What are you drinking now?

[Ed]

Hello All,
I had my first Glen Rothes at the bar the other day. 1984 I believe. It was really wonderful. I had seen it on the shelf and considered buying it, but had always passed it by for something else. I won't do that next time.
Ed

[Lord_Pfaffin]

Hi Ed:
Glen Rothes was my first, can't remember the vintage but i thought it was liquid-candy at the time. Watch-it the stuff goes down real smooth, easy to get carried away.
Ardaíonn ár ngrá muid féin níos airde i gcónaí!

[Ed]

Hello Lord Pfaffin,
Yep, liquid candy sounds just about right. Lots of sherry. Fruity. Mmm. They like me at that place, so I always get a very generous pour. Later, I switched to Wild Turkey 12 year old, which is a great favorite of mine. It is a rye bourbon with lots of character from the oak. Rye burns a bit going down, which I like as long as it isn't too much, (Old Grand Dad 114 can burn too much sometimes) but it was a bit harsh following the Glen Rothes, at least the first few sips. I went home a happy man, I can tell you!
Ed

[Admiral]

I believe the Glenrothes 1992 is a bit of a disappointment. I've tried it twice now, about two or three months apart between each of the tastings, and I don't think it's a patch on the 1987 or the 1989, both of which were beautiful malts.

The still-older vintages are also sensational - particularly the 1973!

Cheers,
Admiral

[Deactivated Member]

I bought a new glass today, at the local liquor store for $2.99. It's a Courvoisier glass--could do without the printing, but it could be a lot worse--shaped like a snifter with no stem. The sticker on it says "BORMIOLI LUIGI SpA - Made in Italy - Unlead Cristal Glass". It sings when I rub the rim. It's slightly lopsided--don't know if that's intentional, but I rather like it; the straighter side is for the mouth, the more arched side is for the nose. This is very close to my dream glass. I would broaden the bottom slightly, and maybe make it a bit thinner; pinch the top a bit; and make even a little more lopsided. It's a little dangerous when wet, not having a stem or such to grab, but once dry it handles nicely.

I decided to christen it with something good--a precious dram of the Talisker Cask Strength. I have about a quarter of this bottle left. Despite the heat here, it's going down nicely. I hope the glass appreciates it, because it's going to help me finish off that awful Signatory UCF Highland Park soon enough.

[Lord_Pfaffin]

The eve of Canada Day, the line-ups at the beer stores are absolutely way out of hand (out the door and well down the block) liquor stores somewhat better. Last minute shopping for goods not available tomorrow has grocery stores so choked with people, i just didn't even bother going in, just drove home.
In the cool of my basement office away from the maddening rush i have poured myself a rather full glass of tonights starter JMR's Smokey and Peaty One as i find it very drinkable and that's what i need, a good drink. I have an opened bottle of Laga 16 which i'll sip on as a closer, by that time i hope my last nerve will be well on it's way in healing. Argh! What a day!

[Lord_Pfaffin]

Okay now that my last nerve is under control i've switched over to the Laga. I must say not as peaty on the nose as the JMR's but what a difference taste wise. The Laga has a pronounced peatiness by comparison, oh yeah and a small herd of other refinements. The perfect ending for a rat-race of a day. AAAAH! Now thats more like it! Happy Canada Day all!
Ardaíonn ár ngrá muid féin níos airde i gcónaí!

[MGillespie]

Happy Canada Day to all of our friends north of the border!

Slainte!

Mark

[bernstein]

Eifeler Landbier . Before that a Bowmore Legend, after that - mmh, I should wait and see...

[Deactivated Member]

Have a Glen Breton or a Forty Creek.

Listen to Great Big Sea, Natalie MacMaster, La Bottine Souriante, Daniel Lanois, Loreena McKennitt, Sarah MacLachlan, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Stompin' Tom, k d lang, Glenn Gould, Tom Cochrane, etc.

Be peaceable.

(Hope you aren't plagued by idiot kids with fireworks, like we are around here.)

[bernstein]

Have a Glen Breton or a Forty Creek.

I'm afraid the only Canadian item in our household at the moment is a 1 litre tin of Canadian Pure Maple Syrup from ontariomaplesyrup.com, which good friends brought from Halifax this spring.


I should get out our waffle-iron!

P.S. No idiot kids around here so far ...

[Crispy Critter]

Currently sipping a glass of Bruichladdich 3D... for the next one, I'll probably celebrate Canada Day and open one of my Forty Creeks... I'm not sure which one, yet.

