So, what are you drinking now?

Celebrating my birthday with a Corryvreckan!

@TomH, Dramlette and I have completed our Pappy Van Winkle 15 toast tonight to Tim and to you.

We decided to follow our toast with some Pappy Van Winkle 20 yo, ...way too easy to drink at its price tag, and then some Vintage 17 (rye) Bourbon. @AboutChoice, this bottle of Vintage 17 was always an underperformer to me until recently, but oxidation has been kind to it, and it is very enjoyable now. It took about a year of the bottle being open, though, in this case.

Bowmore 15 year old SMWS 3.181 - “Spritzy, lively and stimulating”

I'm presently doing a comparison between a new, just opened Lagavulin 16 and the very last dram that was in an older bottle from late last year.

There's definitely a difference on the nose and surprisingly the old Lag has a stronger, richer smell. In comparison, new Lag smells tamed and a bit lifeless.

The taste is the opposite though. New Lag has more kick, alcohol bite and smoky flavor to it. Old Lag is much gentler and I can taste the wood and salt more easily.

The finish seems equally powerful for both but carrying the mouth characteristics of each.

Very fun experiment. If I had to choose, I'd pick the old Lagavulin before the new by a slim margin. This is a bottle I will not empty in smaller ones, the transformation is very nice.

By the way, Old and New Lagavulin make a nice blend!

@chickenium, I am glad that you made that Lagavulin 16 posting. I long ago posted a couple of times about how crazy I was about my first samples of Lagavulin 16 from two different sources, before feeling cheated by the bottle of it which I later bought. My bottle was and is like the ultra-light version of what I remembered from my previous drams of it. Batch and/or bottling run differences can be great. But whenever I have that experience with any whisky, and I have had it from more than a few, it makes me very wary about what I will get when I buy the next bottle,...IF I buy the next bottle of that same product. This sort of experiece is traumatic, but it is inevitable if you buy and drink enough bottles of whisk(e)y.

@Victor Agreed. I don't blame distillers for a bad batch once in a while though, the sheer amount of work and variables that come into the process blow my mind each time I think about it. It doesn't excuse one that continuously have differences between batches though, unless they make something super exclusive or emphasize the batch difference (à la A'Bunadh)

I think I'll repeat the experience for each bottle I like enough to buy again, it is very informative.

Just for a refresher... A lovely 1989 Macallan 18.

A strong self-made espresso coffee at my desk at work. Another day, another dollar.. without coffee I shall not work, without work I shall not be paid, without money I shall not drink whisky - therefore, I drink coffee!!

Abunadh 35, like an old friend...doing a comparison between a copita and glencairn. It's interesting the subtle difference in the nose. Glencairn seems to emphasise the lower, rounder more aramel notes; the copita puts the emphasis on the high notes, more dry fig. Not a huge difference but a fun experiment

Now working on a Bowmore 18. Love the Bowmore, but the 15 is a real favorite.

@cpstecroix: Try this with one of the Vileroy & Boch Highland Tasting glasses - The high sided ones with the flat bottom - & you will be astounded by the difference! I was sceptical as to how effective they might be & a little non-plussed at their size but they really do work; the Highland works the best of the shapes, you just have to avoid poring a 5oz. dram into this very large glass,... (unless you want to).

LLLLa

Laphroaig Quarter Cask. Bosh!

2011 eagle rare 17, in memory of a lost friend....

@thecyclingyogi You remind me that the annual release of the BTAC is still 3-4 months away! It will be a long hot summer. Must try the Eagle this year. I acquired the Handy and Stagg last year and am glad I did.

Started with Yamazaki 12 and moved on to the Laddie 10.

I got a chance to try Nikka "From the Barrel" last night at the Ardbeg Day celebration. It was fantastic! Now the only problem is tracking down a bottle.

Johnnie Walker Black Label to warm up, followed by Laphroaig 18 and Ardbeg Uigeadail.

Ardbeg Uigeadail remains my favourite malt whisky.

Tonight was Big Peat, Benromach Peat Smoke and Laphroaig Quarter Cask while enjoying a good night of UFC fights.

I'm surprised by the Big Peat, very complex taste although the finish seems too short. I'm looking forward to it oxydizing a bit.

@chickenium and @Victor, I'm having a bit of a peat night too. Started with Ardbeg 10 year old and currently finishing with a dram of Lagavulin 16.

@michaelschout Quality stuff! I swear someone is drinking in my bottles of those two when I'm sleeping...

@chickenium I have the same problem! When I took the bottle of Ardbeg out of its box I couldn't believe how little was left.

Lots of stupid beer from my job and a nice Glenrothes Select Reserve from 2006.

Yesterday afternoon I cracked open for the office a Bowmore Tempest, Old Pulteney 21 and a Glenlivet 16 (cask strength independent bottling from Signatory for The Whisky Castle) - paired with cheeses and chocolate!

Ardbeg Day Whisky - my favourite new Ardbeg since my much loved 2004/2011 Uigedal batches - sherry, smoke, chocolate & all classic Ardbeg attributes - great dram.

If you'll allow me to stretch this thread topic to "...drinking (in the past week)?"....McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt was had on Tuesday in honour of our niece's 4th birthday (don't worry our niece was not present, and has not had any samples from the cabinet). :) Why this bottle? It is a three year old whisky that was bottled in June, 2011, putting the distillation date likely near May, 2008, the month of her birth.

The next night, I was able to do the side-by-side tasting of Old Weller Antique 107 and Jefferson's Presidential Select 18, in celebration of @TomH's birthday and in honour of his friend, Tim. The OWA 107, to this novice's nose and palate, has retained the Stitzel Weller flavour profile to a large degree. The OWA was understandably a litter 'rougher' around the edges, while the JPS 18 has a more full profile, but both were quite nice in their own ways.

Thursday marked the 9th wedding anniversary for me & and my wonderful wife. She bought me a bottle of Auchentoshan Valinch that was reserved for opening on our anniversary. It was well worth the wait, and will be a nice summer sipper!

29 year Glenrothes SMWS Cask #30.61 “A Sensitive, intimate experience”

Sipping a dram from a freshly cracked bottle of Springbank 15.

Love this whisky.

On a lazy Sunday afternoon, after my basketball game, a smattering to check in on some various and sundry whisk(e)ys: Aberlour 10, Old Pulteney 12, (30 yo bottle at 43.4% abv) Johnnie Walker Black Label, Lagavulin 16, Ardbeg Uigeadail (ignominious bottle # 2 from my review has gotten up to an 89 rating with oxidation), Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey, Van Winkle Family Reserve 13 yo Rye, Macallan 18 Sherry Oak, and Macallan Cask Strength. What a GREAT hobby!

Johnnie Walker Green Label,nice smoky stuff,quality and very long finish(remind me some of my cabinet favorites)!!!