What did you buy at the liquor store today? (2014 – 2015)

[suzilightning]

A case of non alcoholic beer for the husband.  Then off to a local restaurant/bar for their half off growler sale for him,

[FrogPrincesse]

More beer from my favorite Trader Joe's.

 

 

Cahoots Saison from Uinta Brewing, Modern Times Aurora Red Rye IPA (from their blog: "Consider this bitter, pungent, complex IPA our contribution to the war on pumpkin spice bullshit."), Stone Enjoy after 10.31.15 Brett IPA, and Green Flash Hop Head Red Double IPA.

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Stone Enjoy after 10.31.15 Brett IPA...

 

And did you wait?

[FrogPrincesse]

Yes, like a good girl.

 

It's going to join the Stone Vertical Epic and Anniversary releases in the spare fridge.

[Naftal]

Hello-I love single malts and I have a friend ,a doctor, who lives in California. Why am I telling you this? Because every time he visits me (about once a year) he brings me a bottle of the good stuff. So......

Today I received his annual gift: this year it was a bottle of Montgomerie's Rare Select Malt Scotch Whisky. More specifically, it is an 18 year old Islay. And, while I technically did not go to a liquor store, I figured that the arrival of this treasure on my doorstep was comparable.

[ChrisTaylor]

Don't stop me now.

 

[Hassouni]

Don't stop me now.

 

 

Looks like you're having such a good time, you're having a ball

[ChrisTaylor]

 

If you want to have a good time just give me a call.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I have a couple more bottles of sake to try, plus an older one in the refrigerator.  But I am still recovering from my last sake which wasted me pretty badly.  Not to mention that sake is way more expensive than the wine I drink.

[Craig E]

Local supplier is running a 25% off all wines anniversary sale, and I was happy to be able to convince them that not only cava and sherry, but also vermouth and Cocchi Americano qualify. 

[KD1191]

Local supplier is running a 25% off all wines anniversary sale, and I was happy to be able to convince them that not only cava and sherry, but also vermouth and Cocchi Americano qualify. 

 

That's impressive...would they believe brandy?

[Craig E]

That's impressive...would they believe brandy?

I didn't think to try! I think the Cocchi was pushing my luck already...

[campus five]

Should've grabbed a picture, but I swung by Hi-Time because I was in the neighborhood. 

 

Wild Turkey 101 Rye (yes! in a 1L bottle)

Cappelletti Aperitivo

Bigallet China China Amer

Becherovka (re-stocking)

Jelneck Fernet (re-stocking)

 

I was temped to get some Stagg Jr, since they had several bottles, but I'm gonna wait just in case I find a bottle of regular Stagg there at the end of the month (optimistic, I know). But, then again, I have a bottle of Barrel Proof Elijah Craig, and several vintages of Stagg, so I'm not desperate for high-proof, well-aged Bourbon. 

[pto]

Picked up WT101 with 8 year age statement

[scubadoo97]

Nice find

[kiruzsal]

[Adam George]

No Absolut Berry Acai? 

 

No Party.

[lesliec]

This, on Saturday.  The Rittenhouse a restock; the other something my favourite booze shop has only recently acquired:

 

 

Oh yeah, and a few bottles of Badger Applewood, a very good English cider.

 

I'm quite intrigued by the orange citrate.  There are some tasty-sounding recipes in Kindred that call for it; we had our first last night and it was as good as it sounded, with a just-detectable 'sting' from the citric acid coming through.

 

Then, through the agency of a kind Canadian friend of a kind Canadian friend, this arrived:

 

 

Happiness!  Hen's teeth aren't in it when it comes to Smith & Cross here, although the aforementioned favourite booze shop told me that morning they'd ordered three bottles from the UK.  Anybody's guess when they get here and what they feel they'll have to charge, but for now I'm good.

 

Thanks, Kerry.

[EvergreenDan]

Iceberg vodka tastes of lettuce, I hope.

