So, what are you drinking now?

Jumping the gun just a tad, I now toast May 29 natives @talexander and @paddockjudge. I toast with a Canadian Rye and a US rye: Gibson's Finest Rare 18 yo, and Rittenhouse Rye 40% abv (still tastes great after 4 years!). Happy Birthday, Gentlemen! It has been a great honour and great fun knowing you both, and drinking whisky with you.

Glenlivet Nadurra, bottled 9/11. Never had this one before. Really took me by surprise. Only a couple of pours left in the bottle. I suppose it is my job to finish it. A mission I choose to accept.

@paddockjudge Thanks! Deanston V is a very young whisky and I knew it would be. There are many youthful, spirity whiskies that I like. As matter of fact some of my favorite bottles right now are the 8 yo's put out by Gordon & MacPhail which are decent and not too bad a price either. But I was a little taken aback by the Deanston. Maybe it just needs some air time.

More Tullibardine Sovereign.

Having enjoyed the second part of Monday's pour of A'Bunadh batch 36 (held up pretty well in a small glass bottle with a little air over 2 days), but with another hour to go before I sleep, I decided on a half pour of my vatting of 3 parts A'Bunadh 36 and one part Laphroaig. I made this probably a month or so ago in a 50-cc cc vial. The first tasting was good. This one now is excellent. I think it works!

@Victor @paddockjudge Thanks!! Birthday drams are the best.

Ardbeg Renaissance

@Victor, thank you for the birthday salutations....fine choices for a birthday dram indeed.

@paddockjudge I guess I should have had a Forty Creek in your honour but today I was called by the Springbank Cask Strength 12 YO. It's my last dram before I go off to camp for the weekend. The only drinking that will happen will be between my blood and the mosquitoes. I wonder if a pleated malt would chase them away...

@maltygirl - Happy belated birthday to you. Hope you had a great day

@talexander and @paddockjudge - Happy birthday to you both as well! (It's still the 29th in my time zone).

To all 3 of you, I raise a glass of 27 year Cardhu (SMWS 106.18 - "Bottled essence of summer"). Distilled Nov. 28, 1984 from a refill hogshead ex-bourbon cask.

@bwmccoy Thanks! And I know that Cardhu well - it's spectacular!

Caol Ila: 28yo (19979-2007) Douglas Laing´s Old & Rare Platinum Edition

Nothing special tonight, just a Jura 10yo Original. The nose is always so fruity and promising, but it falls flat in the mouth. I always hoped I would find something similar to the Lochside from 1981 that I once tried, the overwhelming zesty oranges and juicy tangerines were so incredibly good. But I never found it in other whiskies with oranges in their profiles like Arran and Jura. Any suggestions maybe?

Maggie has 2 friends over for a sleepover! McDonald's, playing in the park, ice cream, screeching and giggles. Right now they are watching Mean Girls; I'm nursing Manhattans: the first was made from George Dickel #12, the second from Gibson's 18yo. And believe me, my friends - I need them.

had a pretty epic week in the lab which was mostly miserable untill friday where things all came together, to top it all off got top marks in my first assignment of the year. Rewarded myself with a 2011 Valinch, 'Dronach 15 revival and a cheeky cigar, Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure number 2. Just the ticket.

Enjoyed some Amrut Portnova with my father-in-law last night and it was absolutely superb stuff! I found it to be extremely similar to Karuizawa The Colors of Four Seasons. After our first dram of the Portnova we did a head to head sampling of both whiskies, both had exceptional notes of chocolate, cherries and rum raisin on the palate. Just wonderful!

If you're a fan of Karuizawa's Colors of Four Seasons, I strongly recommend picking up the Portnova if you can! In fact my father-in-law and I just picked up 3 more bottles of it today ; )

Tasmanian whisky time:

Hellyers Road 10 yr Original Hellyers Road Pinot Finish Lark Distiller's Selection Sullivans Cove Single Cask French Oak Sullivans Cove Double Cask Sullivans Cove Single Cask American Oak

@talexander - glad you've had a chance to experience that Cardhu. I totally agree with you. It is a spectacular dram. By the way, good luck with the sleep over. I feel for you.

Tonight, 10 year Tyrconnell Single Malt Irish whiskey Port finish, followed by Bruichladdich PC10 and finishing up with Bruichladdich Octomore 4.1

Brora 30 Years

Watching the French Open while sipping Aberlour a'Bunadh #47.

@talexander

How is the A'Bunadh 47? I won't open mine till I turn 47.

I figured out that in order not to run out of "drinkable" A'Bunahds, I will probably have to occasionally by more than 1 for each birthday. But if I don't open them till my birthday, that batch will be long sold out and I won't be able to get more if I like it.

There tends to be fairly good agreement on fantastic batches, so I'm willing to take a chance and get an extra if it's well-liked.

So, no pressure.....

@Nozinan When we next get together, you can certainly sample it if you like! I'm no a'Bunadh connoisseur, I do like it - not sure I totally love it though. A wee bit fuzzy with sulphur, I think, and it didn't hold water as well as I thought it would. Still, rich and silky.

@Nozinan I take back the sulphur comment - it's opening up beautifully.

Blackadder Raw Cask Old Pulteney 1990/2004, just opened it, nice and fruity nose

Alchemist Port Charlotte 5 yo and Glenfiddich 15 yo Distillery Edition

@Victor the Glenfiddich seems to be a love-or-hate dram, curious about your report. Got a very peculiar whisky here myself, added a dash of water and it's like I'm drinking a completely different whisky, nearly every aspect as changed

@Pandemonium, yes, some whiskies will change a lot with water added, and it is always interesting to see the changes when they occur.

For me with Glenfiddich? I find the standard 12 to be ok but pretty basic and not something I would often seek out; the standard 15 Solera I like the flavours ok, but it always seems watery to me; the 15 Distillery Edition 51.2% abv I think is absolutely great, but the release I have from 3 years ago has a finish that lasts about 2 seconds; the rather dry and spicy Glenfiddich 18 I like very much, despite the lack of love it gets from others; Snow Phoenix is a lovely malt, AFTER my sister's bottle of it had a week for the SOAP to blow off from the nose. I've tasted Glenfiddich 21 yo only once, and it didn't impress me very favourably, but I'd want to try it some more to refine my impressions. Summing it up: I've come to like Glenfiddich a lot more than I thought I would based on my experiences with the standard 12 and 15 year old expressions. It is a pretty light style which can be quite spicy at times. Do I often reach for it for a dram? Only when I am in a relatively light-flavour mood.

Nothing to drink today. But, I must agree with @Victor - the Glenfiddich 18 yr is very nice.

Glen Grant - 22 Years - March 1974-April 1996 - Cadenhead - 58,7 %

@Pandemonium Going back to what you said a few days ago about oranges. I do believe Dalmore, more specifically older Dalmore is often identified by Serge Valentine at Whiskyfun to contain 'bags and bags of oranges'.