So, what are you drinking now?

HIghland Park 12 yo, which on reflection is a dam fine dram, and Springbank 15yo which is better than when I first tried it 3 years ago.

Sweet 'n' Silky Sippers: Old Pulteney 21yo, Alberta Premium 25yo, and Jameson Gold Reserve - Treacle Trifecta.

Isn't the thought more important than the deed? I was oping to have a non-peated dram tonight (had a Caol Ila 12 yesterday)but got home too late shuttling the kids around to parties and sleepovers.

So instead I surfed my favourite scotch sites, and while doing so I decided on the dram I'd most have liked to have tonight: Bruichladdich "the laddie classic". Hard to find a new bottle of it nowadays and when it's gone it will be gone. I haven't had it in a while but I've liked it more in the lat year.

Opened friday balvenie tun batch 7 yummm ..too easy..theres more in the dutyfree shop!

Hibiki 17 yo. It's been a while since I've had this one... Very nice to come back to! May continue with it for a while and then move on to some Ichiro's Malt Mizunara Wood Reserve ; )

After the Stranahan's Malt, I am trying three home made products made by one of my basketball playing buddies. Next week I start back to my 3 weekly basketball games after the annual August break during which the school gyms are surfaced each year. I know he will want feedback. First a cherry wine, this one is bright, light, tart, very limited sweetness, like a Beaujolais...quite nice. Second, a blackberry wine, this one is quite perfectly balanced, and frankly, surprising. The blackberry flavours are clear and pronounced. Quite enjoyable. Both this blackberry wine and the cherry wine taste quite young, which they very much are. Third, a nearly one year bottle-aged 17% abv cherry melamel: This is new to me, honey-sweet mead-ish, with a very strong tart balance, thick texture, interesting, but takes a much bigger investment to engage it than do the fruit wines...good, but for a heavier mood than I have now, but I will like it later. OK, Bruce, next Sunday I am ready to give you the report.

Wild Turkey 101 Rye and it is truly delicious, however, there are bottles on the shelf of 101 but when these are gone, the new Rye will be 81 (40.5 abv.) Sad! Same price, though Au. $44.90: I have 3 1/2 bottles of 101. and then....

Cheers!

@A'bunadhman, there will be more Wild Turkey 101 Rye Whiskey one day, probably within a few months. Most likely, your current stock will hold out until more is released. It will be a different batch, of course.

Celebrating the 1st of September with some Glengoyne 10yr old. :)

Surprise dinner party. I was selected (by my wife and CEO) to BBQ. As a reward the "men" got to relax over a couple of drams. A rarity for me, 2 in one night.

Our guest and I started with Amrut Intermediate Sherry (which I've been trying to get him to try for months). My nephew with Springbank 12 year CS. Then our guest decided to try that and my nephew and I moved to Bruichladdich the laddie classic (not as exciting as I'd imagined yesterday but it opened up nicely). Great toffee/butterscotch nose.

@Victor: I'm not so sure! It seems DM. have large newly acquired stocks of WT 81 Rye at the old price of the 101 Rye - In time we may see the new 101 Rye but it will certainly be Au $ 10.00+ on the current pricing - On a lighter note, several of the better Bourbons are cheaper without any reduction in abv., incl. the very good Russel's Reserve 10yo.

Cheers.

Willett and Bulleit Rye. Willett has huge wood influence, well balanced - like Christmas cake in a glass. Bulleit is rye forward, floral and sweet; however somewhat soapy, too bad, this could have been magnificent.

Last night a couple pours; started out with a 14 year old Rosebank Cask and then moved on to a 2012 release of Old Grand Dad 114.

On Saturday, my wife and I toured a local (Gig Harbor, WA) distillery and sampled their offerings; A "Soft" Gin, a triple distilled Vodka, a whiskey blend, an un-aged Rye based on George Washington's original 1797 recipe, an Apple Cider flavored whiskey and an oak barrel (former Maker's Mark bourbon) aged Vodka.

