Stocking Up: Desert Island Drams for 2021/22

_ Often I'm so torn on what to open that I'll end up buying something new so as to avoid the choice._

I am so guilty of this.

As for desert island drama, the quirk is with the word affordable….at least for those of us in Ontario. That said, here’s what I tend to stock up on (or want to) at this point in time:

• Laphroaig: all of it (except Select). It’s my favourite distillery and I can never get enough.
• Lagavulin: another “mainstream” choice but I still have an irrational love of this one, especially the 8 year old.
• Wild Turkey Rare Breed : in my mind, this is what bourbon should taste like.
• Booker’s: I firmly believe this is currently overpriced just about everywhere. I also know that I can’t walk by a bottle on the shelf without buying it.
• Kilchoman: what they’re doing here is really interesting and I enjoy all of their stuff.

@OdysseusUnbound often I am torn on what to drink at any given point in time. The 150+ options are dizzying, and I am very aware of the merits of the last tastes I've had of almost all of them. They do often change and surprise me of course, when I haven't sampled them for a good deal of time, often years at a time. I used to try to sample all of my open bottles periodically, say, within a six month period of time. I've given up on that and resigned myself to knowing that I will not know which and how much my open bottles will have changed the next time I take a drink from them. This "cloud of unknowing" is a little scary with the greatest hits favourites having the possibility of diminishment, but is also a frequent hopeful possibility for improvement in the flavours of the "meh" whiski "also rans".

100+ unopened bottles many of which may not be opened for 20+ years, 80+ open and unopened bottles of "greatest hits" favourites already on hand, limited storage space, 150+ open bottles exposed to the air, and loss of my drinking-buddy wife of 33 years, have led me to be out of acquisition mode for the last 3 years. Nowadays with respect to new whiski acquisition, I want samples of almost everything and bottles of almost nothing. That said I doubt I would pass up a bargain on a top favourite if offered. The last time I purchased a bottle was about 2 years ago.

Yes, @Nozinan, the bottle purchase embargo I predicted 5 years ago has finally materialized, with the exception of existing orders awaiting delivery, of course. Those I still want very much. .

Interesting twist on a perennial question. It has to be affordable and available...

Well, that depends on your financial circumstances and your priorities. If you own Amazon you could probably afford to buy any whisky, no matter how rare, and as long as it was for sale somewhere it would be obtainable (if you can go into space, you can go to a remote liquor store...).

So I will focus on those whiskies that are currently within my price range, and those that I could get IN Canada TODAY. Sadly, that leaves many of the whiskies that I have accumulated over the past few years that I would definitely choose as my desert island whiskies. So sadly, Wiser's 23 CS, Lot 40 CS, Wiser's Legacy and Dissertation, Octomore, Macallan CS, Amrut Peated Cask Strength, and many more are off the table.

Similarly, there are a number of expressions (the new Amrut IS and Portonova, Milk and Honey Elements, and some Glenmorangie expressions) that I have not tried, so while I am almost sure I would like them (though for the Amruts not as much as the higher proofs...) they are not on the list.

So if given the task of going to stores and buying my affordable and available DI cabinet, here's what I might come up with:

• Amrut Cask Strength single malt ( a little more expensive than I have paid in the past but well within my price range)

• Caol Ila (peated) cask strength - there are a number of IB bottlings available

• Aberlour A'Bunadh - almost always available and usually fantastic

• Alberta Premium Cask Strength rye

• Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban - currently I am fighting FORO with this after buying and enjoying a single bottle of this

• Bruichladdich the Classic Laddie

• Booker's Bourbon (still under $100 in Calgary!)

• Not a whisky, but either Lemon Hart 151 Rum, or Smith and Cross (if the island has bananas to flambé...)

With some effort I could choose more, but I have found that the more bottles I have open in my cabinet the harder it is sometimes to choose something to pour. I tried to create a cabinet that would provide as much variety as possible. If I had one bottle of each, I could easily enjoy them for a few years in seclusion.

One unintended good consequence of this exercise is that it made me do some online searching that I have not done in a while (of course it created a bit of temptation as well...) to see what is available.

@Nozinan - ... resist ... RESIST!

You've made me wonder, just how fast would Geoff Bezos get his packages delivered? I'm inclined to think at speeds that go beyond what is even theoretically possible. Like, yesterday

If I owned nothing now, the ones I would pick up off the shelf today would be:

1) Ardbeg Uigeadail

2) Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength

3) almost any Amrut, the higher proof the better; most available to me is Amrut Fusion. That would do.

4) Wild Turkey Rare Breed

5) Booker's

6) Old Elk Wheat Whiskey; delivered from out of state

7) Old Potrero 18th Century Style Rye Whiskey; for years this was not sold in Maryland. Now it is.

8) Aberlour A'bunadh

9) Knob Creek Rye Whiskey or an MGPI rye like James E. Pepper 1776 Rye or Bulleit 95 Rye. The Bulleit Rye might need a year of air time to get to be very good

10) Baker's Bourbon. Some don't care for it. It has always been a favourite of mine, but then again I haven't drunk from the bottles of Baker's owned by those who don't like it. It is ALWAYS possible to get a bad bottle of ANYTHING

11) George Dickel # 12

Yeah, yeah, the list starts to get long quickly. And yes, most of my "Top 11" would NOT be from this list if I were choosing from what I already own. The ones here that would make that list? Uigeadail and ...maybe Old Potrero. Even A'bunadh would be replaced -- by Amrut Intermediate Sherry Matured Single Malt Whisky. .

The on-hand list of 11: Stagg, Handy, Weller, Pappy 15, Willett 18 yo SB Soppressata Bourbon, Abraham Bowman 10 yo SB Rye 69.4% ABV, Old Potrero 18th Century Rye, Ardbeg Uigeadail, Ardbeg Supernova, Amrut Intermediate Sherry Matured 57.1% ABV, Auchentoshan Valinch, 2011 Release. I have a good supply of these unopened.. Nope, I don't need to go out and buy anything right now.

@Victor Auchentoshan Valinch. So inexpensive and available at the LCBO in years past. But I was a NAS snob....then I tasted it and it was too late.

@Nozinan You mean there's an Auchentoshan that's actually good? I'm shocked !! (Just a little joke. I don't want to offend the 'toshan man @markjedi1 )

@OdysseusUnbound I've never had one I would buy again except (if I won the lottery) the cask strength 23 year old from an indy bottler that I sampled at a tasting. Perhaps the 'Toshan Man, @markjedi1, could recommend something good and affordable in the core range.

@BlueNote something good and affordable in the core range of Auchentoshan: look no further than the Three Wood. @OdysseusUnbound no offense taken, my friend :-)

@Nozinan You are welcome to another sample of the 2011 Valinch any time,

@markjedi1 Thanks Mark. I will certainly try it. What would you recommend a little higher (but not too, too high) up the price ladder?

@Astroke A great reason to get together!

@BlueNote The Blood Oak and Virgin Oak are also very much too my liking, but a bit more expensive.

@markjedi1 Cheers, Mark. The quest is on.