So, what are you drinking now?

Amrut Cask Strength, 2007 Limited edition. My BIL (not @nosebleed) wanted an Amrut he hadn't tried before. I haven't tasted this since I reviewed it. Half full now and still going strong.

Balcones Texas Rye, brought back by my daughter who's now legal in the US.

Unique in every way, big oak, pecans, spices, loads of grain and a coffee note on the finish. This is going to require some time to dissect

@cricklewood Luckily you are a young man. you have lots of time.

Tonight my BIL wanted a Canadian whisky he hadn't tried before so we are sipping Wiser's Last Barrels. It's very floral today, more than usual, and I get less of the Umami note.

@Nozinan that's for fate to decide, either way I should be able to get a grip on this rye beforehand

I've moved on to Balblair 91, lovely nose, still fresh and vibrant.

Sunday evening and I've just finished marking some exam papers. I've had a cold and the ol' olfactory senses are a bit dulled so I don't want to waste anything too decent. So Tobermory 10 with dates and creamy blue cheese. Seems like a solid combo - but that maybe because I'm still stuffed up.

My mother and I had an impromptu tasting last night. No rhyme or reason, just “hey do you want to try this?” My wife laughed because so few people are interested in trying all the whisky... Here’s what we had, listed in my mom’s order of preference, not in order of consumption.

• Green Spot
• Springbank 15
• Lot 40 11 Year CS
• Bruichladdich Classic Laddie Scottish Barley
• Woodford Reserve
• Kilchoman Single Cask 11 Year (she didn’t like this at all; I finished her pour)
• Ardbeg Corryvreckan (she only took a tiny sip, and said it tasted like smoked leather. I poured it back in the bottle)

On a family vacation for a few days. Last night my brother in law and I had the following;

Bunnahabhain SMWS 10.162 (9 year - Oct. 2008) "Big wave sofa". After 7 years in a refill ex-bourbon hogshead transferred to a first fill oloroso hogshead - 61.4% ABV

A head-to-head of two port finished Glen Scotia’s;

Glen Scotia SMWS 93.106 (13 year - March 2005) "Red diesel". After 12 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred to a 1st-fill Port hogshead - 58.6% ABV

Glen Scotia SMWS 93.114 (13 year - March 2005) "Barbecue in fish nets". After 12 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transferred to a 1st-fill Port hogshead - 59.0% ABV

A 25 year Port Askaig (Caol Ila) 45.8% ABV.

Ardmore SMWS 66.146 (21 year - Oct. 1997) "Sensational sweet smoky 'noble rot'" - Refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 51.9% ABV

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

My brother-in-law and I started off tonight with Balvenie 12 year Doublewood.

Followed by Glenallachie SMWS 107.16 (7 year - Apr. 2011) "Truly a fairy tale" - 2nd-fill toasted oak butt - 67.0% ABV.

Finished with Laphroaig SMWS 29.263 (20 year - May 1998) "Exquisitely playful" - 2nd-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 54.9% ABV.

Was a busy weekend. One of my sons moved into his first apartment and the other moved into his dorm at college. One weekend and now no kids - very strange getting ready for work this morning. Anyway, to toast this new change in our lives, my wife and I had a dram of the Glenfiddich Winter Storm.

Legent while watching "Money Ball", and much like that 2002 odd ball Oakland team, it works. The sum of the parts integrated into a softer bourbon and accented with mild green pepper, plums, cloves, and nutmeg / cinnamon. There's orchard fruit(ripe apples) on the note, but the canvas is definitely Beam

@OdysseusUnbound - Nice! My folks, but Mum in particular, are part of the handful of people I know that take any interest in whisky . . . what's that saying about every cloud?!

@bwmccoy - How was the 25 Port Askaig?

Been getting acquainted with the Smith and Cross rum over the Bank holiday weekend. I have to be careful not to imbibe too much in case a sudden trip to the delivery ward of the local hospital is required, but I could easily have polished this whole bottle off already given the chance/circumstance (not that I'm advising or endorsing such behaviour you understand? )

It has a very full-bodied palate with a great balance between the sweet and herbal sides. I've read that many say it has the rum equivalent of a peaty tang with all the 'dunder funk'. What I can say is that compared to the Cadenhead's rum it certainly has a vegetal tang that gets into one's nostrils the way peat does. The overall flavour though is beautiful and despite being a great sipper this would probably make amazing rum cocktails too!

@RianC I haven't seen this in Ontario in at least a year. It's the best rum I have found for Flambee bananas because of the nutmeg notes. I wish I culd pick up some backup bottles.

