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Spirits, what you drinking...

For everyday use, there is no better taste/price ratio than Alberta Premium Canadian whisky. Another extremely tasty drink, almost impossible to find, is the ordinary 38% Santiago de Cuba Rum. They both represent exceptional value for your money! I had better whisky and better rum, but at much higher price that I could not justify for regular use.
I drink Alberta Premium Rye Whiskey regularly. I live in Alberta so it's easy to find. I'm presently mixing it with Merrys Strawberry Irish Cream. Om nom nom...
 
The AP cask strength is my go-to. Makes a killer Rye and Dry.
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And it is not obscenely expensive. I found it for CAD 74 and may be tempted to try it.
 
it would have been above my pay grade (way above)!
Not really, especially for us Albertans. It goes for about $75 CAD. I think it's available in some Canada/USA duty free shops though I don't know the pricing.
 
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Weller full proof barrel pick for Singapore. I like it -- very different from the usual Weller FP. Fruitier. Bruised apples come to mind. Not as much of the overwhelming toffee banoffee thing that the typical Weller FP goes for.

William Larue Weller still a cut above though IMHO.
 
I don't really drink rum and only have a couple of bottles on hand for mixing. It would be a crime to mix that one. So how does a 67 year old rum taste?
 
Good Rum is a treat. Considering how the Whiskey and Tequila markets are, you can actually get some really nice rum at a fraction of the cost of some other spirits. In fact, it's really amazing that some aged Rums selling for under US$20 are almost more enjoyable than whiskeys ranging from 50 to 1000!

A good example around $30 is Diplomatico Reserva from Venezuela. Stunningly delicious and very sip-able. Other brands like El Dorado are again very affordable, even for higher aged spirits and really show off some amazing depth of flavor.
 
I don't really drink rum and only have a couple of bottles on hand for mixing. It would be a crime to mix that one. So how does a 67 year old rum taste?

As the bar manager (this is in one of the most famous whisky bars in the world with among the most extensive collection anywhere) said, she imported this because she found this to be a rum that is very accessible even for those who don't usually go for rum. Also it was well-priced for the age as it was bottled by a group of purist collectors that intend for this stuff to be drank, not ignorant speculators hoping to plaster this in luxe marketing and an insane price to fleece someone who'd be overawed by the age.

Candied ginger, tons of manuka honey (as in, I couldn't believe no one stirred in a spoonful of manuka, so uncanny the note was), liquorice, a little bit savoury and earthy, almost like morels, then eucalyptus, and lifted by a bit of almond cream on the finish.
 
Good Rum is a treat. Considering how the Whiskey and Tequila markets are, you can actually get some really nice rum at a fraction of the cost of some other spirits. In fact, it's really amazing that some aged Rums selling for under US$20 are almost more enjoyable than whiskeys ranging from 50 to 1000!

A good example around $30 is Diplomatico Reserva from Venezuela. Stunningly delicious and very sip-able. Other brands like El Dorado are again very affordable, even for higher aged spirits and really show off some amazing depth of flavor.
Diplomatico Reserva is a fantastic rum for sipping —- that is our house "sipping" rum.

Rum, like whiskey and mezcal, has a very wide range of production styles and flavor profiles. At the other end of the spectrum from Diplomatico is Doctor Bird, a traditional Jamaican pot still.

Over the past years, I've started to explore a wide range of rums due to getting into Tiki drinks (and amassing a collection of 39 bottles). During that time, I've gone from the view that I couldn't understand how anyone in their right mind could possibly even like sipping Doctor Bird — let alone, consider it their favorite (such as the bar tender at Rumba who introduced me to this rum) — to now thinking that Doctor Bird is also a very nice, but incredibly funky, sipping rum.

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I thought Diplomatico was Venezuela whereas Dr. Bird was from Jamaica and not a Diplomatico product? I do agree that some of the Dip. products are easy to drink as an entry to rum, after a while they do seem rather sweet (and in fact are heavily adulterated, depending on the actual bottle) and I gravitate to other rums for my easy sippers, whether it be Appleton 15 or a Foursquare product. And ya, I get all the bottles as I as well am in to Tiki as well as sippers, although trying to cut back on the latter when they start costing a couple of hundred and more per!
 
I thought Diplomatico was Venezuela whereas Dr. Bird was from Jamaica and not a Diplomatico product? I do agree that some of the Dip. products are easy to drink as an entry to rum, after a while they do seem rather sweet (and in fact are heavily adulterated, depending on the actual bottle) and I gravitate to other rums for my easy sippers, whether it be Appleton 15 or a Foursquare product. And ya, I get all the bottles as I as well am in to Tiki as well as sippers, although trying to cut back on the latter when they start costing a couple of hundred and more per!
Yes, Diplomático is Venezuelan run; and on the sweeter side. Doctor Bird is a Jamaican pot still base, from Two James Spirits in Detroit, Michigan.

As you note, there is an entire world of great stuff in between. And like you, I'm trying to reduce my bottle count, but I seem to keep making negative progress on that goal... :cool:
 
Gibson's Finest Canadian Whiskey. 40% ABV. It's light tasting, not much burn at all and nice afterglow in the flavor.
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