What is the next bottle you purchase or open?

Seven 8 oz/239 ml bottles I have promoted from storage to the drinking shelf to be 'opened' soon: 4 malts, 2 ryes, and 1 bourbon:

1) Highland Park 15 yo I have missed this one! It has been ages since I've consumed any Highland Park.

2) Aberlour 10 yo, 43% ABV

3) Glengoyne 10 yo

4) Stranahan's Colorado Single Malt Whiskey

5) Alberta Premium 30 yo I have missed this one, too.

6) Willett Family Estate, 4 yo, 55% ABV, Barrel # 2612

7) Eagle Rare 10 yo

Why so many simple malts? They are exemplars of barley for demonstrations, and they are easy drinking and easy to go through.

It has been too long since I have had some Willett Family Estate Rye.

@Victor am I the only one who enjoys that you have a designated drinking shelf?

@sengjc - been casting an eye over the Dailuaine 16 F&F myself . . .

@nooch, well, the 'drinking shelf' is where the readily accessible bottles are, on two floors of the house. Most of the ones which have been decanted into 16 oz and 8 oz bottles are packed into boxes which are out of sight and out of mind, most of the time. There are so many bottles open that I sometimes lose track of the decanted and stored ones. I forget about them for long periods of time.

@RianC They are supposed to be ‘discontinued’ but there seems to be plenty of the Dailuaine around still.

Having said that, I am looking for another bottle of the Mortlach 16YO in the Flora & Fauna series but that particular bottling appears to be well and truly gone today.

@sengjc - Yeah there seems to be some of the Dailuaine available in the UK and not for silly money, yet.

I tried the ML F&F 16 the other night and it was excellent. Think that one has definitely discontinued as I'd have to pay £200 for a bottle . . .

If everything goes as I hope, Tomorrow afternoon I will open my bottle of Glenborrodale batch 2. I know very little about this blended malt (I believe). Once opened, I hope to have time for some online research before I do a review.

Tomorrow I shall likely open 3 bottles - but I'm being secretive! I'm not telling! Mwah ha ha.

@talexander I hope you will disclose them at some point.

So envious.. You always have such good stuff!

@Nozinan Oh, don't worry - tomorrow, all will be revealed...

I just opened a bottle of Blanton's Straight from the Barrel @ 65.85% ABV

What an experience

I have been quite inactive as of late. In here aswell as in my cabinet. I just haven't felt like indulging. Although now I'm contemplating buying a bottle of Ardbeg An Oa. Something to spark my interest again. How do you like the new Ardbeg?

@Alexsweden, I haven't had the An Oa, and I don't really plan to.

This is no comment on its quality, but I object to its existence in the market. It sounds like a (literally) watered-down Oogie. And this 46% NAS thing is priced ~50% more than the Ten, up in Oogie territory.

Most reviewers say it's perfectly good, though. If you don't find the "specs" objectionable, I say go for it. I bet you'll like it.

Went on a bit of a peat run. I picked up a Bowmore 12, Laphroaig Quarter Cask and Ardbeg 10 and one non-peated (Glengoyne 15).

@MadSingleMalt I hear you! I have tried it and i really did like it. In Sweden the ten is 50€ and the an oa is 60€ so no great difference there either. However its not by any means better than a good Ardbeg ten, so maybe one should opt for that one instead.... So many choices! :)

Some recent acquisitions:

• another bottle of the Benrinnes 15YO “Flora & Fauna”

• a bottle of the Port Charlotte PC12 “Oileanach Furachail”

• a bottle of the 2011 Kilchoman Madeira Cask (bottled in 2015)

• a bottle of the Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage 1998

@sengjc - How is the Benrinnes? I've recently delved into the F&F range and wonder if it's worth grabbing some more before they're gone?

Speaking of which - very jealous of the PC12

@sengjc, dang—the PC12 & the Kilchoman! Nice grabs.