[Deactivated Member]

Just killed my bottle of Lord Of The Isles. I had a very hard time getting into this, but of course the last few drams tasted really good--the malty body and blue-flamed peat finally came out of hiding. Well, I have another bottle set aside. I'll probably save it for a few years.

On the plus side, I killed the Signatory UCF Highland Park the other night. Even that tasted pretty good at the end of the bottle.

Slated next for death is the MMcD Clynelish. It still smells like popcorn. There will be a round of new openings next week.

[Lord_Pfaffin]

. There will be a round of new openings next week.

The prospect of many openings led the young intern to chose gynecology as a career.
Have fun playing doctor
Doing a bit of clean-up as well, just finishing off a bottle of Craiganmore 12 then on to the bottom of the Tobermory 10.

[Spirit of Islay]

I'm afraid the only Canadian item in our household at the moment is a 1 litre tin of Canadian Pure Maple Syrup

So It's Vatted then ?

[Deactivated Member]

Do Haligonians really need to buy maple syrup on-line from Ontario?

From Discovering Nova Scotia (http://collections.ic.gc.ca/natural/main.shtml):

In defence of the real thing: Good taste makes economic sense...

Why do you think major food brands manufacture artificial table syrup that has a "buttery, old-time" (i.e. maple) flavour?

It's not because their blend tastes better than the real thing. Our connoisseurs administered a taste test you may easily repeat: place a drop of the first substance on the tongue, take a sip of water or a bite of good white bread to clear the palate, and then try the same with the other substance.

With modern food chemistry artificial syrups can be made to taste somewhat like the real thing, but manufacturers admit they can't do the whole job in a test tube by the fact that a typical table syrup list of ingredients includes maple syrup or genuine maple flavouring.

So why do they bother to make table syrup? Because the raw ingredients - cane sugar, beet sugar, corn sugar - are cheap, so that table syrup winds up costing less than maple syrup.

Johnnie Red, anyone?

[Wendy]

I think it would be amiss to not toast "Live 8" that is taking place around the world today. Bryan Adams in Barrie, Ontario just finished a solo, accoustic guitar performance of "Tears Are Not Enough." It was brilliant. So, in the global spirit of this event, and the global spirit of this forum, Cheers!!
It is still a mystery what I will be sipping this evening...
Wendy

[Lucky Luke]

First of all : I would like to thank those who are responsible for this forum : it is great !
Non-commercial, it allows people to get interested just by the reviews of "lovers" to the subject, without any censorship, without any direct commercial objective; this forum allows "legally" voyeurs : guys like me to benefit grantly of the views and experiences of graduates in the field.
It is international forum whitch allows bourbon and sherry amateurs to discuss with the purists;
For a newcomer : just pure phantasm !!
BtW i was having a second taste of the 10 yr Bruichladdich (Laddie) : new since three weeks at an much older age then the majority (50 !!) I was allowed to get to know through the history of this forum .
This Laddie appears at this very moment the best : better for me then the Macallan 12yrs French Oak, good second, the glenlivet 15 yrs, and the Glenkinchie 10yr.
That resumes my first experience with malts....

Before it was all blends Grants, WHite Horse, JW red, later Chivas and best of all JW Black.

Just a starter ....

Unopnd are (your "fault"!) : Cragganmore 10, Delwhinnie 15 yr, Glenfiddich 15 ...
I still have a lot of work to do ....

Luke

A thing of beauty is a joy forever !

[bernstein]

Do Haligonians really need to buy maple syrup on-line from Ontario?

Yeah - I was beginning to ponder about the same thing...
I should ask our friends next time, how the heck they - as tourists - got hold of that tin.
Thanks for the "defence of the real thing"! Physical science is talking about possible parallel universes - proof executed!

P.S. And a warm welcome to you, Lucky Luke!

[Frodo]

Doing a bit of clean-up as well, just finishing off a bottle of Craiganmore 12 then on to the bottom of the Tobermory 10.

Lord P.:

What did you think of the Tobermory 10? And what did you like/not like about it?

[Frodo]

This Laddie appears at this very moment the best : better for me then the Macallan 12yrs French Oak, good second, the glenlivet 15 yrs, and the Glenkinchie 10yr.
That resumes my first experience with malts....

Before it was all blends Grants, WHite Horse, JW red, later Chivas and best of all JW Black.

Just a starter ....

