#glenmorangie — Public Fediverse posts

Recently, a Glenmorangie Rare Cask that I've been hunting for came up at a Bonhams Skinner auction. The catch was, it was in Hong Kong.

Which made sense as Cask 6872 is "Hand Selected By Dr. Bill Lumsden for MH Private Hong Kong." There was another catch, which is that there were four bottles in the auction - but as two lots of two. So now I have two - I'll try to find another local Glenmo fan who would want one, and is willing to pay, as these came pretty dear.

Part of the reason for the high cost was shipping from Hong Kong to the US. Even going the less expensive route, via the UK, shipping was more than twice my high end estimate. Ouch. I won't be too casual about bidding on Hong Kong auctions in the future.

I ran the insert through Google Translate and did some manual cleanup on the obvious issues:

---START---
GLENMORANGIE

HIGHLAND SINGLE MALT

SCOTCH WHISKY

No. 6872

Classic cream and fruit flavors

Unique barrel history

At the time, cask 6872 was aging in the center of warehouse number 15 when it was selected by Dr. Bill Lumsden. This single cask whisky, rich in fruit and cream flavors, skillfully interprets Glenmorangie's signature style.

Single cask 6872 was distilled on October 16, 1990, under the personal supervision of distillery manager Murdoch Reid, and then aged in a first-fill bourbon cask.

Over time, this hand-selected American oak barrel begins to highlight the whisky's fruity characteristics, accompanied by rare notes of sweet vanilla, spice, and biscuit.

After 29 years of aging in barrels, its unique charm was discovered by Dr. Bill Lumsden.

With its fruity aromas, well-structured character, and rich creaminess, cask 6872 is undoubtedly a representative of Glenmorangie's signature style.

Dr. Bill Lumsden's Private Tasting Notes

Color:

gold color

aroma:

The aromas of nutmeg and peach shortbread subtly reveal hints of apricot and orange, followed by creamy and vanilla cheese notes. Adding a touch of water releases fruity aromas of lemon and bergamot, along with...

It smells like fresh grass.

Taste:

The silky, creamy texture offers flavors of malt, biscuit, orange chocolate, and sugared almonds. This is followed by ice cream soda and a touch of spiciness, finishing with a long, fruity aftertaste.

Rating:

excellence

SINGLE CASK
---END---

I'm not so sure about that "vanilla cheese notes". If anyone can read the original and provide a better translation, please do.

Since I was already bidding on Cask 6872 and dealing with arranging shipping from Hong Kong, I also picked up another bottle of the Truffle Oak Reserve 26 year. My first bottle has become a favorite and we keep going back to it, so I figured it would be good to grab a backup while I could. Had I known what shipping was going to end up costing, I might have thought twice.

Adding to the Glenmorangie bonanza, this past Whiskey Wednesday at Julio's Liquors, I picked up two bottles of the newly arrived Harrison Ford expression. I'm not sure how long that will be in stock, so grab it while you can.

#Whisky #Whiskey #Scotch #Glenmorangie

Sometimes I pick up things that are not whisky, but rather whisky-related. The recent auction hauls added to my collection of Glenmorangie paraphernalia.

Tote bag, notepad, ashtray, scarf (or pocket square), lapel pins, leather coasters, collapsible ice bag, giraffes golf club topper, a couple of flasks, a dispenser, and a picnic blanket.

The circular flask includes a collapsible cup for more civilized imbibing on the go.

There was also a wall hanging styled after a barrel end, a serving tray, more water pitchers (two large, two small), and a couple of Glencairns.

And, lastly, a bottle display stand styled after the Glenmorangie stills. I paired that with the custom bottle David Blackmore gifted me at a recent tasting we held at Julio's Liquors.

#Whisky #Whiskey #Scotch #Glenmorangie

My year's worth of auction lots continue to roll in, with more still out there. I unpacked recent arrivals and had a little spring Xmas.

There was some Glenmorangie, of course. A 1999 bottling of the 1974 Vintage release. And a very special bottle, the "Last Christmas at Leith" employee bottling from 1995, when they moved offices. It's the same special bottle as The Culloden bottling, if it looks familiar.

I also got my hands on the The Scotch Malt Whisky Society 125.1 - their first Glenmorangie bottling. Excited to find that one.

And a whole assortment of 'Westport' bottlings from Decadent Drams, Thompson Bros., Malts of Scotland, Anam na h-Alba, etc. And one 'Highland' from Watt Whisky, which research tells me is Glenmorangie.

#Whiskey #Whisky #Scotch #Glenmorangie

Und die Whisky-Box hat jetzt eine neue Aufgabe bekommen. 😉 Der #Whisky daraus war übrigens ziemlich gut. 🥃 #Glenmorangie #Signet #Vanlife

I'm a well known Glenmorangie fanatic, so it should come as no surprise that a number of the recent arrivals are Glenmo.

The Year of the Horse wasn't an auction lot. That one I'd reserved well in advance through LVMH and picked up at Julio's Liquors. This is the rarest of the zodiac bottles to date, with only 388 instead of 888 bottles as with the previous four releases.

Cask 8664 was a Distillery Exclusive Release packaged like their Rare Cask offerings.

I picked up one of the 10 Year Old special label bottles, with the stills on the back, and the 1996 bottling of the 1974 vintage.

I also picked up four more Speakeasy bottles - 5446, 5448, 9601, & 9629.

Two more The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Glenmorangie bottles were obtained - 125.2 & 125.11

And then several independent bottles. A couple of Cadenhead 'Highland' bottles which my research indicated should be Glenmorangie, and several Westport bottlings - which is 'teaspooned' Glenmo.

