So, what are you drinking now?

@Nozinan Your Dad was a fortunate man.

@Jonesz Thanks, more-so his sons...

Thomas H. Handy 2010 63.45% abv, George T. Stagg 2013 64.1% abv, and Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch # 3 66.6% ABV. The '13 Stagg got so so much better with a lot of air. I reviewed it at 89 pts initially, but it's worth a good 93 points now. That 'Mark of the Beast' batch of ECBP is my personal favourite among the various batches of ECBP.

@Victor What did you think of the Stagg '14? I scored it a 92...I'm on my last dram in the bottle.

@talexander

You'd have a lot more left if you hadn't been so generous with it in January. Thanks again....

@Nozinan That is........absolutely true. Well, you better pray I win another BTAC this year, I do not plan on being less generous!

@talexander Cheers to you.... and I have the same plans, should I be so lucky.

@talexander, @Nozinan, hey, yeah, if you don't share your best whiskies with your best friends, then what good are they?

@talexander, I have only tasted one sample of the '14 Stagg, from your bottle. I would score it at 92 points, or more.

finishing off @Victor's sample of Cutty Sark Prohibition. If the stocks last out west I have to know if I want to pick some up. I can only bring back one suitcase of bottles... I think I'll get one. Whether I get 2 will depend on my suitcase and how this glass develops over the next hour.

@Nozinan and @Victor: Cutty Sark Prohibition? It's on sale for $13.99 at the local store. To be added to my cabinet tomorrow, regardless of quality.

@WhiskyBee and I thought $35 dollars was a good price!

@WhiskyBee for 13.99 I'd buy ten of them, great price for a great blend!

@WhiskyBee welcome back. That is a fantastic price. I would buy a few as well at that price. I have been passing on the $29.99 in my store. I know @Victor is a huge fan . . . I just struggle to enjoy blends when I pay more than $20.

@Victor - you just made me go to my personal tasting notes on the GTS 2013. And you probably won't be surprised to hear that my private notes mirror your experience. When I first opened the bottle in Nov. 2013 I scored it at an 88. I tasted it several more times with pen in hand 88.5, 90, 90.5, and 91.5 as of May of 2015. So I can't say I am surprised to hear that it keeps getting better. I am just sad that my bottle is (more or less) gone.

@talexander, for what it is worth, I scored the 2014 George T. Stagg quite a bit higher than the 2013 (92, 93 and one time 94.5). I still have a 30mL sample left of the 2011 and 2013. I will put them all head-to-head here at some point - probably when I get around to opening the 2015.

@Victor, that 2010 T. H. Handy is fantastic. That just reminded me that I still have a sample from you of the 2012 bottle (thank you again!). I need to get around to tasting that. Maybe tonight is the night for a H-T-H Thomas H. Handy taste off of the 2009, 2010, 2012 and the 2014.

@Nock, I only have 50 ml left of the 2013 Stagg myself, and I am starting to miss it.

The 2010 Thomas H. Handy is actually my favourite among the ones I've tried: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014. It is a very happy memory thinking back to 2010-2011 when 6, 8, 10 bottles of Thomas Handy sat unsold on multiple liquor store shelves until September 2011. Then Mr. Murray changed all that when he named the 2011 Handy World Whisky of the Year. While the 2011 Handy is also excellent, I have always preferred the 2010 release over the 2011, because the 2010 release is very BRIGHT.

@WhiskyBee, at $ 13.99 for Cutty Sark Prohibition, I would pick up at least half a dozen bottles of it.

@Victor - I picked up two bottles of Cutty Sark Prohibition today. The last two on the store shelf! To be sampled tomorrow, post-turkey.

After being disappointed by a few NAS whiskies, I bought an Aberfeldy 12 with no expectations. I was delighted!

@WhiskyBee Had a bottle couple of weeks ago. Great blend, perfect core. Enjoy!

Tasting with friends:) Old Pulteney 12, Glen Deveron 12, Tamdhu 10, Kilkerran WIP Sherry Wood, Ballechin 10 and Ledaig 10 The Ultimate sherry single cask CS.

