Which bottle did you just buy and why?

@Victor, right you are. Thank you for the information.

Cautiously, I'll look to stock up in advance. I really like the KC 120 proof Single Barrel.

Picked up six bottles today

• Powers Gold Label (Irish)

• Knob Creek 9 Years Old (Bourbon)

• Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select (Bourbon)

• Lot No. 40 (Canadian)

• Canadian Club Chairman's Select 100% Rye (Canadian)

• Alberta Premium (Canadian)

On to the "whys"...

I wanted to test the Irish waters a bit, and went with the Powers because it's very highly rated by Jim Murray's Whisky Bible. At least I think it is. It's a little confusing, because he's got two Powers Gold Label listed, one gets a 96 and the other an 87. I believe I got the 96 because the one I bought has an ABV of 43.2% (like the one in the bible) while the one rated 87 supposedly has an ABV of 40%. That latter is what's listed here on Connosr as well, so I'm not quite sure what's going on. Then again, I haven't Googled on the matter either, which I suppose I should. My next Irish will probably be Connemara Peated Single Malt, just to change things up a bit.

After a slightly disappointing first bourbon outing (with Elijah Craig 12 YO) I decided to give the Knob Creek 9 YO a try before it has a chance to go NAS, and while I was browsing the shelf I also saw a 375 ml bottle of Woodford Reserve sitting there, and I figured that that was a reasonably inexpensive way of trying yet another bourbon.

As for the three rye Canadians, I was having a glass of Crown Royale Northern Harvest the other night, and was surprised at how much more I liked it this time around than last time. I don't know if it was just the mood I was in, or if the bottle has benefited from being open for a couple of months. Whatever the reason, I decided I wanted to give some 100% rye Canadians a try, and the Lot No. 40 and CC Chairman's Select were no brainers, considering how well liked they are by most that try them. The Alberta Premium was a bit of a spur-of-the-moment decision. Much like with the Woodford Reserve, there was a 375 ml bottle of Alberta Premium, so I grabbed it just to have yet another rye reference.

Now comes the hard part... deciding which one to try first.

@Nelom that is often the problem I find...the bottles come in faster than they can be dispatched.

@Nelom Interested to know what you think about the CC 100% Rye Chairman's Select. I think it is a GR8 buy. You do realize that it is made in the same plant as Alberta Premium but IMHO it is a very big step ahead of the AP which I believe is approx 6 years in the casks. I have a friend in Sudbury who was touting the CC as the best Canadian rye released last year. And I prefer it to the CR Northern Harvest. Maybe because I have a bit of a sweet tooth?

@Nelom, Yes, Legacy batch L15009 has a distinct anice, star anise, black licorice note, as do all batches of Wiser's legacy, and yes, it is a delicious whisky; however, batch L16008 has an abundance of this flavour profile. The dominating anice is not my preferred style for this magnificent blend.

Below are listed the Lot numbers with which I am familiar. They are generally consistent with the exception of L16008.

L10270

L11090

L11196

L11326

L12096

L12303

L12304

L13289

L15009

L16008

My favourites are L10270 and L11196

Wild Turkey Rare Breed reduced to £35 for the money one of the best value cask strength bourbons if not whisky. So much depth to the flavour it is truly a great spirit, been missing from my cabinet for a few months and had to make do with Bookers, life is hard.

@Nozinan Ain't that the truth.

@Jonesz A lot of people seem to really like the CC Chairman's Select, so you're certainly not alone. At some point in the next few days I'll find out if I'm among you. :)

@paddockjudge Thanks for that information. I'll be sure to keep an eye on the lot numbers in the future.

@Jonesz, I too think highly of the CC100% Rye, distilled in Calgary and bottled in Windsor. This is an excellent example of a successful cross-functional exercise, producing a thoroughbred and not a camel. Alberta Distillers for the rye. Kentucky knowledge of heavy-char barrels. Ontario expertise in bottling and distribution from the largest volume distillery in North America.

I think our friend from Sudbury was touting this truly innovative product late in 2014 ahead of the January 2015 Canadian Whisky Awards.

