I went for this one from Total Wines Concierge

Glenmorangie 'A Tale of Winter' Single Malt, 13 years


From the website


"Matured in ex-Bourbon casks, and finished in Marsala Wine Casks from Sicily. Color: Rustic Gold. Aroma: Light flurries of fruit and honey. Taste: Torrents of cocoa dust, flakes of red pepper and chunks of brazil nut toffee. Finish: Swirls of cinnamon, ginger and clove."

I was sold

I did as well, almost went for two bottles but decided on just the one to start.

That sounds delicious

Grabbed an Octomore 12.1 from Total Wine Concierge...

"Distilled in 2015 from the 2014 harvest of 100% Scottish grown Concerto barley. Malted to 130.8 PPM. Opens on zesty citrus freshness and earthy peat smoke…Coconut and chocolate, vanilla and caramel follow and as the aromas open further cinder toffee and layers of peat smoke and honey come to the fore. Peppery and sweet on the palate, with a texture of warm golden syrup…The finish brings salted caramel with floral and herbal notes. Honeysuckle, primrose and then gentle peat smoke, as ever, the note that drifts on the longest."

I saw that! Was very close to grabbing a bottle. Would love to know how it is

I'll let you know once it arrives, says winter 2021-2022 so still have a bit to wait...

Anyone ever tried any of the Blackadder independent bottlings?

Picked up an Ardbeg 10 to try out. I don't go through Scotch too quickly, so I don't get to try too many that often.

I asked for recs a while back based on my prior bottle and liking it, Laphroaig 10, and Ardbeg was mentioned. The two 10 year bottles are very close to one another on that handy scotch chart! (Saved it so I have on hand). Had been meaning to pick up another bottle for a while now.

I have a bottle of Blackadder Raw Cask 1990 Dalmore but haven't ever opened it since it has LOTS of sediment in it from the cask. Purchased it on a whim back in the day and now it just collects dust on the shelf.

The Black Adder I saw on concierge piqued my interest. I ended up passing. Will have to look for them in the future

Am going to pick-up a bottle to enjoy throughout the holiday season. I am split right now between getting Lag16 or trying something new. I have Talisker 10 so I think the smoky flavor base is covered. Have never had a Campbelltown or lowlands scotch. any recommendations from those areas?

The Lagavulin 16 is a solid choice. I would recommend Springbank 10 or Kilkerran 12 for Campbelltown as bottles that I own but you might also consider Glen Scotia 15 since it has gotten good reviews on Whiskeytube and will be my next Campbelltown purchase

Appreciate it!

I'll be getting in trouble at the Houston Whiskey Social tomorrow. Over 300 pours gonna be available.

Just grabbed the 2021 edition of Laphroaig Cairdeas, very happy to have seen it on the shelf.

Tried some incredible Scotch at the Houston Whiskey Social yesterday.

Balvenie Day of Dark Barley 26
Bruichladdich Black Arts
Glen Scotia 25
Loch Lomond 18 & 20
Glennfiddich 30

Congrats on the kiddo! Very good pour to celebrate the occassion

Pretty much a bourbon guy with the occasional Irish, rye, and Canadian mixed in. I have been burned with a couple of nasty bottles of scotch. A neighbor and I saw the video of the best Costco/Kirklands liquor and decided to make a run. I splurged the $18.99 for their basic blended scotch and was truly surprised. It drank better than their Tennessee whiskey. There were different flavors in it that are not in the others that I normally drink, but it did not have the over smoked cough medicine, swampy moss water flavor of most that I have tried. It seemed to be an Irish with more upfront and on the back end. One of the regular scotch guys on the street said it was actually pretty good for the price.

Where do I go from here without getting too crazy price or flavor wise?

Thank you sir. I had seen the chart, but had no clue on which quadrant to start in. Neighbor usually has McAllen 12, but I have always had it after bourbon. I will give it an honest shot one of these days.

Coming from bourbon, the right side of the chart will be a good place to start. The lower right is going to be more honeyed lighter flavors. Upper right you will get into fruit flavors and wine cask influence.
I know a ton of people who like Macallan but it is not a distillery that ever clicked with my palate. Will have to revisit it because my tastes have changed since the last time I tried it. There are others on the thread that know way more than me. It's a great place to get info and tips on stuff to try out

In need of help:

I randomly came across an EXTREMELY rare bottle of scotch. Macallan Millennium 50 (1949). I'll let you guys do the research. What would be the best way to optimize value on such a rare collectors bottle?

Thanks in advance.

Talisker tonight for a celebratory drink. It was a good day.

For those in Houston, Rosewater over in Clear Lake frequently has break even bottles of high end stuff that you can try. They currently have Bruichladdich Black Arts for around $25 a hit if anyone wants to try some really good stuff out.

Octomore 12.1 and Glenmorangie 18 Azuma Makoto in hand. Saw a couple Oban 2021 Distiller's Edition at Total Wine but passed (against my better judgement ha) seeing as how I grabbed a couple other bottles of whiskey earlier in the day.

There are 4 bottles of Glendronach Parliament at Smith St Specs but price has gone up. It's $237 nowadays.

Finishing the last pour of my Glenmorangie Cake tonight, sad to see it go but happy to have had it. Good friend of mine in Tennessee and fellow collector of single malt grabbed a Glenmorangie a Tale of Winter and said he'll be getting a case after trying it yesterday.

Got a bday gift option coming up, which would you choose?

1) Balvenie 21 Yr Port Wood
2) GlenDronach 21 Year Old Parliament
3) Something similar in that range

originalmab said:

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In need of help:

I randomly came across an EXTREMELY rare bottle of scotch. Macallan Millennium 50 (1949). I'll let you guys do the research. What would be the best way to optimize value on such a rare collectors bottle?

Thanks in advance.

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Really? Incredible if so. I won a bottle of Michter's 25 year old at retail (Total Wine draw) that i turned into a nice profit some 8 months ago. There is a risk/reward calculus to take into account. Basically the more "private" the transaction is, there is more profit potential but also it comes with more risk.

Cyprian said:

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Got a bday gift option coming up, which would you choose?

1) Balvenie 21 Yr Port Wood
2) GlenDronach 21 Year Old Parliament
3) Something similar in that range

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Both of those two are quite nice. Depends how much you like Port Cask influence vs Sherry really.

Other nice ones in that price range (or cheaper)
Glenfarclas 25
Springbank 18
Balblair 1999
Longmorn 16
Loch Lomond 18

Got a bottle of Glenkinchie 12 and Oban 14 from the in-laws. Having my first taste of the Glenkinchie snd it is really good. Light, citrus zesty and a hay/grassy type flavor. Good sweetness like a lemon custard and a dry finish. Really like it.