So, what are you drinking now?

Last night (Thursday), I paired a grilled pork chop with 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. Not as good of a pairing as I had hoped, but still enjoyable.

Tonight (Friday), a couple Jerry Thomas Manhattan’s before and with dinner made with Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond (50% ABV). Pictured below.

After dinner, Port Askaig 10th Anniversary 10 year Cask Strength 55.85% ABV.

Worked through a couple tasting collections / discovery pack plus a couple of other individual minis with a co-worker over several months. It was a Wednesday night post-work (but pre-COVID) ritual to split a 5cl mini and chat before heading home. What you see is our November to February sampling:

And also...

@YakLord That sounds like a nice little routine and a good way to visit a range of offerings from a distillery. What's next on the list then?

@Hewie I've got a Glengoyne Tasting Collection - 10yr, 15yr, 18yr - ready to go, but when we get to that will depend on when we're back in the office at the same time, as we're all working remotely right now.

@YakLord TGIF, yeah, but TGIW? I like it. It's like the seventh inning stretch of dramming.

Cabin camping at a state park a couple of hours south of Seattle.

After dinner, got a camp fire going and my wife and I shared a couple of drams next to the fire;

Braeval SMWS 113.15 (9 year - Oct. 2008) "An apricot jamboree" from a refill ex-bourbon barrel - 61.6% ABV.

Followed by sharing a 2oz sample of Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1, 23 year, distilled 1990, bottled 2013. 49.2% ABV. (Not exactly “roughing it” when you have whisky like this. Next level “Glamping”?)

While my wife is putting our son to bed, finishing the night with a glass of Port Askaig (Caol Ila) 10th Anniversary 10 year Cask Strength 55.85% ABV.

Schenley Tradition Canadian Whisky, c. 1972, distilled in Valleyfield, QC. An interesting artifact of Canadian whisky that's mostly corn. Drinkable, but not a premium sipping whisky, but it was never meant to be one.

Camping continues...

While sitting by the fire, my wife and I had;

Braeval SMWS 113.15 (9 year - Oct. 2008) "An apricot jamboree" from a refill ex-bourbon barrel - 61.6% ABV. I would have skipped this one tonight, but my wife wanted it again. Who am I to argue...

Bunnahabhain SMWS 10.162 (9 year - Oct. 2008) "Big wave sofa". After 7 years in a refill ex-bourbon hogshead transferred to a first fill oloroso hogshead - 61.4% ABV. The nose on this one was awesome tonight. Even though it is only sherry finished, the nose reminded me of an old-school Macallan 12 year old.

Inchmoan SMWS 135.14 (13 year - Mar. 2005) "Tripping the light fantastic" - After maturing in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transfered to a first-fill charred red wine barrique - 55.4% ABV.

Again, while my wife was putting our son to bed, Port Askaig 10th Anniversary 10 year Cask Strength 55.85% ABV.

Not a bad way to wrap up an awesome day.

@BlueNote Thank you BlueNote! I've been on a long hiatus from the whisky world. Beginning to see my way back though. I've been checking in on you guys from time to time but no drinking has equalled no commenting =)

After publishing a review earlier today, I’m enjoying some of what’s left of my Elmer T Lee. There are probably only 4 or 5 drams left, so there’s a good chance this bottle will be finished before the week’s end.

Last night of camping...

Earlier today, we went to a local brewery for an appetizer and a flight of their beers (all really good, by the way). The brewery had also partnered with a Washington State distillery from Gig Harbor, WA called Heritage Distilling. It has been numerous years since I have tried any of their stuff because it was not good. The brewery had some of the distillery’s miniatures for sale, so we grabbed a few for tonight’s drinking by the fire.

First up, BSB (Brown Sugar Bourbon). I don’t know how they legally call this bourbon or whiskey when it is only 30% ABV, but either way it sucks. There is no nice way to describe it. Cinnamon and brown sugar (heavy on the sugar because it is syrupy sweet) are the only thing you taste. Is there any whiskey in there? The only thing my wife and I could imagine this being palatable in is to add it to egg nog, if you want to ruin perfectly good egg nog.