[tanstaafl2]

_{I ended up not buying this but I was tempted just because it seemed such an oddity!}

 

<sub>It may have been around for awhile but that I noticed for the first time a couple of days ago. I was initially moderately intrigued since they claim to make their own whiskey rather than sourcing it and I had no idea what "Bavarian Hard Wheat" suggested. Nor did I recall seeing a "malted" wheat whiskey before. The fact this apparently has some connection to Germain-Robin and that they were using an old Germain-Robin copper still used for their brandy was mildly intriguing as well. The producers apparently started a couple of years ago with several white dogs including the white dog version of this wheat whiskey.

But at a lowish 88 proof, small barrel aging and only 2 years of aging the price of $65 (!!!!) was more than enough to keep me from taking a blind shot on it. To further add to the crap factor is the attempt to make it sound like it is something more than it is because it was aged in "used Pappy barrels". So when did PVW start using small barrels? Now there is a revelation!

The Caskers website claims they use three different barrels: new American oak casks, 350-liter French Limousin oak barrels that were previously used to age brandy, and used American oak barrels that were previously used to mature Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon. I presume the new oak barrels are the baby barrels.</sub>

 

_{I don't suppose anybody has tried this and has any thoughts on it?}

 

 

[KD1191]

The 2014 Stagg arrived last night. For the first time ever I was shut out of the William LaRue Weller sweepstakes at my usual source. Not giving up hope, as the BTAC hasn't officially hit here in Jersey, but it's not likely I'll see it anywhere I frequent. Very sad effect of what I can only assume is the Pappyfication of any high-proof wheated bourbon within BT's ambit. If anyone has an extra bottle of this year's Weller, I've been holding an unopened 2011 Stagg in reserve for just such an occasion, which I'd happily trade.

 

Anyway, on to the 2014 Stagg...rebounding from last year's lowest proof ever (128.2), this release is nearly back into HazMat territory (138.1). And, boy...this is not a sipper. It doesn't have the harsher, desiccated wood burn of some of the Stagg, Jr. out there, but it brings mouth-coating hot, hot heat. In the past I've been happy to drink some years of GTS neat, this is not one of those. The tasting notes provided by BT are pretty spot on. Dates and vanilla up front...very sticky toffee pudding, then dark chocolate and coffee on the ever so slightly bitter finish.

 

[choux]

City trip yielded Becherovka, Boodles gin, Knob Creek Rye, Bittermans Mole bitters, and a couple Nick&Nora coupes.

[pto]

Bitter Truth Falernum

Appleton VX

Clement Blanc Rhum Agricole

Hawthorne strainer, spherical ice-maker things

 

All new for the first time to me! Been using a tea strainer for a year!

 

 

 

[scubadoo97]

The 2014 Stagg arrived last night. For the first time ever I was shut out of the William LaRue Weller sweepstakes at my usual source. Not giving up hope, as the BTAC hasn't officially hit here in Jersey, but it's not likely I'll see it anywhere I frequent. Very sad effect of what I can only assume is the Pappyfication of any high-proof wheated bourbon within BT's ambit. If anyone has an extra bottle of this year's Weller, I've been holding an unopened 2011 Stagg in reserve for just such an occasion, which I'd happily trade.

Anyway, on to the 2014 Stagg...rebounding from last year's lowest proof ever (128.2), this release is nearly back into HazMat territory (138.1). And, boy...this is not a sipper. It doesn't have the harsher, desiccated wood burn of some of the Stagg, Jr. out there, but it brings mouth-coating hot, hot heat. In the past I've been happy to drink some years of GTS neat, this is not one of those. The tasting notes provided by BT are pretty spot on. Dates and vanilla up front...very sticky toffee pudding, then dark chocolate and coffee on the ever so slightly bitter finish.

It's a shame so much of the BTAC will not be drunk but flipped to the highest bidder

[Hassouni]

 

 

The last is 'Araq Ghantous & Abou Raad, from Zahle, Lebanon

 

Plus the same of Soldeico pisco (unpictured), a really fantastic and reasonably priced Peruvian pisco imported by a local distributor

Edited October 25, 2014 by Hassouni (log)