So, what are you drinking now?

Last night, a Black Irish Coffee Manhattan cocktail (original recipe from @YakLord). 1oz Teeling Irish Whiskey, 1oz Jameson Irish Whiskey Cold Brew, 1oz Amaro, a dash of Coffee Bitters and a dash of Orange Bitters.

@RianC it was OK. Smooth as you'd expect.ni actually drsnk that one neat. Better than the Grouse, which had an off note to it.

Bordeneuve cask strength Armagnac.

I saw a three pack of Delord minis discounted at the LCBO but the ones listed near where a friend lives were phantoms. This was my consolation.

Last night, while playing on-line poker with the guys;

GlenDronach SMWS 96.34 (11 year - March 2009) "Stroll Through the Seasons" - 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 60.2% ABV. This is a newly opened bottle that I'm still getting to know, but first impressions are very promising. It is interesting to taste GlenDronach without the sherry influence. Lovely barley notes coming through. Reminds me a lot of whisky from the early to mid-1980's. I'm guessing this is going to rate pretty high when I rate it in the coming days.

Glenrothes SMWS 30.108 (12 year - Feb. 2008) "A Taste of Home" - Refill sherry butt - 64.3% ABV. Another newly opened bottle (both this one and the one above were opened about a week ago). This is great whisky. It will also rate pretty high. This is an excellent example of what a sherried whisky should be.

Finished with a peated Allt-A-Bhainne SMWS 108.19 (7 year - Nov 2011) "Forget Convention!" - 2nd-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 64.6% ABV. This was also opened last Friday night. This is an interesting dram. It is all peat (as opposed to smoke). It is a sweet peat. I get a peppermint candy note at first with a dry finish. I'm going to need to spend more time with this one.

Tonight, I made a Rob Roy (2oz Glenmorangie "X", 3/4oz sweet vermouth, 3 dashes Angostura bitters with a cherry garnish) served up.

Followed by a traditional Manhattan (1.5oz Knob Creek Rye 100 Proof, 3/4oz sweet vermouth and 2 dashes Angostura bitters with a cherry garnish) also served up.

Tonight, Fettercairn SMWS 94.10 (13 year - Aug. 2007) "The gentle beast from the east". After 11 years in a refill ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred to a 1st-fill ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry hogshead - 56.0% ABV.

Then finished the night with a peated 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.

J.P.Wiser's 19 Years Old, Seasoned Oak, 48% ABV. I am celebrating January Hump Day and I toast @paddockjudge for having given me this nice sample, along with many others.

This Wiser's 19 yo Seasoned Oak really tastes of the spices: cinnamon, allspice, pumpkin spices, etc. It is both delicious and interesting. Cheers, @paddockjudge!

Ademas,

Corsair Ryemageddon 46% ABV. Those guys at Corsair are SO creative

Willett Family Estate 2 yo Rye, 54.05% ABV

Old Weller Antique 107, 53.5% ABV, my c. 2008 bottle

Old Elk Wheat Whiskey, 50% ABV, 95% wheat, 5 % malted barley

Good times!

@Victor, and a Happy January Hump Day back at you @Victor. I would join you, but I’m currently on a dry run… to make it more challenging I’m also abstaining from all things salumi…..lots of soup being enjoyed during the cold weather.

Having my last dram of Ledaig 10. I’d buy a replacement bottle but there aren’t any around. This last pour seems more fruit-forward than my recent review suggests. Curious.

@paddockjudge You’re not alone. It’s Drynuary for me too. Green tea for happy hour today.

@BlueNote, having a cuppa the same, with a sacrificial lemon and a warm-out-of-the-oven scone....need raisins in next batch.

@paddockjudge No scones for a while. I went a little overboard on the Christmas baking this year. to the tune of about 5 pounds. It was the butter tarts that did me in.

I just poured myself a generous pour of the Darroze Armagnac 21yo (Unique Collection) Vintage 2000, which I posted earlier. I will later follow that with a wee dram of 25yo Glengoyne. On a more personal note, I have mentioned my mother's cousin who is in 80's and had been on dialysis. He and shared many drams and the last dram we shared was the 25yo Glengoyne. My parents and I went over and had dinner with him and his wife (my mother's cousin). Anyway, that was two weeks ago, Sunday. Last Sunday, I went over to the house to help from their van and into the house after he had spent most of the morning with a flare up of gout, and needed help. Luckily my mother has a wheel chair. Cut to the chase....

