So what AREN'T you drinking now?

No alcohol for me tonight. I was at a retirement party for one of my colleagues. My gift to him was a bottle of M&H Elements Sherry Cask (46%). Thanks to the gift of half a bottle of this one from @talexander, this has become a spare.

Yesterday I had tried to book a vaccine appointment for the new bivalent Moderna vaccine (thanks again a Dolly Parton) but while healthcare providers are eligible, people in my age group can only book for 2 weeks from now.

But as I left the party this afternoon I decided to call public health directly. And they booked me into a clinic the same day. In fact from phone call to leaving the clinic was 48 minutes.

So naturally I have pumped myself full of anti-inflammatories and Tylenol, so no whisky for me tonight.

Although I'm opening the doors, I just don't have the time to sit down and sample the offerings from my Whisky Advent Calendar. This is actually the 2021 edition, purchased at the LCBO at a steep discount in Feb 2022, using the gift cards I got for Christmas 2021...

@YakLord I've made it through about 10 of the 2019 calendar, also bought a a steep discount from the LCBO, in Jan 2020.

Those 10 were enough to put me off the Boutique-y company entirely. I have no idea when I will get to the rest of them (I currently have other bottles resting on the calendar box so it may be a while...).

@Nozinan I have zero experience with their stuff, so this is an experiment for me. Was hoping to try at least one last night, but it looks like I'm coming down with something. Day 7 is an Oloroso Sherry Cask Finished 3 year-old straight rye from James E. Pepper, which makes it an independent bottling of a whisky produced under contract at MGP/LDI in Lawrenceburg, Indiana (95% rye, 5% barley), for a US non-distller producer...since 2017 James E. Pepper has had a functional distillery, but their website says it is still sourcing its rye from MGP/LDI.

Redbreast 12 YO CS batch 1/15.

This is an excellent batch. I have heard that more recent batches have not been as stellar. This particular bottle (my second that I have opened) was unsealed in Sept. 2017 to celebrate @paddockjudge helping me to move my collection into our newly-renovated new home. Looking back, it was last poured 2 years, 9 months 2 weeks and 5 days ago, and even then over a year after the previous pour, so this one has been overdue.

Tonight my brother in law is here, his last night before he and his daughter head home out east. He wanted something unpeated. I wanted him to have something good.

I got to enjoy his dram vicariously through him (through him, thanks to him...). I was struck with Covid-19, testing positive on Monday. While I'm starting to feel better, I have no faith in my nose and palate and really don't feel like drinking right now. He is a few days ahead of me on the mend. Tomorrow we come out of isolation, which will be nice.