So, what are you drinking now?

@OdysseusUnbound your rumfinity bottle sounds delightful, interested in getting your impressions of Real McCoy 12 once you've delved deeper into it. I have a bottle I need to open but I've imposed a rule of no new bottle opening until I've reduced the number of samples I have...I may lose this battle. Yes Smith & Cross is really a flavour bomb, nothing comes close in LCBO currently, although I've heard through reliable sources that some Worthy Park products will be available in LCBO in near future.

@Hewie good job on the review of these three, I don't think there's been many H2H2H reviews on this series. Which one did you prefer? I'll live vicariously through you, I had the opportunity to buy #1 & #3 but chose to hold off, I do really like the description of #3 though

@cricklewood I have a full bottle of Batch 3 - the other 2 were samples. Honestly there's not a lot between them but my preference is for #3. I think the 80% ex-bourbon cask is more to my liking and a bit more going on there with some extra age. I love the Kilkerran peat profile too

@cricklewood I meant to say that this stacks up really well against many other CS offerings - and I'd prefer this to A'bunadh for less money. I do love a young, brutish, peater at CS (but there is more to this than just peat)

For Burn’s Night I started with Wee Beastie and then shared a dram of Bowmore Enigma with my wife.

@TracerBullet so how do you like Bowmore 12 yo Enigma?

As one who likes standard Bowmore 12 just fine, but never reaches for it because I prefer higher proof stuff, I would speculate that a 12 yo Bowmore Enigma with more sherry influence than the standard Bowmore 12 yo, even at the minimalist 40% ABV, would shift the character away from the typical Bowmore leather notes that seem to drive off so many people. In other words, I would, without having tasted it yet, guess that Connosr people will like Bowmore 12 Enigma better than they like standard OB Bowmore 12 yo.

MOM says this is travel retail only. Too bad. Maybe we will get lucky, they will consider this to be a successful experiment, and they will mass produce an OB Enigma 12 yo in future. Maybe we will get luckier still at some point and they will up the ABV about 10%.

@Hewie I haven't tried any of those, but I like the sound of Batch #3 best.

@Victor I do enjoy it and you are correct about the sherry influence. I plan to pick up a standard 12 soon and taste them together. I'll let you know how that turns out if I can get my hands on a bottle. It is (or was, not sure it is available anymore) travel retail. I agree that it would be nice to try it at at least 46% or higher!

Last night, for Burns night, I attended a virtual meet-up on-line with a small group of whisky friends from the area. This was a last minute, impromptu celebration that my friend who owns a local restaurant / whisky bar organized. He was nice enough to go through his whisky collection and put together 4 samples for each of us to taste through during the Zoom meeting. While we discussed Robert Burns fun facts and other related items, this was not a traditional Burns Night in that we didn't have any of the normal foods associated with it. This was strictly a whisky event, but the whiskies that my friend provided were pretty amazing and more than made up for not having Haggis or Neeps and Tatties. :-)

First up, Compass Box The Circle (46% ABV). This blend is made up of ex-bourbon Tamdhu, ex-sherry-aged Clynelish, ex-bourbon Highland Park and a French oak-aged Highland malt blend. I was a little worried about starting with this one since it had Highland Park in it, but I didn't detect peat or smoke at all. The overwhelming notes to me were fruity and an amazing creaminess which I assume is coming from the Clynelish. More detailed notes; On the nose, barley sugar, stone fruits, apple skin, ginger spice and vanilla fudge. On the palate, vanilla cream, with lots of sweet malt and cinnamon. This was so approachable, yet had some nice depth and complexity. A beautiful dram to start with, but I wouldn't pay the $150 price that I found on-line.

Next up was a real treat. I had to look up this distillery because I had never heard of it; Mosstowie. This was distilled at Miltonduff using a Loch Lomond still that was in place for a relatively short period of time (between 1964 and 1981) in order to make another malt for the Ballatine blend. The Loch Lomond still has since been replaced with standard pot-stills and since Mosstowie was made exclusively for a blend, there are very few single malts released from independent bottlers. This was a Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection release. Distilled March 8th, 1979 and bottled May 29th, 2018; 39 years old. Ex-bourbon single cask #5044. Bottle number 52 of only 60 bottles. 40.7% ABV (Again, this is cask strength!). Wow! This had an amazing nose; could sit and smell this all day without taking a sip, but of course, I did take a sip and more. Nose: Robust and oily, soft orange and a hint of furniture polish (the interior of an old varnished wooden dresser; the smell when you first open the doors). Palate: Sharp fruit (mango & pineapple), oatmeal, poached pear and a drizzle of caramel sauce with a long, zesty finish. Oak was present, but very balanced. Not over oaked at all. Prices I found on-line ranged between $500 & $1,000. Was it worth it? While I couldn't pay that, yes, I think it was worth it based on both the nose / palate, but also the rarity.

