Single Malt Report: Springbank 18 year old (2nd edition)

Springbank Taste Off 2013 concludes!

On Monday there was Springbank 10 year old 100 proof (US edition, beige label)
On Wednesday there was Springbank 15 year old
Today there is Springbank 18 year old (2nd Edition)

Though each sample came from a different source and started at a different quantity, they were treated equally.  28 fluid ounces tasted, first neat, then lowered to approximately 39% ABV with water.

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As you may note from the photos, this Springbank 18 year old 3cL sample was purchased from Master of Malt's Drinks by the Dram.

When I (and Master of Malt) call this the "second edition", I/we are referring to the fact that this was the second batch of 18 year old released by Springbank after the distillery's reopening (production in 1989, maltings in 1992).  This batch was released in 2010 and may have contained some of their own new floor malt.

You'll find much less commentary here about this Springer, compared to the previous two.  I have always wanted to try Springbank 18 and this sample has been waiting impatiently for me to open it for much too long.

Distillery: Springbank

Brand: Springbank
Owner: Springbank Distillers Ltd.

Age: minimum 18 years

Maturation: 80% ex-sherry casks, 20% ex-bourbon casks

Region: Campbeltown

Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Bottling Date: 2010
Limited Bottling: 9,000
Chillfiltration? No
Colorant? No

NEAT
Color - Gold, almost identical to the 15yr
Nose - Deeper, creamier, orangey sherry+oak notes than the 15.  Again, more oak than sherry.  Cherry cough drops, tropical fruit (papaya?), and Juicy Fruit gum at first.  A lightly floral note joins in, then toasted barley, rum, apple and white grape juices.
Palate - While this is the most graceful of these three Springbanks, the industrial sealant and veggie peat character remains intact in the background. A bright eucalyptus note, also found in the other Springbanks, arrives but much more up front in the 18. Very little wine, but definitely some butter and vanilla from the American oak.
Finish - Oddly, the shortest finish of the Taste Off.  Citrus peels and molasses.  More toasted oak than toasted grain.  A little bitter and acidic, with a phenolic chirp.

WITH WATER (approx 39% ABV)
Nose - Manure! Also cinnamon, milk chocolate, and orange marmalade if the Manure! doesn't distract one too much. It sniffs younger and farmy (clearly).
Palate - Much younger, tarter, and rougher -- all OK in my book.
Finish - Orange, pine, and a surprising amount of spirit. Its last breath is a farmy one.

COMMENTS:
I was very hesitant about adding water to this.  I mean, how many times am I going to have Springbank 18?  Shouldn't I just enjoy it as is?  Instead, I applied water for the sake of science and I'm glad I did.  There was a dirty bird hiding underneath the proper veneer.

Like in the 15, you may note how much cheaper Springbanks are overseas.  I'm assuming this is an unfortunate distribution issue.  US buyers have to do some more footwork, but we can find this whisky at a lower cost outside our borders.

Availability - Most specialty liquor retailers
Pricing - In US: $150-$180;  In Europe: $110-$135 (minus VAT, shipping included)
Rating - 89

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Final thoughts

Here's my attempt to quantify the results:

NOSE:
A close race between the 18yr and the 10yr 100proof, but I give 18 the nod because of its flexibility with water.  It's like two whiskies for the price of one, though it's not a small price.

PALATE:
10yr 100proof, though that has to do with my palate preference for its youth.  The 15 and 18 run pretty close together as runners up.

FINISH:
10yr 100proof.  Unfair due to a higher ABV?  Nope.  Alcohol content doesn't necessarily determine finish.  Aged malt and oak tannins can be an even larger influences. The 18's finish (when neat) is its main flaw.

OVERALL:
At bottling strength - 10yr 100proof - When neat it shows much of the excellent raw character in its youthful, low-oak-influence state.
At 39% ABV - 18yr - A flexible oldie.  When neat, it's a graceful bright malt that still holds onto its industrial underpinings.  With a little water it seems much younger and plays a little rougher.

