i picked up a few new things recently. first, i got a few cheaper drams for regular weekday drinking, each cheaper and better than the previous.
first i found loch lomond 12 year while checking out a local liquor store quick while my daughter was at the library. i figured for $31 ill give it a shot and see if its any good. it ended up being pretty good, especially for the price point. its a bit on the sweeter side, so the overall flavor profile is more reminiscent of the typical blended scotch flavor profile, but its quite smooth.
a few days later i happened to be passing by another store that ive been to afew times and decided to check out if they had anything new. from some conversation i overheard, it sounded like they had closed for a while, and recently reopened. somehow they had a few whiskies that are private labels made by total wine and spirits, even though theyre not a twas. must be associated with them somehow or something i guess. anyway, they had shieldaig islay single malt for $21, so i gave it a try as we like islays. its no lagavulin 16 or ardbed uigedail, but for the price its pretty decent.
then, a few days later on my way to one store that i knew had Born sake, which i wanted to pick up another bottle of, i came across another store as well. i found there something ive had before, islay mist 8 year blended scotch. it was even cheaper at $18, so i grabbed a bottle. again, its no premium islay, but for the price its great.
at the other store, in addition to the born, i also got a few small bottles of random sakes that i hadnt tried yet, as well as a scotch. they had a nice selection, so i wanted to get something, but didnt want to spend too much since i had just bought a lot of other stuff, so i settled on wolfburn northland at $51. at first tasting, it was pretty harsh, but i just tried it again it has improved a bit. still perhaps a little harsh, but not badly. the flavor, while decent, doesnt have much depth to it. id rather spend a bit more and get a lagavulin than get this again, but it was good to try something new.