So, what are you drinking now?

@Victor Sounds like a great tasting. Three interesting peated whiskies for non-peat drinkers. Sadly, it sounds like that bottle of Ardbeg Ten is not all that great. Which batch of Redbreast 12yo CS? Was it the 1/11 from 2011 at 57.7%?

@Nock, oddly for me, I didn't note the batch of Redbreast 12 Cask Strength from which we sampled. I vaguely remember 57.7% ABV, so yes, it may well have been B1 11. I'll let you know privately if it is a different one. But that will only happen once I get back to Baltimore. When I do get back to Baltimore I probably will drink some more of it, because I am out of Redbreast 12 CS at home.

Having some delicious George Dickel Rye. This is a whisky that has grown on me tremendously since I opened the bottle. I didn't much care for it then, considered giving it away in fact, but over time I've come to really appreciate it. Sadly there's only about one more pour in the bottle, and the LCBO has discontinued it for now. If they ever being it back in stock I'll make sure to bunker a couple.

@Nelom, that's no surprise to me that the bottle got better as you went on. Those MGPI Ryes often are going to be better after you give them a lot of air time. The same is true for many other distillerys' US straight ryes.

@Victor Oh? That's very interesting. I'll keep that in mind when I open my bottle of Bulleit Rye. Thanks for letting me know.

@Nelom, I did the first Connosr review of Bulleit Rye, in particular, when that product first came out. My bottle was OK but underwhelming, until it sat around a long long time. It just got fruitier and fruitier and fruitier. Now, if I bought a bottle of Bulleit Rye what I would very deliberately do is to consume maybe 100 ml of it, and then let it sit on the back of a shelf somewhere, without gas or decanting, for a couple of years. Then it would likely be absolute dynamite, moving from an 80s score whiskey to a 90s score whiskey. Hard to do all of that waiting? Yes. But very worthwhile.

@Victor hmmm. I've had a 1/3 full bottle of Bulleit Rye sitting in my closet for about 2 years..... maybe time to dig it out.

Having some makers46 tonight though...

@Nelom I completely concur with @Victor's advice. I am now to the point where I keep a "living" open bottle of Bulleit around 1/3 full. When the bottle dips down to 1/4 or so I will open a new bottle and pour in the new liquid to raise it back up to 1/3 or 1/2. It is amazing how the old reserve whiskey will shock the new stuff into opening up. I am to the point where I don't believe in keeping s bottle of Rye whiskey closed. Air only seems to help it. That is my hope for my bottle of Colonial E. H. Taylor Rye . . . wow was that bad when I opened it in November! So I have put it at the back of my cabinet. I'll check on it again in a few moths to see if it is improving.

I'm sampling the grappa i brought home from Italy. I found it surprisingly good! The pomace really sings in the nose and the palate is a sweet continuation of the nose with a long and rewarding finish. Go get yourself one!

Enjoying a pour of MacAmrut Cask Strength. My brother joined me today for a few drams. We managed to vat Macallan Cask Strength with Amrut Single Cask, 1:1, both are 60% abv. The dark fruits of Mac CS married well with the honey-ginger-oak spice of Amrut SC, so well that I poured another after he left.

@paddockjudge the single cask bourbon Amrut, which is probably the closest you can get to the Amrut CS, goes very well with Booker's 2015-01.

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye 2016 Release. @Nock wanted to know what I thought about the 2016 release so I opened a bottle of it. Sad to say 2016 Handy is not up to its usual standard, except for its superb nose. In the mouth there is too much wood tannin.

@Victor - Have you not said in the past that ryes often get better with air time?

@Nozinan, that is my hope, but tannin, like sulphur, tends to persist. That 2014 Thomas H Handy which you own started off shaky, but improved a lot. I think that it might be more difficult with this 2016 release, but I have to hope for it. It it does improve a lot it will probably take a lot of time, well more than a year.

The 2013 George T. Stagg started out too tannic, too, but got to be very much better after a good year's-plus time.

Sipping Hibiki Harmony on ice while watching the Australian Open.

This weekend I had my father-in-law for a visit. We sampled a rum I gifted him. Talking about whisky, I later poured him some Amrut peated CS and that was a treat. He claims not to like smoky whisky but this had him light up, eyes widen and a huge smile on his face. ''wow!'' was his takeaway...

@Alexsweden That is often the reaction, especially after the Ashok Manoeuvre.

Definitely! I'm actually contemplating whether or not to attend a seminar with said gentleman at an expo in February. Ashok will host and Amrut will be sampled. However it feels like that's the beginning and ending of the night so I'll probably miss out on a lot of good stuff.

