Which bottle did you just buy and why?

@RianC

Seeing that I am just entering the armagnac world, I really do not have the 'authority' to give a recommendation. But I do know @paddockjudge does. hahaha, and he even referred me to the brandy thread, which I would suggest you go to.

@ajjarrett - ah, well, thank you but I meant more the amontillado sherry. but any recommendations are always welcome!

@RianC As you can see, I didn't read your post closely. HA! Well, I will say that the same point still applies. I have purchased one type of sherry, and that is the Lustau Oloroso Dun Nuño.

@ajjarrett - cheers! Master of Malt have a great selection so I'll probably opt for what seems the best bang for buck for a start off point; unless, of course, I should have my head turned in the meantime.

@RianC

I am sure we all look forward to hearing about what you buy.

@BlueNote - sorry! I'm way behind with this thread. Glad you liked the Glen Elgin. I can only imagine what the Sauternes finish does to an already amazing whisky. Sounds awesome!

@paddockjudge - Oops, I mean Glen Elgin is awful! (awful good!)

@BlueNote - difference in Cognac and Armagnac, in my humble opinion...

95% of all Cognac is produced by 4 companies, whereas Armagnac is generally distilled only a couple of weeks each year at the vineyard via a travelling column still (not in all cases, but it is definitely not as commercial as Cognac).

As for taste, I've only had Society Cognac, but have had both Society and non-Society Armagnac. While the Cognac was fine, it didn't speak to me. It reminded me of distilled wine, which isn't bad, just somewhat one dimension to me. Where Armagnac really blew me away. To me, it is much more "earthy" and complex than Cognac. I refer to Armagnac as a whisky drinkers brandy. That's my two cents anyway. I hope that helps. Again, sorry for being so late to the party.

My mother-in-law gives me a Society gift card every Christmas which gives me an excuse (and permission from my wife) to buy another Society bottle. :-)

This year was no different. While I have still have not received the bottle after ordering it 2 weeks ago, I do know that it is now at least within my state. Thanks FedEx for your "delayed" shipping notification without explanation as to why or how long it will be delayed. :-)

Anyway, picked up a bottle of my favorite Society distillery;

Caol Ila SMWS 53.373 (10 year - Nov. 2010) "The gourmand maltster" - Refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 59.5% ABV.

@bwmccoy, yeah, that's it. Glen Elgin, rinse and spit

@bwmccoy Thank you. That's very helpful.

Kicking my butt to post a bit more. So didn't just buy these but they did just arrive.

-Chairman's reserve rum St-Lucia, single cask 50/50 John Dore 1 & Vendôme 8yrs old.

A single cask selected for Florida rum society, a blend from two different style pot stills. This is my new obsession, there's so much character in these rums and this is stuff that usually ends up in blends. Bought this last year and my friend was finally able to find a way to get it to me.

-Daftmill Winter batch 2007, 12 yrs ex-bourbon.

An unexpected and generous gift from same friend, I'm not sure what I did to deserve it but I guess I'm not so unlikeable after all. Looking forward to hopefully being able to share this with folks very soon.

@cricklewood I wish more rum companies would release all pot still rums. They have so much character. I’m drooling here…

@OdysseusUnbound I agree although there are some really flavourful column still rums also, I recently had a sample from Belize and while it's not totally in my wheelhouse it was really lovely, dark chocolate, coffee, dried fruits. More care could definitely be taken when making and bottling products.

Perhaps it's time for rum class 2.0

@cricklewood Sign me up.

Took advantage of the Sierra flyer sale back in December and grabbed these 3

@Astroke Nice score. That Great Plains whisky looks interesting. Have you had anything from them before?

@Timp This is my 3rd bottle, I absolutely love it

I will be posting this in the brandy banter thread, so I won't get into great details here. I mentioned earlier that I had purchased two more bottles of the Darroze Domaine de Poutëou Vintage 2000, 21yo, while I was enjoying my first glass. Well, I inspired so much that I ordered two bottles of the Darroze Domaine de Martin Vintage 1992, 29yo, and 50%abv.

Why? I am not traveling this year and have some money to spend. Well, at least I don't think I will be traveling.

@ajjarrett You're going to have to get rid of some Nadurra to make room for your rapidly growing Darroze collection.

@BlueNote

You have identified what my 2022 project is going to be.

I've just ordered a 100ml bottle of Daftmill from Berry Bros & Rudd. I missed out in the ballot for a full bottle but they informed me they were selling small bottles.

It's £25 for a 100ml bottle which is quite steep but I have been trying for a couple of years to grab a bottle of Daftmill without success. Never tried it and want to see what all the fuss is about.

They still have them left if anyone like me really wants to try Daftmill.

bbr.com/products-20108231208-2010-daftmill…

@Wierdo yeah me too mate. Trying for years but got informed today was successful. Very pleased as so wanted to try this one. Nice they gave up some smaller bottles. Look forward to hearing what you think. Cheers.

@Timp you managed to grab a full bottle? Well done mate!

I'll keep trying. (Or maybe I'll try this small bottles and think it's overated and not worth the hassle).

There's a whisky bar in Lichfield not far from me and looking at their menu they have a daftmill. I've been tempted to take a trip and try it. But it's £24 for a 25ml pour and I just couldn't bring myself to pay that much. In comparison £25 for 100mls isn't bad I suppose.

Well, the third of four purchases arrived today. All I can say is, you know your life has gone in a 'strange' direction when you get as excited when you receive KN95 and N95 masks in the mail, as you do a bottle Armagnac.

Why did I buy this bottle? Well, I moved to China in 2002 to teach English, I returned home in 2016. It will be exactly twenty years, this Summer, when I decided to take on that adventure, so 2002 has a special meaning for me.

I will post this photo on the brandy thread as well.

@Wierdo Yeah my luck was in yesterday. Got a message from bbr to say they needed my telephone number to call me to take payment which I thought was a bit quaint! They can’t have that many bottles if they have to call everyone like this.

It will be interesting to see if the whisky lives up to its hype. Could be a disappointment as you say.

Never really subscribed to the try before you buy, I suppose because I don’t have a decent whisky bar anywhere near me but at the prices of some of them by the pour I would rather get a whole bottle and make my mind up with a few pours. I have never really made any really bad purchases, particularly with the plethora of reviews out there, and noticed over the years that a bottle changes a fair bit over its life and some have become outstanding after a poor start.

It’s helpful to have generous folk to swap samples with though!

@Timp - You, Sir, are a beast when it comes to acquiring those rare bottles! Well done! @weirdo - Nice score too!

I'm always a little wary of 'unicorns' or anything that becomes totemic and usually refuse to play the game; must be a good feeling when you get one though!? Like you, I rarely get to try bottles but find that reading/watching a few trusted reviews, checking out whiskybase (always 87!) and knowing my own preferences is a reasonably reliable way of doing it.

Kind of makes it more fun too. And, let's not forget, that unless the sample is from the same bottle as you buy (which it won't be!) there's no guarantee it will be as good, which could be a bigger disappointment.

Oops, for some reason I must have forgotten to add the photo to my original post. Here it is. The box is impressive, so I am hope what is inside is also that way. Ha!

@RianC haha sample will be coming your way mate. Yeah I agree too about these type of bottles and usually can’t be bothered but got a reminder to enter from bbr. To be honest £100 doesn’t seem a bad price but perhaps that’s a sign of the times. The very fact I actually think so! Hope it’s worth it.

@ajjarrett, cet. par., I'm a fan of the nice wooden box.

@paddockjudge

I like it too. When the package arrived, I thought to myself, "How many bottles did I order?" Just one, but the box is quite substantial, and it is quality.