So, what are you drinking now?

Exotico Reposado Tequila, another Luxco product. I felt betrayed when I bought this bottle maybe 18 months ago. I had a great in-store sample, and then the bottle I bought was much lesser than was that sample. Now, with air exposure this tastes a lot better. Not fabulous, but solidly enjoyable, an 80 point tequila, compared to maybe 68 points when I bought it. I was so excited to pick up a decent bottle at a bargain price, about $ 15, but I had to wait for it, and this bottle is still not the 87 point product I tasted in the store. The moral of the story: you cannot be certain that the sample you tasted and the bottle you buy in that same store will taste the same.

Started off the evening with some Rhum. Distillerie Bielle. 7 yr old Cask strength agricole rhum. Loads of raisins, chewy oak. Overripe fruit and that kind of grassy, green thing that this style of Rhum often has.

Ended with Westland peated, the bottle has been open since November and its now become a lot fruitier, not as peppery as when first opened and the peat has mellowed out. I'm really digging this. The only downside is the texture. It's quite thin on the palate.

Tonight it was an Ardbeg line up. Basically, the standard line all bottled in 2017 (Yes the Grooves CR was actually bottled in 2017 even though it was for 2018)

Ardbeg TEN 46% (20/06/2017) = 87

Ardbeg An Oa 46.6% (24/10/2017) = 82

Ardbeg Grooves Committee Release 2018 51.6% = 92

Ardbeg Uigeadail 54.2% (20/06/2017) = 92.5

Ardbeg Corryvreckan 57.1% (03/04/2017) = 94

The Ten is a decent example, but too much lemon for my preference. I disliked the An Oa (what’s new?). The Grooves CR version had a very good showing. I was impressed. The wine notes were nicely balanced with red pepper flakes and stewed red fruits. The Uigeadail is not one of the better versions. It starts off too sweet with some awkward over oakiness. However, after giving it a good 40min to an hour it really got good with leather and old tobacco notes. I am reminded that some whiskies really need a lot of time to “get there.” I have been frustrated with this bottle since I bought it in October. Tonight was its best showing yet. The Corry was a good batch if a bit young. There was a bit too much vanilla for my liking, but the deep peat notes, spice, damp earth, liquorish, and moss really is excellent. Yes, it is young, but it is also deep and powerful. The whole made up for the overly strong vanilla.

The last few days, on and post St. Patrick's Day, we've been enjoying a bit of Teeling's Single Barrel Carcavelos Finish Irish Whiskey. It's gotten even better over the last three years it's been open and more complex than the fruity fruitcake it initially was. More spice and malt than before. I am down to a third of a bottle, and I will be sad when I have my last pour.

This past week I enjoyed single malts, blends, blended malts, pot still, Scotch, Irish, and Indian.

After (a tipple of both green and orange Irish whisky) Redbreast 21 YO and Bushmills 21 YO on Sunday, I became lost in a soft and easy pour of Samaroli 19 YO Blended Speyside Malt 2016, soon to be revisited. Out of the blue came a last minute dinner invitation from my daughter that found me flipping steaks on the Que with my son-in-law and sipping on a couple of pours from a bottle of the old workhorse, Ballantine's Finest...and fine it is!

Monday was Talisker 18 YO followed by Glenlivet Nadurra 16 YO 7/12 on Tuesday.

Wednesday, a lovely family gathering and a pour of Amruts Intermediate Sherry batch #20 and Naarangi batch #3.

Thursday brought Hazelburn 10 YO and Laphroaig Lore.

Tonight I'm revisiting Amrut Intermediate Sherry after being poked and prodded by @Nock 's Mac CS mention. A sherry itch needed to be scratched.

The advantage to having many open bottles is being able to access many different whiskies. This was a great week with enjoyable pours.

Cheers!

@paddockjudge which batch of Amrut IS? Inquiring minds want to know! You are inspiring me as well . . . I am about to have a tasing of my own . . . we will see what is in the cards for tonight!

@Nock, Amrut IS #20, I edited the post as you were asking. It has been open a couple of months. It is clean with a sharp entry, sweet mid-palate, and then eases beautifuly into a silky smooth (YES, I USED THE S WORD) finish with a dry echo of dark fruit and honey, not a lot of honey, BUT A LOT OF brio soda. Great whisky...come on Nock, make it two for two tonight! lol....cinnamon and cloves on the nose. I'm a big fan of a clove note!

