So, what are you drinking now?

This coming Monday night, @jordytropp and I will be pouring 9 whiskies from the Society’s December Outturn release. Last night (Thursday), I started prepping for the tasting by sampling the first 3 whiskies. Since these haven’t been released yet, I won’t reveal details until Monday night after the tasting.

Tonight (Friday), after picking out our Christmas tree, I made a couple of “perfect” Manhattan’s for my wife and I for happy hour using Old Forester 100 Proof Rye.

Perfect Manhattan = 2 ounces rye whiskey, 1/2 ounce dry vermouth, 1/2 ounce sweet vermouth, 2 dashes Angostura bitters with a Luxardo Cherry garnish.

@bwmcco, swap the cherry for an olive and you could serve that in a martini glass.

@65glenfarclas, @fiddich1980 clearly what a bottle is worth to a person depends on both taste and one's relative finances. Give me $ 10,000,000 tomorrow and I won't mind spending $ 5,000 on a bottle of whiski. Absent that I require excellence at relative value. At the CD$ 260 price I would require supreme confidence that what's in the bottle will "wow" me. I don't have that sort of confidence in much of anything that I have not just tasted and proven for myself. For me personally I can count on one, maybe two hands the specific bottles which would be worth >$ 260 to me prior to opening and tasting from the bottle in question. Which ones? White whales such as 1967 40 yo Duncan Taylor Springbank and Willett Family Estate 23 yo "Iron Fist" Rye. 2010 George T. Stagg would also certainly fit into that category, and I can tell you that if I owned no bottles of William Larue Weller I would gladly pay up to $ 400-500 for a bottle of any William Larue Weller. Bruichladdich Octomore 2.2 Orpheus is another that I would jump on at $ 260+.

The current price tags on whiski make it far riskier than in the past to "buy before you try."

@paddockjudge - actually, that version of Manhattan is meant to be served “up” in a martini glass which I did! :-)

Last night for happy hour, I made two different Vieux Carre recipes.

The first one was a newer version that I recently found which is 1oz each of Rye, Cognac and Sweet Vermouth, 1/4oz Benedictine, 2 dashes Angostura bitters and 2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters.

The second one was the recipe that I’ve been making since first learned of this cocktail about a year ago. It is 3/4oz each of Rye, Cognac and Sweet Vermouth, 1/2oz Benedictine, 2 dashes Angostura and 2 dashes Peychaud’s. This version has slightly less core spirits and more Benedictine which obviously makes for a sweeter cocktail which I normally do not prefer. That’s why I thought I would like the newer version better, but that was not the case. The newer version is “flat” (muddled, less complex, boring). While sweeter, the older version is more complex and surprisingly balanced.

Also last night, I sampled 4 more of the 9 whiskies that @jordytropp and I will be pouring for the Society tasting tomorrow night. I still have two more whiskies to sample before then.

Just tried the last 2 whiskies for the tasting tomorrow night. Wow! While none of the first 7 blew me away, these last two more than make up for it and are stunning! Can’t wait to reveal details tomorrow night.

Tonight (Sunday), my wife and I had @jordytropp and his wife over for dinner and drams.

Thanks to @Victor, we started off with some amazing samples that @Victor generously shared with me on my recent visit to his house.

Pappy Van Winkle 15 year old 2010 release 53.5% ABV

William Larue Weller 2015 release 67.3% ABV

George T. Stagg 2012 release 71.3% ABV

Abraham Bowman Bourbon 17 year old (Distilled Dec 14th 1994, bottled May 11th 2012) 73.75% ABV

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye 2012 release 66.2% ABV

For me, I ranked them in the following order; Bowman, Stagg, Pappy, Handy and Weller, but Stagg and Pappy were really close. They could have easily been Pappy 2nd and Stagg 3rd. Thank you so much @Victor for sharing these with me! What a special treat!

Next up was a single cask GlenDronach. Distilled December 15th, 2005, bottled 2020. 14 year old. Fully matured in a PX Puncheon Cask number 1928. Bottle #83 of 612. 58% ABV.

Next, a Gordon & MacPhail Speymalt from the Macallan distillery distilled 1990, bottled 2011. 43% ABV. Thank you @jordytropp for this amazing and thoughtful gift.

We finished the night by comparing 2 Laphroaig’s head-to-head.

Laphroaig Cairdeas Port & Wine Casks 52% ABV.

Laphroaig SMWS 29.281 (10 year - Sep. 2010) "Driftwood Barbecue!" - 2nd-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 60.8% ABV.