#Whiskey #Whisky #Scotch #Glenmorangie #Cadenhead #SMWS

Saturday night was a very special night, for several reasons. As some of you know, this past year was a tough one as my father was diagnosed early on with terminal lung cancer, and subsequently suffered a few health crises which had him in the ICU a couple of times. For most of the past year, Jess & my lives were occupied with helping him, and visiting him regularly in New York. We were happy to do it, but it did mean a pause in our usual get togethers with friends, which we missed.

On December 10th, 2025, my father succumbed to his cancer. As you might expect, the subsequent weeks have been full of grief, and paperwork. Even death has bureaucracy.

December 10th was also the day that the Compass Box Whisky Confluence auction at Bonhams Skinner, to benefit The Wolfsonian-FIU, ended. I'd been watching the auction, but uncertain about bidding - despite being a longtime Compass Box fanatic. However, after my father passed early that morning, I decided that I needed something good to go with the day - and that was going to be winning Confluence, which I did. You only live once, as was painfully clear that day.

My birthday is at the end of December, and we had planned a small gathering with friends to celebrate - but Jess & I both came home from my father's services in NY under the weather, and not really in a celebratory mood, so we cancelled that.

Instead, yesterday we had a gathering which was partly a delayed birthday celebration, partly a toast to my father's memory, and partly an exploration of a truly unique whisky. But, more than anything, it was a gathering of good friends for the first time in quite a while - and boy did I need that more than I realized.

Thank you Jess, Jer, Shamala, Marc, Lizzy, Lisa, Carol, Friski and Betsy for making the evening wonderful.

Before we could dive into the whisky, we had to put something in on stomachs - so we had an assortment of my father's favorites, in his honor. There was an antipasto salad, some veggies and cheese, meatballs and sauce (for subs or over pasta), pickle soup (the Cafe Polonia recipe), kielbasa and sauerkraut, pierogi, a texas sheet cake, rice pudding, cupcakes, and some fine Läderach chocolates.

Properly fueled, we attacked the mission of the evening.

We'd assembled a lineup of whiskies for the evening - of course, there was the Confluence, but we also pulled some expressions from the component distilleries. Obviously, these were not *the* components used to make Confluence, but it was just a fun way to try a few things.

We'd lined up Mackmyra, a Gordon & MacPhail Miltonduff, a G&M Macallan, a Highland Park 25, a Flora & Fauna Teaninich, and a Glen Moray (which was peated, it was what we had). We also had a couple of whiskies from Nashoba Valley Distillery, right here in town - Papa's Bourbon and the Stimulus Twenty 20 year old American Single Malt. Thanks to Marc Follit, our good friend, neighbor, and distiller at Nashoba, for bringing those.

Oh, yes, and there is also the Black Tot Rum Last Consignment. It seemed like another special bottle to open - after the whiskies.

We started off with the Confluence, so that we'd have clear palates - the better to taste it with. Whisky reviewer extraordinaire, Friski Whiski, agreed to write up a joint review with input from the whole crew, and we spent quite a bit of time on that. A most enjoyable time it was, too. We avoided reading the official tasting notes before creating our own, and were pleased to see that our notes ended up aligning fairly well with the official ones once we were done.

Friski posted the review on his page (https://www.facebook.com/friski.whiski/posts/pfbid0cQjrjpvFAm7XzAwf54Y62YPcTHMwcriwn5aF1b4JifQrV9XumhkTR5NYcwrT18tMl), but here it is:
---START---
Dram of a lifetime on 1/10/26

Compass Box
Confluence
Blended Malt Whisky
Age: NAS
Abv: 48.9%
No. of bottles: 1

Components:
The Mackmyra Distillery
Swedish Single Malt
Cherry Wine Fresh Seasoned American Oak
9%

The Mackmyra Distillery
Swedish Single Malt
Oloroso First Fill Sherry Seasoned American Oak
9%

The Mackmyra Distillery
Swedish Single Malt
American First Fill & Virgin Oak Casks
9%

The Mackmyra Distillery
Swedish Single Malt
Swedish Virgin Oak & First Fill Casks
3%

Teaninich Distillery
Scottish Single Malt
First Fill Sherry Butt
12%

Miltonduff Distillery
Scottish Single Malt
First Fill Bourbon Barrel
12%

Highland Park Distillery
Scottish Single Malt
Recharred Hogshead
3%

The Macallan Distillery
Scottish Single Malt
First Fill Bourbon Barrel
14%

Glen Moray Distillery
Scottish Single Malt
First Fill Bourbon Barrel
15%

Glen Moray Distillery
Scottish Single Malt
First Fill Bourbon Barrel
15%

Availability: 1 of 1 bottle. Bonhams auction house event "Art & Alchemy of Spirits: Presenting Compass Box to Benefit the Wolfsonian".

Crowd source notes: MegaZone, Jess Terry, Jer Johnson, Shamala Rao, Marc Follit, Lizzy Nicolai, Lisa Mulvehill, Carol Ann, Betsey Hendricks, and Friski Whiski.

Color: Medium honey and golden syrup

Neat (without water)
Nose: Soft and crisp. Honey, green apple, marzipan, cooked caramelized pineapple, confectioner’s sugar, lemon citrus, orange peel, with hints of cardamom and anise.

Texture: Warm. Creamy, buttery, slightly drying through the finish and pleasantly astringent.

Palate: Apple blossom honey, honey comb, marzipan, caramel, and birchwood. Swedish Kanelbulle (which is a classic Scandinavian cinnamon bun, spiced with cardamom in the dough, less gooey and use a lighter cinnamon application).