@bwmccoy, I thought you might like the opening line...and yes, I was wearing my orange and green vest. ;)

@paddockjudge - I liked all of your post, including the opening line. However, you and @Nock are killing me with all of the Whisky postings. I’m still at work. You are making me very thirsty! However, I will be joining you all later after I get home. :-)

@paddockjudge you got me. This tasting is due to your generosity. Thanks @Victor for starting this off with your finishing of that A'Bunadh. And thanks @Nozinan for furthering the discussion. I certainly hope @bwmccoy is able to join in the fun later!

So tonight is a Sherry bomb tasting for me. It is rare I will admit. But the discussion has me in the mood! I selected the drams. My wife has poured 15mL of each for me and given each a numbered lid (so a semi-blind tasting). I'll report back on my experience and conclusions. Wish me luck! There is some high ABV here . . . just up my alley!

• Aberlour A’Bundah 60.7% batch 54

• Aberlour A’Bundah 61.2% batch 56

• Aberlour A’Bundah 61.1% batch 58

• Amrut Intermediate Sherry 57.1% Batch No.5 Feb. 2012

• Macallan Classic Cut 58.4% 2017

• Macallan Cask Strength 60.1% provided by @paddockjudge

Which sherry monster will win the heart of this peat lover tonight? We will see . . .

@Nock, I can't replicate your lineup, but I can go with the below listed four sherry bombs. My son will pour and place them on the lazy susan. I'll taste them blind.

*Aberlour A’Bunadh 60.9% batch 59

*Amrut Intermediate Sherry 57.1% Batch No.20 April 2015 (thank you @Nozinan)

*Glenfarclas 105 10 YO L14 05 14

*Macallan Cask Strength 60.1% (thank you @Robert99)

@bwmccoy, I'll try to wait up for you, but it has been a busy week...and daily 5 a.m. starts tend to drain the battery every now and then.

Game on brother! lol

@bwmccoy join in when you can . . . it is a sherry night apparently!

@paddockjudge I hear you. Luckily, I got a quick nap this afternoon after teaching. The wife has left and won't be back until well after midnight (hence the big sherry monster tasting).

And your line up looks fantastic! Do let us know how it went before you sign off for the night. (impressions and what not; how many did you guess correctly?)

I have never owned a bottle of the 105 but I have often thought about it. I have had several samples that I have really enjoyed. Sadly, they don't carry the 105 here in Virginia. So I either need to pick it up out of state . . . or find other means.

@Nock and @paddockjudge - just got home. Going to have a beer before dinner, but will break out the whisky afterwards. Will have to see what Sherry whiskies I have open right now, but I will end with a Society 18 year Laphroaig from a single Oloroso Sherry butt.

I too get up at 5am each morning, so I know what you mean! Don’t feel like you have to stay up with the 3 hour time difference between us.

My pick for the winner of each of your lineups is the Macallan Cask Strength. At least it would be for me! :-)

Am loving reading what folks are enjoying and tasting tonight! Cannot aim to compete on that level with the quality and quantity -- I'd probably be face-down after three drams anyway - but tonight I will toast all of you as I sit with a dram (or two) of Little Book #2.

Wow what a tasting experience! Overall, just what the doctor ordered! I have been waiting to do a sherry monster tasting for some time. I am delighted it worked out for tonight. And I can’t thank @paddockjudge enough for a sample of the Macallan Cask Strength. I haven’t had an open bottle since 2012, so this was a treat.

Aberlour A’Bunadh 60.7% batch 54 = 85 (I guessed Mac Classic Cut) this was bland and unremarkable. I thought it was overly malty and underwhelming in the sherry category. Still, nothing off or bitter. Now that I know it was batch 54 there is a possibility the bottle had too much air before I put it in a sample bottle. So, take my score for this batch with a grain of salt.

Aberlour A’Bunadh 61.2% batch 56 = 89 (I guessed batch 54) – This was the highest scoring A’Bunadh of the night. I liked it the best clearly. I could tell it couldn’t hold with the top three, but it was clearly good. I think the score of an 89 was very fair. And I would buy this bottle again.

Aberlour A’Bunadh 61.1% batch 58 = 88 (guessed correct) – I could tell this was A’Bunadh. But I wasn’t sure which batch. I took a stab in the dark and was correct. Over all good, but nothing amazing. It had a thick vegetal quality to it that was different from the others. Yes, thick sherry and sweet with lots of stewed fruits. I would own a second bottle. Thankfully, I still have a half bottle open. I should probably decant before too much longer.

Amrut Intermediate Sherry 57.1% No.5 = 92 (guessed correct) – This was the easiest to identify. It was so different from the others tonight. This did have a ton of fruit and sherry, but it was all fresh fruit (not stewed fruit like the others) and a herbal note like mint. And then there was this honey drizzle over it all. For the first time tonight I got a ton of notes I associate with Rye whiskey. It really seemed to be almost a rye whiskey tonight in the vein of Old Potrero or Willett. I know it isn’t a rye, but somehow the lineup tonight really brought out that mint or rye note. A fantastic whisky.

