The WHAT?
A friend of a friend hosts occasional liquor tastings that are quite elaborate affairs. Previous events enabled me to knock off a nice set of bourbons and another added 4 scotches to my list. This, however, was a Chardonnay tasting. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of chardonnay but I wanted very much to attend because the host was sure to have a wide range of cost and quality on hand. That way if I disliked the lot, I was well and truly able to scratch chardonnay off my list of wines. Follow? The part of the evening you'd be interested in came after the wine was done. Our host set me loose in his remarkable liquor cabinet to try anything I wanted, and let me tell you, there was a lot to want. I was so enthusiastic he even pulled out a few gems from other cabinets for me to try. The result: 13 whiskies (1 Canadian, 3 Irish and 9 Scotches) some of which managed impressive scores.

Row indicator, not the ID of the whisky.#	The Distillery or Brand that produces this productDist / Brand	The product name, as determined by the bottle text or official description. Note that sorting by this will give odd results when it comes to age.Expression	Bottler. Some single malt releases are put out by independent companies. OB=Official Distillery BottlingB	(Country) The country where the product is producedCty	Age in years. NAS implies 3.Age	The type of whiskyTy	What I found the likely MSRP to be in my area for a 750ml bottle. Your price may differ significantly. This is not an advertisement of sale, this bottle is likely empty by now anyway$	The taste score, pleasure versus pain and ignoring any other considerations.Score	The value of the whisky, a calculated value involving taste and price.Value	0Awards
1	Glen Ord	30 YO	OB		30		$22500	93	39
2	Bruichladdich	Twenty Years Old Second Edition	OB		20		$18000	92	45
3	Bruichladdich	1986 Blacker Still	OB		20		$18500	91	45
4	Laphroaig	Quarter Cask NAS	OB		NAS		$6000	91	94
5	Edradour	Straight From The Cask 10 YO 1993	OB		10		$12000	86	65
6	Connemara	12 YO Peated	OB		12		$6500	85	74
7	Longrow	10 YO Wood Expressions: Tokaji	OB		10		$9500	82	67
8	Duncan Taylor and Sons Tamdhu	34 YO 1969	DTS		34		$18000	70	05
9	Connemara	Cask Strength NAS	OB		NAS		$5500	59	51
10	Connemara	Peated	OB		NAS		$4500	58	47
11	Murray McDavid Dallas Dhu	Mission 1974 29 YO Sherry Cask	MMD		29		$20000	57	00
12	Wiser's	Very Old 18 YO	OB		18		$3000	57	52
13	Balvenie	Sherry Oak 17 YO	OB		17		$9500	52	21

On a long roadtrip I got every whisky that the state of North Carolina's ABC system had to offer.
Sadly, the only difference between what they had and what I can get locally existed on the very bottom shelf. So I tossed them all in with a few beasts I had left over and we have a study in misery.

Row indicator, not the ID of the whisky.#	The Distillery or Brand that produces this productDist / Brand	The product name, as determined by the bottle text or official description. Note that sorting by this will give odd results when it comes to age.Expression	Bottler. Some single malt releases are put out by independent companies. OB=Official Distillery BottlingB	(Country) The country where the product is producedCty	Age in years. NAS implies 3.Age	The type of whiskyTy	What I found the likely MSRP to be in my area for a 750ml bottle. Your price may differ significantly. This is not an advertisement of sale, this bottle is likely empty by now anyway$	The taste score, pleasure versus pain and ignoring any other considerations.Score	The value of the whisky, a calculated value involving taste and price.Value	0Awards
1	Glenfarclas	25 YO	OB		25		$15000	55	02
2	Canadian Hunter	3 YO Mellow Canadian Sipping Whisky	OB		3		$1000	48	53
3	Wasmund's	Rappahannock Pot Stilled NAS	OB		NAS		$4000	46	41
4	Heaven Hill	10 YO 86 Proof	OB		10		$1500	40	43
5	Old Mill Stream	NAS	OB		NAS		$500	40	47
6	Canadian De Luxe	NAS	OB		NAS		$1000	30	34
7	Travellers Club	Specially Selected 3 YO	OB		3		$500	23	27
8	Gold Crown	3 YO Preferred	OB		3		$500	18	19