Finish: A roller coaster ride of white pepper, fresh green olive oil, saline, toasted almonds, fine Corinthian leather, oak, grapefruit pith, and oleo saccharum.

Unleash the serpent (with water)
Nose: An orchard house of fruit moved to the forefront. Pear, apple frangipane, sliced almonds, sweet cracked malt and fresh cream. Birchbeer float with vanilla bean ice cream. Lakrits, lemon blossoms where floral and citrus combine into a confluence of marriage.

Texture: Creamy, buttery, woody without the tannic astringency.
Palate: Baked apple dumplings, roasted butternut squash, demerara sugar, sweet cream, and candied meyer lemon.

Finish: Earthy notes get amplified. Warm spiced sweet potato pie with a pastry crust, sea spray, salted caramel, walnut skins, and toffee with subtle hints of a gentle smoke.

Tasting notes glass used: Open Up Chef and Sommelier 5.5oz glass.
The morning after glass: Sweet cracked malt, dust, vanilla, and caramel

Pairings...
Season: Any

Music: Lovefool by The Cardigans

Food: Rosemary pork loin with homemade applesauce

Media: Best enjoyed with great company and good conversation.

Overall: From first nose to final sip, several of us ended up in a journey from an apple orchard to our grandmother's seaside cottage while various desserts were being cooked. Fantastic debut from Angela D'Orazio at Compass Box! We really look forward to her future creations.
---END---

As you can see, we loved it. This is a fantastic whisky, IMHO, and I'm thrilled that we were able to try it. Whisky is for sharing, not for staring. It would have been a crying shame for this to sit on someone's shelf, never to be tasted. You can tell we enjoyed it - we went through about 1/3 of the bottle compiling those tasting notes. ;-)

Afterwards we did taste through the other whiskies - which were good, but kind of paled a bit after Confluence. The Mackmyra was well-loved as well, and you can see the influence in Confluence. The other standout for the group was the Flora & Fauna Teaninich - really good. Enough so that we're going to be looking for more Teaninich at auctions to try in the future.

Really, everything was good - and, more importantly, we had a lot of laughs and great conversation trying them.

After we ran the line of whisky, we did open the Last Consignment - and I figured out why it comes with two extra corks! The cork in the bottle is fully seated and covered in wax - so you have to pull it like a wine bottle, and it isn't really designed to go back in. So you use one of the supplied corks to reseal the bottle. Mystery solved!

It is a very rich, unctuous rum that those who tried enjoyed. It is also liquid history, and it was special just to be trying it. The previous evening I'd also read through the little booklet that is included, going through the history of the rum and rituals in the Royal Navy, and that was quite interesting.

The molasses note is front and center, but there are tropical fruits, spices, chocolate, leather, a bit of funk (there has to be some Jamaican rum in there)... a really thought-provoking sip.

As the evening ran down, and some of the crew left for home, we decided to keep the evening going with a few additional drams. So I grabbed some Glenmorangie. We hit Year of the Snake first - I'd opened this, but some of the others had not had a chance. This is still a standout dram - a blend of ex-Bourbon and Amontillado finishing casks.

They we opened the Rare Cask 21 year Mizunara finish. As expected, this is a very fine whisky, but the Snake was still in the lead by consensus.

And we last turned to the new 25 year, The Altus. This is mostly aged in designer bourbon casks, but is seasoned with a little whisky finished in Malmsey Madeira casks. A very juicy, fruit-forward dram, this ended up coming in second place, bumping the Mizunara to 3rd. Still, they're all fantastic.

That pretty much wrapped up the night. It was an amazing time start to finish - fantastic drams, but even better friends.

Next Saturday we're doing a larger gathering - this time for Raising Glasses rums. Should be fun!

#Whiskey #Whiskey #Rum #CompassBox #BlackTot #Mackmyra #Miltonduff #Teaninich #Macallan #HighlandPark #GlenMoray #NashobaValleyWinery #Glenmorangie #Scotch #Bourbon

That Compass Box Whisky Confluence wasn't the only thing I picked up at the Bonhams Skinner auction. Since I was bidding anyway, I also picked up a second Glenmorangie Dr. Bill Lumsden X Azuma Makoto because a) it is a fantastic whisky and b) the bidding was shockingly low, so it was really too good to pass up the chance to get a backup bottle.

I also continued my love of single grain whisky by grabbing a Signatory Vintage Cask Strength 1991 Cambus 18 year old.

And, speaking of that Confluence, were opening that soon, so I picked up a Mackmyra Svensk Whisky at Julio's Liquors to have at the tasting. This was Angela D'Orazio creation before she moved to Compass Box and created Confluence. Several of the component whiskies in Confluence came from Mackmyra, unsurprisingly.

#Whiskey #Whisky #Scotch #Glenmorangie #Mackmyra

I didn't come home empty-handed from last night's event at Julio's Liquors. I was fortunate to come home with a bottle of the new Compass Box Whisky Limited Edition, Brûlée Royale. Samuel Travers, the lead whiskymaker for this release, led the event last night.

A couple of other bottles I'd reserved had also arrived in the past week. The new Glenmorangie Limited Edition, A Tale of Spices. This is the latest in the ongoing 'A Tale of' series.

And, lastly, Maker's Mark Cellar Aged 2025 Release. I have the previous releases (2023 & 2024) already, and I've been hearing good things about this one. It came with an informational booklet, which I don't recall the previous releases having.

#Whiskey #Whisky #Scotch #Bourbon #CompassBox #Glenmorangie #MakersMark

There was still more that arrived.

