So, what are you drinking now?

@casualtorture I’m not a fan of the Weller 12 so far, but the OWA is really good. I’d never pay $70 for it, but I’ll gladly grab another one or two for $35/each.

@OdysseusUnbound I have yet to try the 12. But honestly with the crazy prices bottles are fetching now and the limited availibility of quality, I may be sticking with trusty OGD BiB for all of 2019

@casualtorture Or splurge and pay $25 for OGD 114 - it will blow you away!

@Nozinan I’m really hoping my folks find me one of those in ‘Merica. It was at the top of the list I gave them.

@OdysseusUnbound One option is to buy $60 worth of stuff from Ace Liquor and ship it to where they are staying.

I note the prices have gone up a little but you could order 3 and between them that's 2.250 L so they would be under the limit.

acespirits.com/buy-old-grand-dad-114-proof…

disclaimer - I am not affiliated in any way with ACE other than I am on their mailing list and I have made purchases from them in the past (including 7 OGD 114 -not all for me - 3 booker's and 1 Corryvreckan, all at fantastic prices)

I know a fellow Connosr who would be happy to relieve you of the burden of one of them (and it isn't me, though I would do it if you needed it)

@Nozinan Yes it's good too haha. I keep it around sometimes.

@OdysseusUnbound I can get it anytime you want.

@OdysseusUnbound, abstinence makes the heart grow fonder.

@paddockjudge If that's true, my wife must love me like mad...

I celebrated my birthday with seven hours of transfusions,then grading, and then oysters ( the start of my my birthday dinner). Oh , and then I had to do more grading thanks to the multi-millionaire coach who can't lose his players due to bad grades, even those whose potential is ...ok, enough about me and all of that BS. Drinks: 1) A Mezcal cocktail in a fancy joint in Fell's Point: The drink looked like an ice sculpture, all ice and no flavor.(And I usually like this place). 2) the Mezcal Mule (at Thames Oyster house, also in Fell's Point) They don't serve it if you don't ask for it, but it's great. 3) drink number three?I had to grade more! 4)I I just discovered that like I like AnCnoc 5) I bought the funny looking Ardbeg 10 tin, but I refuse to open it until they agree to stop with the gimmicks. On the other hand, my SO will figure our a way to turn it into craft.

l

@paddockjudge ...and the body convulse with cold turkey.

Last night, Glentauchers SMWS 63.46 (10 year - Dec 6th, 2007) "A walk in the park" - Refill ex-bourbon barrel - 59.4% ABV. Nose; flower gardens, orange citrus, nutty nougat and caramel apple. Palate; stewed apples, liquorice and sweet, buttery coconut.

Followed by Laphroaig SMWS 29.224 (18 year - May 13th, 1998) "We arrived!" from a refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 55.3% ABV. Nose; sea salt, seaweed, driftwood/peat barbeque. Taste; Manzanilla Sherry, lemon juice and more barbecue.

@bwmccoy - I'd love to try a Laphroaig as an IB, especially at high strength. We can't even get the 10 CS over here . . .

Tonight, two salty, coastal beauties!

Tobermory SMWS 42.36 (13 year - Mar. 3rd, 2005) "Lunch at the lighthouse" from a second-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 61.9% ABV. Sea air, salt, sweet, vanilla, honey, malt, chewy, liquorice with a hint of smoke.

Springbank SMWS 27.112 (21 year - Nov. 8th, 1996) "A broadside cannon barrage" fully matured in a first-fill ex-sherry butt - 54.7% ABV. Deep golden red brown color. What a nose! Fruit cake, Maraschino cherries and rum soaked raisins, oily and slightly salty. Taste; big, dry, woody tannins but all in a balanced harmony. Thick and chewy, coffee bean bitterness, dry medicinal finish.

@bwmccoy They both sound delicious. I like the standard Toby 10 and at CS it must be amazing. I was out in the forest the other day and there were some tiny but really strongly scented flowers that reminded me of the sweet, spicy and slightly musky smell of Tobermory.

With work and my cold it has been more than a week since my last dram, even though I poured 8 samples recently.

Tonight I hit the BBQ, my contribution to a feast for 20 to celebrate my aunt’s 75th birthday.

Slow cooked and BBQ finished ribs, and salmon on a cedar plank.

The perfect accompaniment... Ardbeg Ugeadail. Really nice tonight.

@bwmccoy Oh my!! That description of Springbank is going to haunt my dreams !

