Which bottle did you just buy and why?

Four Roses Single Barrel 11.75 YO 55.8% ABV OBSF (35% rye). This present from my sister was from a private single barrel from Shawan Liquors in the Baltimore area.

@Victor You are blessed to have a big sister like yours, who has a heart of gold and good taste. Four roses SB, the regular at 50% ABV has becomed my favorite bourbon among those I can get easily. I guess those at CS must be fantastic. I also really enjoyed the Jack Daniel's SB and can't wait to hear your impression.

Just laid claim to a Danfield's 21 year return, on hold for pickup tomorrow. Now I can finally finish the 1/3rd bottle I have now. Not sure when this will be released again, overdue, so I pounced on this return.

@Astroke Nice catch! Df21 one is a blending masterpiece.

@paddockjudge Agreed, probably my 8th bottle over the last 10-12 years, I never tire of it. My obsessive scanning of the LCBO website for returns pays off now and then. Still waiting for someone to return an AP25 for the $30 it sold for :)

@Astroke. You can dream on about that.... and be sure that I'll be looking out for that too.

I serendipitously found a Bowmore devil's cask 3 on a return a couple of months ago. I figure my luck is about ouT.

@Nozinan and I have to wait until I get to Nova Scotia (late July), vacation for 9 days, drive back to Ontario and then crack the Devil's Cask III. Mid August and 30 C (minimum) before I can pour a glass.

Oh well, a side by side against Amrut Intermediate Sherry/Devil's Cask and Laimrig in the blazing heat of Summer is in the works. Sweating Bullet's by Megadeth will be the theme song of choice.

@Astroke

You'd be better off, in my most humble of opinions, putting up the Amrut Peated CS vs the Laimrig and DC III. If you don't have any we should arrange to get you a sample.

I find the Amrut IS is fabulous but loses a lot of magic when the plate is already burdened with other drams...

@Nozinan Not sure I could handle that shootout anyway.

@Nozinan Also it would (may) have been a Sherry based beat down, The Peated CS Amrut may skew the experiment, although I am more than willing to give that a go.

@Astroke As long as you try the IS first I think you should be OK.

@Astroke, I had the good fortune in 2011 to twice find returned or lost bottles of AP25. One in Ottawa and one in Vaughn. That is 3 - 4 years after the small 5,000 bottle release...$30.25 each.

One of these days you'll get a taste. There are some bottles of AP25 and AP30 tucked away and I'm hoping we'll both be invited to attend the opening.

@paddockjudge Works for me :)

A'Bunadh Batch 49 because it was the last one in driving distance and found it on a shelf behind several Batch 52's (which are also very good but more accessible as yet). While I have had a couple of drams of earlier batches this batch was really the one that started my appreciation of sherry bombs. That is not to say that I didn't enjoy the earlier ones but was in a peat bog frame of mind at the time.Too bad I didn't catch on until the last price increase of $20 per bottle.

I spent a great week in South Texas and returned with several gems. Four bottles of Willet Family Estate Single barrel 4 yr Rye (The ones with the green wax dipped tops). These are in my opinion the best American Style Rye available. A bottle of EH Taylor Seasoned Wood

@Jonesz I have been told the 49 is an excellent specimen. Look forward to cracking it in 2 years.

Call me a lemming.

The way the Last Barrels is being described on Connosr I'm certain I've missed something. And the way it's been flying off the shelves I was struck with FOMO.

So I found the one store in North York listing bottles and ask them to hold 2 for me.

So essentially I got the "last bottles" of the "Last Barrels".

I just got back from a trip up for a visit with @Victor, his wife, and sister. The liquor stores in his area have fantastic prices. So all these bottles were purchased for less than you can find almost everywhere. Therefore, the answer to almost every single “Why?” is because I saved about $15 to $30 dollars per bottle (and in many cases I can’t buy the bottles locally)

So here is what I came back with:

Booker’s Bluegrass 2016-01 63.95% 127.9 Proof Age: 6yo 11 months – Why? It was a good price, I have enjoyed Booker’s in the past, and I have heard good things about this batch. Looking forward to finding out for myself.

