So, what are you drinking now?

Happy Thanksgiving @StevieC! Wish I were in Canada to celebrate it...

I just had a dram of Blanton's Gold Edition. I was really excited to crack open this bottle and celebrate Thanksgiving. It's been sitting in my cabinet for weeks and I've read some great things bout it. After my first dram I can say it is... terrible! Just awful... I can't explain what it is exactly, but something is really putting me off this whisky. It is just the first pour, I won't deliver a final judgment until I've given it some more tastings. I am hoping some air will really turn this one around for me.

Anyway, at the moment some Nikka Black 8 yo. This a surprisingly decent whisky for the low price.

Give it time @CanadianNinja and you shouldn't be disappointed.......I was quite the opposite. I loved Blanton's Gold right from the get go! Let it breathe in your glass for 20 mins or so. No need to add water. I find water flattens it and dulls the sweetness! Well worth the wait IMO.

Had a friend over for some drams and dinner yesterday.

1975 St. Magdalene (32 year)

Auchentoshan Bordeaux Wine Finish (NAS)

29 year Glenrothes (SMWS 30.61)

21 year Rosebank (SMWS 25.63)

Mortlach 17 year Cask Strength (Duncan Taylor)

Bunnahabhain 13 year (1997) Port finish (Murray McDavid)

Springbank 18

27 year Cardhu (SMWS 106.18)

Took a break for dinner...

18 year Cragganmore (SMWS 37.51) First-fill Sherry Cask

40 year Longmorn (SMWS 7.55) First-fill Sherry Cask

Port Ellen 25 year - The Old Malt Cask

Bruichladdich Octomore 02.2 Orpheus (5 year old) Bordeaux cask finish

Aberlour 10 AGAIN ! It's just so refreshing and upbeat !!

@bwmccoy that sounds like an awesome dinner!

After a long day at a work conference and winding down at the bar, I noticed Lagavulin 16 on the shelf. I've never tried it so I did. Very nice. Smoke, peat, oak and a wonderful sweetness. Slightly better with a very small dash of water.

Thanks @StevieC - and a Happy Cask Strength Holiday to you.

@CanadianNinja - I think your palate my be be out of sync due to the absence of your beloved Yankees in the post season. ;)

That's entirely possible @paddockjudge! However since Mattingly was my favorite player, and the reason for me becoming a Yanks fan, one would think I'd be satisfied with having LA still hanging in there.

I will definitely give the Gold Edition some more time before I give up on it, but I certainly wasn't impressed last night...

@bwmccoy That Cardhu is truly the greatest Cardhu in the history of the universe.

Just had another dram of Blanton's Gold. Definitely much better than it was last night but I'm still not even close to passing a final judgement. I'm following that up with some Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve Small Batch which is fantastic. Wonderful caramel, vanilla and spices.

@StevieC - Thanks! It was a fun night. Good food and great whisky taste that much better when shared with firends!

@talexander - I opened the Cardhu for this tasting, so that was the first time I had tried it. I really enjoyed it, but I'm anxious to try it again. I had a bottle of the previous cask (106.17) and to this day, it is one of my favorite society bottles ever. Hope this one can live up to my expectations. If the first dram was any indication, I'm not likely to be disappointed.

Tonight it's Parker Heritage Bourbon Master Distillers. Wow this is a firecracker of a bourbon. :)

Clynelish 14yo . . . it is my first bottle of the stuff. I am quite taken. I actually can see the family resemblance to Brora which excites me to no end.

Sounds great @PMessinger! I have a Parker's Heritage Golden Anniversary waiting to be opened one day!

Have cold/man flu so obviously I'm on deaths door... the only thing that can save me from the brink of destruction?? A hot toddy.. Boiled water, a few teaspoons of honey and a generous helping of whiskey! Decided to go with the bourbon Kopper Kettle from Belmont farms.. Feel much better ;-D

Last dram of my original release Confederation Oak. Left it un gassed so it's a little bitter but not bad for a last drop.

@Victor I just saw your birthday wishes to me from last week. Very sad I missed it. Thank you Sir! You hit the nail on the head with your choices.

