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So, what are you drinking now?

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By @Wodha @Wodha on 15th Jan 2010, show post

Replies: page 444/645

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge replied

@Victor, choosing from a well stocked cabinet can drive a man to drink, not always a simple task.

This morning I compiled a list of my top one hundred whiskies, selected from my cabinet, unopened bottles only. I then pared it down to ninety bottles by eliminating the "bottom" ten and adding multiples of some more desirable selections. It took about forty-five minutes to compile this list as I was actually transcribing my selections. The daily selection of "a dram" often mirrors this exercise, less the compilation of a physical list. I have become accustomed to a pre-selection process that enables me to select a number of targeted bottles in advance. This practice often leads to blending sessions and keeps me involved without having to think to hard.

It would be nice to look at a shelf and peruse four or five bottles, thinking "what shall it be tonight, corn, barley, rye, peat, bourbon?"...if only!

4 years ago 4Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge replied

@RianC, with all due respect, why leave the last in the bottle? wouldn't it be fitting to send off the bottle with a double shot?

4 years ago 1Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC replied

@paddockjudge I did think that but luckily have a sample tucked away and fancied blending the last with some more Pikesville later on.

4 years ago 1Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge replied

@RianC, all good choices! thumbsup_tone2

Pikesville is a good blender as is Booker’s.

4 years ago 4Who liked this?

@MadSingleMalt

@Nock, my Benromach 10 100 Proof has this code:

30/09/14

4124202223

I've had it since 2015, ordered from a European online retailer (FineDrams). I'd been holding it all this time with great anticipation, only to be somewhat disappointed. It's totally solid, but nothing exciting. A tad on the sour side.

But, it was a hit from my hipflask at a music festival last weekend. They guy I turned onto scotch liked it. The gal who normally drinks tequila liked it. Only the gal who drinks fruity nonsense couldn't stomach it (literally - she yakked it out behind their vendor booth!).

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@Nock
Nock replied

@MadSingleMalt two questions:

1.) How long has it been open? 2.) Would you say it is sherry dominant or peat dominant?

On one hand my bottle 31/08/15 5083800968 started out amazing and remained so. It was instant love. This is the batch that inspired me to buy 4 more bottles.

On the other hand was batch 18/04/2017 7018107091. I would have descried it as a disappointment at first. After about a year a half of air it really started to get good.

4 years ago 1Who liked this?

@MadSingleMalt

@Nock, I would describe mine as sherry dominant, for sure. Hardly peaty at all.

What was yours like that improved so much over time?

4 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Hewie
Hewie replied

@Nock I've got a 14/04/17 7018100862 open - bottled only 4 days before yours. I actually shared it with a couple of friends last night and the first thing one said was leather and tobacco. Not sherry heavy but with a decent amount of peat - I was happy with this from the get go. Sounds like quite a bit of variation between batches - maybe them going to limited release batches removes the difficulty in maintaining consistency with what must be fairly limited stock compared to most distilleries.

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@Nock
Nock replied

@Hewie how long has your bottle been open? My guess is that our bottles are from the same vatting. Please don't hear me say I didn't like my bottle! I started out scoring it around 88. But it wasn't as good as my first bottle which started out at 94 (for my tastes). For me 18/04/2017 improved with time up to a 92. And yes, I would say that there was a lot of batch variation within this release. All three batches I have were very different.

@MadSingleMalt that style "sherry dominant almost no peat" is the style that really improved with time. I just looked at my old notes. I originally wrote: Dark sherry funk, maple syrup, honey glazed figs, with a bit of chocolate. I compared it very strongly with Bowmore 15yo Darkest. I wrote that in on Nov. 27th of 2017. I had opened the bottle Nov. 1st and I said that whisky had already improved and looked to improve further. The big score change came in April of 2018. So it took a good 6 months to improve to where I liked it. The improvement for me came when the sherry funk sunk to the background, the bright red fruits came to the foreground, and then peat and sherry came into a balanced harmony. The sherry was always the star, but the peat added a strong balanced harmony. At that point there was less muddled funk and I could more easily pick out nuances in the whisky.

18/04/2017 never reached the heights of 31/08/15. That one started out amazing day one.

My best advice is to give your bottle some air time. Go really easy with tasting it.

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC replied

A mix of Booker's Bourbon and Pikesville Rye (60/40) to finish off the bottle as I didn't get round to it last night while listening to some Grandaddy, Beck and other US bands from the late 90's. A good old reminisce relaxed Had this mix before but damn it makes a great whiskey!

