So, what are you drinking now?

@OdysseusUnbound - meat heavy and potatoes ... you just need two veg in there for the quintessential British meal

@RianC Despite the jokes that are often made at the expense of British cuisine, I actually like a lot of traditional British food. French-canadian cooking is not that far off either though. As soon as someone says "French", people think fancy, but haute-cuisine is very much an upper-class thing. My ancestors were quite literally servants and farmers (I've seen the historical documents). French "peasant" food is basically bread, meat, potatoes, and some veg. Lots of stews, and of course in my family there was always tourtiere (meat pie) made with pork and moose meat when my grandfather's hunts were successful.

@OdysseusUnbound it's been a long time since I've had a nice tourtiere. Soon, again, I think, I shall know its delights. And what is more Quebecois than tarte au sucre?

@OdysseusUnbound - I'd be inclined to agree! I think the 60s, 70s and 80s did a lot of damage to the reputation of English food. I'm like you, in that I like the traditional stews, roasts and the like in winter months and classic simple dishes like sole and new potatoes or traditional salads in summer. I guess like any cuisine, freshness of ingredients is key.

I've lived with two French people and learnt lots about cooking from them, especially, as you mention, how to make the most out of simple ingredients. That is the kind of French (and Italian) cooking I really like. Even the humble rubbed garlic and tomatoes on toasted stale bread can be divine!

I'm rambling now but the best and most simple cooking tip I ever got was from one of those French friends - basically, don't stir so much! Let the heat do the work and the flavours will follow. I used to be stirring constantly ...

Last night, in support of the stay home message, I drank local (a couple of Seattle offerings);

Westland Distillery Single Cask #3824 release (Rum Cask Finish) - 54.7% ABV

Copperworks Distilling Company SMWS Cask sample (46 months - Mar. 2016) - New oak (18 month air seasoned staves) heavy toast, medium char (#2) - 60.2% ABV

An impromptu tasting for my partner and I last night. She wanted to try some whiskys (The youngest is now able to settle ... Yessssssss!!!!) but isn't a big fan. The images aren't the best, and there are some talented snappers on this site, but they give a flavour. I split it into two sets of 3.

First up, I went with three sherried whiskys: Glenallachie 15, Springbank 15 and Glenfarclas 25. The latter is severely hampered by a bitter finish, I think some 'past their best'casks went into that one, unfortunately, as the rest is enjoyable. The 'achie was much better in the line up and Water gave it a lovely sponge and custard nose. Much to my surprise, she liked the SB the best and I have to say, in terms of mouth feel and overall quality, this was heads above the others. She was picking up some common notes too and has a much sweeter palate than me, if that makes sense?

@Victor Growing up in a working-class family, we didn't always have pie (though we would have loved to) but we did always have dessert . I'm not sure if it's Québécois or Franco-Ontarien but we dipped bread in molasses or maple syrup for dessert when my parents didn't have any other sweets in the house. And to be fair, my father is the first in his family to be born in Ontario; both his parents were born and raised in Québec. My mother is a second-generation Franco-Ontarien as her father was the first of his family to be born in Ontario.

For the last three I went North American with Four Roses SB, Wisers Dissertation and JD SB BP to finish. She picked the Jack as her fave but I was really surprised how it changed when paired with others. Tasted, well, more like Jack and lost some of those richer Brown sugar and toffee notes.

I also poured into different sized glasses for each whisky and we were both surprised by how much difference they make, especially on the nose but, perhaps more puzzlingly, on the palate.

A really nice night, and most needed, after six months of barely seeing each other of an evening. She may be converting to the 'Brown stuff' and we finally have some sort of life back! Oh hang on, is there some kind of bug going round?!?!

Sorry for the duplicate image ... I HATE typing on this tablet!!!

@RianC, differences in the experience using different glasses? Oh my God, yes. The more you study these effects the more impressed you will be by them.

@Victor - Don't get me wrong, I have some experience of this but I was blown away by the differences in some of them - Jade couldn't believe it! If it showed me anything, it was that I think I prefer sherried whiskys from a snifter rather than a Glencairn, which was useful to note!

@RianC did you ever try nosing and drinking from some of the huge big bowl snifters? The effects are amazing. Pity that those glasses are so inconvenient to clean, transport, and store.

@Victor - Don't think so but I have used large wine goblets in the past. I'd imagine some bourbons working well in a brandy glass.

Before dinner, I made a smoky maple whisky sour;

• 1.5 ounces bourbon (I don’t have any bourbon, so I used Copperworks Single Malt from a French oak single cask which has a lot of bourbon-like qualities).

• 1 ounce lemon juice

• 3 teaspoons maple syrup

Combine in a shaker. I smoked the chilled rocks glass by burning bourbon infused oak chips. I will definitely make this one again.

@RianC coq au vin ftw, Amirite?

@OdysseusUnbound Hey, you like whisk(e)y; you studied and teach philosophy. We have some things in common. I look forward to your posts. If you want to share a dram on Zoom let me know, when things let up, or even when things don't let up.

In solidarity with @paddockjudge & @RianC now that I spotted d his comments. I had a couple of drams of Wiser's Dissertation. A good whisky to drink while having a remote game of cards against humanity with some friends over zoom.

