Which bottle did you just buy and why?

@Robert99 The DC III appears to have sold out almost before it hit the shelves. Craziness. I think that for clearly popular and limited releases (BTAC, Pappy, Octomore -maybe, Springbank CS etc..) the provincial sellers should put it all onto a lottery.

I know I've snagged a couple of lucky ones in the past but I've probably missed out on even more. This would decrease "insider luck" and even the playing field.

@Nozinan On day will be my lucky day. Maybe it will be with a lottery.. Thanks, anyway!

@Misty Would like to get your thoughts on the Michters Rye Cask Strength, soon to be released where I am, but at a whopping $160 cdn.

A bottle of Springbank 15 yr has made it into my hands this weekend from my traveling Mother in-law. Just in time to replace the one that is almost empty. I try to replace the ones I enjoy.

@Astroke

I'll put up a review in a bit. In short it's got a lovely toffee, caramel kinda profile and the minty rye spice only kicks in at the end.Its not too complex, NAS and a touch rough (fire in the belly way) but it's good for all that. Crazy thing is I paid 75€ for this and a Willet 8 year old was only 25€ more! The Willet is on a different scale altogether. The Blantons are super impressive too, such a high quality experience.

@Misty, I am guessing that you guys did not do shots of Blanton's Straight From the Barrel.

@Robert99, @Nozinan, the SAQ releases new spirits every Thursday, If you check the site on wednesday, the product pages are alreay online without inventory. This allows you to scope out what's upcoming, on Thursday morning sometime between 8am and 10am the online & in-store inventory goes up.

The DC III (110$) was on there and sold out in 2-3 hours, It was foolish of me to wait. I should have called to store to put some aside or asked my brother who works next door to pick-one up. I think because it's been widely reported the limited nature of this release as well as it's the last Devil's cask has cause a bit of an uproar. I don't remember the DC II or Laimrig selling out so fast though.

@Robert99

Recently I was able to acquire a Devils Cask III in a trade for Nikka Taketsuru 17 YO Pure Malt with @thecyclingyogi. Fortunately for me (and @thecyclingyogi) I have a back-up bottle. I normally wouldn't consider trading a NT17, but knowing how highly regarded it is by tcy, I was pleased to make the trade.

I certainly would make this bottle available to you. Let me know if it is on your wish list and we'll work something out. I am not beyond doing a twoferone trade, although I am more comfortable with a straight swap.

Send me a private message if you wish to continue this discussion...I wouldn't want to drive up prices with a discussion on an open forum;)

Check the SAQ website on Tuesdays as they publish what is being released on the Thursday...

A couple of bottles of the now discontinued Famous Grouse 21 Year Old - a pure malt blend and rather popular back in the day as it has a high proportion of Macallan and Highland Park in the blend makeup.

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It was on sale locally for a limited time, massive discount too albeit still quite a lot more than what I used to pay for them in the early 2000's - different packaging and occasionally drinking it with cola back then too!

Ah the memories of university life. Had I known then what I know today, I would have stockpiled all the bottles of Macallan 25 Year Old Anniversary, Macallan 30 Year Old, Macallan 18 Year Old Gran Reserva, Highland Park 25 Year Old dumpy bottle, Highland Park 30 year old dumpy bottle, Highland Park special edition and limited releases, Brora, Port Ellen, Bowmore Lord of the Isle, Bowmore 25 Year Old ceramic decanter, Bowmore 30 Year Old ceramic decanter, Laphroaig 25 Year Old and Laphroaig 30 Year Old that I could get my hands on. These were plentifully available in those days and cheap too.

A couple of independent bottlings of aged Mortlach: 1994 Mortlach 20 Year Old Cadenhead Small Batch series, from bourbon hogsheads that yielded a total of 768 bottles.

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Aged Mortlachs are become few and far in-between.

Just Picked up the last two Jim Beam harvest collecting releases. Harvest Collection Six Row Barley Harvest Collection Triticale

There were a total of six releases for the harvest collection. The previous four are Soft Red Wheat, Brown Rice, Rolled Oat, and High Rye. All have been aged 11 years. I think that this collection represents one of the most diverse offerings by any major distiller. While the Buffalo Trace experiment offered a similar variety, the dizzying number of options make it impossible to experience all of the combinations. I've tasted the previous 4 and they all showcase something new and different in bourbon (the rye being the exception since it has gained a huge revival in popularity recently). I look forward to trying these last 2 soon and writing reviews on all six offerings.

Just found another bottle of Elmer T Lee at a.... Well at $50 it's a fair bit more than the $35 I paid a couple of months ago...

@sengjc cracked one of those Mortlach's yet? I have a nearly identical bottle, slightly lower proof at 51.4% and the batch yielded 510 bottles... 20yr bottled in 2014...

@chrisbator

Nope, not yet.

Serge Valentin seems to think these are really good and the Whiskybase community too - my motivators for my purchase.

I'll probably horde these for a while, I think - reserved for some special occasion.

A couple more bottles of the Parker's Heritage Collection 8th Edition - 13 Year Old Wheat Whiskey.

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It's funny as I tried really hard last couple of years to get a bottle at retail price without success. Having accepted that I would never get any unless I am willing to pay 3-4 times in the secondary market, suddenly these come along.

I think 4 bottles is enough for me.

Picked up a few things at duty free...

