Which bottle did you just buy and why?

@ajjarrett You only need 9 more to complete the Roman Coliseum.

I picked up my Stagg Jr. today. It’s not from the same batch as the sample @Nozinan provided, however. This batch is bottled at 65.95 % ABV. I’ll have to test it out sooner rather than later to compare notes.

@OdysseusUnbound A different batch! Oh my! I need to see if I can get my hands on that. I almost got to taste that batch in Maryland but we ran out of time and liver cells.

@Nozinan Perhaps the whiskey fairy will set aside a sample for you...

@OdysseusUnbound The whiskey fairy did better.... a friend of mine in London (same one who refused to let me pay for the 2010 Lag 12 he picked up for me in 2011 or 2012, and the same one who brought me my Glenmo signet which I traded for 2 Caol Ila 17 CS - and eventually I got the bottle he SHOULD have brought back...) agreed yesterday to check the nearby store for some Stagg Jr. They listed 5 (4 now) but could not find them leading me to wonder if maybe an employee had them on "layaway...". They finally found one and he confirmed it's the same ABV.

However, he refused to let me pay him back. Of course today he asked that I make a small "token" donation to the charity he organizes each year (fundraiser for Kidney research at London Health Science centre - he wants lots of small donations scrolling to encourage people...), and every year I do but this year the amount was coincidentally $83.35, the price of the Stagg Jr.

Incidentally, I am entering the purchase in my database, and noticed that the last 2 editions for sale here were $85.05. A price decrease? At the KGBO? What's up with that?

@Nozinan Excellent news, but SHHHHHHH, don’t tell the KGBO about prices.

An indie Glenfarclas - don’t come across too many of them, and being Cadenheads was a good price for the age. I picked it up last week while attending Campbeltown Malts Festival.

... where I picked up a few festival bottles/warehouse tasting bottlings. A Hazelburn 10 year old Marsala cask which I haven’t tried, and then two that I did have the great pleasure of tasting - a 14-year-old Springbank from a rum cask and a 22-year-old Aberfeldy hoggy.

Amrut Portonova, tasted this one last year and loved it. It's been out of stock for some time around here and it was recently re-stocked, and on sale. Sold !

Just picked up a glenmorangie 10. Why? It was on sale for £25, I think my darling wife will like it, thought of could be used as filler as I play with vatting.

Now, that said, I've aired it twice into jar and back and am sipping a dram. And, it's not bad. Yes, it's nice with an intense and challenging whisky that really fills the palate and invites you to close your eyes and journey through all the elements of complexity... and this is not that... at all.

But the nose is a malty citrus zesty fresh, the palate is initially very thin, but then moves into a fresh appleish, honeydew, malty sweetness with quite an extended finish and it's just... Easy and nice. If you can't make up your mind whether you wanna sit in the garden and have a dram or a glass of apple juice - have a glenmorangie 10 and you'll tick both boxes!

@RikS, is that that 40% ABV Glenmorangie Original? An extra 3% ABV, as we have it in the US, is a good thing. That said, I've usually liked our Glenmorangie Original quite a bit, but I have encountered at least one bottle of it which is sub-par compared to the others I have tasted.

Trade, barter, buy.

Recently, while in Maryland, I was able to acquire some nice picks, none of which are currently available in my region. I am pleased to have these single malts in my cabinet. Laphroaig Lore has met my expectations. I am looking forward to sharing the talisker 18 YO and Macallan 12 YO with friends and family. I presented my son with one of the two bottles of Mac 12 I brought back, it is his favourite single malt...he's still young

Looking in the rear view mirror has me wondering why I didn't pick up more. Why not?...because I had too many to bring back already...there is a point at which good sense will ultimately prevail...well, maybe.

(2) Russell's Reserve Single Barrel

(1) Wild Turkey Rare Breed 116.8%

(1) Henry McKenna 10yr Single Barrel

(1) Knob Creek Single Barrel - Store Pick

Been on a huge bourbon kick as of late.

