What was the last bottle you finished?

@fiddich1980 Thanks, it’s good to be home and over the jet lag. All in all it was a pretty good trip. A bit too much driving though. We managed to put 2400 miles on the gutless little Citroen rental car. The only distilleries we visited this time were all the major Islay ones, Arran and Deanston. Caol Ila, and Kilchoman both have beautiful new visitor centres. Here are a couple of pics of the new Kilchoman visitor centre.

As we only took carry on luggage this time, I was not able to bring back any interesting distillery only offerings, but I did get to taste a few. Had to make do with a bottle of Talisker Dark Storm from the duty free at Gatwick.

Here’s the other pic.

The Arran Distillery has a very nice visitor centre, too.

Abraham Bowman Bourbon 17 yo, 73.75% ABV., bottled May 11, 2012. This completes my second bottle of this beautiful stuff.

Time to open my third and penultimate bottle of it so that I can bottle up a sample of it for @bwmccoy.to take home after his planned visit to see me next week. @Nock you are certainly welcome to take a sample of it too if you wish..

@Victor so you still have two bottles of this? Amazing!

@Nock self-control is a virtue.

Talisker 18. A whisky that ticks all the boxes for me but I won't be buying anymore at the new price (from £75 to +£180 in the UK) and the new packaging is dreadful.

Luckily I have a few in the stash ...

@RianC You lucky devil! I haven’t seen a bottle in several years.

One of my top ranked whiskies, I have a spare.

Not finished, by the strictest definition, but have 'donated' the last fifth or so of a Glenlivet 12 Illicit Still and Baron de Sigognac 20 Armagnac to my Mother in law.

She's been really helpful of late but doesn't drink all that much but I do know she likes a brandy. She'd also tasted the armagnac prior and really liked it. She's not a whisky fan, per se, but I thought she'd like the fruity aspect of the 'livet, which she did so I gave her the rest of the bottle.

Win win as she gets a few wee treats to sip and I clear space to open more bottles

Pappy Van Winkle 15 yo wheated bourbon, 2010 release, 53.5% ABV, from Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Louisville. I am drinking the last 100 ml of this bottle right now. This bottle was opened 4 years ago in September 2018 to commemorate first meeting @bwmccoy. PVW15 seems to hold up well for 2.5 years after the bottle is opened, and then it loses a good bit. This bottle is still quite enjoyable, but the experience is a very different one than it was in 2018. I just have to laugh out loud, though, at this whiski world in which we live when I think that what I am polishing off tonight would probably cost $ 500+ in a bar or restaurant. In 2010 this 100 ml portion cost me maybe $ 10.

Tonight after getting home from celebrating my mother’s 82nd birthday, I decided to pour the last of my Bowmore Tempest batch 5. This is my second bottle, according to my records.

First opened just 9 days shy of 5 years ago, there were 15 cc left from the bottle I decanted in February.

The is one has been delicious from start to finish. When I stocked up I foolishly thought I made a mistake because I would not be able to justify buying more bottles of future batches.

But no more batches came to the LCBO. I did trade a batch 5 for a batch 6 in 2016, and I have two more bottles of this batch in waiting.

I don’t know if Bowmore will ever release another decent cask strength offering like Tempest, Devil’s cut or Laimrig that I will be able to afford, so I’m glad I have my cache.

So for the first time since Dec. 9, 2017, I have no Bowmore open in my cabinet.

But if @BlueNote ever comes to visit, I will be opening at least 2!

@Nozinan good shout to have some stashed away. Always enjoyed the tempest bottles and the last one I got was from a batch at the distillery a few years ago. They must have had a few stored away. Should have got a few in. Might stump up for an auction one but the last one I say was a batch two I think for about £150 which was too pricey for me.

Enjoy what you have..

@Timp I paid under $90 Canadian for mine. On wine searcher, surprisingly, the price does not seem to have gone up much.

@Nozinan, @Timp I have ALWAYS loved Bowmore Tempest. I have NEVER seen one single bottle of it offered for sale any where I have lived or traveled. Tim, maybe I will one day have to visit the distillery to get me some.

