Which bottle did you just buy and why?

@ajjarrett, glad I could help

Good things happen to good people. We all take a shot on the chin from time to time, but holding others accountable when we’ve been wronged is the right thing to do.

Two things I can’t stand, bullies and bullshit. You did good my friend.

Cheers!

@paddockjudge I will send you a text message, if and when I order again, just in case.

@ajjarrett, Haha, please do! I'll work the paddockjudge magic for you.

KWM in Calgary had a "surprise sale" and I was made aware of it today. I scanned a vast list of spirits that are from 10% off to higher.

To my surprise, and for the first time in Canada, I saw expressions from Israel's Milk and Honey distillery for sale (sadly the under 3 YO "almost whisky" was sold out). I ordered a bottle of the unaged Levantine gin (citrus and zaatar...what a combo!) and one for my B-I-L who will be picking them up, and a bottle of the new-make.

Why? I liked them when I tasted them at the distillery but I was limited in how much I could bring back.

I did not buy a bottle of the aged gin because I have some 200 cc bottles I brought back.

If all goes well and I can ever get these 2 bottles back to Toronto I can put together a 5 spirit M&H tasting!

@ajjarrett - Glad it worked out for you. Nothing more frustrating than non-delivered packages, especially when you're told you've received it!?!

@RianC And on top of that, you have a pandemic and not sure what the state of the package or its contents could be if the mistake was corrected, assuming it would be. In my case, I ended up alright, and so did the whisky.

I finally saw a bottle of the Ardbeg 5yo Wee Beastie on the shelf. It has at long last shown up on shelves in my area at a cost of $44.99. So, I bought the only two they had! I cracked it open last night and did a side by side comparison between the 5yo and two different batches of the 10yo (currently $53.99 for me locally). I have a “not-so-great” 10yo that my wife didn’t like at all. It had too much lemon up front and seemed thin. The 5yo in comparison is very fruit forward. And it seemed every bit as complex as the “not-so-great” 10yo. But the “very-good” batch of 10yo really showed both up. It is very dark, rich, and thick.

My short take? The 5yo Wee Beastie is totally worth it. I much prefer it to the An Oa.

I just “inherited” a nearly full bottle of Aberlour A’Bunadh Batch 57. The friend I was visiting didn’t care for it neat, and even adding water didn’t “do it” for him. He said he knew I’d drink it and enjoy it so he insisted I take it home with me. I couldn’t in good conscience refuse him. Oh the things we do for our friends.

@OdysseusUnbound I am sure he had to twist your arm :)

@Astroke Actually, I offered to pay him for the bottle since it’s about 7/8 full. He refused. I may be a lot of things, but I’m not a guy who turns down free, high quality whisky.

@OdysseusUnbound The art of the polite refusal. It's one and done.

It was a good long weekend, weather and whisky-wise. A friend of mine took a trip to Kentucky and brought me back some bourbon and rye. I also picked up another bottle of the Glendalough Mizunara finish Irish whisky for my wife and a Kilchoman red wine cask finish for me.

I just picked up:

• Glengoyne 10 Year Old: I have an unopened bottle of the Glengoyne 18 Year Old at home and I’m expecting to receive a gift bottle of Glengoyne Teapot Dram (Batch 7, I believe) soon. I’m hoping to eventually find a bottle of the 12, 15, and maybe 21 year expressions to do some kind of vertical tasting in the not-too-distant future.
• Macallan Classic Cut: I poke fun at Macallan pretty often, but I’ve tasted quite a few good offerings from Macallan in the last few years. One of my lifelong best friends is a big Macallan fan, and he has no kids and a very successful business, ergo he has far more disposable income than I do. I’ve tried the 2018 version of the Mac CC and it was pretty darned terrific. I’m taking a chance on the 2019 Classic Cut as it gets pretty solid reviews, albeit not quite as good as the old Macallan Cask Strength offerings. We shall see........eventually.

@OdysseusUnbound The Glengoyne 15 is discontinued I believe.

