So, what are you drinking now?

Tonight, with my sister, a commercial tasting...last year's Isle of Arran redux, with some new twists: Isle of Arran 10, 14, 16, Premium 15 YO Sherry Single Cask, and Machrie Moor, Kilchoman Machir Bay, Smokehead Single Malt, Isle of Skye 8 yo blended, and Marquis de Montesquiou Armagnac. Lots was fun, but nothing compelling. @two-bit cowboy, I can see why you find that Machrie Moor interesting...it is a very delicate and nuanced beverage. Of all of those I liked the Isle of Arran 14 the best. These recent batches of Machir Bay and of Isle of Skye 8 yo did not taste to me as good as the ones I had last year. Different batches, apparently.

Caol Ila 12yo. @ 43%: The Standard bottling is anything but! I would love to see this 'Classic' offered at 48% abv. - 'Will probably never happen!

Russell's Reserve Single Barrel... mmmm this stuff is good!

Octomore 6.1 Blimey it's exceptional. Peaty, smoky, aggressive..... Yet.... Deceptively delicate too.... Really lovely to drink...

1980 laga de - i'm a happy man. life, as always, is good......

Started with a generous dram of Rittenhouse Rye now onto Thomas H Handy Rye 2010. Both very nice.

Eagle Rare 10. Simple pleasures :)

@thecyclingyogi - SPORTING SEMPRE!!! Having a Bushmills Single Malt 16, finished in, you guessed it - port wine barrels.

More papers . . . more Old Weller Antique 107 over ice. Very nice.

With that finished for the evening I have moved on to Benromach 10yo . . . I really like this bottle.

Forty Creek Heart of Gold 43% abv - this one has stolen my heart...absolutely DELICIOUS.

Sipping some Redbreast 12 at the moment and wishing I could find a bottle of the cask-strength version.

Went to a tasting event tonight at a local bar. Great event in a great venue with some wonderful people.

Started with a 10 year Tyrconnell Irish Single Malt Whiskey finished in a Madeira Cask - This was the biggest surprise (and my favorite) of the night.

14 year (1996) Tormore from Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice - not bad at all, but was the least favorite of the night.

17 year (1995) Imperial from A.D. Rattray Cask Strength Single Cask (Cask # 50071) - Excellent.

21 year Old Pulteney from Gordon & MacPhail - Another great one. Salty, Coastal.

21 year (1991) Bunnahabhain Cask Strength Single Cask (Cask # 5415) from The Exclusive Malts - Wonderful. My second favorite of the night.

34 year (1978) Glenlivet from A.D. Rattray Cask Strength Single Cask (Cask # 13514) - Beautiful whisky.

20 year (1992) Glen Grant Cask Strength Single Cask (Cask # 130804) from The Exclusive Malts. Very nice, but should have had this one before the Glenlivet.

All in all, a great event.

@bwmccoy: All I can say is WOW! So many excellent Whiskies all in the one place.

Slainte!

Flying Dutchman dark rum and Rye Genever from Zuidam distilleries. No they're not whiskies, but both fabulous spirits; especially the rum is exceptional:) Nice to have a taste of something else once in a while

@WhiskyBee Jeez I had that CS once at a tasting; some fruit explosion!

@PeatyZealot - I'd consider a trip to the Netherlands for that tasting! Redbreast 12 is by far my favorite Irish whiskey, but I can only dream about those luscious fruity flavors at cask strength. Locally (and that includes a 50-mile radius) or online, I can't find the CS anywhere. (Well, I've found it online, but everybody's out of stock.)

Cracked open a new-ish bottle Talisker 10 tonight. Bought four months ago, but just getting around to it now.

I know that Tally 10 is notorious for radical difference in batches, but I'd have to say this is the first bad Talisker I've had. Nose, arrival, and development are fine, but there's an awful, bitter cardboard taste in the finish. Once swallowed, you can't erase the cardboard from the nose and palate for the rest of the dram. Such a disappointment from such an iconic whisky.

Thanks @A'bunadhman! - The organizer of the event's (the bar owner / manager) goal was to provide an opportunity to sample whisky that you wouldn't normally find at a bar. That's why there were some lesser seen distilleries as well as many independant bottlers and single cask expressions of more familiar distilleries. I thought he did a great job at meeting, if not exceeding, that goal.

A'Bunadh 4. Last dram from the bottle. A. Little hot, given it's been exposed to air for a while ( I didn't gas it last time). Nonetheless a good dram. I probably won't open another bottle until our December meeting of the Whisky club. Which batch will it be?

The LCBO states there are currently 3 bottles of this stuff in Toronto at this time. I suspect there may be a few at a store that had more on the shelf than the computer showed, but it is unclear to me if they are going to continue to stock it. I know the 46 is out, but will it make it here?

Incredible! Cognac Pierre Ferrand 1840. Honey, baking spices, raisins, pears and pepper

@paddockjudge

I have a bottle of Pierre Ferrand. It was given to me by the person who sparked my interest in Whisky, though at first I was more interested in brandies. Mine is in a hand blown glass. It's numbered as well. Sadly, bottled only at 40%.

It was this guy Jock Shaw who did the tasting and brought some crazy bottles. The Redbreast was followed up by Mortlach 17 CS and Bowmore 21 1st fill sherry cs 0_o @WhiskyBee

Tonight it is a week winding down not overly complicating simple dram Isle of Skye 12yr old. :)

Good old Laga 16 I remember it to be fuller bodied, but very nice medicinal peat, tobacco and old leather nonetheless. Could be just because of in between experiences The finish is still remarkable with a huge dark cherry oak coming back after a minute or so Still love it:)

A weeeeeee (20 cc) dram of Booker's. I'm almost certainly going to have to pick up another bottle of this. Although I don't expect to run out anytime soon, this is a good batch and even if others are as good this is a known entity for me now. I welcome suggestions on which bourbon to sample next.

Black Bottle 10 yo, and it is very good. I really like how the Bunnahabhain comes through so clearly on this one. Definitely much better than the standard Black Bottle. Although I am a fan of the standard expression, I don't think I'll be purchasing that one again as long as the 10 yo is available. A big step up!

@Nozinan - Blanton's Gold Single Barrel - based upon your general geographic location this would be the logical choice in your jurisdiction. Slightly over 100 proof, this is one solid whisky - not as 'big' as the Booker's. Baker's is also a nice bourbon and a cousin to Booker's, literally and figuratively.

@CanadianNinja - Looks like you won't have to worry about purchasing the standard expression, or the standard expression as it was known and loved, for much longer. See: tinyurl.com/oezgxd3

Thanks for that @WhiskyBee! Very disappointing indeed. The last thing the whisky industry needs is more 'Speysiders' in the blended whisky category.

I will be sure to stock up on this one. I was very impressed with the BB 10yo, it's a shame that we'll be loosing such a great budget Islay...

Started with a Gin Martini made with Bruichladdich's Botanist Gin.

Next, a Manhattan made with Heaven Hills Trybox Series Rye cask strength new make that has been aged for 10 weeks in a new, charred 1 liter cask.

After dinner, finished the night with Ardbeg Ardbog