So, what are you drinking now?

@BlueNote I thought not...

I finally decided to open the Uigeadail @Nozinan helped me obtain. Long story, but I’m essentially trading a 60ml sample of Uigeadail and a 60ml sample of Redbreast CS for a full bottle (minus two drams) of Aultmore Foggy Moss 12 Year Old. And I couldn’t bear the thought of someone else tasting this Oogie before I had some myself. Curious, so far. The Oogie is not what I expected. I realize the first dram is sometimes a bit “closed” but there isn’t as much Sherry as I thought there would be. This isn’t a bad thing, just a surprise. There are some flavours in common with Ardbeg 10 that feel “amplified” in this (chocolate, coffee and licorice notes) and there are some flavours here that aren’t in the 10 (blackberries). I’m excited to see how this one is affected by air exposure. It’s also surprisingly friendly for something bottled at over 50% ABV.

Wow. A tiny little splash of water really brings a big, dark fruit note out of this Uigeadail. I’m reminded of a blackberry tart with dark chocolate, paired with a cigar.

@OdysseusUnbound So...is it worth the almost $200 at the KGBO?

I haven't tasted from your bottle but I'd be tempted to open mine (bought in 2016) if I weren't on-call. I remember liking the first bottle I opened. I wouldn't pay $180, but I definitely feel it's worth $84 plus tax...

What is the serial number / batch code on your bottle?

@BlueNote the Ruby was fine. I wasn't necessarily in the best tasting mode after having a steak dinner. Not something I would personally spend a ton of money on but I can say I have had it now.

@boatracer Very astute...

No one should spend a lot of money on a pole dancer....

Unless, of course, they are friends or family.

@SKEPTIC But definitely not your best friend's daughter.

After having the Clynelish from Hart Brothers that I reviewed, I went for Wiser's 18. The contrast is spectacular , the Wiser's offering a nutty profile with a gigantic cherry/almond flavor and milk chocolate before the sweet corn shows itself. I am always amaze by how much a whisky change depending what it follows.

@Robert99 "I am always amaze by how much a whisky change depending what it follows." So true - and this can be used in a positive way as well.

Thanks to @Robert99's sample, I am tasting Kilkerran 12 for the first time. It's not bad. I like the nose, but I find the palate a little thin. Still, quite pleasant.

I'm trying this next to Springbank 12 CS (tasted AFTER) and to be frank, all the things I like about the Kilkerran seem to be amplified in the Springbank.

I'll see how it develops in the glass, and will try to get to the second part of the sample for a review before they sell out, but my first impressions are not to buy a bottle.

I wonder if everything I read simply raised my expectations too high.

I couldn't wait, so I've been sipping on a generous pour of my "quasi-purloined" Aultmore 12 for the past hour. It reminds me of something else, and I can't quite put my finger (or tongue) on it. It's like a fruitier/less floral Glenlivet 12 or a less biscuity Cragganmore 12, perhaps. But the arrival on the palate is strikingly similar to something else, and it's bugging me. First impressions: I like it. It's a very "plain"scotch (honey, green apples, pears, vanilla, spring flowers, with the faintest hint of chocolate and hazelnuts) but bottled at a respectable 46% ABV, natural colour and unchill-filtered. There's no big sherry hit, no peat or smoke to speak of, but it feels like a quality dram. Would I pay $80 for it? I'm not sure. Dalwhinnie is $15 more and is in the same type of "plain-Jane" wheelhouse as Aultmore. Dalwhinnie is far more honeyed to my tastebuds, but still fairly "ordinary". Glenlivet 12 is about $20 cheaper, and I feel like it's close enough that Aultmore might not be worth the extra cash, though the higher ABV is a nice touch. I'll see how I feel as I progress through this bottle.

@OdysseusUnbound

'plain jane' is a great descriptor for the Aultmore - was not a fan either.

@JayRain Don’t get me wrong: I like this Aultmore. I do. It will never capture my heart the way Lagavulin, Laphroaig and Ardbeg do, though. I would recommend Aultmore 12 to someone who is just getting into single malts. It’s very friendly and approachable.

@OdysseusUnbound A good step up on the 'Livet 12 though. Another good value entry level dram is the Glen Garioch 12 at 48%ABV. Quite tasty and relatively cheap.

@BlueNote I had a good sized dram of Glengarioch Founders reserve after dinner at friends last night. It drank very nicely for it's 48%. I'd forgotten how boring it is drinking out of a tumbler - no nose going on at all.

A little behind in my posting... On Saturday night, had family poker night at my place.

Started off with a 14 year Aultmore (Sep. 2001) SMWS 73.78 "Zingy, effervescent and intriguing" from a refill ex-Sherry butt. I've had a few Aultmore's from SWMS. While all are very good, this one stands out from the crowd.

