So, what are you drinking now?

@Nozinan Booker's is for the deep freeze here; I usually break it out at -30C. Too bad the current Hondas have fuel injection - back in th day you could have poured a shot of Booker's into the carb and fired up the old lawn mower ...I'm not dissing Hondas; I have two Honda CoRyVreckans.

Dun Bheagan Islay 8 year-old (2002/2010) after suffering defeat at the hands of Yig, Father of Serpents, in our game of Arkham Horror...

@paddockjudge

We had a CRV...stolen right from our driveway last winter. Never recovered.

My wife and I are lazy, we never got around to canceling the policy about new replacement value...lucky...worth a dram to celebrate. Pity's bout the kids' skates and my son's dinosaur umbrella that were in the car...

@Nozinan Oh no! Jeez - your vehicles have plagued you for the last couple of days! What a pain in the ass...

@talexander

Not at all. Thanks for caring though. The CRV was stolen last winter. No one, not police or insurance, ever came to see us.

Last night my nephew had problems with his car but aside from making it too late to have a dram (not so terrible), we got things sorted out.

This morning, however, I saw the "gift" left to me by the city. Why I pay taxes so that the city can plow me in, I don't know. But 930 am is too soon to reward myself for all the hard labour...

Today I'm having some Dalmore 12yr after I finished pushing some snow around. :)

Shoveled the driveway (thanks for the extra snow at the end of the driveway, city of Toronto), cleaned off three cars. Later took the kids sledding. Hello winter!

Now, relaxing. Catching up with some paperwork (all on the computer, where's the paper?). A well earned small dram of Booker's in my line of sight. That should make the administrative stuff a little more cheerful.

All that snow in Ontario has made its way here , Preparing to use snowblower after midnight to get it out of the driveway before it turns to freezing rain, Bowmore darkest and Amrut fusion to get ready.

No snow... Just rain. Yesterday, made a "perfect" (equal parts of sweet & dry vermouth) manhattan with the Heaven Hills Trybox Series Rye cask strength new make that I aged in a 1 liter new charred oak cask for almost 4 months. Following that, Mortlach 17 year Duncan Taylor Dimensions Bottling Single Cask (# 4103), Cask Strength. Finished the night with Lagavulin.

Today, a Jameson Irish Coffee with lunch. Later, toured a local distillery that is making single malt American whiskey. Sampled their flagship Westland Single Malt, and the Deacon Seat Special release no. 001, both are made with 5 different roastings of single malt (3 are from WA state, 1 from Wisconsin and the other from the UK - the same barley used for Newcastle Brown Ale). Also sampled their 55ppm peated single malt which uses malt imported from Scotland. All three of these whiskes are matured for about 27 months in a combination of new, American white oak casks (some with char #3, others are heavy toast / light char) as well as some former bourbon casks and former Fino, Olorosso and PX Sherry Butts. Also sampled 3 different new makes; one of the peated malt, one of the 5 malt and one made with only a pale malt from WA state. Very impressed with what they are trying to do. Good Whisky - picked up a bottle of the Deacon Seat as well as a couple of the new make's; one peated and one of the pale malt. (Would have purchased a bottle of their peated Whisky, but it hasn't been released yet.)

Balcones Brimstone Texas Scrub Oak Smoked Corn Whisky 53%ABV. There's a campfire in my mouth and everyone's invited. Texas isn't all bad news.

It's these expressions...That keep me searching for a heart of gold - Neil Young.

Forty Creek Heart of Gold - effective antidote for a cold and blustery Canadian winter's night.

My double combo of Isle of Skye 8yo and Talisker 2000 DE (that sounds like a spaceship) are doing me just fine.

Mortlach 17 year Duncan Taylor Dimensions Bottling Single Cask (# 4103), Cask Strength

Ardmore 10 year Cask Strength (SMWS 66.42 "Snorkelling in the bath tub")

Ardbeg Ardbog

Bunnahabhain Toiteach. Smoke. Oil. Yum.

