So, what are you drinking now?

@BlueNote too bad your bottle of Grant's wasn't too good. So far I've liked all of the Grant's Family Reserve that I have tasted, but with ANY big mass market whisky like that I am never surprised to find "off" batches.

In the inexpensive Scotch category I'll gladly take Grant's Family Reserve, Clan MacGregor, or Black & White. The 3 oz of Teacher's Highland Cream which I tried I liked too. Black & White is very straightforward-- grain-y. Not a peat nor a wine trip. Simple.

As DREADFUL as some of the tastes of Johnnie Walker Red Label I have had have been, there have been 2 or 3 bottles from which I have tasted of which I would gladly own bottles. As I say, mass market whiskies are a crap shoot with respect to quality from one batch to the next. .

@Timp No problem! I think one of my related blog posts also links to Scotchblog.ca, which did something similar in 2010. Makes me think about resurrecting the blog...

Sipping my Shinobu 10 year-old Mizunara Cask Finish while building the LEGO Bonsai Tree. I opted for the cherry tree version. A Danish-made Japanese tree and a Scottish-made Japanese pure malt whisky (blended and finished in Japan, at least).

@YakLord Yours was much more scientific and included a couple (Te Beagh and Islay Mist 8) that we considered to be up a notch from true bottom shelfers. Thanks for that link, it was an interesting read. I might see if the boys want to do it again with a few additions, and blind this time in order to remove any pre conceptions.

@YakLord while I would never encourage someone to do something I have no comprehension of, I have been enjoying reading your blog. My mate is an obsessive long distance runner and have only just got into the running thing myself so have been enjoying your pieces on this too.

It must be a wonderful place to run and experience the wilderness. Think that’s the thing I like about running, it’s just pure, no messing about and just being a part of nature.

Similarly when I was a climbing obsessive I became fascinated with bouldering. Just the pure movement and problem solving. Just you and the rock!

Cheers.

Yesterday, a couple of Black Manhattan's made with Maker's Mark 46.

My first taste of whisky in 2022 - a winner!

North of 7, Barrel 28 (3 grain) Canadian whisky, a "bourbonne" as @paddockjudge would call it. To quote him (he said I had to), "It is a bourbon. Whiskey doesn't know where the border is."

Thanks to @Cricklewood for the sample. I won't be getting my bottle(s) for some time and this will let me get to know the barrel in advance.

Tonight, I rated my last unrated, open bottle.

Bruichladdich 24 year (1992) Valinch. 48.5% ABV. I filled this bottle at the distillery in 2016. This Bruichladdich range is called the 'Laddie Crew' and it is the 19th cask in the series. It is honoring Arlene Macfadyen - Bottling hall supervisor. After 18 years in an ex-bourbon cask, it was further matured for another 6 years in a Premier Grand Cru Sauternes wine cask.

Rating: 93.

@BlueNote We set a price limit of $30, +/- $1 or $2 to allow us to fill out the groups. At the time, those two were within that range. Islay Mist 8 has now just edged above that (currently $33.45), and Te Bheag is nearly $40, so they'd both be excluded if we did it again. That being said, if we did do it again, we'd be able to include Black Bottle ($29.95), which wasn't available back then. I know some people don't like the new blend, but it's still hands down better than most of the < $30 blended scotches out there.

@Timp Thanks for the kind words. We've done a lot since 2016, and I do think I need to get back to writing...

This afternoon, I warmed up the leftover coffee from my morning brew and added some Bailey’s and Teeling Small Batch (Rum Cask Finish) - 46% ABV.

Tonight, had a dram of Ardbeg Wee Beastie - 5 year old - 47.4% ABV.

Followed by killing off my bottle of Laphroaig 10 year Cask Strength Batch 012 (Feb. 2020) - 60.1% ABV. Really enjoyed this batch!

Last night was “a few of my favourite things” with the heel of my birthday bottle of WT101 and opening my Laphroaig 10 (43%). Both relatively simple drams, but perennial favourites in my house.

Tonight, before dinner, had a dram of Copperworks Distilling Company Special Release 34 WA state peated malt (Skagit Valley Maltings) aged for 49 months in 8 new American oak - 52% ABV. This always drinks more like a bourbon than it does a peated single malt.

After dinner, my wife finished off the Glenlivet 12 year.

I had a dram of Glenmorangie X which tasted better than it has on previous occasions. Still not great, but better.

Finished the night by finishing off my bottle of Ardbeg Wee Beastie - 5 year old - 47.4% ABV.

@OdysseusUnbound John Coltrane's version of My Favorite Things is a perennial favourite around here. Herself, not so much.

