Which Water of Life Did You Purchase Today?-Fall/Winter 2014

[garbanzobean]

Figured it's about time for a new thread.

I ordered a Springbank 17 CS Refill sherry cask. I've had this before and it's amazing. I originally ordered a Signatory Laphroaig 15 first fill bourbon barrel to go with it, but apparently Binny's is having issues updating their online stock, and it was sold out. So I substituted a Duncan Taylor Dimension Springbank 18 CS. LA Whiskey Society didn't seem to care for it, but they are rarely consistent with my tastes and I found a number of other complimentary reviews online as well. I am not certain what sort of cask it was aged in (the sales associate couldn't find it on the bottle and all their whisky folks left for Scotland today to do their annual barrel purchases), but I'm sort of hoping it's bourbon. I'd like to try a bourbon aged Springbank. I'm assuming it's some sort of refill sherry, though. I normally wouldn't be as willing to go out on a limb, but I love Springbank and DT's Dimensions line hasn't steered me wrong yet.

[drunk]

Took me a while to track down, but I finally got my first Clynelish 14. Grabbed a Glenfarclas 12 too.

[garbanzobean]

Great choices. Glenfarclas makes good stuff, and Clynelish is really interesting. I forgot to mention that on top of ordering those whiskies, I also picked up a Laphroaig 18 for $69. Laphroaigs lack of response when I emailed them to ask if the 18 was being discontinued made me nervous so I folded and bought a backup bottle. I'm still operating under the assumption that it's not going anywhere, but you know the old saying: two is one, one is none.

[Auracom]

Good move, Eric. How many is three?

[garbanzobean]

Good move, Eric. How many is three?

Half of a good start.

[Auracom]

Half of a good start.

Sounds like I've got more work to do .

[bin31z]

Picked up some dusties. 17 year bowmore, 1982 glenrothes bottled in 1997, 15 year old glendronach. Passed on 30 year old bowmore sea dragon at 250. It didn't have the presentation box.

Edited October 8, 2014 by bin31z

[bin31z]

180 for everything, not bad similar to current prices for a taste of scotch from the 90's.

[holdtheice]

I found this dusty oddity perched on an out of the way corner shelf in a fairly busy store and picked up the few bottles that were left. A bit of a risk because I knew very little about the Imperial distillery (I now know that it has been demolished) and nothing about these particular bottles but I opened one up last night and was pleasantly surprised. According to Whiskybase, 'Battlehill' is a label by the independent bottler Duncan Taylor, with this particular example bottled (NC & NCF) in 2007 from 1998 distillate.

It’s definitely a Speyside in nature; vanilla, honey, apples, pears etc. There’s some dusty oak and yeastiness (beeriness) on the nose. Mouth feel is excellent for 43% ABV; creamy with good viscosity and ‘adhesion’ and no excessive heat. It seems like well-made spirit. Quite sweet and fruity initially then the oak asserts itself and a more dry and bitter character develops. A surprisingly extended finish for a relatively young Speyside malt. I find it very similar to a bottle of Glenlivet Nadurra I once had, but not quite as dry and without the fire (the Nadurra had quite a bit of heat even when diluted with water). My first single malt dusty find and my first dead distillery bottles!

[tanstaafl2]

Passing through Amsterdam I picked up a Nikka Coffey Malt to compliment the Nikka Coffey Grain that I already have plus a back up Nikka from the Barrel which is excellent but only a 0.5L bottle. So a back up is definitely needed! Had hoped to have lots of time to shop the stores in Amsterdam but thanks to my own boneheaded move of leaving my phone on the plane when I arrived I had to spend a ton of time trying to recover it and rush just to get these. Annoying but no one to blame but myself.

I did at least manage to recover the phone but it was a bit of a pyrrhic victory.

:hot:

[AaronWF]

Picked up some dusties. 17 year bowmore, 1982 glenrothes bottled in 1997, 15 year old glendronach. Passed on 30 year old bowmore sea dragon at 250. It didn't have the presentation box.[ATTACH]19514[/ATTACH]

I love that Bowmore 17. Great stuff.

[MtnDew]

Bought two more Ardbeg Supernovas just for the heck of it. I will likely open one when I get home to sample, if they are not worth it then I'll find friends who want the others I grabbed.

[amg]

Grabbed a Glenfarclas 17 today.

[bin31z]

Good lord, you must be wealthy. That's like 400 bucks almost!

Bought two more Ardbeg Supernovas just for the heck of it. I will likely open one when I get home to sample, if they are not worth it then I'll find friends who want the others I grabbed.

[sutton]

Signatory 15-yr Laphroaig Cask Strength UCF Refill Sherry 59.1%.

Doesn't know whether it wants to be Fall here yet or not, but on a cooler day last week I had a bit of Laphroaig Quarter Cask by the fire pit, which was just perfect. Bought this one to replace the Quarter Cask when it goes. When the weather starts to turn, I'll reach for the Scotch about half the time.

[MtnDew]

Good lord, you must be wealthy. That's like 400 bucks almost!

They were $160 each after tax, so not terrible. I likely will sell at least one at cost to a friend to recoup some of that money, otherwise I figured it was worth it to try something different.

[Auracom]

Picked up the two extra bottles of Laphroaig 18 that were being held for me. Store tried to send them to a sister location but my whiskey guy must have hid them well because they couldn't find them. Even if it's not getting discontinued, I'm happy to be stocked up on this one.

[Nillion]

Kilchoman Machir Bay and Springbank 12 cask strength. I felt like supporting independent distillers tonight.

[garbanzobean]

I'll tell you what I would LIKE to purchase: a 16-20 year old cask strength IB Caol Ila. Preferably aged in bourbon barrels. Binny's might or might not have one in stock right now, but the price seems a little on the high side. If anyone happens to run across something like that, I'd appreciate a heads up.

[garbanzobean]

I purchased a Balvenie Tun 1401, batch 6 today.

[bin31z]

Wow I'm surprised that's your fav. It has the strangest nose I've ever noticed on a single malt. Its like peat, mint ice cream, blue cheese and toothpaste? Tastes great and has minty smoky finish but the nose is so strange.

I love that Bowmore 17. Great stuff.

[tanstaafl2]

Passing through Amsterdam I picked up a Nikka Coffey Malt to compliment the Nikka Coffey Grain that I already have plus a back up Nikka from the Barrel which is excellent but only a 0.5L bottle. So a back up is definitely needed!

The Nikka Coffey Grain checking out its newly adopted sibling, the Nikka Coffey Malt, as well as the back up Nikka from the Barrel.

I feel a Japanese whisky night in my near future!

[bin31z]

I can't wait to try nikka from the barrel.

The Nikka Coffey Grain checking out its newly adopted sibling, the Nikka Coffey Malt, as well as the back up Nikka from the Barrel.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]19527[/ATTACH]

I feel a Japanese whisky night in my near future!

[tanstaafl2]

I can't wait to try nikka from the barrel.

I can only describe it as superb! While it has no one thing that makes it unique the amazing balance of delicate sweetness of the flavor and the subtle smoke is hard to beat.

[bin31z]

I assume the nikka from barrel is from overseas?

I can only describe it as superb! While it has no one thing that makes it unique the amazing balance of delicate sweetness of the flavor and the subtle smoke is hard to beat.