So, what are you drinking now?

@bwmccoy - Very sorry to hear of your loss. My condolences.

@Victor @TracerBullet @Nozinan @BlueNote and @RianC - Thank you all for your kind words and thoughts. I really appreciate it! We'll be traveling to Texas in a few days for my Mom's celebration of life service and to spend time with family and friends. Thank you all again. It means a lot!

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

@bwmccoy So very sorry to hear. My condolences.

@YakLord - Thank you!

Last night, I made my wife a couple of G&T’s using Isle of Harris gin.

I had a couple of Black Manhattan’s using Maker’s Mark 46.

A trio of Maple Whiskies. From L-R: Distillerie La Chaufferie Sugar Shack, Crown Royal Maple Finished, and Top Shelf Reunion Maple Moonshine.

@bwmccoy Very sorry to hear you have lost your Mom. My thoughts are with you. Regards. Tim

@Timp - Thank you, Tim! I really appreciate it!

Last night (Sunday) for happy hour, I made my wife and I a couple of Old Forester 100 Proof Rye Old Fashioned cocktails using Old Forester Smoked Cinnamon bitters to saturate the sugar cube with an expressed orange peel for garnish. The smoked cinnamon bitters played well with the Rye, sugar and orange giving an almost Fall feel to the traditional Old Fashioned. My version of a pumpkin spiced latte?

Later, I sampled 3 of the 6 whiskies that @jordytropp and I will be pouring tomorrow (Tuesday) night for the Society's September Outturn Preview Tasting. Since it's a blind tasting, I will reveal details after the event.

Tonight (Monday), for happy hour, I made my wife and I a couple of Jerry Thomas Manhattan's using Old Forester 100 Proof Rye, Grand Marnier, sweet vermouth, Angostura bitters and using a butane torch to light the expressed orange oils from a slice of orange peel over the cocktails and then using the orange peel for garnish.

Later, I will be sampling the last 3 whiskies that @jordytropp and I will be pouring tomorrow night.

Duplicate entry of the one below. Sorry.

Last night (Tuesday), @jordytropp and I conducted an SMWS blind tasting for 39 attendees of the following 6 whiskies.

Strathmill SMWS 100.40 (10 year - June 2012) "Well Red" - After maturing for seven years in an-ex bourbon hogshead, transferred to a first fill d'Arenberg Australian shiraz barrique cask - 62.1% ABV.

Glen Elgin SMWS 85.72 (16 year - July 2006) "Double Dessert" - After 13 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred to a charred red wine barrique cask - 59.1% ABV.

Auchroisk SMWS 95.67 (16 year - Jan. 2006) "Cosy with a kick" - Following 13 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred to a first fill American oak PX hogshead - 56.6% ABV.

Inchgower SMWS 18.51 (15 year - Sep. 2007) "Dark and Decadent" - After maturing for 12 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred to a first fill Spanish oak oloroso hogshead - 60.5% ABV.

Highland Park SMWS 4.328 (14 year - Jan. 2008) "Meets expectations" - At 9 years of age, they Society combined selected casks from the same distillery. They then returned the single malt into a variety of different casks to develop further. This 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel is one of those casks - 60.6% ABV. My second favorite of the night.

Ardmore SMWS 66.229 (15 year - July 2007) "Tarred and re-feathered" - Matured for 12 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead before being transferred to a first fill American oak Pedro Ximénez hogshead - 59.4% ABV. My personal favorite of the night!

Last night's CFL Football & Whisky Tasting, held in a condo overlooking the field. Ottawa ended up losing, despite being ahead at the end of the third quarter. We started the evening with Gibson’s Finest 100th Grey Cup Limited Edition...

@YakLord nice line-up

That John’s private cask hasn’t been seen in the wild for many, many years. How was it?

And what batch A’Bunadh was it? The label looks different from the ones my bottles have.

@Nozinan It was a good lineup. The Forty Creek was better than I thought it would be, given the port cask influence. A couple rare whiskies with a few more readily available ones. The a'bunadh was batch 77 at 60.8% ABV.

Still in Texas, spending time with family following the services for my Mom.

My older son and I purchased a few premade cocktails to share with the family.

On Friday night, had a Hochstadter’s Slow and Low Rock and Rye Old Fashioned (42% ABV). Straight Rye Whiskey, raw honey, navel orange rock candy and bitters. I was surprised how much I liked it. It wasn’t as sweet as I was afraid it would be.

Next, Batch and Bottle Monkey Shoulder blended scotch whisky Lazy Old Fashioned cocktail (35% ABV). I really liked this one as well.

Finished the night with Bulleit Manhattan cocktail (37.5% ABV). As good as I remember it from when I had it in New Mexico a couple of weeks ago.

Last night (Saturday), finished off the Batch and Bottle Lazy Old Fashioned.

Later at a local restaurant, had a couple of really good variations on standard cocktails.

The Woodsman (Old Fashioned) made with Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Wild Plum Bitters, Rosemary syrup, orange peel and burnt Rosemary sprig garnish.

