So, what are you drinking now?

@nooch, and what a start it is !!!!

Last night I revisited another dram from the tasting I attended on Monday night. 24 year (20 May 1993) Longmorn (SMWS 7.198) "Sweet summer berries" from a refill ex-bourbon hogshead. It tasted so much better on its own; subtle fruit on the nose; ripe apples, peaches and pears as well as some vanilla. The palate was initially sweet; berries in a fruit cocktail syrup or dessert wine, finishing with a slightly bitter note of a dark chocolate. Appropriately named, luxurious whisky.

@nooch, that bottle of Highland Park 21 yo of yours looks delicious! I am still lusting after my first bottle of Highland Park 25 yo. Prices are so steep now, I might have to trade for one to get one, if I ever do.

I have such mixed feelings about Highland Park. Most I have had of the 14 IB, 15, 18, and 25 yo has been outstanding, but I did get a "meh" lifeless bottle of 12 yo as my first and only bottle of OB 12 and tasted a completely horrible bottle of 12 yo owned by @Nock. That bottle of @Nock's was so bad it was hard to believe that it came from Highland Park. Also Highland Park has gotten careless with sulphur contamination sometimes, as with Dark Origiins.

What I especially like about Highland Park is the quality of their barley. I think that HP barley tastes more like those delicious malts from the 1970s and 1980s than almost anything else currently on the market. I haven't tasted the Bruichladdich Islay Barley yet, but I'll bet that that is great too.

@Victor, what is HP doing differently with their barley? Do they source local stuff from Orkney? (Is barley even grown way up there?) Or is it regular old barley made special by their own malting with the local peat?

@MadSingleMalt I hadn’t heard anything about their barley but their peat is so aromatic. Lavender smoke. Love the 18. I had enjoyed it more than the 21 until the 21 really started to open up recently. Letting it sit in the glass made quite a difference as well. In

@MadSingleMalt, I wish I knew the details of the barley strain, provenance, etc. of the Highland Park barley. I don't. I just know that I like its flavours in their whiskies.

@bwmccoy if I recall correctly, weren't you or Alan sharing details on Monday evening, regarding of the barley situation at HP?

Oh yes I did!..................................................................................................................................Now I remember why I quit drinking these things.................................. instant buzz.

@paddockjudge

You didn't!

oh....you did.

Can I in good conscience transfer those 4 bottles I drove to another city to rescue for you to a man who would abuse them? I may need to keep them for myself!

Just finished 2 reviews. I didn't finish the pours. After trying them together I poured off some then added a little Lot 40 CS. That didn't really help too much but now I have a little of the Lot 40 CS in my third glass and that will help cleans my palate before I go to bed...

@jordytropp - I was talking about their peat, but it was mere speculation on my part. I was wondering if the reason I don’t taste heather in Highland Park peat as much as I used to is if they don’t use as much Orkney peat as they used to. I have no idea if it is true, but as demand for Whisky has increased, my thought was maybe they had to supplement with other peated malt in order to meet demand. If true, that might mean they are also using non-Orkney barley, but I don’t know if they were ever used Orkney barley.

Tonight, 10 year (16 August 2007) Glenlivet (SMWS 2.108) "The King o' Malts'" from a refill ex-sherry butt. Dusty, woody, chocolate and orange peel nose. Spiced cider, barley sugar palette with some ginger in the finish.

Ardmore Legacy on ice as an aperitif. I feel guilty having ice with a malt but I have no inferior substitute. It works well, actually. It's very hot here at the minute . . . My chilli dog was washed down with a Bengal Lancer ale and I will have a 1792 post dinner bourbon. Neat but may try with ice if i can't cool down. It's my golf club's Championship tomorrow and I have the place to myself ( a rare treat these days) so don't want to have too much but am looking forward to watching the football uninterrupted . . . oh hang on! balls

@Nozinan re: @paddockjudge ‘s abhorrent behaviour: at least its Canada Dry ginger ale, not Schweppes.