A collection of newly acquired miniatures to wrap up the year

Row indicator, not the ID of the whisky.#	The Distillery or Brand that produces this productDist / Brand	The product name, as determined by the bottle text or official description. Note that sorting by this will give odd results when it comes to age.Expression	Bottler. Some single malt releases are put out by independent companies. OB=Official Distillery BottlingB	(Country) The country where the product is producedCty	Age in years. NAS implies 3.Age	The type of whiskyTy	What I found the likely MSRP to be in my area for a 750ml bottle. Your price may differ significantly. This is not an advertisement of sale, this bottle is likely empty by now anyway$	The taste score, pleasure versus pain and ignoring any other considerations.Score	The value of the whisky, a calculated value involving taste and price.Value	0Awards
1	Bowmore	Dawn NAS Port Casked	OB		NAS		$5500	92	100
2	Dalmore	12 YO	OB		12		$4000	81	79
3	Kentucky Vintage	Original Sour Mash 8 YO	OB		8		$2500	80	85
4	Bowmore	Darkest NAS Sherry Casked	OB		NAS		$7500	77	59
5	Clontarf	Single NAS	OB		NAS		$3000	77	75
6	Pure Kentucky	XO 10 YO	OB		10		$4000	74	75
7	Noah's Mill	15 YO	OB		15		$7000	73	63
8	The Talisman	NAS	OB		NAS		$3000	73	70
9	Old St Andrews	Clubhouse Premium NAS	OB		NAS		$3000	71	67
10	Glenkinchie	10 YO	OB		10		$5500	67	52
11	Clontarf	Reserve NAS	OB		NAS		$3000	63	58
12	Gordon & McPhail Old Pulteney	8 YO	GM		8		$4000	60	54
13	Saint Brendan's	Irish Cream NAS	OB		NAS		$1500	58	49
14	Clontarf	Classic NAS	OB		NAS		$2500	57	54
15	Cu Dhub	NAS	OB		NAS		$3000	56	52
16	Rowan's Creek	12 YO	OB		12		$5000	56	48
17	John Barr	NAS Gold Label	OB		NAS		$1500	51	53
18	Auchentoshan	NAS	OB		NAS		$3000	51	47
19	Teachers	Highand Cream NAS	OB		NAS		$1500	50	53
20	Bowmore	Dusk NAS Claret Casked	OB		NAS		$6500	43	25

One whisky for (nearly) every letter of the alphabet, posting live without having all the letters. That's the Alphabet Challenge!

Row indicator, not the ID of the whisky.#	The Distillery or Brand that produces this productDist / Brand	The product name, as determined by the bottle text or official description. Note that sorting by this will give odd results when it comes to age.Expression	Bottler. Some single malt releases are put out by independent companies. OB=Official Distillery BottlingB	(Country) The country where the product is producedCty	Age in years. NAS implies 3.Age	The type of whiskyTy	What I found the likely MSRP to be in my area for a 750ml bottle. Your price may differ significantly. This is not an advertisement of sale, this bottle is likely empty by now anyway$	The taste score, pleasure versus pain and ignoring any other considerations.Score	The value of the whisky, a calculated value involving taste and price.Value	0Awards
1	Lagavulin	16 YO	OB		16		$8000	92	82
2	Ardbeg	10 YO	OB		10		$5500	90	90
3	Glenmorangie	10 YO	OB		10		$6000	88	82
4	Bushmills	NAS Black Bush	OB		NAS		$3500	85	87
5	Talisker	10 YO	OB		10		$6000	79	66
6	Highland Park	12 YO	OB		12		$4000	75	70
7	Caol Ila	12 YO	OB		12		$5500	74	62
8	Powers	Gold Label NAS	OB		NAS		$2000	70	71
9	Compass Box	Orangerie NAS	OB		NAS		$6500	69	50
10	Emmets	Classic Cream NAS	OB		NAS		$1500	64	54
11	Jim Beam	NAS Yellow Label	OB		NAS		$1500	60	62
12	Usher's	Green Stripe NAS	OB		NAS		$1000	60	64
13	Deanston	12 YO	OB		12		$3500	56	50
14	Vat 69	NAS Golden Light	OB		NAS		$1000	56	60
15	John Barr	Black Label NAS Special Reserve	OB		NAS		$2000	54	55
16	Yukon Jack	NAS	OB		NAS		$1500	53	59
17	Barton	Imperial NAS	OB		NAS		$500	51	57
18	Kilbeggan	NAS	OB		NAS		$2000	42	43
19	Austin Nichols	Wild Turkey NAS 80	OB		NAS		$2000	41	42
20	George Dickel	No. 12 NAS	OB		NAS		$2000	39	40
21	Senators Club	NAS	OB		NAS		$500	39	46
22	Georgia Moon	NAS	OB		NAS		$1000	38	43
23	Fighting Cock	6 YO	OB		6		$1500	37	43

For reasons that I cannot seem to remember or express I decided to taste a group of whisky liqueurs.
Not to ruin it for you, but I abandoned this mission after only 9 tastings.