@Astroke Awww shucks

Because I'm amassing competitors for a BFYB tournament with my club later this fall:

•Glenglassaugh Revival for $37

•Glen Grant 12 for $31

@OdysseusUnbound Just checked one of my local stores and they still have quite a few bottles of the 15 (as well as others).

@OdysseusUnbound, Macallan CC was a disappointment for me. The unbearable sulfur note turned me off. I can handle an enjoyable sulfur note, like The Whisky Agency’s 24 YO Secret Speyside (48.2%) or Samaroli 1980 Blended Scotch (40%); however, there are some highly regarded whiskies, in addition to Mac CC, that make me want to drink vodka instead. Signatory Vintage 20 YO Highland Park 1991 (46%) and 16 YO Glendronach Single Cask 1996 (54%) come to mind. Such is the world of whisky, and its drinkers, complete with quirkiness and peculiarities.

@TracerBullet, I would be all over that Glengoyne 21 YO, twice! Thanks for sharing, I enjoy in-store pics.

@paddockjudge Which year of Mac CC was that?

@OdysseusUnbound, It was the first release of Macallan CC. I was disappointed because I was hoping for some big sherry notes in a clean and chewy cask strength Macallan; however, the Macallan 12YO Sherry Oak 2020 is not at all offensive and it has a mild unstruck match note.

@paddockjudge I’m no expert but the FB groups seem to rank the CC Macs 2018 > 2019 > 2017. So if 2017 was the first one you tasted, and you didn’t enjoy it.....that lines up with popular opinion. I’m hoping mine (2019) because I’m fairly sensitive to sulphur.

*that is “I hope mine is ok, because I’m sensitive to sulphur.”

These beauties arrived yesterday’s from Calgary. Not all recently purchased I’m afraid. The AP CS was one of 2 I bought and were picked up by my BIL (the other I gave him as a gift) last fall. And the Amruts (Intermediate Sherry batch 20) and Madeira Cask were what was left of some lucky finds around the same time. My BIL brought some of the haul over in March but a few were left. The Milk and Honey gin and newmake were surprise finds at KWM in August.

Recently we have run very low on a seasoning blend that one of my wife’s sisters and her husband make. They used to have a restaurant. This stuff is fantastic. Yes, MSG is involved. Anyway? My BIL has a huge bucket of it that was left at his place so he agreed to send it and some homemade masks to us.

In order to protect the spice, it was packed with the bottles.

@Nozinan What's wrong with MSG? I mean, if you don't have an allergy to it, the stuff is delicious in seasoning blends. Also, Amrut Madeira Cask? Sounds delicious.

@OdysseusUnbound

I never said MSG was bad. Though I do recall A nursing supervisor With those initials who worked at the hospital where I did my residency. She was not very nice. And it’s possible that we may have referred to her as a MSG headache...

@Nozinan oooh, I've heard wonderful things about that Amrut IS. let us know how it is!

@casualtorture I can already let you know. @paddockjudge and I bought a batch 20 for @nosebleed a couple of years ago as a thank you for all of his help in hunting, and we opened it. It is up to the usual IS standards. A real shame that it has been reduced to 46% for the travel retail market.

Not saying the new version is bad, but very skeptical that it could be as good.

I’m thankful I was able to get a few for me and my friends to stock away.

Little Book Chapter #3 based on online and Connosr recommendations.

25YO Royal Centenario Rum (one of my favorite brands however I am a fan of sweeter rums).

Had finished my last bottle of Rum (Kirk & Sweeney 23) and needed a replacement rum and there just so happened to be a bottle of the Little Book at the LCBO near my house and decided why not as I am down to 1.5 bottles of bourbon (Parker's Heritage Promise of Hope and the Four Roses 125th anniversary that I opened w friends at the Tor/Bos Game 7).

These beauties arrived this afternoon. A huge thanks to @astroke (and his sister out east) who made this possible.

The Cairdeas will be split with another Laphroaig aficionado. 2-3 sips in, I’m glad I asked for 2 of the wee beastie.

@Nock, I know you will want to know. The batch number of the Wee Beastie I just opened is L2380873 05/052020.