Bottle your own

[sorren]

Just asking you all out there ..
1, What is the best bottle your own you have had ? (taste )
2, the worse one youve had ?
3, best value for money bottle you have had ?
I have only had the one which was from Auchentoshan, it was from 1996, it is a very good drink but at 100 pounds poss at top end of its price..
info is as follows -cask no 1507, bottled at 57.1% on the 4th june 2011, bottle no 162....

[karlejnar]

Below is my small list of "own bottlings"

1. Best so far has to be the Old Pulteney
2. none yet
3. Best value for money was the Bladnochs, but they were not bottle your own in the normal sense. We just happened to be there while they hand bottled a barrel for the shop, and I was allowed to bottle my own three bottles. This was before they got their "high tech" bottling machinery

Opened:
Bladnoch "Sheep" 15y 55% 03.07.1990/12.07.2005 Bourbon barrel (empty)
Old Pulteney 17y 60.2% 16.01.1991/27.05.2008 Bourbon Barrel 149 b140

Closed (aka not opened yet):
Aberlour WH1 12y 59.1% apr1993/23.06.2005 Single Cask Bourbon
Aberlour WH1 13y 60.4% jan1992/23.06.2005 Single Cask Sherry
Bladnoch "Sheep" 15y 55% 03.07.1990/12.07.2005 Bourbon barrel *2
Bruichladdich Valinch "Flora McBabe" 14y 55.2% Refill Sherry (50cl)
Bruichladdich Valinch "Islay Barley 2004" 57.5% 2004/2010 Fresh Sherry Butt #1667 b0455/1060 (50cl)

[Mr Tattie Heid]

Best was probably the first Aberlour (bourbon) of the four I've bottled. Pulteney was right up there, too...too bad it's in bloody Wick. I don't think I've had anything that could in any way be construed as better value than those.

Worst on both counts was a Glen Breton from the visitor center there. I wasn't expecting a lot, but it was drinkable, at least. But it cost $100 Cn for a 250ml bottle. A one-off curiosity. It was almost worth it for the look on Frodo's face when I told him....

[MacDeffe]

Best : Glenmorangie, colsely followed by Old Pulteney
I didnt have any bad ones, didn't like all I sampled at Bruichladdich, buts very subjective due to the finishes they used
Best Value for money : Glen Moray!!

Steffen

[Jolly Toper]

We did a tasting of Pulteney, Aberlour, Benromach and Longrow (there was another but I can't remember what it was). The Longrow wasvery good, no bad ones.

[John Lee]

OK been thinking about this - I think my favourite (which may well be different to the "best" [please discuss]) is Balvenie second fill.

Not sure there have been many bad bottle your owns (of the ones not mentioned so far the Glenfiddich is also very good as is the Glendronach, if you like sherry) but I would go for Bruichladdich Valinch Cotes de Rhinns (A Hazelburn wasn't too great either but the Springbank was stunning - sorry GH. There was also an Arran that was rather young.)

In terms of value for money they are all pretty good (apart from the Auchentoshan), but I think I would second the Glen Moray.

[Gordon_H]

Haven't had a "Bottle your own" from a wide spectrum of Distilleries but i will say there has been some stunning Valinches from Laddie before they went ACE crazy . Some that stand out were the "First editions" (First Valinch i filled with a 'Valinch' ) 1986 15yo from a sherry butt , "Distillery of the Year" 1972 30yo from a Bourbon Barrel , The "Harvey Hall" 1984 19yo from Cask 12 and the "Ghost Ship" 1990 16yo from a Ex-Bourbon Squat .

The Worst ? a 15yo Old Pulteney from a Sherry Cask purchased from Demi-johns in Edinburgh back in 2004 . Stunk of Sulphur (they wouldn't let us try it but an OP from a Sherry Cask was pretty rare at that time so..... )

I suppose Taking the question a slightly different way the best "Bottle my own" was PC 4yo R23.......

[malt_boy]

Best Value for money : Glen Moray!!

Looks like Moray has been added to my list didn't even know they done fill-your-own! Cheers for the info

[sorren]

There are some interesting replys so thanks, i might have to try get one of those Morays, also wouldnt mind a chance of a "fiddich" and it seems that the "toshan"is one of the more expensive ones, but it was good....

[DavidUK]

Best Value for money : Glen Moray!!

Looks like Moray has been added to my list didn't even know they done fill-your-own! Cheers for the info

Hmmm....yes, I wanted one of those too, but when I was at Glen Moray they were waiting new labels so the 'fill your own' was off limits which was a bit disappointing. I consoled myself with a bottle of their fabulous 15yo Port Wood expression which is not available in the shops.

All three of my 'fill your own's' are still closed although I did taste them at the distillery. The Glendronach is by far the best, followed by the Aberlour Bourbon. The Benromach was ok but perhaps a little too young at nine years in what I suspect is a refill cask. I still bought one anyway!!

[malt_boy]

David, is the Aberlour bottle still £60? If you don't mind me asking how did the others compare price-wise

[DavidUK]

David, is the Aberlour bottle still £60? If you don't mind me asking how did the others compare price-wise

Yes it was a year ago.

The Benromach was £50 late last year and the Glendronach (perhaps the darkest whisky I've ever seen) was a 1993 first fill sherry cask and cost £67