So, what are you drinking now?

@Victor - now you have me dreaming of a PC5 through PC11 tasting. For me, the only way you could beat that would be a tasting of all Octomore releases.

@Victor ha!

I did have one guy tell me he liked the example we were setting, and that he'd love to see a spread of ten or so Macallans sometime. I believe I expressed some skepticism about that ever coming to pass.

@MadSingleMalt That, would be expensive!

@bwmccoy, all of the Octomores at one tasting? That is the stuff of dreams. That's a lot of Octomores,too! And more than a little expense. I might travel to join in on that tasting.

And...a Port Charlotte 10 whisky tasting could, of course, include not only Bruichladdich Port Charlotte releases, but also whiskies from the original Port Charlotte Distillery.

@Bilbo161, I do not thing that @MadSingleMalt would himself be interested in having a 10 Macallan tasting,...but, he could, as club Pater Familias, farm the assignment out to whisky club members interested in carrying it out. (but @MadSingleMalt still would not want the club's budget going for that project. The Macallan fans would have to pay for it themselves, or at least heavily subsidise it themselves.)

Well it feels a bit of a damp squib after @MadSingleMalt's picture but here were my options for this evening. Feeling a bit celebratory after breaking up for just over two weeks off work. I've cracked the PC - this is what I wanted the Laga 8 to be on first impressions. I've had my nose in the glass for 15 minutes straight. Creamy, kippery, fishy intense peat - ogckh! ooh, a tad nippy and young on the palette but just what I was after tonight.

@MadSingleMalt You are totally right about the Perpetuum. I never had the Alligator and that is maybe the one I would really like to taste and, as a fan of the Laphroaig QC, you just make it even more appealing to me than it already was.

@RianC To me the Corry is the Funky side of Ardbeg and not at all like the Oogie. The Corry is a real Ardbeg to which you would have add a bit of the funky peat of Springbank. Which of the two is better, it depends of your taste. The Oogie is more sherried, the Corry has all kind of herbs and vegetal notes.

@Robert99 - That sounds more up my alley. I do love the Oogie though - the sherry/peat combo, if done right, is what makes Scotch 'Scotch' to me, if you know what I mean?

@Hewie How does the Kilkerran seem to you next to a Springbank CS?

@bwmccoy That is what is called a vertical tasting - followed by a horizontal snoozing.

@RianC I have a bottle of Laga 8 and, at the beginning, it was good but I didn't understand the buzz around it. A few months later, it is now big and vibrant.

@Victor Last weekend I tasted my first PC and it was the 10 yo. I have read before that some are finding PC to be more peated than Octomore. I disagree for the 10 yo. In fact, I was surprised to find something like the big brother of the Laddie Classic, so Bruichladdich. To me it is like the Laddie but more viscous, sweeter and with deeper notes. Maybe I should call it the Knight Classic.

@RianC How was the Stonehenge? Minerally?

@Victor, well dang! As long as we're planning a dream tasting of whiskies from the original Port Charlotte Distillery, why not go all the way and do ten Malt Mills? I'll just farm that out to some of the club newbies, no dig deal.

And I gotta say, your speculations as to my inner thoughts on Macallan funding are eerily accurate!

@MadSingleMalt, Are you surprised? I have been playing close attention to what you have been posting on this club's website for several years now....

@Robert99, I almost hate to say it given how hard it must be to source an Alligator these days, but if you like Laphroaig QC, I think you would love the Alligator. Thick, rich, round, sweet, woody peat.

@Nozinan - . . . old, timeless and evocative. Well aged!

@Victor, right on. Same here, my online friend.

Speaking of which, those funky Old Potreros I called to your attention a while back have picked up at least one lackluster review: thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/…

@Nozinan they are completely different beasts. I believe @MadSingleMalt would describe the Kilkerran as "zippier". It's fresher with the citrus and brine, but with a firm malt backbone. The Springbank 12 CS has a strong sherry influence overlaying that deliciously typical funk. Each time I pour the Kilkerran I'm blown away by the nose which just jumps out of the glass to meet you. Whereas I have to search harder for the Springers nose. Both have a similar peat which is so beautifully integrated. Definitely cousins.

@Hewie sounds like both worth having...

@MadSingleMalt, thank you very much for referring to me as your online friend.

I am long on record on not liking certain flavour combinations, one of those being wine with rye grain. I haven't tried the port finished Old Potrero, but I can easily imagine it not turning out in a way that I would like. For my palate, sometimes rye grain and wine work out well, but most of the time they do not work out well.

On its own merits Old Potrero 18th Century Style is a whiskey which requires more tasting exposure and more adjustment to its idiosyncrasies than almost any other I have encountered. It is one of only two or three whiskies which required me to adjust to it over time in order to really understand it. I was not surprised at all when @markjedi1 did not like (or begin to understand) Old Potrero 18th Century Style Rye Whiskey after a single sample of it. It took me several samples of it to be able to approach it. I was somewhat surprised when while doing tastings for others, several other people were crazy enthusiastic about Old Potrero 18th Century Style upon first tasting it.

So, in summary, nothing would surprise me about Old Potrero 18th Century Style Rye Whiskey, people loving it, people hating it, etc. etc. As for me, prolonged exposure has made me a huge fan.

Onto the Laga 8 now. On second glance I'd say this is more floral than fruity, with soft(ish) smoke and ash as opposed to the more medicinal, herbal and meatiness of the Port Charlotte. Definitely sweeter on the palate and more refined. Very dry but nicely so. Mmm, it's getting better.

@bwmccoy, a series of Octomores, huh? Our friend @galg just took a good stab at it:

whiskyisrael.co.il/2017/12/…

@MadSingleMalt - Thanks for the link. Haven’t seen any of the 8’s in my area yet, but sounds like the best of the 3 is a travel retail exclusive... Guess I need to plan a trip somewhere overseas soon... I wish, not in the budget for the foreseeable future. :-)

@RianC I find it quite different from Uigeadail. Much less sherry influence and quite a bit beefier. Where the Oogie is relatively gentle, the Corry is a full on blitzkrieg on the palate. I love them both for different reasons and for me they are both essential.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed while playing Grand Theft Auto V. They seem to go well together.

At a restaurant for a company Christmas party. Was able to try Laphroaig 10, Macallan Ruby, Oban 14 and a Auchentosan Three Wood. None of which I had before and enjoyed each one for different reasons. Great night.

Finished charting, and finally able to taste a wee few sips of my recently opened Bowmore Tempest V. 1/3 gone and tasting it for the first time myself.

A great accompaniment to my self-learning Korean lesson.

건배!

@boatracer Macallan Ruby is a pricey number. How was it?

@Nozinan I hear the Tempest pairs well with Kim Chee.

@BlueNote really? I avoid whisky with spicy Korean food. And I'm not a big fan of Soju either...

@Nozinan No, not really.