So, what are you drinking now?

Meeting number 10 done and dusted. It went very well. We had the original 5 plus my nephew.

Great line up:

First, we started with Glenrothes 1998. Everyone liked it and in fact a couple returned to it later in the evening.

Then, the mystery dram. Mixed reviews, then I revealed it was Booker's. Most agreed it was a good experiment.

A'Bunadh batch 36. Good, interesting, but a funny sulphur note in the bottle. I hope it settles down over time.

Last, Bowmore Laimrig, which I think by consensus was the most enjoyed by the most people.

In all, a great night. 5 hours of dramming, conversation and catching up.

Trying out a Christmas present, Tovolo Ice Ball Sphere molds. I rarely do ice but this product makes a nice ice ball. Worked nice with the Four Roses Small Batch and the Belvinie 12 Doublewood tonight. But I just couldn't use the ice sphere with the last dram of the night, the Laddie 10.

Bruichladdich the Scottish Barley. I have been enjoying it. Bottled at 50% no colour, no chill filtration makes it a real good whisky for its young age. 85 points.

Beer, actually! Extreme heat has put paid to any thoughts of a dram. How's this?...

At 1410 it was 42.8C. (109.04F.) Feels like 46C. (114.80F.); spurred on by a hot westerly wind this was a scorcher, though not the all time record which was back in 1940, a blistering 43.3*C.

Drinking Boag's Premium from a "Tap King" Draught Beer dispenser (3.2lt.), and it is almost empty!

Cheers.

Spent over an our clearing ice off my parents' driveway. New ice storm on it's way. Perfect time for a nice winter dram. I can choose from a sherry monster or a couple of heavy peated drams....

So I chose barley tea. I've had a cold since the Whisky tasting and I can't smell a thing. Barley tea (without yeast and distillation) is probably all I'll be up for for the next week. And just after I opened some new stuff to explore!

Aberlour 10, Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star, and Kilchoman Single Cask. The Great Underrated, followed by cotton candy, and then a knife to the peat and smoke receptors.

Staying in Tofino here in BC for a few days. Right now i am listening to the sounds of the waves as the tide comes in and enjoying a sip of Old Pulteney 17. The coastal theme is working well !

Sipping on a very nice Highwest 21 year rye. Interesting that this whiskey was aged in used cooperage rather new charred oak. Very flavorful, balanced and super easy to drink.

Tonight, Springbank 15, followed by Ardbeg Ardbog.

Opened my GlenDronach 15 yo this weekend to share for a small gathering we had. Only one other friend in the group joined me in partating in this whisky. It was the first time we both had the 15 yo and we loved it. Love this big, instense sherry monster.

@Dramlette and I are having some Talisker 18. So delicious. So mellow.

Finishing my second off-work emergency weather day with Balvenie 15, George & J.G. Smith's Glenlivet 15, Black Bull 30, and a taste of Uigeadail from a new bottle. Two paid days off and four great whiskies more than compensate for -10 below zero and three feet of snow on the ground.

@A'bunadhman , Good lord, I was reading about the temperatures you are dealing with, and could not put it together until I read you were from down under. Shocking temperatures. I am living at the opposite end of the scale as our seasons are reversed. We are experiencing temperatures of -35 to -40with wind chills bringing us down to the -50 range on days. Stay frosty my friend.

I can still taste the Ardbeg 10 year old I opened last night!

@A.J.: It seems that on the 4th. of Jan. the temp. at Archerfield Airport (adjacent to us) eclipsed the old record set in 1940 at 43.2 C with a sizzling 43.5 C - It was hot! In Sapporo in 1970, it was brutally cold; our ship recorded -30 C (static). Any colder than that I can't imagine.

Compass Box Peat Monster and lovin' it! This is a magnificent bottle from a highly desirable batch; but which batch is it? No indication anywhere on box or bottle - It's the one that tastes like a honeyed Caol Ila; somewhat lighter but with that great flavor.

Slaiinte!

Tomorrow's moving day. As it's my last evening in my old (and significantly smaller) apartment, I'm sipping a bit of Glenfarclas 15. A treat for myself before a day of heavy boxes, moving trucks, and the inevitable back pain that follows. While I love my whisky, having 40+ bottles to carry up various flights of stairs is NOT going to be fun.

Last night killed off a bottle of 2008 Thomas H Handy rye. Good to the last drop.

@Bourbondork Crap sorry that was suppose to be a plus one! Haha

@hunggar I feel your pain brother!

The nose is still out of commission. Darn it! Now 8 days without a dram. At least I passed Ralfy's test (see his vlog on tasting and awareness in March 2009).

The Whisky club drank the equivalent of more than a bottle of Whisky in one evening. That was a great way to make up for bringing home 9 new bottles (three still to come) over the holidays. I was hoping to continue the work of creating room in my cabinet. Well, at least I won't be buying any new ones for a while....

Sapa 16yr old. :)

First day semi clear sinuses and medication free.

I decided to give A'Bunadh batch 36 a second chance. At first sniff it still has a sulphury note, and with a few drops of watering it smelled ok but I nearly died tasting it. Rubbing alcohol!

An hour later, the sulphur is gone and it tastes like A'Bunadh. Again.... What a fright!

I'd never tried Japanese whisky and after hearing many good things, decided to broaden my horizons. I bought the Taketsuru 12yr old. I would like to know if it's possible to (like red wine), occasionally get a bad bottle. On opening the bottle, I was assaulted by a stringent aroma, that reminded me of hospital antiseptic. Unfortunately this carried through to the taste and has, for me, rendered this bottle undrinkable. I'm hoping that this is just a one off, and it has not put me off trying other Japanese whiskies in the future. Perhaps one or two of the good folks here, may be able to apply their knowledge of tastes and comment. Maybe that also, just as we all have different tastes that mature with age, this whisky is not to mine. I would like to add also, that I do not wish to sully the name of this whisky. I'm sure that it's just a question of my inadequate palate. It would however be interesting to know, if a bad bottle can once in a while rear it's head. Many a good red has been found corked, this by no means ruins the reputation of said wine.

Approx 24hrs after opening this bottle, the over powering aroma of antiseptic has disipated. I now have a very drinkable bottle of Japanese whisky. Should we let a bottle "breathe" after opening?

@TaxiJim, sounds like you got an extreme and happily very short term experience of volatile-chemical "congeners" blowing off. There is lots of talk on this site, in the reviews and discussions, about how whiskies change once they get some exposure to air.

Amrut 100, brutal smoking exotic spice bombardment :)

I was offered a dram of Bowmore 100 proof. Never had it before. Glad I said yes. Maybe after dinner out we'll come back yo my place and I'll counter with Laimrig.

Poured some Knob Creek Single Barrel. I used to enjoy this bourbon but tonight it's like antiseptic mouthwash. Did not enjoy it. Moved on to Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel selected by Twin Liquors in 2012. This Elmer T.Lee smells like caramel and tastes delicious. Finished with Balcones Single Malt....my favorite whisky that I tried in 2013. I'm enjoying this flight I choice tonight.

Took a few nights off from dramming (as we should all do, said the clucking Mother Hen) and decided to finish the week by draining my Balvenie collection down to about a dram per bottle. Had a little vertical of 12 yo DoubleWood, 14 yo Caribbean Rum Cask, 15 yo, and the 17 yo Double Wood. After a few dry evenings, Balvenie tastes much better than Balvenie tonight. ;-D

Sipping as well as making Manhattans out of: Forty Creek Copper Pot Reserve, 1792 Ridgemont Reserve and Wiser's Legacy, all while watching the Golden Globes.