Last night Pam and I went to an LCBO Gordon & Macphail tasting event, hosted by Richard Urquhart and Bill Somerville. Overall, it was pretty great, though for many of them they didn't give the age of the whisky - here's the rundown:

• Cocktail reception with a good buffet and an Old Fashioned made with Benromach 10 Year Old (which was way too sweet).
• Connoisseurs Choice Tomatin 1997 (bott. 2015) 46% - I quite liked it. Honey, citrus, green apple and brine. Quite floral.
• Connoisseurs Choice Clynelish 2000 46% - I really loved this. Creamy with milk chocolate, baked apples, cinnamon and liquorice. Spicier with a drop of water.
• Linkwood 15 Year Old 43% - this one I was not crazy about. Oily, tannic, a bit nutty, some wood smoke. With water it reminds one of Nutella (hazelnut, chocolate). The sherry maturation didn't work for me. Meh.
• Benromach 15 Year Old 43% - really liked this one, with pear, liquorice, coffee and chocolate. A touch of smoke. Oaky. Yum.
• Connoisseurs Choice Arran 2006 (8yo) 46% - Salty - and malty - and a bit medicinal. Grapefruit! Bright and fresh with light fruit. Nice.
• Caol Ila Cask Strength 2004 60.1% - loved this one (and one of Pam's favourites) - oily, kind of fishy (in a good way) with salami, brine, massive peat, citrus and underripe bananas.
• Rare Old Rosebank 1990 46% - totally loved this one (Pam, not so much) - light and floral with lavender, eucalyptus, a little nutty with a hint of peat. Biscuity, crisp malt. Amazing.
• Rare Old Port Ellen 1980 46% (35yo) - also loved this one, my #1 dram of the evening (Pam loved it too). Malty and floral, with surprisingly light peat. Tobacco, light caramel and smoked salmon. Bright and fresh, hard to believe this is 35 years old! Absolutely brilliant, best Port Ellen I've ever had.
• Finally, the Glen Grant 1952 40% - 59y 11mo old! Leather, herbs, hint of smoke, baked apple. You can really taste the age, so complex and with subtle spices. Jim Murray awarded this Best Single Malt Scotch 41 Years or Over (Multiple Casks). Although I preferred the Port Ellen as the evening's winner, this was pretty incredible.

As a parting gift they gave us each a 200ml of Benromach 10 (which I like, don't love) and a taxi chit. Great night!

@talexander, that's some good old stuff there! Sounds like an expensive tasting.

@Alexsweden, Ashok is an extraordinarily knowledgeable and articulate whisky presenter. He knows both the biochemistry and the appreciation at the very top of the game. What a treat for you to get to listen to him. I have never heard a whisky presenter who impressed me more. (Glaser's not bad, either. Both have zero fluff and zero marketing BS. "Just the facts, ma'am, just the facts." Ashok is a distiller, though, something which John Glaser is not.)

In 2014 @Nozinan and I, and the others in a Toronto Amrut seminar were told that Ashok is in line to be the next Amrut Master Distiller, maybe 5 years from that time. My guess is that the day is coming soon when Ashok will have less time on the seminar circuit. I'd love to hear him speak again,...and serve me 5 nice Amruts again.

@Victor Not to mention the sample of Greedy Angels he slipped me..... not the best Amrut, but one of the most unique and rare at the time.

If you're ever in my home, I will share some of the last of it with you.

@Victor $150 (Canadian) per ticket! But well worth it given the drams on offer.

@Nozinan, you know that I will be happy to share the Amrut Two Continents, and any other drams with you!

@talexander, yes CAN$ 150 sounds like quite a deal, all things considered. It must cost $ 200+ for a 45 ml dram for 59 year yo whisky alone at a bar or restaurant. (not that I imagine that they poured you anything like 45 ml per pour...15 ml to 22.5 ml I would imagine.)

@Nozinan, whoops, Greedy Angels...

@Victor Yes, it was 15ml per pour, I think (which was plenty given there were 9 of them). Add to that the buffet dinner (which included roast beef, salt-crusted salmon, antipasta, cured meats, desserts, etc) and as many Old Fashioneds as you want, plus 20ml bottle of Benromach 10 plus taxi chit, and yeah pretty good deal. They also did an Address to the Haggis (with a huge haggis) but where the haggis went thereafter, I do not know....maybe they served it in the dining room after but we left so didn't see it.

For some reason I have had Rye whiskey on my mind of late. My guess is my recent acquisition of Thomas H. Handy 2016. Anyway, I have been meaning to take proper notes on my bottle of Pikesville opened in November of 2016. So I put it up against three other Rye whiskies I consider to be funky. The winner for me was the Old Portrero 18th Century batch N at 94 points (just tonight mind you). The Pikesville and the Van Winkle 12yo from 2013 were tied at 91 points. The EHTaylor Rye brought up the rear with only 81 points in my book.

My take away?

Old Portrero is a rye whiskey for people who love rye, rye bread, and rye in their whiskey. It is rye-centric and boarderline offensive. I love it. Thanks to @Victor for introducing me to it!

Van Winkle 13yo will get better with air time. Super fruit, sweet, and funky.

Pikesville is a good value for the money (6yo/55% at around $50 US). The finish is my only issue. It is in the style of Haven Hill . . . but a Rye Whiskey. I think I need another bottle before this batch passes me by.

E. H. Taylor Rye is very weird - approach with caution. I would still buy it, but the malt really doesn't seem to work with the rye alone. I think it needs the corn in the mash bill to keep the peace. Very strange this one.

I just poured the very last of my A'bunadh batch 47. I'm sad to see it go because boy did I enjoy this bottle. @Nozinan I hope you enjoy yours as much. One of my absolute favorites!

@Alexsweden I tried it Jan 2 and it was one of the better A'Bunadhs I've had. Look forward to my next taste in February.

Tried this - Jura Diurachs' Own.

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Not bad but not really something I would like.

The nose on the Jura has a distinct "sour-sulphurous pungency" to it - quite a common trait that I find in Jura.

Unfortunately I have never had much affinity for Jura and this bottling does not change that.