A bourbon night. Elmer T. Lee, Booker's, Stagg Jr. and Stagg '13. Strong, stronger, strongest. Let's just say I'm not driving tonight and I have the day off tomorrow. ;-D

Love the Toiteach @Wodha! One of my favourite Bunnahabhain expressions.

Another day of bullying snow flakes is done, so keeping warm with some Dalmore 12yr old. :)

I've bEen holding off on opening new bottles till some of the other ones are finished, but at the same time I'm sad to drain the last of something I may not see again for a while, so saving my Bruichladdich Peat, Amrut Fusion and Springbank 12 YO CS Claret wood (I do have spares, but am not going to open them for a long time as I have others to get through) for when I'm in the right mood.

Kids are in bed, nephew shuttled to the subway, wife asleep. Sitting down to try to finish my admin work before we leave for the (dramfest) Calgary trip to the in-laws. I was looking at what's open and I hadn't had my Glen Breton Ice wine cask matured (40%) in a while. Never really impressed with it before.

So tonight I though, ok, let's give it another go. I can always pour it out and get a real dram... But the nose is quite good now, and while the palate is still not as robust as I'd like it, the finish is quite impressive with an oaky Chardonnay note in it that I never noticed before. Is it the Whisky's NBE (neglected bottle effect) or my palate?

Started the weekend by finishing off the last dram of two of my favorite bottles;

Rosebank 21 year (Nov. 1990) SMWS 25.63-"Poire et poivre" (Pear & Pepper)

Port Ellen 25 year - The Old Malt Cask - Dist'd Nov. 1982 Bottled Jan. 2008

Finishing the night with a Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 9 year (SMWS 127.26 - “Student Party Aftermath”)

100% Corn whisky, DELICIOUS! Any thicker and I'd spread this on a toasted crumpet. Century Reserve 21year and Lot 15/25 - both from Highwood Distillers of Calgary Alberta and reported to have been distilled in Saskatchewan at the now defunct Seagram's distillery.

Had the GlenDronach Grandeur 31 y.o. this eve. Nice stuff.

@antihero I've got to start hangin' with you - I like what you're posting.

Highland Park 12! Holiday spirits!

Alberta Klipper - Equal parts Alberta Premium 25 yr-old and 30 yr-old 100% Rye Whisky. This is what angels would drink...if cowboys would let them have some.

Bottles open in my cabinet: Clynelish 21; Amrut Fusion; Vatting bottle: Isle of Skye 12 blended with Longrow Gaja wood and Laphroaig Cask 003; Vatting bottle: Isle of Skye 12 blended with A'budnadh Batch 39 and Glenfarclas 10; PC6, Edradour 10 Unchill.

I don't care for the Edradour at all. I'm not crazy about the Amrut, but it's okay. The Clynelish is kind of a one trick pony but fantastic. Isle of Skye 12 sold for $20 when the OLCC dropped the price to clear stock, so I bought up three bottles for vatting experiments. The peaty experiment worked out quite well. The sweet one is okay. I had a little "flat" year old A'bundadh left and poured it in, regretfully. Should have left it out and drank it a bit flat. It was far better in that form. The Batch 39 was quite good indeed. My Longrow Gaja was also a bit flat. I don't regret vatting the last finger or so of that. It blended amazingly well with the Skye12 and the Laphroaig 003.

Last night was the start of Family Christmas parties, shared a few drams of Redbreast 12 yr, very nice. Tonight I am going to have to see....

Side by side: George Dickel 12 and Knob Creek 9yo. small batch @ 50%. Freshly opened both bottles have similar flavor profiles, are both a copperish red and have a strikingly similar nose - The K.C. is weightier with a rather pleasant oiliness, the Dickel surprisingly cool in the mouth with a lot more happening in the glass. These are both excellent! Thank you @Victor for the Dickel tip.

I suspect that, in time, the Dickel 12 will prove to be a classier 'drop' but for now, both are very enjoyable.

Seasons' Greetings to All Members,

Take Care.

@paddockjudge Can be arranged if you're an Alberta boy (or coming through for some reason).

@antihero - very tempting offer - don't be surprised if I take you up on it.

@paddockjudge I never offer insincere invites.