I agree, gotta love a classic peaty Islay  .  I generally prefer Laphroig 10 when I want my Islay peat kick as the flavor just seems a touch richer to me (though I haven't had it for a while).  The smokiness is a bit of an acquired taste that is certainly not for everyone.  I do find Laphroig or Lagavulin have a tendency towards harshness compared with the A'bundah or Glendronach 15 that I have been enjoying lately.  I'm not sure about HP18 as I have never tried it, but you might want to try either of those latter two.  I lean towards the Glendronach 15, similar flavor components but easier to handle at 40% alcohol content vs. the cask strength A'bundah. 

^Excellent on all three counts!  Please do compare 12 to 15 if you get a bottle...


Guess that means my next will be the D'Or too   

Nectar is a pretty good and approachable, especially if you are trying to introduce someone to Scotch.  When it first came out it was a great buy at 45.  It's since gone up to about 60-65 (guess it got popular) here and while probably still worth trying at least once.

Since last week's snowfall finally melted and for a few days Minnesota finally experienced what could be characterized as spring weather I decided to celebrate, along with a few brave soul, the sacred tradition of a bonfire and scotch night. Picked up a bottle of the Nectar D-Or because of the recent endorsements in this thread, and I must agree with the consensus, it was sweet and smooth in just the right amounts. I'm becoming more impressed with Glenmorangie's offerings in general. To satisfy my craving for peat I followed a friend's recommendation to pick up Ardbeg's Corryvreckan, a cask-strength non chill-filtered offering. I was a bit skeptical since the one time I tried Ardbeg's regular 10 yr a few years ago it failed to impress. The Corryvreckan fared better, with a complex smokey flavor and a relatively subdued bite which did not betray its potency. It's not going to be my favorite Islay, it won't even crack the top five, but it was money well spent and contributed to a friendly and relaxing night by the fire.

It was also cool to try out Logitech's UE boombox by having people switch off streaming their selections via BT.