Conflicted Dilemma

@BlissInABarrel haha trying to convince my fiance that a liquid is worth 50, 60, 70...ect.... Dollars is quite the task ;)

@Jason0142 haha I got a bottle of Dewars 12 from my well-intentioned future mother in law! Bless her heart...

@Jonhelmkamp ah! Darn this woman of yours ! ;) just kidding! I'm sure she's a lovely lady! Tell her that you are a gift from god (I'm not religious nor do I know if you are but let's run with this expression ) and you have been blessed on this earth to bask in her presence and to drink fine whiskies. So tell her to step her game up before you put a ring on it! ;) hehehe and if she doesn't buy what you're selling I will mail you a cask strength sample of something !!!!

@BlissInABarrel hahaha you are seriously a riot. Like I used to say when I was five, can we be friends? Good call on the metaphor as her and I are both Christian. That line just may work!

And what is this sending me a sample thing you are talking about?! I am in a serious place of exploration. I have only had maybe 12 to 15 different expressions. Any help in expanding my repertoire would be a huge blessing!

@Jonhelmkamp i believe i friend requested you some time. are you trying to be too cool like r&b pop sensation usher to add me right away?? send me a message and i'll mail you a sample bottle :D i'm planning to either buy a Berry's Bother's and Rudd Coal Ila or Clynelish. I don't know if you like those particular profiles, but the Coal IIa is a 10 year, bottled at a cask strength of 58.3% ABV (i think) and the Clynelish is a 14 year that's 55.5% ABV. so, i suppose i love a little fire in my mouth, but i prefer something high in proof. once i get it, i will mail you a sample. :D

btw, signs that there IS A GOD! my liquor store is next a christian book store. 2 months ago, a woman walked in and said, "I'm trying to look for the christian book store, but this doesn't look like a book store!" I said to myself, "sweet jebus! the lord is real. he has led you to spirit section of our wine store!" i'm bad :/ i then told her that the book store was to the right of this store. hehe

@BlissInABarrel I sent YOU a request! And I can't message you until you accept it. And yes, I AM trying to be as cool as hip hop legend/r&b mogul/genuine unadulterated awesomeness that is urrrshurrr.

I read one of your reviews and it sounds like you are quite the lover of all things Islay. I haven't explored Islay much - my one try of Lag 16 was too much more me then! But I would love to try things with your help! Please feel free to educate me on the finer side of all things Usage Baetha. I want to explore and learn and taste as much as I can. There is no spirit out there like Whisky, and the way it can knock you on your spiritual heels and make you contemplate everything in life is an experience no other liquor can do.

@Jonhelmkamp dang auto correct... Uisge Beatha!

@Jonhelmkamp no worries I realized how fobby I sounded like when I didn't proofread what I wrote to you. I guess I was too esssssited! I'm not a pro and I'm here to learn from people! :) Victor, who I deem as the king of connosr, will provide you some great info. I've just been lucky to attend whisky events for free, so I learn from the brand ambassadors and stuff. I guess that makes me a bit of a weasel ;)

@BlissInABarrel "wow! All of you dudes have self control! I crack open every bottle immediately and share it with everyone. Before i know hi fives are given and I'm left with roughly 4 ounces."

Would by my new signature if we had this feature here. Sounds great. On the other hand you only have 4 ounces left. But enjoying and sharing a good new bottle with friends is worth a lot in my opinion. Nice to have some Whisky-crazy friends!

@Jonhelmkamp you can get lots of great info here from the experts. Like Bliss said, Victor is a real Bourbon-expert. You can also check the nice videos of the Toshanman, there is always something to learn! connosr.com/wall/discussion/…

Just to mention two. You will find lots of well informed maltheads here :)

Greetings

@Jonhelmkamp Don't worry about not liking the peated stuff and thinking that you should. The best part about your travel in the world of whisky is the discovery of what expressions you like. Some never like peat and will only like highland or speyside. What matters is sharing your travels with good friends, and like what you like. :)

@Jonhelmkamphaha trying to convince my fiance that a liquid is worth 50, 60, 70...ect.... Dollars is quite the task ;),

People ask me all the time how I can spend all that cash on a bottle, I explain I don't get drunk on it and a bottle can last me up to a year sometimes longer. They seem to understand after that. (BTW it helps to spoil your better half first. ;D

Enjoy your Whisky Journey its quite the ride and as you've found there are lots of helpful folk here that can help guide you in whatever direction you go.

@PMessinger Have you ever been intimidated by a whisky or suffered from the fear of a brand

Yup, Ardbeg, Heard so much about it and it's only expression available to me is the 10 yr old at $100. I finally figured I was ready for the challenge so I begged my sister to bring me back a bottle of Uigeadail from USA at a more reasonable price. Since then I'm willing to give anything a shot esp after a little research.

I must have around a dozen (maybe a few more) opened right now...While re-arranging my shelf space - I noticed 3 whisky's that I haven't touched in quite some time...For whatever reason I'm always reaching by for something else, and ignoring them.

Glenfarclas 12 yr; Johnnie Walker Green; Glenfiddich 15 yr Solera are my 3 culprits...Later tonight I'll need to give them a lil'bit of attention.

