What did you NOT buy and why?

@RianC, AROOR IS A PERMANENT CONDITION! You may seek relief, and find it, but it never truly goes away....

@OdysseusUnbound I appreciate the sentiment, but that would simply eliminate SOME of the overcrowding...

A friend bought me a present: a bottle of Dewars 12 yo. It is always great to get a present. I am not very sure that I will like its nose and taste very much. What are the best options? Thank you in advance! .

@NamBeist The 12 is really much better than the White Label NAS. I've gone through a bottle, am currently working on a 20cl bottle of the 18 and a 75cl bottle of the 8 year-old Rum Cask Finish, and have a 100cl bottle of the 15 in stock.

You can always use it in cocktails, too.

I'm waffling on a 6 year old heavily peated, sherry cask matured CS Ben Nevis that a new importer is bringing in. It's a little pricey and so far I have resisted, but I could cave very easily just because it's Ben Nevis.

An Eagle Rare 10 - it was on offer at Waitrose (£30) but when I took a trip to the store just now they had none in stock!

I am on a self-imposed buying ban but with some clauses and conditions, of course One of which being if a good deal is on or if it will likely be sold out soon. This qualified for both, and I'm thinking, due to US shortages, we might not see this again for a while over here once the current stock has gone. I do have one in the stash though ...

I'm also thinking about buying an E.H. Taylor Small Batch Bourbon as it's reduced from £100 to £75. Still pricey though - if anyone's had this, how is it and is it worth the investment?

@RianC I reviewed my EH single barrel in 2017 so I looked back.

It’s a decent whisky. I scored it a 84. I gave the balance of my bottle to @paddockjudge thinking he would enjoy it more than I would. There are more powerful and more complex bourbons out there.

Just my tuppence.

@Nozinan - thanks! That seems to be the general consensus. Maybe I'll pass and hope some more Eagle Rare appears.

@RianC I love the loopholes you built into the ban.

@BlueNote - A man's gotta have a code, right?

@RianC It's all about honour.

@RianC How about those English boys: England 2-Germany 0. That's some long awaited redemption.

@RianC EHT SB is a $45 Bourbon in the US for a reason. I see it here in Ontario for $89 Cad periodically but I have had one open for a couple years. The Taters seem to go crazy for it but I will take WT Rare Breed for a lot cheaper and always available. FWIW

@Astroke I agree, WT Rare Breed is more to my taste as well.

I follow @Brittlestar on Twitter. He is quite witty and does great Covid PSAs.

He collaborated on a butter tart flavoured vodka, and I was tempted to get a signed bottle just for fun.

It was $35.35 for 750 cc. But after shipping and tax (at every other distillery or at the LCBO the tax is built into the sticker price) it came to more than $60. Too much for something I will taste once and maybe share with a friend to try.

I’ll have to get his autograph elsewhere….

A bottle of Pusser's Gunpowder strength. Fancied a new rum and this has been a favourite so imagine my shock to see it's been discontinued in favour of a spiced version. Bummer. I do have two bottles of the Black Tot anniversary bottles, so not a total disaster, but this was a favourite of mine so a bit gutted to not have stocked up.

Instead, I've bought a trio of Cormac McCarthy novels including The Road, No Country for Old Men and Blood Meridian. I'm sure I'll be able to find something suitably strong to get me through them. Gulp!

@RianC I enjoyed all of those novels. Blood Meridian was the toughest read for me because of how graphic it is. No Country For Old Men was a brilliant movie (Javier Bardem was the perfect Anton Chigurh), and I think the book is even better (as it usually is).

@OdysseusUnbound i recall reading an interview with the Cohen brothers re the creation of the screenplay of No Country For Old Men. They explained that one brother held the book open and the other typed.

@OdysseusUnbound - I've really enjoyed all the film's they've adapted, if enjoy is the right word, and I hear excellent things about Blood Meridian. From the snippets of his writing I've seen, I think I'll like his prose and minimalist style.

His tone is dark, sure, but, and maybe I'm a bit weird, I like that sometimes. The Road (film) was so bleak my partner said it made her want to end it all and I get that. Personally, I find the odd peek into the abyss and darkest side of human nature makes me appreciate the world and good things around me all the more. I took it more as a hopeful tale of our brighter nature against the darkest of backdrops.

@BlueNote Are you referring to a sporting event or England's win/loss record against Germany in world wars?

@RianC I’m really big on post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction too. I think it’s a great backdrop for literary-philosophical exploration; i.e. what is left of our identity when every social and economic construct has been ripped away?

@OdysseusUnbound - agreed! It's not often I meet someone who enjoys things like that; they usually think you're odd or a total depressive Well, I'm not a total one

If you've got any recommendations, do let me know.

@casualtorture I meant the soccer wars. As for the world wars, we’re up 2 nil. Although we might have lost the economic war.

@OdysseusUnbound It’s starting to feel like we’re already in some sort of post-apocalyptic world.

@RianC If you enjoy well written post apocalyptic literature with a touch of Sci-Fi Fantasy, you really need to check out NK Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy. She is an absolutely brilliant writer who makes the implausible seem totally believable. While there are no elves or goblins in the trilogy, there are orogenes: beings who can basically cause earthquakes at will. And that’s all I’ll say for now.

@OdysseusUnbound I had no idea Trump is an orogene!

Benromach 10 YO 43% for $70.

Why?

My wife went to the liquor store just in the border of PEI and New Brunswick and she asked me if I wanted anything. That was the only one she listed that was something I would want in my cabinet, and the price was great.

But I have a bottle unopened. And the price for another is not that much more if I want to replace it. And I currently have no room for more bottles that I may never drink.

Will I kick myself in 2 years when it becomes unobtainable? Maybe. But I don’t feel any regret now.

@OdysseusUnbound - Apologies for the late reply, I've only just seen your message. I'd never heard of it before but that sounds right up my alley, cheers!

@Nozinan There’s always something else. The Benromach 10 is nice, but not essential IMHO.

@RianC @OdysseusUnbound I've only just stumbled across this discussion. I need to pay more attention to the chat!

I love Cormac McCarthy and think Blood Meridian is my favourite ever novel. I recommend it to people all the time and they either:

A, think it's a fantastic novel and quickly read everything else by MCarthy they can get their hands on. Or

B, never speak to me again. Cross the street when they see me coming.

They keep talking about shooting a film of it. Ridley Scott was rumoured at one point to be directing. But it never gets off the ground just because of the violence and the problematic character of 'the Judge' who is so essential to the story.

I have read 'the Road' 3 times. Again that is one that people either love or don't finish. I've had many a discussion with people about it who say it is too bleak and desperate. I think they're completely missing the point. It is about hope, the sheer will of the human spirit and the need to keep hold of your morals even in the bleakest of situations. I actually find it one of the most uplifting of books.