Thanks to the wonderful tasting you hosted for my wife and myself last week (with a little help from your sister) I now have a bottle of Bowmore Darkest 15yo which I am drinking tonight. And I must say it is really behaving. I like it a great deal. It is absolutely on the on offensive sherry, peat and old dirty leather gloves . . . but it just stays on the rails for me. I am just going to leave it alone for now.

Ardbeg Day followed by a dram of William Larue Weller - two I'd never tried before today.

Thoroughly enjoyed both, though the Ardbeg was the winner for me. I'm a novice bourbon drinker, so I found the nose on the Weller put me off to begin with. However, once I got into it I was suitably enjoyable.

Would love to get my hands on a bottle of each, alas that's probably not going to happen.

well its my last weekend of drinking for a while so im trying to get through one paticular piece of old stock, the Sprinkbank 1997 Vintage, also im trying to get a review or 3 in so tonights was the Lagavulin 12 y/o 2011 release,

a really fine dram

Russell's Reserve: A splendid 'drop' that opened beautifully with the most gorgeous cool mouth-feel.

Big bottle too! I guess about 800ml. full to the bottom of the cork - this is a great shape and will make a lovely decanter. Lots of ticks, this Whiskey!

Slainte!

Two new ones: Ardmore 11 yo, Signatory bottling; and Auchroisk 20 yo CS. Just posted a mini-review of the latter. Just about every Speyside stereotype in these two bottles (not necessarily a bad thing).

Johnie Walker Green Label with a Bitburger Premium paired with some Chicago Garrett popcorn (from a client) while catching up on episodes of Boardwalk Empire. Nice evening indeed.

Heritage Distilling Company (Gig Harbor, WA) Elk Rider Boubon new make aged 4 weeks in a 1 liter cask. Still pretty raw.

Heaven Hills Trybox series new make Rye cask strength aged 10 weeks in a 1 liter cask. This one is coming along nicely.

Angel's Envy Kentucky straight Bourbon finished in Port wine casks

Bunnahabhain 13 year (1997) Port finish (Murray McDavid)

Johnnie Walker Double Black

Caol Ila 16 year (SMWS 53.173) "Glowing embers on the tongue"

Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 9 year (SMWS 127.26) "Student party aftermath"

@talexander: The Talisker 'Storm' is starting to come good in the most delightful way! While still not a full-on Atlantic gale, it is beginning to display some wonderful, (to me), maritime flavors and, more especially, at this stage, aromas that show the full gamut of traditional wind-swept, low tide, briny pepperiness with that distinctive fishy, smoky (almost rancid) bacon note that comes an goes, then mingles, then comes again: This is, now quite, an exciting 'drop' and one that has, I must confess, my name written all over it!

It does need time to mellow out, in large glass for preference and is well worth the decanting process - I have (unofficially) re-named this Talisker 'Storm Aftermath', though it may, yet, 'knock your socks off' with a full Atlantic 'blast'!

Slainte!

I just opened my first bourbon at home. I had tried Basil Hayden's on my trip.mbut no bourbon had ever darkened my door, unless it was in the barrel that matured my scotch....

Booker's small batch at 63%. It has a very complex nose and lots of vanilla. A sharp alcohol nip but rather smooth neat, it became much spicier with half a teaspoon of water. I'll have to let it settle a bit.

This is a good Whisky. Sorry, whiskey. Thanks to those of you who suggested it. I hear it gets even better after some time with a little air. I did has it, but let's see what happens over time...

Drinking Old Weller Antique 107 over ice and grading papers . . . fantastic . . . the bourbon that is.

A pair of NZ malts, ex Seagram's defunct Dunedin distillery. South Island Single Malt 18 yr-old and Doublewood 10 yr-old, 4 yrs in American Oak and 6 yrs in French Oak ex NZ red wine barrels. Both under $80 and delicious. 18 (42%abv) is nutty, fruity and full of oak spices - 10 (41%abv) is heavily influenced by the wine and is silky smooth, drinks like it is much older.

With papers graded I have moved on to Stagg Jr. WOW that is powerful. IT makes the Weller feel like a tame lap dog (but then I was drinking it on ice).

Nice way to end your weekend and evening.