So, what are you drinking now?

@Nozinan you say tomato, I say tomahto. So what makes this your Holy grail? What is it about this particular bottling that elevates it to this exalted level for you?

@Hewie

It was a mediocre whisky among the first few I tried in 2011. A couple of years later I saw it available at a store in Calgary. My niece asked to try it when we were back home and she quite liked it. I tried it too and it was a completely different experience.

Now I have 30 cc left and I can' find another bottle anywhere...

Plus I hear it goes great on oysters.

That's what makes the Laddie Classic (and not the much later Classic Laddie) a holy grail whisky for me.

Oh, and tonight, to help me enjoy my charting... (yes, @Bluenote, "Charting"), ECBP 70.1% with a few drops of water. WOW!

@Nozinan 70.1%? That would certainly make charting a much more pleasant pastime.

@BlueNote That and the fireplace channel - the new TV /internet provider we switched to has a much nicer fireplace...

With my club last night:

•Highland Park 18

•Highland Park Odin

•Highland Park Magnus

•Highland Park Dark Origins

The Odin stole the show, but the 18 was no slouch.

@MadSingleMalt Details on the Odin? Age? Casks? Does it taste like ravens? Did it make you feel like Anthony Hopkins?

@OdysseusUnbound, the Odin is 16 years old and cask strength. Based on taste (not research), it's mostly bourbon casks and more heavily peated that other HPs I've had. It tasted the way Full Volume ought to taste according to its name: big, powerful, fresh.

The 18 was my first dram and the Odin my second. It was Odin all the way for me!

(And I'm tempted to Google your Anthony Hopkins reference, but maybe it'll be funnier if you explain?)

@OdysseusUnbound that would require a nice chianti

@nooch, Bahahaha, that is hilarious!

@MadSingleMalt Not that funny; Anthony Hopkins played Odin in the “Thor” movies.

Brora 21 yo Old Malt Cask, 1981-2002, 50% ABV, and Glenlivet 21 yo Archive 43% ABV. These are two great favourites of mine. Thank you, @Nock, for the sample of Brora. Thank you, @paddockjudge, for the sample of Glenlivet.

A peated, 10 year Bunnahabhain (SMWS 10.118) "Enthralling pink and peat intensity". After Nine years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, the remainder of maturation was in a 1st fill Port barrique. This is exquisite. Perfectly balanced.

An experiment with 60% Aberlour 12, 30% a'bunadh and 10% ledaig 10. Thought I'd add a wee smoke to my punchy sherry. But I liked it more as a 3/4+1/4 vatting without the ledaig. The dry smoke / peppery component didn't really melt in that well. (Makes me wonder about the Ledaig 13 amontillado which seems to get raving reviews...).

Clynlish 14. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I don’t. Tonight I loved it. It is a malt unto itself.

Scapa Skiren. Just wanted something soft, and easygoing. It may have been too soft and easygoing as now I'm wanting a dram with more body and edge to it. I felt like I just drank a juice box - actually a juice box might have had more flavor than tonight's Scapa.

@RikS, I like the recent Aberlour experiments, I have a few pours left in my bottle of A'bunadh that I'm keeping for this purpose. Too bad the addition of Ledaig didn't jive so well.

@RikS - Interesting. I love Ledaig but it doesn't suit sherry maturation from what I've tried. The 18 was a let down. That said, the Amontilado cask is supposed to be ace so perhaps it doesn't suit, oloroso or PX as much as bourbon or other types?

I reckon Ardbeg or Caol Ila would work better?

@cricklewood Trial and error... trial and error... (at least for me, I am not able to 'visualise' it in my brain with that much precision yet). And, agree, the A'bunadh is great for kicking up the mixes a bit (though, note: I'm not sure where you are but there's a trend in the UK at the moment where several outlets have almost doubled the price on it. Still available in the 'old price' in some places, so if you like to have it handy, may be a good time to pick a new one up)

@RianC Yes, I think you're right. The peatiness (iodine) may go better with the sherry sweetness as opposed to Ledaig's dry smoke. I DO like sour-cherry juice :) And for exactly that reason I'm quite curious too about the Amontillado - either it really works, or not at all (and the general opinion seems to be on the former).

@RikS vatting is always a fun experiment and has helped me appreciate what goes into creating a blend. There are some whiskys that just seem to make great building blocks, big sherry bombs or supple well aged ex-bourbon casks seem to carry other flavors well.

Yeah I've seen the price of Aberlour climbing in a lot of markets, in my neck of the woods (Québec) the older expressions have always been expensive but A'bunadh has been stable. I normally buy a bottle every Christmas, I broke with tradition this year perhaps I should get one after all.

@RianC, I remember reading somewhere that many distilleries reported being dissatisfied with the results when maturing their whisky in Fino or Amontillado casks. I know Bowmore was one distilleries that was a proponent for their use (perhaps back when Jim McEwan was at the helm).

@cricklewood here batch 61 jumped overnight from £49 to £89

@cricklewood what would you recommend for the supple well aged burboun? For sherry I think a'bunadh is a taker.

@RikS damn...that's quite a jump.

I tasted a few home blends put together by @paddockjudge and some used featured Glenlivet Nadurra 16 as their backbone but I know this is getting hard to come by.

I think you're in the UK, perhaps trying an ex-bourbon casks from one of the independent bottlers? Something from glen grant, glen moray, glenrothes...all the glens

@RikS @paddockjudge - Earlier this week I was sipping Pulteney 12 and whilst it's eminently drinkable I fancied a bit more oomph! I added a splash of Balvenie 12 SB (first fill bourbon) but it didn't quite come off - the sourness of the latter snuffed out the creamy toffee notes of the OP but the extra abv certainly helped mouthfeel.

I love tinkering - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't! A splash of Port Askaig 100 proof certainly beefed up Writer's Tears and made a lovely dram (although less of the PA required next time methinks . . .)

@RianC i thought they OP12 was OK straight out the bottle. Quite fresh and crispy. But, I had the notion that if I let it sit in the glass for a while there was this yeasty element that started becoming prominent that I didn't really appreciate. I think I gotta pour myself another dram of it tonight to reconfirm / dispel that impression!

@RikS - Practice makes perfect ha ha! I agree, it's fine as it is really, Wouldn't say that about many 40%ers these days.

@RianC Let's say that the OP12 has some 'uniqueness' to it :) Its.. musty and bread-y to my palate. Not something I'd go to on a daily basis, but when the day is right... then the dram will fit! I would like to have some more of the citrus zesty notes in the nose translate in the palate.. but not sure I can find'em.

I wonder how this one would combine with the lightness and citrus-y notes of e.g. Glengoyne? Or maybe the slightly higher ABV in the Glencadam which I think is the whisky version of crispy Pink Lady apple peels... I wish I had a bottle of Glencadam to experiment!

Speaking of Glencadam: I award them the price for "very nice whisky, with the worst marketing of any distillery I've ever seen" totally missing the opportunity to leverage the rather nice dram and awards they possess.

I’m having an after-dinner pour of Ardbeg Uigeadail. I’m on the last 3rd of this bottle and it saddens me. This is a fantastic whisky, and this bottle MUST be replaced sooner rather than later. I like the Ardbeg Ten quite a bit, but this Oogie is much more complex and interesting. It feels both smokier AND sweeter than the Ten, but the sweetness of Oogie is fruity/berry sweetness rather than the grain sweetness of the 10.