Which bottle did you just buy and why?

@DaveM looking forward to some new reviews now ;)

@RikS The Kilchoman Machir Bay will probably be opened tomorrow.

Uigeadail ---for obvious reasons..

I hate to say this but I have never tasted a Macallan whisky before. I decided to do something about it today. I picked up a bottle of the 12 year old. There was something unique going on. The first taste was oily in my mouth that turned to sludge like. I have tasted oily whisky before but not like this. Overall I didn't find anything special about this bottle. I think that many Macallan products look over priced. I don't think I will seek out anymore of their whiskies.

@DaveM, was that the Macallan Double Cask 12 YO (blue box)?

@paddockjudge Actually it was the 12 year old sherry oak.

@DaveM, that's a shame. All the Macallan 12 YO sherry cask bottles from which I have drunk contained some very nice whisky, both the 40% and 43% abv. I have read about poor quality batches, but have yet to sample one.

The most I have paid for a bottle is 70 USD. There are a handful of Macallans which I have tried and do not care for; however, my favourite single malt is Macallan Cask Strength, sadly no longer available and only four years ago priced at $73 - 100 CDN.

@DaveM if you get a bad batch you can often return it for exchange. Try taking it back to the store you bought it from or contacting Macallan directly about it. That’s not at all what you should be getting from that, or any other, whisky!

Just bought.... Bowmore 15 darkest. Why? Because I have a weak character easy to influence and I saw Ralfy's recent review...

Because my previous sample wasn't all that bad...

And whilst I really prefer my ardbeg, this is something I can share with friends who want to try something with some peat (and I don't have to sacrifice my Oogie which is likely too much for them anyway)...

And finally, because Amazon had it on a special deal £54 >> £41

So there you have it... My character flaws, egoism and stinginess all wrapped up in one bottle!

@RikS I was surprised that Ralfy rated the Bowmore as an 87. He usually dislikes coloring and chill filtered whisky. He did say he would have rated this closer to a 90 with higher ABV and unchill filtered.

I am going to give the Macallan another try soon and see if anything has changed and then act accordingly. I had some Kilchoman Machir Bay this morning so I didn’t return to the Macallan just yet.

@DaveM Indeed he does. My original rating here was 84, and that's still a fairly reasonable score I think. It's not bad at all. It's not great compared to Ardbegs, but it's different. It's an "ok, no problem, I really enjoy this once in a while". I also think that with CF and colour and a general 'snub' that many - incl me - give Bowmore one may be a little tainted...

When I want something peaty, with a sweet component, but I don't want to go all the way to an Oogie, An Oa, or a Laga DE... this one suits me just fine. I could on those days also go to the Caol Ila DE, but then I'm giving up the element of sweetness that the Bowmore has, and sometimes I don't want to do that.

Just picked up a bottle of Lot No. 40 based on the many rave reviews here on Connosr - never tried it before but based on what many of you have said, it's solid, delicious, and a good return on the dollar. And Thanks to a tip from @Victor, I also got 291 Distillery's Single Barrel Colorado Rye Whiskey (Barrel #166; 24/62) . I am very excited to try this, hopefully this weekend once my cold clears up and I can actually taste something! Will have to report back -

@archivist, I hope your palate bounces back quickly. I am a big fan of rye and await your comments on these recent acquisitions. In the mean time, could you please share the bottle code on Lot No 40. It begins with L. The bottle currently on my shelf (and in my glass tonight) is from L18 086...the S code is the bottling line.

@archivist those are nice purchases, I have never heard of 291 Distillery but it's not on my radar especially if it comes recommended by @Victor . I to await your impressions of Lot 40, I keep forgetting that this is becoming more widely available in the US, it would be a nice whisky to try blind alongside some other rye whisky at of similar ABV's.

@DaveM I had a good bottle of the 12yo sherry oak. Think I gave it a 86. I hear there is a lot of batch variation in it though.

@cricklewood, I had some 291 Distillery Rye at Tales of the Cocktail 2 weeks ago. It was a very young rye yet it was the best thing I tasted at Tales all week long and the best new find by far. 291 Distillery is in Colorado and currently only distributes in Colorado and California. I since learned that Jim Murray has given out 6 liquid gold awards to this distillery in the last 2 years rating the current year's offerings at 95 and 96 points. Of course it was my own taste that recommended it to me, not Mr. Murray.

I would compare the 291 Rye I tasted at Tales to a Willett Family Estate Rye, which is saying a lot.

