Which bottle did you just buy and why?

@RikS no longer the 96 pointer that weird Jim thought it was when it first appeared, but still a very decent dram that I would put in the high 80s. The 48% ABV is a bonus. Adding a little QC is a good way to tune up the 10.

@MadSingleMalt interesting that the DE came in ahead of the 57 North.

@BlueNote, yeah, well, that was the group's collective opinion. They're not all hardcore peat-blast proof whores like some of us. :)

My personal ranking:

1. 57 North

2. 18

3. DE

4. 10

(...the also-rans)

@MadSingleMalt I would switch the 18 and the 57, but I would gladly take either. I am enjoying the current (?) version of the DE, bottled 2015. Do they do one every year?

@MadSingleMalt I haven't tried the 18, but I'm really hoping to get my hands on a bottle of 57 North sooner or later. It was a fantastic dram.

@MadSingleMalt really? The 57 above the 18? With water or neat? Above 56% I find it a bit much...

@BlueNote, yeah, I believe they do a separate DE every year.

I never really noticed that until a couple years ago when the new edition slipped down from being 11 years old to 10. That nudged a few eyebrows in the upward direction and triggered some chatter that called its annual release schedule to my attention.

@RikS, yeah, well, "a bit much" is what I like. :)

But maybe I should point out that my ranking above is based on the experience of drinking them all during a big fun whisky party at my friend's house, rather than sipping in focused solitude. That setting could favor "big & brash" over "subtle & beautiful."

Laphroaig quarter cask. Why? I didn't really take to the classic one - found it very thin if not to say watery. This one I rather enjoy though. Dry... With a fair dollop of peat reek, but nicely offset and balanced with the sweet (which isn't of the overbearing syrup kind..). Actually, why am I bothering you with tasting notes on a dram I think you've all tried already! Rather enjoying it. Probably not a daily go to, but nice - and the higher ABV really drives through the taste and leaves a nice long finish. ...who would have thought I'd ever say this about a Laphroaig...

@RikS I really really like Quarter Cask. It can be fairly complex or it can be a two note whisky, depending on the batch. Heck, even the lesser batches are still good to me (~84 pts)But I wish Laphroaig had seized the opportunity to put an age statement on this one and prove that younger whisky can still be excellent. I believe the youngest component whisky of QC is 6 or 7 years old, but the final product is very good, most of the time.

@OdysseusUnbound i guess I may have stumbled on a rather decent batch then in fact cause this one is a very pleasant one.

I just bought a bottle of Clynelish 14. I’ve never seen one in the wild before so I wanted to try it.

@OdysseusUnbound, very interesting, i haven't seen a bottle of Clynelish 14 at SAQ or LCBO in some time.

@cricklewood That’s why I jumped on it. I wasn’t even going to buy any whisky this week. Oh well.

@OdysseusUnbound take your time drinking it over the months. It's flavour changes over time like, a chameleon.

@bwmccoy Thanks for the heads up on Kaiyo, wish Total Wine bear me carried cask strength bottles but I’ll have to settle for lower ABV. Even more excited now to pop the bottle I got

@OdysseusUnbound I guess after my little trip to Maryland I can't take the "high road". But I'm "off" buying again until the Wiser's stuff starts coming out and then not all of them.

@Patriot65108, I had tried the Kaiyo cask strength before and it was amazing. Picked one today from Total Wine and More for $68+tax after using a 15% off coupon(original price $80)

@DevD - I am so jealous of your prices in California. In Washington state, that same bottle at Total Wine is $129.99, not including the approximately 33% taxes...

@bwmccoy, Yeah Northern California prices are good specially with TWM and Costco competing against each other, plus with additional coupons it sweetens it further.

A bottle of Loch Lomond 12 will be coming my way next week for Father's day. Seems to get good reviews, will be a new distillery for me to tick off and as part of the reduced purchase price (under £30 at MoM till end of the month) you're entered in a draw to win Open tickets, a rare bottle of LL whisky and accommodation etc.

Fingers crossed . . .

2 of this year’s Cairdeas Fino and a Lore to fill the order out. Gutted there was no CS available apparently it went on sale a couple of weeks back but no email received and it sold out in hours.

@Pete1969 That Laphroaig 10 CS seems easier to get in the US than in Scotland!

It is a bit frustrating hearing you can get CS straight off shelf virtually all year in parts of US and I can not get one and only live 2 hours from Scotland. But I am sure that I get a better price on some items and better access to others. Bought Lore instead as had a birthday code and the 3 came in just under £200 including postage.

@Pete1969 yes there are some funny quirks when it comes to whisky supply. I can walk into a local shop here in NZ and buy Talisker 18 or 57 North, or Springbank 12 CS - but I've never had the opportunity to buy a Laph CS. Oh well, as you say it's all swings and roundabouts

@Hewie you can say that again.

Here in Sydney I can grab a Blanton's Straight From the Barrel, Talisker 57 North or Springbank 12 CS too.

But the Laphroaig CS - forget about it. Still one of my most wanted.

@Hewie @Pete1969 @Frost - Totally agree! Would love to try the Laph CS as well but unless you're a 'friend of Laphroaig', visit the distillery (at the right time) or very lucky it seems nigh on impossible to snag one in the UK.

UK's a funny one - Scotland apart, you can pick up a fairly decent selection of standard malts in supermarkets, corner shops etc all over but when it comes to anything more 'craft' you have to go to a specialist shop (which charge the earth) or go online, which is my usual way. Some wine shops also have the odd unusual malt going.

That said - the selection available at the boutique shops, especially in big cities, is pretty impressive.

Have to agree with everything being said, I also forgot about the anomaly with Blantons Gold and SFTB not being available in U.S. but I can buy in Europe. Quirky is probably the best term for the whole whisk(e)y business.

Bought Wild Turkey Master's Keep Decades this morning. Why? Well, why not?!

J.P. Wiser's 19 YO Seasoned Oak. I tried this at a masterclass while attending Spirit of Toronto on the first weekend in May. I enjoyed it then and now I enjoy it more. This is another brilliant release from Don Livermore and the supporting cast at Hiram Walker Distillery. It is Red Letter on steroids. The "seasoned" oak has been air dried 48 months before going to the coopers. The time spent in seasoned new oak lifts this double distilled corn whisky to a notch above Red Letter. Two thumbs up from paddockjudge.