A great night with special friends!

@bwmccoy wonderful! I am curious what the impressions were of your wife and friends of the 5 American whiskeys.

@bwmccoy I'm curious; do you include the generous lemon twist as a garnish to your Vieux Carré? The first few times I made the cocktail I didn't include it but when I finally did, the whole experience was elevated. It sounds silly, but it's true.

@bwmccoy, the 17 YO Bowman is my favourite of ALL the whiskies I have tried with @Victor. I refer to his decadent line-up as the BOURBON SPECTACULAR.

Abraham Bowman Bourbon 17 year old (Distilled Dec 14th 1994, bottled May 11th 2012) 73.75% ABV is without a doubt my favourite North American Whisky. I have a portion of one of @Victor's generous samples, I will share this with my son...when he is ready.

@Victor - The four of us that shared your 5 samples all understood that we were drinking some very special whisky and what a treat it was to be able to do so. Again, Thank you! I think we were mostly in agreement of the order of preference that I listed in my previous post. There were two surprises for me: one bad and one good. I'm not sure if it was my palate, but the Weller seemed really over-oaked. Sorry, but I got notes of heavily stained and varnished antique furniture and liquid wood. I still have some left of all 5 samples, so I'm going to revisit the Weller again when I can do so without tasting anything prior to see if that makes a difference. The other surprise was the Stagg. I don't remember that one being a standout the last time I had it with you in 2018. However, on Sunday, I got a wonderful peppermint note in the finish, but the really cool part was the longer the whisky sat in the glass and the more I sipped it, that peppermint note transitioned into a distinct dill note. I can't wait to revisit that one as well. Thank you again for sharing generous samples of your amazing whisky with me. A very special treat indeed!

@OdysseusUnbound - Not this time, but based on your recommendation previously, I have tried lemon twist in the Vieux Carre and I agree it makes a completely different experience. Ever since, depending on my mood, when I make a Vieux Carre, I either garnish with only a Luxardo Cherry, an orange twist or a lemon twist. I've also done combos of either orange and cherry or all three: cherry, lemon and orange. It's fun to play around with the different garnishes and combos. It so interesting that a relatively minor change can make such a huge difference.

@paddockjudge - From my first sip of Bowman at @Victor's house in 2018, I immediately proclaimed it to be the best Bourbon that I have ever tried. I added that if all Bourbon tasted like that Bowman, I would be drinking a lot more Bourbon! I was excited to try it again after all of these years to see if it lived up to my memory of it. It did not disappoint! What an amazing whiskey! I'm blown away that you have no idea that you are drinking a 73.75% ABV whiskey.

Last night (Monday), @jordytropp and I lead a Society tasting featuring 9 whiskies from their December Outturn that was released this morning. Below are the details:

First up was a Lowland grain whisky from the Strathclyde distillery. SMWS G10.37 "A jolly good dash". 16 years (July 2005) from a 2nd-fill ex-Bourbon hogshead (heavy toast/medium char). ABV: 57.7%. For me, a single cask grain whisky is in its prime between 25 and 35 years old. For that reason, I expected this one to be a little "young" and it is, in my opinion. The use of the HTMC cask helped give this whisky some character that it would have otherwise been lacking. It was better than I expected it to be.

Linkwood SMWS 39.225 "Easy over". 10 years (Feb. 2011) from a 2nd fill ex-Bourbon barrel. ABV: 60.6%. We had another Linkwood cask at a previous tasting recently and when I first opened it, I was really disappointed with it. That previous Linkwood is the one that I took a sample of to @Victor recently. It was amazing how much better it was after being open a month or so. I'm hopeful this Linkwood has a similar experience because I was underwhelmed with it initially.

Ben Nevis SMWS 78.55 "Slow sapid surrender". 8 years (Dec. 2012) from a 1st fill ex-Bourbon hogshead. ABV: 59.4%. I was underwhelmed with this one as well. I think it may have needed more time in the cask, but who knows, maybe it will open up as well in the coming weeks / months.

Clynelish SMWS 26.186 "Polished and refined". 10 years (Feb. 2011) from a 1st fill ex-Bourbon barrel. ABV: 59.2%. I liked how different this one is without versus with water. I'm anxious to see how this one develops over time as well.