More Glenmorangie - Speakeasy bottle Cask 6813, three The Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottlings: 125.4, 125.15, & 125.37, and then three sample bottles - Finealta, Signet, and the 18 year Extremely Rare.

There were also two from Ardbeg - 19 year Traigh Bahn #1 & #3.

I already had #4 - #2 is still in the UK with another auction house and #5 is with a friend in CT as it couldn't be shipped to MA. #6 I'm still on the hunt for. I've been picking these up at auction for well below MSRP.

#Whiskey #Whisky #Scotch #Glenmorangie #Ardbeg

The majority of what arrived recently has been Glenmorangie. Let's start off with these, first a bottle of the 21-year Elegance. I have an open bottle of this which is getting quite low, and I saw this going for a very low bid and snagged it.

And then some other bottlings:
- 10-year Cask Strength bottled in celebration of being voted one of the 100 best UK companies to work for in 2003. 217 of 350.
- A special 17-year Cask Strength bottling distilled in 1987 and bottled in 2004 to celebrate the sale of Glenmorangie to LVMH. My bottle was originally presented to Geraldine O'Hagan. 194 of 346.
- 10-year Cask Strength bottled in 2002, Cask No. 1285. It was bottled to celebrate ten years of partnership between Glenmorangie and Bacardi-Martini. 73 of 249.

And two The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Glenmorangie bottlings, 125.51 & 125.70.

#Whiskey #Whisky #Scotch #Glenmorangie #SMWS #ScotchMaltWhiskySociety

Best pressie of the year and bought at the distillary when we did the #NC500 in the summer - I've held off drinking it so my wife could wrap it up for Christmas. Do I wait for a special occasion before opening it or do I make opening it the special occasion?
#Glenmorangie #singlemalt #whisky

Today's arrivals -

Compass Box Whisky The Peat Monster 2008 bottling and the 2015 Cask Strength Magnum (57.3% ABV).

Glenmorangie Speakeasy bottle Cask 9626 Bottle 129. Distilled 1990, bottled 10/09/04 at 60.2% ABV

Amrut Malt Gurus Indian Single Malt Whisky

#Whiskey #Whisky #Scotch #IndianWhisky #CompassBox #Glenmorangie #Amrut

I got behind on posting the past few weeks of pickups from Julio's Liquors.

First up, from a Whisk(e)y Wednesday at Julio's Liquors tasting, I picked up a couple of offerings from Raising Glasses - a four year Queen's Share bottling of Privateer Rum and Rum Passport, a six-nation single cask blend of rum.

That same night I picked up my reserved Glenmorangie A Tale of Ice Cream.

At another WW I picked up a couple of Mad River Distillers bottles - Summit American Single Malt Whiskey and Founders Reserve Straight Rye Whiskey. Both bottles were signed by co-founder Maura Connolly.

That night I also picked up my reserved Wild Turkey Jimmy Russell 70th Anniversary Release 8 year bourbon.

Then I was back in for another WW and I picked up the Loch & Key Whisk(e)y Society picked Bully Boy Distillers "Wicked Dahk" wheated bourbon and my reserved High West Distillery A Midwinter Night's Dram Act 12 Scene 2.

#Whiskey #Whisky #Rum #Scotch #Rye #Bourbon #RaisingGlasses #Privateer #Glenmorangie #MadRiverDistillers #WildTurkey #BullyBoy #HighWest

I've been sitting on bottles from Whisky Auctioneer for over six months as the shipping cost per bottle drops significantly as the number of bottles increases. I recently pulled the trigger on shipping and by last week everything had arrived - just in time for me to get sick. I finally opened it all tonight.

I picked up a number of Glenmorangie. The Maltman's Special Reserve 18 year. MH Private Europe 21 Year Cask 9. 1993 Swamp Oak Single Cask. 1991 Mount Everest bottling. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society 125.27 & 125.75. Crom 16 year Westport Warlords & Warriors Edition Thulsa's Choice. And Wilson & Morgan 18 year Westport.

Compass Box also got some love. I picked up Hedonism Maximus - the market release as I already have the LWDW bottling. Two additional bottlings of the standard Hedonism from 2018 & 2019. Canto Cask 17 & 124 - that brings me up to 8 of the 16. The Nectar 10th Anniversary release (I have the 15th). The "Double Single" original Craigellachie Hotel release from 2004. The Peat Monster 2008 bottling. And D is for Demi John.

And then a smattering of others. A Clase Azul Mezcal San Luis Potosi. Amrut Single Malt Rye - the first ever Indian Single Malt Rye. Three Clan Denny Single Grain bottlings - Garnheath 43 year, Invergordon 47 year, and Dumbarton 48 year. Wild Turkey 13 year Distiller's Reserve. Ardbeg Smoketrails Manzanilla Edition - a second bottle as I've shared my first at a few tastings and it is getting low. And, last but not least, a non-auction bottle from Julio's Liquors, Knob Creek Single Barrel Select Rye "Si" for the Loch & Key Whisk(e)y Society.

There were four other bottles, but those are for others.

#Whiskey #Whisky #Scotch #Rye #Bourbon #Mezcal #Glenmorangie #Westport #SMWS #ScotchMaltWhiskySociety #CompassBox #ClaseAzul #Amrut #ClanDenny #Garnheath #Invergordon #Dumbarton #WildTurkey #Ardbeg #KnobCreek

We had a cozy little gathering with just a handful of friends Saturday, with no theme other than to try some 'good stuff'. We whetted our appetites with a couple of small sample sets my wife gave me shortly after we met. 12 samples in total, just enough for small tasting pours.

