finally, on a different note, I've not been much of a fan of rums in general. Mostly for the wife's mixed drinks and for holiday egg nog (ugh). But, last year I went on a trip to Haiti in connection with faith-based medical charity I support. While there, I learned of the difference between rum and rhum. The latter is derived from pure cane juice rather than molasses as is "rum." Rhum has a distinctly different character and when permitted to age a bit is very nice. Surprisingly so.
I picked up a bottle of 15 year Barbancourt while there. It is available in the US. As one pretty much acclimated to single malts, I found that this is, indeed, very nice to drink straight with a splash of water, brandy style, after dinner. This is not something to waste in a mixed drink.
Lesson: be open to experimentation. I didn't know what rhum was. Now, I plan to have some older aged rhum on hand.
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