Last night (and through the week) I've been chipping away at my open half bottle of JW Black from the late 80's and bottled for the Italian market. Didnt like it too much to start - very grainy and a bit 'raw' but it has settled nicely. Possibly the sweetest JWB I've had, and very fresh tasting, but with that unmistakable JW peaty thing in the back. I'd bump this up to mid 80's now.

I might try it with soda at some point as I think it would make a great high ball.

Finally getting to the Christmas Drams from the Ottawa Whisky Guild, with Benromach 10 year-old.

Springbank 12 batch 19 57.1% last night, kindly donated by @weirdo.

What a lovely dram. Its drams like these that make me wonder if I really would be better off saving my money on all the other lesser whiskies and just plumping for spending my cash on these. A real Sunday night treat. Cheers @weirdo.

Ps one day I will confident enough to submit a proper review..

@YakLord What’s that 21 year old in the background?

I won't go into great detail, since I did that in another post on another thread. But I did finally open the bottle of Darroze Vintage 2000 Armagnac, which arrived on Sunday. However, I will post the same photo here. Although there isn't a glass in the photo, I can promise you I did open it and I am enjoying my first dram.

@ajjarrett - cask strength?! Unheard of on these shores. Would love to try some at full power but the best ive found is the Darroze Grand Assemblages @43%.

@RianC

My friends in Taiwan were the ones that directed me to cask/high strength armagnac. I am not at all knowledgeable about armagnac, but I can tell early that I am going to enjoy getting into them. There goes my lottery money!

To seek out cask strength armagnac I had to go online. The armagnac that is readily available here in Colorado (the state I live in) are 40 to 43%abv. And sadly, many websites don't list the abv, and I really do not want to go to a store just to look, so I end up trying to find online sources that will list them (time consuming and doesn't always produce the results I want). I guess we have all been there when hunting/shopping for whisk(e)y.

Way behind on my posting; sorry.

On Friday night, I participated in a blind tasting of 5 Society whiskies. We were asked to guess which of the 12 Society Flavor Profiles each whisky was in, what the age of the whisky was, what was the Society name of each bottling and finally what distillery each bottle was from. It was multiple choice in that for each question we had the 5 correct answers, but had to figure out which of the 5 answers went with each whisky. I scored 12 out of 20 correctly. I got 5 out of 5 on the flavor profiles, 3 out of 5 on the bottle names, but only 2 out of 5 on both the age and the distillery. The 5 whiskies were:

Benriach SMWS 12.33 (9 year - Sep. 2009) "The most fun with your cloves on" from a 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 59.0% ABV. Juicy, Oak & Vanilla flavor profile.

Inchgower SMWS 18.38 (13 year - Sep. 2007) "The happy ponderer" from a 2nd-fill ex-bourbon hogshead - 61.3% ABV. Spicy & Dry flavor profile.

Glenfarclas SMWS 1.238 (7 year - Feb. 2013) "Well-danced upon oak". After initial maturation in an ex-bourbon hogshead, finished in a 1st-fill ex-PX hogshead - 60.6% ABV. Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits flavor profile.

Craigellachie SMWS 44.134 (16 year - Jun. 2004) "Souper Trooper" from a refill ex-bourbon barrel - 55.1% ABV. Spicy & Sweet flavor profile.

Caol Ila SMWS 53.298 (11 year - September 2007) "Tokaji and tug boats" from a refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 60.0% ABV. Peated flavor profile.

After the blind tasting, I opened 4 bottles that have been sitting in my cabinet for a while and had the following;

GlenDronach SMWS 96.34 (11 year - March 2009) "Stroll Through the Seasons" from a 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 60.2% ABV. Juicy, Oak & Vanilla flavor profile.

Glenrothes SMWS 30.108 (12 year - Feb. 2008) "A Taste of Home" from a refill sherry butt - 64.3% ABV. Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits flavor profile.

Allt-A-Bhainne SMWS 108.19 (7 year - Nov 2011) "Forget Convention!" from a 2nd-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 64.6% ABV. Peated flavor profile.

Glen Scotia SMWS 93.148 (12 year - Feb. 29th, 2008) "Tour de force". After ten years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred into a first fill port hogshead - 56.4% ABV. Peated flavor profile.

After that, I also had a Glenlossie SMWS 46.103 (12 year - Jun 2008) "Mutiny on the bounty" from 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 58.7% ABV. Oily & Costal flavor profile.

Also had a Westland single cask # 430 bottled exclusively for the Drammers club. This is a peated expression using Baird's peated malt imported from Scotland. 62.1% ABV.

Finished the night with a 9 year "Undisclosed Islay" cask from Single Cask Nation, but I was told that it is Caol Ila. 58.4% ABV.

On Saturday night, my wife and I had dinner and drams at @jordytropp and his wife's house.

