So, what are you drinking now?

@BlueNote - Believe it or not, water not required. It’s an easy-drinking 66.9% ABV!

Last night, at a work dinner, over the course of the evening, I had 3 Manhattan’s made with Woodford Reserve Double Oaked.

Last night (Wednesday), I drank local.

Bainbridge Organic Distillers (Bainbridge Island, WA) Battle Point Wheat Whiskey Barrel Proof - 67.3% ABV.

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

Glen Scotia SMWS 93.197 (9 year - Oct. 2013) "More pirate than puffer" - 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 59.8% ABV.

Followed by Ardmore SMWS 66.238 (11 year - Sep. 2011) "Blackbeard's treasure" - After eight years in an ex-bourbon cask, transferred to a refill Trinidad rum barrel - 62.3% ABV.

Opened a bottle of Kilchoman Loch Gruinart tonight and enjoyed the first couple of drams. Only £35 from a local supermarket and well worth the money in my view.

A young peater yes, but very easy drinking and would be a good introduction to someone wishing to explore peated drams a bit more.

Cheers all..

Friday night happy hour consisted of a couple of Black Manhattan's made with Maker's Mark 46.

From L-R: Rabbit Hole Dareringer Sttaight Bourbon, Bladnoch Vinaya, Penderyn Sherrywood, Aberfeldy 16 year-old. A fairly pedestrian selection for a Whisky Tasting Fundraiser, but it was nice to get out with friends.

@RianC sorry for the late reponse mate. No I haven’t tasted your Mortlach yet and makes sense to do a flight. Got another Decadent drinks Mortlach as well so could do a three way flight. Got a sample of this one set aside for you too.

Last night, I went over to a friend's house for dinner and drams. I took a flight of 7 drams for them to try blind. They had a flight of 5 for me to try blind. My flight was all peated whiskies which was awesome. However, I did not do a very good job picking what they were, even with hints.

Before we started on our flights, we had a "welcome" dram. Batch 20 SMWS blended malt whisky. A 12-year-old consisting of Speyside malts finished for 28 months in French Oak Barrique casks that were previously used to mature Jamaican rum in the Cognac region of France - 58.6% ABV.

Big Peat Cask Strength Christmas Edition Islay Blended Malt consisting of Ardbeg, Bowmore, Caol Ila and Port Ellen. 54.2% ABV.

Laphroaig Cask Strength Batch 13 (Jan. 2021). 57.9% ABV.

Caol Ila SMWS 53.338 (12 year - Sep. 2007) "The quay to success" - Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead - 55.6% ABV.

Kilchoman Sherry Hogshead Single Cask. 58.5% ABV. 50 ppm. Cask # 204/2012. Distilled April 19th, 2012. Bottled July 19th, 2019. 7 year old.

Westland (Seattle, WA) hand-filled single cask distilled using Bairds Heavily Peated Barley. Cask # 3213.Ex-Bourbon cask. 7 years. Bottled September 2023. Bottle # 10. 61.8% ABV.

All 5 of these were very good, but my favorites were the nose on the Big Peat and the palate on the Kilchoman.

Later, at my brother-in-law's house:

Mannochmore SMWS 64.140 (16 year - Sep. 2006) "A stroll in the garden" - After 13 years in an ex-bourbon cask, transferred to a first fill Spanish oak oloroso hogshead - 61.7% ABV.

Craigellachie SMWS 44.169 (20 year - Nov. 2002) "In the wooden box" - After 17 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred to a first fill Spanish oak oloroso hogshead - 60.6% ABV.

Ardmore SMWS 66.238 (11 year - Sep. 2011) "Blackbeard's treasure" - After eight years in an ex-bourbon cask, transferred to a refill Trinidad rum barrel - 62.3% ABV.

For happy hour tonight, my wife and I had a couple of Old Fashioned cocktails. Soaked a sugar cube with Old Forester Smoked Cinnamon bitters, 2oz of Old Forester 100 Proof Rye and a dehydrated orange slice as a garnish.

Later, I rated 4 open, unrated bottles.

