So, what are you drinking now?

This week is Spring Break for our local schools, so my wife scheduled a few days at an indoor waterpark for my son. The waterpark is about 100 miles from our house, so we are staying in the adjacent hotel. I didn't have time to put together whisky samples to bring with me from my cabinet, but I did have a couple of the Whiskies of the World home tasting kits; one is American single malts and the other is peated single malts.

Tonight, I had 2 samples from the American box and 2 from the peated box. (There are 10 different expressions in each box.)

Few Single Malt, 46.5% ABV. I've had Few before, but I'm not sure if I've had this expression. It had a grassy, earthy, malty note which I liked, but it also had an industrial / astringent note that I did not care for at all. I wouldn't seek this one out.

Courage & Conviction Sherry cask, 46% ABV. I've never had anything from Courage & Conviction before, but I really liked this one. Notes of honeycomb, citrus, hazelnut and toffee.

Bowmore 12 year, 40% ABV. Never been a fan of the standard Bowmore range, especially the 12 year and tonight did nothing to change that. I haven't had the 12 in years and it was actually worse than my not so found memories of it. At 40%, it didn't have much peat or smoke. I found it completely lacking.

Laphroaig Quarter Cask, 48% ABV. While this isn't my favorite Laphroaig, this is so much better than the Bowmore. A worthy finish to the night.

Away for a few days in Lyme Regis on the 'Jurrasic' South coast. After some bbq'd salmon and veg kebabs with Cornish cider, I opened a G&M Mortlach 15 @46%. Man, I loved it from the first sip - a lot going on but yellow fruits, slight minerality, powdered ginger, touch of charcoal smoke, raisins and dark cherries came to the fore. Drank out of a 'glass', as I forgot my Glencairn, so I struggled to get all the nose, but this is a rare one in that the taste was more enjoyable than the nose. Lots of sweet, bright barley sugars and soft vanillas with an old-skool vibe.

Only had two Mortlachs but have loved them both. And I'm sure there are better ones out there but this is a very enjoyable whisky - so much so, I had three decent size pours (rare these days!) and just bought the two remaining bottles from Amazon!

@bwmccoy thank you for that great detailed report from the Westland Distillery. You paint a very clear picture of what to expect from this distillery.

@RianC congrats on finding some nice Mortlach. I've long been a huge fan of Mortlach--the ones that aren't sulphured, anyway. Some are, some aren't. My sister has an excellent Mortlach opened right now. I have a sulphured one opened right now. I remain nervous as to what I will get when I finally open my unopened bottle of OB Mortlach 16. It tasted great at the Mortlach tasting I attended, but that was also true for what I had of the OB 12 yo at that same tasting. The bottle of 12 yo I purchased a little later was horrible by comparison. I felt like a victim of 'bait and switch'. At this point I would have greater confidence in buying Mortlach as an IB than as an OB, but I have tasted some sulphured IB Mortlachs also. The bottom line for me is that even though I ADORE Mortlach at its thick and dense unsulphured best, I am extremely reluctant to lay down $ 100-150 for a bottle of it without having tasted first what is inside that particular bottle. So I guess that means I do not trust Mortlach enough to buy any again any time soon. But I happily drink from my sister's great bottle of Mortlach every time I get the chance.

And I still delight in hearing that Scottish Mortlach brand ambassador pronouncing the name "Mort-lick" = "The Lick of Death".

@Victor - Thanks! That's why I bought another two bottles (that's four in total!) as I suspected such a good find might not come around again for a while. Is the 16 you have the Flora and Fauna bottling? I've tried that a couple of times in bars now and loved it - I suspect you'll be fine, if so.

As for the 'bait & switch', you're probably not far off the mark. I was very close to getting that 12 and the (new) 16 but heard rumours that the second batches were not up to the same standard as the first ones. Such is whisky life, but very annoying, especially purchasing after a tasting!I

Just got back from Lyme Bay distillery. Picked up a bottle of their gorgeous classic honey mead, some scrumpy cider and a gin tasting kit for her. I also found a mini bottle of the Somerset Apple brandy (5) that I've been curious to try for a while, so well happy about that as I was going to buy a bottle totally blind but now don't have to! The distillery here at Lyme Regis makes cider from apples that come from one of the oldest orchards in Somerset - which is where they make the brandy. I shall try it and the mead with some cheeses later ...

