So, what are you drinking now?

@Nozinan - Wow! It's genuinely insane what people are willing to pay for some whisky these days, especially Macallans. I'm sure some of those older bottles are amazing - I'd love to try an 18 from a decade or more ago - but when I see the prices they go for, I can't make sense of it. Makes my brain hurt

Lagavulin 12 2015 edition tonight. A great dram. Cheers..

@Timp Yes, I can agree with you on that. I am enjoying my bottle little by little.

Tonight, I have to prepare a talk on Palliative Care to be given to non-healthcare professionals from all over Zoomland....in Yiddish. Anyone ever had to say Resuscitation in Yiddish? Defibrillation? These things are like cholesterol... they didn't exist when Yiddish was created.

I did this years ago when my grandfather asked me to speak to a group he was part of. My mother came to see if I could pull it off. I did. But I have no idea what I said then and what I will say tomorrow. A little support needed. Thank you North of 7 (and @fiddich1980 for the sample).

Last night a double pour of a fresh bottle of Springbank 10 whilst watching Heat (my partner had never seen it! I also watched 1917 recently - another great film that I highly recommend. For once, the hype was worth it).

This whisky has no flaws. None. I'd go as far as saying it's damn near perfection for a ten year old. I think my favourite aspect is being able to really taste the barley, and it strikes a perfect balance between sweet and sour notes. Such a shame it is becoming a rare thing.

@RianC I own and like Springbank 10 too. Taste is a funny thing, though. 10 days ago I presented a tasting to 7 souls, mostly newbies, of about 25 products. The group was enthusiastic about almost everything, but nobody was favourably impressed by the Springbank 10 yo.

I was disappointed by this, but not extremely surprised, because I had had mixed feelings about a lot of my early experiences of Springbank too. I think that it is largely a case of a lack of familiarity and of context. More experience of that whisky, on its own, would lead to a greater appreciation, I believe. Much of human taste revolves around expectation. Something new requires a willingness to meet the experience on its own terms, and not expect it to taste like other things that the person already knows that he or she likes. Similar to me in my early days I think that a taste environment of consuming top tier bourbon made it difficult for this group to get interested in Springbank 10.

The group also loved Lagavulin 8 and Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength, so it was not about lack of openness or enthusiasm on their part for peat and brine. I think that by contrast to the big flavours with which they had been entertained all evening, Springbank 10 seemed to them like a washed out weak sister.

Like you, though, I perceive Springbank 10 yo to have a great beauty all its own. .

@RianC @Victor totally agree. If I had nothing else to drink but Springbank 10 for the rest of my days I would be a happy man. Such complexity, but have also had indifferent responses from friends less attuned to the subtleties of its flavour.

Tonight a dram of Bruichladdich classic which I am very much enjoying. Have not had a bottle of this for a year or two and this one has opened up brilliantly. Those wine casks in the bottling are all shining. Cheers all.

After filling 92 - 1/2oz bottles for a virtual tasting I will be co-hosting on Monday night for 23 people (4 different Society expressions), I think I earned a dram;

A peated St George's Distillery English Whisky Company SMWS 137.7 (7 year - Feb 2012) "How to kill your dragon" - 2nd-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 65.5% ABV. That really hit the spot tonight.

@Timp @RianC another excellent whisky which I find requires a sophisticated palate and which newbies often do not get at all is Talisker 18 yo. General whiski experience makes a very big difference with respect to how every beverage is received. Experience with the specific whiski in question often makes a very big difference with how that particular whiski is received as well. Our palates change and develop after the experience of 10 whiskies, 50 whiskies, 100 whiskies, 500 whiskies, etc.

I once gave one of my brothers-in-law a gift bottle of Van Winkle 12 yo bourbon. It was too subtle for him. He could not appreciate it. He wasn't interested in learning to appreciate its subtleties. He wanted the intense wall of flavour experience to which he had become accustomed. I would have succeeded better in pleasing him if I had given him a $ 20 bottle (US prices of course) of any standard BIB bourbon.

@Timp @Victor - Talisker 18 and Springbank 10 - throw in Ardbeg 10 and there's three whiskies I'd happily 'survive' on!

I totally agree about taste differences and experience. Oddly, perhaps, I fell in love with my second sip of Ardbeg 10 and had tried a few different malts over the years prior to that (without being a total nerd about it ;) and was never that impressed. I preferred blends and bourbon.

I guess more exposure develops our palate and taste/olfactory receptors, which allows us to become more attuned to subtleties and things like form and mouth-feel. I doubt I'd have appreciated the other two malts above had I been offered them 7 or so years ago. Ardbeg's unusual in that It's flavour profile is fairly polarizing - you'll either like it or loathe it, I think.

