So, what are you drinking now?

@Nock I offered @WhiskyBee as well that I have L6 150 at a local store if you are interested.

Happy Fourth of July!

In celebration of Independence Day, I offer a toast to all of our American friends on connosr with a generous pour of Eagle Rare 10 yr-old.

Cheers!

@Nock: Do you have a source for bottling codes and dates?

@msudukie: You'll be hearing from me soon!

No rhyme or reason to what I'm drinking tonight. Two Compass Boxes (Oak Cross, Spice Tree), Dalwhinnie 15, and finishing up with some JW Green.

For the Fourth of July, I already have my all-American evening planned: Elijah Craig 12 and 18, Bulleit 95, Booker's, and T.H. Handy Sazerac. Five drams, including some strong stuff, more than my usual intake. I'll be with friends, watching the local fireworks from my back porch, so I may add a few beers along the way. Maybe another dram or two as well.

I'm off work for the rest of the week, so I'll have plenty of time to recover.

Undiluted High West unaged Oat Whiskey (62.5% ABV). Love it. Sweet oatmeal in a glass, despite no wood aging. There is something very peculiar about oats that the new make can come out sweet, unlike all other grains I have encountered. Is it incomplete fermentation which gives this some sweetness, or is there something other than the usual fermentable sugars which tastes sweet in oats? I do not know, but I love the oat whiskeys. High West should sell some of this undiluted. I really do not understand why oat whisk(e)y is not more popular, both as oat whiskey and also as blending whisky in blended Scotch. The standard High West Silver Whiskey Western Oat is quite pleasant, but a tad thin at 40%, and intended by them for cocktails. 50% would be better, and better still this 62.5% ABV undiluted version. Of course only the hard core, like me, really wants this badly at 62.5%.

going american tonight..... started with an imperial ipa (michigan), moving on to an old fashioned, and i think i'll have to finish with a decent drop of 2012 stagg - raised high in honour of my friends down south....

Tonight, drinking poolside and watching fireworks: 4 Roses 2012 Single Barrel mixed with Vanilla Coke and a shit load of ice. Baby, it is nice.

@Onibubba, I'm considering picking up the Four Roses Limited Ed. 2012 Single Barrel. It's going to run me about $120 US here in Japan. Worth the price?

And at the moment enjoying a new bottle of Nikka Taketsuru 12 yo. A fantastic dram, especially for the price!

@CanadianNinja The 20124RLSB is a good bourbon. Not as good as the Limited Small Batch, but that is just my opinion. I lucked into my bottle at a drastically reduced price. 120 sounds pretty high, but considering where you live, and the availability of comparable bourbons, maybe not.

It is tasty. I don't think you will be disappointed by it.

A glass of Glenfiddich for the Friday seems to suit the mood best.

Sipping on some Jefferson's Bourbon tonight, quite enjoyable.

Introduced my friend's wife (my friend had previously enjoyed) and another friend to AMRUT PORTONOVA, my second favourite of the 3 Amruts I've tried. At 62.1% neat, or maybe 62.0% with a couple drops of water...it packs a punch, and yet has subtle nose and palate characteristics behind the port finish...

On 7/4: 7 Leguas Tequila Anejo (yum), a Manhattan with Corsair Ryemageddon, and Blackadder Islay Raw Cask. I was at first sceptical of the Blackadder, but the bartender gave me a sample and I was sold. My guess is that it is Laphroaig. The Passenger in DC is a great bar, by the way: understated ambience, top notch mixed drinks, interesting selection, good bar food. And the neat drinks are double pours...

Quite enjoying a dram of Longrow Red, Cabernet Sauvignon Cask... Very good indeed.

Isle of Arran Robert Burns 250 Years Anniversary Edition. Thanks to @MichaelSchout for the sample. If anything, I am enjoying this Bobby Burns Malt more now than when we tasted together last December. Very tart citrusy, with an additional and very welcome sweet component which seems stronger now with time and more air. Pleasant, in a BNJ sort of way, which is a very good thing.

A little bit of Aberlour 12 DC, a nice younger bottling from the excellent 16 yr DC.

Enjoyed a dram of An Cnoc 12 Year old post BBQ tonight, I didn't think there would be anything this light in the world of whisky but I was wrong. Next time I try it in the afternoon sitting in the sun.

Two Manhattans: one made from High West Rocky Mountain 21 Year Old Rye, the other from Forty Creek John's Private Cask #1. Next up, some Old Grand-Dad bourbon just to finish the bottle.

Talisker 25 Year (2011 version). Just opened. Good but jury is still out on this one. On initial taste, may say I prefer the 18.

@msudukie I would love to chat with you about the Uigeadail. PM me

@WhiskyBee A great source for bottling codes for Ardbeg is "The Ardbeg Project" (a fantastic web site). Figuring out the dates isn't hard. Basically, the first bit at the "L" tells you the year (ex. L11 = 2011), the next three numbers tell you the day of the year (ex. L13 003 = January 3rd 2013) and the next four numbers tell you the time of day (21:15 = 9:15pm). The final 6ML are thought to deal with the bottling line. 6ML = the Caledonian line for Ardbeg and Glenmorangie.

Hope that helps

Hope that helps.

Currently drinking a heavily watered down Ardbeg 10yo (50/50) on a nice summer evening on the porch. Some people reach for a lighter whisky on a hot and humid evening. Peat freaks just add a bit more water

@CanadianNinja I love the Longrow Red! Tried it recently, I'm definitely picking up a bottle or two when I can afford to do so.

@systemdown, I must say that the more of it I drank, the more I liked it! I'm interested to see how it opens up with some oxidation...

Glenfarclas 12yr old opened and shared with friends at Gettysburg Pa. Brought home to finish with awesome photos and memories of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. I was in union artillery for Pickett's Charge on Sunday 7th of July. Wow has my history dram been filled. :)

Butterscotch Lifesavers on an oak shingle - Alberta Premium Limited Edition 30 year-old 100% Rye Whisky.

Clontarf Single Malt (Bushmills), PC5 (Alchemist), and Century Reserve 21 yo (Canadian).

@Nock I agree that peat is fine during the summer, but I have never tried to dilute a whisky down to 23%. I'll try it with a very small amount of whisky and see what it tastes like. Do you use refrigerated water?

Right now: Heavy Seas Loose Cannon (Hop3) IPA--after some Quinta Ruban. The citrus (grapefruit) in the Loose Cannon pairs well with the port and Glenmo flavors in the Quinta Ruban.

Three Floyds Zombie Dust to start. Moving on to a Old Fitzgerald BIB

Glengoyne NAS. Cask Strength 58.7% abv. Batch #001 First issued in 2012 but unsighted here in Aust. until the last month or so.

What a fantastic Whisky! Full, rich and powerful and not so unlike an early a'bunadh with all the charm of those early editions and in many ways superior in that it is less obviously sherried - Biscuity Malt, orange peel, toffee, red apples and fantastic oakiness in a superbly balanced whisky with a powerhouse finish of oak, sherry and pepper!

This wonderful Whisky will 'Sing in my soul' long after the bottle is empty! Yes! It is that good!

Slainte.