So, what are you drinking now?

@RianC Kilkerran 12 cuts through the grease after a fish supper. I thinks it's the lemon flavour component. A deep fried pizza or a deep fried Mars bar maybe an over reach.

Just opened and tested a bottle of Blanton's Original Single Barrel. I definitely get the peanut butter flavour that I have found in other bourbons like Knob Creek SiB. I'm also putting together a list of things I will look at buying in Florida later this month when I head out for a cruise. Anyone have suggestions on what is good value or things that are unavailable in Ontario I should be on the lookout for?

I’m having a dram of Laphroaig Cairdeas Madeira Cask (2016). This isn’t one every Laphroaigophile will like as it’s very fruity, but I’m really digging it. It reminds me of whole grain bread, toasted over a campfire, smeared with a bit too much butter and some homemade strawberry jam.

@boatracer, 1) Wild Turkey Rare Breed. You can get it at the LCBO, but you'll likely get a better price on it in Florida, 2) Old Grand-Dad 114, legendary stuff, ask @Nozinan, 3) Old Grand-Dad BIB (100 proof), 4) Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof. Righteous and not sold at the LCBO. 5) Evan Williams BIB and Single Barrel are likely to be dirt cheap in Florida 6) if you get lucky, maybe you'll find some Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. Good luck!

@Victor is right, @boatracer OGD 114 is amazing stuff!! Don’t let the low price fool you!

I’ve moved on to Laphroaig Triple Wood. I like his one better than the Cairdeas Madeira Cask. The influence of the Quarter Casks adds some lovely bass notes to Triple Wood that just aren’t in the Madeira Cask.

@Victor OGD 114! I had totally forgot about that one. Mainly looking for things ii can't get or are an unbelievable very value.

@OdysseusUnbound my next Laphroaig will be a quarter cask or Triple Wood. Haven't had either, recommendations?

@boatracer Both are excellent. Triple Wood is Quarter Cask with an extra 3 years maturation. Two years in second fill Oloroso Sherry casks and one year in first fill Oloroso Sherry casks, if memory serves correctly. Triple Wood feels a bit more balanced to me, but if you don’t want fruitiness in your Laphroaig, Quarter Cask is deep and rich, like Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel.

@boatracer, speaking of your next Laphroaig and of what you can get in Florida that is not sold at the LCBO, LAPHROAIG 10 CASK STRENGTH!!! (I'd call that choice a no-brainer for any Canadian who likes Laphroaig)

@boatracer, when I am away I almost always look for what is not easily obtainable at home. Make a list, you probably won't stick to it, but it will keep you on track.

In addition to what @Victor suggested, here are a few I have had good luck with, both quality and price.

Single Malts: Talisker 18, Macallan 12 YO Sherry Wood (brown box). Laphroaig Lore is available in Ontario for $196, but you might find it for $100 USD or less.

Bourbon: Maker's Mark Cask Strength or (my preference) Maker's Mark Private Select (cask strength), John J. Bowman Single Barrel 100 proof, anything Four Roses Barrel Proof.

Canadian: Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel 103 proof. WhistlePig 10 YO Straight Rye Barrel Proof...also look for 50 ml WhistlePig 10 YO RYE 100 proof for less than 5$ each...if you buy a quantity of the 50 ml there is a good chance you could negotiate a 10 - 20% discount; they come in 18 packs. Before buying anything else from WhistlePig, try it. They have a few unusual expression that might not be in your wheelhouse (or mine).

It's LABOUR DAY !

I have only one whisky in my cabinet that is appropriately named for this all-important day.

So I re-decanted the last of my Wiser's Union 52 into a 30 cc bottle and the rest is in my glass.

Despite a spicy Korean BBQ dinner, this tastes FANTASTIC today!

This is also appropriate because our dear departed Jack Layton was a fan of Scotch (he invited Ed Broadbent to "Scotch and Cigars" at the official residence of the Leader of the opposition for the first time in history, but died before they could get together), and this contains 4% Scottish single malt (52 years old, no less).

To all those who work so that our world is a better, more just place...I raise my Highland Whisky glass to you!

Three pronged attack. JW Blue, Glenmorangie Signet, Balvenie 21 Portwood. Labour day Monday is my least happy day of the year...hopefully these 3 amigos take the edge off.

@nooch Those are not the first three expressions I would associate with organized labour...

Sorry the day sucks for you. Better luck at X-mas....which used to be one of the worst days of the year for me...

@OdysseusUnbound I really dig that Cairdeas 2016 Madeira cask, I found that the influence of the finish was most prominent on the nose, it still retains the laphroaig style on the palate if a bit lighter than some expressions. The triple wood is pretty sweet too, there is a lot of folks who didn't like this expression but I feel like it will be missed once it's gone.

@boatracer all I can say is the availability of good stuff will far outpace your capacity to bring it back. I can't add much to the excellent suggestions you've received already, I second Laphroaig 10 CS and OGD 114, easy to find, insane value and totally unavailable in Canada.

@paddockjudge those whistlepig minies are cute, a case of those would make great party favors.

Having a dram from my fast dwindling bottle of J.P. Wiser's Legacy, just a solid whisky in very respect.