QUALITY-PRICE RATIO:
10yr 100proof

Again, please remember that due to Springbank's small operations, there has been known to be batch inconsistency.  In fact, that has almost become part of its brand, part of its charm.

Next week, more Springbank?

Single Malt Report: Springbank 15 year old

Springbank Taste Off 2013 continues!

On Monday there was Springbank 10 year old 100 proof (US edition, beige label)
Today there is Springbank 15 year old
Later on there will be Springbank 18 year old (2nd Edition)

Though each sample came from a different source and started at a different quantity, they were treated equally.  28 fluid ounces tasted, first neat, then lowered to approximately 39% ABV with water.

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Now onto the chap in the middle.

Between its $100 US price tag and its 100% ex-sherry maturation, I've never been in a hurry to try Springbank 15 year old.  But I'm attempting to get better about sherried whiskies since they're not all the same.  In fact, I don't mind refill sherry.  What I do mind are the whiskies wherein the sherry blankets over all of a malt's characteristics.  Maybe "blanket" is the wrong metaphor.  How about "plastic bag suffocation"?  Yeah, I'm still working out these issues.

On the other hand (the optimistic one), I've never met a Springbank I've hated.  And sometimes a little wine/bourbon plays well with the malt spirit.  So, at some point last year when I found a mini of the 15 year old for a decent price, I snapped it up.

Like many Springbank products, this one was without a bottle code or the printing had faded.  According to whiskybase, this label was used between 2006 and 2008 on the full-sized bottles.  This time period marks (similar Monday's whisky) the first bottlings of the new era of Springbank's 15 year, approximately 15 years after the distillery's reopening.  This is assuming they didn't keep bottling the minis with the old label after they'd started using the new labels on the 700/750mL bottles.

My mini had some sediment at the bottom, something I have seen with a number of Springbank products, and something that gives me a cheap geek thrill.  Also, though the cap was secured tightly, the bottle had lost about 5-10% of its whisky to the Bastard's Share.  The good news is that the malt's character stayed very much intact.

Distillery: Springbank

Brand: Springbank
Owner: Springbank Distillers Ltd.

Age: minimum 15 years

Maturation: 100% ex-sherry casks

Region: Campbeltown

Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Bottling Date: likely 2006-2007
Chillfiltration? No
Colorant? No

NEAT
Color - Gold
Nose - A little bit of sherry, but a lot of oak; thus most of the industrial and peated notes are cloaked.  But not suffocated.  There is a hint of glue and some green piney peat.  But the main notes are as follows: Orange Drink powder, candy canes, cherry bubblegum, and orange liqueur (more Cointreau than Triple Sec).
Palate - The elements are more varied here.  Tobacco, eucalyptus, tapioca pudding, and piney peat come first.  Then dry sherry, medium dark chocolate (I could say 55% cocoa, but then I'd be an arsehole, or more so than usual), and golden raisins.
Finish - The peat (again in a piney form) makes an appearance here in an extensive conclusion.  The nose's sugary orange notes appear as does some pencil lead and dark raisins.  It has more drying tannins than the 10yr 100proof.  It also grows sweeter with time.

WITH WATER (approx 39% ABV)
Nose - The sherry hushes up and things sniff maltier.  Smells like a piney citric version of the 10yr 100proof.
Palate - Wow, very sweet.  Candy creamy desserty sweet.  A little bit of smoke shows up but gets shouted down by the sugar.
Finish - Sweetness holds and the sherry returns. Some dried apricots and Orange Drink.

COMMENTS:
It's good, as in "I would happily drink it at a bar, but wouldn't buy a bottle for $100" good.  Perhaps it suffers by comparison with other Springbanks, which are either grittier or more graceful.  The sherry is mostly restrained and the palate is tasty when served neatly.  But unless you like sugary sweet whisky, I do not recommend adding water.