I also got to sample some cherry mead (at 10.00am - she assured me she wouldn't judge me !) - a bit sweet for regular drinking but very lovely. I bet their cherry brandy is to die for ...

@Victor Reading several of your comments on Mortlach over the last few years has me hesitant to buy a bottle of the 16 Year OB Mortlach. I get tempted to roll the dice in the hopes of getting a "good batch", but like you, I'm sensitive to sulphur and Mortlach 16 ain't cheap. I believe it's about the same price as Lagavulin Distillers Edition, an expression which has never let me down. At its worst, Lag DE is "good not great", at its best it's a decadent treat.

@bwmccoy Bowmore is quite capable of producing excellent whisky (Laimrig 15 and Tempest for instance, both seemingly no longer available). Why, then, do they continue to put out such crap in their core range? I keep reading that the core 15 is much improved. The last time I had it, about a year and a half ago, it was just as weak and uninteresting as ever. The 12 at 40% is just plain pathetic. For a bit more money, I will take the Laphroaig 10 at 43%; no contest.

@RianC The G&M Linkwood 15 at 46% is also excellent and the same price as the Mortlach.

@BlueNote - I totally agree with your Bowmore comments. I’ve had some amazing single cask Bowmore’s from the Society. Why can’t their core range be closer to these single cask beauties?

@RianC - I’ve never been disappointed with G&M releases, even with lower ABV’s than I normally drink, they’ve all had amazing flavor and complexity.

Amrut Fusion, 50% ABV. I laugh a lot when I think of my history with Amrut Fusion. I had it first 11 years ago this month at @dbk's house in Hamilton, Ontario with him, @Pudge72 and my sister @Maddie. It was @dbk's bottle, and it was weirdly off in the finish. @dbk hated it and I believe that he has likely not forgiven Amrut even to this day for that bottle. I found his bottle to be weird and definitely "off", bur I didn't get as excited about it as he did. That Fusion of @dbk's was my first ever taste of Amrut and it was also the only "bad" taste of Amrut I have ever had. As I frequently say, give me three distilleries only to drink from for a lifetime and Amrut will join Buffalo Trace and Ardbeg as the three I choose.

Jameson Gold Reserve, 40% ABV. I don't think that they sell this any more. Too bad. It's a great whiskey. I am especially impressed by the nose today. Crisp and multi-faceted.

Aberlour A'bunadh Batch # 68, 61.5% ABV. Yes, I like this one too. Quite a bit.

For a picture of the four of us at @dbk's house on April 8, 2011, the night the notorious bottle of Amrut Fusion was tasted:

www.markdermul.be/toshanman/yourstory.html

Click on Toshan Tales on the left, scroll to the bottom for a picture of the four of us. Clicking will enlarge the photo. Also memorable among the whiskies that night, my then peat-averse sister admitted to actually liking @dbk's bottle of Bruichladdich Octomore Orpheus 2.2. I have pointed out to her several times since then that that shouldn't have been too difficult to like, since it is the # 1 rated whiski on Connosr.

There was one other cute little tale from that night. For some reason still unknown to me @dbk HATED his bottle of 2009 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, so he gave it to me. @Maddie and I drank about 1/3rd of it, then gave the remainder to a restauranteur in Collingwood, Ontario, who sold it at his bar. It tasted good to both of us. Nowadays those Old Forester Birthday Editions sell for an average world price of $ 1,642. Go figure.

wine-searcher.com/find/…

Tonight, more samples;

Westward (Oregon) American Single Malt Pinot Noir cask. 46%.

Grand Teton Malt Whiskey (Idaho) 40%.

10th Street American Whisky Single Malt (San Jose, California). 46%.

Colkegan Single Malt (Santa Fe Spirits). 46%.

The 10th Street was my favorite. It reminded me of a really nice Speyside Scotch. 2nd favorite was the Colkegan, followed by the Grand Teton and the Westland.

@Victor - Great pic - you're a giant ! And thanks for the link. I never knew @markjedi1 had a website - love the interview with Angus and the Star Wars restoration. Well played, Sir!