Friends brought Mehkong cane spirit from Thailand. My neighbors brought a 23 year Glen Rothes 1997 Cask Strength and a nice beer from Amory’s Tomb Brewing Co., which we used as a palate cleanser part way through the evening.

I just kept pulling things, and in the end we went through 20 of my bottles over the course of the evening. It was an amazing night, so many good bottles.

Not in the order we did them, in part because I didn't record the specific order and in part because I can't be arsed to try to remember:
Wild Turkey Master's Keep Triumph
High West Bottled In Bond rye & Cask Collection bourbon finished in Barbados rum barrels
Glenmorangie 1987 Margaux Cask Finish, Distillery Manager's Choice bottled 2001, Cote De Nuits Wood Finish, 30 year Oloroso Cask Finish, Tain L'Hermitage 1975, Tain L'Hermitage 1978, Year of the Rabbit 23 year old, Grand Vintage Malt 1991, and Carn Mor "Celebration of the Cask" Westport (Glenmo in disguise)
Amrut Greedy Angels 12 year, Spectrum 004, and Single Cask Single Grain
Clan Denny 1991 Cameronbridge 29 year & 1978 Port Dundas 33 year single grains
Copper & Cask "Roxie" rye & "French Kiss" bourbon from Julio's Liquors
And, last but not least, Compass Box Great King Street Experimental Batch 00-V4

There may have been a couple of other random silly things at the end... 😉

#Whisky #Whiskey #Scotch #Rye #Bourbon #IndianWhisky #WildTurkey #HighWest #Glenmorangie #Amrut #ClanDenny #CopperAndCask #CompassBox #GlenRothes #Mehkong #Westport

A couple of auction boxes arrived this week.

First up, from Unicorn Auctions, two High West Distillery expressions - a Bottled in Bond Straight Rye and a rum cask finished bourbon. I'm a sucker for rum finishes.

And six from Scotch Whisky Auctions. Three Compass Box Whisky expressions - two vintages of Hedonism to fill in gaps in my lineup, and the Great King Street Experimental Batch 00-V4. (Still seeking TR-06). A Scotch Malt Whisky Society Glenmorangie 125.80. Amrut Single Cask Single Grain Indian Whisky. And a Clan Denny 29 year old Cameronbridge Single Grain.

#Whiskey #Whisky #Scotch #Bourbon #Rye #HighWest #CompassBox #ScotchMaltWhiskySociety #AmrutWhisky #Glenmorangie #ClanDenny #Cameronbridge

I’ve seen many references comparing the use of typewriters in an overstimulating technology space to the slow food movement. Since one regularly pairs wine with their meals, it only seems right to extend the typewriter analogy to liquor as well. Today, I’m pairing this smooth 10 year single malt Glenmorangie Scotch with the 1949 Royal Quiet De Luxe.

Surely Hemingway would approve?

Type-o-sphere, what are you pairing with your typewriter today?

#Glenmorangie #RoyalQuietDeLuxe #typecasts #typewriterPairings #typewriters #writingPractice

https://boffosocko.com/2024/05/13/pairing-a-1949-royal-quiet-de-luxe-with-a-10-year-glenmorangie-scotch/

UPS Santa stopped by today with some auction treasures.

First up is Glenmorangie 23 year old "Year of the Rabbit". The first 'Chinese Zodiac' bottle I've managed to grab. Still looking for 'Year of the Tiger' and 'Year of the Dragon'.

I managed to pick up a few Compass Box Whisky bottles. A couple of Hedonism releases, MMXVI-A & MMXVI-B, both from 2016. An old school Orangerie release. And backup bottles of Experimental Grain Whisky and Julio's Liquors bespoke Rivals. They were going for well under value, and my open bottle of Rivals was nearly killed at the recent CB tasting, so I snagged it.

And, for something completely different, Amrut Malt Gurus 2015 seven year Indian Single Rum released through Habitation Velier. I first learned of this from the great Rum Revival channel and I've been watching for it ever since.

https://youtu.be/yZ-t-SLiggc?t=11m39s

#Whisky #Whiskey #Scotch #Rum #Glenmorangie #CompassBox #Amrut #HabitationVelier

My wife found a dry aged USDA #Prime #ribeye on clearance at #wegmans. Only catch was that I had to eat it quick, so Wednesday dinner is semi-fancy this week: not pictured are the tater tots I air-fried as a side. 🤣

But to make it fancier, I decided to break out the #Glenmorangie #QuintaRuban 14 year old port cask finished #scotch and put on some 50s West Coast #jazz.

#alcohol #cocktail #cocktails #mixology

So we got the bagpipe music going from YT and in absence of sheep's lungs I stuffed a Vietnamese rice paper roll-up sheet with the #haggis and served up our #RobbieBurns supper with a wee dram of #Glenmorangie single malt.

A tasty result, and the bevy of spices I used worked out nicely indeed. Rather than 'neeps and tatties' it was 'squeeps and tatties' – I had a butternut squash on hand. :)

Shipping from auction houses in the UK or Europe can be crazy expensive for just one or two bottles, so I tend to leave things in storage until I have enough bottles that the per-bottle shipping cost is reasonable. For whatever reason, this time it took many months at several auction houses until it was worth shipping, so I have an end-of-year bounty. And there is still one more I haven't shipped from.

Compass Box Whisky Whisky De Table 1-3, Optimism, Morpheus, the La Maison du Whisky release of Hedonism Maximus, a signed early release Hedonism, a *first release* Hedonism (I am excited), and Canto Cask 10, 35, & 36. That brings me to six of the 16 Canto Casks.