Boardwalk Manhattan made with Wild Turkey Rye, black walnut bitters and Tawny Port.

Last night (Sunday), finished the bottle of Bulleit Manhattan cocktail (37.5% ABV).

Tonight on the flight home, had a couple of Dewar’s white label blended Scotch’s (40%).

Happy New Year Everyone!

Tonight we had 18 people at our place for dinner. I did my BBQing early and was able to enjoy a small pour of Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban with my brother before dinner. This one goes down so easily.

My back gave out earlier this week, badly! All the pain meds in the world didn't seem to be helping so I turned to whisky . I opened a Thompson Bros Blended Whisky 6 years old. Been getting lots of positive reviews this one, with rumours of it being a tsp'd Macallan.

In spite of the meds affect on my palate I was able to access the nose and taste reasonably well. Quite a big, 'old skool' sherry nose, with lots of cherry, tobacco, Xmas spices and even a little yeasty funk Quite a lot of orange too. One senses the malt is much more than 6 years old. Barely noticeable grain on the nose with just wee hints of creme caramel on the palate. A drop of water really helps bring it all together.

I already have a second in the stash but am very tempted to get another - super quaffable and rewarding at the same time.

On the rumours ... I could see this being a 'tsp'd blend' (rumour has it that some old Macallan went into a vat still containing some Famous Grouse) as the grain is very distant, but not sure about it being Macallan. Its profile reminds me of old Dimple blends and Edradour malt.

Definitely grab one of you can though! Are blends making a bit of a come back, I wonder?

@RianC so sorry to hear about your back. I agree that sometimes ibuprofen or naproxen and paracetamol (acetaminophen for us north americans) isn’t enough. Some formulations specifically for back pain include methocarbamol as a muscle relaxant. Baclofen is by prescription here but much more effective as a muscle relaxant.

None of those should be taken with alcohol, even if it’s THE Macallan. The latter 2 can increase sedation, the anti-inflammatories can have an increased risk of internal bleeding and acetaminophen and alcohol pose a risk of liver damage, though less so with good protein intake.

Oh wait… is this Connosr? My bad. I thought was posting on the medical site profossr.

Hope you feel better. I’m going to be at a tasting and I’ll dedicate my first dram just to you.

@RianC - Sorry to hear about your back pain. I hope you can get some relief soon!

It's been a crazy week at work since returning from my Bereavement leave, so while I haven't been drinking much, I'm behind in my posting.

On Wednesday night, I blended a couple of my single malts together. I haven't been happy with my bottle of Hudson "Back Room Deal". New York Straight Rye Whiskey finished in peated Scotch barrels (46% ABV) since I opened it several months ago. I can't get past the furniture polish / paint thinner note that dominates on the nose and the palate. I've been letting it sit with air in the bottle hoping that it improves with time. When I took a small sip of it on Wednesday night, it had improved a little, but still not to a point where I want to drink it on its own. I decided to add about an equal portion of Bainbridge Organic Distillers Battle Point Two Islands Islay Cask Wheat Whiskey (43% ABV). I enjoy the Bainbridge whiskey on its own, so while the blend of the two was not as good as the Bainbridge on its own, it did improve the Hudson a little.

I will give the Hudson more time to see if it continues to improve, but I may also blend it with other whiskies in my cabinet to see if one of them is the magic pill that cures what ills the Hudson.

Last night (Friday), for happy hour, I made my wife and I a couple of Jerry Thomas Manhattans made with Old Forester 100 Proof Rye.

I’m having the last of my El Tequileño Añejo Tequila. This was a very nice sipper, but the price for it has reached ridiculous levels even by LCBO standards so this bottle won’t be replaced.

@Nozinan @bwmccoy - thanks for kind words

It's weird, like my lower back has gone into spasm or 'frozen'. Even lying straight on the floor is impossible! It is showing signs of easing off but the progress is slow. Trying to do lots of deep breathing and muscle relaxing but that just seems to make it worse!

Booo!

No pain meds yet today so having a Glen Scotia Victoriana. Quite nice! It reminds me of a good batch of Nikka FTB - rich, ex-bourbon & malty profile. Quite bright and 'golden'. Cheers!

@RianC - Sorry to hear things haven't improved.

Last night (Saturday), my family and I went over to my wife's sister's house for dinner. My brother-in-law and I had the following.

Glenfiddich 18 Year Old - 43% ABV

Bruichladdich Islay Barely 2013 - 8 years - ex-European & ex-American oak casks - 50% ABV

Clynelish SMWS 26.210 (9 year - Oct. 2012) "A yum, fun and waxy one" - 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 60.1% ABV

Glen Scotia SMWS 93.177 (8 year - March 2013) "Crossing the event horizon" - 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 58.6% ABV

Caol Ila SMWS 53.276 (6 year - Mar. 2012) "Ein kleiner deutscher samurai" - Refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 61.2% ABV

Tonight, a couple of Vieux Carre cocktails made with Old Forester 100 Proof Rye for happy hour.