Baker’s 7yo 107 Proof 53.5% Batch No. B-90-001 – Why? Never tried it, but it was on sale and a good price – plus, it is always a good thing with @Victor gives the nod.

Bulleit 95 Rye 45% - Why? I love this rye, and I am nearly out.

Bulleit Bourbon 45% - Why? I had this recently in a blind tasting at my friend’s house. It was far better than I remembered. And it was half the price it is in my local store.

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof 66.70% - Why? Because I have been eyeing it for a while, and I easily convinced @Victor to split the bottle with me. It is much easier to take the gamble on only half a bottle when it only costs you $32 as opposed to $64 for something you might not like.

Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve 9yo 60% 120 Proof – Why? It still has an age statement and I have never tried it. This was one that @Victor just brought up to me saying I needed to get it.

Benromach 10yo Imperial Proof 57% (31/08/15) – Why? I have loved Benromach 10yo for several years now. I have been anxiously awaiting the 57% version to hit the US market for a while now. I was glad to find a bottle – and it was $10 less than the going rate!

Ardbeg Uigeadail 54.2% (bottled 17/11/2015) – Why? Because I have to. It is my duty to keep track of as may batches as I can. Further, the price is only going up.

Ardbeg Dark Cove 46.5% (bottled 09/02/2016) – Why? Because I am an Ardbeg whore. Thankfully, I only bought one bottle this year – and it is already open!

Ardbeg Dark Cove Committee Release 2016 55% (bottled 20/11/2015) – Why? Because I am an Ardbeg whore, and @Victor was gracious enough to procure a bottle for me. I am interested to note that this was bottled a full three months before the lower ABV version.

Grant’s 40% 1.75L – Why? It is my house scotch. I always have a bottle on hand and it is a great price.

Lagavulin 16yo 43% (c. May 2016) – Why? Good question. My last two bottles have been extremely disappointing. But it is my wife’s favorite scotch. She demands that I have an open bottle on hand. This is Lagavulin’s last chance with me. My last good bottle was purchased in 2010.

Laphroaig Cairdeas 2015 51.5% - Why? I already have a bottle open, and I want one for the future.

Laphroaig 10yo 43% - Why? It is one of the most consistent bottles around. It is a must in my cabinet.

Laphroaig 10yo CS 58% batch 006 Feb.14 – Why? The Laphroaig 10yo Cask Strength is one of my favorite ongoing batches to keep track of (along with Uigeadail, and Elijah Craig Barrel Proof), and I can’t get it in Virginia. It is a must buy for me (and I still have one open bottle, and another in reserve).

Laphroaig 10yo CS 56.3% batch 007 Jan.15 (3 bottles) – Why? This was easily available at the moment and it is a really good batch (I have an open bottle). Stock up while you can!

Stagg Jr. 64.85% (#5) 129.7 proof 2015 Fall (2 bottles) – Why? So far I have been able to keep track of each batch. Really glad to be able to find this batch considering that it was bottled in the Fall of 2015.

Willett Single Barrel Rye 59.6% 119.2 Proof 7yo Barrel 134 – Why? I was able to get a taste in the store before I bought (along with @Victor). No surprise, this is another great Willett Rye.

Old Pulteney 17 - I really like the 12, the reviews of the 17 are promising and I want to stockpile older malts before the prices go insane

Glen Elgin 12 - a distillery I don't see much from, I'd like to stock this one for a try

Knob Creek 100 proof 9 yr - To compliment my 120 proof & I'm enjoying high ABV American whiskey a lot these days

This lot finally arrived today:

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• another bottle of 1995 Clynelish 20 Year Old, Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection bottling from cask no. 8685.
• another bottle of 2006 Edradour 9 Year Old, van Wees the Ultimate Cask Strength bottling from cask no. 249.
• a bottle of Lagavulin 8 Year Old 200th Anniversary Edition

Forgot the reasons: 1. I am into an independent bottling craze, 2. It's the Lagavulin 200th Anniversary bottling - you have to try a sip.

