Will come back to this. I just placed an order for 11 Irish miniatures, one of which is the standard Jameson.

Definitely try Highland Park 18. I think it blows the 12 out of the water.

Gotta hit up the LCBO today anyway. Will pick up the 18 for sure. (I gotta restock on Glen Livet 12 ATM).

IMO the Glenlivet 18 > highland park 18 (and crushes the glenlivet 12), so maybe try that one? One of my favourite whiskeys, it's about $100 at the LCBO as well. Or just get both. I just know I can't drink the GL12/15 anymore after trying the 18.

I already have Glen Livet 18, and I feel the opposite.

12>>>18, IMO

Welp, personal preference I guess! I wish I felt the same way, this would be a lot cheaper.

Bought a bottle of whistle pig rye yesterday after reading positive reviews. Only had one pour so far and am undecided on it at this point. Lots of oak for a rye and none of the usual rye spice. Interesting, but not sure I'd buy again at the ~$90/bottle range. Also picked up a bottle of the knob creek rye but haven't opened it yet.

I got the HP 18 today. Will report back when I decide to crack it open and give it a try.
Cheers.

Respectfully, eagle rare 10 is quite good. Eagle rare 17 is god damned incredible (the last two years releases have been 18+ years each actually). I feel like we should clarify here.

Treated myself to a Willett 21 off of ElD's recommendation. Definitely think I got (close to) my money's worth for ~$200. 112 proof of delicious. It actually tastes to me a lot smokier and more dry than the entry level Willett which I also loved. The base level is pretty sweet and was perfect in Manhattan's but this bottle is definitely a different beast. My recollection is that Pappy was smoother and maybe easier drinking but I'm definitely not disappointed. Had it for a few days now I've just gotta make this damn bottle last a little while!

With regards to some recently mentioned whiskys I have to give a shout out to Lagavulin 16 which was one of my favorite scotches so far, (along with Caol Ila). Glenlivet and Highland Park make some good solid drinks, and I have to agree that Woodford Reserve is meh at best.

ATM, bottles in my cabinet still UNOPENED (that I still haven't tried):

1. Lagavulin 16
2. Bruichladdich 18(?) 2nd edition (or 21? can't remember)
3. Highland Park 18

Looking forward to cracking them open, but in no rush.

Btw, I think Balvenie 12 double wood is pretty underrated.

One of the few I can have neat , any day.

Ftr, most drinks I have consist of 2 cubes of ice and a couple of splashes of water.

You're really doing yourself a disservice here, especially with the nicer stuff. Take smaller sips and hold it in your mouth longer to let your saliva dilute it before you swallow if the burn is what bothers you. I can understand adding water. I add a few drops to whisky that is 100+ proof. But the coldness from the ice really detracts from the flavor.

During my short time trying different bourbons, I have found I only really prefer them neat. I have thrown some ice in a couple times and the liquor being cold makes me gag for some reason. I think JD on the rocks isn't bad, but even this I prefer neat.

~JB

I'm talking about regular everyday drinks.

If I'm having something nice and for the first time, I will always have it neat. After that, it depends on how I feel at that specific time I'm pouring a glass.

What's the verdict on the Kirkland brand 'Macallan' at Costco?

Hy,

Kirkland/trader joes/etc macallans are usually very solid, usually it's pretty much the same stuff as regular macallan except just too much stock of a certain age that the distillery needed to get rid of.

They currently have a "20yo Speyside" for $45 that so far I haven't seen anyone identify the distillery, but reviews have been pretty good, and great for the price.

Shark: Balvenie 12yo Doublewood is mentioned consistently in this thread as one of the best values around and one of the best scotches for people to get started with. All of those bottles you got are excellent.

r4: Nice review of the 21yo Willett, I agree w/ all of that, especially the challenge of making it last.

naked: I think the ER 10 and 17 are both very good in their classes, but I think the 10yo is prob a better value vs similar age/price whiskies than the 17 (which I def agree is v good).

foo: I agree w/ your comments re: the Whistlepig taste, but also would add that I find it very smooth for a rye with a nice kick like it has. I really like the Whistlepig a lot, but think it's kinda overpriced, especially now that there are so many good ryes on the market.

Recently picked up a few scotches from Trader Joe's: two of my favorites, Macallan 10 and Laphroaig 10; a Dalwhinnie 15; and Monkey Shoulder (a Speyside blend). Anyone know anything about the Monkey Shoulder?

I recently opened a bottle of Sazerac 18 and was pleasantly surprised. Of course most whiskeys aged as high as 18yrs are going to be great. It's a rye whiskey and was very smooth, dark, and carmel flavored. This whiskey tastes quite a bit different than most I have been drinking lately so I think that's part of why I liked it so much (that and it's a rye). I'm also having trouble making the bottle last as I'm already 70% of the way through it. I didn't drink it all on my own although I wish I had. This bottle has already made its way towards the top of my list in favorites. If you see it on the shelves and have the money to spend, I would without a doubt pick a bottle up. Anyone else had this? Thoughts?

Sazerac is a good rye. Everything from the antique collection : ( http://www.buffalotracemediakit.com/...collection.jpg ) is good. That said, I prefer the thomas handy sazerac rye for sipping. It actually won best whiskey in the world last year http://www.whiskybible.com/pressrelease.html

The antiques come out in the September - October time frame here in Texas - not sure when where you are. A good bet would be go to to the place where you got your Sazerac and ask to get put on the list in case they get any of these in the meantime or for next years releases.

This. The saz 18 is good but the handy is one of my perennial favs. Antique collection always comes out in Oct everywhere I believe. In DC, you basically have to pre order the Stagg but most of the others sit on the shelves for a few weeks at least. IMO, the way to go when buying BTAC bottles is to horde as much as you can of the Stagg and Handy and pass on the rest.

Devil:

I seem to remember you being a big fan on the Templeton rye. While I'm not as crazy about it, pretty sure I'd go w. Two bottles of that or the high west rendezvous (both $40-$50 range) for roughly the same cost as one bottle of whistlepig if I'm in the hunt for a smooth rye in the future. You lose a few points on the proof but more than make up for it in volume

All,

Anybody else see that BT is doing away with the spring van winkle release and just doing one annual release in the fall? Maybe I'll actually be able to find a bottle of the 15/20/rye now, but I doubt it.