So, what are you drinking now?

@CanadianNinja interesting. No, I have not seen amazake. Thanks for the tip.

Uigeadail. I would suggest that a certain faction of whisky conn give up the factionalism. I had an irl issue with someone and it spilled over on line. I'm not going away.

For Saint Patrick’s Day, after a Murphy’s Irish Stout and a Guinness, a dram of original Jameson. Why? Because none of my good Irish whiskey is open.

@bwmccoy If now isn't the time...when is?

Finishing up my charting but having a hard time staying away from social media with this pandemic going on.

Noticed that Dillon's distillery has switched production to alcohol sanitizer and is providing it free of charge to health care professionals and first responders that are having a hard time keeping it in stock.

There are others as well, but this is the only one I have at home so, a toast to community service with their cask strength rye!

@Nozinan - because half of the bottles in my cabinet are already open and while the pandemic is awful, I’m not convinced that it’s the end of the world just yet.

Tonight, the next to last dram of my Bladnoch SMWS 50.56 (23 year - July 1990) ‘Oh I do like to be beside the seaside!’ From a refill ex-bourbon barrel - 60.3% ABV. This is fantastic whisky. Normally I wouldn’t use the words Big and Bold for a Lowland whisky, but this one is.

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. Sweet with mild Campbeltown funk. The port takes the edge off. Great stuff.

Having some Hibiki 17...

Man, I love this stuff. On the nose, sultanas, plums and honey. On the palate, raisin, vanilla and melon...lots of melon!

When this bottle is gone, I may just cry.

Laphroaig Quarter Cask. It's a wonderful dram.

I finished my Glenfiddich Fire & Cane. I have mixed feelings about it. I’m now having Glenfiddich 15 Solera. This one is pretty dependable for me. I’m not enjoying it as much as usual. My palate must be off tonight, since this one is pretty much my go-to “background” whisky.

Facetime tasting with @Paddockjudge - we chose something we both had open. Amrut was our choice. A small measure of Naarangi. Not quite as nice as having someone over for a dram but much more enjoyable than drinking alone...

While catching up on what I've missed here, all the while having a comparative head to head of Octomore 9.1 & Port Charlotte MC-01, I had been meaning to get around to the latter after my discussion with @Nock

The Octomore wasn't up to snuff but these are the last drams in the bottle and time has done it no favours. The PC is still in peak form though, my nose wasn't a 100% tonight but still pleasant.

@CanadianNinja I'm happy to see you mention amazake, I quite enjoy it as well. I've taken to making it myself lately ( both rice & oatmeal versions). Would you care to share how you like to drink it?

@RianC Dissertation gets really good with time open, I feel like it's almost too rich and intense right out of the gate, that intensity works well with the ABV though.

@Nozinan I caught that post about Dillon's making sanitizer, It seems Wiser's had joined the effort as well. I think more distilleries could step up, since this would be made with mostly heads and tails which would normally not be used in their potable products, the financial hit isn't as bad.

@OdysseusUnbound, I was disappointed with the Fire & Cane myself, I felt like the rum cask added a kind of artificial sweetness to it. What did you dislike about it?

Westland Distillery Cask # 2549 Single cask release, cask strength (4 years 2 months) in a 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon (Heaven Hills) cask - 60.1% ABV. The malt is 100% Washington Select Pale Malt. Not my favorite Westland single cask release, but still enjoyable.

Caol Ila SMWS 53.298 (11 year - September 2007) "Tokaji and tug boats" from a refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 60.0% ABV. So good!

I love that stuff @Jonathan!

@cricklewood, I mix it with my protein every morning.

Every morning for the past couple of years, protein + amazake + bananas + sesame.

It tastes great and has numerous health benefits my friend.

@CanadianNinja thanks for the heads up, I might just make myself a smoothie like that this morning.

@cricklewood Working on the review of F&C right now. I liked it for the most part but every now and then I perceived a slightly soapy-floral note on the finish that detracted from the overall experience.

Currently having some Glenfiddich 15 Solera. It’s better than it was last night. Must have been an “off” night.

@OdysseusUnbound Some would say that with Glenfiddich, any night is an off-night... except maybe the Distiller's edition

@Nozinan, I was under the impression only Habs fans drinking 'fiddich were off

@Nozinan Perhaps, but I’m not as discriminating (discerning?) as some. The lower abv suits my mood at times, and I’m not averse to the combination of malt whisky and virgin oak which seems to put many people off this particular expression.

On to my last dram of the night: Laphroaig Cairdeas Fino Cask (2018?). This bottle is almost done and I’m happy to have 2 or 3 backup bottles. A brighter Laphroaig that’s still got plenty of smoke and salt for the most die-hard Frog-head.

@Nozinan I long for that 15 year old Distillery Edition. Haven’t seen it for ages.

@OdysseusUnbound You can hoard Cairdeas, but not toilet paper.

@BlueNote I tasted it for the first time with @fiddich1980, and am grateful for the sample he gave me.

@OdysseusUnbound How much have you been drinking tonight. If I really like a whisky I know exactly how much I have put away, to protect against my wife trying to sell it...

@cricklewood so you are saying you have had both the Octomore 9.1 and Port Charlotte MC:01 open the same amount of time (ish) and the PC has stood up while the Octomore has deteriorated? Interesting.

Tonight we cooked Mexican food. With this dinner the wife always needs fresh pico de gallo and . . . margaritas. Sadly, our tequila was running low so we did 50% tequila and 50% mezcal (Del Maguey Vida). The mix was wonderful. Just enough smoke to be interesting but not so much as to offend the wife. In honor I opened my bottle of Del Maguey Chichicapa. Good . . . but I realize that my bottle of the Del Maguey Vida was a bargain at less than half the cost.

@Nozinan I just didn’t feel like checking the cabinet. I had 30ml of fiddich 15 and 30ml of Laphroaig. I’m currently deciding if I want some A’Bunadh or if I want to save that for tomorrow night....

@paddockjudge, I think what you meant was ‘Habs fans are off’.

You’re welcome for the correction. : )

@CanadianNinja Hey now ! Just because we cheer for a team that values linguistic ability more than coaching or managerial ability, it doesn’t mean that we’re off, just painfully loyal. French is my first language, but I’d love to see Les Glorieux fire Bergevin and all his staff (including his hapless scouts) and hire the most competent people (regardless of whether or not they speak French) to return this franchise to respectability.

Fair enough @OdysseusUnbound!

Honestly, I tease but I love Montreal. Even though I’m a diehard Leafs fan I’ve never been one for ‘rivalries’.

I love all the Canadian teams.

... Except the Senators. ... God I hate the Senators...