Had a break from the water of life last 2 nights, had a lovely rum last night Angostura 1919 full of tropical fruit, citrus and light spice on the palate. Back to my roots with a nice red tonight 2008 Roija I have not been paying enough attention to other spirits since the whisk(e)y bug got me last Xmas. Plans for a bit of bourbon tomorrow Trying out Eagle Rare 10 for first time.

Glenmorangie Lasanta in a virgin tasting, I'm in love

@Victor How is the Elijah at your place these days? I recently had a regular 12yo which had the burn of a barrel proof in extrema, it was almost undrinkable so rough and alcoholic

Just cracked the EH Taylor Straight Rye I bagged in New York. Delicious. Very happy. Also started on my Blanton's Gold and I instantly know I need to stock in more of this. I've had it a lot in bars, but this is my first bottle. Superb bourbon. I heard a rumour in Gerry's in Soho that this is going to be phased out. He might have been saying that to try and get me to buy more though!

North Charles Fine Wine and Spirits just north of the city of Baltimore did not disappoint today. My sister, my wife, and I appeared for the free allocated whiskey tasting today. Doors opened at 8 am. We were there at 8:15 am. From 8:15 to 10:15 am (what better time to consume whiskey on a weekday?) we were served:

Van Winkle 10 yo Bourbon

Van Winkle 12 yo Bourbon

William Larue Weller 2015

George T. Stagg 2015

Thomas H. Handy Rye 2015

Five separate barrels' bottles of 7 yo and 8 yo Willett Family Estate Ryes

WhistlePig Old World 12 yo Rye (wine finished Rye from Alberta Distillers via Vermont)

Suerte 6 yo Extra-Anejo Tequila

123 Organic Diablito Extra-Anejo Tequila

Comments: the 2015 William Larue Weller is out of this world, maybe the best WLW I've tasted, along with the 2011. 2015 George T. Stagg and 2015 Thomas H. Handy are also releases at or near the top of their respective games. None of these three has any noticeable shortcoming this year.

We attended this morning mostly to mingle in the comraderie of the event, to make friends, and to check out this store that I had not seen before. The whiskey (and tequila) offered far exceeded expectations, and we made several new friends and probable ongoing tasting buddies. N. Charles is an excellent store with a very large selection of quality products at decent prices. There were 30-50 Scottish malts alone I saw there which are not available in my own county.

The whiskey held up very well through mid-morning, despite at least 15 people sampling. They will continue pouring until it is all gone...the store is open for 4 more hours, if you are close to Baltimore.

Some Benriach 17 Year Old Solstice Second Edition with a stogie.

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Finally able to smell and taste and I decide to give my A'Bunadh 46 another go. It was remarkably good until I was a little too enthusiastic at nosing. 60% alcohol in the nostril is painful.

But I did Karen that ambrosia apples pair very nice with this dram, as do jelly beans. Each different flavour brough out different notes in th whisky. Who knew?

@Nozinan Make sure you arent drinking it while playing BeanBoozled. I imagine that could have the opposite effect!

nothing. for the thirtieth night in a row, not a drop of anything. i challenged myself to a month free of alcohol, and i will be more than pleased to see that month come to an end in just a few short hours. i'm happy to report that i've confirmed my long-held belief that i'm not an alcoholic, rather just a regular good old fashioned drunkard ;-)

looking forward to tomorrow night....

@thecyclingyogi

Well done! I went almost alcohol-free all month, though not by choice, by congestion. if you can't taste it, no point in drinking it.

Tonight I had a meeting so I put off some charting. A dram always helps to pass the time typing and tonight I'm going for Laphroaig QC. I opened this 1 Litre bottle on Dec 31 and I can't believe I'm 2/3 of the way through it in only 11 months! Still as peaty and creamy sweet as the day it was opened.

I haven't had time recently to enjoy my collection. I'm hoping that I'll find an opening tonight. Perhaps revisit a known winner

@thecyclingyogi Your comment.."i'm happy to report that i've confirmed my long-held belief that i'm not an alcoholic, rather just a regular good old fashioned drunkard" made me chuckle.