Batch 20 SMWS blended malt whisky. A 12-year-old consisting of Speyside malts finished for 28 months in French Oak Barrique casks that were previously used to mature Jamaican rum in the Cognac region of France - 58.6% ABV. Rating: 88

Glen Moray SMWS 35.316 (9 year - June 2012) "Fine Fragrances" - 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 59.6% ABV. Rating: 81

Tullibardine SMWS 28.92 (10 year - May 2012) "A walk in the countryside" - 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 61.5% ABV. Rating: 84

Glencadam SMWS 82.48 (11 year - Oct. 2011) "The big yellow" - 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 62.8% ABV. Rating: 86

Tonight, I rated the last of my 2 open, unrated bottles.

Mannochmore SMWS 64.140 (16 year - Sep. 2006) "A stroll in the garden" - After 13 years in an ex-bourbon cask, transferred to a first fill Spanish oak oloroso hogshead - 61.7% ABV. Rating: 93

Craigellachie SMWS 44.169 (20 year - Nov. 2002) "In the wooden box" - After 17 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred to a first fill Spanish oak oloroso hogshead - 60.6% ABV. Rating: 95

My family and I are visiting my in-laws in the central part of Washington state for the Thanksgiving holiday. I brought quite a few whiskies for us to enjoy over the next 5 days.

After arriving this evening, I opened a bottle that I purchased in 2019 with a gift card that my mother-in-law gave me as a Christmas present. I figured it was appropriate to open it with her and that we had the first couple of drams of it together.

Inchmoan (Loch Lomond) SMWS 135.15 (8 year - Feb. 2011) "Back to the suture" - 2nd-fill ex-bourbon hogshead - 57.4% ABV.

Oh my! It was definitely worth the wait! A stunning heavily peated Highland dram! Big, herbal wet peat, earthy, salty, frying bacon and pine resin.

@bwmccoy what a lovely description. Sounds like a cracking bottle. Cheers.

A dram off Springbank 15 tonight. It’s been a long week! Looking forward to the weekend. Cheers all.

@Timp - It is a surprisingly good dram.

Last night (Wednesday), my brother-in-law and I had the following drams.

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

Tomintoul SMWS 89.17 (9 year - Dec. 2012) "Keep nosing" - 2nd-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 67.5% ABV.

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.

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.

Inchmoan SMWS 135.15 (8 year - Feb. 2011) "Back to the suture" - 2nd-fill hogshead - 57.4% 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.

We finished the night by finishing off my bottle of Bunnahabhain SMWS 10.245 (9 year - Oct. 2013) "That shed won't paint itself" - After 5 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred to a 1st-fill ex-PX hogshead - 59.3% ABV.

Last night (Thursday - Thanksgiving evening), my brother-in-law and I had the following drams.

Highland Park SMWS 4.346 (12 year - Oct. 2009) "Savoury and sweet" - After 8 years ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred to a 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 62.9% ABV.

Next, we shared several samples that friends brought back for me from recent trips.

Glenlivet 17 year old single cask from Signatory vintage. Distilled Aug. 15th, 2006. Bottled Aug. 15th, 2023. First-fill Oloroso sherry butt. Cask # 900811. 593 bottles. 60.8% ABV.

Tomintoul-Glenlivet 16 year old. Cadenhead bottling. Finished in a Fino cask from March 2021. 54.1% ABV.

Tamdhu 15 year old. Cadenhead bottling. Finished in an Oloroso hogshead since November 2020. 56.4% ABV.

Glenallachie 13 year old (2010) Single Cask # 804032. Full maturation in an ex-PX puncheon. 58.0% ABV. Bottled exclusively for Belgium, but my friend purchased the bottle at a whisky shop in Paris.

Next, we finished off my bottle of 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.

Last sample of the night was a Ledaig (18 year old) batch 3 from That Boutique-y Whsiky Company. 51.7% ABV.

Next, we finished off my bottle of 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.

Inchmoan SMWS 135.15 (8 year - Feb. 2011) "Back to the suture" - 2nd-fill hogshead - 57.4% ABV.

We ended the night with a dram of 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.

Tonight 20 people in our home celebrating my son's birthday (yesterday). My nephew and his wife arrived first. We had some Wiser's 23 YO CS in mini Glencairns and relaxed before everything got very busy.

Last night, my brother-in-law and I had the following drams.