Row indicator, not the ID of the whisky.#	The Distillery or Brand that produces this productDist / Brand	The product name, as determined by the bottle text or official description. Note that sorting by this will give odd results when it comes to age.Expression	Bottler. Some single malt releases are put out by independent companies. OB=Official Distillery BottlingB	(Country) The country where the product is producedCty	Age in years. NAS implies 3.Age	The type of whiskyTy	What I found the likely MSRP to be in my area for a 750ml bottle. Your price may differ significantly. This is not an advertisement of sale, this bottle is likely empty by now anyway$	The taste score, pleasure versus pain and ignoring any other considerations.Score	The value of the whisky, a calculated value involving taste and price.Value	0Awards
1	Austin Nichols	Wild Turkey American Honey NAS	OB		NAS		$2000	71	69
2	Bushmills	Irish Cream NAS	OB		NAS		$2500	66	52
3	Drambuie	NAS	OB		NAS		$3500	60	53
4	Baileys	Irish Cream with a Hint of Mint Chocolate	OB		NAS		$2000	58	47
5	Baileys	Irish Cream with a Hint of Caramel	OB		NAS		$2000	56	45
6	Phillips Union	NAS Cherry Flavored Whiskey	OB		NAS		$2500	50	46
7	Celtic Crossing	NAS	OB		NAS		$2500	40	36
8	Phillips Union	NAS Vanilla Flavored Whiskey	OB		NAS		$2500	33	30
9	Mr. Boston	NAS Rock & Rye	OB		NAS		$1500	29	28

A sprint to triple digit nirvana.

Row indicator, not the ID of the whisky.#	The Distillery or Brand that produces this productDist / Brand	The product name, as determined by the bottle text or official description. Note that sorting by this will give odd results when it comes to age.Expression	Bottler. Some single malt releases are put out by independent companies. OB=Official Distillery BottlingB	(Country) The country where the product is producedCty	Age in years. NAS implies 3.Age	The type of whiskyTy	What I found the likely MSRP to be in my area for a 750ml bottle. Your price may differ significantly. This is not an advertisement of sale, this bottle is likely empty by now anyway$	The taste score, pleasure versus pain and ignoring any other considerations.Score	The value of the whisky, a calculated value involving taste and price.Value	0Awards
1	Famous Grouse	NAS	OB		NAS		$2000	78	81
2	Labrot and Graham	Woodford Reserve NAS Distiller's Select	OB		NAS		$3000	75	76
3	The Dimple	Pinch 15 YO	OB		15		$3500	71	67
4	Lord Calvert	Canadian 3 YO	OB		3		$1000	58	62
5	Buffalo Trace	NAS	OB		NAS		$2000	58	60
6	Calvert	Extra NAS	OB		NAS		$1000	48	53
7	George Dickel	NAS Old No 8 Brand	OB		NAS		$1500	45	47
8	Old Overholt	Straight Rye 4 YO	OB		4		$1500	43	46
9	Clan MacGregor	Very Rare NAS	OB		NAS		$1000	42	47
10	Harwood Canadian	3 YO	OB		3		$500	36	43

All my Christmas presents and holday finds had to sit impatiently on the shelf while I cleaned out the stockpiles.
See what kept me warm over the cold winter months.

Row indicator, not the ID of the whisky.#	The Distillery or Brand that produces this productDist / Brand	The product name, as determined by the bottle text or official description. Note that sorting by this will give odd results when it comes to age.Expression	Bottler. Some single malt releases are put out by independent companies. OB=Official Distillery BottlingB	(Country) The country where the product is producedCty	Age in years. NAS implies 3.Age	The type of whiskyTy	What I found the likely MSRP to be in my area for a 750ml bottle. Your price may differ significantly. This is not an advertisement of sale, this bottle is likely empty by now anyway$	The taste score, pleasure versus pain and ignoring any other considerations.Score	The value of the whisky, a calculated value involving taste and price.Value	0Awards
1	Compass Box	The Peat Monster NAS	OB		NAS		$5500	86	84
2	Johnnie Walker	Gold Label 18 YO	OB		18		$7500	86	72
3	Glenfiddich	18 YO Ancient Reserve	OB		18		$7000	79	64
4	Glenfiddich	15 YO Solera Reserve	OB		15		$5000	74	63
5	Phillips Union	NAS	OB		NAS		$2500	70	69
6	Ballantines	Finest NAS	OB		NAS		$1500	59	60
7	Canadian Club	Classic 12 YO	OB		12		$2500	57	54
8	Club 400	3 YO Special Reserve	OB		3		$500	50	56

I somehow unwittingly aseembled a dozen Kentucky spirits and decided to put them head to head. Oh, and a blend snuck in!