Last night I had a wee taste of the Somerset 5 cider brandy. I was very tired but enjoyed it a lot and, for 5 years old, it had a lot of character. I'd probably opt for the 10 or 20 if I buy a bottle but it surprised me with the quality. Lots of Apple (duh!), and green, tart fruits like kiwi, gooseberry etc with a decent finish/aftertaste. A perfect way to finish off a couple of good ciders.

@Victor @RianC I suppose it’s up to each retailer, but at what point might one return a bottle as “faulty” if it has so much sulphur as to be undrinkable? Is it an option?

@RikS I've purchased a few really crappy bottles of whiski among the hundreds of bottles I've purchased over the last 15 years. I've never tried to return a bottle. I guess I've always regarded whiski purchases as "caveat emptor" "as is" purchases. Would I ever consider trying to take a bottle back? Maybe, especially if it were a very expensive bottle I have not done so yet, though. I expect that the vendor response would be highly variable depending on the attitude of the individual vendor. I have read Connosr reports from some members who have succeeded in obtaining replacement bottles when they have been dissatisfied..

Usually, when a vendor consents to make restitution to a dissatisfied customer his action would be to replace the bottle with a new one. In the case of a badly sulphured malt whisky this would do no good, because the replacement bottle would almost certainly also come from the same badly sulphured batch. Only a refund of purchase price or exchange for a different item would work in a case like that. So far I have just opted out of getting involved in interpersonal transactions like that.

@Victor @RikS - the only bottle I ever complained about was a Glenfarclas 12 as the cork completely disintegrated on opening leaving all the debris in the bottle. I never expected much but Master of Malt asked for photos then sent me a replacement bottle, initially asking to send the original bottle back, but then said I could 'dispose of it' as I saw fit.

As it turned out, the bad cork bottle was much better than the replacement, which was kinda flat and dull. I'm not sure I'd complain in that situation again (I was a relative newbie) and have had a few bad bottles over the years. I've tended to either blend them or, more lately, simply give them away to a less fussy customer

Glencadam SMWS 82.37 (8 year - Nov. 2012) "Chewing pencils in a barbershop" - 1st-fill ex-bourbon hogshead - 62.9% ABV with a few drops of water added.

@Victor Like you, I probably have 30-50 years of whiski stockpiled in my cellar - and I only started "collecting" in 2010. At that time (up to ~2013) a buddy from Niagara Falls used to go over the border to Buffalo to purchase Laphroaig 18yo @ ~$60, declare it at customs, pay the duty (~$60) and still be $60 cheaper than @LCBO. Incredible. I bought 3 bottles from Alberta (which with shipping also came in ~$120). In retrospect, I should have bought more .... if for no other reason than to sell later. Some bottles are now going for crazy prices. Example: I have a Macallan CS (not the 10yo) for which I paid $95 (at the time I struggled to pay that much money for an NAS I didn't think was all that good). A co-worker has been after it for months ... latest offer in a trade: Springbank 18 + Ardbeg 19 traigh bhan + dinner at my restaurant of choice, I'm going to hold out for more since 3 years ago I practically gave him another Mac CS ($300 + Mac 12 sherry) LOL

@65glenfarclas I acquired 8 Mac CS back in 2014 I believe... $73 tax in in Calgary. I can't believe my BIL returned to 2 he got for $93 because they were more expensive...

I kept 2. I still have them. (Don't know what happened to the other 6...)

@paddockjudge gave me one in a lopsided trade (I had no idea in 2014). I have one pour left which I will share with him on the 10th anniversary of our meeting / first trade (which included that bottle), and I will open one of the 2 that I got (and end and a beginning).

@Nozinan, that, my friend, is a solid plan. I do enjoy a pour of the CS sherry cask Macallan. The six bottles from Calgary have been drunk. They were some of my favourite pours, many of them in blends. Thank you @nosebleed and @Nozinan. It will be a special day when we sip Mac CS.

