Your Top 5 of 2015

• Kilkerran WIP 7 Bourbon CS. Wonderful whisky! I hope they will release the bourbon whisky at cask strength when the 12 year old is released.
• Redbreast 12 CS. So good! I was so impressed by this whisky that I bought the 15 year old straight away. The 15 year old was good too, but not even close to the brilliant 12 CS!
• Benromach 10 CS. Perfect mix of peat and great cask influence. Buy it if you haven't tried it (that tip goes for all whiskies on this list ;-) j
• Teeling 21. After three fairly young cask strength whiskies comes an old irish whisky that really impressed me. Its a pity its so expensive, but it is well worth the money anyway! The much cheaper Teeling Single malt also impressed me quite a lot. Its a different whisky though....
• Compass Box The Lost Blend. Wow! I really like both the box and the whisky inside is even better. If you find it buy it - it will soon be lost again!

That was my list for 2015. I had many good whiskies during this year, but these are the ones that stund out for me. Its nice to see three reasonably young whiskies. That makes me believe in the future of the industry. Two irish whiskies on the list also makes me glad. I have a bottle of 21 year old Bushmills at home that I hope will be a choice for next years list. A pity it is bottled at 40%...

If you except The Lost Blend there is no NAS on the list. I dont really see Compass Box's bottlings as NAS, even if that actually is what they are. The whisky industry is going in the wrong direction with all these NAS bottlings, so I'm really happy to see such good fairly young whiskies as Benromach, Kilkerran and Redbreast on my best list. When Compass Box openly told their buyers what was inside their NAS whisky they got i trouble. That is a step in the wrong direction to me. I would - as a consumer of this fantastic drink - really appreciate to know what I'm buying. Compass Box's decision to state which whiskies that is inside is a way to be honest to their buyers in my oppinion.

I have a couple of unopened whiskies in my collection that I'm really looking forward to try. These include:

• Bushmills 21
• Port Charlotte 12
• Compass Box Flaming Heart 15th anniversary
• Longrow 18
• Talisker 18

With those and many more on the shelf I do think it will be an interesting whisky year in 2016. That all for now from me. Take good care and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

1. Gooderham and Worts Naturally Small Batch Lot #4

2. Four Roses Private Selection OBSQ

3. Booker's 2015-01 - I'm with Victor, only better booker's I've had is 25th anniversary.

4. Myers Legend Rum

5. Casa Noble Single Barrel Extra Anejo Tequilla

So many excellent Drams this year. A Top 5 won't do justice. Here are my favourite Releases of 2015 (so far...):

10.) Glen Garioch 1993 Maltbarn 21 Yo 9.) Glen Grant 1990 Archives 25 Yo Cask #15230 8.) Tobermory 1994 Cadenhead 20 Yo 7.) Ardbeg Perpetuum Distillery Release 6.) Boyne 2001 Black Corbie 13 Yo Cask #10822 5.) Laphroaig 15 Yo 200th Anniversary 4.) Longrow Red 11 Yo Pinot Noir 3.) Kilchoman Loch Gorm 2015 2.) Bowmore 1990 Whiskybroker 25 Yo Cask #1163 1.) Glendronach 1995 19 Yo Cask #3804

(...and I'm still hoping for a few surprises for the rest of the Year!)

I forgot one. It needs to be mentioned because it really was the most decadent bottle I opened this year:

Glendronach 17YO 1996, Oloroso aged (CS single barrel). This one's PX aged brother tends to get all the praise, but I personally thought that it had a bitterness on the finish. Not so on this one - Thick sweet butterscotch for days...

Laphroaig 18 Lagavulin 12, Release 2012 Signatory Hazelburn 8 Sauternes 2002 Kavalan Solist ex Bourbon Exclusive Malts - Ben Nevis 17

@goldfilm

Laphroaig 18

Lagavulin 12, Release 2012

Signatory Hazelburn 8 Sauternes 2002

Kavalan Solist ex Bourbon

Exclusive Malts - Ben Nevis 17

Hmmm... I just scored an Elmer T Lee that is fantastic, but the things I have repeatedly enjoyed this year include: (Looks like I focused on rebuilding a depleted Bourbon stock) Four Roses Single Barrel Michters Toasted Barrel (xmas gift from last year - trying to get it to last until this christmas) Jura - SIgnatory Heavily Peated bottling (1989) Rock Hill Farms Single Barrel (working on third bottle of the year) Maker's 46

I've tasted many excellent whiskies this year. Those selected as my top picks are from expressions which I have in my cabinet or from expressions of which I had the good fortunate to enjoy more than once.

5) Cadenhead 24 YO Potter's Indian Corn Canadian Whisky 56.5% alc/vol

4) Booker's True Barrel Bourbon Batch No. 2015-01 7 yrs 2 mo 16 days 64.35% alc/vol

3) Old Pulteney 16 YO 1989 Whisky Galore 46% alc/vol

2) Glendronach 1994 Single Cask 17 YO Oloroso Sherry Puncheon #1503 Bottle 544/671, 54.9% abv

1) WhistlePig The Boss Hog 13 YO RYE 123.2 pf Barrel #20 'Spirit of Mortimer' 2014

@paddockjudge

Great list! the last two sound really good. I wonder how you got your hands on such rare gems!

I believe we have tasted the Cadenhead's from the same bottle. It was quite a treat.

@paddockjudge

A few sips into a dram of Glendronach 1994 Single Cask 17 YO Oloroso Sherry Puncheon #1503 Bottle, 54.9% abv, I have to say I would probably swap this one into my list for the Claret wood!

I kindof wish I got more than one of these when it was on sale....

@Onibubba, I opened a few bottles this week that I saved for year's end. One is Glendronach 1994 Single Cask 17 YO Oloroso Sherry Puncheon #1503 Bottle 544/671, 54.9% abv.

It is brilliant!

I wish somehow we could trade drams, your 1996 for my 1994.

A BIG thanks to @Nosebleed for harvesting this beauty and @Nozinan for carrying it halfway across the continent!

1. Blanton's Original Single Barrel.
2. Copper Fox Rye Whisky.
3. Auchentoshan Heartwood.
4. Powers Gold Label Irish Whiskey.
5. Glenfiddich 15 yo Solera.

I have tasted a number of fantastic drams this year. However, some have been from bottles that have been opened for quite some time. So I am going to give the top 5 bottles I have opened and tasted with pen in hand this year in order from highest average score to lowest.

William Larue Weller 68.1% (2013)

Longrow 11yo Rundlets & Kilderkins 51.7% (9000 bottles released 2013).

Ardbeg Corryvreckan 57.1% L11 279

Sazerac 18yo 45% (2014)

Ardbeg Supernova 55% SN2014

Yes, sadly, I enjoyed the Supernova SN2014 less than a bottle of standard Corry! I will have to revisit the SN2014 in the new year to see how it is changing. I just opened it on 12/20 and have been out of town ever since.

This year was a great year went to a few whisky events, drank alot special releases at these events but I still come back to my favorites so here's my Top 5 for 2015:

Talisker 10 yr, Talisker 18, Balblair 2002, Scapa 16, and Glendronach 15 yr.

Hope everyone had a great year looking forward to 2016!

1. Redbreast 12yr CS

4.Lagavulin DE 1991

1. Old Grand Dad BIB from National Distillers 8yr bottled in 1989

2. Willett 24 yr Rye Barrel 446

1.Willett 25 yr Rye Barrel 1780

The Willett ryes are really 1a and 1b , fantastic stuff