Macallan Classic Cut 58.4% 2017 = 91 (I guessed batch 58) – this one shocked me the most. When we were at @Victor’s house a year ago I poured this for @paddockjudge, @Nozinan, @Victor, and myself. We were all put off and disappointed with my bottle. (Am I remembering incorrectly gents?) Well that bottle has had about a year sitting around half full. And tonight I really enjoyed it. Here was the dominant note: sour mustard bordering on sulfur. I really liked it. I am sure it would have put most people off. Maybe that is why most of the gents that night didn’t like it? But I can really enjoy a nice sour nose from a red wine cask. I would have guessed this was red wine cask finished if it was in the lineup. As it was I figured it was an A’Bunadh batch that had too much air time (hence my guess of 58 which has probably been open too long). I personally enjoyed it and so scored it higher. I am beyond shocked. I don’t expect most people to agree with my score of this tonight. Again, glad to have a half bottle left.

Macallan Cask Strength 60.1% = 95 (guessed correct) – This one was like wish fulfillment. On first nosing I could tell it was different. It quickly went to the head of the pack. It was so much more deep, dense, sherried, and syrupy than the others. It was a clear “A” in my book. I love everything about it. Gosh I wish I had a case of this in my bunker. I hoped it was Mac CS but was prepared to be wrong. Every time I nosed through all 6 glasses I became more certain. It is just so much thicker, denser, and powerful than all the others. And on the finish . . . no question. This was a giant among sherry monsters. Weep for the loss of this bottle expression. Curse you Macallan!

@Nock, @paddockjudge, @Nozinan, you induce wistful memories of great times had and great times to come. I am delighted that I managed to get the three of you together in one room, though I wondered whether the combination might induce nuclear fission in situ. Happily you gentlemen gracefully accept profound differences in personal taste.

The reason I bought only 3 bottles of Macallan Cask Strength back when it was available was that with one bottle in the cabinet it took me a very long time to realize that Mac CS North American bottling just got better and better and better with long air exposure. If I had noticed that much earlier I'd have half a dozen bottles more of it now.

I have been drinking Brenne Ten from my sister's bottle tonight, and will post a review of it sometime this weekend. Your sherry escapades lead me to pour myself an Amrut Intermediate Sherry Matured, 57.5% ABV Batch # 2. After that I think I'll have some Amrut Naarangi 50% ABV, Batch # 3.

@Victor Thank you for hosting that event! I am greatly desirous of another. Those bottles of Macallan Cask strength are liquid gold. This batch 60.1% is exceptional.

As is that Amrut IS batch #2. I have very fond memories of my old bottle. Thankfully, I have one more still in reserve. Batch #5 is fantastic, but I think I slightly prefer #2. They are certainly unique in the world of sherried whiskies.

@archivist, love that Little Book II. We're gonna make Freddie Noe an honorary Canuck!

@Nock Just what the doctor ordered, eh? Well, this doctor would have loved to get in on that action but I've been unable to partake recently.

Hopefully soon this will change. In the meantime, I urge al of you to enjoy one on my behalf.

@Victor, those grand sessions cannot be matched, if they were, no one would believe us! Black Bull 40 YO, multiple BTACs, Multiple Bowman vintages, and Van Winkles. The list is enormous as is the quality of the offerings. As for the items we didn't taste, I now realise that is something to look forward to. A couple of days spent in great company with great whisky. It cannot happen soon enough!

Started off the night with an excellent Rouge (Newport, Oregon) Brewing Double Chocolate Stout before dinner.

Now, I’m trying to keep the Sherry theme going, but apparently I only have 2 Sherry bottles open at the moment.

While probably not Sherry, I’m starting off with a 10 year Society Glen Ord that after 9 years in an ex-bourbon cask was finished in a second-fill fine grain French oak hogshead. I’m assuming, based on color and taste, it was at least a wine cask of some sort, just don’t know what type. Either way, it is an outstanding whisky!

Next up will be a 13 year Highland Park (Single Cask Nation bottling) from a 2nd-fill ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry hogshead.

And as previously mentioned, will finish with an 18 year Society Laphroaig from a Refill Ex-Oloroso Sherry Butt.

@Nock, having four whiskies, all from different distilleries made my task simpler than yours. It didn't take but ten minutes to identify them correctly; however, after 30 minutes I noticed some changes and began to question my original selections. Glenfarclas 105 10 YO was sampled from a large brandy snifter, the others from a Brilliant tasting glass.