Ardbeg Smoketrails Côte Rôtie Edition (the second release) and Renaissance (the last missing piece in the Very Young, Still Young, Almost There, Renaissance sequence).

Glenmorangie 30 year Oloroso Cask Finish, The Taghta (a replacement bottle as I volunteered mine for a tasting which almost killed it), SMWS 125.50, and Westport 2006 (Glenmorangie in a clever disguise) from Coastalboy. But the best get was the Cask Masters sample set with fairly full samples of A, B, and C. C is what later became The Taghta. I haven't had A or B since the Cask Masters tastings way back in 2013. I also picked up a few editions of The Glen of Tranquillity.

Lastly some oddball stuff. A North British 40 year old Cask Strength Single Grain. Diplomatico Distillery Collection No 1 Batch Kettle Rum. And Jack Daniel's Winter Jack Tennessee Apple Whiskey Punch, for a special tasting we have coming up. 😉

#Whiskey #Whisky #Scotch #Rum #CompassBox #Glenmorangie #Ardbeg #NorthBritish #Diplomatico #JackDaniels

Latest arrivals - Compass Box Lady Luck - with the box and playing cards! That's a unicorn down. Rare to see them at auction with the box, let alone the cards. All the cards are there, in good condition.

And a The Scotch Malt Whisky Society 125.28 10cl Glenmorangie bottling.

#Whiskey #Whisky #Glenmorangie #CompassBox #Scotch #SMWS

gestern nach #BayerischeStaatsoper #Lohengrin ::

*Low budget #Opernreisen* 55,30€ (ICE HH-M-HH & Opernticket) haben ihren Charme.
Ausklang des Tages #C2H6O mit bayerischem #Whisky Slyrs Single Malt Sauternes Cask Finish.
#Glenmorangie #Sauternes-Cask "Nectar d'Or" gefällt mir besser. #Whisky

This weekend we had a couple of Jess's relatives up from a Virginia as houseguests. Sometimes I pick things up at auctions that won't ship to MA, and they're also whisky collectors, so they've been kind enough to receive shipments for me. Well, that backlog arrived with them - along with a couple of recent bottles.

There was mostly Compass Box with a few different editions of Hedonism, Asyla, Oak Cross, and The Spice Tree. But the one that's completely new for me is The Entertainer.

Then there was a collection of Glenmorangie. I'd picked up a few different versions of the 10 year old from different eras, joining some I already have. I think it could be interesting to do a vertical tasting and see how it has evolved. I also picked up a Warehouse 3 Reserve, which was a travel retail bottle years ago, the Burr Oak Reserve I'd been hunting for a while, and a speakeasy bottle filled in 2004.

And then the miscellaneous - Ardbeg Kildalton, The Clan Denny 33 year old Port Dundas, Plantation Rum XO 20th Anniversary, and Dictador Rum Vintage 1980 41 year and Best of 1981 36 year.

#Whiskey #Whisky #Glenmorangie #CompassBox #Scotch #Ardbeg #Rum #Plantation #Dictador #ClanDenny #PortDundas

Anyone who doesn't know me who reads my feed probably thinks I drink like a fish.

And this post isn't going to help.

Today a shipment arrived from Scotch Whisky Auctions. A smaller one this time, with three The Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottles - one Hampden Estate Rum and two Glenmorangie, two Compass Box - The Spaniard and a signed, but unfortunately smudged, early The Spice Tree, and, finally, a The Clan Denny 45 year old Single Grain from the Carsebridge Distillery.

#Whiskey #Whisky #Glenmorangie #CompassBox #Scotch #SMWS #Rum #HampdenEstate #TheClanDenny #Carsebridge

Today's additions.

The Casa Del Sol Tequila Angel's Reserve Anejo I blame on Friski Whiski for suggesting I try it. (BTW, cognac! I knew it had a finish.) The Xicaru Mezcal Reposado is a new barrel pick from Julio's Liquors & Firefly's BBQ. I picked up both from Julio's today after the Tequila & Rosé event.

The rest came in from Whisky Hammer. A couple of nice old Compass Box bottles from 2010 - Flaming Heart and Hedonism H39MMXB. The Clan Denny 23 year old Single Cask Single Grain Scotch Whisky distilled at the Strathclyde Distillery in 1998 - I have the 50 year and want to compare. A 17 year Westport (Glenmorangie in a clever disguise) bottled by The Creative Whisky Co.

And last, but not least, a Long Pond 2019 three year Jamaican Pure Single Rum from Habitation Velier.

#Whiskey #Whisky #Glenmorangie #CompassBox #Scotch #Westport #Tequila #CasaDelSol #Xicaru #LongPond #Rum #TheClanDenny #Strathclyde

On our drive out we stopped in PA to pick up some Yeungling for Jess's aunt, as it is hard to come by in Illinois, and I picked up a couple of local bottles to try. Liberty Pole Spirits Wheated Bourbon Whiskey and Rye Whiskey. They drink as a fairly young product; I think the rye was more to my taste. Always good to try something local when traveling.

On my visit to Binny's I picked up a couple of their WhistlePig store pick 12 year Old World Ryes. They're both good, but the Apple Heavy Toast Cask is very interesting. Just different from any other WhistlePig finishes I've had, and I liked it. I also picked up the Compass Box Flaming Heart 2022 release which I'd managed to miss when it hit shelves near me.

But the real reason I made the long drive up was for one specific bottle - the Glenmorangie Pride 1978. This joins the 1974 & 1981 expressions I already have, completing the trilogy. I'll have to get a family photo soon.

Since I returned I also scored a High West Distillery The Prisoner's Share. Thanks to Kevork for hooking me up with that.

