So, what are you drinking now?

It's New Year's eve, and my wife and I and another couple decided to have a day late Valentine's double date at an Indonesian restaurant.

When I came home I called my political mentor, originally Irish American, now Irish American Canadian, who is about to enjoy our party's national convention in Ottawa. Discussing politics with him is always fun, but enhanced by part of the last 50 cc of my bottle of Writer's Tears CS (2012), originally opened at the Ontario summit in 2016, last enjoyed in March 2017, when it was decanted.

If anything the rough edges have been polished and this one is even better than when it was fresh. Looking forward to polishing this one off soon.

Happy 설날 (Seollal)!

新年快乐!

Had a smallish pour of Wiser's Legacy while doing the dishes, the nose on this whisky is really well defined and superb.

Then nursed a dram of Lemonheart 151 (sample courtesy of @Nozinan) while doing some paperwork.

Brown sugar, green bananas, cloves, nutmeg and treacle/molasses are the dominant elements on the nose but all in balance, it's like a exotic bake shop. There is a surprising lack of alcohol burn on the nose for such high proof rum.

The Palate... well straight it almost jumps off your tongue like water on a griddle, potent. With water it's more tightly focused, spices/oak/bitterness well integrated. This probably makes killer cocktails.

@cricklewood Did you get a hint of lemon with the Wiser's? I would in your position as we wash dishes with Sunlight... ;)

@Nozinan... Grapefruit actually, I use one of them "eco-friendly" brands to assuage my guilt

Benromach 15 after a lovely home cooked Chinese meal and a couple of Tsingtao beers (Happy New Year!) - getting towards the last few drams and this is so much more nutty and leathery after being open almost two months. It's delightful. A lot of fresh ginger with dinner and this is standing up to my palette nicely.

@RianC, Benromach 15 sounds like a good way to end off the night, what did you cook?

Highland Park 15 yo, OB, 43%. Delicious. This is the first I've had of this in over 3 1/2 years. HP15 doesn't get a lot of attention, but it is quite a good one. The sherry influence is quite pronounced, much more so than what I've had of the 12 yo, and probably also more so than the 18 yo. This is a bottle I would be happy to re-buy in the future.

Stranahan's Diamond Peak, my first taste of this one. At a free commercial tasting we had some standard Stranahan's Malt, some Stranahan's Diamond Peak Malt, and some Tincup Whiskey, which is a blend of bourbon and malt.

That Diamond Peak is quite tasty, thick with flavour, and much more woody than is standard Stranahan's. I like it a lot. Very worthwhile.

The standard Stranahan's was quite a nice batch. That's a pretty simple malty malt. Quite nice, though. Tincup Whiskey? That's a pass for me.

Trying Elijah Craig Small Batch for the first time. Not bad, but I think I actually prefer the WT 101 for $10 less. Might move onto a Lot 40 CS.

I’m having an Old Fashioned made with Wiser’s Triple Barrel and its sweet-spicy-sour flavours are working beautifully in this, my favourite of all cocktails.

@boatracer they're really different for me. WT101 is more nutty and caramelly and thick. EC is smoother with more barrel char and graham crackers. Both good but if I had to choose I'd take the EC.

@casualtorture perhaps I enjoy those stronger nuttier flavours when I reach for a bourbon. The EC is quite good, but probably wouldn't rush out to replace it once it is gone. It was also good enough for me to add a few onces to my bourbon/rye infinity bottle.....so that's saying something.

Tonight my uncle wanted something peaty, so we had Bowmore Tempest Batch 5. Opened in December, it's already half gone!

I'm having a tiny splash of Corryvreckan. I'm convinced it has some wine influence. There are some notes that just do not taste like a CS Ardbeg 10 (or younger).

Just got home from catching up with some old friends, so having a Rusty Nail (made with JWBlack) as a nightcap.

After a couple of Teacher's on ice (which I'm loving) it's a dram of Kilkerran 12. Just perfect for a summer evening - so fresh and zippy. I know the Kilkerran 12 has some sherry casks in the mix, but what other predominantly bourbon aged malts with a bit of peat do you recommend?

@Hewie, I am charmed to hear you report of your enjoyment of Teacher's Highland Cream blended Scotch. Blended Scotch doesn't get a lot of love around here, despite its being 90+% of all of the Scotch whisky which is produced, sold, and drunk. .

