So, what are you drinking now?

Everyone is over for supper

I’m BBQing.

No one wants Scotch.

So I’m Having mead

Tonight it is a flight of Talisker. Three stalwarts, Talisker 10 YO, Talisker 18 YO, and Talisker 57 North...dependable, enjoyable, contemplative.

@paddockjudge definitely an evening for contemplation.

Best wishes to you

PC10,which just grows on me. The wine is doing some work here.Peppery too.

Just back from the new Tarantino film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." The film is often hilarious and really is a film about Hollywood in 1969. The ending ----ok I won't spoil it. I highly recommend it if you have 2 hours and 45 to spend on an allusive film for film buffs. Brad Pitt carries it, and Leo Dicaprio is great. The Bruce Lee stuff is great too. This is the least likely buddy film I would've expected.As for whisky in the film--nothing that deserves to be on this site :)

Laphroaig SMWS 29.226 (18 year - Mar. 1999) - "Seaside surprise" - Refill ex-Oloroso sherry butt - 56.8% ABV. Sherry and peat perfection. Best whisky that I have open right now, by far!

Last night I had a solitary Powers 12 (and an Asahi beer with dinner) due to early starts for work this weekend. It's definitely getting better as it goes down and becoming much less nippy - seems to be a theme in many Irish's that I've had.

Juts having an Arran 10 JMcT Ed. - This is changing too. Much more pineapple and white wine notes today.

I have another 4am start tomorrow so decided to start a little earlier today - had a margarita while I made dinner (much to the horror of my 7 month pregnant partner - jealousy is a killer I'm all heart, really!) which was lovely. Those flavours really do gel well.

Had an Asahi (dry Japanese) beer with burgers and potato wedges and now sipping a Cadenhead's rum before tootling off for an early bed. Incidentally, for anyone UK bound, M&S in their 'meal deal', are selling burgers that have an amazing cheese topping - tasted very similar to Big Mac sauce - mmmmm!

@bwmccoy great line up, the Glendronach, 29 and 16

Had some friends and family over tonight for a brief spell, and we had:

• Nickel Brook Kentucky Bastard: an imperial stout aged for a year in ex-bourbon barrels, bottled at 11.9 % abv. This is a big, bold stout with tons of rich coffee notes and a touch of vanilla from the bourbon barrels. Yummy.
• Iron Works Distillery Rum Boat Rum: my pickup from Nova Scotia. From a Glencairn glass, this is fascinating stuff. TONS of pineapple and mango notes, a generous helping of fresh-cut oak, a little banana, and some vanilla and caramel. Wonderful stuff, and not overly sweet at all. I’m no rum expert, but this is really seems like a younger rum to me (they told me at the distillery that it’s a blend of 2-6 year old rums, with no additives whatsoever). And not in a bad way; its bright, youthful punchiness was refreshing after the heavy stout. No spirity bitterness whatsoever. Bottled at 90 Proof. Lovely.
• Green Spot Irish Single Pot Still: Triple distilled, bottled at 40% abv, there’s no reason I should like this as much as I do. Yet here we are. For some reason, this whiskey just hits a certain sweet spot for me. I think I like it more than the standard 40% Redbreast. The mix of sweet pears, tart green apples, toffee, and green herbal notes is just perfectly balanced in this whiskey. It’s a shame it isn’t bottled at 46% abv.

@OdysseusUnbound seems like a great progression. I've heard good things about the Ironworks rum.

Taco party for my girlfriends birthday, she has a bunch of her friends over. I had a few Micheladas while prepping the food (I forgot how refreshing those are), a glass of Austrian Orange wine and winding the night down with a dram of G&M Ardmore 1998. I feel the sherry influence a lot more today, toffee, dried fruit and a yeasty vegetal side.

Happy National Scotch Day!

Miltonduff SMWS 72.31 (29 year - Dec. 1983) "Something Old, Something New" - Refill Hogshead ex-Bourbon - 48.3% ABV

Croftengea SMWS 122.23 (7 year - Feb. 11th, 2011) "Highly a-musing" from a second-fill ex-bourbon hogshead - 57.7% ABV

@cricklewood I tried all of their rums when I was at the distillery, and even the sweetened rums Iron Works produces (which they are 100% open about, love that total transparency) aren’t cloyingly sweet the way the big guys like Bacardi and Captain Morgan are.

@OdysseusUnbound I suspect it is because they likely use less additives than those producers. It's not unusual for there to be, glycerol, caramel coloring, wood sugars and others to make those rums.

It’s a warm day by the pool with the family, so I’m enjoying some Ontario craft beers. I have to say, some of these hoppier beers are growing on me, especially on a hot day. I’ve got:

• Great Lakes Brewing Pompous Ass English Ale
• Nickel Brook Brewing Naughty Neighbour American Pale Ale
• Nickel Brook Brewing Wicked Awesome New England Style Pale Ale

I cracked the Classic Laddie with my brother in law this evening. First impressions are positive.

Yes, it's still possible to buy a good quality malt at the LCBO for (just) less than $80...

Linkwood 15 Year Old / Gordon & Macphail. Love this stuff!

@cricklewood cheers for the heads-up on the Micheladas. We're having a Mexican night with friends this Saturday and it'll be good to intersperse with the Margaritas

@Hewie you can put away a few while cooking without too much damage except for that pleasant numbing sensation from all the hot sauce

@Nozinan Has the price gone up? I feel like I bought my last Classic Laddie for $64 or so...

@OdysseusUnbound $74.95 currently at KGBO.

Sigh...

Last night, some buddies & I got together to share from our most impressive or interesting bottles. I’d need more time to present details, but for now I’ll say my favorite was the Lagavulin Feis Ile 2017.

I could blast out shelf pics from our host’s whisky lair all day long, but these few will give you the idea. Daaaaaaang.

Japanese shelf

A few of his Islays

@MadSingleMalt dang!!

@MadSingleMalt - Oh my!

I think I forgot my notes at our host's house, but here's a rundown of things we tasted. Pretty impressive & fun stuff!

•Highland Park 25

•Boutique-y 50-Year Blend

•Glen Breton 23 Self-Filled Single Cask

•Hazelburn 13 Oloroso

•Highland Park 15

•Bunnahabhain 14(?) PX

•Bunnahabhain 15(?) Amontillado

•Kavalan Amontillado

•Two James(?) Peated Bourbon

•Ardbeg Lord of the Isles

•Ardbeg 23 from Cadenhead's

•Lagavulin Feis Ile 2017 (+ the regular 16 for comparison's sake)

•Longrow 7 Gaja Barolo

•Benromach 10 100 Proof

@MadSingleMalt

Interesting line-up. Was the last one purchased outside the US? My understanding was that in order to avoid ABV obfuscation, the Benromach was branded as "Imperial Proof".

@MadSingleMalt How is that Hazelburn 13 Year Oloroso? I’ve passed on it a few times out of a fear of sulphur taint...

@Nozinan: You nailed me. I ordered it from European online retailer FineDrams a few years ago, before the US "Imperial Proof" version made it unnecessary to do so.