@OdysseusUnbound - there aren’t enough words to properly describe that Springbank. It is complex and spectacular!

Last night, GlenDronach SMWS 96.22 (9 year - Oct. 30th, 2008) "Rocky road spice freakout" finished for 2 years in a first-fill ex-Pedro Ximenez hogshead after being matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead for 7 years. 59.1% ABV. Nose: nutty (hazelnut?), oak polish, leather, cigar humidors, spices such as marjoram and thyme, then rye bread and blood oranges as well. The palate was sawdust, strap leather and sweet, overripe stone fruits.

@Nozinan Nice birthday party for your aunt, and you too. Got some nice halibut filets going on the bbq tonight. I’m right out of Uigeadail, but I might knock off the last couple of drams of my Corryvreckan.

@bwmccoy “...strap leather, sawdust and sweet overripe stone fruits.” That might strike a person as quite horrible were we talking about anything other than whisky.

@BlueNote - totally agree! :-)

Some Black Bush and the sherry tastes clean. Later, I'll have some Ardbeg 10. I love these Ardbeg tins. Right now, I'm talking about women and IT coding with my SO. Code is about weaving, and she compared revising code with the weaving and reweaving that Penelope that started in the Odyssey.. After all, the terminology, like "patching," comes from sewing: your stitches have to be meticulous, equal and fitting . I'm convinced by her and want her to write an article on the rhetoric of coding. After I've convinced her, I'll treat myself with an Ardbeg 10.

I can't keep spending 100$ on five year old whisky, though I recommend the Kilchoman Cask Strength, especially when it comes to value for price. It's Machir Bay but better. I didn't have the Port finish , but the Red Wine and Loch Gorm were excellent.

The other day I had some Sontory Toki: surprisingly good for 34$! Nice and light, not my thing but surprisingly good. I'm flirting with a purchase of Kavalan, but not sure whether to get the Port finish (43%) or the King Car (46% 8 casks).

Tonight, my brother-in-law and I had the following;

GlenDronach SMWS 96.22 (9 year - Oct. 30th, 2008) "Rocky road spice freakout" finished in a first-fill ex-Pedro Ximenez hogshead after being matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead - 59.1% ABV.

Springbank SMWS 27.112 (21 year - Nov. 8th, 1996) "A broadside cannon barrage" fully matured in a first-fill ex-sherry butt - 54.7% ABV

Bunnahabhain SMWS 10.118 (10 year - Dec. 2006) - "Enthralling pink and peat intensity" - First-fill port barrique finished for 1 year after 9 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead - 60.6% ABV

Caol Ila SMWS 53.250 (11 year - Jul. 10th, 2006) "Smoked salt orange peel" from a refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 58.4% ABV

Ardbeg SMWS 33.135 (9 year - May 2007) - "Peat-reek and barbeque char" - Second-fill ex-Oloroso butt - 60.2% ABV

Caol Ila SMWS 53.241 (6 year - April 2011) - "Dense smoke over a tarry deck" - Refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 60.3.% ABV

Laphroaig SMWS 29.224 (18 year - May 13th, 1998) "We arrived!" from a refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 55.3% ABV

Ardmore SMWS 66.123 (12 year - Mar. 6, 2006) "A strong personality" from a refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 57.3% ABV

Finished off an old bottle of Ouzo 12 after dinner last night. Long time since I had it but just fancied one, you know? 1 cube in a single measure. There's definitely something that works with fennel/anise as a digestif. I may prefer Pernod to ouzo though.

Having a JD SB rye now. Takes some time to open up but once it does it's surprising how much is going on. That 'Jack' note though is unmistakable.

@RianC When we were on Mull last year I had Shetland blue mussels in cream and Pernod with a few other spices and ingredients. Un-effing-believably good. The residual soup was delicious too. I have also flambéd prawns in Ouzo. Gotta be good west coast spot prawns, though, none of that farmed rubbish.

Cheers.

I'm enjoying an incredible Old Fashioned I made with Booker's and Knob Creek Cask Strength Rye.

Dalmore Cigar Malt, thanks to a sample from a friend.

Pretty nasty.

@MadSingleMalt Nasty as in tha’s some bad shit, man, or nasty as in tha’s some horrendously, god awful bad shit, man?

@MadSingleMalt Maybe it's meant to be sipped while smoking a cigar so you can't taste it...