What is the next bottle you purchase or open?

@talexander Definitely buddy! It was so AWESOME running into you guys!!! You gave me a heart attack to say the least though :D

@Wills and @Talexander haha yeah I'm pretty happy with those bottle purchases :D I forgot to mention the 30 year St Magdalene cask strength as well hahaha. I'd set off with 3000 pounds and had to budget like you wouldn't believe the entire time in Scotland.

I'd see something that I would love while in a shop or at a distillery and it'd be "nope that's not in the budget. walk away"

To be honest the Glenglassaugh purchases and the Littlemill were the only none budgeted purchases. The Brora was just "I have to have a Brora" and the Talisker 25 yr old bot 2004 was STUPIDLY lucky. I walked into a little souvenir shop with my wife while she was shopping one of our last days and took a look at the whisky selection after deciding I was done with my purchases.

In the little display case was Talisker 25 yr old bot 2005 (according to the price tag) for 150 pounds...WTF?! Pull up MoM and TWE to make sure that this is indeed a fluke...that it indeed doesn't run at this price.

It's sure as heck not supposed to! Restraining myself I ask if I can get the bottle trying not to quiver with excitement as they look at me and go "what's his issue" they then inform me it's the 2004 and it'll actually be 114 pounds....I had to stop myself from gasping in shock to be honest!

"Yes I'll take that right now, no there's no need to double check the price" (don't give the game away you idiot!)

They also had the Rosebank 21 official release for 75 pounds off the normal price!? Seriously I think that they really had no idea what they had on their hands.

@SquidgyAsh Nice, the Talisker for half the price, and I thought whisky is expensive in Scotland!

Something from Kilchoman 4 sure! Any recommendations on which one to get?

@PeatyZealot I love the 100% Islay malt. On a recent trip to Scotland we kept a flask full the entire time, morning, noon and night, walking around Edinburgh.

Just picked up a bottle of Bowmore 25 Small Batch Release.

Just bought a pair of bottles to share with friends: A Springbank 10 that looks like it was bottled around 2004 and some Great King St. Looking forward to opening those a bit later.

I've heard/read some interesting things about the Glen Garioch 12 yr.

It's been a few weeks since I've posted an up date to additions my home bar. I've been exploring American Whiskeys, so there are several new additions, but I haven't completely ignored my love a Scotch Whisky, and I've added a few of those too.

New Scotch whiskies include, Springbank 15, Tomatin 12, Clynelish 14, and blend for mixers called Label 5.

My exploration of American Whiskeys and Bourbons include adding bottles of Elijah Craig 12, Larceny Bourbon, Jack Daniels Original No7, George Dickel Classic No8, George Dickel Barrel Select, Bulleit Bourbon, Rebel Yell Bourbon, and a local oddity, an unaged whiskey from Crown Valley Winery, Craft Brewery & Distillery, called MIssouri Moonshine Malt Whiskey.

@thecyclingyogi - Wiser's 1981 - nice score! Is the excise stamp intact? I have an '81 CC 12 yo that just keeps getting better, currently about 1/2 bottle remaining, opened approx. two years ago.

@SquidgyAsh, when you're in the land of scotch and honey, anything goes! glad you found such a fun discovery. that would never have happen in Australia or in Oregon. cheers!

Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX, yes, there is still the odd bottle of it floating around, almost 4 years after its one-time release. Last Friday @Dramlette found and purchased a bottle of it for us at the Quebec automobile duty free coming back into New York State. The guy explained that it was their last bottle of it, otherwise we would have purchased more of it, especially at a price of $ 72.

at long last exams are over so its time to open the Dronach 15 revival, beautiful whisky

A Glengoyne Cask Strength NAS. Batch #001, 58.7% abv. This is a new Whisky here and if it's as good as the expressions from the early to late 90's, it will be a welcome addition to the cabinet.

Slainte!

@Victor The Sonnalta is a great dram. I have about 1/2 a bottle left which makes me sad. Over the weekend I managed to get two great bottles; Ardbeg Corryvreckan and Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 3.

Just picked up a Balvenie 21 Portwood and at the perfect 43%

Just picked up another bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail. They don't carry it here in Virginia ABC stores. So I was shocked when I saw a lone bottle on the shelf for $60. Checked the batch number: L13 058 XX:XX 6ML. (So bottled Feb. 27th of this year) Didn't have that one . . . and now I do. Yet another Uigeadail to add to my growing growing obsession . . . I mean collection . . .

I will probably open it tonight and see how it is.

@Nock When I attended the recent Ardbog day tasting at the Bungalow Lakehouse, the Ardbeg rep stated that both the Ugi and Corry were on the shelf in VA. I wonder if they're just sold out. On Sat I picked up a Corry at the ABC. Of course as you may well know, VA ABC determines distribution by dart board.

@Bourbondork I regularly visit about 6 or so local ABC stores in the Hampton Roads area (from Portsmouth to Virginia Beach). There are only 2 or 3 that regularly stock the Ardbeg 10yo. I haven't seen the Corry on a shelf in over a year even though it appears on the web site. The Uigeadail doesn't even appear on the VA ABC website. That is why I was so amazed.

A bottle of Kilchoman Machir Bay was given to me Saturday. Many thanks to @pmessinger and his wife for this lovely 60th birthday present bottle. Dramlette and I drove up to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Saturday to meet, visit with and drink whisky with @pmessinger, where he was camped for 6 days with the 1st Michigan Light Artillery Civil War re-enactors at the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. It was great fun, though a very hot day on which I got a substantial sunburn over our 7 hrs of visiting. Our 90 minute drive home was a lot shorter than their 14 hrs or so back to Michigan...and we didn't have to haul back those 31 cannon.

@Victor Imagine wearing wool uniforms in the ninety degree heat we were having that week!

@DaveM, wool in 90 F, light cotton in Korea in -30 F in 1950...that's the Army. Spent a few years in it myself, in this life and many others.

Hello there @Victor. I liked your last point...have a dozen of trips myself.

The next bottle I plan to open is some more of the Isle of Skye 12yr old in just picked up after getting back from Pennsylvania. After I finish the Glenfarclas 12yr old. :)

@PMessinger @Victor This is off topic but I had read articles on the reenactment, and i have seen videos. It looks like an amazing time, and it's nice to have some connosr blood keeping the whisk(e)y flowing during the battle :)

@Nolinske Thanks for the kind thoughts. I've been in reenacting for 15yrs like Dalwhinne 15, and in whisky for 2 decades like a Balvenie 21. The Glenfarclas 12yr is a good choice due to the 1836 date on the bottle. A perfect historical maturation between whisky and history if you look at it. :)

@Nolinske, I was shocked, Shocked, I say!, that @PMessinger could not find any of his unit mates interested in drinking whisky with us. What kind of soldiers are those?!?

@Victor I'm stunned! Whatever side he was on deserved to lose on that day regardless if it was north or south! ;)

I agree with @Nolinske the problem is that I was blue that weekend and we were suppose to win due to it being 150th Gettysburg lol. Nice group of guys that I'm in with but not much of a whisky crowd. :)

Found a bottle of Karuizawa 100% Malt Whisky 12 yo in a tiny liquor shop downtown last night! Very happy to add that to the collection.

@FMichael, the Glen Garioch 12 is a very nice Highland, and very affordable as well.