Macallan select oak

Alberfeldy 18

Glenlivet Nadurra First fill sherry cask strength

Balvenie 12 triple cask

crown royal black

don julio

highland park Einar

In another post (Shipping, and Legacy) I mentioned a recent trip to the city where I purchased four new bottles. They were:

G&M bottling of Linkwood 15 YO single malt. This one was a complete off-the-cuff--I have another G&M Speyside bottling (Glentauchers 18 YO which, while I haven't yet opened it, I did sample it prior to purchase) and I'm hoping the Linkwood is as good. It does get good reviews.

Benromach Peat Smoke 2005. I had a bottle of their 2002, and wanted to replace it (despite the name, the peat smoke is very approachable in this one). Every Benromach I've tried so far has been excellent.

Forty Creek Confederation Oak Reserve. FC Double Barrel Reserve was one of my earliest purchases, and I recently finishe the bottle of FC Three Grain Harmony (special 2015 release) which I'd managed to snag. I've been wanting to try the Confederation Oak for some time now, so when I saw one bottle left on the shelf...

Bulleit Bourbon 10 YO. Another "off the cuff" purchase; I was considering some Michters Bourbon, which I'd read about but never seen, but the Bulleit was half the price and the sales guy was enthusiastic, so... This is the only one of these bottles I've opened yet--it's an easy drinker, very caramel. I like it. Perhaps a bit more in-depth review later.

Bunnahabhain Ceobanach, love the 12 year so interested to try a peated expression.

1997 Arran Single Cask No. 938, a 15 year old matured in a sherry cask. The price on this was reduced as the label is missing on the box.

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... and I couldn't resist a couple more of the Parker's Heritage Collection 8th Edition 13 Year Old Wheat Whiskey. Now I am convinced that I have enough to open a bottle.

Teeling Poitín - A bruiser at 61.5%.

Trying to figure this one out. The nose is interesting, the taste so powerful!

@Spitfire, Bulleit 10 YO is what I use to put a hint of cherry into a vatting, of course you could forego the Bulleit 10 and buy Four Roses small batch at a discount to the B 10 or FR Single barrel, which is less expensive and, in my opinion, a superior dram, not to mention less expensive then Bulleit.

Bulleit whisky was until recently distilled by Four Roses. That has changed, but the aged whisky remains FR for now,

I picked up (just before that) a bottle of Hakushu Distiller's Reserve while visiting the Hakushu Distillery. I also picked up two bottles of both Yoichi and Miyagikyo NAS 45% ABV SMWs in duty free at Narita International Airport this February, during my holiday there. Lastly, got a bottle of Hibiki Harmony in duty free in Beijing International Airport as well.

Well, my doctor said I should go on a liquid diet, so I am just following what the doctor says. ^_^

@paddockjudge Regarding the Bulleit/FR connection--I hadn't known about that. I've had a couple of bottles of FR Single Barrel, and I find the Bulleit 10 to be nothing like it--the FR Single Barrel is less sweet and more floral and complex to my palate. But, I've never tried the FR Small Batch..

@cricklewood The DC III is available in my area right now and I was going to get a bottle because I really want to try it but I read that it contains coloring. I just don't understand why Bowmore feels the need to add coloring to a whisky that was fully matured in first fill sherry casks. Because of that, I'm considering not getting it.

@Spitfire,

Four Roses has two mash bills and five yeast strains allowing for ten unique whisky profiles and countless possibilities when blended.

FR1B is a high-rye version which may explain the floral notes you are detecting.

I find Bulleit 10 to be brittle. FR1B has a creamy texture and is chewy where B 10 is thinner. In Ontario FR1B is $45 and Bulleit 10 is $50.

Four Roses bottles some very nice whiskey.

@maltygirl Hear you on the colouring issue but if they are not too out of line price wise I would get two. One to drink and one to savour later on. Really enjoy my release 1 but wish I had another in the bunker. Recently was able to get (just one) release 2. DC3 hasn't shown its ' face around here. Wish more distilleries were like Bruichladdich etc when it comes no NO COLOUR ADDED

@maltygirl I couldn't find any official reference to colouring, and the bottle has no information on colour.

I would say if you're interested, grab it now, and then contact the distillery. if you find out there is caramel and you don't want it...return it or trade it.

@paddockjudge

You seem to have an endless knowledge of American whiskey minutiae. If only you could use your superpowers for good....

Oh wait...that's what you're doing...carry on!

@paddockjudge Four Roses Single Barrel was the first bottle of "premium" bourbon I ever bought, and yes, it's a good one. I've since bought (and finished) another. I did read online about the various mash bills and yeast strains, and I understand they label the bottles as to which & what, but I've never seen more than one variation on the shelf at any one time (and I wouldn't remember what I'd tried before, anyway) so for me it's a bit of a crapshoot when I buy it--or rather, more like saying "Surprise me" to the maitre 'd (yeah, like I do that all the time...).

I wouldn't call the Bulleit 10 "brittle," though, or "thin." I find it has a big, somewhat oily mouthfeel, with a sweet, caremel taste--very much "dessert in a bottle." In comparison (and going by memory here), the FR1B is thinner, dryer, and much more complex. Still, they're both bourbon, and I like 'em both; I'm really glad I picked up the Bulleit 10 as part of my ongoing exploration of the field.