What Wee Dram Are You Enjoying Now - Spring/Summer 2013

[jeffrey r]

Had a nice pour of Knappogue Castle 12 Yr last night. It was quite tasty--much better than my first pour a few weeks ago. I had literally taken the open bottle from my cabinet, and put it in the bunker. Stumbled upon it in the bunker last night, and gave it another shot. Glad I did, as it is a nice single malt. Not my favorite style, but a good Irish whiskey at around $35.

[whiskeyagonzo]

Had another healthy pour of Redbreast 12 CS. Have a feeling this bottle won't last long.

[jtgraves]

Had another healthy pour of Redbreast 12 CS. Have a feeling this bottle won't last long.

I have yet to run into one of the cask strength. I'm a fan of the normal 12, so I'm really looking forward to trying it in its not watered down form.

[smokinjoe]

Had another healthy pour of Redbreast 12 CS. Have a feeling this bottle won't last long.

I positively ripped through my first bottle in record time. Whereas, I really liked the regular Redbreast, the Cask Strength offering takes this whiskey to another dimension. In my Top 5 whiskies of any kind.

[JVande]

Haven't really gotten into Scotch YET. Probably because all of my previous experiences have not been very memorable until now. On a friends recommendation, picked up the Balvenie 17 year Doublewood. Damn, it was tasty! Any other recommendations close to this profile or bottles to branch out and try?

[tanstaafl2]

Haven't really gotten into Scotch YET. Probably because all of my previous experiences have not been very memorable until now. On a friends recommendation, picked up the Balvenie 17 year Doublewood. Damn, it was tasty! Any other recommendations close to this profile or bottles to branch out and try?

Probably a long list! The more experienced whisky drinkers here may have some better suggestions.

You are starting out at kind of the higher end of basic consumers range. Distilleries tend to have their own distinct profile and so the Balvenie 12yo doublewood is also nice and would be somewhat similar at half the cost. But if you like a finished Highland/Speyside style whisky you might consider the trio of Glenmorangie finished 12yo whiskies which includes a sherry finish like the Balvenie as well as a port and sauternes finished whisky. Glenfarclas 105, Glendronach 15yo revival, Aberlour 12yo or 16yo double cask all have a sherry finish that is nice but each is likely to be a little different.

"The" Macallan is in that same general category but prices for that have generally gone up based on the name as much as the contents. A Macallan 12 probably cost nearly what the Balvenie 17 does and the Mac 17 is likely twice as much.

[bigtoys]

Opened my Amrut Fusion (India). They import peated barley from Scotland and also use barley from the Himalayan foothills. They distill and age them separately. Then they marry them. Although they say they're looking for subtle peat, it's pretty peaty, but I like that. It's really smooth. Maybe smoother with a little water added. I got to try it at Binny's Whisky Night before Whiskyfest, so I knew I liked it.

I think the Sherry cask was the other one I tried and liked, but didn't buy that one.

[bigtoys]

Bowmore 12 tonight. good peat level. quite smooth and rich with a little water added

[bearmark]

Lonach 36 Year Old Blend… continues to improve over the last several weeks.

[miller542]

Because it may not be available much longer, I sprang for a bottle of Johnnie Walker Green Label. Every 3-4yrs I venture to a whiskey other than bourbon and I am instantly reminded why it will be another 3-4yrs until I venture away from bourbon again: only bourbon does it for me.

My quick and dirty impression of the green label: smooth and good, clearly a quality product, but I can't get over how much it tastes like a tequila/bourbon blend.

Its ok, this bottle of JW GL will have a home tucked in the back of the bar for a long time to come and will eventually be revisited. Someday.

[tanstaafl2]

Trying the Aberlour Abunad'h 40 and 41 again. Still like both with the 40 winning out this time by a nose, as it were. Then finished off with a bit of the Talisker 175th. Excellent as always!

[WhiskyRI]

On a trip to Alaska and my drams this evening were limited to the 50ml bottles in my 1-quart TSA approved bag. I had a black grouse for the first time - enjoyable. And I'm finishing the night with a Glenmorangie Nectar D'or. The Nectar is my favorite entry level Glenmo by far. Great way to start off a trip.

[geereg]

A bit of Scapa 12.

[Yeti]

this bottle of JW GL will have a home tucked in the back of the bar for a long time to come and will eventually be revisited. Someday.

I have a few JW Greens packed away for a rainy day. My best friend keeps a bottle open on his bar, and I think I'm the only one who ever drinks it (about 2oz. every 4-6 months, so it's mostly still there). I really love the nose on Green, but I can't ever love drinking it. It's good, obviously a quality product, but knowing exactly what's in it I'd much rather have a sip of any constituent single malt.

