So, what are you drinking now?

A fresh opened Benromach 10 (as a suitable replacement for my emptied Ben Nevis 10). Initial impression is that it's very gingery, a touch less sherried and more peated than I remember but it will need to settle down a bit before any hasty judgments are made. I feel I'm almost expecting this to be less enjoyable than I remember, as it still sells for under £35 and has to be one of the best deals in single-malt-land, but no, still good ...

7 different Calvados/Apple Brandies and 4 different Pear Brandies, at my sister's house yesterday. We passed on the Apple Jack. My sister's spirits collection is quite eclectic. 18 yo Calvados tastes quite similar to some 18 yo Scottish malts. By that age the apple flavours have become subtle and refined.

@Victor calvados was the second gift from the person who started me on my malt journey. I have 1 of the 2 bottles to my resident before realizing the bottles sold for $130....

I heard she left Internal Medicine not long after...

Gordon and MacPhail Linkwood 15 year. So good!

Yesterday's nightcap Redbreast 12, this is a bottle from 2016 and its been open since then. I really underestimated this whisky, what a lovely nose and delivery even at that low ABV.

@cricklewood - I seem to remember polishing a bottle of Redbreast off pretty quickly ...

We hosted a dinner party tonight.

I had finished all my cleaning duties and my wife was getting ready. I decided to relax with a pre-party dram of Octomore 8.2. (@Wierdo had me curious). Here were my notes.

It is very dense and peaty. But the peat is very much the foundation and not the star. The star and focus is on the wine casks. It is very sweet with tons of fruits. But it isn’t your typical Oloroso sherry influence. The nose doesn’t leap out at you. Rather, it seems to congeal at the bottom of your glass. However, if you really get your nose down in there (or inhale very deeply) you get a punch in the face of power, depth, density and complexity.

The palate is very sweet with plenty of wine influence. It can be very red-wine-tanic if you don’t like that kind of thing (which I do). There is also a sourness. Very interesting balance of flavors. Sweet on the front while sour on the back.

Then peaty finish . . . BAM! A blast of peat, sweet and sour. It is very woody and dense with a little bit of farm. I am not sure I would peg this as an Octomore. I would probably have guessed a Ballechin (which I also really like). Really enjoyable. The extra age tames the peat. The use of sweet wine casks with the French Mourvedre casks creates a very interesting blend of red wine tannin and sweetness.

That was as far as I got . . . then the wife called me in for more chores. People arrived at 6:30 and left by 1:30. It was a long night of hosting, making cocktails, refilling drinks, clearing dishes, and laughing at bad jokes. All in all my wife had a great night . . . and I survived.

Here was the help-yourself-bar I set up for people to pour for themselves. The biggest hits were Macallan 12yo and the Ardbeg 10yo. Go figure.

@Nock - great notes as usual! Thanks for sharing. Just curious, what is in the unlabeled bottle in the center of the table?

@Nock your dinner parties look like fun!

Your notes on the 08.2 seem spot on. I've not had a Ballechin yet. But the whisky the Octomore most reminded me of was the Ledaig 13 Amontillado cask I had last year with the combination of rich fruity wine notes and farmyard peat.

I'm curious as to if you've had the Port Charlotte MRC01 and what you thought of it? I'm considering a purchase next month.

@bwmccoy - That was my first thought as well! My guess is (one of) @Nock 's Solera blend(s) ...

I have no idea if he even does that, mind you!

@Nock - That is a very generous table! I'd have been the guest you'd have been trying to politely edge out the door at 2.00 am

My last dram of Hazelburn 13 Oloroso. I've had this open for nearly a year (unusual for me) but I did put it away for a few months at one point.

I've enjoyed it but I think there are other sherried whiskys that suit my palate better. I would definitely like to try the standard Hazelburn 10 though to see it in it's more 'naked' state

@bwmccoy that is my own bourbon blend. (Well guessed @RianC) It contains any bourbon heels I have that I don’t want to decant into smaller bottles. It got a huge injection of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof batch A119 this summer when a freshly opened bottle fell and cracked. So probably half of the liquid you see in that bottle was salvaged from the ECBP debacle. When I told people I blended it myself it received very high praise. I didn’t bother to tell them there was virtually no effort or intention put into the blending process. Basically, it is a proofed down ECBP probably around 55% instead of 67% ABV. It tastes in between the ECBP and the standard Elijah Craig small batch. Honestly, not bad. One of the big bourbon drinkers at the party declared it far better than the Blanton’s and Buffalo Trace he normally drinks. I politely and humbly agreed.

