So, what are you drinking now?

@fiddich1980 I think, if I remember my reading correctly, that the original revival had older spirit than just 15 YO

@Nozinan "Words of Whisky", article "Is Glendronach A lot Older Than The Label Says" was a very popular article among whisky enthusiast. Hence the run and depletion of the Revival 15 now a re-revival but, with combination Oloroso and PX cask and at 15 years. Which is why Glendronach 18 Allardice is suffering from FOMO among drinkers and collectors. Billy Walker did an amazing job of raising Glendronach's popularity before selling Glendronach, Glenglassaugh, and BenRiach to Brown and Forman. I wonder if he sold the best of the best and left the crumbs to the new owners.

@fiddich1980 I'd love to see an objective blind tasting of these ones... I am very suspicious about all this "ITS AMAZING!!!!!!!" every time something that's good is about to run out and the hysteria sets in..

It's like the avalanche hitting the internet after HP12 changed its bottle :) - that one was fun too.

@RianC Well it's hard to pick a clear winner from the night. I was really impressed with the Bruichladdich PC MRC - it had a very medicinal nose but as time went by there was a very inviting earthiness that emerged. It had a distinctive Autumnal feel to it. The BenRiach 20YO had the most fantastic texture - so viscous, and a long sweet finish. After the first 2 cask strength samples the 15 Revival got a bit lost. As @fiddich1980 says this is a combo of Olorosso and PX casks. It was the favourite of one guy by me (who subsequently bought one) - and I'm sure if I tried it on it's own I'd love it - but it didn't shine on the night. Believe it or not this was my first experience of an Octomore and it was both not what I was expecting and wonderful at the same time. Not blow your head off peat but layers of long and lingering complexity. That was the highlight of the night for me.

@Victor I wish I could buy a bottle of each! Unfortunately I came home empty handed but very happy to have tried them.

@RikS I agree it's very hard to get proper comparison reviews in such situations, even recently I saw a lot of YouTube videos and people don't compare blind or will do things like compare a bottle open for over a year vs one freshly opened on camera.

I don't think the change of direction will make the new Glendronach bad but it will certainly change the profile.

Two things to note is the change from direct fired stills in the mid 90's and their heavy use of PX casks in recent years. I noticed that most of their recent single barrels are all PX and mostly seem to be finishes as their bottle counts are very high.

I am a bit like @fiddich1980 I wonder if Billy Walker didn't pull off a neat trick by building a good reputation on the back of previous stock and leaving Brown Forman with a bunch of new stock that might not quite meet those same heights.

@Hewie what an amazing line-up, it's not often you get so many Cask strength whiskys in a rep tasting at least around here. how did you find the Madeira cask Benriach? I loved

Your observations about the Octomore are spot-on, mind you 8.1 is 8 yrs old rather than the normal 5 years. The extra time seem to tone down the peaty punch and give it a depth not found in the younger versions.

For all the Canadian whisky fans out there: the latest Bronfman to continue to destroy the entire Seagram legacy: washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/…

@cricklewood the BenRiach 2007 Moscatel Hogshead 10 YO Cask #8737 Batch 15 reminded me of golden raisins. It had a real fruit sweetness that wasn't as deep and dark as the 20 YO Marsala cask - almost more candy like. It also brought to mind chestnuts and some tobacco leaf, with a slight mustiness. It was lovely but I preferred the 20YO Marsala version (double the age and double the price).

@fiddich1980 - I'm going to say the more recent version but I'd need to check. @Wierdo, can you confirm?

Last night I opened a bottle of Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2009. This is a fantastic whisky . . . I can't say enough good things about it (@Victor this is right up your alley I think). It makes you realize how much peat is flowing in the Islay rivers. Even though they use unpeated malt you just can't avoid the influence of Islay everywhere in this bottle. And I LOVE that they bottled it at 50% ABV. It really is perfect for this whisky.

@RianC yes it was from the newer re-re-released 15yo revival.

I did have a bottle of the revival a few years back before it was discontinued (the one that contained older juice).

I did like it but (and it's always unreliable making a comparison to a memory) I think I prefer this newer one. The older bottling as I recall was an absolute sherry bomb whereas the newer revival whilst clearly a sherried whisky has a bit more complexity.

But I can understand that people who love sherry bomb whiskies would prefer the older one to the newer.

I have a bottle of Glendronach 18 bunkered which according to the charts is actually 20 years old. If you buy an Allardice now you're probably buying a 22 year old whisky. Next year it will be back to standard 18.

@Hewie twice the age and price is usually the way it is. Still good to know about that marsala cask, should the opportunity to taste it arise.

@Nock the 2009 Islay Barley is indeed a lovely whisky, this series doesn't get the attention it deserves, bursting with fruits, freshness, cereal notes and that coastal edge. If you can find the previous version 2007 Rockside farms it is also of high caliber.

@cricklewood Yes sir! I am looking for any and all Islay barley versions I can get my hand on. Sadly, the current answer is 0 available. Virginia is a control state and in their infinite wisdom decided to de-list the Bruichladdich Islay Barley. And they are only going to carry the Port Charlotte 10yo (not the Islay Barley version). And they only ever carry the Octomore _.1 version (so they had the 7.1, the 8.1 and the 9.1. Nothing else. I will need to wait until I travel to a different state to find the good stuff. But if I see it I am buying it!