@65glenfarclas that's very interesting, what you report. Now if you'd buddied up with @paddockjudge you could have done even better. That guy has charmed le douanier into letting him bring a dozen bottles of whiski into Canada duty free more than once. I love to brag about the accomplishments of my friend @paddockjudge! He's always prepared to pay the duty, but the border agent just decides it is too much trouble to do the paperwork...because @paddockjudge is so polite and respectful during the process of declaring that he is bringing in multiple bottles of liquor. It's a crazy crazy whiski world.

@Victor When coming back into Canada after >2 days its relatively easy to escape duty on bottles "over the limit" (a reasonable # for "personal use" of course). My buddy, however, would cross the border to shop and come back in a couple of hours. The Laphroaig 18 was the most profitable arbitrage opportunity at the time but there were many other bottles that cost significantly more in Ontario than NY. Since then, the price gap has narrowed significantly - partly due to the $Cdn having dropped v $US.

On the topic of selling/trading bottles that are now "collectible", I don't mind opening them and/or trading between like minded whiski drinkers. What I want to avoid is padding flippers' bank accounts, which is what I did about 4 years ago when I sold Sazarac 18 ($750), Eagle Rare 17 ($700), and PvW 15 ($1200).

On Thursday night, the director of the US chapter of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (Tom Smith) was in town with Charlie Maclean for the "Tasting Panel Experience". Charlie was the first head of the Society's tasting panel. The tasting panel's role is to decide what casks to bottle, to write the tasting notes and name the bottle. Charlie brought 6 cask samples from the Society's warehouse in Scotland. We, the attendees, tasted, rated on a scale of 1-10, wrote tasting notes (both without and with water) and named them. (@jordytropp and his wife were in attendance as well.) Below are what we tasted;

Braeval (SMWS 113) 12 year (Sep. 2008) 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 62.1% ABV. Very dry. Notes of caramel, fruity, spicy, tart. With water, dark honey, musli, sweeter. A solid starter dram.

Ben Nevis (SMWS 78) 11 year (Sep. 2009) 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 66.8% ABV. Also spicy and dry like the previous one. Notes of grass and wet hay. Another solid dram.

Glen Ord (SMWS 77) 13 year (Aug. 2007) After 11 years in ex-bourbon hogshead, finished for 2 years in a 2nd-fill Moscatel hogshead - 59.2% ABV. I love the Moscatel influence on top of the standard Glen Ord character. Dry, apricot and wood notes. With water becomes a little pungent; blue cheese.

Linkwood (SMWS39) 14 years (July 2006). After 12 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, finished for 2 years in a 1st-fill Oloroso hogshead - 58.8% ABV. The sherry influence is present / noticeable, but it is very balanced. Without water, reminded me of an aged rum. Notes of wine-soaked raisins, dry, cloying. With water, reminded me of an Armagnac. Notes of brown sugar, manuka honey. This was one of my favorites of the night. @BlueNote - I did verify that the lightly peated Linkwood from my last Society tasting was NOT peated spirit. Unfortunately, they didn't know the source of the peated cask, but I am surprised that all of the peatiness comes from the cask. Must have been a freshly dumped cask.

Macallan (SMWS 24) 12 year (Oct. 2008). After 10 years in Oloroso butt, finished for 2 years in a 1st-fill Oloroso hogshead - 63.6% ABV. This is the definition of a sherry bomb! I thought this was stunning, but Charlie Maclean said it was horrid. His exact word! Without water, notes of prune juice, leather and antique furniture. With water, reminded me of a Manhattan Cocktail (slight Maraschino cherry notes).

Ardmore (SMWS 66) 12 year (Nov. 2008). Refill ex-bourbon barrel - 52.6% ABV. It was earthy with a slight barnyard note. I loved this one. A perfect example of this distillery and everything you would want from a ex-bourbon, peated whisky.

After the event, went to dinner with Charlie Maclean, Tom Smith and a few other folks. Had a Mezcal Negroni cocktail, but I forgot to ask what Mezcal they used.

An absolutely amazing opportunity to spend time with and learn from one of the nicest, most knowledgeable people in the whisky world.

Last night, I finished off the last of the Ardmore cask sample from the event. There wasn't much more than a thimble full left, but it was still great!

I didn't get any of the Glen Ord cask sample, but I do have more of the others.

