So, what are you drinking now?

Feeling a bit under the weather at the moment so had a coupe of beers, Moretti and Bath Gem ale, with dinner to try and numb the symptoms. Nose is completely out of service so steadily sipped at a large Booker's later on while I caught up with the Master's - was possibly the only thing on my shelf that would force its way through all the gunk!

Speaking of golf (sorry in advance!) - is anyone on here interested in the Masters? I fancied Koepka beforehand (gets very little attention for such a beast of a player) but Tiger is also looking rather ominous . . . could be a classic! Looks so beautiful there, I'd love to visit someday.

@RianC sorry to hear that mate - get well soon. Always ironic aye - get to the holidays and get sick. Today is the first day of a two week break for us and I'm down with a stomach bug. No whisky for me. I almost wrote hashtag teachers life ha ha

@Hewie - Cheers, mate! Yep, always the way! Although I have a feeling this could be allergies as much as anything. I don't get them every year but every now and then they kick in and we had a mild winter followed by an early Spring so . . .

Hope the stomach bug is, ahem, passed quickly

@paddockjudge it's a beauty, the palate isn't so bad to be honest it's just jarring at first. I thoroughly enjoyed my Maker's flight, much thanks. I'll post my notes later today.

@RianC I don't watch or play a lot of golf, but this looks like an extremely competitive and interesting Masters Tournament. In Augusta, Georgia it is scheduled to get near 30 C today.

The beauty of a golf course? My late wife @Dramlette didn't have much interest in playing golf until she did the 17 mile drive through Pebble Beach. It was so beautiful that seeing that course made her want to play the game.

@Victor - Wow - Pebble Beach definitely looks like one of the prettiest golf courses ever built!

Yep, looks like it's getting all hot and sticky which should make it a bit easier to score low. I'm biased but I honestly believe that golf courses can be one of the few places where man and nature combine to make something that is more beautiful than the untouched land that lay before it - Japanese tea gardens being another. Although one can't go swishing their 9 iron in the azaleas at the latter

@RianC Feel better! Not sure what the broadcast delay is for you, but hopefully watching some excellent golf will help (along with your choice of beverage, especially once you're well). I like Moretti, good choice for a cold. But glad you got some Booker's. I'm pulling for Jason Day, but who knows - Tiger has been very fun to watch!

@archivist - Thanks! Belly is now full and once the little one is in bed I'll be heading to the man cave with a bottle or two of something and a glass for (hopefully) uninterrupted viewing - final rounds tee off at 7.45 ish GMT so not too bad on the delay. A guilty little pleasure for sure!

Yeah, Tiger looked really good yesterday, as did Day - I've always admired the swing of Oosthuizen, who's also chasing so probably who I'm rooting for, well, him or Poulter I suppose (so long as he drops all the chest beating sillyness). Be nice to see Molinari do well also - such a cool customer! As @Victor said, it's a really tight one and hopefully it says that way until tomorrow evening.

@RianC are you at the tele? The third round of the Masters is starting now.

@Victor - Oh yes! Been watching the BBC iplayer - they've been showing a few pairings for an hour or so now. Are you tuning in?

Yes, but I have to leave to go visit a friend soon, so won't see this round. I will probably watch tomorrow.

Watching the Masters and drinking the Knob Creek Special Release 2018 Cask Strength Rye I picked up a few days ago. Can't think of a better way to spend this afternoon (there are more productive things I could/should do, but...)

The Rye is delicious - but it's not a huge spicy, I'm in your face, I want to punch you kind of whiskey (I do love those), but this is a quiet, buttery sipping rye for reading, ultimate relaxation - like watching the Masters with a soft, silk pillow to hold onto.

Tonight was a cask strength rye night tasting (what with all the Knob Creek Rye CS talk of late). I picked the six drams. But my wife poured them (15mL each) and served them to me blind. I guessed half of them correctly. I really mixed up the Michter’s, the Old Scout and the Whistle Pig. I was easily able to spot the Knob Creek CS, the Handy and the Willett. Here are my impressions and scores for tonight.

Knob Creek Cask Strength Rye 9yo 59.8% 119.6 Proof (Barreled in 2009) opened 6/13/2018: This clearly had the funkiest wood and dirty mud note of the night. It was far more dirty and less clean than the rest of the cask strength ryes. I would describe this as a funky rye nose with a lot of oak and muddy earth influence. My least favorite by a lot on the nose. It got better on the palate and was very good on the finish. I did really enjoyed the finish spice and strength. = 86

Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye 56.6% (113.2 Proof) Barrel No. 16C375 (Fall 2017) opened 8/8/2017: This had a very fruity nose that I enjoy, but the palate had something sour going on. The finish was the best part with a lot of spice. Good, but far from my favorite. = 87

Old Scout Rye 7yo Single Barrel Cask Strength 60.5% Smooth Ambler; Barrel No. 846 Bottled 7/24/3014. Opened Feb. 2015: This bottle had the most dill I have ever experience in a rye. Clearly it was MGP/LDI juice. I guessed it as the Whistle Pig. Wrong, but oh well. It was still very enjoyable on the nose and the palate. The finish the is the only place this was not stellar. = 90

