Picked this up at my favorite liquor store in Minneapolis.

 

I finished off a bottle of this several months ago and just got around to replacing it. Almost forgot how much I like it.

 

@Dan S Nice, I love Highland Scotches.

 

A trip to Scotland is on my bucket list for sure. It would be wonderful to be able to have pictures in my mind of the scenery and culture associated with these places ... Highlands, Speyside, Islay, etc.

I know that must sound silly to any Scots reading this, but to me, those are simply names associated with types of whiskey.

 

One of the simplest but tastiest cocktail I’ve had during my trip to Bali.
Rum, lime, syrup and ginger flower soda

 

sounds tasty. what kind of syrup? maple?

 

from the area... I would assume simple syrup (water/sugar) or something from sugar cane. Maple is not going to be that common in Bali, nor really fits with local flavor profiles.

 

Quite possibly "simple syrup". White sugar and water mixed 1:1

have fun
kfw

Edit...not sure how @Mtec quote got there. ...little keys and fat fingers. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

@Foo2rama @time flies

thanks for chiming in guys!

might try and whip this up tonight for an anniversary drink. my wife LOVES surprises / new stuff.

 

My first bottle from the Yamakazi distillery. Ugh, it’s good.

 

Next time, look for its Distillers Edition sibling, I guarantee you will enjoy much more its richer flavors!

 

@alam and @Foo2rama you both seem to be pretty experienced. Over time, did you develop a different taste in Scotch? Do you have a “go to” that you always have on hand?

 

It’s always evolving... I but I go through phases. Scotch started with Fiddich Solara 15 15 years which I now feel is thin. I rotate a lot but tend to Bruichladdich and Ardbeg for the past few years. Still have about a hundred single malts though... collectors disease. I’ve got bottles from almost every Scottish distillery and I think examples of almost every type of booze out there.

My staples though are Bullet rye, El Dorado 12 rum and Bombay Gin either Sapphire or Eastern, and Tito’s vodka. Those are just great affordable pours either neat or in cocktails.

I rotate a lot though. I went on a cognac phase again this year, played with a bunch of gins this year and I’ve got a feeling I’m going to rotate back to tequila and Mezcal soon.

It’s a journey I like trying new things and exploring the differences. Worst case a bottle gets relegated to the cocktail bin and I mix or cook with it. About the only types of cocktails of not experimented with is Tiki... just to much work and ingredients.

Keeping a journal helps.

 

I find myself looking for new and different labels/expressions, however a huge discriminator for me is the presence of peat - even a moderate amount of peat turns me off - I just can’t handle the smell or taste and find no joy in peated scotch sort of like NATO straps

not really as my inventory remains constant, any where six to eight bottles to choose from - but now you just made me think what would be my “always to have on hand”, in that case it would be a bottle of McCallan 12 or Balvenie Double Wood 17yr.

 

Yeah its delicious. It has a sort of ginger ale vibe to it but much more refined. Simple syrup.

Very true! Well said!

 

Haha! I feel the same towards peat and nato straps! Though lately I'm warming up to the idea of peaty whiskeys after getting a bottle of Lagavulin 16.
As for go to/affordable whiskey, i've been using Kavalan's classic single malt. Its easy to drink with hints of honey and it works great for the rather frequent whiskey sour

 

I am not drinking this today, unfortunately, but just picked it up. The fun part will have to wait til I have the time to enjoy it. Pretty hard to come by as only 6,000 bottles or so are made each year.

Probably one of the best, if not the best, rosé champagne.

 

Very interesting