Which bottle did you just buy and why?

@Robert99, I have had only two tastes of Glenlivet 21 Archive, but it left a very deep impression on me. I would guess that you would be very happy with your purchase of it.

@Victor What a difference 3 years makes. I find the Glenlivet 18 quite ordinary. Pleasant, balanced, but ordinary. I'm glad I got it for much less than the current ridiculous LCBO price. ($180 at the moment).

These 2 just arrived and not soon enough. My picture taking skills are pathetic.

@OdysseusUnbound, I have always bought the song and not the group. Similarly I have always bought the individual whisky and not the distillery. With huge differences among expressions, batches of the same expression, and even individual bottles within the same batch, we always are doing very well when we find something we like a lot. I cannot say whether different batches of Glenlivet 21 yo Archive (assuming that there are multiple batches of it made) would please me or anyone else as much as did the one I tasted 5 years ago in Toronto and later from a sample from that same bottle. Thank you, @michaelschout for those samples! At the time I almost had to twist Michael's arm to try all five BTAC whiskies which I had brought with me. He was glad he did. Nowadays I don't have enough stock left of several of those to feel comfortable bringing samples for groups of 8 to 12 persons to sample.

An Old Pulteney 17. No other reason than I'm scared they'll all be gone before I get round to it and it's been on my list for ages.

Has the discontinuation actually been confirmed or is it hearsay and internet tattle?

Free delivery on Amazon (UK) currently so as cheap as you'll find it I reckon.

@Astroke Don't worry about your photo taking skills. I think many of us see bottles this way after a few drams.

@Robert99, Two hundred dollars is a lot of money for a bottle of whisky. You would be hard pressed to find a better price for Glenlivet Archive 21 YO in any jurisdiction in Canada or the US.

Archive 21 YO is a gentle whisky. It does not make a bold statement. I like it a lot and occasionally blend it with other great whiskies hoping to find a special vatting, sometimes I do. I don't know if this whisky will rock your world, but I do know that it would be welcomed in my cabinet for CDN$200....especially since the current bottle is nearly depleted.

Just bought a bottle of Arran 10. I was keen to go for the 12 CS but thought I'd start with the 10. At 46% ABV and NCF it seemed a good buy - sitting in the similar price bracket as Glenmorangie 10, Glenfiddich 12, Glenlivet 12 etc (all bottled at 40% here in NZ). Reviews of it are very varied but we shall see. I also like the fact that it's the only distillery on it's island - much like Talisker, and Ledaig (Tobermory). Unpeated and aged in bourbon and mostly refill sherry casks, I'm hoping for something fairly well pared back in terms of other influences.

@Hewie - I really like the 10. Nothing amazing but well done, light and creamy. Slight hint of Bushmills about it. Definitely a step up from others in that list.

@RianC I've just had a couple of small drams while watching some Netflix. First impressions: very closed - not much going on. However, after about 30 min in the glass it's soft, and full of vanilla sweetness, some lemon, quite spicy, with a gentle oaky finish. So far so good - in fact I'm really enjoying it. And yes, quite creamy.

@Hewie - Yes it was very vanillery now I think about it. Some sherry but mainly bourbon influence - good casks, as Ralfy would say! It was one of those bottles that if I could pick up at the local supermarket I'd probably always have one on hand. That the 14 is only a few pounds more means i'll probably opt for that one if/when I buy again.

I've looked at the CS but heard mixed reviews. I hear good things about the 18 also but would want to try that first.

Two bottles as belated self-bestowed birthday presents: Old Pulteney 17 yo (OB) and El Tesoro de Don Felipe Anejo Tequila. Why? I wanted another bottle of OP17 on hand now that I hear that it is going out of circulation, plus I got a discounted price, at around $ 87 total. The El Tesoro Anejo is a tequila which I have long liked but never owned a bottle. I got a good price on that one too, around $ 47 total.

@Victor does that officially kill the 10 bottle 3 year challenge?

@Nozinan, oh yes, even my third to last purchase 5 or so months ago put me over the "not purchase 10 bottles in 3 years" self-prediction I had made in mid-September 2016. My resistance to new purchases now is very strong, but occasionally I still make exceptions. I am making almost no headway in reducing open bottles on hand. I still have a very strong desire to not increase open or unopen bottle totals, but I am not rigid about it.

THese are my 2018 purchases.

@Robert99 I see none of them have been opened yet. Looks like you are in for some real treats this year.

@Robert99 Nice haul, what year is that Longrow 18? Those First Edition Blair Athol's are an amazing deal, 21 year cask strength Sherry matured for $132 cdn (I paid $127 cdn before they raised it $5).

@Astroke have you opened the first edition Blair athol yet? What’s your take? Any comparisons? Looks heavily sherried. 21yo. The price and your comment have me interested.

@Astroke I am not sure. My guess is that it is the 2017 but there is no mention of the year on the bottle or the box. It has a purple box, that is all I can say.

@Hewie In Canada we have older Arran that are very cheap for the years. If you get the opportunity to have one of their single cask over 20 yo, you should try it. I am actually trying to get a 23 yo SC bourbon finish. I had it in a tasting with @cricklewood and it was fantastic.

@Robert99 Yours may be a 2013 (check under the bar code, on the bottle). The 2017 says Limited Edition and is white and red with a white box. Bourbon/Sherry cask. Anyway, happy to see you got it.

@nooch have not opened it yet, too many opened bottles and so many are cask strength. Nothing on whiskybase except a 19 year and 22 year, but a Sherry bomb I would think.

@Robert99, Are you talking about the Arran Linited Edition Single Cask retsili20 yr old retailing for $211.95 at LCBO?

@Robert99, nice haul, that's a really great ans varied selection. That's longrow looks like it's older.

The Arran malt whisky we tried is the 20yr old, sherry hogshead, cask, 1649, 50.8% abv. Bottled for Kensington wine market's 25th anniversary. That is indeed a stunner, a lot of that deep thick sherry intensity. Probably a French oak cask.

@DevD No. As @cricklewood is saying in the previous post, It was an exclusive bottling for Kensington Market.

Not so much a bottle, but I made my first whisky-related purchase at the LCBO for 2018.

2 bottles of Private Preserve... Don't want to run out and be stuck.

My most recent baby Finally got my hands on a bottle - probably wont be consumed for a while yet though.

Just added The Macallan 12yr Sherry Oak & Tomatin - Dualchas Cultural Heritage - Bourbon and Sherry Casks to the cabinet. I will try them sometime in the next week or so.

I am done buying for a while now. I finally tracked down a store in my location and picked up a bottle of Aberlour A'bunadh 60.8% recommended by @Victor and several others. While I was there I also grabbed a few new names I am not familiar with. Dalmore 12yr and a Dalwhinnie 15 yr. It is nice to finally find a store that carries 50 to 60 Scotches instead of just a handful.

@cwspangler What batch number is the A'BUnadh?