El T,

In total agreement on the Storm, wasn't captivated at all, which is sad as it was a birthday present from an old flatmate. Will get through it, I'm sure.

Have loved the cask strength Laphroaig for about 12 years now. What a dram.

That Aberlour A'bunadh is one of my friend's top whiskies, and she not only has a great palate but also used to work in one of the centres around here, so has been exposed to some great whiskies. You won't regret that purchase, I am sure.

Best,
Pete

Hey Pete, yesterday I found out that a couple of my good friends are getting married next summer in the Isle of Man (he's English, she's Scottish). A trip to Scotland may be imminent for me. Where in Scotland are you currently?

Looking forward to your report on the Balvenie. The A'bunadh is one of my all time favs....crazy good stuff for the $.

El T,

Edinburgh. You'd be welcome any time, give me a heads up and we'll get in touch.

Best,
Pete

I'd say it's more effective to go pretty often (maybe once a week) and greet the staff every time you go. That's what I've been trying to do at least.

Today I had some Australian whisky by the name of Sullivan's Cove. Not the award winning expression but the gimped double barrel version that's bottled at 40% abv. Tasted quite similar to Dalwhinnie 15 and Balvenie 12 doublewood. Light and sweet highland sort of whisky. Pretty good nose but a bit lacking on the tongue. Not good value for the price.

I'm just getting back into reading 2+2 after a couple of years of spew and, as I was before, I've been drawn to this thread by the generally excellent quality of posts. You all have my admiration and gratitude.

Very much agree with the Laphroaig Cask Strength recommendations. It may have been one of the first single malts I ever experienced and it's always been a favourite. To be honest, I'm just a massive fan of Islays.

PSA for all the Ardberg lovers in this thread: K&L wines is lowering the prices of their Ardberg bottles for one day only.

Ardbeg 10 Year Old Islay Single Malt Whisky (was $47) NOW $39.99
Ardbeg Uigeadail Single Malt Whisky (was $55) NOW $49.99
Ardbeg Corryvreckan Single Malt Whisky (was $73) NOW $59.99
Ardbeg Aureverdes Limited Edition Single Malt Whisky $99.99

Links are here: http://spiritsjournal.klwines.com/kl...ma-deal-2.html

Just bought my first bottle of Rye. I had to buy it online as you can't find it in any of the shops over here (Scotland). I bought the Bulleit due to it's high rye content.

Bourbon is my usual drink but from the quick taste I've had of the rye it seems to have a distinct spicy flavour that seperates it from any bourbons I've tried.

Will investigate it more tonight

It's not prevalent but at least in Edinburgh I have found Sazerac rye as well as a white label rye (in Drinkmonger). Important to have one on the bar alongside bourbon!

Best,
Pete

I'm on the West coast and it's pretty rare for me to be in Edinburgh. I head to Glasgow about once a month though and I meant to check out the whisky shop that now inhabits th old 13th precinct record shop but forgot all about it (The Good Spirits Co).

Just checking their website now and they have some Ryes (Rittenhouse, Rock Town, Sazerac, Jeffersons, F.E.W, Redemption, High West Rendezvous).

They've also got a fair bourbon collection. Almost shot my load when I seen they had various Pappy's but alas they are all out of stock

Buggers. I have found thedrinkshop.com to be reliable and well stocked so long as you can survive not supporting local businesses.
Also lulz to two people living in Scotland talking about US whiskies. What lucky sods we are to be here

Best,
Pete

Yeah there is a certain irony to that. I can't even stand the smell of Whisky (Scottish) never mind taste it. I drink every Saturday with a couple of older mates and when I'm on the halfs I always have Makers Mark (which my local pub got in just for me ) and if they are ordering up the round it's always referred to as 'that American ****e' or 'a poofs drink' My attempts to point out it is stronger than their Glenmorangie really cut no ice with them.

And don't get me started on the times I've mentioned enjoying cocktails (Old Fashioned or Mint Julep) when I'm out somewhere a little more sophisiticated than my local...

you were complete right with that

However I dont find the FR Yellow Label bad by any means. Just a very easy Bourbon to drink and def solid for the price tag imo

I def like the MM as well as the EC12 (even I am not the biggest fan of that "glue smell")

my latest purchases:







So far I only tasted the FR Single Barrel 100 Proof.