@bwmccoy thanks for a super report, and those are experiences which most of us would love to have. What did Charlie dislike about SMWS 24, the one you strongly liked? I would like to have seen your numerical scores for each of these whiskies. And it would be interesting to see the follow-up as to which were accepted and which not for bottling by SMWS.

My own tasting today:

Highland Park Dark Origins, 46.8% ABV, flawed by sulphur, but still somewhat likeable

Port Charlotte 10 yo Heavily Peated, 50% ABV

Laphroaig 10 CS Batch # 012, 60.1% ABV, yes all the Laphroaig 10 CS's are very nice; this one is as good as the very best of them

Glenlivet Nadurra Peated, NAS, 61.5% ABV Here's one I really want to talk about. This is my second sample of this from the same bottle from a friend. I have gone nearly 69 years in this life and never came close to ever buying any bottle of Glenlivet. I never really wanted any of them. I even passed on what I suspected, correctly, would be my last opportunity to buy a bottle of the 16 yo Nadurra. I like this one. I like this particular bottle of Glenlivet Nadurra Peated NAS quite a lot. It has delicious tastable barley, and a strong and delicious but not distracting peating. I would describe these samples as elegant. How would I best compare it? I would say it reminds me of a slightly less intense version of Amrut Peated Cask Strength, with more tastable barley. I am NOT in the market to buy more bottles right now, but I would be very happy with some of this Glenlivet Nadurra Peated NAS in my collection. Spoken by one who has never bought any Glenlivet whisky nor wanted to.

FWIW though I've never bought any OB Glenlivet 12 yo I wouldn't mind having that on hand either. What makes me cringe is that Glenlivet Founders Reserve. eeewwwww! The Glenlivet "money is no object" desideratum for me would be the Glenlivet 21 yo Archive. Yes, @paddockjudge, that is a good one, a very good one. And now a very pricey one.

@Victor - I was busy assisting with the event and never got to enquire further, but Charlie just kept repeating the word "horrid" as I was walking away. I did ask someone later if they knew why he disliked it so much and their comments were 1) Charlie does not like whiskies that are finished in secondary casks. The Macallan the Society used was a vatting of several Oloroso butts that were divided and finished in this case into a single 1st-fill ex-Oloroso hogshead. 2) The person also said that this particular Macallan did not live up to Charlie's expectation of what Macallan should (and could) be based on his years of experience with Macallan. Personally, at 63.6%, it reminded me a lot of the red box Macallan NAS Cask Strength bottlings which is what in large part turned me onto Scotch. I had been given a Glenlivet 12 bottle and HATED it. A year later, the same person gave me a bottle of Macallan NAS Cask Strength. I loved it and was blown away by how different it was from the Glenlivet. Shortly thereafter, I was given a Laphroaig 10 year, which I also loved. The difference between those 3 Scotch's are what made me want to know more about Scotch!

As for the numerical rating, we were asked to score on a scale of 1 - 10. After everyone gave their scores and were averaged out, all 6 whiskies were rated at about 6.5, which I completely disagree with. The first 3 expressions deserved similar scores, in my opinion, but the last 3 were much better than the first 3. I rated the Braeval a solid 7, but I normally rate on a scale of 100 and in that case, the Braeval was much better than a 70. I would probably rate it a low to mid 80's. The Ben Nevis was also a solid 7, but I would probably give it a mid 80 score. The Glen Ord I also scored a 7, but would probably give it a score of mid to high 80's. I scored the Linkwood an 8, but would score it in the high 80's. I scored the Macallan a 10, but would rate it low to mid 90's. By the way, the name I gave the Macallan was "Whisky Perfection!", so that should give you an idea of how much I liked it. I was afraid to tell Charlie I rated it a 10 or that I named it what I did. :-) The Ardmore I gave a score of 8, but would rate it high 80's or low 90's.

By the way, of the 6 expressions that we tasted, the highest scoring 3 will be bottled and sold as US chapter exclusive bottlings. Personally, I think it will be the last 3, but this event took place in 5 US cities; New York, Washington DC, Waco, Tx (Balcones distillery), Seattle and LA. The scores will be totaled for all 5 cities in order to determine which 3 will be bottled.

