So, what are you drinking now?

@JayRain Bestellen is very good - they are very carnivorous so it's all about the steak, lamb and pork. They have a good charcuterie plate and a delicious bread pudding. They have a very good bourbon selection, but Emmet Ray's is better. In fact, three of the best whisky bars in Toronto are within three blocks of each other, on College just west of Ossington: The Caledonian, The Emmet Ray and Habits Gastropub. So you can't go wrong.

@talexander Caledonian is on my bar hit list as well (which also includes Emmett Unlovable, Linwood and Lopan).

Just for the experience, highly recommend Bar Chef on Queen near Bathurst (going to presume that you have been, but in the wee chance not).

@JayRain Actually, I haven't been to Bar Chef yet - thanks for the reminder!

A buddy dropped in for a best of 5 Twilight Struggle battle - during the course of we had drams of Amrut Cask Strength (seemed to have lost a bit of the buttery taste to it), Benriach Importanticus Fumosus and Hudson Baby Bourbon.

A great Friday night indeed...

@JayRain Think it is just Importanticus

Benriach. Heart of Speyside.

I like everything they've put out recently.

Working on a financial return for my local riding association. Since I'm not an accountant this requires fortification. I poured 15 of my last 30 cc of Springbank CS 12 yo. I opened it about 13 months ago ( that's quick for my bottles, I still have an HP 12 from 2011). Just like my first CS bottle of a different batch, it has continued to improve in all that time and is absolutely exceppent right now.

13 year Inchmurrin SMWS 112.7 - "Youthful vigour in a barrel prison" from a re-fill ex-bourbon barrel. Inchmurrin is one of several single malts made at the Loch Lomond distillery using Lomond stills.

22 year Bunnahabhain from ex-bourbon hogsheads. Exclusive Casks bottling.

12 year Glengoyne SMWS 123.8 - "In the Spanish mountains" from a port pipe.

4 year Kilchoman SMWS 129.4 - "Peat smoke infused Peach Posset" from a first-fill ex-bourbon barrel.

W L Weller 12 yo wheated bourbon. I am testing a bottle open for four years. This one still tastes very good indeed, though I originally thought that it was an underachiever until it had taken a lot of air time.

Some folks wonder if the much less expensive and much more available Weller 12 is close to Van Winkle bourbon, because it is now made at the same distillery with the same mashbill. No Weller has ever tasted like Van Winkle to me...and if this bottle of Weller 12 tasted like any Van Winkle it would not still be 85% full after having been opened four years ago.

@Nozinan , is that Springbank both excellent and exceptional? :)

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After a long (14 hour) day, I came home last night and poured myself a dram of Laphroaig Cairdeas 2014 that was of unholy enormity.

friend came over - we started with an unflavoured Lambing (my nephew bought some from a farm in the Philippines.

Then I gave my friend a small sample of Amrut Greedy Angels.

We followed that with Bladnoch 11 (sherry matured 55%) and finished off with a disappointing Laphroaig QA cask

Ooops, meant to say "unflavoured Lambanóg"

Darn spell checker

Tonight, a friend invited several people over for a whisky tasting of epic proportions;

28 year Girvan Grain whisky (SMWS G7.4 - "Buttery waffles on polished wood") Distilled May 28th, 2984

21 year Glen Moray (SMWS 35.61 - "Just so-ooh nice") Distilled Jan. 11th 1990

23 year Caperdonich (SMWS 38.12 - "Spiced Cooking Apples and Cream Soda") Distilled Nov. 1979 Bottled March 2003 55.3% ABV

22 year Bladnoch (SMWS 50.51 - "Wedding cake and jelly babies") Distlled Jan 26th, 1990 from a refill barrel, ex-hogshead 55.8% ABV

12 year Glenkinchie (SMWS 22.7) Distilled April 1987 Bottled September 1999 61.2% ABV

12 year Balblair (SMWS 70.6) Distilled April 1990 Bottled June 2002 64.4% ABV

11 year Old Pultney (SMWS 52.14) Distilled December 1990 Bottled April 2002 62.7% ABV

21 year Linkwood (SMWS 39.84 - "Ducks and Geese") from a refill hogshead, ex-bourbon 48.0% ABV

12 year Linkwood (SMWS 39.47) Distilled May 1991 Bottled April 2004 57.1% ABV

18 year Highland Park (SMWS 4.96) Distilled December 1984 Bottled October 2003 56.1% ABV