@Victor wish it was but it's a 40%. Surprisingly long finish though. Here I believe only the quinta ruban is 43. Still, I admit to having been. Positively surprised. It's definetly staple quality alongside eg HP12

Tamdhu "Batch #1 (I've had enough A'bunadh .) Oogie again(I can't be bothered to do the data entry. Call me a brute), Then some regular stuff like Double Black, Ardbeg 10 and Great King's Street. I bought these bottles because I like big flavors.] I love whisky and won't be intimidated by the big man on campus, ever.} Next up is the Kilchoman CS.

@KRB80 that's a great selection of bourbons.

@KRB80 I actually like that McKenna a lot. Curious to hear what you think of it.I've bought and really like the others you listed, but I have never tried Russell's Reserve. Great haul!

Picked up a bottle of Kaiyo Mizunara Oak Whisky and Oban 14. Very few distillers use Mizunara Oak due to the long time it takes to get excellent flavor profile and the fact that it is the most expensive Oak to make barrels out of makes it even more unappealing for most producers. As far as Oban 14, this is my third bottle and has become my favorite go to Scotch. The fact that Total Wine by my house has had Oban 14 priced at $59.99 for the past month is great too (it runs $74.99-$85.99 at all other places).

@Patriot65108, please share your opinion on that Kaiyo Mizanura! I've been tentatively interested in it for some of those same reasons you give—there are few Mizanura whiskies out there, and this one's pretty reasonably priced.

By the way, which one did you get—the "regular" ABV (40-43% or whatever), or the cask strength one?

@MadSingleMalt Unfortunately no liquor stores near me carry the cask strength bottle so I had to settle for the standard lower proof. I will certainly post an update once I open it and taste it.

@Patriot65108 - On a recent business trip, a colleague and I each ordered a dram of the Cask Strength Kaiyo Mizuanra Oak at dinner. Oh my! What an amazing whisky. The best way that I can describe it was that it reminded me of a typical Speyside flavor profile, but on steroids. Where Speyside flavors are often subtle, this was full volume. We both loved it. I would totally purchase a bottle, if I can find it.

I just bought a couple of Society bottles for my wife to give me for the upcoming Father's Day holiday;

Caol Ila 11 year (SMWS 53.252) "Smoky incarnations" from a refill hogshead. I bought this one because I love Caol Ila and because it was a special bottling for the 2018 Feis Ile festival.

Ben Nevis 19 year (SMWS 78.41) "A real sherry monster" from a refill ex-Oloroso sherry butt. I bought this one because I'm a fan of Ben Nevis and you normally can't find it in the states. I also bought it because I love sherry cask whisky, especially single cask, cask strength Oloroso sherry bombs. While I haven't tasted this one yet, based on the name and the tasting notes, I think it is a pretty safe assumption that this will meet my definition of a sherry bomb.

@bwmccoy, thanks for the opinion on that Kaiyo! I keep toying with the idea of buying one of those. I really want to; I guess I just want some assurance that I won't regret it. Nice to get a "yes" vote!

Just started into a bottle of Talisker DE. Distilled 2005, bottled 2015. Very tasty.

@BlueNote It's rather excellent, ain't it! Only had the 10, Skye, Port R, 57 and Storm... this one is better, but I'd be curious to compare with the 18 which I've never had a chance to try.

These were all gone in my region within a week! It took me some effort to get one. Benromach 8 yo Sassicaia Finish!

@RikS The 18 is my current grail whisky. Only ever had 1 bottle, but it was love at first sip.

@BlueNote I've never tried Talisker 18, but I'd love to. I love Talisker.

@BlueNote I've probably had somewhere between 200-300 different whiskies, of all those Talisker 18 is currently my favorite. It's a special whisky, I would love to own a bottle.

At least it's achievable. Currently on sale in the UK for about £68. Not a cheap one, but with such raving positive opinions I suppose I need to put it on the list!

Tomorrow I though id pick up and try a Laphroaig quarter cask. Opinions?

I'm surely repeating myself from a few weeks ago, but my club recently had a big Talisker night. The table included the 10, Storm, 57 North, the Distiller's Edition, the 18, and a sherry-cask IB.

The 18 was easily the group's favorite. It wasn't even close. The DE was a distant, distant second.