Just picked up four--no, five bottles. All but one are highly recommended by several members here on Connosr--and the other I've had before, and I recommend it. My reasons for selecting them vary; two are Canadians, and being Canadian myself I'm trying to develop a more patriotic taste. Two are blends, from a company which seems to have earned a good reputation in whisky circles. And the last is an age-statement bourbon that I've had, and quite enjoy. I bought them all at once because I'm in a city where I can actually find them. They are:

Century Distilling Ninety 20yo and Gibson's Venerable 18yo--the two Canadians.

Compass Box The Spice Tree and Great King Street Artist's Blend--these are the blends.

Bulleit 10yo--this is the only one of these I've actually had. It's also the least expensive bottle of the lot.

I've just bought 4 bottles of 19 year old sherried Arran, a 20 year-old Auchentoshan, a 21 year-old Tobermory, an 18 year-old Benrinnes, 2 bottles of 9 year old Fettercairn and a bottle of 9 year-old Macduff. All these bottles are CS and cost between 35 and 50 pounds except for the Auchentoshan which was 57 pounds. For age stated cask strength expressions I think these prices are excellent and that's why I bought them! Also I just ordered 2 bottles of Buffalo Trace, 2 bottles of Rittenhouse Rye 100 proof and a bottle of Bookers. Again by UK and European standards the prices were very competitive so that's why I bought them.I can't wait for my Bookers to be delivered so I can find out which batch I'm getting this time!

@Spitfire, keep an eye open for Four Roses Small Batch and FR Single Barrel. Bulleit bourbon, until recently, was sourced from Four Roses. The whisky in the bottle will likely be Four Roses for a few more years. My preference is FR over Bulleit; however, I do have both brands in my cabinet and find them enjoyable.

@paddockjudge Yes, I've had a couple bottles of Four Roses Single Barrel. Good stuff--not too easy to find around here, though. The Bulleit 10yo is quite different to my taste, both from the FR SB and regular Bulleit. Of course, not too easy to find here--which is why I bought it when I could.

Today, continuing the trend, I bought another four bottles:

Glenfarclas 15yo--after my other thread about GF 15 vs 17, when I saw a bottle of 15yo I bought it (cheaper than the 17yo, too).

Wisers Legacy--another Canadian that folks say is good; First time I've ever even seen it.

Forty Creek Confederation Oak Reserve--currently my favourite Canadian, and a very good whisky. Another hard one for me to find.

Urban Craft Single Malt--a locally produced whisky, I didn't even know it existed before I saw it on the shelf. It's local, and a bit different--they bottle it with a piece of the cask wood in the bottle--so I figured I should give it a try. www.urbandistilleries.ca/whisky.php

I've just ordered 2 bottles of the new 16 year old Port Askaig by Speciality Drinks.There's actually been a mistake in the pricing on the website and they've got one bottle which should be 46 pounds marked at 79 and my bottle which should be 79 priced at 46. I don't really expect this order to be fulfilled but you've got to try haven't you!

Rock Hill Farms SB... Seems like it was the last bottle in the county....

@chrisbator I have been sipping a bottle sparingly for almost 2 years. Rock Hill Farms seems to be a minor Unicorn without any press. Delicious stuff.

I just ordered A bottle of Bastille 1789 Two Octomore, one 6.3 and one 7.1 Three Springbank: the 13 yo Green Label a Hazelburn 10 yo Rundlets & Kilderkins and a Cambeltown Loch 21 yo A lot of fun is forecast for when I will get those. But I will have to wait for my mule to come iby.

Talisker 57 Degrees North, 57% ABV, (2) 1 Litre Bottles. Love this stuff, my "standard" Talisker, and it is not sold in the USA. Ontarians, they have these today at the automobile Duty Free Shop on the Ontario side of the Peace Bridge at Buffalo, N.Y. for Can$ 99 per Litre. Lots of them. Much better than Can$ 175 for 700 ml at the LCBO a couple of years ago, though not quite as good as the Can$ 62 Litre bottles I bought at the same Duty Free 4 years ago.

I was also very pleased to see my sister buy a bottle of Talisker Dark Storm this morning, ...and about 5 or 6 other bottles. I've never seen Dark Storm in my region. I am very eager to taste it.