Next up was BSB 103. They call it their “high altitude” (higher ABV) version of BSB. Still sucks (same exact flavors), but at least you get a little heat from the higher proof. This is the one that I would put in egg nog, maybe.

Next up was their blended whiskey called Batch Number 12 (not because it is the 12th batch, but because they partnered with the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team who is famous for the 12th man (their fans). The whiskey at 42% ABV at least tastes like whiskey (no cinnamon or brown sugar), but it doesn’t taste like good whiskey. In fact, it has an industrial note in the finish which is what I remember about their stuff from many years ago. All of this to say, I haven’t missed anything in all of these years not drinking their stuff and confirms my memory of why I stopped drinking their stuff many years ago. The sad part is the distillery is doing great. They sell that stuff like hot cakes, especially the BSB. For the life of me, I don’t understand why. Oh well, to each their own.

Fortunately, I brought some decent whisky with me, so to cleanse / reset our palates;

Braeval SMWS 113.15 (9 year - Oct. 2008) "An apricot jamboree" from a refill ex-bourbon barrel - 61.6% ABV.

Finished the night with Bunnahabhain SMWS 10.162 (9 year - Oct. 2008) "Big wave sofa". After 7 years in a refill ex-bourbon hogshead transferred to a first fill oloroso hogshead - 61.4% ABV.

Much better!

I’m sipping an Old Fashioned made with Appleton 8 Year Jamaican rum, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 2 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters, and homemade simple syrup (using raw sugar). I’m going back to work tomorrow after the longest “March Break” of my career.

@OdysseusUnbound I hope it all goes well back in the classroom.

Tonight, finished off the three Heaven’s Door whiskies;

Tennessee Bourbon - the best of the bunch.

Double Barrel Whiskey - better tonight, but not as good as the bourbon.

Straight Rye Whiskey - this is the one that I was most excited about, but was the most disappointed with.

I don’t regret buying these since they are only 200ml bottles, but other than the bourbon wouldn’t buy again.

I opened one of my bottles of Kilchoman Sanaig, and I’m sipping some now. If I was tasting this blind, I would swear it was a more heavily sherried Talisker. There’s a minerality or “flintiness” (I believe @RianC coined that term during one of our Connosr Zoom tastings) in Kilchoman that I adore, possibly because it reminds me of Talisker which I also adore.

@bwmccoy Is there a Bob Dylan/Heaven’s Door distillery, or is it sourced stuff? If it’s sourced, where are they getting “Tennessee Bourbon”?

I’ve now moved on to Forty Creek Founder’s Reserve. There have been mixed reviews of this whisky, but my first pour is incredibly good so far. It’s like drinking Turtles (chocolate-caramel-pecan clusters for anyone who isn’t familiar with them).

@OdysseusUnbound - It is sourced, but the specific distillery has not been named. Several people on-line have tried to figure it out by comparing mashbills as well as nosing and tasting. George Dickel was mentioned, but most do not think that is the source. The other distilleries mentioned were Pennington as well as Pritchard's, but no one knows for sure. The Tennessee bourbon is a high rye mash bill that does not undergo the Lincoln County process. The 10 year version apparently does use the Lincoln County process so I would assume that means the 10 year is a different distillery source than the standard NAS Tennessee Bourbon.) According to the company, this NAS version has a mash bill of 70% corn, 20% to 30% rye and some portion of malted barley. There is no age statement, but according to Heaven’s Door the whiskey is at least eight years old.

Bob Dylan partnered with Spirits entrepreneur Marc Bushala. (Bushala was one of the founders of Angel’s Envy Bourbon). The whiskeys were fashioned by Ryan Perry, Head of Whiskey Development and Master Distiller Jordan Via at Heaven’s Door Spirits. Not sure if knowing any of that would help narrow down which distillery. If Bushala, Perry or Via are linked to any Tennessee distilleries, it was not mentioned in any of the sources that I found. Another article I found stated that "the entire line of Heaven’s Door whiskies are sourced from several different producers in the Midwest". The company plans to open their own distillery in 2021 in downtown Nashville.

This was a long answer and probably more information than you wanted, but thought I would share what I know / was able to find out.

I had a friend over to my place for a whisky tasting last night.

