So, what are you drinking now?

@mscottydunc

I am envious...I hear that AA49 is great. I'll find out for myself in 3.5 years...

Tonight it's -20 , -30 with the wind chill. I reached for the Laphroaig QC, but then the Amrut heated CS bought my eye. I think something heated and CS was needed for tonight. I put it in a brandy snifter. I will try the warming trick Ashok taught is...if I can get circulation into my hands...

@mscottydunc ...congrats to your sister! I will have some Four Roses 125th Anniversary Limited edition in salute.

Snowy from work so I cracked open my bottle of Benromach 10

Port Charlotte Peated. Never tire of Islay. I need to retire there.

"Slumming it" with some Weller Antique 107 tonight. Excellent considering the $20 pricetag imo.

Teeling Irish Whiskey @ 46% ABV. Rum Cask Finish: If ever there was an example of a Whisky/(ey) that responded to time in large glass this is it - It had a few splinters and some 'feisty' spirit when opened and I must confess I gave it a 'fingers crossed' none too gentle pour into a large decanter; I bubbled it in as fast as it would go and now, after a couple of months it is drinking beautifully!

It is quite different to the first few bottles we drank; it's not as lucious nor has it the intense Rum notes but it's delicious and oaky and has a wonderful long finish. Never write Whiskey off too soon! The problem for me is that, even though I decant and put awkward bottles aside I still nibble away at them; small drams, to be sure, but I manage to consume, sometimes, a half bottle before it gets the seal of approval; which is why the 1litre bottle is so attractive!

Cheers.

@JayRain @Nock @Wodha @Nozinan @paddockjudge @Victor - I owe all of you a huge apology for not replying before now. Sorry, this is way over due! With work and home life (nothing serious, just a crazy, busy, couple of weeks), I simply haven't been back on Connosr since my birthday. I want to thank each of you for your kind words and well wishes.

@Victor - Thanks to all of the various Excel spreadsheets that I keep detailing every whisk(e)y that I have owned or tasted, I will not have to rely on my memory, unless my files get corrupted. :-) Hopefully, sometime before the next 50 years is up, I will be able to share a dram with you. That would be a lot of fun! Thanks again for the well wishes and for your friendship!

@paddockjudge - It's a good thing that I'm still young enough to get it done, especially with a 9 month old in the house. :-) My wife and I will be in Vancouver BC the first weekend in March, celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. Her anniversary gift to me is to let me go shopping for some Whisk(e)y while we are there. I will have to see if I can find a bottle of Alberta Premium 25 YO or 30 YO. Thanks for toasting me with those two fine 25 year olds, I really appreciate it!

@Nozinan - I wish I would have had as much foresight as you and had a batch 50 or a 50 year old whisky tucked away for the occasion. Not that I wasn't happy with the ones I had for the occasion, but it would have been fun to have some connection to 50. Guess I need to start planning for my 60th birthday now. Thanks to you as well for your well wishes.

@Wodha - Thanks! Since we are both in the Seattle area, let me know if you would like to meet up for a dram sometime (my treat). It would be great to meet you in person.

@Nock - Thanks for the toast from one of my favorite distilleries! We have an unopened bottle of Black Art 2.2 in our cabinet. My wife has claimed it as one of "her bottles". Hopefully, she will decide to open it before too long.

@JayRain - Thank you for the thoughtful toast! I have been fortunate to have some pretty amazing people in my life through the years. I can only hope that I've been as positive of an impact on their lives as they have been on mine.

Thank you all! I really appreciate your thoughtfulness. Again, I apologize for not replying before now.

@bwmccoy

I'm sure A'Bunadh will have a batch 60 before your 60th... cheers!

@victor

Having my first Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Release #5 from a fresh bottle.

Wow...just wow...it smells like I just spilt some perfume...Old Spice? The sweet aroma lingers like when you approach a winery during harvest season.

This is so smooth I can't believe it 67.4%. Glides like silk and has an oily texture. Essence of oak but deftly balanced and so very refined.

The finish is remarkably long and lingering.

Add a few drops of water and it opens up to reveal a spicier livelier profile.

@sengjc, Excellent to hear! I am looking forward to getting my first taste of Batch # 5 of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof the next time I see @Nock. ECBP is a very big bourbon.

Glengoyne Cask @ 58.7% ABV. This is Batch #1 and this particular bottle opened marvelously; a true Sherried 'Heavyweight' which holds its' own with A'bunadh, G/F 105 etc.

Last year we lined up, at various times, A'bunadh #'s 42, 44, 45, G/F105 and The Glengoyne Cask #1: There was not a lot in it but to all tasters the G/F105 had such wonderful Sherry that it was deemed the winner...This bottle of Glengoyne Cask (same batch), is better than that G/F105 and by a good margin, which calls into judgement our original take on all these fine Whiskies: But I remember Senor Samaroli once categorically declaring that, "There is a correct time to bottle Whisky, and there is also a correct there to open them". Samaroli knew a thing or two about Whisky and if, perhaps, I had reservations about such a bold statement, it appears (to me, at least) that he may have nailed it! Of course, the man is a 'Folk Hero' of mine; and this on the strength of 2 bottles of Springbank both at Cask Strength and shared at that; and a small taste of a a Talisker @ 57% (memory), all three examples at 12years.

This Glengoyne Cask is superb! I can't recomend it highly enough. It is Au.$20.00 cheaper than A'bunadh.

Slainte!

@A'bunadhman: Typo, should read, "...,and there is a correct time to open them..."