In Roskrow's 1001 Whiskies, George Lewis writes that this isn't a Springbank for beginners.  I disagree.  With the spirit's tougher characteristics removed, and the smoothness, generous sweetness, and pleasant citrus notes increased, the 15 year old feels like a better place to start than anything younger in the distillery's official range.

(BUT please note: There are known to be batch differences over the years with Springbank's range. At the same time, online reviews of the recent 15yr are very similar score-wise to those of this version.)

Availability - Most specialty liquor retailers
Pricing - In US: $95-$115;  In Europe: $80-$100 (minus VAT, with shipping)
Rating - 83

Single Malt Report: Springbank 10 year 100 proof (US edition, beige label)

Twenty-one months ago, I had my introduction to the Springbank brands in the form of an official Diving for Pearls Taste Off -- the second one ever and still my favorite.  In that T.O., I tried the Springbank 10 year 100 proof (UK version), Longrow CV, and Hazelburn 8 year.

Now it's time for another Springbank Taste Off, this time whiskies are:

Springbank 10 year old 100 proof (US edition, beige label)
Springbank 15 year old
Springbank 18 year old (2nd Edition)

Though each sample came from a different source and started at a different quantity, they were treated equally.  28 fluid ounces tasted, first neat, then lowered to approximately 39% ABV with water.

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Within a week of that first Springbank Taste Off (in December 2011), I ran out to Mission Liquor in Pasadena to buy a bottle of Springbank 10 year old 100 proof.  Here's a bottle pic from January 2012:

There were two important things about this bottle I did not realize at the time of purchase:

1.)  The 100 proof on the UK edition was 57% ABV since the British measure proof differently than the Americans.  (There's a description of this in that original report.)  Meanwhile, the American edition of the 100 proof bottling goes by US proof standards and is thus bottled at 50% ABV.  I actually knew this at the time, but the sheer excitement of the purchase experience momentarily turned me into a fool (this used to happen more often than I liked, which motivated me to change my whisky purchase approach soon thereafter).

2.)  Having not done enough research into Springbank, I did not realize which bottling I'd actually held in my hand.  At Mission Liquor there was a half case of a newer shiny black label version of the 100 proof.  There were two bottles of this older looking beige label.  My instinct was right to go with the older looking one.  But I should have bought the other bottle too.  The beige labelled 10 year olds represent the first batches of "new" Springbank after the distillery had reopened (after a 10 year closure) and the on-site maltings had restarted.  According to whiskybase, the beige labels were used from 2002 until 2005-2006.  (Keep in mind, these are different that the famous green thistle ones used in the '90s.)  According to Dominic Roskrow's 1001 Whiskies, the "new" version of the 10 year 100 proof began bottling in 2004.  The good news is that I did buy a bottle of it and then saved 2 ounces of it in a sample bottle for an occasion such as this.

Distillery: Springbank

Brand: Springbank
Owner: Springbank Distillers Ltd.

Age: minimum 10 years

Maturation: ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks

Region: Campbeltown

Alcohol by Volume: 50% (100 US Proof)
Bottling Date: between 2004 and 2006
Chillfiltration? No
Colorant? No

NEAT
Color - Amber
Nose - Very young compared to its brethren, and much more industrial. Glue, band-aids, iodine, and rubber cement are first to the party.  Then a big barley note.  Nectarines and apricots follow, then smoked vanilla beans, cow manure, and just-used pencil eraser.  It actually all works together in a crazy symphony.
Palate - In order of appearance: Wood embers, apple skins, molasses, tar, salt, sugar cookies, and a little buttery oak.  Again, the most spirity or rawest of the three, yet the alcohol burn is kept in check.
Finish - Gets a little sweeter here, but remains subtle. Gets maltier too and some lightly bitter piney peat sneaks in.  The industrial notes from the nose mix with the sugar cookies from the palate.

WITH WATER (approx. 39% ABV)
Nice and cloudy!
Nose - It actually gets stinkier with more industrial funk at first, but settles down after a couple minutes. The sealant notes remain, but some wood also shows up, along with eucalyptus.
Palate - More vanilla and sugar.
Finish - Stays strong. Lots of dark brown sugar.