@Wierdo I have not tried the MRC01. I did pick up the Port Charlotte 2007 CC:01. I had the same reaction to it is as to the Octomore 8.2 – underwhelmed. If I had the option I would probably pick up the MC: 01 instead. I like Jeremy from Sippers Social Club take it. I haven’t tried either. But given his take on several other Octomores (and my own experience) . . . I would personally give his opinion some weight. If the MRC01 was a good deal . . . I might spring for it. I paid only $75 for the CC:01. Glad I didn’t pay more. The standard Port Charlotte 10yo is just so dang good at the moment. A great bottle to stock up on.

www.youtube.com/watch

Before dinner, made Manhattans for my wife and I using Old Grand Dad 114, both dry and sweet vermouth, Angostura bitters and a Luxardo cherry.

After dinner, rated several open bottles (not in this order);

Copperworks Distilling Company American Single Malt Whiskey Single Cask No. 97 Release No. 16. Aged 38 months in a new French oak cask - 58.9% ABV. Rating: 87

Dailuaine SMWS 41.121 (14 year - Aug, 2004) "There will be blood orange" - After 12 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, finished in a medium charred, fine grain 2nd-fill French oak barrique - 58.9% ABV. Rating: 91

Glen Ord SMWS 77.57 (9 year - Apr. 2009) "Down the old wax mines" - Refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 59.1% ABV. Rating: 92

Mannochmore SMWS 64.111 (8 year - Mar. 2010) "Pleasing sweetness, playful heat" - Re-charred hogshead - 55.5% ABV. Rating: 87

Miltonduff SMWS 72.75 (10 year - Feb. 2008) "The flower of youth" - Refill ex-bourbon barrel - 61.3% ABV. Rating: 88

Royal Brackla SMWS 55.53 (12 year - Aug. 2006) "The Old Curiosity Shop" - Refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 59.3% ABV. Rating: 86

Westland Distillery (Seattle, WA) Cask # 2549 Single cask release, cask strength (4 years 2 months) - 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon (Heaven Hills) cask - 60.1% ABV. Rating: 86

Finishing the night with 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

Big day today:

• First Snowfall - I shovelled 3 times

• Remembrance Day - I went to my daughter's school's ceremony

• Interestingly related, DON CHERRYwas FIRED!

The Don, our version of Donald Trump but for Hockey, has been spewing his wisdom in the first intermission of Hockey Night in Canada for almost 40 years. Even when the CBC lost the rights to the games, the winner cut a deal with them so they could broadcast HNiC on Saturdays and Sportsnet could keep Coach's corner.

He has managed to insult almost every minority that has ever set foot in Canada or listened to his show. But he finally went to far, 2 days ago, by falsely saying that immigrants have no respect of our Veterans. The CBC complaints department had to announce they no longer had the capacity to accept more complaints.

Surprisingly he was fired today. Surprisingly? I say that because there have been calls for him to retire or be retired many times before. But I guess this was the last straw.

My only regret is that I couldn't speak to him about his dismissal directly. When he spoke at Drug Ford's (Robert was his given name) installation as Mayor, he insulted socialists and said "stick that in your pipe and smoke it". Of course, later it seemed the new mayor took the advice the wrong way.

So today, I raise a glass of one of my favourite Canadian whiskies, Lot 40 CS 12 YO (first edition) and say to Don:

"Stick THAT in YOUR pipe, and smoke it!"

• disclaimer - Figurative only - I do not condone smoking

@Nozinan, all naked windows, sofas, couches, and chesterfield's can look forward to less competition for covering now that Cherry is unemployed and no longer in need of those outlandish sports jackets.

@Nozinan Ron McLean, who sat there nodding his head throughout the rant and then gave Cherry a thumbs up, should have got the boot too. As for hockey, Cherry, the out of touch, out of date moron, thinks bare knuckle fighting, concussions and brain damage are what sells the game. Twenty years ago he was going on about all the pussy Swedish, Finnish and Eastern European players who relied on skill rather than his “rock ‘em, sock ‘em” style like our “good Canadian boys.” This idiot should have been gone long ago. He could probably get a job as Trump’s campaign manager. Good riddance.

