So, what are you drinking now?

@YakLord - that's an impressive list. Wow!

Tonight, I sampled two different new make spirits from the Westland distillery in Seattle. One is made from a Washington state pale malt barley (Vancouver, WA maltings) and the second one is made from a peated Scottish barley. It's peated at about 50ppm and I believe it is from a Speyside maltings. I sampled them separately and then I vatted a small amount together in equal parts and sampled that. I liked the results, so I vatted the remaining contents of both 20cl bottles together and put them in one of my 1 liter charred oak casks for aging.

Next up, I tasted some of the Manhattan cocktail that I mixed up at the end of January and bottled for a ski trip. The Manhattan is made up of Heaven Hills new make rye that was previously aged for 15 weeks in another of my 1 liter casks. I also tasted some of the Manhattan cocktail that I blended with some Woodinville (WA) Whiskey Company 100% Rye. After tasting both, I decided to pour the rest of the bottle of the Manhattan cocktail back into the 1 liter cask for further aging. I made add some of the Woodinville Rye to the cask in the future, if the further aging isn't meeting my expectations. Time will tell...

While cooking dinner, had a dram of the Woodinville Rye.

After dinner, Springbank 15, followed by Kilchoman Machir Bay (2012 release).

More of the Compass Box Asyla from the May 2010 batch. Elegantly subtle.

Nikka Pure Malt Black... This is a good one for sure, at $15 US for such a decent whisky it's hard to go wrong. Still, given a choice in that price range, I prefer Nikka from the Barrel.

Last night, Abhainn Dearg ~4 years old single malt. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless you like your "whisky" to taste like herbal toothpaste. Way too young and pale, watery (even considering 46% ABV and NCF) and no maltiness whatsoever. I'd be happy to try it again in 6 years' time though.

@bwmccoy I left off the Bain's Cape Mountain Single Grain, which was representing South Africa...so 13 people, 18 whiskies...it was a very fun evening, but not one that is likely to be repeated for a while. Thankfully everyone was responsible and either took taxis or had arranged for spouses to come and pick them up at the end of the evening.

I decanted my A'Bunadh 36 into a smaller bottle with a bit left, and I did the same with my Laphroaig quarter cask. So then I decided to experiment with 3/4 A'Bunadh and 1/4 QC to see what will happen. In a small it will sit until it marries well (or at least thoroughly).

I had about 20 cc of QC left and it would have been such a shame for it to go to waste (or oxidize).... I could smell and taste this for hours! Actually, that's what I've been doing.

Had a little Four Roses Small Batch left so I infused it with some spices, peaches, and sugar. Made my own Southern Comfort (Probably better btw ;)Some tasty stuff after a 5 day infusion and a week in mellow in the refrigerator. I call it Christmas Whiskey!!!! A few months late or early your call. :D

Getting ready for Spirit of Toronto's Amrut master class with a wee dram of Intermediate Sherry. This one was decanted, and the small glass bottle was one third full for a while. Even gassed, I think it's lost some of its greatness. Moral, once it's open, drink those sherried drams faster...

Tonight i am drinking a new batch of Uigeadail that just arrived in Virginia: L13 245. This is the fourth batch from 2013 (I think there might have been a 5th I haven't put my hands on yet) and so far I can say that I haven't been impressed with any of them . . . until now. FINALLY a decent Uigeadail batch for 2013. There is still hope in my Uigeadail loving heart. I opened it on Saturday and put it up against 3 other batches. Tonight I am drinking it alone . . . and I am really digging it. I can tell a few days of being opened has improved it. I will want to try it a few more times before I write up definitive notes . . . but so far so good.

@Nozinan Great - I will see you at SoT!

Corsair Wry Moon. As unaged spirits go, this is a good one.

Glenmorangie Companta. If I can find a bottle.

Whoops, that was meant for the what bottle am I buying next thread.

A Rusty Nail, waiting for Magic Mike to start on TV. Don't judge me. DON'T.

Rock Hill Farms H2H2H with Elmer T. and Eagle Rare 10. The Rock Hill has bloomed in one day - this is a honey barrel - hands down the pick of the three....but the E T Lee from last week was exceptional and easily equals or exceeds this Rock Hill - Elmer T is nearly half the price. Only one Hancock in the bunker or I would have tried that one too - that would be an H4H of Sazerac single barrel bourbons. Life is good!