COMMENTS:
Young Springbank brings me joy.  Often when first fill oak and/or wine casks are used for maturation, a lot of those gorgeous grimy notes are covered up.  Here in the 10-100 (US), the oak is present but doesn't intrude.  My nose and taste buds couldn't find the sherry -- which is a positive for me -- so perhaps Springbank used mostly refill casks?

This is hardy stuff but won't decimate one's palate like many high ABV cask strengthers or ultra-high peaters.  Gauging from my old notes, the 7 fewer alcohol percentage points does make this easier to drink than the UK edition but doesn't water down the Springbank spirit delivery.

Springbank did release a 100 proof in 2012.  I know they steer a small ship, but I do hope they keep something like this on the market in the future.

Availability - Happy hunting!
Pricing - if you can find it, it'll be over $70
Rating - 91

The Birthday Booze Batch

The Whisk(e)y:

The Drinkers, the following afternoon:

On Friday, August 23, Kristen and I drove down to San Diego to spend a couple of days with Florin and his family.  Upon our arrival, the pizza was brought out and so was the whisky quickly thereafter.  The first picture is little Picasa-assembled collage of the bottles.  The second picture is of Florin and I, the following afternoon.  That birthday gelato we're eating, it was very good.  The faces you're seeing are those of whisky students who were up until 4:30am drinking studying.

Here were our texts:

Grant's Family Reserve Blended Whisky - MUCH better than I'd expected.  In fact, it's the next blend I'm buying: $14 for 1 liter at Trader Joe's.  I found none of those odd young grainy notes common to all of the blends in its price range (and many of those above its price range).  Instead, it tastes like young Glenfiddich and Balvenie, which is a good thing.

Bank Note 5 year old Blended Whisky (Solera Bottle) - I was enjoying the glass of Bank Note Florin had poured for me, thinking to myself "Man, he's got a really good bottle of Bank Note."  My most recent bottle has been a bit on the hot grainy side, but this one was maltylicious.  My host informed me (around 3am?) that it was his vatting/Solera bottle; he'd been adding single malts to the Bank Note here and there over the past few months.  I may lift that idea.

Teaninch 10 year old Prime Malt and...

Dailuane 10 year old Prime Malt - Two single malts that seemed almost oakless.  Naked malts.  They were crisp and fresh.  They weren't lightweights, but they made for excellent summer drinking.  Kudos to Prime Malt (an old Duncan Taylor brand) for having the confidence in their casks to release them in their all their malt splendor.  There will be further writings about these two as I now have samples.

Glentauchers 16 year old Gordon & MacPhail - I'd never had a Glentauchers malt.  This one doesn't have me running out to drink a second.  It was okay at first, seeming like a simple malt, maybe more like a 12yr starter.  Not sure if it's due to the malt or just some weird refill sherry casks, but the finish gets very odd -- that's all my fuzzy memory will allow.  Anyway, there may be a good reason why Pernod Ricard utilizes it entirely for blends (especially for filling out Ballantine's).

Tomatin 12 year old - More substantial than I'd remembered it to be.  When I'd had it last, about two years ago, it seemed like a plain inoffensive single malt, an easy step up from blends.  But this has more character now, unless Florin was using this as a Solera bottle too.  :)  Just kidding.  For $20-$25, a respectable option.

Kirkland Speyside Single Malt 18 year old Sherry Cask Finish - We matched this up with the Tomatin 12 because Florin was thinking that this unnamed malt was in fact from Tomatin too.  After sampling both, I concur.  Now, technically, Tomatin has been designated as a Highland malt since it sits a little west of the Speyside whisky region borders.  But the palate on this "Speyside" is very very similar to Tomatin.