The soft gin and the rye were very good, but the highlight was the bourbon barrel aged vodka. The least favorite was the apple cider flavored whiskey.

I finally caught up on some back-logged samples of brandy, but decided to take my time with the Cardenal Mendoza Carta Real, which is a real beaut. I spent the weekend drinking samples of some of my favorite Glenfarclas and Karuizawa, and a cognac, with family, which was a pretty great way to spend the weekend.

'Looking at Glengoyne Cask Strength Batch #1. Somewhat ferocious when freshly opened, so into a large decanter in went. My problem is that I keep nibbling away at it; small tastes to see how it's 'mellowing out', and it is behaving very well, is drinking beautifully and it is a classic example of what time in large glass can do for Whisky with a higher abv.

However, this is my first bottle of this wonderful drop and the tide is going out, faster than I would have hoped! The next bottle will spend more time in the decanter before I even have a nip: I think I know what I'm doing.

Cheers.

A couple of Laphroaigs: a mini of a very old 10 year old, sherried, absolutely glorious; and another 10 year old, from Cooper's Choice (2002).

Had a wonderfully disjointed night of sampling with @WhiskyJoe last night. I finally got the chance to share some samples that had been kindly provided by @thecyclingyogi and @michaelschout back in March.

Joe was finishing an Ardbeg Corryvreckan when I arrived, so we started off with an SMWS Port Charlotte 9 yo 'Student Party Aftermath'. Just a ton of classic Islay stuff going on in this one, with some interesting twists that raised the level of this one to favourite of the night for both of us.

Next up was a Balvenie 1993 Port Wood. Re-confirmed as, by far, my favourite port cask treated whisky. This was followed by a Glenmorangie 18 yo, a nice rich dram that nicely presents both bourbon and sherry cask elements, as hopefully would occur with a 15 (bourbon) + 3 (Oloroso sherry) whisky.

An Arran Sherry cask bottling (I believe this one, if I'm not mistaken connosr.com/reviews/arran/…) was next. While not a bold profile, I found it to be very well balanced. Joe was very disappointed to discover that the SMWS, Arran, and Balvenie are not likely accessible any longer...

We finished with Connemara Turf Mor and Isle of Jura Prophecy. The Turf Mor is just a flat out 'cool' whiskey experience. The Prophecy has been interesting in the past, with a combination of brine, peat, and a unique hit of cinnamon but it unfortunately did not work for me at the end of an evening.

A wonderful experience overall.

Aberlour 18

celebrated labour day by dipping into two blind samples courtesy of @cognacfan. i've now moved on to a 1992 single cask glendronach, part of last year's batch 7 release. figure i'll likely finish with a bowmore tempest batch 3......

Just decanted Springbank 12 cask strength into a 120 cc bottle. And gosh darn it, there was a little left over. What to do with it? Couldn't leave it in the bottle....

Willett Family Estate 12 yo Bourbon, "Calypso", barrel # 8065, 57.8% abv.

Whisky Weekend Warm-up. Masterson's 10-year-old Straight Rye Whiskey, Gibson's Finest Rare Aged Eighteen Years, and Forty Creek Premium Three Grain.

@paddockjudge

What is this Forty Creek premium three grain? Is it an old, no longer produced expression? I live a hour from the distillery, I can't believe I've never heard of it!

Talisker Port Ruighe

@Nozinan - This is an older bottle and has held up very well...gone from LCBO shelves about 4 years ago, maybe more... nice robust sipper.

@bwmccoy Initial impressions on the Port Ruighe?

@systemdown - In a word; underwhelmed. It's not bad, but I was hoping for (and expecting) much more. Maybe my expectations were unfairly set too high. It's a good "everyday" dram. It just won't blow you away.

With the start of a new work week and the yard work done when I got home it's time for some more Bemromach 10yr old. :)

Continuing with a 'rye theme' for September - Wiser's Legacy, Wiser's Small Batch, and Okanagan Spirits McLoughlin & Steele.