I opened up one of my Longmorn 17 year sherry cask bottles last night. First drink was very good, but not amazing. It's a sherry bomb as I think it was intended, and considering the price I'm inclined to compare it to younger offerings like A'bunadh, Glenfarclas 105, and Macallan CS. It's lighter on the palate than any of the three, and less sweet with a bit more spice. The thinner mouthfeel gives way to a massive and lasting finish which is by far my favorite part of this whisky so far. It's not as complex as you might hope, and my inclination is that an official 17 year Glenfarclas or Aberlour CS would probably blow this away. But if you can ignore the expectation of great depth from a 17 year bottle I think this is an excellent sherry bomb at an excellent price.

[tanstaafl2]

Because it may not be available much longer, I sprang for a bottle of Johnnie Walker Green Label. Every 3-4yrs I venture to a whiskey other than bourbon and I am instantly reminded why it will be another 3-4yrs until I venture away from bourbon again: only bourbon does it for me.

My quick and dirty impression of the green label: smooth and good, clearly a quality product, but I can't get over how much it tastes like a tequila/bourbon blend.

Its ok, this bottle of JW GL will have a home tucked in the back of the bar for a long time to come and will eventually be revisited. Someday.

I have a few JW Greens packed away for a rainy day. My best friend keeps a bottle open on his bar, and I think I'm the only one who ever drinks it (about 2oz. every 4-6 months, so it's mostly still there). I really love the nose on Green, but I can't ever love drinking it. It's good, obviously a quality product, but knowing exactly what's in it I'd much rather have a sip of any constituent single malt.

I have a couple of JW Greens tucked away as well. As much as I like the individual malts, Talisker and Caol Ila in particular, I can find a place for the Green as well.

Had never thought about it as a bourbon/tequila combo but that sounds pretty good to me. After all most tequila spends time in a bourbon barrel anyway. Will have to try another sample of the Green to see.

[smokinjoe]

All of the recent talk of Japanese whiskies got me hankerin' for my favorite. So, a scrumptious pour of Nikka From the Barrel. :yum:

[BigRich]

Last night was a couple of healthy pours of an indy bottling of 22 year old Mortlach.

[ChainWhip]

Last night was a couple of healthy pours of an indy bottling of 22 year old Mortlach.

Chieftain's? If so, I am enamored with the one by KL.

[tanstaafl2]

Can't seem to stay out of the Talisker 175th Anniversary bottle. Mighty fine whisky!

May finally break into the 2004 25yo CS Talisker this weekend for a little comparison of different Taliskers.

[ChainWhip]

Can't seem to stay out of the Talisker 175th Anniversary bottle. Mighty fine whisky!

May finally break into the 2004 25yo CS Talisker this weekend for a little comparison of different Taliskers.

Only a few more days left on the BOTM - I vote "Yes" on cracking the 25yr ;-)

[AaronWF]

May finally break into the 2004 25yo CS Talisker this weekend for a little comparison of different Taliskers.

Do it! I opened up one of these the other week. I've had a pour or two and intend to get my thoughts in the FWotM thread before the end of the month, but so far I'm underwhelmed. Tasted against a recent 18yo, the 18yo is better on just about all counts: richer with more sherry influence as well as spicier and more peppery. The 25yo is sadly much less expressive.

[ChainWhip]

Do it! I opened up one of these the other week. I've had a pour or two and intend to get my thoughts in the FWotM thread before the end of the month, but so far I'm underwhelmed. Tasted against a recent 18yo, the 18yo is better on just about all counts: richer with more sherry influence as well as spicier and more peppery. The 25yo is sadly much less expressive.

Aaron-

Was your 25yr cask strength or the standard 45.8% ABV?

[AaronWF]

Aaron-

Was your 25yr cask strength or the standard 45.8% ABV?

CS @ 57.8%. It's my understanding that they bottled the 25yo at CS for the first few years (starting in '02 or '03?) and then switched it to their standard 45.8% in '10 or '11.

[BigRich]

Chieftain's? If so, I am enamored with the one by KL.

Nah, some off label Costco was selling over the summer. Still mighty tasty.

[AaronWF]

Do it! I opened up one of these the other week. I've had a pour or two and intend to get my thoughts in the FWotM thread before the end of the month, but so far I'm underwhelmed. Tasted against a recent 18yo, the 18yo is better on just about all counts: richer with more sherry influence as well as spicier and more peppery. The 25yo is sadly much less expressive.