Had some Highland Park 12 earlier whilst making gingerbread men with my son from a bottle I've had open for months that I'd pretty much given up on - what an improvement. Still a bit thin (40%) but zero nip and much better balance.

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@Hewie
Hewie replied

@Nock those are helpful observations and I agree our bottles are most likely the same vatting. My bottle of 10/100 has only been open two months and I'm in no hurry to get through it. I've created a bit of air space in the bottle and now I'll see how it goes. Cheers

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@Victor
Victor replied

El Jimador Blanco tequila, followed by Exotico and 1800 Reposado Tequilas. After those, Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye Whiskey, 2010 release, 63.45% ABV, then Abraham Bowman 17 yo Bourbon, 73.75% ABV. Finally Empress 1800 Indigo Gin from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

I like the grounding that comes with the vegetal Mexican spirits. I had some Handy and Abraham Bowman to remind me what the intense most concentrated top tier flavours taste like, some of them. For more savoury rather than sweet choices I would choose Supernova, Octomore, or Amrut Intermediate Sherry for the job. The gin, which is indeed indigo in colour, was a gift from a lady I met at Tales of the Cocktail. It is a favourite of hers. She is a Floridian.

The tasting reminded me how very little of a top quality very concentrated product is required to give sublime olfactory and gustatory experiences.

4 years ago 6Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge replied

@Victor, what I consider to be the pinnacle of American Whiskey, Abraham Bowman 17 yo Bourbon. The 14 hour drive (ten of them with @Nozinan riding shotgun) was a welcomed task for a taste of America's best.

4 years ago 4Who liked this?

@TracerBullet
TracerBullet replied

This weekend I had a good friend over and let him pick a bottle for my selection. He decided on a bottle of Ardbeg Alligator Untamed Release (I never was able to find a Committee Bottle). Been awhile since I have had The Alligator - I really enjoyed that Saturday dram...

4 years ago 4Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge replied

Old Potrero single malt straight rye whisky 48.5% abv. Wafting from the glass is a tidal wave of scents: cinnamon, cocoa, and mandarin oranges. The party continues ... dry vermouth-like sweetness and a peppery tingle. The new oak driven vanilla and toffee compliment the sharp rye spices. A soft, deliciously sweet exit defies the initial explosion of flavour. It works! Excellent balance. Home Run! ...with a splashdown in McCovey Cove.

4 years ago 7Who liked this?

Jonathan replied

I'm trying a recently purchased Lagavulin 16 vs a recent Uigeadail. The Uigeadail lacks some sherry influence but gives me grill flavors; the Lagavulin 16 tastes like the last DE that I bought a few months ago. Wow. Both are delicious, but the Laga 16 is quite the surprise, forcing me make conducting gestures while waiting for that finish. ABV is NOT all.

As for the Longrow Red Pinot Noir, I'm not sure I liked it better than Springbank 12 CS. It wasn't cheap. Maybe too many high pitched notes that don't mesh with the "funk"? I recently saw a Hazelburn that has good reviews.I have not yet pulled the trigger on that one.

4 years ago 5Who liked this?

@cricklewood
cricklewood replied

After a discussion with @paddockjudge about the institution that is Crown Royal. I had a dram of the standard version CR blend from a bottle that was given to me by my brother some years ago. It was surprinsgly pleasant on the nose if a bit sharp and the palate with creamy caramel, well defined oak. The finish is where it spoils a bit, short and tannic.

Chasing it with Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrels. Wow a touch of acetone on the nose but otherwise it's a superb "bourbon", cherry and sweet oak forward. The spices meld well with the oak.

4 years ago 4Who liked this?

@fiddich1980
fiddich1980 replied

I spent the evening at a neighbourhood council meeting. A street parking permit issue was the subject at hand. The meeting was a prickly, neighbours united against the city councillor. The councillor capitulated, by the end of the meeting. A dram of Glenfarclas 21, after, a chaos of unsettled notes, sweet clashing unsavoury, fruity, herby, and bitter effervescent. It's not harmonious dram. It reminds me of, Peardrax.

4 years ago 4Who liked this?

@Nock
Nock replied

Tonight I am revisiting a bottle of Lagavulin 12yo CS 2016. I know there are many fans of this whisky out there. I am not one of those. I opened it almost a year ago with much anticipation and expectation. I have owned bottles of the Lagavulin 12yo CS from 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2015. So, I'm a fan. I am familiar with the spirit.

