So, what are you drinking now?

@bwmccoy - How is the Dry Fly wheat? I've still not tried a wheat whisky!

@RianC - for me, wheat whisky, in general, is sweeter than barley, but not as sweet as corn. The wheat also has a creaminess to it that I don’t get from either barley or corn. As for Dry Fly, their standard wheat Whiskey is fine, but not something that I would drink regularly; it’s just not complex enough for me. However, I really enjoy the port finished version. The sweetness of the port compliments the sweetness of the wheat and gives it an added layer of complexity. It’s a lovely whiskey, especially for the price (around $50 US).

@bwmccoy - Thanks, that sounds nice! @Victor recommended Bernheim to me but it goes for silly money over here, if available at all. I'm sure I'll get chance to sample some at some point in the near future!

@RianC - you’re welcome. While I’ve never tasted Bernheim, if @Victor recommends it, I’m sure it’s excellent!

Just finished watching the new WW1 Peter Jackson documentary 'They Shall not Grow Old' with Lot 40 being used as a nerve tonic! I could write a whole essay on the merits of what I've just seen but suffice to say that seeing the captured German soldiers voluntarily help the wounded Britons brought me to my knees. It's a masterpiece of film. Not exactly conventional Saturday night viewing but, well, please go see it - and have a bottle of whisky to hand!

@RianC wasn’t that the name of the documentary on the whisky bubble and NAS trend? Of the whiskies. “ they shall not grow old...”

@RianC It's been a labour of love for Sir Peter. I saw the shorts and it looks like nothing else I've seen - looking forward to seeing it. Sounds like I'll need to smuggle in a hip flask to steady the nerves.

My first drink in a week is Glenfarclas 25. The more time it sits in the glass (45 minute) the better it gets. The nose and palate blend and marry to a balanced and harmonious composition. It becomes aromatic and flavourful without jagged edges. I'm finding that this is the characteristic which I most appreciate in a good Speyside scotch. It's a very comforting dram in the moment.

@fiddich1980 took a while to recover from the 10th eh?

That was some awesome guiness cake

Glenlivet 21, balvenie 21, and highland park 21 for me tonight. They all exploded out of the glass with subtle differences so it’s hard to pick a favourite, but tonight I think it would be the balvenie.

Grilled cedar plank salmon tonight, so I had a dram of Talisker Skye. Not my favorite Talisker by far, but it’s the only Talisker that I have right now and no whisky goes better with salmon, in my opinion, than Talisker.

Also rated a couple of open bottles.

Bladnoch 23 year SMWS 50.56 ‘Oh I do like to be beside the seaside!’ from a refill ex-bourbon barrel. 93/100

Highland Park “Stones of Stenness” 13 year (Distilled Dec 2004) matured in a 2nd-fill ex-Pedro Ximenez Sherry Hogshead from Single Cask Nation. Cask #76. 94/100.

@bwmccoy Talisker with cedar plank salmon? Hmm, it's the only salmon I do on the BBQ. I should try 57 North with it next time.

We usually put slices of lemon and coarse salt over the plank and then rest the salmon on top. Do you think that would go with the Talisker?

@Hewie - Yes, that passion really comes across in the film. It manages to convey the humanity in a way no other piece like that ever has - it's like you're listening to and watching friends. And while it never glorifies war it shows the bravery and courage of those souls more clearly than ever before. I'd take whisky and a box of tissues . . .

I still remember his first film Bad Taste in the 80s - he's come a long way ha!

@Nozinan The verb which best describes how one feels after and EPIC TASTING - "satiated". Talisker with cedar plank salmon would work well. If one wanted to expand the choices of scotch away from Talisker, Islay Whisky, and HP; try, painting a thin layer of maple syrup on to the the salmon with a paint brush. This should be done towards the end of cooking process.

@RianC, I always found it funny that the "acclaimed" Peter Jackson, is also the same guy who made "Braindead" and "Meet the Feebles".

Well, @RikS, I got my JD SB Rye delivered today and couldn't resist! It's enjoyable but very sweet. Took a while for the rye notes to emerge and the mouth feel seems thin for a rye but it has some lovely tropical fruit notes, banana certainly, classic JD maple char, glue and some of that rye spice lurking in the background. If you like the Jack style and you like rye you'll love this; if not, probably not so much.

Lot 40 is noticeably more of a 'rye' - the menthol notes are more distinct - it also has more complexity and a better mouthfeel but I feel this may be even more quaffable, if that were possible!

@RianC hey thank you for taking one for the team and opening the bottle! I really really do not like JD, precisely because of its sweetness so this doesn't sound like it'll work for me. Now, to reciprocate your kindness, I intend to open a Rittenhouse Rye tomorrow and will try to share "first impressions"!

@RianC if menthol were common to rye, I would not like rye. Menthol flavours are present in rye whiskies which use certain yeasts. I love rye whiskey, but I avoid those with spearmint flavours in them.

@Nozinan - I wish I would have had some 57 North to go with my salmon instead of the Talisker Skye.

I think the lemon and salt will be just fine with the Talisker. We have a famous chef in Seattle who created a line of rubs. I use his salmon rub that has smoked paprika and brown sugar which makes a crust on top. The brown sugar combined with the smoke from the cedar plank give it a maple characteristic that is probably similar to the maple syrup that @fiddich1980 mentioned that he puts on his.

@bwmccoy I have in the past put on teriyaki sauce mixed with maple syrup. Also works well, but I don't tend to drink whisky with food so I'v never paired it.

@bwmccoy, I'm a salt and butter guy when it comes to pan fried fish, just about any style of whisky compliments this...lemon, and sometimes maple syrup makes its way on to my plate... depends on waffles and pancakes joining too.

@RianC @cricklewood I didn't realise Jackson's early movies were known outside NZ - they were cult movies when I was at school. They certainly were a bit different from his later work - he's definitely come a long way!

@paddockjudge fish with waffles and pancakes? Not something that I've tried but bagels and salmon......mmmmm

@Hewie, you learn something everyday lol ...maple syrup is the great equalizer.

@paddockjudge, The Maple Leaf Forever.

@Hewie only if Montreal bagels accompanied by cream cheese.

Fried chicken and waffles goes well with maple syrup. There's a breakfast joint near my work that makes a mean iteration of this. I could imagine that would be good with fried fish too.

@RikS, Rittenhouse is a nice rye, but of the more easily accessible, and somewhat affordable, straight rye whiskies available in the retail marketplace, the one you must have a taste of is PIKESVILLE 6 YO.

@paddockjudge Yes I have seen that this one is often referred to as the one step up from the rittenhouse. Alas in Europe, not sure about the affordable. At the moment that one will set me back here same as a glendronach 18, or with sale two amrut intermediate sherry...

@RikS it sounds like what you really need is traveling friends bringing you back products from the US and Canada. Maybe make friends with some international businessmen. Dodging the expense of whisk(e)y often requires imagination, cooperation, social skills, and likability. Look at all of those wagon trains, cars, brothers-in-law, planes, etc on which the Canadians rely to get their whiskies from the low cost Whisky Mecca of Canada, ALBERTA.

I've made several trips to Canada myself, with either/or my wife or my sister, primarily to buy whisky I cannot get in the USA. In addition to obtaining the top tier Canadian products there, Canada is where I get my Glenfarclas 15, Talisker 57 Degrees North, and, yes, Aberlour 10 yo (43% ABV!). Those three are not sold in the USA. I've had a relative arrange a bottle of 57 North to be hand-carried to me from England also.