Christmas presents

@chuck51, you are well set. It is nice with A'bunadh that new batches give you something a little different to taste each time.

My mom was able to hunt down and buy a bottle of Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist for me. Needless to say she is the best mom in the world.

I received a Four Roses Small Batch, Elijah Craig 18 Single Barrel, Booker's Small Batch, another A'Bunadh (Batch 36), & a Glenmorangie Finealta.

I have to count myself very fortunate as I did very well and added a bottle of the 'Last Vatted Malt' in commemoration of the 30 November, a bottle of 'Hicks & Healey' (The first Cornish Whiskey), a Glenbridge 40yr old (she told me she was 8th in line and missed out) a bottle of 'Redbreast' Irish Pot Still whiskey and a bottle of 'Powers' Irish Pot still, ohh and a bottle of 'Tamdhu' speyside... Put all that together with a nice Oak plinth to mount the Pot Still whiskey's on, it was not a bad xmas at all...Just now got to decide on which to open and which to keep...

@Mammon - I haven't opened mine yet either, but I did get to try it before I got it. I was in San Francisco recently and was having lunch in a pub downtown called the Irish Bank. I was looking at the Whisky selection above the bar and spotted a bottle of Bowmore that I had never seen before. I asked the barkeep to pour me a glass and asked if I could see the bottle. I was blown away by the color, the heat (cask strength) and the taste. I later learned this particular bottling spent the first 6 years in a traditional oak cask before spending the final 10 years in a Bordeaux cask. Some may not like the heavier than normal wine influence, but I thought it was very nice. After leaving the pub, I went to the Whisky Shop to put together my Christmas wish list for my wife and was shocked to see they had 3 bottles of that Bowmore on the shelf. Needless to say, it made it onto my wish list and thankfully found it's way under my Christmas tree. I hope you enjoy it and find it as unique of an experience as I did. Anxious to hear what you think when you open it. Cheers and Happy New Year to you!

@bwmccoy, I have not opened my bottle, but I was able to try it before. It was at a whisky exposition in Zurich, Switzerland. I liked this Bowmore immediately because it was somehow refreshing due to its very fruity taste. I think it is my second most prefered Bowmore after the Laimrig.

My wife picked up the Glenmorangie discovery set - a regular bottle of Glenmorangie 10 coupled with three 5cl bottles of Glenmorangie Lasanta, Nectar D'or, and Quinta Ruban. Looking forward to that tasting.

A few other bottles from co-workers include Glenfiddich 12 (better than I remembered), Compass Box Spice Tree, and Glen Breton Ice 17 (Canadian single malt aged 17 years and finished in ice wine casks).

I can add some after Christmas gifts. There are a Balvenie 14 Year old Cuban Selection, an Aberlour 15 Year old Cuvee de Marie d Ecosse (with glasses) and a bottle of 1996 Caol Ila Distillers Edition (again with glasses but this time nice ones...). I have to admit that I am a little bit spoiled by my wife, family and friends.

@Mammon, 'spoiled by wife, family and friends': good. Spoilage of whisky: not good.

So my local store, where I attend whisky tastings, was kind enough to allow me to trade in my bottle of Oban for credit. I took home Lombard's Golden Harvest and Smoking Ember, and the Loch & K(e)y bottling of Eagle Rare 10 instead. :-)

'Opened the Dalwhinnie and is it good! 'Opened the 2012 Whisky Bible (inscribed by the Rev. Jim " To John, 'Keep the Faith'. Jim Murray". I looked up Dalwhinnie 15yo. while gently chewing on a small mouthful and thinking what a fine, and for the most part un-championed Malt this is, and guess what? The 2012 Bible scores the Dalwhinnie 95 points. - That came as a bit of a surprise though I heartily agree. I wonder what time my local Liquor Barn opens....

Cheers and Good Luck to all members for the New Year &

Stay Safe.

Bladnoch 18 from the wife

I got many special gifts for Christmas. My brother gave me a Chivas Regal Royal Salute 21 year old . The parents gave me an Ardbeg Corryvrecken. My wife gave me a Balvenie Single barrel 15 year old , An Eagle Rare 10 yr bourbon , and an Evan Williams Single Barrel 2001. Finally My Mother in law bought me a Buffalo Trace and an Elija Craig 12 year old. I love Christmas......

@TheConscience ...have you had a chance to try the Glen Breton Ice 17? I am very curious on how it turned out (I believe they source icewine casks from Jost Vineyards in Nova Scotia for the finishing). Have you tried the GB 10? If so, how do the two compare?

A suprise after-Christmas present from my wife was a bottle of Compass Box Spice Tree as it is marked as 'discontinued' at the LCBO and bottles appear to be disappearing quickly. Have opened the bottle for a smell, but have not actually tried it yet...can't wait!

Aberlour a'bunadh batch 37 from my son, Jura Supersition from my daughter, a Macallan 10 year old and 10 year old Fine Oak from my wife and my own December addition to my CPD a 1989 Balblair. Five new bottles and I sneaked in a bottle of Black Grouse while at the supermarket early in the month. I wish it could be Christmas everyday ?

@Pudge72 , I have not yet tried the GB Ice 17. I am reluctant to do so before trying GB 10 in order to have a 'control' from which to make comparisons. However, I cannot foresee a time in the near (or distant) future where I might pick up GB 10 so I may, after all, just try it as a stand alone.

You'll know when I do because I plan to make it the subject of my inaugural review on this site.

Girlfriend got me a Jefferson's Reserve for my birthday on the 20th. For Christmas she also somehow managed to get me a bottle of Green Spot imported. Then the ultimate of ultimates, my parents pooled with my brother and his fiance for a bottle of Port Ellen 9th Release for a Birthday/Christmas combo present which floored me because I saved up to buy the only one around from the local liquor depot and was distraught to find out it sold. They lied to me for 2 months on that one. Happy Christmas/New Year to everyone!

I got myself Caol Ila 12 for myself and Tomatin 15 for a friend and his family. Both were lovely whisky's with the Caol Ila being a fantastic 'puncher'.

Among my numerous gifts was a Villeroy & Boch Whisky Glass 'Single Grain Lowland'. Quite large at 134mm. and not exactly the one I had dropped a gentle hint about (Mea culpa). That one was the 100mm. 'Single Malt Islands'.

The 134mm. size is a little daunting and it does encourage one to add a little more Whisky, in fact, I'm of a mind that a goodly sized dram of about 3oz.or so works particularly well - My usual dram of 1/2 gill seems a little lost: This is a big glass and is without any doubt the best nosing / tasting glass I have yet encounted and needs no lid! Left over night a lid helps the empty glass test but no lid for a normal dram.

The 134mm. is a reference to the actual height of the glass.An excellent review for various glasses is at Dramming Whisky Glasses 'Villeroy and Boch verses the rest of the World'. Also our own Distilled #4 has an excellent review of this the 134mm. vessel. I might have to see if I can quietly 'russle-up' the squater 100mm. 'Island Malt' version by way of comparison, though, I can't see there being a lot of difference; though the folk at Dramming seemed to think that the different glasses gave different results based on the style and location; this may well be stretching things a bit...We'll see.

@A'bunadhman , Disregard broked link. Sorry about that!

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