But from day one I have not liked this bottle. It comes across to me as having way too much lemon with all high sharp tones. It is all bright, clean mineral, and citrus choking out the peat. None of those deep rich smoke and leather notes I enjoy in older Lagavulin. Do I just have a bad bottle? Or maybe this is simply a style I just don't enjoy? Maybe my tastes have moved away from the ultra clean spirit type (Serge's language)? I don't know. But I have tasted this bottle probably 3 times in the last year. Always scoring in the low 80's. Water only brings out more lemon. So worse.

Tonight is the first time I am getting more than just the high searing lemon (which is still the dominant note). Now, I am finally able to get some lower tones of smoke and seaweed. There is some nice smoke on the palate and finish. Still a ton of citrus. Clearly, this is my best encounter with this particular bottle. Probably high 80's tonight (87?). Still not a +90 score for me (which is where all the other Lagavulin CS's live). Who knows? Maybe more time will help curb those high lemon tones and bring out more of the peat notes? I am going to need something else to help me forget my disappointment with this bottle . . .

4 years ago 4Who liked this?

@Victor
Victor replied

@Nock and something else you shall have, no doubt!

4 years ago 2Who liked this?

@Nock
Nock replied

What do you do when you are struggling with a peat monster like Lagavulin 12yo CS? Turn to an Amrut! I just opened this independent Amrut I picked up in Vienna. It is 61%ABV and sherry cask matured. Sounds perfect! Tasting next to Amrut Intermediate Sherry Batch #5. The IS is clearly superior. Dang. Oh well. It isn't bad . . . it is very much Amrut spirit with only a mild sherry influence. The IS is just a far superior whisky.

4 years ago 5Who liked this?

Expand image
ffmdino replied

Raasay While we wait Release 2018 Nice Release only a bit peated the right way for me, with spicy notes Could have a buttery nose , that is not for everyone

4 years ago 0

@bwmccoy
bwmccoy replied

Haven’t had a dram in over 2 weeks due to coming down with Pneumonia. Finally on the road to recovery. Wanted something special for my first dram in a while.

Glenmorangie 15 Year Sauternes Wood Finish-Distillery only bottle. Signed by Distiller.

Purchased this in 2010. Been open for awhile, but still so good.

Nose: home baked desserts, syrup pudding and madeira cake.

Taste: spices, madeira cake, honey, lemon and soft vanilla.

Finish: soft sponge cake soaked in vanilla cream with a hint of eucalyptus.

4 years ago 7Who liked this?

@Nozinan
Nozinan replied

Late charting after going out to my brother's for Friday Night dinner. Wanted something interesting but too lazy to go to the basement. So I looked through the samples I have up in my office and started with15 cc of Laphroaig Cairdeas Madeira (@fiddich1980), followed by the same volume of Kilchoman Single Bourbon cask 11YO (@odysseusUnbound mystery dram).

4 years ago 6Who liked this?

@Victor
Victor replied

Mortlach 12 OB. I am testing out my new bottle. Is this bottle completely clean of sulphur? No. The sample of it I had in New Orleans seemed much cleaner to me. My bottles of Macallan 12 Sherry Oak are cleaner. Can I still enjoy this bottle? Yes, but I won't be stocking up. .

4 years ago 5Who liked this?

ffmdino replied

Threetimes Sherry Finish

1) Balblair OB 15y new range Sherry nice and gentle. a good malt The 15y is better than the 12y or 18y for me

2) Clynelish Signatory Vintage 20y Cask 8686 I taste the Sherry influence but I don't like the result of spirit, cask and time

3) Teaninich Coopers Choice 9y Cask 1 More Sherry than in the other two and bitterness of tannin. From time to time I like that style. And here it fits.

4 years ago 3Who liked this?

ffmdino replied

Kingsbarns Dream to Dram Very malty but I don't got an opinion about that whisky. I think the Wemyss family could make better whisky.

4 years ago 0

@MadSingleMalt

A strong showing of Port Charlottes with my club recently:

4 years ago 6Who liked this?

@Hewie
Hewie replied

@MadSingleMalt Nice line up there. I'd be interested in your thoughts comparing the PC HP 10 and PC HP Islay Barley.

4 years ago 3Who liked this?

Liked by:

@Nozinan@NamBeist@fiddich1980@Timp@RianC + 61 others

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