Which bottle did you just buy and why?

@Nelom Basil Hayden was the first bourbon I ever tasted, and the setting in which I tried it is forever etched into my whisky journey memory, so there will always be a soft spot in my heart for that bourbon (though I have never had it since...).

The only online purchases I've made were for the BTAC lottery. If I had anything I wanted to buy I would definitely take advantage of it. Also, free delivery to your local LCBO if you choose.

Just wanted to second what @Nelom said about the LCBO online ordering. I've ordered two bottles now, Benromach 10 and a Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva (rum), both arrived at my local store within 3 days ready for pickup. The Benromach 10 box lid had a small puncture, but everything else was fine including the box it came in, so I imagine it wasn't due to the shipping of the bottle. Both of these bottles are not commonly found in my area and often don't make it out of the bigger stores, so being able to order them was fantastic!

@Mancub

I'm waiting until you can order things from other provinces... then there might be something to order!

@Nozinan

That would be a fine day indeed! First liquor in grocery stores and now online ordering....things are changing - baby steps.

@Mancub Enjoy that Diplomatico. It is an absolutely fantastic rum.

@Nozinan very odd about the 70cc bookers. Let me know what you think of the 02 in my review. I found it to have a much greater rye presence than typical batches.

@newreverie I heard they may stop producing the Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva from a clerk at my liquor store. Have you heard anything like that?

@Robert99 How is this different from the Diplomatico Reserva? both are art the LCBO and about $17 difference, both at 40%.

I guess anything made in Venezuela is tenuous, given the economic conditions...

@newreverie

I may have occasion to open it this weekend, got a drinking buddy coming over. I'll let you know. Thanks for reminding me about the review. I like to taste new expressions and batches and compare wha I taste to what I read.

@Nozinan Comparing those two Rum is like comparing two Scotch of the same distillery one being finished in Bourbon cask and the other in PX cask. The Exclusiva is the one like the PX because it is more sweet with loads of chocolate and black cherry. It is also smoother. The Reserva is not bad, but I love the Exclusiva!

To keep the comparaison with the whisky world, if you want to taste a Rum that taste as if it has a wine finished, try the Santa Teresa 1796. Very different!

@Nozinan That was supposed to be a "wine finish".

@Robert99 I certainly hope not. Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva is a world class spirit at a bargain price. I'd buy a dozen bottles if I heard it was being discontinued. Perhaps they are going to stop distributing it to Canada?

@Nozinan The Exclusiva is like a Rum Liqueur IMHO. Gave 1/2 a bottle away because it is too sweet. 41g/liter sweetener added. Below is a link to test results by varying sources as to the amount of sugar additives in many Rums.

rumproject.com/rumforum/viewtopic.php/…

NOPE, not gonna do it! $ 272.50 for a bottle of Parker's Heritage Collection 10th Edition at my local stores is just not a place I want to go. Fabulous whiskey at $ 80-100. If I had none at all I might go as high as $ 150 for a bottle. Higher than that? Forget it.

$20 K spent on whisk(e)y in the last 7 years has been enough for me for awhile, for most purposes. Yes, there may be a very small handful of exceptions...with 300 bottles purchased in the last 7 years, I doubt that I will buy 10 more in the next 3 years.

@Victor I predict you will buy more than 10 for personal use (not for the rest of us who have poor access) in the next 3 years:

BTACs Pappys Ardbeg releases A'Bunadh ECBP

Just my prediction

@Victor @Nozinan Deja Vu? =]. Victor did indeed by the Parker's 10th anniversary... FOR ME!! Very happy to have a 24yr BiB Heaven Hill coming my way. Thanks to Victor and the sultry @Dramlette for their efforts.

Wife bought me an early Xmas present not allowed to open until Xmas which unfortunately I am working again. Already been told by supervisor that I will be in on 15:00 to 23:00 fourth shift of 6 so no family meal this year and no dramming until 29th.

Highland Park 18 on clearance at Booths store Penwortham £80 got the last one, it was marked up reduced to clear so if you are near a Booths in north west UK will be worth a visit to see if they have any left.

I recently picked up a bottle of Aberlour A'bunadh Batch 54 for @Nozinan and had been contemplating grabbing one for myself until last night. Very happy I grabbed one too, as it was the last one on a shelf bolstering a dozen 55's. @Victor praised this batch so I have no doubt it will be one of the good ones.