@Victor, you sure it wasn't Sauron's score that persuaded you this was good?

A comparison to Willett Family estate Rye is mighty high praise indeed, another good reason to keep ones eyes peeled for this distillery.

@paddockjudge I'm a big fan of rye as well, and look forward to tasting Lot No. 40, though it seems many here favor the Cask Strength much more, though I don't think it's available here in the US - or maybe it is, and I just have not seen it, at least not in California. Anyway, I did look for the bottle code and I was unable to find it - there was no code staring with an L. However, here are two photos, front and back, of the bottle. I'd love to know if there is a bottle code - it's one of the details I like to record in my little whisky notebook. Here's what I did see:

Front of bottle, upper left corner: 997656 Back of bottle, along edge of right corner: 1016645 and 54SL24

@archivist, my bad! Look at the bottom 1/2 inch of glass at the base of the bottle below the labels, spin it around until you find it. It is not easy to see. You may need a flashlight (I'm showing my age...use your phone) to shine at the bottle on an angle. I should have mentioned this in the original message. The code is laser etched in tiny white font. As for the Cask Strength Lot No 40, it is not available outside of Canada, not yet.

@cricklewood I had never heard of 291 Distillery, but I enjoy learning of distilleries in other states and what they're doing that may be unique or interesting. Just curious to see what's out there beyond Kentucky or Tennessee (and there's a lot it seems!) @Victor 's enthusiasm for the whiskey did not hurt either. I don't have Willett Family Estate, and wish I did so I could do a comparison - might have to poke around and see what I could compare this with just for fun.

@paddockjudge Brilliant! I would have never seen that - I used a flashlight, BTW, it was easier than my phone. The bottle code is L018 039 Thanks for sharing how to find that!

@archivist, there is some batch variation in Lot No 40. Wiser's/Corby's makes rye only one month out of the year. Previously this whisky was bottled as a blend of 90% rye and 10% malted rye. Current batches do not contain malted rye. All batches are good examples of rye grain. It is not for the faint of heart, it packs a huge rye hug, as master blender Don Livermore calls it, following the exit when it hits the bottom.

@paddockjudge thank you for additional background, it's informative as I unaware Wiser's/Corby's only make rye one month of the year. Provided I'm back to 100% this weekend, I look forward to getting a huge rye hug. I'll definitely report back how this bottle is upon initial taste and in later weeks. Another reason I purchased Lot No. 40 was that I'm low on my "under $45" rye whiskies and this replaces a Michter's Rye I had recently finished.

Suntory Toki. I’ve had Yamazaki and Hibiki (loved both), but not a fan of the prices. A buddy bought Toki, and I believe I paid around $35 for it in New Orleans. Had a small taste of it, but need to sample more for a review.

I keep reading about Lot 40 by the Canadian posters so I stopped by the liquor store to get a bottle. While I was there I saw a discounted James E. Pepper 1776 rye whiskey. The price was right so I grabbed that as well. I didn’t get a chance to taste either yet. Maybe tomorrow.

I just picked up a bottle of Hiram Walker Special Old because:

• I always keep a budget bottle of Canadian Rye handy for when my mother-in-law drops by. She prefers Wiser’s Deluxe, but she drowns it with Coke, so she can’t really tell the difference.
• Davin DeKergommeaux posted about it on Instagram yesterday and it got me wondering.
• Chip Dykstra (aka Arctic Wolf) over at the Rum Howler blog scores this one 86/100 and I find I’m often in the same ballpark as him regarding taste preferences and scores.
• I’m a sucker for the slightly kitschy, late 1970s/early 1980s look of the bottle.

@DaveM both the Pepper and Lot 40 are good choices! Incidentally, the Pepper has an appropriate name: spice.

Just bought a “40” (1140ml) of Ballantine’s Finest Blended because I always keep a “well whisky” at my in-laws’ place and that one is nice, pleasant and inoffensive. I also bought a 200ml bottle of standard Alberta Premium as I’m preparing a blog post comparing a bunch of Canadian “bottom shelfers”.

@OdysseusUnbound, you should get somebody to serve you those whiskies blind, with some "top shelfers" among them. Standard Alberta Premium "bottom shelfer"? Perish the thought...even though they may be displaying it on the bottom shelf,...and it is maybe the least expensive whisky in the LCBO store. I am always amazed at how many of my picky friends like standard Alberta Premium.