*Aberlour A’Bunadh 60.9% batch 59 89.5 Points The butterscotch note on the nose and the tongue is a dead give away for this cask strength sizzler. This bottle has been open for about 14 months with a fill level near half. It has improved. The spice is sharp and the toffee/butterscotch notes are more pronounced.

*Amrut Intermediate Sherry 57.1% Batch No.20 April 2015 91 Points (thank you @Nozinan) Silky, Spicy, and Sweet. I was caught off guard about 30 minutes after pouring when I detected a vegetal note, boiled cabbage-like coming from the glass. It was gone as quickly as it was discovered; it occurred twice and did not linger. NO SULFUR was detected. Despite the disappearing off note, a delicious whisky. A few more of these are needed in my cabinet.

*Glenfarclas 105 10 YO L14 05 14 88.5 Points This bottle has been open for more than a year and has improved greatly. The fill level is at approximately 1/5. Tonight there was no sulfur detected. This is strange as I almost always get sulfur from Glenfarclas. I would drink this more often if a freshly opened bottle had the same dark fruits, spice, and cola notes.

*Macallan Cask Strength 60.1% (thank you @Robert99) 93 Points THICK and CHEWY, this doesn't have the best nose, nor the best mouth feel. It isn't the tastiest whisky and it doesn't possess a finish that makes you think about it the next day. It doesn't sit at the top of any category for me except one, favourite single malt. This scores well in all categories. Delicious dark fruits, dried fruits, Christmas spices, clean oak and ample sherry. This is a big, beautiful whisky! I like to blend this with older Laphroaigs, add a full point to each category!

@bwmccoy welcome to the party! I had intended to have a Highland Park tasting tonight instead of the sherry theme. Glad to hear you have one. I never tried an independent release of Highland Park. My thought is that that what I have always enjoyed about HP12 and 18 is their mixture of sherry and bourbon casks. I have been a bit afraid of a single cask. Maybe that is silly of me. What are your findings? My guess is the PX is very sweet.

@paddockjudge a wonderful review! Thanks for the scores along with the descriptions. Is that bottle of Mac CS 60.1% the one you poured my sample from? My sample bottle says May 2018. I am curious to find out. I personally loved the nose on mine. It only got better with time. Granted I gave it a good hour in the glass (as I kept returning).

Oh, this looks like something likely to annoy people - NAS is there to avoid maturation beyond 8 years, since any more risks the wood overpwering what the whisky ‘should taste like’

“Sandeep Arora, Contributing Editor Whisky Magazine UK, says it is not necessary the longer a whisky stays in wood, the better it would taste. “It is said that the longer you keep a whisky in a barrel, the happier it is (the angels certainly are), but eight years is the time it takes ideally for a whisky in Scottish conditions to extract all the flavours it can,” he says. Beyond eight years, whiskies run into the risk of letting the wood in their barrels overpower the way they should taste. There’s, therefore, a clear commercial motivation for the push towards No Age Statement whiskies.”

firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/…

@RikS - I'd say there's truth in what they say and it makes sense for them to use this as a marketing aid. My issue with NAS remains the same though - It's that in the next breath they will then say that age adds something 'extra special' so that's why we charge £££ for it!

I think we all know that charging comparatively large sums for younger juice is taking the piss, frankly. This seems like a justification to do so, with a particular focus on the younger crowd . . .

Funnily enough, I read about a study done recently that suggested biological age and chronological age can differ, and we should be able to change our age dependent on experience and maturity . . . the whisky marketing bods funded that one I presume?

@RianC Oh send me that article, cause chronologically I got a few grey... but biologically, I'm still terrible infantile!

@RikS - Nothing wrong with a silver fox I'm a bit that way myself but my sense of humour didn't get past the teenage boy stage, which is about when the grey hair started!

@RikS, there may be a grain of truth in the eight year claim. Some Barrels may take on too much from the oak. Whatever happened to the tired barrel theory? Hmmmph!

Bourbon makers claim the same, yet they are using virgin oak, not experienced barrels. I have no doubt the majority of Barrels have peaked at 8 years; however, the best barrels of whisky tend to be older than 8 years. Transparency, where is it?

How about more variety?! Make more vintages, more age stated expressions, and NAS labels. Price them accordingly and let the market place steer the boat.

My favourite single malt is Macallan Cask Strength, it is NAS. I suspect much of the whisky is near 8 years of age. Most of my other top picks are double, triple, quadruple the 8 YO range.

Who are you gonna believe, the corporate schill or your own judgement?