24 year Aultmore (SMWS 73.64 - "Anytime can be Xmas") Distilled May 31, 1989 from a refill ex-sherry butt 58.4% ABV

10 year Allt-A' Bhainne (SMWS 108.7) Distilled May 1992 Bottled June 2002 59.4 % ABV

18 year Caol Ila (SMWS 53.200 - "A day at the beach") Distilled August 29th, 1995 from a refill butt, ex-sherry 59.8% ABV

23 year Laphroaig (SMWS 29.154 - "Camping with MAS*H") Distilled October 12th, 1990 from a refill hogshead, ex-bourbon 49.8% ABV

13 year Old Pultney (SMWS 52.20 - "All day American breakfast in the garden") Distilled June 18th 2001 from a refill barrel, ex-bourbon

OOPS - the 28 year Girvan was distilled May 28th, 1984, not 2984...

@bwmccoy

Given that one of the descriptions included "jelly babies" I was thinking you had been involved in time travel....

@bwmccoy: Wow, what a line up! It must be good to see Highland Park at a reasonable ABV. Around these parts all the recent expressions are at 40%, even the special editions. Leif Eriksson @40% from H.P. for Au.$195.00...no thank you!

Cheers.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof #5.

Just a small nip will do me - enjoyed neat in little sips.

@Nozinan - While the Bladnoch wasn't one of them, 7 of the 15 bottles had been in my friends cabinet, unopened for 10 to 15 years, so there was some "time travel" with those.

@A'bunadhman - Thanks. I am so spoiled with the Whisky Society's Cask Strength offerings that it is a real eye opener when I drink something from the original bottler, even at 43% or 46%, they all seem "watered down".

Last night, my wife and I opened our bottle of Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique Single Cask Strength (56.9% ABV). Cask # W090220020 Bottle # 143 of 197 - We've had this bottle for almost a year. I was worried that it wouldn't live up to my memory of when I tried it before we bought it. It did not disappoint. What a great whisky!

Finished the night with a 4 year Kilchoman SMWS 129.4 - "Peat smoke infused Peach Posset" from a first-fill ex-bourbon barrel. Big and bold with a hint of sweet peach. Love it.

Ugghh experiment gone wrong!

I wasn't sure what to have tonight....Finished baking haman tashn for the holidays, salted my ice-covered driveway. Want something warm and peaty.

Springbank 12 - last of my cask strength bottle?

Amrut Peated CS...a winner every time?

So I put them together and the result....UNDRINKABLE!

After adding more water than I'm used to, the result is a bit easier on the palate, but still bitter.

off to the sink...I'll have to cleanse my palate with some Laphroaig QC...it's the only thing that can stand up to this, I think.

on second thought, a bourbon, Knob Creek single barrel at 60% should fix this. I mean my palate, that dram was a lost cause.

@Nozinan , what was that demon blend like?

@OlJas

There was peat, and bitterness. Some citrus and salt. But it didn't work well at all.

Last night I created a single malt by mixing a 1:1 of Aberlour A'bunadh Batch 47 and 49. Awful. Bitter, rough, unpleasant. Guess I'm not as good as Aberlour's Master Blender! I won't be sending them my resume after all!!

@talexander

Isn't that interesting? Two good single malts on their own, but together a disaster. On the same night that I put 2 great peated malts together and nearly poisoned myself (figuratively).

I wonder if they add a chemical that turns bitter when blended...

@talexander: I've had a few disasters over the years but I have found ,also, that marrying Whiskies and setting them aside for anything up a month will most times remove the rough edges - I've had a few winners and many forgetable drams, so take what I say 'with a grain of salt'; one of the better blends I put together was based on a couple of Glenmorangies neither of which did much for me, but with time and a violent shake up (desperation), was a rather interesting drop!

Huli pau!

Tonight I attended a technology vendor product demo event that also included a whisky tasting hosted by a local whisky distillery - Westland Distillery from here in Seattle. They presented 3 of their own whiskies as well as a bourbon, a rye, a Japanese whisky and a Scotch.

Woodward Reserve Bourbon

Westland American Single Malt Flagship

James E. Pepper 1776 Rye

Westland Sherry Wood

Yamazaki 12

Westland Peated

Port Charlotte Scottish Barley

Correction - Woodford Reserve Bourbon, not Woodward.

Aberlour 12 yr Non-Chill Filtered.

Tyrconnell Single Malt Irish Whiskey. Something to switch it up a bit, I actually really enjoy this one.

Glenfiddich 15, not too interesting by any stretch of the imagination but it tastes rather good. Simple and fruity