It's funny, my four-year old is going through that annoying phase of not trying any new foods and being a stubborn little so and so at meal times. Before this he would have tried anything. I guess it's more of a developmental or cognitive thing (trying to gain some power over his world through choice?) than a palate thing per se, but it's interesting to watch how his tastes are forming, and likes and dislikes. He even used to like a little dab of whisky off my finger tip, but runs a mile now ha!

@RianC @Victor yeah would agree about those two as well. Remember my first taste of Ardbeg 10 and how blown away I was by it. I was convinced I could still taste it the next morning! Never had a bad batch since including my present bottle copped for only 37 gbp at a supermarket recently.

Lol re your son @RianC your stash is safe for now! Those little finger tastes will be engrained in his taste subconscious. It’s only as I have got older that I have realised that taste and smell are so evocative of the past in a way that photographs or memories on their own just don’t conjure in the same deep way. I bet he will be a pal to share your love of whisky with in the future. And your collection haha..

Last night's D&D Cocktail was a Bourbon-based Northern Standard, using the last of my Walking Dead Bourbon. The cocktail works better with a high proof rye... foodandwine.com/recipes/northern-standard

@RianC A perfect threesome. I might make it 4 and throw in Glenfarclas 15, or maybe 5 and add Bunna 12, or.....I could go on. But I'd gladly make do with your three.

Last night, in preparation for this coming Monday night's tasting, I sat down and sampled the 4 Society expressions that we will be drinking during the event. I tried them first without water, then with.

Clynelish SMWS 26.161 (8 year - April 2012) "Put the pebble to the petal!" - 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 60.9% ABV. Without water, Nose: floral, putty/clay, chalk, pineapple, gorse, honey and salt. Palate: juniper, mint, lemon and cereal. With water, Nose: sootiness, waxy, condensed sweet milk, and green tea. Palate: bubblegum, mustard spiciness with a huge explosion of fruitiness in the finish. Prefer this one with water.

BenRiach SMWS 12.43 (28 year - Nov.1991) "Desire lines" - 2nd-fill ex-sherry butt - 54.8% ABV. Without water, Nose: salted caramel milk chocolate, cocoa, madeira sponge cake, honey dew melon, spiced dark fruits, figs in syrup. Palate: treacle, toffee, apple cider, black tea and marmalade. With water, Nose: savory, nutty, meaty, bready and leathery. Palate: aged calvados, dark fruits, wintergreen and a herb-tinged sooty waxiness that seemed like it might have a hint of smoke (possibly from the barrel char). This is simply stunning and it is amazing both without and with water. Surprisingly, I prefer it with water.

Glenallachie SMWS 107.21 (8 year - May 2012) "Bounty on the galleon" - 1st-fill ex-sherry butt" - 63.3% ABV. Nose: burlap sack, spices, dates, raisin and demerara sugar. Palate: orange-glazed duck and madeira wine. The sherry influence is "dirtier" in this one as compared to the BenRiach, however, that is not a bad thing, in my opinion. By dirtier, I mean, a little harsher, but not hint of sulphur. I actually enjoyed this one a lot and is a nice contrast to the sublime sherry influence in the previous dram.

Ardmore SMWS 66.186 (11 year - Nov. 2008) "Bivouac breakfast" - Refill ex-bourbon barrel" - 58.1% ABV. Without water, Nose: moss, ferns, smoky campfire, crisp bacon, pork belly fat, peanut butter and charcoal. Palate: dry roasted peanuts, licorice and smoked ham. With water, Nose: leather work gloves, tin, engine oil and mechanics overalls. Palate: campfire smoke, pecan pie and Lapsang souchong tea. It's good without and with water, but prefer it without.

@bwmccoy You really make me want to join SMWS but my previous inquiries have not been encouraging. You seem to do really well with them though! Those club bottlings sound incredible. Every time you post I want them all!

@BlueNote - I was thinking similar - round it up to five with a good sherried malt, a good bottle of Glenfarclas 15 would more than do, and then something lighter and maltier like Clynelish 14 or Arran 10.

Tonight, my wife, son and I went to dinner at an indoor restaurant for the first time in over a year. My wife and I each had a couple of Manhattan's; Fremont Mischief Rye, Carpano Antica Vermouth, Angostura bitters and Cacao bitters.

After dinner, the owner sent over a glass of Thomas Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey (2020 bottling) 64.5% ABV. Other than my visit with @Victor, I don't have any experience with BTAC bottlings, but I thought this was very good! What an unexpected, generous gift from a good friend.

@TracerBullet - There have been a couple of times over the years that I've thought about not renewing my membership. However, I always come back to the fact that I really like the whisky the Society releases and I would miss it if I wasn't member, so I stick around.

Old Pulteney night tonight. Cheers all..

I’ll let you guess what I’m having…

@Timp, Cheers! Old Pulteney and more Old Pulteney. It's a good way to go! Back in the early days of Connosr, c 2011-2012 @Wodha and I were the vocal champions of Old Pulteney before Mr. Murray, the rest of Connosr, and the larger world caught on.