Fettercairn 15 year old 1995 Signatory - A bracing single malt.  Florin is a big fan of it.  It has a swirl of farmy and floral notes going on in both the nose and palate.  There's also a touch of soap in the mouth as well, but not too much.  Old Fettercairn can be a little divisive, but this bottling was curious in a good way.  Unlike Glentauchers, I'm motivated to explore the distillery further.

(Not pictured) Tuica - A spirity Romanian plum spirit, truly homemade.  Much better than the Kosher Slivovitz I've previously suffered to, since Tuica has an actual nose and is very tasty.  Think ripe plum skins crossed with chili peppers.

(Not pictured) Compass Box Hedonism Vatted Single Grain - My drinking cohort was enjoying this one immensely.  I nosed it a bit, but didn't dive in any further.  I knew I was approaching that moment when I was going to have a difficult time sorting out any new drink.  I'll say this about Compass Box's Hedonism, as per last year's report, it's my favorite Scottish grain whisky and its nose is lovely.

Willett 7 year old Family Estate Single Barrel Bourbon - My first Willett Family Estate Single Barrel Bourbon.  And now I'm hooked on Willett Family Estate Single Barrel Bourbons.  Holy moley.  These Family Estate bourbons seem to have almost vanished from retail shelves, which is a bummer (but not surprising to me now).  They are heavy, dark, powerful, and deeeeee-liciouss.  And I have a sample to review further, at a later date...

Bowmore 21 year old 1982 Prime Malt - This one is special.  I'll be reporting on it in October, along with another Bowmore from the '80s.  It IS full of violets, but it IS NOT full of FWP.  It's quite an intense experience, though.  Proper respects go out to Prime Malt again for letting the whisky be whisky rather than lathering on the oak.  More on this in October.

Many thank yous to Florin for his generosity.  In addition to all the spirits, he and his wife, Maja, opened up their home to us and fed us well.  Enjoying a casual 24th, strolling around sunny Coronado, was exactly what I needed.  Thank you to my friends for all the wonderful gifts!

Birthday Malt Report: Balblair 1978, Round 2!

As stated in last year's post about this bottle, I am only drinking it on my birthday.  And half birthday.  And other times.  Anyway, it was still more than 60% full this year and I wanted to see how/if it changes in the bottle.  Plus it's a clean, honeyed, fruity malt so it suits the late summer.  So it became (or has become) the house malt for my birthday (week).

Also, in last year's post, I moderately bemoaned the fact that my '78 Balblair was the 2008 version, not the 2010 version (the version with the rare Murray/Valentin accolades).  It turns out, had I examined the bottle code, I would have seen that the stuff was bottled in 2010.  I'm sharp.  And now a year older.

Distillery: Balblair
Ownership: Inver House Distillers Limited
Age: minimum 32 years (1978-2010)
Maturation: American oak ex-bourbon barrels
Region: Northern Highlands
Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chill filtered? No
Caramel Coloring? No

Two quick things:
1.) This was drunk neatly after a 30 minute wait.
2.) I did not read my notes from last year's tasting before composing these notes for this year:

Color - Light gold

Nose - Very aggressive fruits right from the start: tart mango, lemon peel, peach skin, and fresh apples.  But mostly pineapple, and LOTS of it.  A lot of caramel syrup too.  With time, there are more grain and yeast notes, even a teeny bit of barrel char.  Additionally, one may find some hints of whole grain bread, along with pineapple turnovers, and a fruit tart.

Palate - A lot of caramel and vanilla. It's more tart than I'd remembered, as in tart fruits (not fruit tarts).  Okay, also fruit tarts.  Big thick note of salted caramel gelato -- which I also enjoyed this past weekend.  With time, the whisky gets sweeter in the glass.  Orange peel meets watermelon Jolly Ranchers.

Finish - Much longer than the Glen Grant. Sweet without being cloying. Butterscotch, lemon candy, caramel sauce, and (singing the loudest) the watermelon Jolly Rancher candies.

Now I'm looking at last year's notes...

