So what AREN'T you drinking now?

Tonight I have an Aberlour A'bunadh batch 47, full 30cc pour, right in the front of my mind...

I can almost smell it.

My wife says I'm very easily distracted.

I'm a camp doctor so no alcohol for me this weekend, and I had to go into town to pick up some medication. On the way back I got kind of sidetracked... It would almost seem like a big detour...

@Nozinan We camp at Mikisew provincial park every year! I know exactly where that is. My wife gives me heck every year for asking if we can detour! I'd love to get a picture holding a bottle of Ardbeg in front of the town sign. My wife does not think that would be amusing.

What I am not drinking now is carded whiskey. This discussion seemed as good a place to post about this as anywhere else. It could also be called "Madness Reversed." Starting July 1st, 2017 my county instituted mandatory card identification of all alcohol purchasers, no matter how aged. Today we were informed that the mandatory carding was repealed effective yesterday (on Day 12) after totally understandable public outcry. Idiot governments. Any fool could have seen that this was a bad idea.

@Victor

Surely you're not going to get away with just that.... We need more.

What exactly was the purpose of this carding?

To prove that you are old enough to legally purchase alcohol?

To monitor and record who buys alcohol in the county and what they buy?

To limit purchases to people who live in the county?

If it's monitoring and recording, I can imagine the outcry about such an invasion of privacy. If it's to ensure no underage purchases, it may be a dumb law but I can't imagine it generating a huge outcry. If anything it makes 22 YOs treated the same way as 55 YOs. Almost socialist, if you ask me. Oops, I forgot it's the US.

Finally, @Victor, my prediction is you will live to regret this day. When you're in line for a hard to get bottle and the person in front of you who gets the last bottle forgot their ID....

@Nozinan, AFAIK the regulation was strictly to prevent underage purchases.

I was surprised to hear from the store clerks that the residents would scream loudly enough to get the regulation rescinded. All I can picture is cranky 75 yo men and women yelling loudly at being inconvenienced when going out to buy their bottles of wine.

And Montgomery County, Maryland, while not being quite socialist, is absolutely one of the most "politically correct" big-government jurisdictions in the US. The people who live here are largely DC federal government workers and federal government contractors. Probably 80,000+ lawyers in the DC area. Lobbyists. Very down-to-earth well-grounded people. Also enormous numbers of health care personnel, along with the highest urban rates of cancer in the US. That's the effect of all of those microwaves from the espionage.

@Victor

Here in Ontario the legal age is 19. The rule at the LCBO is that if someone LOOKS like they are under 25, they have to be carded.

I was carded until I was 35. Now I wish they wanted to card me...

@Nozinan, I have been carded exactly twice in my lifetime, the first time when I was in my early 40s, with my current 3/4 bald head. I just laughed and laughed. That really made my day, week, month, and year.

@Victor Back to the topic at hand...I still have a cold. Can I taste something vicariously tonight? Which uncarded whisky will you be enjoying (which I will NOT be drinking)?

@Nozinan, OK, I'll play along. I shall have two in your honour. Something special.

First, my first sip in several years of Melrose Rare 12 Diamond Blended (US) Whiskey. This is a bottle given to me several years ago from a friend's father's estate. It is a blend consisting of 40% 12 yo straight US whiskey and 60% grain neutral spirits. They drank this kind of stuff 50 years ago in the US in the heyday of the vodka conquest. The 43% abv bottle is 3/4 full and has been open since about 1969. It was never great while in my possession. I am hoping that it is still drinkable. This is an experiment.

Second, I shall have some Ardbeg Corryvreckan L13 240, not one of the great batches. I shall be observing whether air has benefited it since I last tried it.

Scotch!

Someone decided today (July 27) was "National Scotch Day". Don't know which nation, and reading the "article" it's clearly a marketing gimmick. So today, no Scotch... In fact, I'm so annoyed...no whisky of any sort!

Springbank 12 YO CS

With recent postings about this distillery I'm really eager to open a bottle of the stuff. But I'm not allowing any new openings until after our move... so I will wait...

@Nozinan I stopped drinking my bottle at the halfway point until I replace it, I have the Burgundy Cask but cannot see opening that one for some time. While in NS I could have picked up the 10, 15 or 18 but the regular 12 CS eludes me from coast to coast.

@Nozinan Do it! Pour a dram or two then let the bottle bake for a few months. You already know that Springers evolve and get better with time so why not get a headstart on the process? It'll reward you upon your settling in at the new abode. ;)

@KRB80 I'm not disputing that what you say makes sense, but I really think that moving open bottles is harder than moving sealed bottles, so, given it's not much longer, I'll wait.