A small pour of Bunnahabhain Toiteach, just to see what it is like. Very different from other bottles I've had, but very enjoyable.

@A'bunadhman

I like the NAS Glengoyne Batch #001 too but find that very spicy. Opens up very well with a few drops of water.

Last night: Talisker DE --> Elmer T. Lee --> Talisker 18

@sengjc: I find 2 small teaspoons of distilled water in 50ml., for me, is spot-on with the Glengoyne Cask.

Cheers.

Tonight I had a wonderful after-dinner cheese platter that I paired with smoked lager, a ripasso wine, dry sherry and ardbeg uigeadail. The ardbeg was magnificent together with stilton cheese and fig marmalade

@Victor not only will you get ECBP 5th release but you will also get a taste of the 7th release as well. I just got my hands on a lone bottle of the 7th release from Elijah Craig of this Barrel Proof 12 year old release. Sadly, this is lowest ABV yet at only 64% or 128 Proof. A great fall from the Hazmat heights of the 6th release at 140.3 Proof (or 70.1%) that @Victor was able to procure. I am looking forward to the chance of trying all three side by side.

With that in mind I just opened both the 5th and the 7th release tonight and I am enjoying them while watching the snow slowly melt outside. Since they were both opened on the same night (and the same amount has been poured from each bottle) they should oxidize at the same rate in the coming weeks and months until @Victor can get a crack at them. I will keep my impressions to myself until then.

That said, ECBP is a fantastic whiskey that keeps me entertained with each new release. In my mind I look forward to each batch as much as I look forward to the next Ardbeg Uigeadail or Laphroaig Cask Strength release.

@sengjc I would love to read your take on the ECBP #5. My initial impressions are similar to yours.

After my third time shoveling snow, relaxing and celebrating accomplishing the most recent hurdle in a nascent poilitical career, what else but the warming taste of Forty Creek Evolution. This one continues to evolve in the bottle and the glass.

Hudson Baby Bourbon - opened with uncle's yesterday and very pleasantly surprised for a first opening. Looking forward to how it tastes in a few months.

Last night, a family poker and scotch night;

Bruichladdich 21 year (Oloroso Sherry Casks) - an exquisite dram

Green Spot Irish Whiskey

Glengoyne 12 year (SMWS 123.8 - "In the Spanish mountains") from a Port pipe. Second best dram of the night.

Ardmore 8 year (SMWS 66.38 - "An Oriental barbecue")

Lagavulin 16

and finished the night with another dram of the Bruichladdich 21.

Tonight, drinking a local dram; Woodinville (WA) Whiskey Company Bourbon, Mash Bill # 9, Batch #12, Btl #3097. Microbarreled in 8 gallon, new charred oak casks.

Thinking about the sherry peat combination of Bowmore Laimrig, I got the idea to add a few drops of Laphroaig QC to a half dram of A'Bunadh batch 36, a weaker batch in my opinion.

While I could probably adjust the proportions a bit, I have to say it was a pleasant mix...the Laphroaig really helped to smooth the rough edges of the A'Bunadh.

You won't catch me doing that to a batch 33 or 44 though...

BNJ: Much better than a previous example, more lucious but still not a first choice Whisky. At 46%, this could be the blend to go to, though I expect this is at a price point that excludes presenting BNJ. at a sensible ABV.

Gesondheid!

@Nozinan I did something similar last week. I had about an ounce each of Abunadh Batch 49, and BenRiach 12 Heavy Peated Heredotus Fumosos from nearly finished bottles, so I poured them into a 4 oz Boston bottle and plan on letting them marry together for a few weeks before I give it a shot.

Will let you know how this blend ultimately turns out.

@mscottydunc

That one sounds good. I may put a few carefully considered heels into a bottle and let them sit for a while. I did that before to great effect. I might even experiment with the A'Bunadh Laphroaig combo again, but let it marry for a while.

Thanks for bringing that up.

@Nozinan & @mscottydunc , you might try comparing "married" and "unmarried" (i.e., mixed on the spot) version of your blends.

I blend stuff at home a lot and I've never thought "oh, it's fine, but it needs marrying time for the flavors to merge" (or whatever). It's always good mixed on the spot. I just wonder how much of a difference marrying really makes. I know the big boys do it, but it's not clear to me what the effect really is other than uniformity.

---

So what am I drinking now? If I have anything tonight, it'll probably just be a beer or two. I'm down to last 20% or so in a handful of whisky bottles that I'm trying to keep alive until our annual St. Patrick's Day party.

Danfield's 10 YO and D'field's 21 YO....buttery goodness with just the right amount of oak, pepper, and an indescribable sweetness that taunts the taste buds. They are both incredibly delicious.

Last night I went to a great restaurant called Bestellen in Toronto. Great bourbon list - I enjoyed Noah Mill's Small Batch (cask strength, I believe) and Elijah Craig 21 year old.

Ledaig (Wonderfully Peated) Aged 10 Years. @46.3% Malt Whisky: A better bottle than about 2 years ago, in fact, even though it opened a bit 'ho-hum', in the glass it became quite magical; the last sip, as sometimes happens, bordering on the sublime! Of course, it went into a large square (rather squat) W.C. decanter: I hope this Whisky delivers, it certainly is off to a good start! I'll include the bottle code which I think is a new addition and more easily read than some of the etchings. It's black, clear and legible.........

P0 30746 L5 10:04 13084

?? ????:

@talexander - Been eyeing Bestellen for a while - from a food perspective, how would you assess?

What other restaurants are on your highly recommended list?

I've read that Emmett Ray has a wide array of bourbons/