#Whiskey #Whisky #CompassBox #Scotch #Rye #Bourbon #Glenmorangie #HighWest #WhistlePig #Bourbon #Binnys #LibertyPoleSpirits

The latest round of acquisitions - local and auctions.

A bunch of Glenmorangie (including that The Scotch Malt Whisky Society UK bottling), a couple of Clase Azul, the Compass Box Bern's #1 I'm really looking forward to comparing with the #2 we've already tried, some rum from last night's Maison Ferrand tasting at Julio's Liquors (the Long Pond and Canerock) and a new bottle of Hampden Rum Fire as the last one gave it's all, a Wild Turkey U.S. 12 year European release I was hearing good things about, and the Loch & Key Whisk(e)y Society Catoctin Creek "Leaky Binders" barrel select rye.

#Whiskey #Whisky #Glenmorangie #CompassBox #Scotch #Rum #ClaseAzul #HampdenEstate #WildTurkey #CatoctinCreek #SMWS #Canerock #Tequila #LongPond #Rye #Bourbon

We had just a couple of good friends over for an un-themed, let's just play it by ear tasting, and it was a great night.

We started off strong by cracking the Glenmorangie Pride 1981 & 1974. Both fantastic, of course. It might be sacrilege, but I think the 1981 benefits from a couple of drops of water.

We continued on with the Glenmo with the 30 year Malaga finish. This suffered from the classic Glenmo problem of weak corks. It snapped in half with the lightest pull. Fortunately, after past experiences, I acquired a few tools and was able to extract the other half without it crumbling.

We stayed with Glenmo for the next dram as well, with the Tuiga 25 year. Very nice and light.

Switching it up we moved to a a North British Distillery Clan Denny 50 year Single Grain. Not complex, but elegant in its simplicity. Very enjoyable.

Jumping the pond we next enjoyed a Parkers Heritage 10 year Bourbon from heavy char barrels. This definitely benefits from a little water. Lots of flavor here. This beats Pappy any day of the weak, IMHO.

The conversation had turned back to grain whiskies and one of my friends mentioned he noticed the bottle of Haig Club in my cabinet. I picked this up many years ago for like $25 and never got around to opening it, so we did tonight. It is not at all complex, but pleasant and an easy drinker. I could see it being nice with a rock on a warm day, or in a highball. I sent it home with friends since they liked it, and the blue glass bottle.

Jumping around the globe we cracked a bottle of Amrut Greedy Angels 8 year, from India. It was quite nice, with layers of flavor. But the two of us who have had the 10 year agreed the 10 has more depth and complexity.

We crossed the pond again to crack the WhistlePig Boss Hog VIII Lapulapu's Pacific that I picked up last night, breaking my streak of only owning the odd numbers. (I also won IV & VI in an auction yesterday, so that leaves only II.) I had this on a cruise last fall and it is as good as I remember, with the rum cask notes coming through. But we all still felt VII was still the favorite Boss Hog.

The rum cask switched to conversation to rum, and one of my friends ran home to grab the rum they brought home from their recent honeymoon (they're literally two houses over), Leyenda. Low proof, but very easy to drink. I could see this being very dangerous as it would be easy to put away a lot. Which they did on their honeymoon.

I kept us on rum after that by pulling out the Kō Hana Rum I'd brought home from Hawaii last year. It was even better than I remembered. We ran through all five that I have. The Koho is very pleasant to sip, just a nice rum. But the Koa really adds some layers and depth, so good. The Kea white rum has a very, very vegetal nose, but is surprisingly mild on the palate. We all agreed it would be dangerous in a cocktail, or just with a splash of pineapple juice. The Kila does not drink like a 61% ABV rum, it is so easy to sip. But it does open up more with a little water. The Kokoleka, rum with cacao & honey, oh, damn, that's dessert in a glass. We poured the most of that one, and I wish I'd bought more since they can't ship to MA. Very good.

Then we leapt back to Scotland with a Springbank 15 that was a big change in pace. Lots a flavor, and nice depth.

And then it was time for something completely different from down under. I was recently given a bottle of Mr Black Amaro finish coffee liqueur, with the only request being to try it and report back. So I poured both the standard Mr Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur and the Amaro for side-by-side. Mr Black is my favorite coffee liqueur, very nice to sip straight but it also makes a hell of a Caucasian (White Russian, some of you get the reference). The Amaro is also great. I was concerned it might be too bitter, but it absolutely wasn't. I got a lot of citrus, and the nose was pure Terry Chocolate Orange to me. Just a bit different, and still an enjoyable dram.

We wrapped things up with another major shift. At some point my friends had said they liked having a good sipping tequila on hand, and I remembered I screwed up a while ago and bought a second Clase Azul Gold, and opened it before I caught my mistake. So we pulled that down and gave that a try to wrap up the night. They liked it, so I sent the bottle home with them as I don't really need two open bottles.

And that was it for the night. Damn good times.

Oh, and we started with dinner from Fugakyu Cafe and desserts from Harvard Sweet Boutique, which you may notice in some of the photos. Both are highly recommended.

This is how I like to enjoy a few drams, with good friends.

#Whiskey #Whisky #Glenmorangie #NorthBritish #ClanDenny #ParkersHeritage #HaigClub #Amrut #WhistlePig #Rum #Leyenda #KoHana #Springbank #MrBlack #Scotch #Rye #Bourbon #ClaseAzul #Tequila

Tonight's Whisk(e)y Wednesday pickups. I had planned to grab the WhistlePig PiggyBack Bourbon to try. But then I spotted the Single Cask Nation Westport 16 on the shelf and had to grab it too. Westport is Glenmorangie in a clever disguise, and I'm a fiend for all things Glenmorangie.