I tend to treat certain products as a holy grail and not drink them, it's probably a bit of a hoarding and collecting instinct driving me though rather than fear that I won't like it. I don't hoard anything else. For whatever reason, I tend to have some cheaper (but certainly not bad) products that I go to more than certain pricier bottles in my collection. Perhaps it is the fact that an unopened bottle (in contrast to many other products) can basically be kept for longer than my lifetime without diminished quality and possibly increased value that allows me to keep certain whiskies around?

On the other hand, I have had a few recent experiences that reaffirm that life is relatively short and meant to be enjoyed so this is pushing me to having a healthy balance of enjoying and preserving.

I know what you are saying @JeffC. Two good friends are not here to celebrate the new year. One gone from cancer of the larynx, the other from an untreatable leukemia. I have about 60 bottles of whisky, about half of which are unopened. I have been saving them for some indeterminate future day that may never come. My resolution for the new year is to remember the real reason that I bought these bottles in the first place ie to drink them and enjoy them. No more hoarding, no more equivicating. If I buy it, I will drink it.

Neither of my friends had any idea they had a problem until they went for routine checkups. They both went home with a death sentence. Drink up my friends, otherwise what is the point?

I wish you all a healthy and happy 2013. Cheers.

@BlueNote Wow my deep sympathy, this is indeed a reason to open those bottles and have a dram in memory of friends.

Cheers mate!

@BlueNote I know what you mean. This last year or so has been a brutal wake up call of the fragility of life. My childhood best friend, my grandfather, my aunt, along with other tragedies taking place in my community and accross the country... life is so delicate. Life is to be enjoyed and cherished my friends. Slainte.

@Lars Glad to hear that you Got to try Aedbeg Uigeadail I was intimidated by Lagavulin 16yr, now I keep some in my cabinet always. :)

I started my cabinet as 'BIAB' does...open the bottle as soon as I can after it enters my house. Now that my collection has grown a bit (and I have discovered that I am a slower drinker than most), I have had to change tack and now am trying to keep some bottles closed for longer, largely to keep my open bottle number to 30 or so.

As I have been reluctant to close out bottles (I think this is where MY 'intimidation factor' resides), I now have about a fair number of unopened bottles. I of course would make exceptions to the rule for special occasions, such as slightly epic international gatherings of Connosr members in Toronto! :)

@Pudge72, I greatly understand your reluctance to close out bottles. If you do, you lose its availability and will have to buy a new bottle to have it available again.

I like to periodically resample my whiskies to refresh my mind as to what they taste like, so I hate to get rid of the last of a bottle and not have that option to reacquaint.

As for being afraid of disappointment in trying a new whisky, that reminds me of a high school friend of mine who used to say, "Hope for nothing and you shall not be disappointed." That guy was not happy. I am very happy to drink from my bottles.

Maybe I have the opposite problem...what if I don't like it!?

Haha, that's even harder to explain to the better half, an expensive bottle that sits underappretiated...while rare, most pricey whiskies I've tried are typically worth the cost, it still lingers in the back of my mind on the way home from the store, "What if...."!!

@WHSKYLVR...those underappreciated bottles would make a great source for trading samples with others. If you're not a fan of 'X' 21 yo whisky, someone else surely will be, or will at least be greatly interested in trying out an older whisky. You would then be able to angle for that sample that you either know you enjoy, or have been dying to try out, in return.

@Pudge72 That's a fantastic notion! How do you guys usually send around samples (size, type of bottle, etc.)?

@WHSKYLVR...unfortunately, north of the border here in Canada, shipping samples via mail is difficult, if not outright impossible. Face to face get togethers with fellow Connosr members that I have gotten to know over the last two years is the best way to do it. Start looking up profiles of active members, as I know there are a fair number in the Chicagoland area on this site.

As for actual sample 'equipment', I use well rinsed and dried old mini alcohol bottles (50, 200, & 375 ml) as well as a 40 ml (about 1 1/4 oz) screwtop vial set (12 vials in a tupperware container) that 'Victor' was able to source for me. Unfortunately, I can't recall where he gets them from. Good luck!

@Pudge72 I've tried the old bootlegger's buddy, the Ball jar, but I think the mouth/lid is too wide...I'll keep my eyes open for more mini-bottle style containers.

@WHSKYLVR...if you don't already have them, you may want to pick up the Old Pulteney 12/17 pack (a 375 ml bottle of each) from Binny's. If you've got the Binny's card, it's on sale now for $10 off, though I don't know how long the sale is supposed to last.

You get to add two different whiskies to your cabinet, at a great price, and when you're done you can use the bottles to decant larger partial bottles to keep them 'fresher' (or use one of them to dispose of any unwanted partial bottles!).

@Pudge72 and @WHSKYLVR www.specialtybottle.com is the way to go if you really want some smaller bottles. Not expensive either.

@valuewhisky Good call on Specialty Bottle - I thought I was doing well tracking some down for under $2. But those guys have a ton of stuff for under a buck!

@valuewhisky...a tip of the glass (or vial) for the website. The clear (four dram) vials w/ black cap are the ones I was referring to.