Nose: sweet and fruity

Mouth: fruits (cherries ?), some hints of vanilla and maybe cocoa?

Finish: medium-length, smooth

I was pretty surprised how smooth that one is given the 50% abv as I drank him neat. Next time I will add some water to see how that might change the experience.

It took a little while, but these finally arrived at my office today:



Can't wait to get home!

Dropped by a liquor store after work to replace my A'bunadh and got a 36 which I've never had before. Feeling pretty lucky.

Opened the Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask 15 bottle tonight. Here are my first impressions:

Color: Very dark amber.

Nose: Intense sherry, a little sweet. A bit woody but not overwhelming. The Balvenie character is there, but it's not as noticeable due to the heavy sherry nose. Gets a little sweeter with water.

Taste: sweet arrival. Nutty taste and buttery feel. A bit spicy. Gets very pleasant and flavorful with a little water.

Finish: Delicate, long, lots of sherry and a bit spicy.

Overall it is a great whisky, but I am not sure it's worth $100+. I am thoroughly enjoying it though. Paired with a steak (pictures here) and the combination is a hit. Gonna have some vanilla ice cream with sherry on top while sipping on this second glass to cap the night. Tough life

Exciting times, Whisky Fringe tickets released today and despite selling out in 2 minutes my friends and I bagged the prized 2-6pm Saturday 9th August slot. So 25-30 distilleries and 10+ whiskies at each table to try again this year. Much excitement.

I'm switching jobs in 3 weeks and think one of my leaving gifts will be membership of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, who have great members rooms and superb single cask bottlings from around the country - having been there as a guest I think I'm certainly looking forward to more visits. And I can sign in guests, so anyone coming to Edinburgh, tap me up!

will come back to that for sure thx
here are my last babys.
all young cs whiskies.

the `as we get it` should be a caol ila,the jack wieber a young lagavulin.

@ready 2 win i have both aberlour and like the 12year much better.

I tried the Aberlour A'bunadh (batch 46) last night and was really pleased. My sherry bomb collection is coming along nicely: Aberlour A'bunadh, Balvenie 15 sherry cask, Glendronach 15, Springbank 15, Macallan 12, and Michel Couvreur 12.

Interestingly, Ralfy just reviewed batch 48 and thought the quality was much lower than older batches (which seems to be the consensus), but since I hadn't had much of the older batches I don't have that point of reference. Maybe it's for the better.

Peter,

Leaving gifts? How long have you been at that place?

Hi El D,

University sector job, 4 years in this post but ~6 years in the School I work within. I was promoted from within for the job and they did a wee collection at that time (only about $120) which I donated to charity. This time around I'm expecting they'll collect a fair bit (I've had one of those jobs where everyone knows me, and comes to me at some point for help, a serious wheel-greaser), which will be hella embarrassing as I'm only leaving to be promoted to outwith that School (but still in the same Uni). I'll let you know if/what else I get!

Best,
Pete

@manndl: thanks for the HU, good to know. What is the reason?

Still didnt opened one of them as I am more buying than drinking atm

I didnt plan to buy the 15yo in the first place but it was on sale as well so I thought why not lol

Pls let us know how you like the glenfarclas in the pic above

Pete:

Wait....its common practice for folks in the UK to get cash when they leave a job? Awesome!

Here in the US you get an awkward going away lunch or happy hour and maybe a crappy watch or something.

The tradition is usually to give a gift of some sort but it's becoming more common to give vouchers or cash.

I can't speak for anything other than the Uni as that's my only career job, but here the collection + either gift or cash is pretty standard.

My previous boss was in her job a decade and got about £500/$800 collected for her and we just handed it over for her holiday fund. Since I was thinking about SMWS membership it was a no brainer for me to suggest it, then they suggested John Lewis vouchers to buy boring shirts and ties. I said I've already got those, but JL/Waitrose vouchers are the next best thing to cash, really, and Mrs Harris would be happy with those too. No idea what they'll gather in my honour but like I said, about 150 people have had something to do with me over the last 6 years, so it shouldn't be insignificant (humblebrag).

For my 30th last year they got me a £50/$80 voucher for a decent restaurant i town, Timberyard, to which I go tomorrow. Joyyyyy!

Best,
Pete