Looking at the price list if will be one of the more modestly priced ones. Many of the names dont ring a bell, I like a bit of smoke or peat, but not to much...open to suggestions tbh.
I honestly couldn't tell you as I never got that far myself...was partially asking as I couldn't remember all the bottles you've posted, so I wasn't sure what you gravitate towards (same here on the peat hit). What sucks is it can be hard to find out who's using what in their blended stuff as maybe you'd have better luck with distilleries that make a lot for blenders since they can keep up with demand.
Caol Ila, for example, might be one to look at if you've had their stuff and like it (they're one of the Isla's I haven't tried yet)...Laphroaig at cask strength is stellar. Laphroaig has a large reputation though and lower production capacity, whereas Caol Ila kinda' flies under the radar but their production numbers are huge (biggest on Isla, I think) so they're used in a lot in peated blends, apparently. Their production capability is basically twice as much as Laphroaig if both are running full tilt (6.5M litres to Laphroaig's 3.3M...even Lagavulin is only 2.6M but everyone knows of them). So, with Caol Ila, I'm thinking at it purely from a potential availability point (more available also equals less pricey sometimes).
But yeah, I'd be useless with suggestions as I don't know who offers what when it comes to the cask thing or if you can go straight to the source or have to go through a third party etc. Ninety-nine percent of my snooping has been based around the ins and outs of the key basics; from distillation to cask maturation and what goes in to making a whisky with potential. Just going off
my own pure interest I'd be looking at Ardnahoe (newest distillery on Isla-2017). There are a lot of folks waiting on Ardnahoe though, so who knows what kind of prices I'd get quoted if it was even offered.
When they're new, distilleries will sometimes offer stuff like this to make some sort of money while all their new make is maturing (hence why you might not recognise some names; or they operate specifically for blends and don't release much if any under their own name/label). They'll also make gin/vodka in the meantime too, since there's no wait time on those spirits. The problem with that though is you can't even get a retail bottle yet, so you have no profile to reference. The plus side is Ardnahoe's setup was a Jim McEwan thing and he was no slouch (former Bowmore/Bruichladdich Master Distiller, recently retired).
As I was saying when this topic first came up...it's a flippin'
minefield! Sorry if I repeated stuff you already know but I don't know what you know! hah
What are some of the names you have...?
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