...where distraction is the main attraction.

Friday, September 28, 2018

Birthday Bottles and an Ardmore Autumn

Exclusivity doesn't draw me in like it used to. I can't hear SMWS's siren call. When I heard the tale that Springbank Society just had 3000 requests — thrice the outturn — for their annual release, I felt less FOMA than I'd expected. Seeing that I was removed from a barrel-share group not only didn't bother me, instead it lent a bit of freedom. The current crop of single casks aren't calling out to me either, and really what's more exclusive than a single cask?

I bring this up now because this is the time of the year when the whisky birthday present (or two) I've purchased for myself arrives in a delightful brown rectangular parcel. Considering the "Sold Out" or "Secondary market" notation on nearly everything I review, it's silly for me to critique the exclusivity of single cask purchases. But not one single cask looked appealing this summer. Looking at each sharp photo of a current single cask release, I felt emptiness. And not in a clean Śūnyatā sense. Nor was I imagining the glory of a completed bottle. It was just a feeling of, "why?"

There's a lot going on behind that feeling. Part of it is linked to the tailing off of my whisky purchases, as I detailed last month. Part of it comes from a palate that's getting less excited about high ABVs. Part of it is general dread. And part of it has to do with my desire for casual drinking, which I also referenced in August's birthday post.

Committing to how I want to experience whisky, thus aiming for sub-$70 drinkers, I bought three ten year old single malts that still dazzle my inner curmudgeon at the very thought. Avert your eyes, people, here's the whisky dick pic:


Yes, 3 x 10 = 30. No, I did not turn 30 this year. But I don't/can't drink in large quantities, as tempting as it may be throughout fatherhood. Three bottles were more than enough. I have a soft spot in my heart for those three brands, probably literally. While I wish 10 year old single malt still sold for $30-$40, I am willing to pony up for this quality.

Speaking of brands I adore. Ardmore!


I've been threatening to finally break into my Ardmore stash for years. Beatrice's 1st birthday will be the perfect excuse to do so. The 1991 rum cask from Malts of Scotland is for the event. The current(!) 12 year old Portwood will be my casual drinker for autumn. Opening two Ardmores means I won't have to open another for twenty years. That's how it works, right?

Thanks for tuning in for this latest edition of First World Drama. The reviews return on Monday.