@Nock I feel your pain about the whims of govt controlled liquor sales.

The SAQ has recently had some good sense and is increasing its selection but it's still tough going.

The most recent Bere Barley variant (2008) is also in the same league.

I had two pours of Stagg Jr (65.95%) tonight. Despite the high Proof, there is no burn at all. Tons of cherries, fresh tobacco, and coconut. Love this stuff.

@OdysseusUnbound I prefer the 64.75% batch but this one is good too.

Tonight, post BBQing for everyone's dinner, I am enjoying a small pour of Laphroaig Caideas 2016 Madeira, from a generous sample courtesy @fiddich1980. I am drinking it in a little Laphroaig mini Glencairn.

@Nozinan I concur for Stagg Jr. 64.75%. It is the batch I fell hard for at your house.

I'm doing round two of my Maker's Mark trio tonight. I am loving the nose on the standard Makers, I'm not sure how long @paddockjudge bottle was open for. It's delicate and well integrated, the palate though, ouch not so good.

@cricklewood That bottle, I believe, was opened very soon after purchase. I think there were some interesting adventures for that liquid. but I wouldn't know about that...

@Nozinan I wish I had a second bottle of that Cairdeas Madeira Cask. Mine disappeared much too quickly. Wonderful stuff! Even at $100 (which is what I paid for mine), I’d not hesitate to buy two more bottles...

@OdysseusUnbound I am grateful I picked up a second bottle. I am down to the last 200mL of my first. It really was very good. One of my favorite Cairdeas releases if I am honest. I am not sure why it didn't get more love. I thought it was a wonderful Laphroaig. Much better than the Port Wood of 2013, the Amontillado of 2014, or the Fino of 2018. I thought the CS Quarter Cask of 2017 was not as good as the standard Quarter Cask. But the 2016 release was special. That was fantastic, but a bit too much on the elegant fruity side of Laphroaig. That Madeira cask might just be my favorite Laphroaig Cairdeas release of the last 6 years.

@OdysseusUnbound It's very good. I didn't get a bottle of it but I was given a very very generous sample which I allowing me to get to know it well before reviewing.

Tonight I started off with Bruichladdich Islay Barely 2009. Really good. I love how farmy it is.

I then moved on to Highland Park Vulknut. I am only just getting into this . . . and I still am not sure about it. My bottle seems very spirity, raw, and full of edges. I am not use to this with Highland Park. I do like how peaty and powerful it is, but it seems . . . off some how. Maybe the edges are just a bit too young? Or maybe there spirit cut left in too much of the feints for my liking. I will probably have to give it some air time before I come back to it.

What is shocking to me is how much more even, balanced, and rounded the edges of the 6 year old Islay Barley is to the NAS Vulknut. No comparison which one I think is better.

Now I am on to Ardbeg Supernova SN2015. @Victor has me thinking about the potential of the new SN2019 this year. This is deep, big, raw and powerful. That said, I don't think it is as powerful as a standard bottle of Corryvreckan. My memory is that both the first Stellar Release and the SN2010 blew the roof off of my favorite batches of Corry. This SN2015 is almost tame in comparison. It has far more rounded edges, but there is still a wonderful depth to it. Deep, dark rich black earthy peat with fennel and anise notes. Really excellent. Ok, that just gave me a WOW moment. Good stuff. I do think this bottle (over 90% full) has improved since I opened it in December.

@Nozinan I'm unsure what kind of adventures occurred for your bottle. The one I was able to acquire was while I was on a hot streak of snatching up returned bottles. I had to travel some distance but it was worth it.

Right now the SAQ has 63.2% on shelves, which is quite good also.

@cricklewood Sorry, I was referring to the Maker's Mark you got from @paddockjudge

@Nozinan gotcha,

@paddockjudge and his jedi mind tricks

Everyone is in bed early tonight so I prepared a few samples for a few different people. I like to be able to “grab and go” at a moment’s notice. Since I opened my Yellow Spot to prepare a few samples of it, I think it’s only fitting that I try it myself. Will report back later, though I predict good things. I haven’t met an Irish Single Pot Still I don’t enjoy yet.

@cricklewood, standard Maker's Mark has been open for approximately 9 months. Maker's is a hot weather bourbon. Hand-warming helps it too.

Tonight, killed off two bottles.

Glen Ord SMWS 77.47 (10 year - Aug. 7th, 2007) "Delicatessens and old libraries" finished in a 2nd-fill fine grain French oak hogshead after maturing in a refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 59.2% ABV. I’m really going to miss this one. An absolutely stunning dram! Rated it a 93.

Caol Ila SMWS 53.283 (7 year - Oct. 2010) "A smoky smooch". After 6 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred to a heavy toast, medium char 2nd-fill hogshead - 60.2% ABV. I still prefer the 6 year Caol Ila that I have over this one, but the heavy toast, medium char cask really mellowed this one out. Tastes much older than 7 years. Rated it a 90.

Finishing the night with one of my favorite open bottles;

Laphroaig SMWS 29.226 (18 year - Mar. 1999) - "Seaside surprise" - Refill ex-Oloroso sherry butt - 56.8% ABV. Perfectly balanced sherry, smoke and peat. The finish lingers on the palate for at least 20 minutes. Rated this one a 95.