Speyburn SMWS 88.27 "The nutcracker". 12 years (Feb. 2009) from a refill ex-Bourbon hogshead. ABV: 54.0%. This one really impressed me. I've tried a few official bottlings of Speyburn over the years and was not impressed. Water is not needed. For me, water took away what made this one so special: nutty, savory notes (toasted pine nuts, Armagnac, orange, charred oak, ginger spice and dark chocolate along with sweet notes of marmalade and marzipan).

Blair Athol SMWS 68.71 "Rather scrumptious". 12 years (Feb. 2009). After spending 10 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred to a 1st-fill Oloroso hogshead. ABV: 58.6%. When I first opened this one to try it before the event, it had a weird finish. (Fortunately, that dissipated before the event.) When it still had the weird finish, adding water helped a lot brining out a nice wine note on the palate.

Ardmore SMWS 66.208 "A smoky, sweet and savoury sensation". 23 years (Oct. 1997). Following 21 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred into a 1st-fill shaved, toasted and re-charred Oloroso barrique cask. ABV: 47.8%. Another curious nose and palate when first opened, so it needed some water. After opening this one on Saturday, I revisited it on Sunday and the curious note was greatly diminished and I didn't detect it at all last night. This one did not live up to my expectations of it, but I think it's another example of one that time, and air exposure will improve it.

Bowmore SMWS 3.336 "Sublime maritime". 17 years (Feb. 2004) from a 2nd-fill ex-Bourbon hogshead. ABV: 57.4%. This was what all Bowmore's should taste like! Notes of roasted nuts, salt, herbs, BBQ and mussels. Stunning!

Finished with a heavily peated Caol Ila SMWS 53.398 "Death of the T-1000". 11 years (Sep. 2010) from a refill ex-Bourbon hogshead. ABV: 58.2%. Wow! For me, easily the best of the night. You couldn't get much better 2 whiskies in a row with that Bowmore followed by this one. A peat lover's dream. One of the attendee's said he normally prefers sweeter, non-peated Scotch, but this Caol Ila was his favorite of the night, so it wasn't just me. :-) Notes of smoke, brine, lemon and charred twigs.

@bwmccoy, I did not know it was designed to be served in a martini glass...tiger can't change its stripes.

I have not attempted to procure one...........yet

Tonight, before finishing off one bottle, I compared two 8 year old Ben Nevis offerings from the Society head-to-head. Both were distilled on the same day (Dec. 7th, 2012) and both were matured in 1st-fill ex-bourbon hogshead casks. They are both so similar, yet so different. Cask 78.55 had a more vibrant nose and palate than Cask 78.52 in my opinion and was my favorite of the two. It is such a treat to be able to compare two whiskies from the same distillery that were distilled on the same date and matured for the same number of years in the same cask types. This a great way to see the influence of the two different casks even though they were the same cask types.

Ben Nevis SMWS 78.52 (8 year - Dec. 2012) "Jolly nice" - 1st-fill ex-bourbon hogshead - 59.1% ABV. (Bottle kill)

Ben Nevis SMWS 78.55 (8 year - Dec. 2012) "Slow sapid surrender" - 1st fill ex-Bourbon hogshead - 59.4% ABV.

Comparing two more Society 8-year old's head-to-head, but this time from Glenfarclas. Both were distilled on the same day (Dec. 13th, 2012) and both were matured in 2nd-fill ex-bourbon barrel casks which is unique since they are known for their use of ex-Sherry casks. Cask 1.257 is light, sweet and fruity. Cask 1.253 is also fruity, but with cooking spices and an earthy, mineral note that makes this a more complex dram. 1.253 is my favorite of the two. Another great opportunity to compare two whiskies from the same distillery that were distilled on the same date and matured for the same number of years in the same cask types. A study in cask influence.

Glenfarclas SMWS 1.257 (8 year - Dec. 2012) "Lip-smacking, and summery" - 2nd-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 63.1% ABV

Glenfarclas SMWS 1.253 (8 year - Dec. 2012) "The real deal" - 2nd-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 63.5% ABV

Tonight, I rated a recently opened bottle.

Macallan Speymalt from Gordon & Macphail. 21 year (Distilled 1990, Bottled 2011). 43% ABV. Rating: 95 points.

This is old school Macallan. Beautiful whisky.

I haven’t had any whisky since December first. And tomorrow I am hosting a tasting, so I figure I should provide some exposure to my liver tonight so there is no shock tomorrow.

I noticed this one in my cabinet and decided to pour it. Kaiyo Mizunara CS. I last had some 17 months ago, and have poured it twice in 2 1/2 years, so it was definitely time.

A couple of Black Manhattan’s made with Maker’s Mark 46.

