[MDixon]

GoT lineup review. I have no idea if the reviewer is competent or not.
https://thewhiskeywash.com/reviews/whisky-review-round-up-game-of-thrones-single-malt-scotch-whisky-collection/

[MDixon]

Finished off a bottle of 1792 Small Batch tonight. I enjoyed this quite a bit. It's a nice affordable Bourbon at $30.

[MDixon]

Finishing off a bottle of Glen Moray Single Malt Sherry Cask Finish. At $25 this one isn't bad, but is lacking complexity. It's mainly leather and oak with some chocolate thrown in for good measure. I'd hit the Port Finish version again, but probably won't purchase this one again.

[narvin]

Finished off a bottle of 1792 Small Batch tonight. I enjoyed this quite a bit. It's a nice affordable Bourbon at $30.

I'm intrigued by this one. It's readily available and I've heard it is similar to Very Old Barton which is a fantastic one for the price (< $15) but never seen around here.  Sounds like it is worth the $30.

[MDixon]

I think 1792 Small Batch is worth the $30.

I bought a bottle of our local county ABC (remember we are a state orchestrated system with individual boards broken out by county or city(ies)) 1792 Single Barrel Pick. It was tremendous. I tried to buy more and the county warehouse sent bottles to the store, but they were not of the pick. Turns out the pick was from 2014 and they had found a few cases lurking in the warehouse and sent them to one store. Of course I only grabbed the one bottle.

Fast forward a few weeks and I picked up a case of a 1792 Single Barrel store pick out of GA for a song. Of course it is illegal to ship liquor across state lines, but let's say if that happened my cost per bottle would be $33. It is also magnificent. I would not hesitate to purchase a store pick 1792 Single Barrel at a reasonable cost. Of course I now have a plethora of it at the house so it will be awhile before I purchase any more unless it once again is crazy affordable.

Speaking of crazy affordable. I lucked into Balvenie Double Wood 17yr for $75 per bottle. I was thinking of letting a bottle or two go, but since I will never get it again at that price I think I will keep all four bottles.

[Ale Farmer]

Had some Lagavulin 8-year just before Christmas and enjoyed how it brings together a lot of the different Islay flavors. And try it-or any other single malt- with some sugared kumquat slices: delicious.

[MDixon]

At a gathering with old friends we drained a bottle of Smokehead Single Malt Scotch yesterday. I had remembered it as ashtray, but it was a much better pour than I remembered. Lighter on the peat and with a sweetness to balance. I'll probably pick up another bottle in the future when I see it again.

The backstory:
On a trip to Belgium on 2006 we were in Antwerp at a Scottish bar named Highlander and had Smokehead Scotch with a draft McEwan's. I remembered the Scotch as being ashtray and having the McEwan's afterward balancing it out. Purchased the Smokehead in 2014 and then discovered McEwan's wasn't being distributed to the US anymore. Fast forward a few years and it was so we decided to get together the men who were on that trip. It took awhile to schedule, but yesterday was the day.

[MDixon]

Opened a bottle of J.T.S. Brown BiB which is Heaven Hill. Had to buy a case to get it in NC. Quite nice for a $14 Bourbon.

[Wilbur]

It's not a cheap lineup. White Walker runs $40-50 plus tax. The Oban will be $63-70 plus tax. The set of 7 was $375.

NY has the 7 bottles as does SC. I would think most would have them in the next few weeks.

That's interesting. I grabbed the White Walker at Costco for $30. Saw it at a liquor store elsewhere in Central IL for the same price. You're talking about the Johnny Walker White Walker?

[MDixon]

Yes. In NC it's $42.

[narvin]

Opened a bottle of J.T.S. Brown BiB which is Heaven Hill. Had to buy a case to get it in NC. Quite nice for a $14 Bourbon.

I just found Very Old Barton (86 proof, not the bottled in bond) at State Line Liquors, the huge place off of 95 near the Delaware Memorial Bridge.  For $19.99 for a 1.75 L it's a steal.

[MDixon]

It's a great one for mixing. I have a bottle of VOB BiB, but haven't opened it.

[ethinson]

Went over to a friends house over the weekend and got to taste a broad array of scotches.  I as find more and more non smoky (lowland, highland) scotches and even lightly delicate smoky scotches, I don't hate scotch as much as I thought I did.

Started with the Macallan 10 yr, very sweet and fruity, not smoky at all. Very nice.
Next our friends opened the Lagavulin 16, which I only smelled. Super smoke heavy, I could smell it from a foot away.  If you like that, I'm sure it's good but too much for me.
Then I tried Bruichladdich Octomore. I believe it was edition 3.1? I don't remember.  It was smoky, but less so than the Lagavulin and also more balanced, less "harsh". It wouldn't be my go to but I didn't hate it.
Finished the night with two expressions from Glenmorangie, the first was Nectar d'Or, aged in French dessert wine barrels, it was very sweet and fruity.  The second was the standard 18 year, which was incredibly smooth. 

Also got to try a 100% Rye whiskey from Virginia (didn't catch the name) that is supposedly from George Washington's recipe. It was a little sweet, a little spicy, everything I love about a rye whiskey.

Most of these scotches are well out of my price range, so it's nice to be able to try them when someone else is pouring.  The Nectar d'Or is 67$, the Glenmorangie 18 is 115$, The Lagavulin 16 yr is $91.  The OLCC page doesn't list prices for the Macallan 10 year or the Octomore, so they must not be in stock at the moment.  Macallan 12 is listed at $65, so I would expect 50-55 for the 10 year.

[narvin]

Also got to try a 100% Rye whiskey from Virginia (didn't catch the name) that is supposedly from George Washington's recipe. It was a little sweet, a little spicy, everything I love about a rye whiskey.

That was probably from the actual distillery at Mt. Vernon that they rebuilt a few years ago.  It is up the potomac a few miles from the house, where they used to send finished product by river.  It's quite cool, they have a distillery as well as a grist mill that is powered by a water wheel.

https://www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/distillery/distilled-spirits-at-mount-vernon/george-washingtons-rye-whiskey/

[ethinson]

Also got to try a 100% Rye whiskey from Virginia (didn't catch the name) that is supposedly from George Washington's recipe. It was a little sweet, a little spicy, everything I love about a rye whiskey.

That was probably from the actual distillery at Mt. Vernon that they rebuilt a few years ago.  It is up the potomac a few miles from the house, where they used to send finished product by river.  It's quite cool, they have a distillery as well as a grist mill that is powered by a water wheel.

https://www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/distillery/distilled-spirits-at-mount-vernon/george-washingtons-rye-whiskey/

Yup, that's it. I recognize the bottle.  I didn't realize the name was just "George Washington's Rye Whiskey". LOL