Which bottle did you just buy and why?

@cricklewood I am, however, a great fan of 'rituals' - as a means to slow down, and get centred.

Actually, as I once had a very stressful period at work, I shifted my Gilette or electric shaver to a razorblade, old school badget brush and lather soap... slowed me down a lot (!) as I'd otherwise have decapitated myself...

...and it became a 'ritual' that I cherish and stick to, as it gifts me with some of my best ideas and strategies of the day! :)

@Nozinan - ha! Completely forgot Ironsides was in V, he was like the go-to 'bad guy' in 80s film.

@RikS Been using the badger brush, shave soap and double edged razor for over 5 years now. I even worked with a straight razor before I grew my beard. Takes a bit longer but the shave is soooo much better than the multiblade Gillette cartridges! And like you, it's a great time for me to slow down and get my head together.

I used a small gift card to justify the purchase of Port Charlotte 2012 Islay Barley. Not open yet, but I'm very much looking forward to it now.

And I justified the excursion out into public in hopes that the store would also have one of the newer Laddie Islay Barleys that I need for a club tasting later this year—but no dice.

@MadSingleMalt I'm curious about the PC 2012 Islay Barley. It's one I keep passing up in favour of the PC 10.

Two rums. Wray and Nephew overproof white rum and Rum Sixty Six by Foursquare. The former was split with my partner for mojitos (mainly, though I'm curious to try this neat), the latter is one I've wanted for a while and Amazon was doing a good deal. I'd have preferred the cask strength version but it seems to have disappeared from the UK. I'm eager to see what all the Foursquare hype is about ...

Laphroaigh Quarter Cask... why? Well, it's a staple, isn't it? And I d appreciate the 48% compared to the 10. Have a great day all.

@RikS - I think the QC is a waaay better option than the 10 (@40%).

@RianC totally agree, also because they tend only to be a few quid apart!

@TracerBullet & @RikS, switching from a cartridge style razor to a straight/safety style is a sure fire way to slow things down and appreciate the ritual of shaving. I switched a few years back (prior to going bearded full time) after becoming frustrated with how quickly the cartridge blades dull and also wanting to connect to the rituals of my father, I remember him using a badger brush and soap all his life, he never messed with the stuff in a can.

@OdysseusUnbound

I remember the metal razors that held disposable 2-sided blades. My father used to lather up and we would 2, and use a razor (without the blade) to "shave" with him.

I now use a razor that takes those disposable 5-bladed heads and I use foam out of a can. But shaving is not a ritual for me. Just every 2-3 days. On a good month I can go through one blade. Now with COVID, I could probably stretch it to 2 months...

@cricklewood I don’t shave very often anymore...not because of my aesthetic preferences, but rather because of my wife’s. She prefers me with a beard. I have an electric trimmer that I use once a month or so just to “keep it neat”.

@MadSingleMalt Nice! you caved in to the PC 2012 Islay. I'll be curious to get your impressions when you do open it. Which Laddie Islay were you looking for btw?

@RianC you gearing up for summer with those two rums? Good options, I haven't tried that Rum Sixty Six but Foursquare is dependable. The Wray and Nephew will do great for cocktails, I don't think I remember what it tastes like neat, I should pick up a bottle of that in Ontatio when COVID ends...so like in two years I guess

@cricklewood The Wray and Nephew is nice neat, great in a Mojito and really explosive for a Flambee.

@cricklewood As the years pass, I increasingly find that the 'little things' are the ones that give me the most happiness - accumulated, so to speak. Sure, it's nice to get a big financial bonus etc, but I'd never want to live without those tiny, but so valuable, moments - a slow shave with a brand new Feather blade... a perfectly poured espresso... a new set of strings on the guitar... a blackbird perched on my rooftop when you wake up... a pair of properly mirror shined shoes... etc etc. That way, I don't need a Rolls, a long list of those, and I'll have little pearls of happiness all week long! :)

@cricklewood - Hell yeah! We've been having very clement weather here and there's definitely an early summery vibe going on. @Nozinan - the Wray and Nephew was bought primarily for mojitos but I was a bit worried it might be a bit too funky. You've reassured me!