Revisiting Stagg Jr. Batch 4 at 66.05 ABV approaching mid point of the bottle It is still a very powerful, forceful dram. I added 3-4 teaspoons of H20 to calm it down. Great nose of sweet oak, oak char, savoury spice, a touch of sweet molasses, and alcohol vanilla cola nose nip. Palate dark brown sugar sweetness streaking down the middle of the tongue. Then spreading into a dark fruit, leather, tobacco, and oily shoe polish, as heat builds while rolling off the tongue. Finally, rebuilds with rich black pepper, accompanied hot flavour peppers and heat. The negative aspect is detecting a certain(wood sap bitterness) rough edges in the latter part of the palate and finish. It just lacks a balance. The components are there just, not married into a balanced cohesiveness like ECBP C917. It makes me wonder how much better the Stagg Jr. could be with a decent amount of aging?

Happy Labour Day

@cricklewood, I can't say that I have a favourite whisky, but whenever I make a list of the best I've tasted, Wiser's Legacy is always on that list.

Cheers!

@fiddich1980, Stagg Jr seems to be hit and miss. There are some good batches, 64.75% is one of them. The first time I tried Stagg Jr, one of the early batches, I thought it was a total waste of time. It's nice to know BT can sometimes get it right.

@paddockjudge, I remain with you for the last 7 years in Wiser's Legacy fandom. I am very glad that I have some bottles of it stored away.

@fiddich1980, Stagg Jr. "with a decent amount of aging" = George T. Stagg. That said, when you or I, or others, identify wood influence defects in Stagg Jr. it is not because of insufficient aging. The barrels from those batches of Stagg Jr that lack something would not be better longer aged. The defects in them are precisely why they were not chosen to be further aged to become George T. Stagg. Stagg Jr is usually around 8 years old. Try a few Willett Family Estate Bourbons at 8 years old and tell me whether you think that they lacked "a decent amount of age". Hint: you won't. The problem is not the number of years. The problem is the quality of the barrels.

@fiddich1980 those tobacco and leather notes are great when found in bourbon to balance the oak and sweetness. Too bad about the slight defect detected in your batch, soapiness is hard to get over in a whisky.

@paddockjudge @Victor I think Legacy should be the yardstick by which to measure a lot of what is on the market it ticks a lot of the right boxes. I would be curious to try this along with Dissertation in a blind tasting with some bourbons, to see how well they would hold their own.

@Victor thanks for the hint. Chances of me obtaining a Willett Family Estate Bourbon are slim. Yes, there is a wood flaw but, given the price for the Stagg Jr. I'm willing to accept the flaw. Now that I think about it: The rules regarding bourbon production would prevent the reusing of a used bourbon cask for finishing a bourbon. It's an "as is", policy. That's why the UK picks up the used bourbon cask and have the liberty to finish in other types of cask.

@fiddich1980, I do not mean to come off hard and preachy on this subject or any other. Please accept my apology for that. I do get a little lathered up about Stagg Jr from time to time, ever since that very first batch of it, which was just mind-numbingly tannic. That was my bottle to which @paddockjudge was referring regarding his first lack-lustre sample of it. 11 people tasted from that bottle that night and no one liked it. That group disliked it even more than I did. For me it was more disappointment, because I knew what Stagg Jr could be, and, in later batches, has often become.

@cricklewood, since July 2011, when I posted the second Connosr review of Wiser's Legacy, after that of @Megawatt in May 2011, Legacy has been my yard-stick for measuring all Canadian whiskies. The Legacy I love best is that produced from 2010 to 2012, before it became more licorice-y in later years. Sure, I have a higher opinion of 2011 Legacy than I do of most bourbons. I don't rate many whiskies from any style at 96 points, as I did that bottle of Legacy. But I think that it is important to remember when compiling lists of "bests" that every bottling is different. I like 2011 Wiser's Legacy, for example, better than I do 2013 George T. Stagg, but not better than 2010, 2012, or 2015 George T. Stagg.

@Victor. No apology require. You have a passion for whisky (ey) and bourbon. Everyone who drinks and appreciats the brown spirit will encounter a bad batch or even a bad bottle from the same batch at some point in their journey. Your advice and opinions are very much appreciated and respected. As stated " no apology required". I am aware that the first three batches of Stagg Jr were extremely underwhelming.

@Nozinan they’re a symbolic reminder of how fortunate I am to be employed and of what luxuries my labour has afforded me!!! That...and they taste good.

Another wee nip of Lot 40 Rye last night (was meaning to have a dry day but, well, you know). Have to say a few drams in and this is becoming a very appealing whisky. Like many @43% it isn't that powerful but has just enough in the locker to make it a delight to sip away at.

Reminds me of my experiences with Japanese whisky - not in style/form so much but more that it is something different and unique with a very moreish quality to it. I'm getting a lot of fruity/sweet notes which is surprising.

Sipping from my newly-acquired A’Bunadh Batch 53. Much dryer than I expected. Quite well balanced though.

I’m now having a very small pour (20ml) of Glenfarclas 105. I think I’ll post my next blog entry as a head to head rather than a single review. I’ll post both reviews separately here though...

George Dickel No. 12. Lots of caramel, oak, and a tad of smokiness. Goes well with tonight's leftover meatloaf and grilled broccolini.