So, what are you drinking now?

@ talexander - Yes, CC is evolving and Dr. Don Livermore is taking this product in the right direction. The product presentation has changed and the make-over definitely indicates a new direction for the premium and ultra expressions. The product inside the flask-style bottle is indeed an upgrade.

I wholeheartedly agree that CC is putting CR to shame, with the exceptions being CR Special Reserve and CRXR. The CR 1974,1975, & '78 (excise tax stamp) Limited Editions were fine examples of the great whisky that Seagram's regularly offered. I have grown fond of the CC 20 YO....I would love to try the 30 YO!

@Nozinan - I've tried perhaps four or five different batches of Booker's - they are all excellent and may vary from one barrel to the next - the biggest contrast from barrel to barrel is the 'dryness' of the whiskey and the sliding scale of dry to sweet. The great thing about having only one batch to chose from, when it is a very good offering, you can't make a mistake - buy a couple extra.

righto, first single malt for quite a while, im going to go with a Glenlivet Masters distillers reserve and maybe a Bowmore Darkest, but we shall see how we go

@paddockjudge

I agree. Almost immediately after I opened my bottle of Booker's I went back to the LCBO and bought another, which I now have in reserve. I guess I could see if my brother in law can pick one up for me (same batch) in Calgary.

I hope that LCBO will get another batch in soon and I can buy, try, and stock up some more.

@Victor From their website: Our flagship Westland American Single Malt Whiskey represents the truest expression of our house style. At the core of this whiskey's flavor profile is a grain bill comprised of five different roasted and kilned barley malts giving our whiskey a character unique to Westland Distillery. The base is a pale malt, grown in the State of Washington. To that we add specialty malts, a concept inspired by the vibrant craft brewing culture of the Pacific Northwest. Deep and rich in flavors, these specialty malts contribute to the whiskey notes of chocolate, nuts, cookies, pastries, mocha, caramel and raisins. Our Belgian brewer's yeast further enhances flavor development, creating fruity esters during fermentation. And finally, maturing predominantly in the finest new American oak casks complements our other choices with vanilla, caramel and coconut notes, leaving us with an approachable and mature whiskey.

www.westlanddistillery.com/whiskey/

@Wodha, thanks for the info. Hopefully one day I will get the chance to taste the Westland products.

Antiquity blue

Springbank 12 YO CS 58.5% batch. This one is different each time i try it. The peat is mellowed, the signature Springbank spirit is coming through. I hope my brother in law can snag a couple more. This one is a keeper.

Elijah Craig 12yo. @ 47% ABV. A fine Whiskey, indeed - This is my first bottle, it won't be my last! 4 drops of water in a V&B Islay Taster (about 2 1/2oz. of Whiskey). Freshly opened, I let this sit for a couple of hrs. with a lid on. Played with it for about an hour and it improved all the time; the last sip was magical and the aroma magnificent with that funky, smoky, bacon note I'm always on the lookout for.

If all the batches are as good as this one, I'm definitely on board! Not a bad Decanter, either.

Cheers.

Bladnoch 11 year old sherry cask mature day 55%. A rare dram... At least in Canada.

Mortlach 15 Gordon & MacPhail.

This is close to what I've been searching for. My idea of the perfect single malt. I'll have some more please.

@Wodha Mortlach can be really great, in general - my favorite all around distillery. I have a 16yr Chieftains bottling that will disappear very quickly once I open it.

Drinking a 23yr cask strength Tamdhu at the moment...

Stepping outside of whisky for a moment - I'm sipping on Solstice vodka from Whitehorse, Yukon. Very unique as it is a botanical vodka, steeped with raspberry, rose hip and sage. It has notes that swing between vodka, gin and pisco. Quite nice! I've never seen this outside of the Yukon.

@paddockjudge If you want to try the 30 year old, just buy one here: www.bonhams.com/auctions/21700/lot/170/

@talexander - Empathy Dram - In support of your economy-dramming, I have poured a goodly measure of Schenley Golden Wedding 3 YO (1988) excise stamp. It is smooth and sweet and surpasses my very low expectations.....this one arrived recently at my door step, a half-filled 40 oz bottle that has been opened for twenty years.

@paddockjudge Ah - I've never tried a Schenley Golden Wedding (but I quite like the Schenley OFC)

@talexander Will you bring the CC30 back if I win it?

@paddockjudge Sorry, but I'm not planning a trip to Edinburgh! However, I can help arrange shipping to the US…but it won't be cheap...

@talexander - I should have bought a couple when they were $200 at LCBO...duty, shipping, insurance, and travel costs would make this an extremely expensive purchase..

@paddockjudge Insurance will likely be 1% of your purchase price, but yes the other costs will multiply the cost of the bottle likely threefold, at the very least. Let's see if it doesn't sell…and ends up at the Bonham's auction in NYC in April...

Drinking a well deserved glass of Old Man Winter 18 yo rye. Well deserved because I had to spend the last hour and a half straining it through coffee filters in order to get to this glass! I opened the bottle tonight and the cork just fell like saw dust into the bottle… : (

I have never experienced this much deterioration in a cork before. Simply terrible. I've had corks break, I've had small amounts of cork fall into the bottle, but nothing like this. It was honestly as if someone had taken a piece of cork to a cheese grader and run it over the bottle of whisky.

Anyway, after running the whisky through coffee filters (and losing more than I care to admit in the process!!! : ( ) I have finally finished and I am now giving this 18 year old rye a try….

The nose is fantastic… a lot of mint, cinnamon rolls right out of the oven and warm butter.

On the palate… spicy… VERY spicy. Seriously, this could be one of the spiciest whiskies I've ever had, I'm really loving the spice. The oak is not overpowering but slightly off-putting in a way that is difficult to articulate. I'm not overly concerned about that though, the bottle was just opened, it's very possible that it will be remedied with some air…

...cheese grater...

A Highland Park mini-vertical tonight: 12, 18, and a '91 Signatory.

I've got just a couple nights of whisky drinking left before I have to take an extended hiatus. I have to go in for knee surgery in a couple of weeks, and I'll be on meds for a couple of weeks before and several weeks after the surgery. No booze while on the meds. Because I can't read about whisky without wanting to drink whisky, I'll see you guys again sometime in April!

I hope your surgery goes well @WhiskyBee! We'll hear from you in April ; )

@WhiskyBee: Here's to a quick and painless recovery, my friend!

@CanadianNinja: I've had a similar experience with Blanton's Silver. The cork didn't fall off in bits and pieces, it literally just disintegrated into the bottle. Very annoying, but good call with the coffee filters. How is Old Man Winter by the way? As far as I can tell that's only available in Japan. Do you know anything about where it comes from?

@WhiskyBee Wishing you a successful surgery and rehab and a speedy return to connosr.

A toast to your health with Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve

@WhiskyBee Good luck with the surgery, and here's to a speedy recovery!

@WhiskyBee

Sorry to hear about the reason for your hiatus. I go through long dry stretches (probably more than "wet") for a number of reasons and I find reading these notes allows me to drink "vicariously" through others.

I wish you a speedy recovery.

@WhiskyBee, heal fast and come back soon.

Thanks, guys, for the well-wishes. It's nothing life-threatening, of course. Just getting around to taking care of a torn ligament I've been neglecting for a long time. I'll go out tonight with some of my best stuff--choices yet TBD!

@WhiskyBee

I hope it's some fine stuff. I'm slowly savouring a dram of Laphroaig Quarter cask, tonight, it's in your honour.