Which bottle did you just buy and why?

@Nozinan You know that you can count on your friends to get rid of some bottles if necessary.

Many thanks to @RianC for convincing me to give Ledaig another chance with his review. I'm completely enamored with Ledaig now and just grabbed these beauties.

Cadenhead Ledaig19yr 53.7% (Distilled 1997/Bottled 2016, Cask: Bourbon Hogshead)

G&M CS Ledaig 13yr 56.9% (Distilled 21/09/00 - Bottled 04/08/14, Cask: Refill Sherry Hogshead)

@KRB80 -

@KRB80 wow I'm jelous - those beauties look lovely

@Hewie @RianC Another local shop just sent an email this AM that they received half dozen Blackadder releases and one of them was a Ledaig 16yr. I must control myself...

@KRB80 is that Ledaig in a sherry cask...yum

@cricklewood The G&M bottle is. :)

@cricklewood If you meant the Blackadder, no. Just checked and it is bourbon hogshead.

@KRB80 I meant the G&M, those cask strength expressions are generally pretty good.

@cricklewood The only one I've had before is the Caol Ila and it was excellent. I'm eager to pop this one open as soon as this damn head cold of mine passes.

@KRB80 comment deleted - I was confused

Three weeks ago, I took at trip to Taipei and Tokyo, as I mentioned in a post a while back. Well, what I didn't mention was that one of the members of the whisky group, I had met, who is from New Zealand, specializes in rums. He was very kind to bring four bottles of Foursquare rum: Dominus; 2005, Criterion and I can't remember the fourth bottle. Anyway, by the time I got to tasting the rum, I am sure my taste buds were blasted by all the whisk(e)y. Nevertheless, I tried the Dominus, and I found it to be quite enjoyable and contained many layers of flavors and aromas. Where am I going with this? Well, as a whisk(e)y drinker, and one with a fairly tight budget, I wasn't sure if I would spend money on rums. Well, I ended up buying two bottles, both by the same company who owns Foursquare. I purchased the Foursquare 2005, and a bottle of 12yo Doorly's. Here is a photo of the Foursquare 2005.

Oops, the ABV is a bit difficult to see in this photo, it is 59%

And here is the photo of the Doorly's 12yo. Based on my friend's recommendation I am actually going to try the Doorly's 12yo before I get into the Foursquare 2005.

One small note, and not as if it truly matters. I am not getting into rum just because Ralfy had a series of reviews. I actually skipped those, and still haven't seen them. I have just found it fun to try something new. :P

@ajjarrett I like the occasional taste of rum. Lemon Hart 151 is a staple in my cabinet and never fails to impress.

Last year I picked up a special travel retail Havana Club but haven’t yet opened it. @cricklewood traded me an overproof Plantation rum for a Smith and Cross, which makes amazing flambé bananas

@Nozinan I have heard about Plantation, and saw a few bottles of it at the store. I am hoping that my three favorite liquor stores have a rum tasting and will feature at least one expression of plantation. I still want to try to apply my "try before you buy" policy, especially to a drink I am not at all familiar with.

I forgot to mention in my posts why I was quite impressed and pursuaded to by the Foursquare and Doorly's. As much as many whisk(e)y drinkers/enthusiasts chatter about avoiding E150A and chillfiltration, I have come to learn that there are some issues rum enthusiasts have with their drink. For example, added sugars and flavors (spices). And although spiced rum can be very enjoyable, it is nice to get an understanding of rum in its purest form void of additives. Many Foursquare rums meet those requirements.

@ajjarrett you were well coached in your purchases, if one is going to get into rum then one can do much worse than starting with Foursquare.

Richard Seale the owner of the distillery is instrumental in setting up this idea classifications for rums, he's also fairly active on forums and such.

There's a lot of interesting rums out there and it's every bit a regional and complex category as whisky.

@Nozinan, I haven't opened the Smith & Cross yet as I'm trying to finish up a lot of heels and loose ends currently but it's on my list. It will probably sustain a lot of damage this summer.

@cricklewood Thanks for the reply. I look forward to getting stuck in.

@cricklewood I hope you like nutmeg...

Pretty sure I have a problem ..... can’t stop buying old compass box and then can’t bring myself to open them. This time it’s an original Spice Tree - £240 Pretty sure I’m going to be holding onto these.

@conorrob "original" Spice Tree = the first issue of Spice Tree condemned and banned by the Scotch Whisky Association, right?

If I had one of those I would be itching to taste it.

So, the bottom line question is, do you want to drink it, do you want to use it for a permanent display and conversation piece, or do you want to one day sell it for a profit?

@Victor ... the itch is there ... trust me ! Well I kind of fell into collecting compass box when a Last Vatted Malt and Grain fell into my lap at a local off license. I loved their stories and started looking into others in the range. So the answer to your question I suppose is that I really enjoy the historical relevance of some of the bottlings by Compass Box and now actively seek the ones with a good story. As I do others (still waiting for my chance at a Snow Phoenix) Whether their stories end up as something my kids or grandkids can inherit if one ends up showing an interest... or I end up opening them and drinking with friends I have no idea but right now I’d be equally happy with either destiny.

@Victor and yes that’s the one. They apparently used new oak staves inside their barrels to increase the speed of maturation. An idea many loved (due to the impending shortages) and one at the time already used by many producers of wine. But the traditional values of the Scotch whisky association won out.

I got a bottle of Springbank 10 yo in the orange box in the beautiful city of Maastricht, the Netherlands. It's a gift from my wife. She was born in Maastricht. She bought it at Bams, a very good liquor shop.

This Springbank 10 yo is the best bang for bucks in my humble opinion.

Please inform me if you know a better bang for your bucks (€40-50)

@NamBeist I haven’t tried the SB 10. I really should be I have the 12 CS and so not sure I want a whole bottle. I have no doubt it is good and a great “bang for buck”

I would suggest that Old Grand Dad 114 and the now discontinued Wiser’s Legacy (not to mention Lot 40 CS at the original price of $70) would all be in a similar category.

@nozinan I would love to try the whiskies which you mention but they can be hardly found in my country.

Springbank 12 yo CS is great whisky . I don't understand why you haven't purchased it years ago. It's perfect for anyone 's cabinet, especially yours.

@NamBeist I should have checked before I pressed send. What I mean to say was I really should try the Springbank 10. But because I HAVE the 12 CS I'm not sure I need a whole bottle of the 10 YO.

I try to have a spare of the 12 CS at all times. It's getting harder to find at a decent price, even in Calgary.

@nozinan I promise you that you won't regret having a whole bottle of Springbank 10 yo. Serge Valentin of Whisky Fun is very fond of Springbank 10 yo. He gave the recent expression 92 points. The 12 yo CS has 91 points. You might need them both in your cabinet. You would enjoy to drink them both equally.

@NamBeist At $104 at LCBO ($82 in Alberta if you can find it), Springbank 10 would be a try before I buy kind of malt. I paid $96 for the 12 CS I have open. With over 70 bottles unfinished I need to be careful about adding to that shelf...

@nozinan I understand your position very well. Springbank 10 yo is a no-brainer on the other hand.

@ajjarrett - I like to drink some rum over the summer months. I've not tried that many but my favourite so far has to be Pusser's Gunpowder Proof. Old school British Navy rum blended from 'an old Admiralty recipe'. It tastes marvelous with nods towards a well sherried Speyside, tons of figs, prunes and treacle toffee. And, added bonus, you can pretend you're Captain Jack Sparrow as you prance around and swig from the bottle