Behind in my posting. Sorry!

On Saturday night, my wife and I had another couple over for dinner and drams. This couple is really into whisky like us, and they love blind tastings. They are familiar with my cabinet, so it is really hard to stump them. However, I had an ace up my sleeve this time or so I thought.

To start, I poured all 5 whisky samples that @Victor gave me on my recent trip to DC. The blind tasting consisted of the following.

Pappy Van Winkle 15-year-old 2010 release 53.5% ABV

William Larue Weller 2015 release 67.3% ABV

George T. Stagg 2012 release 71.3% ABV

Abraham Bowman Bourbon 17-year-old (Distilled Dec 14th, 1994, bottled May 11th, 2012) 73.75% ABV

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye 2012 release 66.2% ABV

The husband guessed everyone nearly 100% correct. I couldn't believe it. The only one he got "wrong" was he said John Bowman instead of Abraham Bowman, but I was impressed that he even got that close. Very close and very impressive. By the way @Victor, they both asked me to thank you for sharing these whiskies with me so I could share them with them. They couldn't believe they were getting to try these very special whiskies.

Following that blind tasting, we took a break for dinner. I grilled / smoked a couple of Top Sirloin Caps and a Tri-Tip Roast as well as some Halibut. I figured a nice sherried whisky would pair well with the steaks, so I poured for us a Macallan Speymalt from Gordon & Macphail. 21 year (Distilled 1990, Bottled 2011). 43% ABV. It did not disappoint.

After dinner, I provided another blind tasting for our friends.

Glen Moray SMWS 35.309 (9 year - June 2012) "Darwin's tipple" - 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 60.3% ABV.

Glenfarclas SMWS 1.253 (8 year - Dec. 2012) "The real deal" - 2nd-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 63.5% ABV. The ex-bourbon stumped my friend on this one. Finally!

Blair Athol SMWS 68.70 (12 year - Aug. 2008) "Intriguing idiosyncratic" - After 9 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred into a 1st-fill custom toasted American and European oak barrique - 59.5% ABV

Glenburgie SMWS 71.87 (10 year - May 2011) "Cowboys at dinner" - After 8 years in an Oloroso butt, transferred into a heavy charred 1st-fill puncheon - 58.2% ABV.

Highland Park SMWS 4.296 (20 year - Sep. 2000) "Life-affirming" - At 17 years, selected ex-bourbon hogshead casks were vatted then split among a variety of casks. Final 3 years spent in a refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 56.1% ABV.

Caol Ila SMWS 53.395 (11 year - Nov. 2009) "Smoky explosion" - Refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 56.4% ABV.

Batch 15 SMWS blended malt whisky. A 10-year-old consisting of peated casks from Islay and Orkney matured in a combination of ex-bourbon, ex-PX and ex-Oloroso casks - 50% ABV.

Next was a blind tasting for my wife and I.

The only thing our friends told us was that all four whiskies were peated and all from ex-bourbon casks. They asked us to rank the four whiskies in order of preference and to guess which distilleries they were from. We didn't know if they were all Scotch or if they were all from Islay. They were.

I correctly guessed the distilleries for my two favorites. #1 was an 11 year Caol Ila from Single Cask Nation (58.3% ABV). A close second was the Laphroaig Cairdeas Warehouse 1 (52.2% ABV). I immediately recognized it as a Laphroaig, just without the sherry, seaweed, iodine influence. The distillery character still comes through. I really liked it. It was a very close second to the Caol Ila.

From there I didn't do so well. My third favorite turned out to be Octomore 5.1 (59.5% ABV). The peat was so different that I thought it was an Eastern Highland distillery, but not Ardmore. I guessed a smoky Benromach. However, my friend said the peat for Octomore 5.1 is from an Eastern Highland source (I haven't been able to verify that), but it's not from Islay, so I was on the right track or at least that's what I keep telling myself. :-)

My fourth favorite turned out to be a Lagavulin 12 (56.5% ABV) from Diageo's Special Release last year (2021). The whisky was fine: they all were. It was just my least favorite of the four. I thought it was a Kilchoman Machir Bay Cask Strength.

Sorry for the long post, but Saturday night was a good whisky night.

On Sunday night, my wife and I had a couple of Black Manhattan's made with Maker's Mark 46 for happy hour.

Last night (Tuesday), I rated three recently opened bottles.

Speyburn SMWS 88.27 (12 year - Feb. 2009) "The nutcracker" - Refill ex-Bourbon hogshead - 54.0% ABV. Rating: 89.