Glen Scotia SMWS 93.197 (9 year - Oct. 2013) "More pirate than puffer" - 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 59.8% ABV.

Isle of Raasay Single Malt (Lightly Peated) - 46.4% ABV.

Inchmoan SMWS 135.15 (8 year - Feb. 2011) "Back to the suture" - 2nd-fill hogshead - 57.4% 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.

We finished the night by revisiting Inchmoan SMWS 135.15 (8 year - Feb. 2011) "Back to the suture" - 2nd-fill hogshead - 57.4% ABV.

Last night I opened a couple of SMWS samples from, to my palate, 'virgin' distilleries.

The first, a Longmorn "Who ate all the Cakes". Ex-bourbon, lots of bright Asian spices like lemon grass and galangal, grassy, pickled lemons and a slight waxiness. I liked it. Bright and refreshing - more of a summer dram though. Jade loved it! She even said words that both delighted and terrified in equal measure, "I think I'm beginning to appreciate whisky more now." she doesn't seem to like the cheaper ones . ..

Then a Dufftown "Biting on a Bung". Also ex-bourbon. Quite a muted, dry and chalky nose, but was a total sweetie BOMB on the palate! Jelly tots, sugared almonds, fruit pastels etc. It exploded on one's tongue. My favourite - hard to believe it was malt whisky, to be honest. I'll keep my eye out for more Dufftown.

Finished with an Old Pulteney single cask. Less sweet than the previous two but heavier and denser. More salt and malt, digestive biscuits came to mind, with some tart fruits at play . A good cask this.

I've been on a bit of a sherry kick lately so it was nice to switch pace with some ex-bourbon casks. Perhaps a flight more suited to summer weather but who cares? They might be my two favourite SMWS to date.

Recital of the drinks I had chez mes soeurs last Wednesday and US Thanksgiving Day Thursday:

1) Old Line American Single Malt Whiskey, Navy Strength/57% ABV, virgin oak, 6 yo. I was blown away that this Baltimore Maryland distillery is producing very good products. Old Line State is one of the nicknames for the State of Maryland. Old Line distillery started by sourcing distillate and aging and bottling it themselves. Now they are distilling and using some of their own distillate and some sourced distillate, which they then age and bottle. Soon they will use all distillate of their own. Very high quality malt whiskey

2) Old Line American Single Malt Moscatel Finish Whiskey 50% ABV 5 years virgin oak barrels and 1 year in Moscatel casks. I was blown away by this one-- it was by far the best thing I tasted over the 2 days. In the mouth I would give this 96 points.

3) Kilchoman Sauternes 49.7% ABV, Not BAD, but really "neither fish nor fowl". This one didn't quite get there. Certainly drinkable.

4) Kilchoman Sanaig 46%. Good, but unremarkable.

5) KIilchoman Cask Strength 2021, 58.3% ABV. Delicious as expected

6) Old Line American Single Malt Sherry Cask, 46% ABV, 2 years old. Pretty good, though not in the class with #s 1 and 2. It would benefit from more age and more ABV.

7) Catoctin Creek Pearousia Pear Brandy, 40% ABV, Purcellville, Virginia. I had a hankering for a taste of this Pear Brandy which I have known for 12 years. Wednesday's taste of this 12 yo bottle was quite fascinating to me. Why? Because this was always a VERY dry pear brandy, but after all of these years of the bottle open Wednesday's taste was very sweet. Still good.

8) L'Aperitivo Nonino Botanical Drink, 21% ABV. Yes, it is required of me when I visit my sister that we try a few things like this. She loves the odd stuff. This one had a GREAT nose, and overall was quite interesting and enjoyable. Like a lower ABV gin without juniper

9) Wigle Straight Rye 46% ABV, Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania. 4.4 years virgin oak, 0.92 year Jamaican Rum Cask

10) Catoctin Creek Hot Honey Rye, 40% ABV. MAD insisted we drink some of this over my kicking and screaming. Why do this to perfectly good rye whisky? Yes Catoctin Creek in Virginia chooses to spell the word 'whisky'. Rye whisky with hot red peppers and honey--presumably to balance the hot peppers. @Maddie loved this stuff. Me? All I could taste was the hot red peppers with a trace of honey in the background. Tasted blind, I don't think I could have identified this as containing rye whisky. Catoctin Creek has done very well for themselves. I hope that these flirtations with flavoured whisky-based products are fleeting. We've known these distillers personally for 12 years. I hate to see them go down a dark path...

