One of the specialities of the Holistic Dramming Institute is to find those affordable drams that are both great values today and high enough quality to appreciate in value in the near future.  These are drams you should be buying today to have available in your drammery for the rest of your life (or at least as long as your evil liver holds out...)  We hold lots of tastings for newbies just getting into single malt whisky and these are the drams I've been recommending the past year.

I've been meaning to post this list for years and here is the drams I'm FoaFing and lining the vaults for dramming in my old age.

All these drams are currently available in the US for generally less than $100 if you shop around a bit.

1.  Glenlivet Nadurra 16 yo, 57.2%, Batch 0606A (bottled in June 2006), unchillfiltered and no carmel coloring - I believe this was the first US release and by FAR the best of all subsequent the batches I've tasted to date.  We've served various batches blind against the 0606A and even folks who don't particularly like scotch picked out the 0606A as wonderful while turning up their noses at the other batches.   I get lovely pears and light fruits on the nose and palate and this dram is simply perfect.  I see this as Glenlivet doing penance for the boatloads of chillfiltered and colored sold in the US over the years and you'll notice that Batch 0606A is still shown in their ads for the Nadurra - they know...   We still find this dram in northern Maine at the backs of the shelves behind the newer batches.  About $55-$65 in most markets.

2.  Talisker 18 yo, 45.8%, OB - This is another nearly perfect dram that I'm astounded is still available in the US at reasonable prices, particularly after Whisky Magazine declared it Whisky of the Year near the end of 2007.   Between the bottles I've bought and those I've recommended to others looking for either gifts or stocks for their drammary I'm guessing we're well over 40 since this was released.   I've heard some complaints from folks that they miss the typical pepperishness of the Talisker 10 but I think this is a stellar example of a perfectly made 18 yo single malt.   About $80 in most markets.

3.  Ardbeg 10 yo, 46%, OB - Here we're chasing down the last of the old stocks bottled in the current Ardbeg 10 bottles still found in the US.  You have to learn to read the bottling codes and we're trying to pin down the date in 2007 where they stopped bottling their older pre-closure spirit and started using the new spirit from when the distillery was reopened by Glenmorangie.   I'll post a tracking table in the near future when we wrap up the most recent set of assessments.  $50 - $65 in most US markets these days and much higher even in others.  Most of my stock was bought almost immediately after the LVMH acquisition at less than $30.   I think I have 20 of these in the bunker. 

Here's my current A10 Bottle Code Tracking Spreadsheet if interested in joining the hunt for older and affordable Ardbegs!.

4.  Ardbeg Uigeadail, 54.2%, OB - The bottlings vary here from vatting to vatting but all have been tasty and interesting.   We've started tracking bottling codes here to as we're doing with the A10 but haven't come to any conclusions yet.   An affordable distillery released cask strength Ardbeg at about $80 - $90 so buy 'em while you can!

5.  Ardbeg, Airgh Nam Beist, 1990, 16 yo, 46%, OB - I love this dram and simply wish it were bottled at higher proof.   The nose screams FEIS ILE Dram quality but the palate disappoints a bit at 46%.  Still a great dram and I often vat this with ~1/3 Uigeadail to push the proof up a bit.   I've been racking this bottling into the vaults at between $95-$120.

6.  Ardbeg Renaissance, 10 yo, 1998 - 2008, 55.9%, OB - This hasn't been released in the US to date and the bottles I've been hoovering through have all come from the UK.  This is the first of the post-closure Ardbeg distilled by Glenmorangie and at cask strength this dram is astonishing.   Huge, peaty, chewy Ardbeg at it's best with a finish that just won't quit.   So why am I listing this here?  I was told by a high end retailer in New England just before Christmas that he understands the Renaissance is coming to the US.   Back up the truck and let's hope this one comes in between $70-$80 which would be a buy in my book!

7.  Springbank 10 yo Single Cask No. 97/613, 58.2%, Selected by Brett Pontoni of Binnys - This was one of the 13 cases that were set aside for the OB Vintage 1997 first release.  After tasting, one cask went to Binnys, another to Park Ave and the third to ______ for bottling as single cask releases.  The other 10 were vatted to produce the first release Springbank Vintage 1997.  I've tasted all four bottlings and liked Brett's bottling best by far and have stockpiled this dram accordingly.   John Hansell disagreed and didn't like this one as much as the OB if I remember correctly...    no problem - I've disagreed with John in the past and will likely so so again in the future.   This single cask Springer is still available from Binnys for $85.

8.  Springbank 12 yo Bourbon Wood, Dec 1991 - Feb 2004, 58.5% - This is Springbank the way I love them - matured in ex-bourbon casks.  This is another long time favorite that I'm astounded you can still find anywhere.   Poke around those dusty shelves and buy if you can find bottles under $80.

9.  Ben Nevis, 10 yo, 46%, OB - This is the older tan scalloped label bottling that is getting rare but still found on dusty shelves.  [find photo of label to post here]   This is a wonderful dram that's always gone over well but seems to be getting rock star status lately.  I've seen this on the shelf within the last year for $35-$40 and this bottling could very well appreciate as quickly as the older OB Linkwood that we cleaned out in the early 2000s.   I'm calling an Extinction FOAF on this puppy!

10.  Ardmore Traditional Cask, NAS, 46%, OB - This probably isn't a "vault quality" dram for stockpiling but instead just a wonderfully solid single malt from a distillery that's previously been hard to source single malts from.   Ardmore is a highland distillery known for distilling peated malt before it was fashionable to do so.  We visited Scotland in 1994, 2000, 2002 and 2005 and carried home bottles of Ardmore each time.   I love this whisky and we're on our 4th bottle since it came into New England about 6 months ago.  At $40 this is a great dram and I've successfully recommended it to lots of happy newbies since it became available.  Look to pay $35-$45 in most markets.

11.  William Larue Weller, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky, 62.65%, Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, Fall 2008 Release - A perfect huge cask strength bourbon and another winner from Buffalo Trace.  This dram changes dramatically with water and is quite drammable down to about 48%.   My favorite from the Fall 2008 releases and here I agree with John Hansell that the Eagle Rare is actually a better dram when the Weller or GT Stagg is watered down to ER proof of 45%.   I just don't do this very often.   Bottles still available in NH for a bargain basement price of $48.    Typically priced from $55 - $65.  Here's a link to the data sheet on this bottling from Buffalo Trace.

12.  Four Roses - Ok, I've run off the tracks here and am in this case recommending ANYTHING bottled by Four Roses the past few years.   The new owners, Kirin Brewing, has done an astonishing job turning this old label that Seagrams had run into the ground into one of the current leaders in the exploding Kentucky Bourbon world.   I have most of the current releases open in the HDI and love them all - Yellow Label, Small Batch, Single Casks (7 open at last count), and a Jim Rutledge 40th Commemorative Single Barrel Bottling (Barrel 17.1C, 51.4% - ummmmm).   The distillery uses 2 rye mash bills and 5 yeasts to create 10 distinctive distillations used to create the current happy happy family of bourbon.   And this is from a single malt whisky fanatic.  Buy it, open it, dram it and go back for more.  Watch for collectible single barrel and limited release vatted bottlings.  Four Roses is BACK and typically priced between $18-$40 with some of the limited release bottlings pushing $60-$80 lately.  Recently came into Massachusetts and supposed to be in NH anyday now.