Unopnd are (your "fault"!) : Cragganmore 10, Delwhinnie 15 yr, Glenfiddich 15 ...
I still have a lot of work to do ....


Luke

A thing of beauty is a joy forever !

Welcome to the forum Luke! I hope you'll find the topics and discussions are about ideas that you'll find interesting. Although people here seem to have different levels of experiance with whisky, all who are genuinely enthusiastic are welcome, as are people who simply want advice on a gift for someone.

It sounds like you've already started your journey with some impressive malts. The scary part is that there's so many more out there to try not to mention Bourbon, Irish, and miscellaneous others.

Welcome, and cheers!
Frodo

[Deactivated Member]

Welcome seconded, and extended to all you timid folk out there who are reading this, pondering whether to join in. Jump!

This evening I am having a Macallan 18 (1985 and up). I'm surprised to find that the bottle is more than half empty. Even more surprised to find that I'm starting to really, really like this.... But you know, I'm not sure it really tastes like whisky!

An odd (if off-topic) event--when I invoked the name of Peter Schickele somewhere hereabouts the other day, I had not the slightest inkling that I would be shaking the man's hand this evening. Strange! The WhiskyMag forum obviously has great power. I wonder if anything like that ever happened to Nicole Kidman....

[bernstein]

The same Peter Schickele as P.D.Q. Bach? What happened?
My Macallan 1985 is still unopened - and will stay so for while. Too many others are queueing up right now. But the peasure of anticipation is a sweet one!
Back on topic: Coffee and orangejuice, as it is one of these rare sunny lazy sunday mornings- sundaypapers and extensive breakfast. Participated in a local half-marathon yesterday, so no spirits before or after that - high spirits crossing the finish-line though .

[Frodo]

This evening I am having a Macallan 18 (1985 and up). I'm surprised to find that the bottle is more than half empty. Even more surprised to find that I'm starting to really, really like this.... But you know, I'm not sure it really tastes like whisky!

Mr. T:

Here's the $64000 question; do you think the Mac was worth what is usually charged for it? I know you usually get discounts for some bottlings, but if you paid top wack for it, would you think you got your money's worth?

Frodo

[Deactivated Member]

Yes, Bernie, the same. I was privileged to be sitting on the stage for a live broadcast of the radio show A Prairie Home Companion, which I'm sure is not familiar to those here who are not Americans, nor even to many who are. I think Schickele has long since retired the P D Q Bach schtick, but he performed a hilarious song that I could not begin to describe. After the show, I got to shake his hand, and I told him that, thanks to him, I cannot listen to Mozart's Jupiter Symphony without laughing.

Back to whisky...Frodo, I paid US$110, no discount, for the Macallan. I'm afraid I can't directly answer your question, in part because I think I look at whisky values in a manner somewhat different from you. I will say that, at this point (and subject to change), I don't think I'd buy another bottle; but neither do I regret buying this one. That's the best answer I can give you.

On the other hand, if I've won $64,000, I might buy that and a few other bottles as well.

[bernstein]

Yes, Bernie, the same. I was privileged to be sitting on the stage for a live broadcast of the radio show A Prairie Home Companion, which I'm sure is not familiar to those here who are not Americans, nor even to many who are.

...where the women are strong, the men are good looking, and all of the children are above average?
I'm digging out remote memories of the mid 80's - seeing young Bernie sitting in his room somewhere in Philadelphia, a graduate student back then and listing with great joy to WHYY, public radio in the Delaware Valley... Good to hear, the show is still going on!

[Frodo]

Back to whisky...Frodo, I paid US$110, no discount, for the Macallan. I'm afraid I can't directly answer your question, in part because I think I look at whisky values in a manner somewhat different from you. I will say that, at this point (and subject to change), I don't think I'd buy another bottle; but neither do I regret buying this one. That's the best answer I can give you.

So out of curiosity, how do you look at (or consider) value when buying whisky?

[MGillespie]

Just killed my bottle of Lord Of The Isles. I had a very hard time getting into this, but of course the last few drams tasted really good--the malty body and blue-flamed peat finally came out of hiding. Well, I have another bottle set aside. I'll probably save it for a few years.

On the plus side, I killed the Signatory UCF Highland Park the other night. Even that tasted pretty good at the end of the bottle.

Slated next for death is the MMcD Clynelish. It still smells like popcorn. There will be a round of new openings next week.

Coming to a TV network near you...CSI: Scotland!