@cricklewood, I'm already sitting on the following Laddie Islay Barleys for an upcoming club event. I'm expecting them to be good picks for hot-weather meeting in August:

• 2010 Coull, Cruach, etc. Farms

• 2007 Rockside Farm (the Kilchoman farm, if I'm not mistaken!)

We have enough whisky pennies in the club piggy bank to get one more bottle this year, and I thought any of the newer versions would be great to make it a Laddie Islay Barley trifecta.

So that's all to say, I was basically looking for any of the newer ones. :) I haven't researched the newer ones or anything—I'm gonna just take a spin on whatever's current—one of those new ones with the steel grey packaging.

Do you have any that you'd particularly recommend?

Not whisky but a very effective (& expensive) sanitizer. lcbo.com/webapp/wcs/…

@65glenfarclas Try not to lick your hands.

Great King Street, Talisker 10 (I like this batch), Uigeadail (last two were really good), Port Charlotte 10, Knob Creek SB.

I was was inspired to risk my life for this haul by the new Stones song, their best in well over a decade. I won't say, "if that's what it takes..." www.youtube.com/watch

@65glenfarclas I wonder why they have over 400 bottles in Windsor.

You can get hand sanitizer at 80% from Dillon's for about the same price with sipping but you can't drink it.

I wonder if everyone has bought up the 96% Polish spirit that was in a liquor store in Calgary, and the 95% everclear next to it.

@Jonathan - that is a great Stones song! Love Mick’s harmonica playing. The song has some of the same qualities as their Blue and Lonesome album from a few years ago with just the right amount of rock shuffle added to the underlying blues beat.

@RikS "a new set of strings on the guitar" I just found an extra set of strings, and I felt like I struck gold. Was about to spend money on lessons way over my head, but a friend reminded me that practicing scales and arpeggios in different keys, with a few different tunings, is probably enough to prepare me for a lesson with a guitarist I admire.

I'm currently doing scales and playing songs like Smokestack Lightnin' to thicken my callouses.

www.youtube.com/watch

@bwmccoy I'm a big fan of Blue and Lonesome. It was like the circle coming around. Saw them over the summer and was glad that they played two songs from that cover album. (Also, I had never seen the Stones live before that.) Mick's voice is just insanely clear, even compared to the late seventies. This song was kind of a blessing from them!

@Jonathan the cost of the lesson being way over your head, or the skill required for following the lesson? I’d like to do a masterclass with Tom Morello, but frankly with all the excellent teaching materials available online, not sure I can motivate the cost. I find Justin Guitar to be a great and well structured resource, for all levels of skill - and all free (unless you chose to make a donation).

PS: apologies as this is a bit ‘off topic’, so to get on the path again - I’ll have a good shot of Rittenhouse later as I nail the last details of the solo to Stairway to Heaven :)

@Jonathan Thanks for the new Stones song. Eerily relevant these days.

@Jonathan @BlueNote I, like most others, are staying home and absolutely minimising time out other than a run in the park early mornings.... but I must admit there’s a morbid side of me that really want to go into central London, just to see how eerie and empty it may be... ... makes me recall that scene in the original version of Eyes Wide Shut...

Greetings everyone. Well, it has been a while since I made a contribution on Connosr, so I hope this will make up for it.

I decided to treat myself to some whisky (buying that is) since I am not able to do my two annual trips to Vietnam, which allow me to spend time in Tokyo, where I do a little whisky shopping.

Why this particular whisky?

1. I love sherry cask matured whisky.
2. COVID-19 (a wonderful excuse)
3. I tried it at my cousin's and enjoyed it, and it isn't always readily available in my area.
4. COVID-19 (a good excuse for many things, and I ran out of Clorox)
5. I deserve it.
6. Not traveling this year, which I mentioned above.

@ajjarrett I’ve got a Glengoyne 18 I haven’t opened yet, but those 21 year olds look much darker. They must have more sherry casks in the mix, since Glengoyne doesn’t colour any of their whiskies with E150a as far as I know. I hope you enjoy them!

@OdysseusUnbound

I enjoy the 12, 15 and 18yos. I might even say I enjoy the 15yo a bit more than the 12yo and 18yo. However, when it comes for the intense sherried (if that's how you spell it) flavors I am glad I purchased the 21yo. By the way, this is the first time for me to get the 21yo.

From what I read on the box and label, I would conclude this 21yo expression (different from earlier one) is exclusively sherry cask matured.