@paddockjudge Sorry, as time goes by my memory fades. Thought that the CC 100% was released in the same year as CR Northern Harvest. I still think the CC 100 % is clearly the winner over Mr. Murrays Whiskey of the year.

@Jonesz Having tried CC 100% Rye and CRNH Rye I am in complete agreement that the CC Rye is much better.

@paddockjudge, whatdoes your friend in Sudbury have to say about the Last Barrels?

@paddockjudge Plus CC 100% makes a wicked Old Fashioned. Made some for the boys at my friends cottage last summer and they were lining up like a school cafeteria

Picked up three bottles yesterday:

• Hiram Walker's Old Special

• Alberta Premium Dark Horse

• Jack Daniel's Old No. 7

The "whys"...

I opened that 375 ml bottle of Alberta Premium the other night and was very pleasantly surprised. I really liked it. It's so good I'm somewhat flabbergasted it's not priced quite a bit higher than $25 a bottle. So, I figured I ought to try some more Canadian budget offerings, maybe there's some other hidden gems I've been missing out on? I decided to start with Hiram Walker's Special Old, and I'm considering giving Centennial a try next. All three are priced exactly the same.

My original plan when hitting up the LCBO was to only get that bottle of Hiram Walker, but... well, you know. I've been thinking about grabbing some Alberta Premium Dark Horse for a while, and my joyful experience with their main product offering inspired me to grab a bottle Dark Horse since I was at the store anyway.

And then, wouldn't you know it, there's a line-up at the cashier. And of course I end up scanning the shelves at the checkout and my eye lands on a 200 ml bottle of Jack Daniel's Old No. 7. I've never had it, and it IS the best selling whiskey in the world after all... so onto the checkout counter it went when it was my turn.

My friend came back from the UK and brought me back Talisker 18 and Glengoyne Teapot Dram 4.

The reason behind getting Talisker 18 is that the 10 is good so I can only imagine what a few more years would do. Reviews for the 18 are giving it high praise and more depth as expected. Teapot Dram was that it is a distillery exclusive and well it is rare. People have been stating it is Glengoyne answer to Aberlour A'bundah (at about double the price). Both bottles won't be opened anytime soon only on a very special occasion.

On this forum and others it seems Talisker 10 and 18 are getting harder to come by as well. Was going to pick up Talisker 18 in the USA, but with my time, availability and so on well better for me now then never or at double later. Wonder if others would choose Glengoyne 21 over Teapot dram?

Nikka -From the barrel (in Japan) up to recently I wasn't aware of its existence until just recently really. It was getting loads of airplay from those overseas so I was then on a mission to find it. And I did! I cracked it last night and I would have to say I like it. It's got it's own little character with a good solid flavor which was a surprise as I am use to Hibiki 17 (my favorite). So it threw me off a little bit I soon warmed to it. I was unsure if it was going to hold its own against The Harkushu 12 year and I and currently sitting in from of these bottles and I prefer the Nikka. Something in the Harkushu does not do it for me, it's almost too spicy for me. The price point of the Nikka is gold! It's 1:4 the price too.

5 bottles of Four Roses Limited Edition 2015 Small Batch.

At £35 a bottle could not miss the chance serious pricing error but they have arrived this afternoon in a original Four roses carton bottling ABV correct and all seals intact.

To say I am happy is an understatement, like the small batch anyway but will be nearly a week before I can sit down and give a dram the time it deserves. Just wish I had believed the site and cleared the stock at that price but was wary and now showing intermittently as stock at £70/bottle.

@Pete1969 WOW!!! Fantastic catch! I never tasted a limited edition but if I try to extrapolate from the single barrel that I am drinking at this time, it most be out of this world. Enjoy and let us know how it is.

One more blog reports that Booker's Rye is coming out at a US suggested retail price of $ 299. I am laughing out loud. Sounds like a great $ 80-100 bottle. American whiskey is becoming just as overpriced as is Scottish malt. The only bottle I ever paid $ 300 for was one with a resale price five times as much.