[Deactivated Member]

Just killed my bottle of Lord Of The Isles. I had a very hard time getting into this, but of course the last few drams tasted really good--the malty body and blue-flamed peat finally came out of hiding. Well, I have another bottle set aside. I'll probably save it for a few years.

On the plus side, I killed the Signatory UCF Highland Park the other night. Even that tasted pretty good at the end of the bottle.

Slated next for death is the MMcD Clynelish. It still smells like popcorn. There will be a round of new openings next week.

Coming to a TV network near you...CSI: Scotland!

My goodness...I didn't even realize how violent I was getting...whole lot o' killing going on.

Frodo, again, I don't think I can give you a direct answer, except to say that I don't think I'm as relentlessly rational about it as you are. I picture you sitting at a tasting, muttering to yourself, "That's worth $45...that's worth $70...I wouldn't pay more than $37.49 for that." You're certainly more value-conscious than I am, which is great--Frodo's point of view is definitely appreciated here.

I'll have to ponder this a bit and get back to you.

[bernstein]

Macallan 12 (sherry) - Holy beaver! - where does all that hazelnut come from? I just love it!

[Admiral]

Holy beaver? One would hope so!

(Hmmm.....you're spreading bad habits, Mr T! )

[Crispy Critter]

Tonight I started out with Compass Box Asyla, and then finished up with Old Rip Van Winkle 15yo. The Asyla is a very nice blended Scotch, sweet with a touch of smoke in the background; the ORVW has a delicious spicy tang to it.

[Ed]

Hello All,
Tonight is a Buffalo Trace night. All Bourbon.
Started out with Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel. Lovely, sweet bourbon. Nice spice to it.
Next was Eagle Rare Single Barrel 10 year old. Not as sweet, fresh leathery nose. Again, nice spice.
Followed that with Eagle Rare 101 10 year old. Good bourbon at a good price. I hear that it will be discontinued, so if you like it you should stock up. I had thought that I preferred it to the Eagle Rare Single Barrel 10 year old, but after tonight's tasting, I am not so sure. I followed the Eagle Rare 101 10 year old with just a drop more of the Eagle Rare Single Barrel 10 year old. The Eagle Rare Single Barrel 10 year old wins hands down.
Now I am drinking some George T. Stagg Spring 2005. Wow! This is really growing on me. At first pour the high proof, 65.9% abv, makes the nose too strongly alcoholic. Burns my nose. I find myself blowing into the glass to dilute the fumes so I can smell it. Sip it a while and it becomes much more accessible, especially as the finger pour gets down to an eighth of a inch covering the bottom of the glass. Lots of rye spice without too much of the rye burn that some other high rye mash bills can give you. Honey sweetness comes through with lots of barrel character, leathery oak, with some vanilla, not much, perhaps some fruitiness, but I can't put my finger on what fruit. Obviously, from the order that I have stated I drank them in, I had quite a bit of alcohol before I got to the Stagg. That was intentional. Earlier forays into this bottle I had started with the Stagg and had had trouble with the high proof and the rye burn. With a few good pours to prepare my palate, (Numb isn't quite the word I want, but honesty requires at least a nod in that direction) and I find myself really enjoying this pour. In fact, I find I am tempted to start searching the web for more of this Elixir so that I can bunker dozens of bottles of it for the future. On second thought, I will just trust Buffalo Trace to continue to make superlative whiskey. Seems like a pretty safe bet.
Ed

[MGillespie]

Yes, Bernie, the same. I was privileged to be sitting on the stage for a live broadcast of the radio show A Prairie Home Companion, which I'm sure is not familiar to those here who are not Americans, nor even to many who are.

...where the women are strong, the men are good looking, and all of the children are above average?
I'm digging out remote memories of the mid 80's - seeing young Bernie sitting in his room somewhere in Philadelphia, a graduate student back then and listing with great joy to WHYY, public radio in the Delaware Valley... Good to hear, the show is still going on!

That's the one...though I think the good Lutherans of Lake Woebegon would probably not be inclined to join in our taste for Scotch...I could be wrong, though.

I envy you, T...listened to PHC for years, and have never had the chance to attend a live broadcast...and Bernie, how come we're just now finding out about your time in Philly??? Penn or Temple?

Luke, forgive me for not welcoming you earlier...make yourself at home, and feel free to wander off-topic occasionally...it livens things up!

Mark

[Deactivated Member]

I got paid to spend a couple of days with those folks. Sometimes my job is really cool!