First, I did a glassware presentation with an experiential practicum of the differences using a Norlan glass vs a brandy snifter. Virginia Gentleman and Old Grand-Dad 114 were used for the comparisons. Yes, very clear differences were experienced. The Norlan glass is like putting a muffler on the flavours of your whiskey, or like putting the flavours of your whiskey into a straight-jacket. The flavours came and went as we switched from glass to glass. Now you see them, now you don't!

Next I presented barley-malt to my friend who was new to barley whisky.

1) Miller Genuine Draft Beer. Even though this is out of a bottle, it is unpasteurized, and so retains outstanding pure flavour of barley without any noticeable hops or additives, and without wood aging

2) Bruichladdich Scottish Barley. Nothing to taste here but barley. No peat, smoke, brine, wine, or even noticeable wood. A pure unadulterated barley-malt whisky

3) Clynelish 14 yo. Just barley with 14 years of re-used wood influence

4) Stranahan's Colorado Single Malt Whiskey. Just barley with charred new oak aging

5) Glen Grant 10 yo. Barley with a light touch of wine. This gentle old bottle tastes great 8 years after it was first opened. That surprised me greatly

6) Highland Park 15 yo, OB. Much heavier wine influence

7) Amrut Intermediate Sherry Matured Single Malt: for the high-test sherry bomb

8) Hakushu 12 yo. For barley as grass

9) Ardbeg Corryvreckan: barley with peat/smoke/brine to the max

Finally we sampled 7 bottles which he had brought with him. 3 were ryes from Traverse City, Michigan distilleries. 1 was a(n) MGPI Sagamore Spirits Rye. 1 was a rye whose distillery I did not note. 1 was a bourbon from a distillery which I did not note. 1 was Maker's Mark RC6, a special release bourbon. The Maker's Mark RC6 was not remotely like anything else I've ever had from Maker's Mark, in a good way. Very intense and high-pitched. I am delighted that I happen to own an unopened bottle of that one. Good times!

@Victor - you are a master at putting together tastings. I am so grateful to have experienced your expertise firsthand. Hopefully, we’ll get to do it again one of these days.

@bwmccoy I can hardly wait!

Celebrating a major milestone on a work project that I’ve been spending almost all of my time on for a year. Still not done yet, but the end is in sight. Feels good to get to this point.

Started with a standard Manhattan (Rittenhouse BiB, sweet vermouth and bitters garnished with a Luxardo cherry).

Bruichladdich 1984 23 Year Old Golder Still. This is amazing whisky, but tasted better than ever tonight.

Caol Ila SMWS 53.302 (11 year - Sep. 2007) "Holy sweet smoke!" - Refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 59.9% ABV. This is my favorite peated open bottle. So good!

First time I've been able to have a drink for a few days and I polished off the last of my Laphroaig 10 CS that I put in a sample bottle a while back.

The weather has taken a chilly turn here and it had started to lose some of the intense peaty nose so thought It was time. As good as ever and this bottling is definitely up there with Oogy and Corry for one of the best peat bombs at a fairly decent price.

A local online shop ran a virtual tasting with Paul John. It was cheap as chips (30 NZD to the door for 5 x 50 mL samples) so a few friends and I grabbed packs and had a fun night. To be honest I've pretty much steered clear of any whisky from outside of Scotland so this was quite enlightening. All are NCF with no added colour. They exclusively use 6 row barley as opposed to the 2 row barley typically used elsewhere. 6 row has a higher protein and lower carbohydrate content than 2 row. Another fun fact was they experience 8 - 10 % angels share per year!!

JP Brilliance 46% 1st and 2nd fill bourbon casks, 5-6 years old. Typical vanilla and coconut, some green apple, and exotic spices. Quite thin.

JP Edited 46% 1st fill bourbon casks, 5-6 years old. Malt is 25% peated, 75% unpeated. Peat is a mix of Islay and Highland peat. Linseed oil, smoky tang, salty, honey sweetness, mint chocolate and a hint of coffee. Spicy finish. Again thin mouthfeel.

JP Classic Select 55.2% 1st fill bourbon casks, 7-8 years old specially selected casks from their underground cellar! The brand ambassador called this "Goa in a glass". Grassy, green banana, a fruit market, some spices, creamy. Moves from sweet through to sour. A fuller, more oily mouth feel.