Or, I guess I I could carry around a nutmeg like someone I know...

@RianC - Excellent, but I’m not sure it was worth the price paid for it. Not by me; a friend bought it and generously shared a sample with me. It was a real treat to not only drink, but also to share a Caol Ila of that age with my brother-in-law (his favorite distillery). It was the perfect balance between malty sweetness and muted peat smoke.

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

Longmorn SMWS 7.221 (16 year - Jun. 2002) "Hop Scotch" - Finished in a 1st-fill IPA barrel - 50.3% ABV

Dalmore SMWS 13.75 (11 year - May 2007) "Briny dancer" - 2nd-fill ex0bourbon barrel - 59.1% ABV

Penderyn SMWS 128.7 (5 year - Mar. 2013) "Down the old fruit mines" - First-fill barrique (shaved/toasted/re-charred) - 61.1% ABV

Caol Ila SMWS 53.241 (6 year - April 2011) - "Dense smoke over a tarry deck" - Refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 60.3.% ABV. (Both my brother-in-law and I preferred this one over the Port Askaig 25 year old.)

We finished the night with a heavily peated, heavy hitter; Glenturret SMWS 16.33 (8 year - Dec. 2009) "Melville’s other monster" - Re-charred hogshead - 62.0% ABV.

Last night of family vacation. We’re all worn out from days of playing in the sun and in the lake, so my brother-in-law and I only had a couple of small drams;

Balmenach SMWS 48.42 (10 year - Nov. 2002) "Grown-Up Ice Lollies" from a first-fill ex-bourbon barrel - 56.7% ABV

Ardmore SMWS 66.131 (12 year - Mar. 2006) "Full steam ahead" - Refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 57.5% ABV

Just opened up the Springbank 12 Cask Strength I bought a while ago. Ooowee, that's some good shit.

@BlueNote yessiree it is pretty flippin' good. Which batch you open up?

@TracerBullet empty nest is a weird feeling.

How did you find the Winter Storm? I thought it had one of the most amazing noses.

@cricklewood You won't say that in 4 months. Apparently this winter will have a lot of storms.

@Nozinan ha!

I heard my co-worker talking about the winter predictions... Oh well. Will drink lots of peated whisky to ward off the cold

@Hewie I don’t see a batch number anywhere on the bottle, but it’s 54.8 % ABV and very tasty.

@BlueNote and @Hewie

Batch 19, ABV 54.8%, January 2019 release.

benswhisky.co.uk/p/…

@cricklewood We enjoyed it. You can definitely taste the ice wine influence! I usually lean more toward something with a bit of smoke but this is very enjoyable. Lots of citrus notes and sweetness. Almost like a sweet and sour candy albeit subtle. I do not regret buying this bottle.

@TracerBullet @cricklewood

This one has 5 bottles available in 2 stores in Ontario (Toronto and ?Stouffeville?)

And cheap too! Only $350. For that price I can buy several bottles of icewine and mix it with Glenfiddich 12...

@Nozinan Thankfully, I did not spend even half of that on the bottle I got.

@BlueNote Nice. I just opened my bottle of that same batch a few weeks ago. It's quite a different beast to the previous batches with a lot less sherry influence. It's a cracking dram alright.

Last night, back home after a few days of family vacation. I was too tired for more than one dram, so if you're only going to have one, make it a good one. (Or in this case, possibly the best bottle that I have open right now.)

Laphroaig SMWS 29.226 (18 year - Mar. 1999) - "Seaside surprise" - Refill ex-Oloroso sherry butt - 56.8% ABV. Personally, I would have named this one "Whisky Perfection!"

@TracerBullet I like your description of sweet sour candy it is very apt, I felt there was a lot of ripe tropical fruit on the nose, it was such a joy to nose, the palate though was a bit of a let down in comparison but to be expected, partly because it's a finish but Glenfiddich also do themselves in with the low proofs and chill filtering which robs a lot of their expressions of delivery and finish. Still a lovely whisky.

@Nozinan I would never pay that much for this whisky, I bought a bottle of the first batch for my brothers birthday and I paid about 160$ for it in AB. He hasn't opened it but I was able to taste batch 2 during an SAQ tasting. I haven't paid 350$ for any whisky yet but it wouldn't be for a neutered Glenfiddich.

@cricklewood that let down may have been a case of "blending by the nose alone." If they do not taste the whisky then they do not know what the whisky tastes like, much as they might like to think that they do.