I'll be danged.  Aside from the citrus, there's very little in common.  The vanilla seems to have moved from the nose to the palate.  I didn't get the honey notes this time, instead I found caramel.  But it's clear that the massive fruit notes moved in this year.  I have to say I actually like it more.  I had some struggles last year sorting through the drink, so either it opened up in the bottle or I was on my game.

One final thought on my Balblair 1978.  This '78 set the ceiling for what I'm willing to spend on a single liquor bottle.  If I do let it stay in its original bottle until the next birthday, I may have to end the bottle/oxygen experiment at that point and decant the whisky into a smaller glass receptacle.  While I enjoy this experiment, I also want to make sure I can continue to enjoy the whisky for which I'd shelled out big bucks rather than allowing its nose and palate to perish slowly in an oxidized slumber on my watch.  But then again, will there be any left in a year?  Or even at the end of this week...?

Availability - A few European retailers
Pricing - $200-$220 (w/shipping, w/o VAT) via UK retailers, otherwise $300+
Rating - 93

Birthday Malt Report: Glen Grant 35 year old 1974 The Octave (Duncan Taylor)

Last year, I was the 34 year old boy who had the 34 year old Glen Grant.

This year, I was the 35 year old boy who had the 35 year old Glen Grant.

Distillery: Glen Grant
Ownership: Campari
Bottler: Duncan Taylor
Brand: The Octave
Age: 35 years (1974 - 12 January 2010)
Maturation: refill ex-bourbon for first 35 years, then 3 months in a sherry octave
Region: Speyside
Alcohol by Volume: 48.8%
Chill filtered? No
Caramel Coloring? No
Limited Release: 70 bottles

Why Glen Grant again?

There are (or at least used to be) a number of fairly affordable old indie (Laing, Duncan Taylor, Gordon & MacPhail, etc.) Glen Grants on the market.  For instance, this bottle of 35 year old cask strength single malt was about $140 two years ago.  Today, whiskies half that age (and some of them not cask strength) go for that price.

But more importantly, Master of Malt had a sample of it.  I was on the lookout for a 35 year old dram and they were selling it.  Simple as that.  Anyway, I gave a similar speech last year so let's move along to the boozy part.

Last year's old Glen Grant was very good and noticeably peated.  This year's old Glen Grant was also good, but had no peat and just a little smoke in the finish.

Last year, I gave the big thumbs up to the fact that Speyside/Highland distilleries like Glen Grant used to have their own peated maltings, thus the presence of the light phenolic note on the 34yr.  This year, let me say: Yes, the old distilleries used to have their own malting floors, but Glen Grant closed theirs in 1962 and have been sourcing their malted barley ever since.  And their current source has been unpeated for quite some time.  So I wasn't necessarily wrong last year but......HEY WHAT'S THAT OVER THERE!

I gave this malt and its drinking companion (to be posted tomorrow) 35 minutes in the Glencairn before approach.  And as in all birthday malt situations, water was not added.

Color - Copper (or more specifically, a light gold with slight red highlights)

Nose - Sweet and spicy oak hit first, which is surprising for an oldie.  I'm assuming this comes from the tiny octave cask they used for the finish.  Perhaps they used generously charred American oak before swishing the sherry around?  But after that immediate burst, the nose gets dreamy.  Cinnamon and sugar on buttered toast, then toffee cake, cotton candy, and apricot jam.  And it keeps going...

When my wife whips up a batch of her stunning pie crust, there's always bit of dough left over.  So she puts butter, cinnamon, and sugar inside, then rolls it up and bakes it.  Out of the oven comes The Hobo Roll and it is devoured before it cools.  Who put Hobo Roll in my Glen Grant?

When I was a kid, my mom baked mandel bread (or mandelbrot).  Her version was a simple dough with chocolate chips inside.  After it's baked, cinnamon and sugar are sprinkled on top while it cools.  It is then munched on by happy children.  Who put Mom's mandel bread in my Glen Grant?