@TracerBullet, yes the former home of the old Calvert Distillery, on what my parents always called "Old Route 1". I can remember smelling the mash driving by there almost 60 years ago. There is still a Calvert Whisky, you know. A Canadian brand, originally produced at that distillery, now obviously made elsewhere, and still today with that good old Maryland colonial Calvert name. George, Cecilius, Charles, Benedict, Frederick and another Charles, all Calverts, were the Barons Baltimore I through VI. Maryland's state flag is the only one in the US using a family's medieval heraldic colours.

bing.com/images/search/…

Maryland is a proud little state.

@bwmccoy That's going to make for a very good night. I bet that Ardmore's a good one.

@RianC I'm really liking the Arran 10 these days.

@Timp Mmmm, the golden oldies. Missed, but not forgotten. I've still got a couple of 17s in the bunker.

@BlueNote - The Ardmore is very good. I'm anxious to see what my brother-in-law thinks of it because Ardmore is one of his favorites. What I really like about it is that it is more smoke than it is peat. It is also quite unique with the notes of peanut butter and roasted peanuts as well as licorice. It's unique without being weird and very easy drinking.

Since it is Friday night, this will come as no surprise, but my wife and I are starting out with our favorite Black Manhattan's (Maker's Mark 46, Amaricano, orange bitters and aromatic bitters). They're just so good, why make anything else. :-)

@Victor @BlueNote lovely whisky, although not had any of the new range. Have either of you? If you have, any thoughts on them. A visit to the distillery is high on my wish list also and would love a stash of the 17 like you Bluenote.

@bwmccoy I agree.Why fix what ain’t broke?!

@Timp I tasted both the new 15 and the 18 at the distillery in 2018. I was impressed with the 18 at the time so I bought 2 bottles on a sale deal when we got home. Having now compared it to the 17, I find it “nice” but nowhere near as complex as the 17. I have not had the 15 since, but I’m told it is good. The problem now with Pulteney is that the prices have gone goofy. If you can find a dusty 17 somewhere, grab it. I think @Victor will agree.

@BlueNote, @Timp for sure Old Pulteney 17 yo is worthy of storing multiples.

I haven't yet had the experience of tasting the newer releases of 15 and 18 yo.

One Old Pulteney experience I've had in the last several years of note was that the special release Navigator, with which I wasn't too pleased when it was first opened, came along very nicely with air exposure and is now quite delicious.

Price has certainly become a factor with all of these releases.

Tonight, my wife and I had @jordytropp and his wife over for dinner and drams. We didn't all drink exactly the same thing, but below is what I had.

Clynelish SMWS 26.151 (26 year - October 1993) "Fragrance clings to the hand that gives flowers". Refill ex-bourbon barrel - 47.3% ABV.

Clynelish SMWS 26.161 (8 year - April 2012) "Put the pebble to the petal!" - 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 60.9% ABV with water added.

Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 year (43% ABV). @jordytropp's bottle.

Miltonduff SMWS 72.75 (10 year - Feb. 2008) "The flower of youth" - Refill ex-bourbon barrel - 61.3% ABV. @jordytropp's bottle.

BenRiach SMWS 12.49 (10 year - March 2010) "Is this the way to Amarillo?". After 9 years in an ex-bourbon barrel, transferred to an ex-Tempest Old Fashioned IPA cask - 60.0% ABV.

Glenallachie SMWS 107.21 (8 year - May 2012) "Bounty on the galleon" - 1st-fill ex-sherry butt" - 63.3% ABV

With dinner (grilled New York sirloin steaks, grilled Portobello mushrooms with roasted goat cheese and grilled scallops with grilled bacon), a bottle of 2010 Waters Washington State 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Thanks @jordytropp for sharing this amazing wine.

BenRiach SMWS 12.43 (28 year - Nov.1991) "Desire lines" - 2nd-fill ex-sherry butt - 54.8% ABV.

Edradour 2010 cask strength The Ultimate Whisky Company bottling (Netherlands). Matured in 1st-fill sherry butt for 9 years. 56.2% ABV. Distilled 12/15/2010. Bottled 04/16/2020. Bottle # 490 of 655. Cask # 417. The color on this one was cola. Beautiful. Stunning whisky! Thanks @jordytropp for sharing this one with me!

Laphroaig Lore (48% ABV). @jordytropp's bottle. I had forgotten how good Lore is. Perfect balance between sweet and peat.

Finished with The Hampden Old Single Jamaican Rum "Great House" Distillery Edition 2020. 59% ABV. This was unrippened bananas and witch hazel. Not overly funky, but complex. A whisky drinker's rum. Thanks again @jordytropp for sharing!

A great night with great friends!

@BlueNote thanks for that. Have always shied away from these but from what you say might be worth a punt. The 17 is only seen at auction now really and going for just over the £100 mark. I know I will miss it when the one I have is gone so maybe!