Row indicator, not the ID of the whisky.#	The Distillery or Brand that produces this productDist / Brand	The product name, as determined by the bottle text or official description. Note that sorting by this will give odd results when it comes to age.Expression	Bottler. Some single malt releases are put out by independent companies. OB=Official Distillery BottlingB	(Country) The country where the product is producedCty	Age in years. NAS implies 3.Age	The type of whiskyTy	What I found the likely MSRP to be in my area for a 750ml bottle. Your price may differ significantly. This is not an advertisement of sale, this bottle is likely empty by now anyway$	The taste score, pleasure versus pain and ignoring any other considerations.Score	The value of the whisky, a calculated value involving taste and price.Value	0Awards
1	Baker's	7 YO	OB		7		$4000	80	84
2	Bulleit	NAS Frontier Whiskey	OB		NAS		$2500	76	79
3	Booker Noe's	NAS	OB		NAS		$5500	75	76
4	Austin Nichols	Wild Turkey NAS Rare Breed	OB		NAS		$3500	70	72
5	Basil Haydens	8 YO	OB		8		$3500	67	60
6	Virginia Gentleman	NAS	OB		NAS		$1000	61	64
7	Early Times	NAS	OB		NAS		$1000	59	62
8	Old Grand-Dad	NAS 100 proof Bonded	OB		NAS		$2000	51	55
9	Kentucky Gentleman	4 YO	OB		4		$500	50	56
10	Ancient Age	NAS	OB		NAS		$1000	39	44
11	Old Crow	3 YO	OB		3		$500	35	42
12	Ten High	NAS Sour Mash	OB		NAS		$500	30	36

The first, the biggest ever (until the ABC challenge) and the mini mayhem lasted MONTHS.

Row indicator, not the ID of the whisky.#	The Distillery or Brand that produces this productDist / Brand	The product name, as determined by the bottle text or official description. Note that sorting by this will give odd results when it comes to age.Expression	Bottler. Some single malt releases are put out by independent companies. OB=Official Distillery BottlingB	(Country) The country where the product is producedCty	Age in years. NAS implies 3.Age	The type of whiskyTy	What I found the likely MSRP to be in my area for a 750ml bottle. Your price may differ significantly. This is not an advertisement of sale, this bottle is likely empty by now anyway$	The taste score, pleasure versus pain and ignoring any other considerations.Score	The value of the whisky, a calculated value involving taste and price.Value	0Awards
1	Glenlivet	12 YO French Oak Finish	OB		12		$6000	81	69
2	Forty Creek	NAS Barrel Select	OB		NAS		$2500	81	83
3	Glenfiddich	15 YO Cask Strength	OB		15		$6500	77	68
4	Dewars	12 YO	OB		12		$3000	74	73
5	Makers Mark	Red Wax NAS	OB		NAS		$2000	73	77
6	Glenlivet	12 YO	OB		12		$3500	68	62
7	Glenfiddich	Special Reserve 12 YO	OB		12		$4000	65	56
8	Austin Nichols	Wild Turkey NAS 101	OB		NAS		$2000	61	65
9	Kessler	American Blended Whiskey NAS	OB		NAS		$1000	59	62
10	Justerini and Brooks	Rare NAS	OB		NAS		$2000	57	56
11	Jim Beam	White Label 4 YO	OB		4		$1000	56	60
12	Baileys	Irish Cream	OB		NAS		$2000	56	45
13	Knob Creek	9 YO	OB		9		$2500	56	54
14	Windsor	Windsor Canadian NAS	OB		NAS		$1000	54	58
15	Crown Royal	NAS	OB		NAS		$2000	54	54
16	Jack Daniels	Gentleman Jack Rare NAS	OB		NAS		$2500	53	51
17	Dewars	White Label NAS	OB		NAS		$2000	49	49
18	Canadian Club	6 YO	OB		6		$1000	48	53
19	Old Grand-Dad	NAS	OB		NAS		$1500	47	49
20	Cutty Sark	NAS	OB		NAS		$1500	44	47
21	Black Velvet	NAS	OB		NAS		$1000	42	47
22	Evan Williams	Black Label 7 YO	OB		7		$1000	14	10