Which bottle did you just buy and why?

@BlueNote I actually find myself going back to the HP 12 more and more frequently and have to agree - at £25 in the UK at the moment, it definitely stands its ground! For something HP + wow...! maybe one should ask @paddockjudge to come up with a vatting recipe

Anticipating the July 4 holiday, I just picked up a bottle each of Knob Creek 9 YO 120 proof and Jefferson’s Reserve 91 proof.

@DaveM, Jefferson's reserve is always good...and every once in a while it is great! Please let us know which batch it is and what you think of it.

@RikS, @BlueNote, I might be able to conger up something sherry forward with peat highlights and a strong smoke accent. I'm drinking it right now, it is pretty good.

You fellas don't mind a bit of Islay in your orkney, do yah?

The bottle of Jefferson’s Very Old I purchased was Batch 324 Bottle 05835. It was priced at $60 in the Pennsylvania liquor store system. I sampled this after mowing the lawn on July 4 in the morning, so I was ready for it. I drank this straight, no water was added. I tasted cinnamon and butterscotch, there was definitely sweetness with this bourbon. After the first taste there were considerable legs left on the inside of the glass. There was a good burning sensation on the palate. If I were to rate this on the fly, I would give the Jefferson’s an 89-90 score. A good bourbon to be sure.

@paddockjudge @BlueNote Certainly not!

Though, my experimental vatting a while ago between Ledaig 10 and Aberlour 12 (to try imitate in the general sense the Ledaig Amontilado's smoke+sherry) was a complete failure :)

So, what were you sipping?

I bought a Canadian Club 100% Rye because I was visiting my parents at their cottage and it was the only decent-ish whisky the local LCBO had. I have to say, it’s better than I remembered it, judging from the first few pours.

Just ordered a redbreast Lustau. Why? Because I have seen some rather good reviews and I've been curious for a while about the redbreasts. Tried the 12yo and it was nice but didn't blow my mind, so I'll hold off for a mate going to Spain as the 12 CS is available there for £49 compared to £85 in the UK, and in the meantime i though id put my toe on the water with the oloroso version as it's sweet summer.

@RikS, I went big on the smoke note, but could definitely go bigger. Macallan 12, HP 12, and Laphroaig QC in the ratio of 2:2:1 ....nice finish! The light fruit and honey of HP is punctuated by the dark fruit of Macallan. The entry is easy and sweet, mid palate is ashy with dark fruit accents and the exit is a smoke show. The finish is long, dry, and lip smacking with echoes of orange pith and popsicle sticks. This can be adjusted to suit the mood, the possibilities are endless. It's a lot of fun when it turns out okay.

@paddockjudge funny to read this cause I too concluded that the sherry / fruity element didn't play so well with the dry bonfire smoke character of Ledaig, but very well with the peatiness type of è.g. Laphroaig. I do like sour cherries too... With macallan was it? The sherry 12?

@paddockjudge Hmmm, I'm out of QC. Do you think this would work with Laphroaig CS?

@Nozinan, I think it might work with Laphroaig CS. It doesn't work with every Laphroaig, sometimes the citrus note is just too prominent.

@RikS, Yes the SHERRY Macallan 12 YO! Talisker does not play well with others and some froygs lend too much citrus to a vatting, but not all Laphroaigs. The 18 YO and Lore are perfect for this type of exercise. Quarter Cask is a bit big, but the right complimentary components can allow it to fit comfortably, even with the huge ashy/sooty properties.

Went into the Ancaster LCBO, saw Booker's on the shelf for $99.95 (Tariff?), laughed and bought 2 more bottles of Lot 40 Cask Strength.

@Astroke - Good score! I advocate buying the Lot 40 CS while it's still cheaper. The 2018 release, other than a different label, will be no better and cost $30 more. I even bolstered my holdings by 2 bottles this year, and I haven't even hit the halfway mark of my first bottle yet.

I can't see the Booker's listed online at all. I wonder what it's doing in Ancaster

@Nozinan They just put it on the shelves today. Luckily I have an unopened bottle picked up in 2015 for $65 in NS.

@Astroke Is that a 2015-01? That's one of my favourite batches.

@Nozinan 2015-04 "Oven Buster",

Highland Park 12 which I've drunk at friends places and ordered in restaurants. I always enjoyed it but, never purchased a bottle, until now.

@fiddich1980 Oh, and it's an older, pre-"Viking" bottling. It would be interesting to do a H2H to see if there's a significant difference, aside from the standard batch variations which one can expect.

@OdysseusUnbound your comment peaked my curiosity. The bottle code is printed on the back of the front label - "L0514W L04 06:12 08:10". According, to some net research the "W" signified a 2016 bottling. FYI: "T" is 2015, a "S" is 2014, and "Y" is 2017.

@fiddich1980 Good to know. I’ll have to dig out my “Viking”-blahblah 12 Year Old to see if it’s the same type of code. I might make snarky comments about them, but I’ve genuinely enjoyed every Highland Park I’ve tasted/owned.

@fiddich1980 I haven’t had the Viking blah, blah version, but the older one that you have has never disappointed me, and it’s a great bang for buck.

Cheers

@fiddich1980, This week I opened a bottle of HP 12 YO with the bottle code L1063GL11. The bottle was purchased in 2008. Given that S = 2014, this bottle would be a 2006 edition. I also have another 12 YO with code L0644QL1 which would be about right, 2012....and a bottle of HP 25 YO purchased in 2013 with code L0443P (P=2011).

A friend of mine searched all over for Balblair 1990, 2nd edition. There is none in Canada and none in the UK. He finally found some at Fine Drams, an online seller in Denmark. He ordered a bottle and had it shipped to the B&B he will be staying at in September in Glasgow. It was 118 Euros plus 6 Euros shipping. I decided I would have one shipped to my cousin in Glasgow and one to my cousin in West Sussex, both of whom I will be seeing in September. Both bottles have arrived safely. It’s a very good 27 year old that is very hard to find. Some of you UK and European maltheads might be interested. I believe they still have four in stock.

The Balblair 1990 2nd Edition is available in Calgary and Alberta. Its around $170.

@WtoW that’s interesting, and a good price. I only looked at KWM. Where is it available?

Its available at Liquor Depot, Highlander Wine and Spirits ' check with Seton Store, they look after all shipping and delivery.' and 'Sierra Springs Liquor in Airdrie. Their prices are include GST'

@BlueNote, Fine Drams rules. They've been my source a couple times to get European releases here in the US. And their shipping is very—shall we say—discreet.

Not a purchase, but a trade:

Last night before my whisky club's usual monthly get-together, a few of us got together for a little whisky bottle swap meet. Among the bottles that changed hands was a Hazelburn 9 Barolo that I gave up to get a Springbank 10 100 Proof. A perfect trade where both parties came out on top!

That Springbank 10/100 (the American version at 50% ABV, and in the old beige label FWIW) is a sentimental favorite of mine, and I thought I'd probably never see one again. Turns out, all I had to do was ask a certain whisky clubber what sorts of bottles he was hoarding. He had bought tons of these back in the day and was willing to let this last one come to me if the "price" was right. (Thanks, Chris!)