Followed by a Talisker distillery only bottling that my brother-in-law brought over. This is a really good example of what a Talisker should be.

Next up was a Kilchoman Machir Bay Cask Strength USA West Coast Tour 2017 Edition. I have always been a fan of this distillery and their Machir Bay bottlings, but the cask strength version takes it to a entirely new level. So good!

From there had a dram of my brother-in-law's Ardbeg Uigeadail. I forgot to get the batch number from this bottle, but it's a good one.

Finished the night with my favorite open bottle, an 18 year Bowmore SMWS 3.296 "Elegance and power" from a refill ex-Sherry butt. This is the ultimate Sherry bomb!

@bwmccoy That's got all the hallmarks of an epic tasting. I love the sound of the Talisker and the SMWS Bowmore.

Having another dram of Uigeadail. In only a few days, it’s already a bit more “open” than it was. It’s still better with a tiny splash of water. I’m noticing a few more things now, specifically walnuts and some leather on the nose. The flavour develops really nicely in the mouth. It’s not rough at all, but the evolution of the flavour isn’t subtle. I really like this.

@OdysseusUnbound does that mean I'll be tasked with getting you another? I will be in Calgary later this month.

@Nozinan I’m not sure when I’ll be in Toronto next, but I would definitely buy Uigeadail again.

Sipping a tiny nip of Ardbeg Ten after my Oogie. Quite the difference. The Ten feels much “lighter” in body after the Uigeadail. Also far more barley/malt flavours in the Ten. I probably should have started with the Ten, but I didn’t. And I regret nothing. At this rate, a bottle of Corry, Supernova, Ardbog or Airigh Nam Beist would effectively allow Ardbeg to surpass Lagavulin as my favourite distillery. Maybe. And then there’s Laphroaig.

Caught up with a good mate before the Christmas madness. Shared a glass of my Kilkerran 12 (I'm still very impressed with it and so was he - I'll be getting another bottle soon I think). Then we had a glass of Lagavulin 16 from his bottle which we opened. Sorry, I didn't get a batch number. Suffice to say that it was nice to remind myself what it's like and that I won't be buying a bottle of it any time soon. It started off very closed but it opened up over the hour it was in the glass. Loads of iodine. I used to think this was magical but it was pretty mediocre last night.

@OdysseusUnbound Is that a "pick one up for me" request? Because if so I will definitely keep my eye out. I may get one for me too.

@Nozinan Absolutely, if it’s not too much trouble. Alternatively, if there was a Corryvreckan available at a more civil price than The KGBO ransom, I’d be glad to wire you some funds for that one.

@OdysseusUnbound I'll be in touch...

Amrut single bourbon cask - part of the LCBO release (that was discounted) from 2014 (bought in 2015), opened this month. My first opportunity to experience it without palate fatigue. Haven't added water yet or tried the Ashok Manoeuvre (will be the modified one) yet but so far it is fabulous!

@Nozinan, it sounds to me like @OdysseusUnbound was giving you the "hint hint" to pick him up a Supernova or a Airigh Nam Beist!

@OdysseusUnbound, I don't disagree with your Ardbeg wish list, but I will say that there's a lot of truth to the general sentiment that their special releases rarely surpass the quality of their standard bottles. If the entirety of my future Ardbeg drinking came from the Ten, Oogie, and Corryvreckan, I'd be a happy man.

At my SAQ branch, I just taste the Macallan Sienna. IMHO, there is something wrong with the wood. There is a small note of raw wood, if you see what I mean. The 12 yo Doyble cask is 2/3 of the price of the Sienna and it is better. Like many, I don't follow what they are doing.

@Robert99 Hence the catch with NAS whisky. My buddy’s Macallan Sienna was quite good. Not worth the $190 they charge for it in Ontario but there was no “raw wood”. But then, who knows from one batch to the next what will be in a NAS whisky? My buddy’s bottle could have come from a batch that contained a ton of 15-16 Year Old whisky, whereas the one you tasted could have been mostly 7 Year Old whisky. There’s no way of knowing.

For my birthday the other day, my girlfriend very transparently indulged me with a "so what does all that whisky taste like anyway?" opening. (She never touches it under normal circumstances.) So I gave her a little tour to demonstrate different styles of scotch: First some Te Bheag, then Black Art, and finally Laphroaig 10 CS. Much water was needed to complete the circuit, but by the end she conceded that they actually did taste different, which apparently she'd doubted all this time!

I was also questioned as to why I have bottles with no labels. They're my personal solera bottles (one for Campbeltown, one for Islay). She asked if that's a normal thing that people do, and I had to admit that maybe it's not a normal thing that people do, but it's a fun thing for us nutjobs. And I thought of all you here on Connosr. Cheers, my fellow nutjobs!