Which bottle did you just buy and why?

@ jonathan: I think for the foreseeable future I'll just leave it in my cabinet.

@Jonathan, I'll second @Hewie about the Longrow Reds. I can't really keep them all straight, and some are definitely better than others, but all the ones I've had are (a) solid, and (b) much more "dark red" rather than "bright red."

They're good stuff, but for me, I'm probably done buying them now that they usually go for more than $100. In my mind, they're solid $80 bottles, but nothing so great that they're worth going over $100 for.

@MadSingleMalt I'm looking at $125...

@cherylnifer that's a great purchase. I had a bottle of OP21 a few years back. Loved it. I'd say one of the top 5 bottles I've ever had. If I saw one in a shop in the UK for a sensible price I wouldn't hesitate for a second to snap it up.

@Jonathan You might want to checkout a youtube whisky reviewer (assuming this is your thing) called Whisky Whistle, he just did a review of the Longhorn Red. At least this will give you one person's impressions of it.

I just acquired:

• One bottle of Talisker 18 Year Old
• One bottle of Glendronach 15 Year Old Revival, which, according to this famous infographic, makes the whisky at least 20 years old. wordsofwhisky.com/wp-content/uploads/…

@OdysseusUnbound Is it the 15yo Revival which is exclusively Oloroso, or is it the more recent expression Revivel (aka Re-Revival) that is a combination of PX and Oloroso matured?

I got two bottles of the more recent Re-Revival, and gave one to my cousin. He enjoys a lot, while I miss the old Revival, but can enjoy this new expression nonetheless.

Bunnhabhain 12 (I like it a lot and it cam with two Glencairn glasses) Laphroaig Quarter Cask A back up of Paul John Peated 55%--at 55$

Anyone else notice that Laphroaig can't redeem points for a while? (it's been a few months)

@ajjarrett My bottle says Oloroso, which is good for me (barring any sulphur tainting) since I find too much PX influence cloying and over-sweet.

@OdysseusUnbound damn man. Tali 18 in Canada! I need to join whatever buy/sell group you're into. I think the Tali 18 is disappearing from the line-up too or at least I've read some rumours to that effect. With the arrival of Talisker 15CS as part of the special releases in 2019 and all those NAS versions they have I wouldn't be surprised.

An old revival is an awesome catch, such a great whisky and should be a fun comparison with your much beloved 12yr old version.

@OdysseusUnbound

Damn man is right! You got the goods!

Okay, I just got a bad case of whisky envy! Still a lot better than 'Facebook Envy,' and healthier too. ^_^

@ajjarrett A man with 57 bottles of Nadurra 0814D with bottle envy?

@cricklewood Talisker 15 CS? I thought it was 8 YO CS

@Nozinan

57? Maybe 56, but not 57.

Just put an order in for the Old Pulteney 18. Tasted it at the distillery last year and thought it was excellent. Quite different from the 17, which seems to still be available in some areas and same price as the 18. As I still have three 17s in the bunker I thought I'd try a full bottle of the 18 and do a H to H.

@cricklewood It will be interesting indeed...especially considering that my Glendronach 12 was bottled in 2010, making it 15 years old according to that now famous chart. Fun times.

@cricklewood Drop me a PM if you want details on said FB group(s).

@Nozinan Diageo dropped a teaser of the 2019 special releases (which are all usually caks strength) no Coal Ila unpeated, no blended malt, 15yr old Talisker, 14 year Cardhu, 12yr old Cragganmore (@casualtorture we may yet get our wish) and 12 yr old Lagavulin.

Those are the ones susceptible to be within the affordable range, there will some older whiskys (mortlach pyttivaich Dalwhinnie etc.. Brora & Port Ellen are now they're own seperate inflated thing.

@OdysseusUnbound there's batch variation with the GD15 but they are all pretty solid.

I'd love more info on the FB group but I'm afraid I don't have FB

@ajjarrett At your recommendation to @Jonathan I watched the Whisky Whistle review of the Longrow 11 Pinot Noir. Man he loved that bottle. I'm going to return to mine soon to see how it's getting on with a little air after the first few drams. To be honest, I've never watched this guy before but I actually really like his slow approach - he's not as verbose as many reviewers. He definitely holds this bottle in high regard - I'm glad I managed to snag one myself.

Just placed an order for the Amrut Portonova.

Why? Because as a generally big Amrut fan, I've been curious about this one for quite a while and further so by the excellent reviews it has received.

And, because Amazon again had this crazy offer on it at £33/$41USD which is the best I've ever seen.

@RikS that's an incredible price for that whisky.

@RikS @cricklewood

I don't think crazy does it justice. Insane maybe?

If that were available in Canada, it would be sold out and I would be building a new cabinet just for Amrut.

@Nozinan I definitely would have picked up a couple at that price, as it is now I have a batch #1 bottle I am not quite willing to open just yet.

@cricklewood, my BIL found me a bottle of Portovona on sale in Calgary last fall ($115). It's a batch 6. I got it precisely because I didn't want to open my batch 1 just yet.... Waiting to open it with my MP friend who likes port-matured scotch.

A bottle of Smith and Cross Jamaica Rum. I've wanted to try some Jamaican rum for a while and was debating this or Appleton 12. Reviews suggest this will be fairly 'in your face' and an intense experience - always best to dive in head first I say It was also a bit cheaper and came with free delivery.

Has anyone here tried this and if so, thoughts?

@RianC

This is a fantastic rum. I first tasted it in Collingwood in 2015 when @Victor introduced me to it. It was available. At the LCBO and I bought it. I still have 1 bottle left (another was traded for another rum).

It has an amazing nose. I get nutmeg. Most of my use has been in flambéed bananas. It ads great flavour.

Nice as a supper too. I would definitely buy again.

@cricklewood - Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

(I'm referring to the Tali 18 news which I hope is merely rumour . . . )

@Nozinan - Good to know, thanks

@cricklewood @Nozinan Yea, I know. Pretty bonkers. But, seems that this is how the pricing algorithm on Amazon works here in Europe...

So, I've put most of the expressions I'd like to have on monitoring with this online system I use. And then, it's like lazy fishing... hang around and wait, and eventually, a $150 bottle will start it's decent... The trick seems to be to hit the right timing and get it at the lowest price, for I've also seen that once the sales pick up again, then within a few hours it snaps back from $35 to $150.

Don't think I'll open this one for a while though, cause the silly consequence of the above is that I end up buying stuff because it's "too good a deal not to" and my cabinet is starting to fill up with unopened bottles in boxes :-)