JP Bold 46% 1st fill bourbon casks, 5-6 years old. Malt is all peated with Islay and peat. Medicinal peat, cold hardwood smoke, tinned fruit salad, some malt sweetness. Unfortunately thin.

JP Peated Select 55.2% 1st fill bourbon casks, 7-8 years old specially selected casks from their underground cellar! Malt is all peated but with more Highland and less Islay peat. Cold campfire, iodine, molasses, spicy and quite dry, leather, savoury/meaty, dark brown sugar, Sichuan pepper. Long spicy and smoky finish.

Well that was a fun experience and something of a surprise. It would be interesting to insert these blind into a line up without knowing they were of Indian origin. I kept picking up exotic spices (fenugreek, carroway, curry leaf etc.) that I may not have noted if I thought they were Scottish malts. Overall they were quite thin apart from the two higher proof ones. If I was to pick one it would be a tie between the Brilliance and the Classic Select Cask. Give them a go if you get the chance!

p.s. I made the place mats myself as one of my friends saw a recent tasting for Ardbeg where they had a fancy mat for their samples so I had to mock something up!

Wild Turkey 101 while watching the Dallas vs Colorado game 7 hockeygame.

Last night (Friday), my older son and his wife came over for dinner and drams.

Before dinner, Jerry Thomas Manhattans made with Rittenhouse BiB rye.

With dinner (grilled ribeye steaks and portobello mushrooms), a 2018 Robert Mondavi (California) Private Selection Pinot Noir.

After dinner, it was time for smoke;

Killed off my bottle of Ardbeg Wee Beastie 5 year old.

Inchmoan SMWS 135.14 (13 year - Mar. 2005) "Tripping the light fantastic" - After maturing in an ex-bourbon hogshead, transfered to a first-fill charred red wine barrique - 55.4% ABV

Port Askaig (Caol Ila) 10th Anniversary 10 year Cask Strength 55.85% ABV

Caol Ila SMWS 53.302 (11 year - Sep. 2007) "Holy sweet smoke!" - Refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 59.9% ABV

Finished the night by opening one of the Society’s Feis Ile 2020 bottlings; Bunnahabhain SMWS 10.190 (6 year - Oct. 2013) "Make moine a devil!" fully matured in a second-fill ex-Oloroso Sherry butt - 61.1% ABV. This one drinks much older than 6 years. The heavily peated spirit balances beautifully with the heavy sherry influence. This one’s a winner, for sure, but not for the faint of heart!

Small video tasting. It was probably about 45 minutes before @Fiddich1980 and @cricklewood and I even got to our first dram.

If I recall correctly, we started with Macallan 12 (Fiddich), and Cricklewood and I had Stalk and Barrel Canada 150 50% (Ironically, the sample I was drinking from was from @Fiddich1980.

Then Fiddich had a Glen (either goyne or turret, I forget now, Cricklewood did an H2H of Benromach 10/100 with the Batch 1 CS, while I couldn't find my sample of the CS so I just had some of the 10/100 (same bottle as his sample). Finally we ended with some Octomore. Fiddich had the 4.1, I had the 7.3 and I think Cricklewood had 8.4 (but I could be mistaken - alcohol can do that to you).

Some great, possibly morbid conversation was had. To the one who bailed on us....YOU MISSED OUT!

last night: Whisky From The Barrel - I decanted this a few weeks back but it hasn't helped dim the hot nip that it has. It's still nicely flavoured and easy drinking but it definitely needs a drop of water to smooth things out.

Redbreast 12 CS- about a third left and this is now entering the sweet zone. Easily sippable neat now (which I was) and more musty toffee notes coming through. Excellent.

Bulleit 10 - this is also starting to change a bit as the bottle empties and it's lost that little raw spirit edge (something I find happens a lot - with bourbon especially). Loads of sweet apricot pastries and caramel and a nice oaky balance. I should review this soon.

Last night, Westland Distillery Cask # 2542 Single cask release, cask strength (6 year-Distilled 2012) 27 months in Coopers Reserve New American Oak followed by 45 months in an ex-Pedro Ximénez Hogshead - 50.8% ABV.