What is the next bottle you purchase or open?

@Jonesz, Nikka !7 - Screw Cap and not a single malt. ................. This one has a little bit of everything and a little extra sherry. "How do i like it?", you asked. I like it in a big glass two fingers deep - this one is special!

My first bottle of Japanese Malt Whisky.

Graham Parker & The Rumour, DISCOVERING JAPAN.

grooveshark.com//…

@chrisbator

I would be game for trying any cask strength bourbon priced reasonably....

@Jonesz

Bin 905 has some interesting finds. I found some Springband CS Claret Wood there when it was available nowhere else (online at least). Reasonably priced too (less than what I paid in 2011 in Ontario). Sadly, all gone now.

@paddockjudge Taketsuru 17 sounds like a keeper. I will keep an eye open for it while south this winter. @nozinan I have never shopped at Bin 905 in person, only found the Taketsuru 17 (at a reasonable price BTW) by shopping online. I will have to visit their sticks and bricks next time I'm out there. Thanx for the heads up.

@paddockjudge and @nozinan I just did some comparison shopping and Total Wines in Palm Desert Ca. want $129.99 while K & L Wines want $139.99 for the Taketsuru 17 (Average $135). Factor in the 86 cent dollar converts to about $161 Canadian after the money gougers take their cut. That makes the LCBO price of $116. a steal! I have noticed that there are fewer and fewer bargains on scotch south of the border. May have to come to Sudbury for the winter instead of the USA! BTW the Taketsuru 17 was listed at $117 plus 5% GST at Bin 905 in Wildrose country and I had thought that a bargain. Note however that the LCBO bottle is 700 ml and the USA ones would be 750 ml.

The twins have arrived home! 2 of the 6 remaining Bladnoch that my friend has in Florida made their way here, both 11 year old. One has a neck tag with exact dates of distillation and bottling, the other does not, and they have a different colour.

This leads me to believe they are fraternal twins, not from the same cask.

That's the thing with BLADNOCH, they are all single cask releases essentially. What I think happened is that he brought me the 11 year old I had ordered a long time ago, and one of the three I orderd in a panic when the distillery closed. The question is, which is which...ie: what 2 11 year olds do I have still to come?

What excitement. Like a surprise gift everytime he comes.

I found a local store that is selling the Octomore 6.1 for $150 so that shall be my next purchase.

@KRB80, if the stores near me are any indication, that's about the going rate now for a new Octomore. One place I shop has the 5.1 for $150; two separate places have the 6.1 for $160.

At $200, I wouldn't consider a purchase. At $150, I get a little tempted.

@OlJas Thanks for the info! I really want to try this but, of course, wonder if it is worth the money. I can buy 2 great bottles for the same price but something just keeps pulling me towards it.

@KRB80 If you can afford it, buy it. If it's a hardship, forget about it. It's great (well the 4.1 and 6.1 I've tasted are) but it's just a liquid. There's other stuff just as awesome out there.

Opening Alberta Premium 30 YO because the 35 YO iteration isn't ready yet.

@paddockjudge opening and finishing an AP30 on the same day? I hope that wasn't the same bottle... ;)

@Nozinan, shared with friends, a full bottle of AP30 would be a wonderful delight. This recently opened bottle will probably last a few years...and maybe longer if you open yours;)

Masterson's 10 YO Straight Rye Whiskey. Alberta Distillers Ltd. produces some of the very best Rye expressions and this is certainly one of them. I don't know how many batches 35 Maple will be bottling, this is Batch No.5. As a négociant, or independent bottler, 35 Maple does not have a dedicated source of whisky. The producer from which they source their whisky could change. I hope it doesn't. You can't go wrong putting away a few bottles of this one.

I have been eyeing the glendronach 15 revival for quite awhile. However I find myself wanting a peated whisky. I'm thinking about either the new NAS longrow peated or the springbank 12 CS. I lust for the springbank the most but its more pricey than the other two and I'm trying not to spend too much on whisky before summer.

Have you had one or more of them? Is the springbank all that I want it to be?

@Alexsweden

I have tried the glendronach 15, and liked it better than the 18. It is a very different beast from the springbank CS. Each batch is different, but the 2 I have had have been excellent..

As for what I am about to open, I embark to,or row on a whisky journey to meet up with a couple other Connosrs. Among the bottles I am bringing are sealed bottles of Bladnoch 12 (Armstrong era) Sherry matured at 55%, springbank claret wood (CS), Still Water Stalk and Barrel cask 1 single malt.

@Alexsweden: You must try a Springbank Whisky; they love what they do and there is a real chance you will too! It was a 'yardstick' Whisky for me for a long time, in fact it still is though it's getting harder to find all the time! I remember the old Springbank 21yo. and a Samaroli 12yo. bottling very fondly indeed!

Cheers and Good Luck.

Speaking of Springbank, anyone try the new(ish) 12 year Green edition? Wondering if it's worth the $100 asking price.

@broadwayblue

Ralfy really seemed to like the Green edition but he said it was not typical of the distillery's profile.

Thank you gentlemen for the input. I very much appreciate springbanks philosophy and I have tried an 18yr independent bottling and loved it. has anyone had the longrow peated?

@Nozinan, yeah, perhaps I'll save up for one of Springbank's new sherry cask offerings.

@Alexsweden , the Longrow Peated is totally good. Unless you're 100% about the peat, the Springbank 12 CS is even better. Get both if you can; that'll give you a chance to mix the two to achieve the 12 CS with a bit more peat. That just might be my perfect dram.

As I recently said elsewhere (on a blog comment or something), Springbank continues to make the only non-peated whisky that I really get excited about.

In an unfortunate turn of events the springbank 12 CS was made unavailable April 10th. I guess that kind of narrows down my choice though.I believe I'll be going for the longrow peated as my next purchase. thank you all for your input

And since I'm such an ambivalent soul... Here is an update... I'm ordering a bottle of longrow red! I just talked to a rep. from the importer, a very nice woman, who convinced me that the limited, discontinued longrow red is a solid buy. Really looking forward to sampling it

@Alexsweden , if the Longrow Red is the port version, then you're getting something that everyone seems to love. (I haven't had it.)

It is indeed the port cask version. I feel like a kid the day before Christmas!

Amrut Cask Strength

A local store just got this in today and I have been wanting to try it ever since I seen @Nozinan raving about it. I can't wait to try it. They usually stock Amrut Fusion which I've been trying to get but they said there was a shortage and some guy from Texas bought out their entire stock a couple months back.

@KRB80

Great catch! What batch did you get? The original (but not first) 2007 special edition comes in a box and the rest I believe are in canisters.

My brother in law confirmed for me today that my 2 bottles of the 2007 are now in the GTA, and will be in my possession tomorrow...

I've been thinking about the Arran 12 OB CS. I had it at a tasting a year or two ago and I remember thinking "this has nothing to offer but power." But then again, I really like power. Plus, I have a new IB Arran in the stash so I'd like to get a bit more acquainted with the core stuff.

And is it just me, or are Arran malts getting tons of press lately? I skim a handfull of blogs and whatnot on a regular basis, and it seems like half of them have featured an Arran in the past week or so.

Now to actually earn any of those green slips of paper in my wallet, the Arran will have to somehow convince me to choose it over Springbank 10 and Connemara NAS CS, both of which I have more practical reasons for taking home. So we'll see.

The next one I will buy is "The lost blend"