Whistle Pig Rye 10yo 55.1% (really 12 years and 6/8 months) for Barrels & Brews 110.2 Proof. opened 12/27/2018: I totally missed guessing thus one. This had a ton of spice. I really enjoyed the nose and finish, but the palate was very rounded and boring. = 91

Willett Single Barrel Rye 55.7% 111.4 Proof 2yo opened 5/14/2016: I totally spotted this one. It was easily the most heavily rye bread of the night. If Old Portrero had been in the mix I would have guessed that. This little 2 year old kicked butt and took names. It was one of the best noses of the night. Huge and amazing. I love this bottle. = 92

Thomas H. Handy 63.45% 126.9 Proof 2015 6 years and 2 months opened 4/15/2017: I was not all that impressed with the nose, but it really took off on the palate and the finish. It was huge on the finish. Easily my favorite finish of the night. Massie sharp rye. Sadly, the nose doesn’t measure up. But a totally amazing rye. I like the 2016 even more. = 93

@Nock So nice to read that someone else gets what I call pickle juice with rye.

Tonight was whisky with my mom. She’s not a peated whisky fan, so she stuck to The first two whiskies. But I had

• Arran 10: I really enjoy this stuff. Vanilla and apples, etc...
• Yellow Spot 12: Peaches, vanilla, almonds...very thick and rich
• Compass Box Peat Monster: Not that peaty. Lots of red fruits under the peat.
• Ardbeg Corryvreckan: despite my mom and oldest son saying this “smells like campfire and band-aids” I just love this stuff. Wonderful and warming.

Tonight was a Pedro Ximenez night;

Old Pulteney SMWS 52.23 (11 year - Mar. 2007) "Ice-cream and gorse by the sea". After 9 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, finished in a 2nd-fill Pedro Ximenez sherry hogshead - 58.9% ABV

Auchentoshan SMWS 5.69 (17 year - October 2000) "Triple whammy!". After 13 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, finished in a 1st-fill Pedro Ximenez hogshead - 58.1% ABV

Highland Park 13 year (Dec. 2004) "Stones of Stenness" from Single Cask Nation - 2nd fill ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry hogshead - 57.4% ABV

I love PX casks!

@OdysseusUnbound if they say it smells like campfire and bandaids then you should tell them that’s exactly what it’s Supposed to smell like... that’s what makes it so good!

So for all of you who are going to be sipping something while watching Game of Thrones Tonight: What are you sipping? I'm looking for inspiration. So far I am at a loss.

@Nock I have seen a 30 second clip of this show on YouTube once. I also went to a corn maze that had clues based on the show.

I will not be watching and i’m On call so I won’t be drinking.

Certainly staying away from JW White Walker....

@Nock I am not watching Game of Thrones. I am watching Naked and Afraid, and I am drinking the remainder of the Straight Edge Bourbon I received as samples from @Maddie. It is just as good tonight as the good review score I gave it.

connosr.com/splinter-group-spirits-straigh…

Of course for someone like you or like me this one requires a low proof mood, which I am currently in. I am generally highly suspicious of wined bourbons, but I like this one. .

Tonight, Auchentoshan SMWS 5.69 (17 year - October 2000) "Triple whammy!". After 13 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, finished in a 1st-fill Pedro Ximenez hogshead - 58.1% ABV. Not usually a big fan of Auchentoshan, but the 4 year finish in a PX cask really worked well. Rated it an 89.

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

Grant's Family Reserve, Exotico Reposado Tequila, Jose Cuervo Reserva de La Familia Extra-Anejo Tequila, and Hazelburn 8 yo. Each has its merits. Each contributes to a bigger picture.

Preventative Medicine - I'm sipping on 70.1% abv Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon. The Secretary of War did not return to work after lunch. She had a sore throat and stayed home. I'm not taking any chances, multiple pours may be required.

@paddockjudge Do you think that HAZMAT spirit would be helpful for a full blown cold? Asking for "a friend"...

Did not watch Game of Thrones - I'm waiting until it's over over and then I will probably binge watch the series one of these days. Instead, I opened up Jameson Black Barrel and watched an old episode of The Great British Bake Off - both the whiskey and show were quite comforting. Tonight, another pour of the Black Barrel. I love this stuff!

@Nozinan, tell your sick "friend" that at least two x 20cc of hazmat strength medicine is required daily....double-up on weekends...and sick days.

@paddockjudge Maybe tomorrow when he's not on call. But not after Friday - the cabinet gets sealed for 1 week.

@archivist Jameson Black Barrel & the Great British Bake-Off sounds like a good pairing, I remember some creamy custard & fruit notes from that whisky.

I had a few drams after triumphantly having fixing my daughter's washing machine woes. I am normally a terrible handy-man (I have a good mind for how things work but no knack for the manual labor required to fix them) but a few tweaks did the job.

Had a small pour of Benriach 2001, 11 yr old single barrel, the longer this is open the better it gets, I am afraid they don't make em like this anymore. It's full on pastry shop notes on a malted background, silky.

Moved on to the sample cabinet and Albert Premium 30, I had the 25 earlier this week and while this has some similarities, it doesn't have that finessed palate of it's younger sibling but the nose is more expressive. I won't bring up all the sleeping stock at ADL that is wasted or not released at it's full potential...damn I just did.

@paddockjudge - So that's how one stays germ free? I can't seem to shift this lurgy but I'll be better prepared next time out! Forewarned is forearmed