What did you NOT buy and why?

@Astroke the optimum order from CC is 6 bottles. Shipping and insurance on our last order was $47, just under $8/bottle. The insurance amount depends on the price of the bottles. I know ZYN are a bit better, but our order from their last sale took a week and a half to get here vs 3 days from CC. We will continue to order from both as well as KWM simply because their prices and selection are so much better than anything we can get in BC. In fact we are buying almost exclusively from Alberta these days.

Cheers.

Word has it that there has been too much chatter and bragging online about how much whisky we are all getting from Alberta. I guess we need to start keeping it to ourselves before CC and KWM decide to quit shipping out of province too..

I just passed on a bottle of Clyde May’s Cask Strength. It is an 11yo bourbon sourced from MGP/LDI at 60% ABV or 120 Proof. The price was $122.99 plus tax.

I have never tried the bourbon out of the MGB/LDI Indiana distillery. And 11 years of age at cask strength? It seems tempting. But I am trying to be “good” here in the new year and not buy anything for a few months if possible.

Did I make a mistake? Should I go back and pick it up?

@Nock $ 130 for a bottle of bourbon? At that price I'd want it to score 94/100 points. How are you going to know how much you will like it without tasting it?

I would not buy it blind.

@Victor thanks for the confirmation.

I agree, which is why I left it. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is 12 years old, typically higher proof, and sells for about half that price.

That said, I just was wondering about the LDI/MGP bourbon. After all, if I saw an MGP rye at 11 years of age and bottled at 60% ABV . . . I would totally jump on that for $130. But that is only because I have tasted 7, 8, 10, and 11yo rye from MGP . . . and it is amazing.

@Victor, Do you have any experience with the MGP/LDI bourbon? Just curious.

@Nock, yes I have tasted some MGPI bourbons, but not many. They were mostly 6-10 years old. I like them OK, but I like MGPI ryes more. I think of MGPI bourbon as straight down the middle of the road clean archetypal bourbon, without strong distinguishing characteristics. With what I've had I'd say that the wood flavours predominate, but in a tame sort of balance. My guess is that you'd also like it OK, but I suggest you taste it first. My guess is that you'd not want to spend more than $ 55 for most of them. I do not think that I have ever knowingly bought a bottle of MGPI bourbon, with the exception of my recent acquisition of the 2015 release Metze's Select Bourbon. I had tasted that one before I laid down the $ 90 for it. I bought it because I like Greg Metze, and I had found it to be excellent when I tasted it a couple of years ago. That release was so unusual it was like MGPI's equivalent of a release of Parker's Heritage Collection, or of a Four Roses Limited Edition. .

I didn’t buy anything at the LCBO in January, and I finished several bottles, effectively reducing the size of my collection. Here’s hoping February is a repeat of January.

@OdysseusUnbound The only thing I bought in January was the discounted advent whisky calendar, and I'm saving most of the leftover half drams for you.

Haven't managed to get through much of my collection though, and even giving away half of each expression that added the equivalent of half a bottle to my holdings.. :(

I've learned a valuable lesson though, that the Boutique-y whisky company bottlings are definitely "try before you buy".

I'm happy to say there is nothing on the horizon for me. I am trying to avoid thinking about Zyn and KWM, and the LCBO's poor selection and even worse prices are doing me a favour. Now I just need to have people over who will help me consume...

@Nozinan a friend messaged me yesterday mentioning his first day of retirement and he has $200 in LCBO gift cards but there was absolutely nothing of interest that he wanted to purchase.

Didn’t buy anything from the big KWM sale. I’ve got plenty to keep me going for quite a long time an I’m currently in Mexico drinking Coronas, margaritas and whatever Scotch I can get down here.

@BlueNote . I'm and you have my smallest but, I hope you catch lots of see lots of , and enjoy

@fiddich1980 All of the above and more.

Cheers.

Stagg Jr from the LCBO allocation/lottery because I did not get picked for the privilege of purchasing a bottle nor was there a re-allocation for unsold bottles for those that entered the lottery. I was not interested but, some people I know were interested. Then last night bottles began appearing at store under two SKU's. One SKU at $84.45 and the other at $92.00 which were scooped up ..... S#%T! I've posted in the wrong thread this should be in the HFUITL thread.

@fiddich1980 I don't think it's f'd up, I think there are shenanigans afoot at the KGBO...

@OdysseusUnbound Your probably right. After all, the provincial government and the liquor control board never make mistakes.

@fiddich1980 F’d up would have been a bottle ending up in Timmins or Sioux Lookout. But Stagg Jr “randomly ending up” in a GTA store seems like skullduggery to me.

@OdysseusUnbound I think a Stagg Jr. is one I would have picked up. Even though I have a couple of batches as back-ups.

But in my current position of too many bottles and unexplained decrease in consumption I am not motivated to chase after anything to strenuously unless a friend asks me to

@fiddich1980 The problem may be the Stagg Jr ABV's listed are not correct with what is available. I think they are batches 8 and 9. I believe if the idiots at the LCBO listed the ABV for batch 12 (if that is what is coming) then there would be many takers in the lottery. I like a few people have previous batches stashed and am only interested in batch 12.

@Nozinan, can anyone really have too many bottles??

@CanadianNinja, Hahahaha mahahah. I'm not laughing at you...I'm laughing at @Nozinan. OH YES, you (he) can have too many bottles!

I would never let a friend carry such a heavy burden alone. I'm doing my part to lighten the load.

I too would like to volunteer my services in assisting him @paddockjudge!

Shipping spirits to Japan is perfectly legal, he can PM me for my address.... ; )

@CanadianNinja, I had no idea....let's give it a try! are you game?

@paddockjudge thank you for offering to mail my “excess” bottles to @CanadianNinja.

Big bottles are hard to mail. I wonder if perhaps a sample shipment may be more feasible. More variety that way.

@Nozinan, my pleasure, you are welcome for the help...I should have specifically offered my liquid, good Canadian Juice of course because good Scotch can be bought anywhere.

@paddockjudge I disagree.

Good Scotch cannot easily be bought in Ontario....

@Nozinan, I stand corrected.

You know @paddockjudge, that is my ONE complaint about being a whisky nut living in Japan... the lack of good Canadian whisky!

The selection of everything else, Scotch, Irish, American etc. is fantastic. The prices are great. But good luck finding anything halfway decent from Canada!

I recently picked up a bottle of Wiser’s 18 and Lot 40, both of which I had to order online.

In terms of Canadian whisky selection in Japan, you don’t find much other than standard expressions of CC and Crown Royal.

@CanadianNinja, when you get both of those bottles open (Wiser’s 18 is corn, Lot 40 is rye) try a vatting of W18/Lot 40 in a ratio of 2:1. Adding a very small splash of virgin oak single malt completes it. I use Deanston’s Virgin Oak.

That sounds great @paddockjudge.

If I have them open at the same time I will definitely do so, but at the moment I’m planning on opening the Lot 40 and saving the Wiser’s for a bit.

@CanadianNinja, check your p m