@talexander What and Drambuie makes up your Rusty Nail? The only one I've had so far anyway was Chivas 12 and of course Drambuie.

@GotOak91 I went from Grant's Family Reserve to the far superior Ballantine's 17. But I prefer Johnny Walker Black (I just don't have any in the house right now) or any other blend that has more of a smoky, meatier kick to it.

@talexander I thought about having one with JWBL when I had the Chivas 12. I'll have to try it with that as a meatier and more smoky Rusty nail sounds good.

@talexander When I do a rusty nail I use 1.5 oz of Grant's with a splash of Laphroaig 10yo to give it some peat and smoke. I think a rusty nail works best with some smoke to balance out the sweetness. But that is just my taste.

Tonight I'm drinking bourbon: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof 12yo (4th release) . . . and trying to survive my wife watching "Under the Gunn" . . . the 66.2% ABV is simply not strong enough.

Watching a couple of baseball games back to back tonight. Started with Woodinville (WA) Whiskey Company 100% Rye and a North British 21 year Single Grain (SMWS G1.11 - “Iced mulled wine and Sorrento Limoncello”) before dinner. Finishing the night with Kilchoman Machir Bay (2012 Release).

@bwmccoy, very happy baseball season is back my friend ; ) I'm looking forward to seeing how Tanaka does for NY this year...

Spent a very pleasant evening with a new friend sampling some cheese and crackers and working on training our noses, eyes, and palates to identify differences in ABV: Glenfiddich 21yr Grand Reserva Rum Cask Finish (40% ABV), Benromach 28yr Port Finish (45% ABV), and the SMWS G10.1 Thanksgiving Dram - a 1989/2012 vintage Strathclyde (59.6% ABV). Very educational, and extremely tasty!

@CanadianNinja - Have you tried the Pure Malt White and/or Red? I had the opportunity to try the White last weekend and I was pleasantly surprised...but given the price here (all the Pure Malt expressions are between $72 and $75 for 50cl bottles), I'll stick with the Taketsuru...20cl more whisky for the same price...

@Nock Hm that sounds like a good idea! Yes, I've enjoyed the Rusty Nails more with peatier blends like Islay Mist 17yo or The Peat Monster. Of course, the greatest ever was Black Bull 40yo with Dunkeld Atholl Brose liqueur.

I had to look up "Under the Gunn" Cask-strength medication required, indeed.

@YakLord Yes, Strathclyde is without a doubt my favourite Scottish grain whisky.

@YakLord, … … $72 or $75!!?? For the Pure Malt!? It's $15 here in Japan! LCBO… x (

As for the White and Red, I know that I have had them, but it was so long ago I couldn't tell you how I feel about them. I would like to revisit them soon though. From what I remember, I do like the Black the best of the three, it's got a very peaty and spicy delivery… unfortunately the finish is far too short. If it's available to you, I strongly recommend the Nikka from the Barrel. Here in Japan it's in the same price range as the Pure Malt but superior in my opinion.

At the moment I'm enjoying some Singleton 12 yo. I got a bottle of this for Christmas and I was NOT impressed when I first opened it. However with air, it has improved quite a bit over the past few months. It's very nice now. I wouldn't purchase another bottle but I would be very happy to get one as a gift again!

@CanadianNinja Wow, that is a huge mark up! As for Nikka From the Barrel, it is available in BC, but not Ontario...and it's $60 in BC (whereas the Pure Malt Black is only $70 in BC...as is the Coffey Single Grain)

Last night, at a party with a modest bar, Dewar's White Label and Jack Daniels Old No 7. The Dewar's White was quite drinkable and much better than some other Dewar's White I have had in recent years. The Jack Old No 7 was the first I've had in maybe 8 years in which the finish was tolerable to me. Boy, these big brand whiskies vary enormously from batch to batch. If Jack always tasted like that bottle, I might actually one day consider buying 750 ml of it. Would I take the chance on a blind batch? No.

@CanadianNinja: Was your Singleton 12 a Glen Ord? That stuff gets NO love with reviewers or whisky connoisseurs at all. I agree with your take. It's not bad. It's not good, but not bad. Drinkable and forgettable, but not as boring or lifeless as the online reviews would have us believe!