11) Monument brewery 51 Rye IPA beer, 6.5% ABV

On Thursday morning, Day 2 chez @Maddie:

12) Il Moscatodi Nonino Grappa Monovitigno, 41% ABV.. This one was pretty mellow for unaged spirit, pleasantly so

13) Wigle Wheat Whiskey 46% ABV Small Cask Series New Oak 14 months. Very sharp, but very flavourful. Not my preferred style, because I think that wheat products do better smoother and more rounded. For me noteworthy, but not delicious

14) Yuu Baal Joven Mescal, 45% ABV. This one was VERY good, in the select top group with #s 1 & 2 above. Nothing like naming your mezcal after a very high-ranking demon. It would not be a choice that I would make

Later, at my other sister's house:

15) a Peroni beer

16) Lagavulin 16 yo

17) a couple of pours of Don Julio Reposado

@Timp - ooh, excellent! Picked up another couple of Mortlachs recently and will get some samples for you when opened!

A couple of pre dinner drams starting with Balvenie Caribbean cask - it's nice. Just nice. I like the flavour but it's quite one dimensional and sits where I'd place a good blend. Certainly not a 'premium' whisky ...

Then a Glen Scotia Victoriana. I thought I added too much water at first but think I now prefer it around the 43% mark. Much more 'off' tropical fruit notes at this strength.

Just finished a roast pork (sage, rosemary, olive oil and garlic rub) with, may I humbly say, perfect crackling! My 'trick' is to leave the joint out overnight - really dries out the skin. Then salt a couple of hours prior to cooking. Mmm. What better to go with it than some Cornish cider? I swear, if pork and cider was a French or Italian classic, it would get much more recognition. The sweet cider with the salty pork ... They are literary a match made in heaven!

Or maybe I've spent too long in the South West ... Ooh arr

@RianC That pork sounds lovely mate. My favourite meat tbh just have to try and not eat too much of it. And yes Cider and Pork ( will avoid the obvious gag ) is a lovely combo.

@Victor sounds like a couple of quality days. Good drams and family who appreciate them. You are blessed.

Last night (Saturday) was the last night at my mother-in-law's for the long holiday weekend. My brother-in-law and I had the following drams.

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.

Tomintoul SMWS 89.17 (9 year - Dec. 2012) "Keep nosing" - 2nd-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 67.5% ABV.

Highland Park SMWS 4.346 (12 year - Oct. 2009) "Savoury and sweet" - After 8 years ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred to a 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 62.9% 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.

We finished off my bottle of Isle of Raasay Single Malt (Lightly Peated) - 46.4% ABV.

We ended the night by having a couple of drams of Inchmoan SMWS 135.15 (8 year - Feb. 2011) "Back to the suture" - 2nd-fill hogshead - 57.4% ABV while watching a replay of the Man City and Liverpool match.

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

A large dram of Caol Ila Moch tonight. Need it after three days of health and safety training. Only two days to go! Cheers..

At the end of the work day, my boss took all of us who report to her out to happy hour. I had a couple of Manhattan’s made with Michter’s Rye.

At home now, ending the night with a small dram of Bainbridge Organic Distillers (Bainbridge Island, WA) Battle Point Two Islands Islay Cask Wheat Whiskey - 43% ABV.

Last night (Thursday), I had a dram of Glen Moray SMWS 35.316 (9 year - June 2012) "Fine Fragrances" - 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 59.6% ABV.

Followed by a dram of Glencadam SMWS 82.48 (11 year - Oct. 2011) "The big yellow" - 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 62.8% ABV.

Tonight, for happy hour, my wife and I each had a couple of Jerry Thomas Manhattan's made with Old Forester 100 Proof Rye.

Later, I tasted through the six whiskies that @jordytropp and I will be presenting on Monday night for the Society's Outturn Preview Tasting event. Since this is a blind tasting, I will reveal details of the six whiskies after the event.