Aura

happy birthday brother DOTU!

filed our taxes. i never imagined a scenario where the my tax-plagued state of Illinois would give me back more money than federal. lol.

RIP Colleen Sewing, another high school classmate of mine to go. Fought various cancer all over her body, including her brain, for almost two years. Left behind a husband and 2 year old... was only 29. She was the kind of person you may not be connected with anymore but you stay linked on social media because her life was positive energy and you felt good that things were good for her. Shit is fucked up.

wife won't be happy when i have to book more flights. saw this a week or so ago... thought it was fake but apparently this is actually going to be a thing. and i will purchase multiple things.

Happy birthday Nate!

it’s not a spin bike but it will obliterate your soul https://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-echo-bike?prod_id=54708&gclid=Cj0KCQiAh9njBRCYARIsALJhQkE0_uCH3kotwFPwWQu9XkGmAeGvdjT3LqgYfbuH1uKmZ9fwShpU4TwaAm7fEALw_wcB

Happy birthday Naaman!

i am definitely interested in meeting at kuma's...

^^dat color on the new bunnie too..

Happy birthday, Todd!

tomorrow i sample the >1yr old mattnog and will probably make a new half-batch. lat year's full batch was 2-3 cups wild turkey 101 and 2 cups 100 proof brandy. i think this year i want to use rum as well... any recommendations outside of the appleton that matt used?

thanks, friends! cheers

haven’t tried here either. i really want to try the latest Wild Turkey LE, Revival. pretty hefty sherry influence on that one.

Happy Thanksgiving, bros and gals.

Sorry Wayne and Antonio. Awful news all around.

happy birthday brother!

random thoughts in regards to cask strength and just heavy-ass notes (both aroma and flavor)... i was best-served in allowing myself time to "get past" my palate requiring a certain intensity. it takes time to revert back to appreciating downproofed whisky or whisky that offers a more-rounded presentation (which doesn't mean there's less complexity, just less dominance of specific notes/flavors versus the full range of notes in that drink). it's a rather ironic journey - it's common to work your way upward in proof and intensity but after you've become accustomed to that, you could be missing on great stuff simply because it delivers a different presentation. TLDR - don't be afraid to trust a distillery or bottler when they release something that isn't cask strength or not super peaty, super sherry, super-whatever. there's also a good chance when you look for stuff outside the three realms above that you're finding a ton of value too (because higher proof, more sherry, darker color, etc. almost always results in more hype and a higher price).

ecbp in a nog... nuthin but respect.

^that one’s all on the distribution. used to be Preiss, switched to Pacific Edge maybe 2-3 years back. before the UK cut off exporting i got Longrow 18 for $60-70 less per bottle than it is in my area now. unfortunately springer doesn’t have many substitutes for that profile. so if it’s your thing, gonna have to bite the bullet.

St. Vincent - MassEducation liked the original and sure liking the stripped-down version

^i edited my list - it was for unpeated non-islay distilleries. all would be worth exploring if you're not into heavy smoke.

^in support of the blends Mikey listed, Compass Box Flaming Heart is generally a must-try. Latest edition should just be hitting shelves in the US. -- for non-islay and non-peaty, here's a random listing of some of my target malts based on the dominant flavors that i usually pull from them... sweet (in a general way) - benrinnes, glenfarclas, longmorn, mortlach waxy, fruity - clynelish salty, briny - old pulteney, talisker tangy, funky - kilkerran, springbank / longrow

in for Cali Costco group buy on Laga 16... (also not in Illinois for that price). also if you’re feeling ardbeg 10, uigeadail (oogie) in the $60 range doesn’t have too much direct competition for the value for sherried islay.

Have a full 750ml that’s been sitting in the fridge since last year. Never meant to let it go the full 365 but I will definitely sample it before getting sick as a dog and throwing out the rest.

Happy birthday Jim!