Next up, another Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection. A 29 year Fettercairn. Cask #2006 was distilled December 7th, 1988 and bottled on May 29th, 2018. The label says Hogshead, but doesn't specify what the previous content was. This was bottle 132 of 244. 58.5% ABV. Initial nose was walnut, but after some time in the glass this became more of an almond note. With a few drops of water, the nutty note completely disappeared. The palate had notes of citrus (lemon zest). I'm curious if this cask may have been a well used sherry cask because of the nuttiness detected. Either way, it is also a wonderful whisky. Prices on-line were in the $250 range. Would I pay that? No, but that's not a reflection on the quality of the whisky or how much I enjoyed it.

We finished with a 19 year Ledaig 1997 (bottled 2016) (single cask 800058) - Samaroli bottling. 45% ABV. 330 bottles were produced. The initial nose reminded me of walking into a new tire store (new rubber) or the smell you get when letting air out of a tire or inner-tube. This decreased somewhat with time in the glass. Other aromas noted; Teacakes, salted butter, incense and tarry ropes. On the palate, more fruit-forward than the nose with lemon, pear and a coastal, salty tang on the finish.

A great time on-line with friends sharing some amazing drams. Ranking them in order; my favorite was the Mosstowie, followed by the Fettercairn, the Circle and then the Ledaig. I would have ranked the Ledaig higher if it weren't for that new tire note on the nose. It wasn't completely off-putting, but detracted from my enjoyment of it.

Bowmore Tempest. I wanted something with peat to celebrate my first (successful) opportunity to use my snowblower. The grapefruit pith was very prominent tonight. Delicious with a few drops of water. Only a couple of ounces of this left. Hopefully we can finish it off this year!

Don't worry @BlueNote, I'll be happy to crack a fresh one when you come visit...

@Nozinan I look forward to it my friend. Your generosity is legendary here on connosr. I'll get there one of these days. I have a 3 year old great nephew and his one year old sister in Hamilton that I have yet to meet in person.

Right now I am in the last days of the annual dry January. Celebrating Burns Day with green tea didn't really work. I'm ready for a dram. Haven't decided what the first one will be yet.

Cheers.

You may remember that in the past month or so, I have attended "fancy" bourbon and "fancy" Scotch virtual tastings with the Seattle Whiskey Collective. Last night was a "fancy" Japanese tasting.

First up was Kurayoshi - 8 Year from Matsui. This is a sourced malt whisky from Scotland that is aged in Japan. It reminded me of an Irish or possibly a Welsh (Penderyn) whiskey. Notes of apple (or apple blossom), grass, honey and some barrel toast (light smoke). This retails for $110. It was my 4th favorite of the 5 that we tasted.

Matsui - Mizunara Cask. This must have spent about 5 minutes in the Mizunara cask because it was the color of water and I could not detect any Mizunara influence at all. On the nose; medicinal, astringent, cleaner chemical. Someone on the call said it reminded them of new make spirit and I agree with that assessment. On the palate, barley sugar, grainy, floral and fruity with a finish of lychee. This retails for $180 and it was my least favorite of the night. Just say No to this one!

The Fukano - 16 Year Sherry Cask. This is 100% malted rice that spent all 16 years in an ex-sherry cask. The nose was all sherry, which is not bad, but it was very one dimensional in that there was no other notes other than the sherry. On the palate, again sherry was the predominant note, but also barley tea and hazelnut. This one retails for $280. It was my 2nd favorite of the night, but for me, it is too one dimensional to be worth that price.

Mars - Komagatake Limited Edition 2020. This is a high altitude distillery (approximately 3,000 feet). This release is a combination of numerous casks and types of aged whiskey from all over the world that is then married together with their whisky and further aged in Japan. It is bottled at cask strength at approximately 50%. It has a wonderful nose! It reminds me a lot of a Westland whiskey (the combination of new American oak and malted barley on the nose). The palate is complex and oily. Notes of baked apple / apple skin. This retails for $250. Is it worth it? I don't know about that, but it was my favorite of the night.

We finished with Ichiro's Malt - Chichibu Peated US Edition 2020. This is the one that I was most looking forward to trying and while it was my 3rd favorite, I was disappointed with this whisky. This is peated to 25 - 30ppm and is 56% ABV. An interesting fact about this distillery that I didn't know was that they use Mizunara Japanese Oak for their washbacks. On the nose, light peat, coastal, minerality. On the palate, again the peat influence is very light, but it tastes hot. This is greatly diminished with the addition of water. I enjoyed it more with water than without. It was more balanced with some added complexity. This retails for $600. It is worth it? Not to me. I would much rather spend $250 on the Mars than $600 for this one.