@Victor That's just nuts. I am really starting to like American Rye and I am sad to hear its going this way with prices.

@Victor, safe to say you're not a buyer at the $300?

It's disappointing because I'm sure it's great Rye but that price point is tough to swallow. I'm often a sucker for the flashy new releases and will sometimes dig deep to get a bottle. With all that being said, this one definitely makes me hesitate big time.

@InGreatSpirits, no, it would take a large fortuitous infusion of capital for me to pony up $ 300 for a bottle of Booker's Rye, or almost anything else . Sure I want to taste it, and I'd love to have a bottle of it. But $ 300 for me = "it had better be just about the best thing I've ever tasted." I can only think of 3 bottles I'd pay that for at this point, and I expect that each of those three would cost 3 to 10 times that price. My best chance at the expensive bottles I still want is to trade expensive appreciated bottles of my own for them. For example, I would trade a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 15 yo for a bottle of Octomore Orpheus 2.2.

@mscottydunc, most US rye is not in these ridiculous price ranges. Even Sazerac 18 has a MSRP of $ 80. Of course no one will sell you any at that price. But there is a lot of very good stuff which is relatively inexpensive, at least when purchased in the USA. You can still in certain places find an excellent 7 yo Willett for around $ 100 these days.

Just picked up bottle of J P Wiser's Last Barrels (age statement 14 years, tastes younger), why is self explanatory at least in Ontario. @Paddockjudge was exactly right when he stated this would be called Bourbon (or Sourmash) had it been distilled in Kentucky/US.

I jumped right into it so not much time to open up but I like it very much. Better that @Talexander, @Nozinan, @Victor or @Paddockjudge do the review as they are better at it than I am. Not sure at this point I would take it over Legacy and at $15 more but more than likely I will get a backup. Maybe a good opener for your Ontario Summit :)

Wiser's Last Barrels update, few drops of water did wonders, liking it more.

@Astroke, it would be interesting to try this one after 14 years in new oak. I like Last Barrels and will gather a couple for the bunker.

@paddockjudge I too will make sure I am covered in the years to come.

@paddockjudge @Astroke

I didn't think it was bad, but not extraordinary. Of course, I don't have a palate that can pick up some of the more subtle aspects of Canadian whiskies.

So I'm conflicted. Do I buy some now in case in the future I wish I did? Do I buy it and open a bottle which will be around for a decade or more as I almost never seem to gravitate to some of the bottles in my open cabinet?

Do I buy a couple because in 20 years there will be people who think back fondly on it and it will make a stellar gift?

I think there are too many "must have" whiskies out there that I simply do not "must" to have.

I am tempted to give this one a pass, though worried I might regret it later (all this peer pressure...DARN!).

Without Connosr I would have 12 bottles of A'Bunadh, 5-6 Bladnoch (because I would not have known they were closing in time to stock up), one or two others and that would be it.

All my bourbons, ryes, and 80% of my Canadians I have because of this site. To be sure I enjoy a lot of these, when I can open them), but it sure takes up space!

@Nozinan Definitely not extraordinary, but I did not find much of a Canadian profile, this to me is Bourbon. Probably will get at least 1 more.

@Astroke Bourbon? I'm trying to remember. Drinking a fantastic bourbon at 57% that cost me $20 US is making it hard to remember my tasting last week.

If it comes to the summit I'll try it again. There should still be some available. If not, the sun will rise on the 23rd...

@Nozinan Yes, no great loss if it's not replaced.

Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof, 66.7% ABV. @Nock suggested we split a bottle, which we did. This is the first bottle of any Jack Daniel's other than a mini which I have ever bought...and half of it at that. It has only taken me 63 years. I am so proud!

BTW, this JD SB BP is no disappointment either. It is like turbo-charged extremely intense caramel candy.

Compass Box Flaming Heart Limited Edition (2015). Came to $115 shipped...a bit more than I was looking to spend on a blended whisky, but that actually seems like a good price compared to what I've seen it going for elsewhere. And I do enjoy Caol Ila, and this edition contains quite a bit of older stock. Anyway, I'm in and looking forward to it!