I am not unfortunately drinking whisky but I am finding myself in the same airport transfer bus as mr Robin Tucek of the fantastic Blackadder brand!

To use a double negative, I am not not drinking, so I hope you allow me a little flexibility in interpreting the topic of this discussion. There are, however, is one particular whisky in my small library that I am not drinking because I like it so much and it is, almost, impossible to replace, and that is the Bruichladdich Laddie Ten (first edition). I have a few reasons beyond the inability to replace it, for not opening a bottle. First, I like it too much and worry I might just consume it too quickly. Second, I am waiting for a 'special' occasion (what ever that might be), to open it. Lastly, I have a few too many bottles open already that I want to get through a couple of those before opening a bottle of Laddie Ten. Two other bottles I am not drinking, yet, are my Bruichladdich Laddie Eight and the Bere Barley 2008. I got those in duty free, and they are definitely not available here in Denver, Colorado. I am not sure when I will get a chance to get more of it, so I am just delaying opening them up.

I am not sure if any of you have come across this type of dilemma before, but I am guessing I am not the only one.

@ajjarrett, when you value your liquids a lot it is easy to see why you might be very sparing and careful in how quickly you decide to drink them. "You can't have your bottle of whisky and drink it too."

@Victor Well, said,typed, and put, Victor. Did you ever have a bottle of 'something' that you didn't want to open, until a 'right' moment, or wanted to save it because of rarity (knowing there are different causes of rarity)?

@ajjarrett, in a word YES. We have a lot of whisky, including 100+ unopened bottles, most of which will not be opened for years to come. Why so many? Planning for the future. When I find a good product or good batch I put aside several bottles of it. With whiskies which I am unlikely to be able to replace I save for opening at a special time, when I will have full opportunity to give them the attention which they deserve. Many of those treasures will be engaged a good while down the road. I do feel the sense of loss in the present moment, though, while I am putting off that future enjoyment until a future time. But that sense of loss quickly gives way to the joy of enjoyment of the good bottles already open and ready for a sip.

@Victor Well, I cannot say I have that many bottles unopened and waiting for enjoying, but maybe in the future I will.

I hope to hear if others do the same as well. Meaning, not drinking a bottle for a variety of reasons. Hope this is okay for this thread.

@ajjarrett, I am sure that what you say is OK for this thread. Thank you for engaging.

@ajjarrett I think that finding just the right time to open a special bottle you have only one of can be a challenge. In my experience the now or never approach seems to fit. For my BTAC Handy the opportunity to open it alongside 2 others was key, or it would be stashed in my cabinet for years.

For a Glendronach single cask I quickly determined it would be my retirement bottle. But sadly there are lots of "sacral" bottles I have had difficulty opening. Also the fact that I have so many open...

One of our fellow Connosrs has found a way to open those bottles... Soon to be described I. Epic tastings.

As for the Laddie 10, if you lived a little closer you'd have 2 available (at original LCBO price) as I prefer but can't find the laddie classic. Can't promise they'll be around forever though. I plan to open one in the next year if I can bring together a group of enthusiasts.

@ajjarrett, @Nozinan will show you a good time if you decide to make the trip to Toronto to get those Laddie Tens. I've got some extra Laddie Tens myself, but I prefer to keep them.

@Victor @Nozinan Well, I am not sure if I will be able to make it up to Toronto any time soon, but if I do/can, I will certainly tell you both. I guess the only downside of not drinking a bottle of whisky, which I enjoy, and waiting for an occasion is that I know what I am missing out on. I guess the alternative option is, knowing I have three bottles, is to open one and enjoy it slowly.

I haven't tried the Laddie Classic yet, but if I see it I might give it a go. I might do the same with the Isla Barley 2009 as well. This would be a good way to avoid opening the Ten. HA!

I'm not drinking much of anything since my recent diagnosis of atrial fibrillation. The blood thinner they put me on does not react well with alcohol. I asked the specialist if that means none and she said she would hate to spoil my fun, so a little is ok, but not too much. I have to choose my daily drams very carefully now.

@BlueNote Those DAMN Doctors!!!

@BlueNote, in every cloud there is a silver lining.......ONLY THE GOOD STUFF from now on brother !!!!

Cheers @paddockjudge. Got the message. Tonight I had my sample of the Black Art 5.1 that I brought home from our last tasting session.

@BlueNote All best w the prognosis and may health always be w you and the ones you cherish