I am so glad that I got to try all of these, but there wasn't really any of them that I wished I owned (at least if I had to pay for them).

@bwmccoy excellent information. Thank you!

Not whisky, but playing with the proportions in the cocktail I've named the O-Ren Ishii, which is a Japanese version of The Vesper: 1.5oz Roku Gin, 1oz Haku Vodka, 1oz sake, and a dash each of Lemongrass and Yuzu Bitters...

After having some Balvenie 10 yo Founders Reserve, I am delighting in some Glenfiddich 15 yo Distillery Edition, 51.2% ABV. I really do not understand why Glenfiddich doesn't make the 15 DE more available. It would please a lot of people who want a more robust beverage than the 40% ABV OB 15 year old. The standard Glenfiddich 15 yo is too dilute for me to get excited about or want to buy a bottle of, whereas the 15 DE is one I could drink until the end of time.

I have to think that the reason why Glenfiddich doesn't produce more 15 DE is a very strong emphasis upon appealing to the general public with lower alcohol greeting, as compared to concern for the small connoisseur Big Flavours segment of the whisky consuming public, which wants a beverage less diminished by added water. It may be, too, that the 15 DE requires its own special batch with its own special planning, unconnected to the ongoing solera process used for their standard 15 yo. Alternately, I would love to see the ABV of the standard solera 15 yo upped to around 50%, but I doubt that they will seriously consider doing this.

While I'm in the neighbourhood I am also having some OB Glenfiddich 18 yo. I've always liked this one, particularly its spiciness, even though it doesn't seem to have many fans on Connosr.

@Victor I’m a great fan of the fiddich 18. When it was given to me as a gift in Calgary one year (someone bought a few at Costco at a good price), I had to add only $3.50 to turn it into a Lagavulin 12 in Toronto at the LCBO.

Who said alchemy is a myth?

@Nozinan as an "either-or" proposition I'd take Lagavulin 12 over Glenfiddich 18 also. As it stands I am happy to have both in my cabinet.

@Victor I loved the Glenfiddich 15DE. Unfortunately I haven't seen it for several years. Bring it back, Glenfiddich, we'll gladly buy it.

Tonight a couple of Greenpoint cocktails before dinner. 2oz Rittenhouse BiB rye, 1/2oz sweet vermouth, 1/2oz Green Chartreuse, a dash each of Angostura and orange bitters. Garnish with lemon peel.

@bwmccoy sounds a nice cocktail that one. A Bladnoch 10 for me tonight. This bottle is going down too quickly, I should have purchased two!

@Victor As much as I appreciate and value your opinion, the only Fiddich I have ever found palatable is the DE. I simply lack the palate to appreciate a weak, low ABV subtle whisky...

@Nozinan I'm on the "hate the LCBO" side of the fence BUT the ability to take advantage of this type of arbitrage is a huge plus. People forget that a private retailer would never have that soft a return policy.

Tonight is a rum night. My bottle of Foursquare Premise is almost done and sadly I’m just starting to understand it now. My Real McCoy 12 Year is more accessible, but just as enjoyable.

@65glenfarclas Can't return anything if there's nothing worth buying...

@Nozinan that's the downside .... returning something expensive for something else even more expensive. However, I was able to acquire a Caol Ila 30 ($364 out of pocket) and Talisker 25 ($253) - two I would never have bought at the asking price - trough some creative arbitrage.

@65glenfarclas Those are very good prices for a couple of very high end whiskies. Well scored, mate.

Peat night tonight while playing on-line poker with my brother-in-law and some friends;

Allt-A-Bhainne SMWS 108.14 (7 year - Nov 2011) "An enjoyable curiosity" - 2nd-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 66.2% ABV (with a little water added).

Kilchoman Machir Bay Cask Strength Christmas Edition (Santa hats on sheep). 58.6% ABV.

Finished with Caol Ila SMWS 53.325 (7 year - Mar. 2012) "When two powerful pearls meet". After six years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, finished in a refill ex-Madeira hogshead - 61.2% ABV.

Turkey night tonight. My wife brines it first, then stuffs it and cooks up a tonne of other stuff. Lots of smells, so the after dinner dram had to be something that could hold up to it.

Benromach 10/100 tonight was just the ticket.

@Nozinan I miss that Benromach 10/100. Haven't tried the replacement yet. Have you?

Tonight’s theme; big, bold, complex.

Before dinner, a 2018 bourbon barrel aged stout; Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Vanilla (14.9% ABV).

After dinner, High West A Midwinter Nights Dram; Act 7 Scene 6 - 49.3% ABV.

Finished with the heavily peated, heavily sherried Bunnahabhain SMWS 10.190 (6 year - Oct. 2013) "Make moine a devil!" from a second-fill ex-Oloroso Sherry butt - 61.1% ABV