Started off with a head-to-head tasting of a couple of Balblair original bottling samples. The first was a 10 year from 2005 at 46% ABV. The second was the current release of their 12 year which is also at 46%. The clear winner for me was the 10 year from 2005.

Next was another head-to-head tasting of a couple of single casks;

Glen Elgin 14 year (2006) The ImpEx Collection - Cask #9800012 (ex-bourbon barrel) - 52.5% ABV.

Glen Keith 20 year (1993) from The Classic Cask Collection. Cask #136. 46% ABV.

Both were amazing, but for me, the Glen Elgin edged out the Glen Keith as it was more complex. The additional ABV also probably contributed to this as well.

Next, Dallas Dhu 1980 (29 year) Signatory Bottling (Distilled Oct 31, 1980 - Bottled Mar 17, 2010) Cask # 1855. 54% ABV.

Followed by Bruichladdich 24 year (1992) Valinch (18 year bourbon cask + 6 year Sauternes cask) - 50cl hand-filled bottle #149 of 310 - 48.5% ABV.

Old Pulteney SMWS 52.23 (11 year - May 2007) "Ice-cream and gorse by the sea". After initial maturation in an ex-bourbon hogshead, finished in a 2nd-fill ex-PX hogshead. 58.9% ABV. I love PX finished whisky!

Next, a head-to-head tasting of a couple of Macallan's;

12 year (2007) Unnamed Speyside from refill sherry butts. Hand picked by K&L Wine Merchants and bottled by Signatory Vintage Un-chillfiltered collection. 63.4% ABV.

12 year Sherry Oak Cask distillery bottling. 43% ABV.

Both were very good, but the cask strength bottling really stood out.

Just before dinner, had a dram of Highland Park 21 year (distillery bottling). 46% ABV. Beautiful whisky.

After dinner (@jordytropp's wife made an absolutely amazing Scallop Gumbo), Kilchoman Sherry Hogshead single cask (distillery bottling). Distilled April 2012, bottled July 2019. 50 ppm. 58.5% ABV. Everything you would expect from this bottle and so much more. Wow!

Next, @jordytropp opened up a very special bottle. 12 year Caol Ila. Adelphi Selection bottling. Single cask. 294 bottles. Distilled 2008. Bottled 2021. Matured in a first-fill Oloroso Sherry Hogshead. Cask # 309451. 53% ABV. The color on this one is stunning (see picture below, upper right hand corner). The palate is amazing as well!

Finished the night with Bunnahabhain SMWS 10.176 (11 year - Dec. 2007) "Tea-smoked salmon" - After nine years in an ex-bourbon hogshead transferred into a second fill Spanish oak ex-Oloroso hogshead - 59.2% ABV.

What a special time spent with very special friends. Thank you @jordytropp and your lovely wife for the amazing whisky, food and friendship.

@bwmccoy "...amazing whisky, food and friendship." That says it all.

Laphroaig 10 Sherry Oak Finish:

The nose is excellent:

Red plummy fruit, mint, ashy/peat, chocolate, bacon, pancake mix, maple syrup, red liquorice nibs, and old leather

Still catching up on posts;

Last night, spent some time with a recently opened bottle;

Glen Scotia SMWS 93.148 (12 year - Feb. 29th, 2008) "Tour de force". After ten years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, it was transferred into a first fill port hogshead - 56.4% ABV.

This takes Campbeltown funk to a whole new level, maybe too far. My brother-in-law and I each purchased this bottle at the same time, but he opened his bottle first and we both hated it. Time did improve it, but not enough. My brother-in-law eventually started blending it with Glenlivet 12 in order to finish off his bottle. I will need to spend more time with it, but the dram I had last night was not nearly as bad as I remember of my brother-in-law’s bottle.

Tonight, a couple of chocolate Manhattan’s made with Maker’s Mark 46, sweet vermouth, cream de cacao and Orange bitters.

@fiddich1980 - I had a dram of this last night. Would agree totally with those notes, it's a very good Laphroaig in my book with a great nose. Yes, you can tell it's been finished but it definitely works here so I'm fine with that. Great colour too.

Sipping some Tesco armagnac by the fire before dinner - feeling a bit feverish so anything warming is a blessing. It's not bad at all, really - I'd prefer no additives but can see why they do it. I also won't feel bad adding this to a coffee or hot chocolate, which I might just do after dinner. Cheers!

I've been drinking all the whiskies people got me for Christmas that know I like whisky but don't know how fussy I am!

A load of miniatures of various blends Grouse, Whyte and Mackay and also a bottle of Glenlivet Founders reserve. The Glenlivet tastes very young. It's pretty unpalatable neat so I've been making Rob Roy's with it.

@Wierdo - Happy New year, mate! How is the Whyte & Mackay? Never tried that one.