Last night I tried a sample of Kilkerran Heavily Peated B4 after watching ralfy review B8. He rated it quite highly; I remembered I had the sample and tried a bit ...

The initial nose was a bit muted but, as it sat, a very unpleasant type of peat began to radiate out. Hard to describe but it smelt like something used to strip paint or clean steel. I was surprised to find myself recoiling from the glass after a while, unable to stand the smell. Now I enjoy peat in a whisky as much as the next man, but this wasn't giving an 'impression' of some sort of 'chemical' - like creosote, for example - this smelt 'really bad'; and definitely not something I wanted to put anywhere near my body!

I had to taste it though (and pray @weirdo hadn't mixed up the samples, or had other devious intentions ) and I, again, recoiled - instantly reaching for water. My face must have been a picture . It tasted just like it smelt - pungent, chemistry set and heavily industrial.

A really bizarre reaction to a style, and distillery, I usually really like. That 'nip' of peat didn't leave my nose all night. Very odd. I'd tried a small sample pour of the 16 beforehand and loved that! Was this immature or just too full-on for me to enjoy? I did check a familiar whisky afterwards to see if my palate was off and, yes, whilst it was still recognisable, didn't taste quite like it did normally. Still, I did not expect that reaction! I wonder if this type of peat was triggering a previous negative experience linked to that smell?

Maybe I'll go back to it another time but, honestly, I'm a bit scared

Last night (Wednesday), I poured three Scotch Malt Whisky Society whiskies at a local restaurant in support of the restaurant's Whisk(e)y and Wings Wednesday's / Single Malt September event. On Monday night, in preparation for the event, I sampled the 3 expressions that I poured last night at the event. They were:

Copperworks (Seattle, WA) SMWS 143.4 (3 year - Mar. 2018) "Coast to coast" - New American oak barrel, #3 char - 61.2% ABV.

Ben Nevis SMWS 78.62 (8 year - Nov. 2013) "At home on the range" - After 4 years in an ex-Oloroso butt, transferred to a 2nd-fill PX butt - 66.9% ABV.

Ardmore SMWS 66.229 (15 year - July 2007) "Tarred and re-feathered" - Matured for 12 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead before being transferred to a first fill American oak Pedro Ximénez hogshead - 59.4% ABV.

All 3 whiskies were big and bold which paired well with the wings.

On Tuesday night, I was at the Space Needle for an event that my company was hosting. I had a Woodinville Straight Rye Whiskey (45% ABV) and a Michter's Straight Rye (42.4% ABV).

Tonight (Thursday), I'm in Spokane, WA for business and I brought a few samples with me. A friend recently went to the Springbank school and brought me a sample of the Springbank distillery only Demijohn (58.5% ABV). This is so good. The nose is quintessential Campbeltown funk and citrus. The palate is light peat, earthy, farm yard and smokey.

Opened an Ardbeg 8 'For Discussion' last night. (@TracerBullet).

First impressions were good. Less lime and dark choc than I'm used to with Ardbeg - more lemon and lime (Sprite) kind of citrus notes. Very little, if any, sherry notes came through but the peat was very much in tact: less TCP than usual with more coal smoke and creosote. Quite light mouthfeel too, which surprised me a bit. The finish was very short, yet was one of the crispest and cleanest finishes I've had - chiseled, one might say.

Didn't blow me away but I was certainly happy with the buy. Be fun to try against other Ardbegs ...

Last night (Saturday), after getting home from my business trip, Inchgower SMWS 18.45 (11 year - June 2010) "Hola!" - After 8 years ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred to a 1st-fill ex-Oloroso hogshead - 57.3% ABV.

Tonight, my wife and I had a couple of "Noix on Broadway" cocktails for happy hour. 3 parts Rye (Old Forester 100 Proof Rye) and 1 part Sidetrack (Kent, WA) Nocino Walnut Liqueur, garnished with an orange peel.

@bwmccoy I like the sound of happy hour at your house. I recently dropped a bunch of dough at my favorite record store in Victoria. Currently listening to Charles LLoyd and the Marvels, the main marvel being Bill Frisell, and sipping on some red bordeax matured cask strength Ledaig 9 year old. All good here on a rainy west coast evening. My Jays are looking slightly better than your Mariners for a wild card spot, although I'll support which ever one makes it.

Cheers.

@BlueNote - You are welcome to join us for happy hour any time. You bring the music and I'll make us some cocktails.

Last night, I rated 3 of my 8 open, unrated bottles.

Glen Elgin SMWS 85.72 (16 year - July 2006) "Double Dessert" - After 13 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred to a charred red wine barrique cask - 59.1% ABV. Rating: 88

Auchroisk SMWS 95.67 (16 year - Jan. 2006) "Cosy with a kick" - Following 13 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred to a first fill American oak PX hogshead - 56.6% ABV. Rating: 89

Inchgower SMWS 18.51 (15 year - Sep. 2007) "Dark and Decadent" - After maturing for 12 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred to a first fill Spanish oak oloroso hogshead - 60.5% ABV. Rating: 92