Miltonduff SMWS 72.31 (29 year - Dec. 1983) "Something Old, Something New" - Refill Hogshead ex-Bourbon - 48.3% ABV

Last night zoomed with a few others. I had a we side by side of Benromach 10 100 proof and the latest Benromach Cask Strength 2009 - 2019 Batch 1. The Batch 1 had more bright red fruit and the 10 100 more savoury and almost herbal notes. Both cracking drams. Interestingly the peat in the Batch 1 seemed slightly more phenolic and almost more island like in comparison. If I had to pick a winner the new Batch 10 may have just edged out the 10 100.

@Hewie do you have a batch number or laser code for your bottle of the 10yo 100 degrees? I have tasted from three different batches and all have been different. Thanks for the notes!

@Nock the codes on this bottle are: 14/04/17 7018100862. I've really enjoyed this bottle. It is a big, powerful whisky but I'm very happy to drink it undiluted. i usually get a lovely old leather and old book feel with this. It has some sweetness but tends more towards the savoury side. In comparison to the Batch 1, which has a bit more sherry influence, the bourbon side was more obvious with some vanilla and caramel notes. Both excellent in their own right. What has been your experience?

Before dinner, made my wife and I Manhattan’s using a combination of two Copperwork’s single cask single malts; one new French oak, the other New oak (18 month air seasoned staves) heavy toast, medium char (#2).

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

Followed by Caol Ila SMWS 53.298 (11 year - September 2007) "Tokaji and tug boats" - Refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 60.0% ABV

Last night a Carlos I Spanish brandy followed by a Smith & Cross rum. I'm quite enjoying my forays into this brandy - it's very sweet and sherry cask matured so lots of bright red fruits with a dry finish. It's light and refreshing and the sherry casks really work, although brandy aficionados may balk at that. The rum is as good as ever and air is bringing out more of that tropical fruit esteryness. Always good to try something different but I think rum is where it's at when I've got a sweet tooth.

Currently, a nice brew of Yorkshire tea after preparing a roast pork. I have high hopes for the crackling ..

@Hewie interesting comparisons of the two Benromach, its funny but my first impression of the batch 1 were similar. I felt like the peat was more phenolic and upfront than on the 10/100. @Nozinan and I have swapped samples to do a more thorough analysis.

BTW if you come across young Benromach single cask from a bourbon barrel locally, I strongly suggest picking it up. I've tried two different ones and they're total crackers, they were in Kilkerran 8 territory but with more of that dried apricot stone fruit thing that Benromach has.

I have had three different batches of the Benromach 10yo Imperial Proof (or 100° Proof) and I am a big fan.

31/08/15 – This was my favorite. I ended up hunting down 3 bottles of this batch. There is a wonderful balance of sherry and peat that I find perfect. The peat sits in the center with the funky sherry swirling around it. It has a funk that is totally old school. Average score = 94

20/12/16 – This batch is more peat dominant. The sherry sits more in the background. Not that sweet. The balance is just off in my opinion. Average score = 88

18/04/17 (7018107091 this number is less important) – My guess is that this is from the same batch as your bottle of 14/04/17. Mine was bottled 4 days after yours. Again, it reads day / month / year. Initially, I found this bottle to be very sherry dominant. Originally, I thought it was going to be disjointed and funky. But air has really helped the sherry and peat come together. I would originally have descried it like you said leather and old books with some funky sherry similar to Bowmore. However, I just did a blind Sherry and Peat tasting in February and this guy came in first (above 20/12/16) of six. I have never scored it so high. I found the nose to have a dark chocolate with maple syrup over dark fruits and then pipe tobacco. I described it as Honey glazed figs and prunes over a low peat fire. This bottle has now been opened since November of 2017. And I love it right now. I do think it has taken air extremely well. Average score was = 90 but on my last blind tasting it earned 95 . . . so air for over two years?

So if you are telling me that Batch 1 has a slight edge? I might just need to pick it up.

@Nock Thanks for your detailed information as always. I just looked back and I see I bought that bottle of Benromach 10/100 in May 2019 so it has been open about 9 months. I've definitely noticed different notes over time in this one. Without wanting to be too influenced by their marketing it does feel like an old style whisky. I find it intriguing how a whisky can come across quite differently when back-to-back or side-by-side with something else. I'm pleased you mention pipe tobacco because I love the big tobacco notes I get from this too. As for the Batch 1 being as good if not better - that was my thought at that time. Note that this is the latest 2009-2019 Batch 1 edition. I bought it at the start of March at the Dramfest whisky festival here in NZ. I couldn't find any info about it online (even on the Benromach website) so I emailed them. Their response was that we were the first to get it and that the notes for the 2008-2018 Batch 1 were along the same lines and close enough. I would have liked to have picked up a bottle of their Peat Smoke Sherry Cask at some stage but I think I've missed out there.

@cricklewood nice to see I'm not alone in my thinking there. Actually I did try a special bottling of a Benromach CS matured solely in bourbon casks. It had been bottled especially for NZ's Dramfest whisky festival 2 years ago and I tried it at a bar earlier this month. Now that you mention it i can see the likeness to Kilkerran but with less citrus and I would suggest more barley and maybe stone fruit. I was actually sitting outside drinking it and it was so cold i was shivering so I didn't savour it too much!

Not opening the Springbank CS 12 yet. I paid 20$ for it. I'm trying to "smoke 'em if I got em" mentality.

Marguerite Derrida died from Covid 19. John Prine has Coronavirus. Sometime prayers are in order. Smoke 'em if you got 'em. rollingstone.com/music/music-news/…

@Jonathan www.youtube.com/watch

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

Followed by Caol Ila SMWS 53.305 (10 year - Sep. 2008) "Totally tropical smoke" - Refill ex-bourbon hogshead" - 59.8% ABV