A little late on this one... Friday, 11/8 was the one year anniversary of the awesome tour my dad, BIL, good friend and I had at Bowmore distillery. We decided to virtually get together (Facetime/phone) and open our self-bottled Bowmore from the No. 1 Vaults. Not as good as all being in the same room, but it was a great night!

@TracerBullet That's a memorable bonding moment for you guys.

I’m sipping on some of my Kilchoman Single Cask (ex-bourbon). This one has gotten a little sweeter with time, but hasn’t changed as much as many whiskies do over time. I wish more distilleries would release 100% first fill bourbon matured whiskies. The mix of peat, malt, and oak is wonderful here. I’d say that this whisky has more sweet, slightly vegetal peat than it does actual smoke. It reminds me of a hypothetical lovechild Caol Ila and Talisker might have.

@OdysseusUnbound that hypothetical union sounds mighty good to me. I like Bourbon cask Kilchoman, it's not as immediately flashy as the fortified wine variants but there's this irresistible sweet, grassy, earthy side to it.

@cricklewood “Sweet, grassy, earthy” is definitely bang on. I heard an interview with Antony Wills in which he said he prefers ex-bourbon cask maturation with Kilchoman, but he acknowledged that “most people” want some sherry casks in the mix. He also was quite open about the challenges associated with finding unsulphured sherry casks. It was a refreshing change of pace from others who pretend that sulphur doesn’t exist or that it’s “just another flavour”.

@OdysseusUnbound the openness of the Kilchoman team is refreshing in contrast to the usual marketing bull. Yeah Anthony Wills seems to prefer bourbon cask or at least a bourbon cask dominant vattings, like Machir Bay or the recent 2010 vintage.

I brought my recently opened 100%islay 8th Ed. to a friend's on Friday and we put a healthy dent in it. It was very easygoing the sweeter butterscotch notes and the peat blending well together.

@cricklewood matured from bourbon barrels leads to "sweet grassy...." in other words, you can still taste the malted barley. In other words, the whisky tastes like whisky instead of like wine.

Yes, it is good for whisky to actually taste like whisky.

I’m having the last dram of my Kilchoman Single Cask. I’m sad to see this one go. 100% ex-bourbon maturation is far too rare. Review forthcoming....

Having a dram of this baby tonight. It drinks like much more than 43% and tastes devine.

@RianC I'm having that now. My first Hazelburn, second bottle from the same batch. I get some SB funk, and it is far more complex than so many sherried whiskies that I also like.What I like most about this one is the density/mouthfeel-- or the "meatiness" -- of the whisky. I'm also getting some pepper. My gripe about this bottle is mostly value for money: I can get CS Ib's and other interesting whiskies for the same or less.

@Jonathan Or SB cs for 8 dollars more...

Bowmore Laimrig batch 4 - the penultimate 15 cc of this heel. Srtill delicious. I'll have to update my review.

A great reward for shovelling the driveway.

Further testing of what a fellow Connosr has referred to as my "Kardashian copita", I started with a small pour of 1978 Delord Armagnac, the nose on this is always good but was bursting with figs, cooked peach and tobacco this time.

Rounding off the night with the final pour from my Talisker Distiller's edition 2016, still lovely, phenolic and sweet.

Tonight it is a semi blind lineup of peated Bruichladdich (mostly Octomore). I opened the 7.3, 8.2, and 9.3 about a month ago. I have keep their corks off during that time. So I am checking in to see how they are doing. My wife pours 1/2 ounce pours for me, labels them, and mixes things up for me. That said, some were easy to identify. The 8.2 is so dark . . . so I nosed and tasted it last to try and be as unbiased as I could. Here is the line up for tonight.

Port Charlotte 2007 CC:01 8yo 57.8%

Port Charlotte Elements of Islay Pl4 61.2%

Octomore 7.3 Islay Barley 5yo 64% (169ppm)

Octomore 8.2 Masterclass 8yo 58.4% (167ppm)

Octomore 8.3 Islay Barley 5yo 61.2% (309ppm)

Octomore 9.3 5yo 62.9% (133ppm)

I will report back with my conclusions (likely tomorrow)