So, what are you drinking now?

@paddockjudge A father and son enjoying a dram together is a beautiful thing. Savour it my friend.

@archivist, I'm glad you are enjoying the Lot No. 40 Rye. Keep an eye open for Wiser's Legacy. It is now discontinued, but was available in Washington State. Lot No. 40 makes up 1/3 of the Legacy blend.

@Jonathan, you already got a good list from @cricklewood. I'll add a few inspired by your love of the port Cairdeas:

•Longrow Red Port. It's a one-time release from a couple years ago and pretty rare in the wild anymore, but you can easily find new "Red" releases that are in the same general ballpark of pretty-sweety-peaty.

•Benriach Solstice 17. This is a one-time release from even longer ago, but I have the impression that plenty of them are still lingering "out there." Excellent stuff. My one bottle was one of the few times I spent $100+ on a bottle for myself, and it was totally worth it.

•Glendronach Peated Port. I haven't this one, but the reviews are good, and it's current.

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And you ever just try a dash of good port of your glass of Laphroaig? I should try that myself—maybe I'll get a bottle of port this winter. I feel like we whisky nerds are often too precious about the "purity" of single malts and whatnot to try the fun & obvious (and cost effective!) possibilities right in front of our eyes.

A freshly popped Blair Athol 12 (F&F). Lovely to sip on one of the coolest days we've had in a while. Fruity, nutty, leathery and creamy sherry (but balanced) with a whiff of smoke. Makes me think of Benromach 10 but perhaps more of the sweet than the peat. Very nice first introduction.

Actually just tasted and posted a vertical sampling of glenfiddich 12/14/15 in the review section. But didn't really like any of them, and the 12 was outright Not Good at all!

@RikS, I have a bottle of Glenfiddich 12 YO opened since at least 2010, possibly earlier. With 1/3 remaining this has now gained my respect.

@paddockjudge....I'll happily leave the remainder in my little bottle for another 8 years before I try again. I suppose time will mellow things out.

@RikS I've never enjoyed the house style of Glenfiddich - not what I've tried anyway

@paddockjudge, sounds like you had a good start to your week off, time with family and finding your palate in proper working order also helps.

Tonight was sharing a dram of four roses single barrel with my ladyfriend. She was sneaking a peek at my cabinet and asked me when I was finally going to let her try Lot 40 cask strength? So we cracked open a bottle, she liked it but found the virgin oak effect a bit intense. I suggested having a dram in 1 or 2 weeks it should it the sweet spot, I tend the find the Wiser's rye to be almost too rich when first opened.

The wife is out of town. The kid is asleep. It’s Whisky time. Killing off my bottle of Glenlivet 10 year SMWS 2.108 "The King o' Malts'" from a refill ex-sherry butt while watching a movie. Not a bad Sunday night.

Finish the night with Kilchoman Sauternes Cask Matured.

@bwmccoy What movie?

@talexander - Spectre. I was in the mood for James Bond. :-)

@bwmccoy, I liked Spectre, it felt a bit like one of the older Bond movies.

I have to say my absolute favorite is Quantum of Solace. I know many people hated it but there's just something about watching his anger just slowly reaching the boiling point coupled with the fast paced action that works for me.

Hibiki 21. "For that relaxing time make Suntory it time". @paddockjudge It's been one of those days. That cabinet was a pain in the @^^ to put together hope it is worthwhile.

@fiddich1980 Wow - Hibiki 21 is definitely a unicorn dram - always wanted to try it....

@fiddich1980, that is a damn fine cabinet. Thanks for sharing

@paddockjudge The wish list is my favourite and will get added to over time.

@fiddich1980, my favourite item in your wish list is an amazing request!

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"Corby Spirit and Wines Limited Lot 40 premixed with Ginger Ale in a Can so all I have to add is ice in a glass."

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Nearing the end of a road trip that started in Ottawa and ended in the Eastern townships of Quebec, my Blackberry Classic, a faithful companion of over three years, which saw me through an election and countless patient visits, thousands of photos, etc..., had a breakdown. It is now palliative. mostly unresponsive, today it allowed me to access my contacts, so that at least I can remain in touch with the people whose emails and phone numbers I have accumulated over the 10 or so years I have had various blackberry devices. I am now copying them out, one at a time.

My sim card is in my wife's old phone and I have just purchased my first iphone for myself, and will use it once it has been set up.

I mourn the loss of the physical keyboard, the email management, the durability. The photos I hope to rescue (anyone know a good phone technician?).

Helping me tonight, or rather, keeping me company, is a small pour of Wider's Legacy, which I felt would be the most fitting dram for the occasion.

Goodbye BBM...

HELLO Whatsapp and Wechat!

@fiddich1980 What a cabinet! I raise a dram of Port Charlotte 10 Mark II to you. Oh and I totally would go for some premixed Lot 40 and CC!

@Nozinan...That's a rough transition to handle on vacation! Hope you are enjoying the Townships, where did you go?

@cricklewood We went to a little lakeside resort called Jouvence for a couple of days, then drove to an Abbey and bought cheese, to a small town just north of Vermont where we bought some smoked salmon, and a winery later we were in Sutton. The next night we ended up in Bromont, then yesterday we came home, bypassing Montreal this time because of traffic, so missing out on Orange Julep, St Viateur and Victoria Fish market.

Kilchhoman Port Cask---The Loch Gorm is great, but the port suits the Kilchomsn even better. Wonderful stuff.

@Jonathan If I had to compare,this beats the Laphroaig Cairdeas out. Granted, it was nice to have a pink Pink Laphroaig.

@Jonathan I'm now investigating the Kilchoman CS...everything rests on a foundation similar to Machir Bay. I'd rather pay the same for Lagavulin 16 and and have such quality, age be damned . I hear that the 100% Islayisn't up par, though, so I'll probably wait on that one.

@Jonathan, everyone seems to say that Kilchoman's standard "100% Islay" releases are kinda disappointing. I never had one, but I did have a cask strength "100% Islay" single cask that they did for K&L a couple years ago, and it was FANTASTIC.

I've only had a few Kilchomans, but that was easily the best of the lot.

@paddockjudge Just had some the Wiser’s Blend. It’s great stuff, not much left Cheers, Benancio

NZ has a small number of relatively new whisky distilleries. I saw that one of these, Thomson Whisky, was having a tasting at a local bottle shop. I popped along to try their range. First up their "Two Tone" - a 'blend' of whiskies, some aged in ex-bourbon casks and some in red wine casks and bottled at 40% ABV. Sweet vanilla and malt married with some oak astringency - very easy drinking. Second was their "Manuka Smoke" - the malt was smoked using manuka wood (we use it here for smoking fish, bacon etc. An interesting lightly smoked whisky (46% ABV) with some herbaceous notes behind the malt. Next was their "South Island Peat" also bottled at 46% ABV. I was most excited to sample this one as the malt is dried using peat sourced from NZ. This was quite an ashy style of peat rather than a coastal type - most reminiscent of Ardmore. I didn't love it as much as I wanted to. The Manuka Smoke and South Island Peat are both "progress reports" and are between 3 and 5 years of age. Lastly I tried their "Rye and Barley" - bottled at 46% ABV this is their take on an American style whiskey. The spiciness of the rye was really something different for me and played beautifully with the malt sweetness. After that I tried the Cardrona distilleries single malt vodka and a gin. They aren't yet releasing any of their whisky spirit as they are holding out for the magical 10 year mark. I was amazed by the sweetness of the vodka. So, watch out world - here we come.