So, what are you drinking now?

HP 15.

First time with this one. Nice, if not a little safe. Not as herbal and lively as the 12, not as deep as the 18. Maybe a bit of a letdown in comparison, but when a "letdown" is still thoroughly enjoyable, it's not that tough a life, is it?

@DaveWothington Would be interested in your notes. Picked up a batch 38 recently, my initiation into the A'Bunadh. Great stuff. Saw some 37 at a shop I was at tonight. Wonder how different it is from the 38.

If you're aware of my recent purchases it's no surprise: McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt. Oily. Thick. Sweet. Excellent!

going with wine tonight, trying Barbera for the first time, it's not too bad.

... playin' with fire

Longrow CV, Jura Prophecy, Laphroaig 18

Laphroaig wins, but it wasn't a fair race

My local liquor barn has the 3x200ml. Costal Pack, (Caol Ila, Talisker, Clynelish) on special - down from Au.$90.00 to $70.00, so I have one from Santa and another today. It really is a handsome box with a flip top lid and the Whisky really is excellent but it is only a 600ml. package.

I shall broach the Clynelish 14yo. 46% abv. before the Sun has properly set. Cheers!

Connemara Cask Strength. Sizzles then lingers in a good way.

bowmore laimrig, a gift from my wife.

Glenmorangie Sonnalta this evening

A beautiful Bowmore Laimrig, a very nice sherried Islay.

My youngest arrived back from Europe (Sweden,France and the UK.) this am. with a litre of Talisker 57 from Paris Duty Free and a litre of Glenfiddich 15yo. D.E. from Brisbane Duty Free. These are both fine Whiskies and a large jump up from one of his earlier excursions, namely the J.W. Gift Pack, 4x200ml. Black, Green, Gold and Blue: A nice thought, but it was expensive and it was only the Green JW. Malt that was half way decent! This time he 'nailed' it.

But where to start?...What I thought I might do is broach one of the Talisker 10yo. 200ml. bottles and in a couple of days decant 700ml. (or so) of the 1 litre 57deg. into my good Webb & Corbett Decanter and compare the two Whiskies and still have a sizeable amount left in the 57 bot. plus a full decanter: God, I love these litre bottles.

I got to try the Jefferson 10yr. Rye tonight at a tasting -- not bad, not great.

Glenmorangie 10 minature. Its ok, doubt i will be buying a 70cl though.

Redbreast 12 while making dinner.

Did a head to head comparison last night between Lagavulin 16 and Laphroaig 18 and the Lappi had a slight edge over its younger fellow Ileach malt. Both are wonderful malts, with fantastic noses, but I think the Laphroaig's higher ABV did play a major role in my evaluation. Had they both had the same ABV, Laga would have probably won, as I like its rougher and drier nature a little more.

Mackmyra - The First Edition. Wonderful single malt whisky, with the smell and taste of dried fruits in breakfast cereal. Oh, lovely!

@Appadurai Couldn't agree with you more. I think the first edition of Mackmyra is a teriffic whisky. Btw, i picked up a bottle of Mackmyras Special 07: "Framtidstro" (Belief in the future) on my lunch today. Haven't had time to test it yet though.

I've taken a rest from drinking this week so am looking forward to opening the bar tonight :) I have a sample of Connemara Bog Oak which I will be opening.

@Jean-Luc What is this heresy you speak of? Actually it's a good idea. My friend once said, "Two weeks without drinking is a new liver." I also approve of consuming Connemara. Excellent choice.

hp 18 tonight.... never a bad choice

I've been enjoying my first bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail for most of this week and tonight is no exception! Brilliant dram, and a fitting complement to a night of SWTOR I might add - the Force is strong with this one ;)

This week I've been having a look at Classic Malts Coastal Pack - 3x200ml. Clynelish, Caol Ila and Talisker and have found them to be mighty fine Whiskies, all better than their 700ml. standard offering. This is no surprise, as any gift packs I've come across have been as good as or better than their big brothers.

The Clynelish is a little tighter than the other pair, rather crisp and certainly not as forward; I'm sure with a little exposure to air it will also start to 'shine'. The Talisker has a lovely depth of flavour and is, in my opinion, a return to 'Old School' Talisker: I applaud Talisker for this bold move and will be voting for them with my wallet.

Of course, the 200ml. bottles are great for saving samples. Don't wash them at all, simply rinse when emptied with a small quantity of the Whisky intended to be saved; the rinse need not be discarded, drink it. Rinsing is probably not entirely necessary, however it does preserve the integrity of the sample.

Just settling down to Math of the Day with a large dram of Dalmore's Distillery Exclusive. It's wonderful stuff, needs a drop of water to open it up and then wow. Very smooth and a lovely finish that lingers on and on....I fear I'll need another bottle of this!

Cracked open a bottle of Glenkinchie 12 and a bottle of Smokehead tonight as part of a tasting with friends.

Yesterday I introduced a friend to single malts and we tasted the following whiskies: AnCnoc 12, Glenfarclas 15, Talisker 10, Talisker 18, Lagavulin 16 and Laphroaig 18. He enjoyed the experience very much and he liked the Glenfarclas the most (it does pack a huge punch this baby). I can conclude he's kind of a sherry guy :D.

On Saturday afternoon, four of us went to the London (Ontario) Food & Wine show. As usual, a fairly small range of whisky offerings, but I did try the following: - Proof (Canadian) - I'll pass, even as a mixer. - Collingwood (Canadian, distilled by Brown Forman) - very enjoyable, a nice surprise with a nice $30 price tag...on the wishlist. - Whyte & Mackay Blended (their standard blended whisky...I have actually had very few standard blends...the grain whisky component was very noticeable, though fairly enjoyable) - Ian MacLeod's Dun Bheagan Collection (Islay 8 year old). Was advised that it is (and it definitely seems to be) Lagavulin 8 year old, bottled in 2010. At $49 at LCBO, it is on the wishlist (it comes across as Laga 16 'Lite' - more herbal notes, not quite as much smoke), it will be a great summer dram when I want a lighter Islay. - A big step up (in terms of sample price at the show) to Highland Park 21 (the only whisky offering actually at the LCBO booth). There were some enjoyable elements, but I didn't feel that it matched up to my HP 18 experience...and at $290 (no typo!!!!) for a bottle, I will definitely take a pass, instead spending 1/2 that for the HP 18.

sorry about the block of text, I guess I should have hit 'enter' twice for each bottle noted above.

@Pudge72 - funny, I really didn't enjoy Collingwood, but I am averse to the sweeter whiskies...and agree that Proof is pretty forgettable. And you are bang on about the HP 18 - I've tried the 12, 18, 25, Earl Magnus and 40 year old (!) and my favourite is still the 18 - one of the greatest whiskies I've ever had!

The Balvenie Craftsman's Reserve, No.1 The Cooper. Those wonderful people at The Balvenie have just run a live on-line tasting session. They sent out around 1000 10cl sample bottles and two beautiful Balvenie nosing glasses (I'll post photos and notes on my blog later) and we nosed and tasted the whisky, a single barrel 15 year old, sherry cask, bottled at 59.5% with the Head Cooper, Ian McDonald, The Balvenie Malt Master, David Stewart, and The Balvenie Ambassador Sam Simmons.

gonna be 1993 balvenie portwood tonight... just secured another bottle of it today, so i'm celebrating :)