@Hewie I really like Teacher’s. One of the best budget-friendly blended whiskies on the market. I reviewed it (favourably) here on Connosr awhile back.

@Victor to be honest it's been a few years since I last bought a bottle of a blended scotch. I must say that I have been pleasantly surprised just how much I've enjoyed it, but I'm not pretending for a minute that it's in the same league as our favorite single malts. I find that with a large block of ice honey sweetness really pops, complimented by some gentle smoke.

@OdysseusUnbound there has been much talk across the web of how the flavour and quality of Teacher's has gone down hill since years gone by. I haven't had the opportunity to try any older versions so I'm happy with what is currently available. It certainly is an underrated blended whisky which is available for a very reasonable price. It's good to see a bit more of the lower end of the ranges represented on here also (and I don't mean that unmentionable whisky you guys keep bringing up in jest).

@Hewie Teacher's is one of my favorite blends. It has a touch of smoke.With a few drops of Laphroaig 10, it's REALLY good (just a few drops). I used to be a big Black Bottle fan, but they say that the profile has changed and it no longer has much peat. I should probably try for myself.

@Jonathan I reviewed Black Bottle, the new one, on my blog. Maybe here as well. For someone who likes Laphroaig, as you seem to, Black Bottle will likely prove disappointing. It’s very sweet and gentle. Almost cloyingly sweet. There is a hint, a faint, tiny hint of smoke, but it’s barely perceptible. Islay Mist 8 is made with Laphroaig, carries an age statement and is eminently affordable. The downside is there is a LOT of batch variation. Some bottles are barely peaty-smoky and others could pass as Laphroaig if you tasted it blind. But for $30 (CAD), it’s worth the gamble.

I’m sipping some Wild Turkey Rare Breed. It’s a fantastic bourbon. A little “nippy” but not as hot as you might expect from a 116.8 Barrel Proof Whiskey. I have to thank @Victor for recommending this one. I really like the Wild Turkey house style. Fruity, nutty and deep.

I’ve moved on to a tiny dram of Redbreast 12 CS. I haven’t visited this one in awhile and it’s long overdue. The nose is actually a bit feistier than I remember, with the dark fruit fighting the “green barley” notes a bit. Very pleasant though. It’s still all sweetness, dark fruit and butter on the palate though. What a terrific whiskey!

Just opened the Double Barreled Town Collection from Collingwood. Right away I knew that 45% was to deliver a balanced whisky and I like my dram in that range (maybe cause I don't need to add water but still deliver a astringent personality) Its matured in second fill white oak barrel and then first fill heavily toasted, lightly charred white oak. Again, this is a clue that indicate a really nice structure so I experienced a vanilla and maple syrup for the sniff, tasted a spicy maple wood, a controlled alcohol strength that tingled my tongue for quite a long time. Its the Rye, not as heavy as they say but helping to highlight everything. Well done!

I attended a get together with a few old friends, it was great to catch up and revive some old inside jokes

At the tail end of the evening I brought out my bottle of Port Charlotte 10 Mk II and a couple of Glencairns. Everyone loved how I brought my own glasses (this is a common remark I get). A dear friend who is renown for being notoriously picky just adored it and had two drams.

I have to say despite the bottle being gassed from the start it has hit a sweet spot, where peat, oak and sweetness are in balance.

@cricklewood I’m curious if you or anyone else can tell me if the PC 10 Mk11 is very similar or much different from the Laddie 10 Mk 11. I have the latter, but have not tried the former.

@cricklewood - Yes the BR 15 is definitely a good post dinner option. I'm almost finished with it but have the consolation of a Talisker 18 which will be opened soon.

I cooked crispy beef with red pepper and pak choi in a sweet and sour sauce. Never made it before and it was one of those rare occasions where a first attempt seems to hit the sweet spot. (it was a bit spicy for my partner so will have to tone down the heat next time!). The crispy beef was a revelation as well and have already earmarked it for a few different recipes!

@BlueNote sadly I've been unable to obtain a bottle of Laddie 10 mkII and it's not from lack of trying.

I know it has garnered really good reviews and it seemed to have flown off the shelves faster than the PC 10

@RianC I’m glowing fluorescent green with envy re the Talisker 18. Haven’t had the pleasure since 2013.