He decided to stop dialysis and put himself into hospice. That was last Monday. Today, as of 4:09pm MST (mountain standard time, I live in Colorado) he is no longer with us. I truly wanted to share the armagnac with him since he loves other forms of brandy as well as sherry. He was a good drinking buddy.

Connosrs, I raise my glass to Ken.

I should mention, he is the cousin that when I told him I could get the 21yo redbreast cheaper in Tokyo, he wrote me a check with no hesitation. I am sure I have mentioned him a few times.

@ajjarrett My condolences to you and your family. I'll bet the whiskies you shared with him will never taste quite the same.

@Nozinan Thank you very much. Just like music, a good drink will never taste the same when it is associated with happy and sad moments/experiences.

@ajjarrett I hope for you that the good memories will be the lasting ones.

@ajjarrett My condolences. To know such people in our short time on this earth is a privilege I think. I will raise a dram to you and him tonight. Regards. Tim

@BlueNote

I can assure you, they will be. Thank you. Well, as slong as I keep my 16yo Nadurra bottles unopened. HA! (A little levity doesn't hurt)

@Timp

Thank you Tim. A life time is short in the 'grand scheme of things'. I have known him many years, or should say Ken has known me for many years since he new me when my parents adopted me when I was three months old. If my message gave the impression I just knew him for a little, oops. I am in American, my English isn't so good.

Setting a little humor aside, there are are a handful of people I am grateful to have known and to have shared meals with and good drinks, and Ken was certainly one of them.

Thanks for raising a glass to Ken, I have no doubt that he appreciates it.

Just to make sure I keep some continuity with a post I make with the subject of the thread. I am about to drink a cup of coffee (made from Safeway's brand coffee because it was on sale) with a bit of half and half in it, since it is 6:31am when I wrote this post.

@ajjarrett Decaf English Breakfast tea with whole milk, because it's 7 am somewhere in the world...

Dry January for me as well. More than halfway there! I'm enjoying reading what you all are drinking and look forward to joining back in in February.

@ajjarrett My condolences on your family's loss.

@TracerBullet Thank you very much.

@BlueNote, my kryptonite, butter tarts. I would pick up three pecan butter tarts from the local Croatian bakery (80+ years same family), one for the Secretary of War and two for me....to go with a generous pour of whatever. It has been a couple of years since I discontinued that practice. I consumed hundreds and hundreds of butter tarts over the years.

@ajjarrett, My condolences for your loss. We all need "good drinking" buddies. I will raise a glass to your cousin, a glass of Armagnac when I fall off the wagon. Good friends are precious, good relatives even more so.

@paddockjudge Thank you and don't hurt yourself too much when you fall of that wagon of yours.

"Good friends are precious, good relatives even more so," reminds me of the expression, "Sometimes, it is unfortunate you cannot pick your family like you pick your friends." HA! In this case, I wish I had more friends and family like Ken.

@ajjarrett - I, too, am sorry for your loss!

Tonight, spent some time with my new Norlan glass (a Christmas gift from my older son), with some of my less than favorite whiskies;

Copperworks Distilling Company Special Release 34 WA state peated malt (Skagit Valley Maltings) aged for 49 months in 8 new American oak - 52% ABV.

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.

I’m having trouble getting much, if any, nose with the Nolan. In the near future, I want to compare one whisky across several different glass styles including the Norlan in one sitting to see how it compares.

@bwmccoy Thank you for your sympathies.

Good luck with your compare and contrast experiment with the Norlan.

Tonight, made a new to me cocktail, The Bobby Burns; 2oz Scotch (I used Glenmorangie X), 1/2oz sweet vermouth, 1/2 tsp Benedictine and lemon peel garnish. I won’t be making this one again. It’s just too one dimensional for me.

After that, made a traditional Manhattan. Now that’s a cocktail! 2oz Knob Creek Rye, 1oz sweet vermouth, 2 dashes Angostura bitters with a cherry garnish. Much better and really hit the spot after a long work week.

@bwmccoy I think the problem is that you used Glenmorangie X. I'd use a more flavourful blend or something sherry matured to get some stronger in it, otherwise the Benedictine takes over.