Setting aside the intense sense memories, I saw the cinnamon & sugar & dough theme running through.

Palate - Pipe tobacco and leather at the start.  Cinnamon candy and sea salt caramels.  It's very malty and there's still something like cookie dough in there.  After some time, a Glen Grant-esque herbal note peeks out in the background, but then it gets pushed aside by masculine cologne and Orange Crush.  Not bad, but it doesn't sustain the nose's beauty.

Finish - Sweeter here with citrus peel.  And now someone smoked that pipe tobacco.  Maybe some smoked almonds, but it's definitely nutty.  Orange Crush and cologne again.

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This one started very strongly then gradually slowed down.  The nose may have placed itself in the All-Time Subjective Top Ten, but even though the palate was very good, it couldn't compete.  The finish was decent but not significant.  The descent may be due to the fact that I wasn't crazy about the cologne and Orange Crush combo as it felt slightly off, clashing with everything else in the whisky.  Those quibbles don't stick in my mind that much.  What I do remember most is the joy of the baked treats from my past and present.

Availability - It's all gone  :-(
Pricing - Here's a link to the old good price
Rating - 89

WADD problems

I'm having WADD problems, and chances are likely many of you are too.

Have you been a little more anxious than usual lately?  Financial struggles, conflicts on the job, family trouble, and new relationship challenges can trigger advanced stress levels which in turn will distract you from your evening passion and lead to considerable WADD problems.  And in some instances WADD issues can even be related to trying to get another Handy or even some Dickel.

Whisky Attention Deficit Disorder strikes the best of us.  Sometimes we get caught up in news stories, blogs, and marketing (or is that redundant?).  Sometimes we can't stop chasing the rapidly expanding new bottles or the quickly disappearing old stuff.  Sometimes we feel like we have to stock up before our favorites are gone or double in price.  Or sometimes, SOMETIMES, a certain person puts all of his whisky energy into trying new things to expand and expand and expand his malt experience......and he loses patience with a full 750mL bottle of whisky.  Or all open bottles of whisky that he'd chased after and stocked up on.

Let us pretend that this hypothetical person has a blog called Diving for Pearls and let us use first person pronouns when discussing his WADD.

I have to believe that I'm not alone in having Whiskey Attention Deficit Disorder.  All you whisky bloggers, geeks, reps, writers, experts, self-appointed-experts, and producers have to run into this issue on a regular basis if you're trying new stuff every week.  If you say you've never had it, I won't call you a fibber, but I'll be pretty impressed.

There are usually four or fewer single malt bottles open simultaneously in my home.  I don't actually drink from them enough to polish one off in less than two months.  My quota is a dram a night (okay maybe two) and many of those drams are now from sample bottles.  Some nights, especially in summer, I'm more in the mood for wine or beer or (gasp!) mineral water.  So, I haven't been going to my open whisky bottles often.  So far I've been staying away from opening new big bottles, but I've been noticing that when I have a choice, I tend to head towards the sample stash first.  That act is totally silly since I really enjoy my open Tier 1 and 2 bottles right now.  But I'm so distracted by THE NEW that I need to make a focused effort to relax and appreciate what I have.  Meanwhile, those open whiskies I have sit silently gradually oxidizing (or maybe playing poker when I'm not looking).

The nine whiskies I reviewed in the past two weeks were part of the problem.  Yes, most of them were sampled while I was away from home, but they only enflamed the WADD upon my return.  I'll be returning to two reports a week, at most, unless I'm doing a Taste Off of multiples drams.  A Taste Off takes only one night, so I guess what I'm proposing (to myself) is two new-stuff nights a week at most.

Wow, what a First World Problem.  Actually, the real underlying issue is being satisfied with what I have.  Finding bliss in a moment devoid of new shiny things is my desire.  It's Slow Whisky, but specifically it is Slow Whisky with what is at hand.

No, I do not need to drink more.  I need to appreciate the present and allow the moment to wash everything else away, then maybe my WADD worries will be over.