Oh, wait, Maryland is now finally legal for spirits transport. I guess I could now legally get some online through the mail.

For me the next question is "where to store it?". The question after that is "When will I realistically open one more new bottle among the 125 unopened bottles I have stashed away?". But, you know what? I like Bowmore Tempest so much if I bought a bottle now I would open it right away, despite having bottles of Bowmore 12 and Bowmore Legend already open. I also have an unopened bottle of Bowmore 15 Darkest on hand.

Not my bottle.

My uncle died on Saturday and the funeral was today. He had struggled with dementia for a few years.

We used to have scotch together on Friday nights when he was healthier. The last time we had a dram was, I think, in January.

My cousin decided that she wanted to have a glass of scotch the way my uncle had it, with ice. Her first scotch.

So I poured a dram for her, in a Canadian Glencairn, then I poured some into a regular Glencairn and we made a toast to my uncle.

And then we decided to pour the last dram from the bottle for him. A symbolic end to the bottle to commemorate the end of a wonderful life.

@Nozinan Sorry for your loss. A nice way for you and your cousin to remember him by.

Willett 6Y Single White Oak Barrels that I got in Minneapolis ~12 years ago (along w a Glendronach Allardice - 2 excellent bottles that I stumbled upon as I passed a spirit shop just before heading to the airport).

The spice tamed a bit over the years however in a good way as some cinnamon & black pepper became more notable. At 58.7%, it was usually consumed in small doses yet was usually a hit for any who tried.

Would easily purchase or recommend this bottle if the price was reasonable

Iさようなら

@fiddich1980 Looks like that was the last dram out of that beauty. Nice one.

@BlueNote A delicious blend. The bottom nosed Bing cherries in syrup with sandal wood touches. The bottles was shared in it's lifetime with relatives, @paddockjudge, @Nozinan (at our first meeting), @crickwood, @Astroke, @RianC(unbeknownst to me), and others. Whisk(e)y at its best should be a shared experience.

connosr.com/suntory-hibiki-21-year-old-whi…

@fiddich1980 Thanks for sharing this one. The nose was out of this world!

@fiddich1980 Agreed. Sharing with friends beats the hell out of drinking alone.

@fiddich1980, I fell in love with Hibiki 21 YO. I topped-up my session sample, by adding a splash to the glass and later that night I revisited this beauty while we wrapped up our session. A masterful blend with an exquisite nose. My favourite that night and a pleasant memory which lingers...now that's what I call a long finish!

@fiddich1980 I remember it to this day.

The Whisky Agency / Heads & Tails Canada 19 year-old Blended Malt...

I rarely get to post on this thread. But today I polished off 2 bottles! Of course each bottle was a heel, but it’s still an accomplishment.

We had guests over and one of them likes bourbon.

He had some ECBP 70.1% last time he visited, and this time I offered him some OGD 114 because it’s not available in Canada. He liked it a lot. I’m happy to say it was as good at the last pour as it was on the first, when I opened it in 2017.

Then I asked him if he might want to help me finish another bottle. We went with batch 7 of the Stagf Jr. Opened in 2016 (the sticker was wrong), decanted in 2017, and last poured in Oct. 2017, this one was long overdue.

Also a delicious dram. I am glad i have another from that batch. But I still have 2 other batches open so I won’t be cracking the seal for a very long time.

Finished off this pandemic bottle with my friend this past weekend. This was a more expensive bottle than either of us would have normally purchased, however our wives decided it was doable if we split the cost. This was the Bruichladdich Ternary Project. We both really enjoyed this one!

I have hung onto this bottle long enough. Unfortunately price and availability in Canada has rendered this one as unreplaceable. Was an excellent cask.

Last night I finished a bottle of Laphroaig Lore. It’s a great bottle, but I don’t think I’ll replace it. Whisky prices in Ontario have gone even crazier and I have a lot of Laphroaig on hand. I’m probably set for the rest of my natural life. Happy Easter to all who celebrate.