TheSanDiegan

Also had this at my fiend's recently: Damn good but IMHO not worth the $300 SRP (let alone the secondary prices).

Ah, I didn't even think about that angle... good point. Yessir they are all different from each other. The American was phenomenal - drank like a straight rye (we were guessing a 45-45-10 mash bill due to how it drank and the "American whiskey" designation). Second OC American batch Ive had the pleasure to try and both were memorable. My buddy scored this bottle a 9.2. The Indigo's Hour was without doubt the most complex yet easy-drinking 90 proof whiskey I've ever tried. Both this and the OC American were worth their SRP IMO. My buddy scored it an 8.9. The OC Bourbon was mighty fine, but kind of a one-trick pony. I would choose either batch of American whiskey over that bourbon batch any day. My buddy (and I both) scored it an 8.3. My buddy brought the three "good" bottles; I supplied the Jack Bonded, which drank like a 100 proof Jack I suppose. It was nice. Scored at 6.4 by my bourbon sherpa. A fairly decent buy for <$30 IMO. I'll probably have a pour of it here shortly.

From last week's Friday Night Flights: That 18 YO Orphan Barrel was something else... I wrote this note in a draft email when nosing it: "my nose wants to eat this bourbon's pussy." Yes, I know... eloquent. Eloquent as f*ck.

The three victims of a Bottle Kill I hosted last weekend with a couple friends. However, being the gentlemen we are, we let a couple bottles survive so they could warn the others of our intentions. The Rampur drinks like Balvenie 12 Doublewood, even if the temperature extremes in northern Rajasthan means it only has to age for 4 years to achieve the same flavor profile.

I haven't had a chance to try batch 15 - how's is it? I mean, where does it fall on the scale between really good and freakin' great?

I went in to TW last week and was stoked to score the last bottle of store select 1792 Single Barrel BiB. But with only a single bottle each of the SiB BiB and 12Y, I'm not really ready to blow through them, at least not while I'm working on an open bottle of Full Proof. So after a couple different whiskeytubers I respect were surprisingly impressed by the entry-level 1792 Small Batch - it won a blind against the more expensive limited expressions on one channel - I decided to plunk down the whopping $27 for a bottle. And +++++ yes it's as good as billed. A no-brainer for <$30 and a flavor bomb for being 93.7 proof.

Regardless, I'm having a great time browsing the duty free website - I hadn't even thought to look - thanks!

Oh dude you said, "Cuban" and my mind went somewhere else entirely.

Blanton's came to mind, tho I'd really only be interested in the red bottle, as the 80 proof expressions would be a hard pass for me. The only other Blanton's I'm really interested in maybe acquiring the SFTB. Good to know re: the Four Roses. I'd love to score a bottle of OESO, but other than that, idk if I'll be adding a bottle anytime soon.

Question for @Mano, @tailingpermit, et al: My wife is returning home from India next week and has a long enough layover in Dubai to hit up the duty free shop for me. It's the wrong market, but I'm hoping she'll encounter a bottle of Wild Turkey 12. That leaves her with 1.3L worth of duty free whiskey to import - what else should I be asking her to be on the lookout for?

An all-time classic - the Speyside equivalent of the L16. Enjoy it and drink it in good health!

Here was our planned flight. The best thing I'll say about the Caribou Crossing? It's a pretty bottle. Turns out single barrel Canadian whiskey tastes just like, well, generic Canadian whiskey. After opening with the Caribou (caribooooooo!), we wanted to compare three 12-year expressions in order of ascending proof - the W12, then the 1792 Aged 12 Years, then the WT12. Spoiler alert: the WT12 was the clear standout. We then decided to finish on Rare Breed, but then first pit stopped with OF1924, and then after the RB we ended up circling back to the 1792 with a pour of Full Proof. tl;dr: we drank a lot of whiskey last night.

So this ended up being the crown jewel in last night's flight. An exceptional pour, and hands-down the best Wild Turkey expression I've ever had. I'd score it somewhere between an 8.7 and a 9.

You mean the "Double Rye!" They put that exclamation point on that name for a reason - dear God it is like drinking 100% fermented rye. Did you like it (the Double Rye(!))? Either way, IMO the flavor of the Four Roses single barrel TP suggested should be your jam, and it's priced in the same ballpark as the HP12. In fact, I think you'll dig on exploring high-rye mash bill bourbons in general. As far as ryes go, maybe try MIchter's Single Barrel Straight Rye sometime - it's ubiquitously available and brings a friendly rye profile in a very sippable proof. I really like the balance of smoke and sherry notes in the HP - the peaked smoke almost makes it like an Islay-light without the iodine notes. I'm trying to remember what I just drank that had a nice smoke note from the barrel char... might have been Wild Turkey 12 or 1792 Aged 12 Years? If you want an interesting scotch experience, try a cask strength Arberlour expression sometime... Their A'bunadh is freakin delicious and has a complexity in flavor well beyond that of the HP (due in part to the higher proof). Also, Glenmorangie's experimental shit ranges from very good to unreal. When I update my menu I'll be including A Tale of the Forest, which almost has a gin-like character due to the use of local botanicals when they malt their barley.

So my wife is back in India visiting her parents and after her cousins mixed Patrón with all sorts of stupid shit last trip, I sent her back this time with a budget bottle of Buffalo Trace to accompany the bottle of scotch she was already taking. We touched base this morning my time, and she was at her cousin's house with her two cousins and their husbands and all were collectively spilling their milkshake over the BT, both neat and in Old Fashioned's. I doubt the bottle survived the night, and I feel like a good ambassador from half a world away.