At the moment, I am drinking a new to me cocktail. The "Bianca Negroni" is Fast Penny Spirits' take on a white Negroni. It is 1.5oz Amaricano Bianca, 3/4oz dry vermouth, 3/4oz London Dry Gin (I used Botanist), 2 dashes of Orange bitters and an orange twist for garnish.

Next, I will be making a "New Pal". This is Fast Penny Spirits' take on an Old Pal. 1oz rye (Rittenhouse BiB), 1oz Amaricano Bianca, 1oz dry vermouth with a lemon twist for a garnish. If you can't tell, I'm trying to use up a generous sample of Fast Penny Spirits' Amaricano Bianca. The difference is their standard Amaricano uses burnt sugar which gives it the dark color. The Amaricano Bianca doesn't use the burnt sugar, so it is much lighter in color as well as taste.

@Victor , Glenlivet Archive 21 YO, pricey indeed, CA$359 worldwide average retail price...good luck finding it. I had an opportunity, not too long ago (pre-Covid/early Covid era) to acquire this highly desirable 21 YO for the surprisingly reasonable price of $CA200. I pulled the trigger on three bottles. Only a couple of months ago the same opportunity presented itself. I didn't acquire more stock as I hadn't opened any bottles from the last acquisition. Perhaps I should have sprung for one or two more....next time.

A lovely dram and an excellent blending malt, it plays well with others. A key ingredient in my favourite blended malt, OBSCENITY....Macallan CS sherry cask, Glenlivet Archive 21 YO, and Laphroaig 18 YO in the ratio of 8:4:1.

Yesterday (Sunday), I celebrated Easter at my brother-in-law's house. After dinner, we had the following drams;

Braeval (SMWS cask sample) 12 year (Sep. 2008) 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 62.1% ABV.

Linkwood (SMWS cask sample) 14 years (July 2006). After 12 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, finished for 2 years in a 1st-fill Oloroso hogshead - 58.8% ABV.

Linkwood SMWS 39.229 (10 year - Feb. 2011) "A merry dance" - After 8 years in an ex-bourbon cask, transferred to an ex-peaty bourbon barrel - 61.2% ABV

Glen Scotia SMWS 93.170 (9 year - Mar. 2012) "Mermaid karate" - 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 58.6% ABV

Tonight;

Strathmill SMWS 100.27 (11 year - Mar. 2010) "Colorful and flavorful" - After 8 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred to a 1st-fill Oloroso hogshead - 55.3% 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

Forty-three and one-half miles, that is the distance between three grain mashbill whisky and bourbon.

North of 7 Distillery located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, is developing a reputation for producing some stunningly delicious whisky. Move this facility 70 kilometers south of its current location and I would be singing praises about their cask strength bourbon instead of their three grain mashbill Canadian whisky.

Bottle #125 from Barrel #28 (Corn, Rye, and Barley) 58.5% alc. An easy sipper, one which paired very well with Easter Sunday's hickory smoked bone-in ham throughout the day, after the luncheon table had been cleared. A very pleasant nose and delicious on the tongue. Imagine Baker's 7 YO and Four Roses Single Barrel in the same glass.

This bottle was "on loan" to me from @cricklewood while my share of our barrel pick was delayed. This barrel was awarded a gold medal at the 2022 Canadian Whisky Awards. Thank you @JasonHambrey for negotiating the barrel purchase, our third, and for also coordinating the selection process with our group. I'm looking forward to 'number four' and many more after that.

What a great tribute to a wonderul whisky. 28 always reminds me of cask strength four roses. Different, but some surprising similarities. I think my hometown North of 7 is making some of the best whiskies in Canada, but they don’t push themselves into the limelight much

@paddockjudge I very much enjoy this one as well and appreciate @cricklewood and yourself for getting a bottle my way. I now have 2 including the 4 grain powerhouse 74.5%. I just ordered a North of 7 Rye 50.5% and am always interested in any of these releases especially a cask strength Rye if they become available

Corsair Triple Smoke (Beechwood, Cherry & Peat) American Single Malt Whiskey Pot Distilled 40% ABV. Not very smoky and has some bourbon qualities even though it is a single malt, but an easy drinker.