@BlueNote, doh! I prefer Schweppes

Last night, had a sneaky dram from a Benriach 2001, an 11 yr old single cask from an ex-bourbon barrel, "Tea-time with Thatcher" ...just kidding this isn't a SMWS release, I was just jelly of @bwmccoy selection this is a liquor depot exclusive cask (Alberta). I am digging this quite a bit, loads of jujubes, a little tropical fruits and apples over a good malty canvas.

2001 would mean this was distilled under the Seagrams regime, when Benriach was producing a few distinct styles of whisky in-house in order to feed the blended whisky pipeline, (see Four Roses and it's methods).

Tornado warning in my part of the world. Bag packed and in the automobile along with 12 of my favourite bottles in two wooden carry-crates. I'll be spending a few hours in the bunker until it passes. Angry thunder approaching. What is a good whisky for waiting out a tornado, hmmm? Probably something epic like Laphroaig 25 YO...thank you @ Victor!

@paddockjudge Does today’s swearing in of Premier Doug Ford have anything to do with the shit storm that’s coming down on Ontario? You could be in the bunker for a long time brother.

@BlueNote - Has to be Canada Dry!

Someone needs to do a Canada Dry, Schweppes and Muskoka Dry Ginger Ale review with, Lot40.

Another Tornado warning in north central Ontario. @BlueNote, you might be on to something with the Rob Ford Premier and tornado warnings in my area theory...there are no ruling party incumbents near my area...BIG Brother is watching.

@paddockjudge Is that why it's just extremely hot and muggy where I am? We had a new, government MPP, and of course he was left out of cabinet. The only visible minority admitted to the cabinet is an octogenarian who beats up grade 7 kids...

That certainly makes me want to drink. (Had to get back to whisky). It's too bad that bourbon is about to go up in price because of the trade war. It will take a few barrel proof bottles to make it through the next 4 years...

We're in the middle of a crushing heatwave. Today I helped my girlfriend re-pot some of her bigger plants, including a giant super spiny cactus. Cooled off with a couple of dark & stormies made with Plantation OFTD 69%abv overproof rum. Winding down with Wild Turkey 101 with a huge ice block, I love the interplay between the spices and astringency in this bourbon.

@cricklewood - you should start writing names for the Society bottles. You nailed it!

Tonight, 9 year (6 Dec 2007) Glentauchers (SMWS 63.42) "Fresh orange sherbet" from a refill ex-bourbon barrel. Huge nose; floral and citrus. Citrus continues on the palette; the name of the bottle describes it perfectly. It also has what @paddockjudge describes as a Whisky “pop rocks” effect where the flavor just pops (sizzles) in the mouth.

@bwmccoy, Let it be known from this day forth, Glentauchers (SMWS 63.42) "Fresh orange sherbet" from a refill ex-bourbon barrel, is an Official Whisky Sizzler.

@paddockjudge I had a g and m glentauchers 1994 that somehow ‘evaporated’ in only a week or two after I cracked it. Glentauchers IB are sleepers. Good, quality whisky.

Surprisingly, No Frills was open today! And they restocked PC diet tonic water.

I'm set for a Canada Day on call!

Writers Tears with a splash of Port Askaig 100 - nice mix but the former really needs a little extra beef on the palette.

Celebrating Canada Day with a 40 YO, procured from some fine Canadians. Taking advantage of the 1/11 rule I was able to blend a delicious dram of patriotic potion...not bad at all.

@Nozinan is working today, on call until tomorrow morning, allowing his colleagues to enjoy this holiday weekend. He asked me to have a dram for him, so here it is my friend, something special for you! I hope you enjoy this.

I celebrated Canada Day by mixing 3 parts Highwood Ninety (the last of the bottle) with 1 part standard Lot 40 and drank it on the rocks (hey, it’s like 41 degrees here). No ginger ale though...The result was terrific.

@OdysseusUnbound, that is very close to the Wiser's Legacy Doppelgänger recipe.Yeah, that would taste great!