#Whiskey #Whisky #Glenmorangie #WhistlePig #Westport #SingleCaskNation

Last night's Midwest A Midwinter Night's Dram party was fantastic - great food, great drink, and, most of all, great company.

For starters we tried the full run of High West Distillery's A Midwinter Night's Dram. That was fantastic. (Thanks to Frank for bringing the Act 2.2.)

But that was just the start. We continued with more High West. Ryan had sent along a bottle of the Loch & K(e)y Double Rye! Panache Grenache, which was next in line. Then I pulled the rest of the High West I had on hand, which was another eight unique bottles. (I'm always looking to expand that lineup - still hunting for The Prisoner's Share.)

Having exhausted the High West offerings on hand, we took a little detour to try a couple of special Glenmorangie bottlings. We tried the Truffle Oak at the last gathering, and agreed it still really holds up - though the Sonoma-Cutrer was quite good.

Then we returned to ryes. Last time we tried WhistlePig Whiskey The Boss Hog VII, and since then I'd acquired The Boss Hog IX, so that was the first cracked. Of course, we had to compare, so we went back and tried I, III, V, and VII again. VII was the overall favorite, but you can't go wrong. (Yes, somehow I've only picked up the odd numbered releases. I'm looking to fill in the gaps.)

There was some conversation about small, local distilleries and that reminded me that I'd picked up a couple of bottles while visiting family in upstate NY last summer. So we wrapped up with a Bourbon and a Rye from 36 Locks, from The Schenectady Distilling Company, Inc./ 36 Locks Tasting Room.

There was also a bottle of Rittenhouse 100 proof Bottled-In-Bond Rye in play as a few people enjoyed a Moxie & Rye. Don't knock it until you've tried it. 😉

A great evening. Can't wait to do it again.

This is the full list of the evening:
High West:
A Midwinter Night's Dram
- Act 1 Scene 902
- Act 2.1 Scene 8
- Act 2.2 Scene ?
- Act 3 Scene 2
- Act 4 Scene 1
- Act 5 Scene 8
- Act 6 Scene 4
- Act 7 Scene 6
- Act 8 Scene 4
- Act 9 Scene 3
- Act 10 Scene 1
- The Encore Act 1 Scene 1

Double Rye! Limited Release Barrel 20086 Bottle 215 The Loch & K(e)y Society "The Panache Grenache"

Rendezvous Rye Limited Release Barrel 1803 Bottle 150 The Loch & K(e)y Society Quady Port

Double Rye! Limited Release Barrel 10505 Bottle 5 The Loch & K(e)y Society

Yippee Ki-Yay Batch 7

Campfire Batch 22F30

Bourye Batch 17A12

American Prairie Bourbon Barrel 7811 Bottle 94 The Loch & K(e)y Society French Oak Port

American Prairie Bourbon Barrel 2683 Bottle 9 The Loch & K(e)y Society Quady Black Muscat

High Country American Single Malt Batch 21J21

Glenmorangie:
Glenmorangie Sonoma-Cutrer Reserve Aged 25 Years

Glenmorangie Truffle Oak Reserve Aged 26 Years

WhistlePig:
WhistlePig The Boss Hog IX Siren's Song

WhistlePig The Boss Hog I

WhistlePig The Boss Hog III The Independent

WhistlePig The Boss Hog V The Spirit Of Mauve

WhistlePig The Boss Hog VII Magellan's Atlantic

36 Locks:
Schenectady Distilling Co. 36 Locks Black Rock Bourbon

Schenectady Distilling Co. 36 Locks Canal Rye Whiskey

Rittenhouse:
Rittenhouse 100 proof Bottled-In-Bond Rye

#Whiskey #Whisky #Glenmorangie #HighWest #WhistlePig #Rye #Scotch #Rittenhouse #36Locks #Moxie #Bourbon

We started there - and kept going.

Great night.

Apologies for no alt text, I'm intoxicated and exhausted. They're all pictures of the whiskies we poured tonight.

#Whiskey #Whisky #Glenmorangie #HighWest #WhistlePig #Rye #Scotch

New auction shipment today. This was supposed to be delivered a couple of weeks ago - and there were supposed to be four bottles. Unfortunately, thanks to the tender mercies of UPS, one bottle was lost, Glenmorangie - 21 Year Old (Sesquicentennial). The others have a bit of staining and the Glenmorangie box got a bit crushed too, but I can live with that.

I did take the insurance against damage, of course. So I get to see what it is like filling an insurance claim with the auction.

What did survive:
Glenmorangie - 15 Year Old (1988) Madeira Matured (Single Cask 3078)
Glenmorangie - 12 Year Old (Madeira Wood Finish)
Amrut - Spectrum 004 (Batch 1)

#Whiskey #Whisky #Glenmorangie #Amrut

Thanks to my neighbor for letting me know there was a box for me sitting on the ground by our condo mailboxes. No thanks to DHL for leaving a box full of whiskey from a European auction there with no signature.

But it is safe now. The SMWS is 125.77.

#Whiskey #Whisky #Glenmorangie #CompassBox #Amrut #SMWS #Scotch

@DerPitcher meiner der #Glenmorangie Sherry wood finish
Traumhaftes Stöffchen
Oder #JohnnyWalker Blue Label

@Daveosaurus LOL... well if it was a literal top shelf, my selection would be a little different, starting with #Laphroaig, #GlenLIvet, #Glenfiddich, and maybe #Glenmorangie, shall I go on??!! 😂