Bowmore SMWS 3.336 (17 year - Feb. 2004) "Sublime maritime" - 2nd-fill ex-Bourbon hogshead - 57.4% ABV. Rating: 92.

Caol Ila SMWS 53.398 (11 year - Sep. 2010) "Death of the T-1000" - Refill ex-Bourbon hogshead - 58.2% ABV. Rating: 94.

Tonight, rated three more open bottles.

Linkwood SMWS 39.225 (10 year - Feb. 2011) "Easy over" - 2nd fill ex-Bourbon barrel - 60.6% ABV. Rating: 87.

Clynelish SMWS 26.186 (10 year - Feb. 2011) "Polished and refined" - 1st fill ex-Bourbon barrel - 59.2% ABV. Rating: 89.

Strathclyde SMWS G10.37 (16 year - July 2005) "A jolly good dash" - 2nd-fill ex-Bourbon hogshead (heavy toast/medium char) - 57.7% ABV. Rating: 88.

Tonight, I rated the last two open unrated bottles in my cabinet.

Ben Nevis SMWS 78.55 (8 year - Dec. 2012) "Slow sapid surrender" - 1st fill ex-Bourbon hogshead - 59.4% ABV. Rating: 87.

Blair Athol SMWS 68.71 (12 year - Feb. 2009) "Rather scrumptious" - After 10 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred to a 1st-fill Oloroso hogshead - 58.6% ABV. Rating: 89.

Finished the night with Caol Ila SMWS 53.395 (11 year - Nov. 2009) "Smoky explosion" - Refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 56.4% ABV.

@bwmccoy what did you think/ rate the Caol Ila? A lovely distillate when matured well.

Oh and Springbank 10 tonight followed by Springbank 15 2022 release. Both lovely bottles but the ramped up sherry in the cask mix of this 15 release is just brilliant.

Gonna draw some samples off for those who I know will be interested and then leave the bottle alone. Only had four bottles of the 15 before and this one is definitely the most memorable.

Cheers all..

@Timp - I rated that particular cask a 92. Smoky, sweet and briny. Doesn’t have the wet ash note that I usually get in a Caol Ila, but I really like it! I have 3 different Society Caol Ila’s open at the moment. Two I rated a 92 and the heavily peated one I rated a 94. Great whisky!

Last night, my wife and I had a couple of Vieux Carre cocktails for happy hour made with Old Forester Kentucky Straight Rye 100 Proof.

Yesterday (Sunday), mid-afternoon, it started snowing so I had a small dram of Westland Distillery (Seattle, WA) Cask # 6140 Single cask release, cask strength 7 year (4 year New American Oak + 3 year Pineau des Charentes brandy cask) 50.5% ABV.

Later, my wife, so, some friends and I went to a local nightly Christmas parade called "Snowflake Lane". They usually use fake snow for the parade, but last night, they didn't have to thanks to the real snow that was falling. While watching the parade, had a few sips of Hine Rare Cognac and the Robert Burns Single Malt from the Isle of Arran distillery.

Later, at dinner, I had an Old Fashioned Cocktail (Knob Creek Rye, Luxardo Maraschino, Simple Syrup, Old Fashion Bitters).

Tonight, Strathclyde SMWS G10.37 (16 year - July 2005) "A jolly good dash" - 2nd-fill ex-Bourbon hogshead (heavy toast/medium char) - 57.7% ABV.

Followed by Blair Athol SMWS 68.70 (12 year - Aug. 2008) "Intriguing idiosyncratic" - After 9 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred into a 1st-fill custom toasted American and European oak barrique cask - 59.5% ABV.

Tonight, my wife and I had a perfect Manhattan served up followed by a traditional Manhattan also served up. Both were made with Old Forester Kentucky Straight Rye 100 Proof.

Tonight, Teaninich SMWS 59.65 (13 year - Feb. 2008) "Red oak" - After 10 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred to a 1st-fill ex-red wine barrique - 55.7% ABV. The red wine finish is perfectly balanced with notes of grape skin / grape leaf.

Craigellachie SMWS 44.149 (14 year - Oct. 2006) "The early bird gets the worm" - After 12 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred to a 2nd-fill ex-Oloroso hogshead - 62.1% ABV. Notes of leather and tobacco.

Laphroaig SMWS 29.281 (10 year - Sep. 2010) "Driftwood Barbecue!" - 2nd-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 60.8% ABV. Notes of peated perfection. :-)