@Mancub thanks again... I look forward to visiting London to meet you(and the bottle)

Just returned from a work trip (with healthy dose of fun and hiking mixed) in the State of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Have several small liquor retailers I like to frequent when traveling through their areas. Between them I managed to purchase several bottles of Old Weller Antique 107, two bottles of Aberlour A'bunadh batch #54, and individual bottles of Old Weller Special Reserve, Evan Williams 1783, and Alberta Premium Dark Horse. Most of the bottle of Evan Williams 1783 consumed recovering from several days of strenuous hiking. Cracked open the bottle of Alberta Premium Dark Horse in time to enjoy an amazing lightning storm display over Lake Superior.

Yesterday i went and picked up my A'bunadh batch 55! As soon as i can I'm gonna do a comparison with batch 47 and possibly the eighteen year old as well

Was also recently on a work trip to Michigan and was able to find two bottles of the old label Sam Houston as well as a Balvenie 15 Year Single Barrel (bourbon barrel) at the original MSRP of $80....too good to pass up.

I've been trying to consolidate my collection and prevent uncontrolled expansion and I was doing pretty well until this week. After a few donations and returns, I had one fewer bottles than I did in July 1.

Then disaster struck. The Caol Ila CS I bought in Halifax in May turned out to be a Glenmorangie signet which I traded in for 2 Caol Ila unpeated 17YO CS.

Then my brother in law was emailed a coupon for a local liquor chain in Calgary, $25 off any purchase over $100. So he picked up a Glendronach 16 YO single cask for me and a friend on Monday. Then tonight the wheels fell off. He found an Amrut IS for $98 after coupon and taxes, less than I've ever paid for it before, 3 -4 years ago! How could I pass that up?

And then I made the mistake of asking him to look at a sale item I could not make out on the top shelf of the row he had sent me a photo of... Lagavlin 8. He had just given my bottle of this to a friend to bring to Toronto and there it was for $5 off... $105. After coupon and tax, $84.$25 less than I paid for the one in BC. How could I possibly leave it on the shelf?

Of course, if this is a one-off bottling, by the time it makes it back to Toronto it could be worth triple....and I may be too old to drink...

Popped into a local shop that i infrequently visit.... And walked away with with a Hirsch small batch select reserve for me..... (And got a Plantation Barbados rum for mom)

A side trip to the local wine merchant who specialises in whisky yielded these: ? - A bottle of the Ardbeg Corryvreckan ? - A couple of bottles of the Springbank 12 Year Old Burgundy ? [IMG]uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160925/…]

There's an Ardbeg competition going at the moment. I am impressed with this Springbank release having tasted it last week.

On a recent trip, I picked up:

Century Reserve 21 yo--a sweet Canadian. Don't see many age-statement Canadians, and certainly not many this old, so...

Compass Box Oak Cross--supposedly similar to Spice Tree, but different. I kinda like Compass Box, not only for their whisky but for their approach to the industry. Unopened as yet.

Another bottle of 40 Creek Confederation Oak Reserve--a fine Canadian, and one of my favourites.

Gooderham & Worts Four Grains--unopened Canadian, I have no idea what to expect. Never seen it before, hadda try it!

Crown Royal NHR--not my favourite, but hey, it's been unavailable here in western Canada seemingly since it first appeared, so when I saw some I had to pick up a bottle. Definitely a rye, and IMO not the best (but then again, my name's not Jim Murray...).

Oh, and then I had to replace my bottle of Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage (one of my favourite bourbons). Picked up the last bottle on the shelf.

Gooderham & Worts is one of my favourites. It's one of the trifecta of great whiskies that were first released in 1990s, only to be pulled and then re-released 20ish years later. The other two being Lot No. 40 and Pike Creek. All three represent a new chapter in Canadian whisky, and while they were a bit ahead of their time in the 90s, whisky drinkers of today generally appreciate them. Jason Hambrey has a bit more about all this in his review of the whisky: insearchofelegance.net/blog/2016/…

Hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as I do.

@Spitfire @Nelom I was underwhelmed the first time I tried this (G&W) but it seemed to improve with time. I still have a bottle but this is one I would have been better off getting a sample of, because I just NEVER seem to reach for it.

@Nelom Thanks for the G&W review--sounds like a good whisky for long winter nights!

I picked up a bottle of Cragganmore 12 yesterday as I noticed one of the LCBO's near me was stocking 1. The clerk looked everywhere and after a few minutes in the back came out with the bottle which was "hiding". I took it home and after sliding it out of the box to my dismay noticed the seal was half torn (though still intact)! When I put pressure on the top of the cork there is a little movement, which leads me to believe that this bottle has not been sealed all that well. Any suggestions? I normally play the honesty card but I don't want to try to return it having pointed out the cracked seal and have them tell me that they can't give me my money back.