Which bottle did you just buy and why?

@OdysseusUnbound it's rye gingers made with CC40, AB premium 30, PC ginger ale and a dash of bitters made from unicorn tears.

@ajjarrett I understand, it is a bigger gap between those lightly peated expressions and something like Ardbeg Corryvreckan.

I've never had the pleasure of tasting a Yoichi single malt other than in the Taketsuru blends. If things continue the way they do for Japanese whisky I may never.

I'll still be interested by what you dig up during your travels.

@RikS spending time on Connosr can definitely act as an accellerant in one's whisky development.

@cricklewood As of now, it is quite difficult, okay, extremely difficult to find any Japanese single malts with an age statements. You will see from earlier posts on other threads, as well as this one, that the last time I was in Tokyo, I picked up three bottles of the 21yo Redbreast, along with a bottle of "The Chita," which is a NAS grain whisky. I am hoping the 12yo Nikka Premium blend is still available and affordable when I go there next. To get my fix of aged stated single malts, I usually go to the Nikka Bender's Bar for a few drams. Sadly, we will have to wait for some time to get aged stated single malts from Japan.

Let's hope it is about the same amount of time as the Re-Revival Glendronach 15yo. HA. Just kidding.

@cricklewood actually, I'm pretty certain I wouldn't have enjoyed the journey as much as I have had it not been for my amazing brother and all of you guys on here always ready with friendly advise and encouraging comments. So thank you all.

I think my next bottle will be either a Glendronach 18 or an Amrut Intermediate. Why, cause apparently I just won a price in a photo competition I entered and had no expectations from, so passing on some of the prize money into a dram feels like a reasonable little appropriate celebration! :)

@RikS Can you post the winning photo?

Glengoyne 14 £30 - never tried a Glengoyne and heard good things so .... random british off licences= win

@RikS My vote is IS.

@BlueNote Sure. The theme was "life in the city" with a focus on capturing the daily realities of people. I submitted this shot of a street vendor, making his way into the center of the holy city of Varanasi (India) early morning at about 05:45 am.

@RikS - Excellent photo and a well deserved dram! I've spent quite a bit of time in India and have very much a love/hate relationship with the place. That photo really captures the life of the poor Indians whilst showing, to me anyways, his inner spirit, strength and determination.

I find that image genuinely inspiring - thanks for posting

Although . . . I can't help but imagine him grumbling 'bloody tourists' or something like that to himself as he trudged by

@RianC It's an easy place to love/hate. I find it to be a total attack on your senses the first time you go there - noise, smells, crowding etc. Strangely, once returning home - I've missed the chaos. There's a certain 'freedom and serenity' that comes with realising after trodding around in e.g. Varanasi that you can't get more tired, sweaty, drenched.... so, might as well just enjoy it! :-)

Thanks for the appreciation!

@RikS - No, thank you!

Yes, I also found Varanasi to be pretty much the epitome of all things Indian! And I'd agree you just have to 'go with it' or it eats you up. I found it to be a great place to waken one's senses and nowhere else on earth has ever made me feel so alive from moment to moment (as cliched as that sounds) - but you can never let your guard down for a moment! It can get a bit too much though . . .

My Mum's salmon and potatoes upon returning the first time had never tasted as bland ha

This is a strong contender for what I hope to buy next. It isn't out yet but I managed to try a sample from their rep. Remember it to be pretty awesome. Cask strength port Charlotte finished in mouton rothchild wine cask (puillac). Not sure how they'll price it but I suspect around £70-80 which is pretty steep for a 7 years old baby...

@RikS The whole country is one big photo op. Great photo. One side of modern India. I spent seven months in India and Nepal back in the eighties and it changed forever the way I look at life. In order to appreciate the real India it is necessary to look past its obvious problems. It is a magnificently diverse country with a culture so deep and strong that centuries of foreign occupation have barely left an impression. I was there before the digital age when the closest thing to a computer was carbon paper, but the trains almost always ran on time, thanks to a couple of hundred years of the Brits running the show.

Along with my backpack, I took 2 Nikon bodies, 4 lenses and 120 rolls of Kodachrome all of which I used. Now you have made me want to get out the slide projector and reminisce.

Cheers.

@BlueNote Thank you. Inspiring you to 'revisit' your impressions and sensations is the finest compliment one can hope for when sharing an image! Much obliged, and agree - the country has a rather profound impact on one's perceptions (once getting over the sensory-assault).

Just got these two beauties. The Skara Brae is either an 18 yer old HP or Scapa. Pretty sure it’s Hp. Non CF, natural colour, 52% and delicious. The Cadenhead 11 year old Linkwood is in a league of its own. Three of us got them from KWM Calgary and we all agree, we need more. Non CF, no E150A, 58.7%. A total mind blower.

@BlueNote, Linkwood malt is so good, and no one ever talks about it. I suppose that that is also because Linkwood malt is also not so common to find.

If recent chatter across the whisky web is any indication, there are lots of undisclosed HPs hitting the market lately.

@RikS, Great shot!!

That could be me, dragging my wares home after an epic tasting at @Nozinan 's

@MadSingleMalt A friend has just purchased a 26 year old HP on the latest SMWS outturn. Hoping to get a taste at our next gathering of malt heads.

@BlueNote Have you had the Gordon MacPhail Linkwood 15yo? And if so, did the Cadenhead impress you more than the GM Linkwood 15yo? Granted they contain different whisky in them.

@ajjarrett I have not had the 15. The only other one I've had is a 22 year old SMWS bottling. From now on I will be on the lookout for any Linkwoods that are affordable. As @Victor says, it is, undeservedly, an overlooked and underrated distillery.

@BlueNote Thanks for the quick response. So, you would say that the G&M Linkwood 15yo, at 76.99 USD, before tax, would be a good buy? I haven't tried it, so if I get it, it will not go through my "try before you buy" policy. ha ha. Okay, I think I know the answer, and how @Victor would respond as well, but it is nice to see some form of confirmation. I just went through a silly midterm election, always got to get some form of confirmation. :P

@ajjarrett If it was me I'd take a chance on it. G&M IBs are generally always good (from my limited experience). If you go for it please be sure to give us your impressions.

@BlueNote Will do.

@BlueNote interesting I've never brought an independent bottling and had been considering a few Cadenheads including the Linkwood 11. Was looking at an Ord and a Glen Spey too.

The Linkwood gets your endorsement then! Might get it next month if it's still available. You had any other Cadenheads? The quality generally good? What about Signatory? You had any of theirs? Was considering a Clynelish 10 from them.

@Wierdo, Cadenhead's is one of the best IBs out there, by all accounts I've read.

Signatory's Cask Strength line is also very well-regarded. Their watered-down stuff less so, but still, I'd be confident buying from them.

@Wierdo The Linkwood is the only Cadenhead I've had. I had a Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask 15 year old cask strength Bowmore and an IB Macallan that I think was Signatory or G & M. Got them at the Whisky Castle in Tomintoul about 5 years ago after getting a taste of both. Both excellent. I have had good luck with the few IBs I've had.

@Wierdo. I haven't owned a lot of IBs, but for the most part I've had good luck. All of the G&Ms I've owned have been right on the money. Hart 15 YO Mortlach was very good. Signatory Un-Chillfiltered Collection Highland Park 1991 was a sulfur bomb, pure brimstone of epic proportions.