Just picked up a couple of old blends at the LCBO/Waddington's auction (I was the only bidder on them so maybe I got them at a good price?) Ne Plus Ultra from Dewar's (1970s) and Bell's 20 Year Old (standard bottle, not a Bell's Decanter), I believe from the 1960s (as usual, the auction website is atrocious at giving any info).

@talexander - Enjoy! Do report on the Bells - I'd be very interested to see how that fared back in the day.

@RianC As good as Bell's may be, it won't beat the Dewer's, it says so itself...

@talexander Thanks for putting the Waddingtons auctions on the radar here, I definitely will keep my open for the next one as I am a fan of older blends (or at least the few I have tasted).

I did notice some of those vintage Bells bottles and the Nec' plus ultra blend didn't have much bidders, good catch!

If you feel up to it would you share a little bit of your experiences purchasing from the auction in a post?

@cricklewood Sure - I've also purchased bottles through Bonham's (when they were selling bottles in NYC), Scotch Whisky Auctions, Skinner in Boston and Whisky Auctions in the UK. There are vagaries around each one and buying bottles at auctions outside of Ontario is not easy. You can't ship alcohol into Ontario so I have them shipped to a mailbox in Niagara Falls NY. And I screwed up once with a bottle I bought at Skinners in Boston - I actually couldn't feasibly ship it out of state so I did a weekend vacation there. The selection at the LCBO auction is very slim compared to others, but if you're based in Ontario it is the easiest to purchase from. The trick is to do your research and see what the same (or similar) bottles go for in the marketplace, so you don't overpay. And set a budget beforehand, so things don't get out of hand! Myself, I'm willing to pay more for a bottle I'm holding onto as an investment (again, as long as I'm not overpaying), but I'll pay less for a bottle that I'm eyeing to buy for enjoyment. With this one, I couldn't believe what people were paying for BTAC bottles. Two years ago, I won the LCBO BTAC lottery and bought a Van Winkle 12 for $120; a year later I sold it to a friend of a friend for $400. I thought I was so so smart.....until I saw the same bottle sell for $1300+ at this last auction. Insane.

@RianC

I am yet to open any of the bottles of Benrinnes 15YO F&F that I have although this particular bottle is earmarked for consumption since I managed to get it for a low price at the local wine auctions. Just have to find the free time which is hard to come by these days having recently become a new parent - LOL.

Having said that, I do remember liking the Stronachie 18YO, which I hear is essentially Benrinnes malt, when I had it a few years back. Thus I anticipate that I would likely enjoy this too.

@sengjc - Congrats! I have an 18 month old son so I get where you're coming from. I'm really not understanding how folk manage to cope with more than one . . .

Enjoy! (both)

@RianC, you just get the old one to watch the new one. The problem solves itself!

@talexander Thanks again for the details, much like Ebay I think it's important to set an amount your willing to spend beforehand to avoid the frenzy of last minute sniping.

Yeah the restrictions in shipping as well as the cost of doing so is the big deal breaker with dealing with MOM, TWE or UK auctions. I gotta befriend someone who travels to the UK more often, I have one source but she's such a sweet old lady I can't bother her more than once a year at best.

I didn't think about the US post boxes, but won't you have to spend 48hrs in US to avoid paying duty on your bottle?

@cricklewood That is correct, one would have to pay duty if they just drove across and came back again. It's the scarcity vs. price argument. If I really want the bottle, and have no other way of getting it, what else can I do??

@sengjc I would love to get my hands on a PC12! I've only ever had one other bottle from the PC series (PC7 - shuolda bought the others while I had the chance) but it was a phenomenal dram.

My next purchase will probably be a Springbank 18 but Kilchoman Loch Gorm has piqued my interest. I've read a lot of superlative reviews about Kilchoman (especially the Loch Gorm) and my curiosity is starting to get the best of me. I tried Machir Bay a few years ago at a tasting with friends but don't remember it. My buddy is gonna give me sample of the Sanaig this week.

I doubt I'll be buying this any time soon but I see a new 13 Ledaig Amontillado cask finish at 59.2% is out at MoM.

I'd love to try that . . .