And so we’re almost at the end of the year. Even as things begin to look uncertain again on the pandemic front with the new Covid variant, we’re finally as a family all completely vaccinated—with the missus and I having received our boosters to boot. And we’re finally about to take a trip on a plane. We have tickets to go back to Los Angeles for 10 days at the end of the month. The boys and their halmoni haven’t seen each other in almost exactly two years and it’ll be good to be able to fix that. It’ll also be good to be able to eat out a little more freely in Los Angeles, where restaurants are subject to a vaccine mandate for in-person dining. This is very much not the case in Minnesota, even though our infection numbers are still very high. Nonetheless, given our fully vaccinated status the missus and I are stepping back out into the in-person dining world here as well. We have reservations at Petite Leon this weekend. Hopefully, no further Omicron news will emerge between now and then to call them into question as happened the last time we had reservations there (early September, Delta).

On the whisky front things will continue as they have been: reviews every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. There are a couple of leftover requests from November that I’ll be getting to but other than that the list is an open book (though I do have another Orkney/Highland Park review set for Friday to bookend the week). If you see anything you’re particularly interested in the long list below, feel free, as always, to nominate it to the short list. And come back tomorrow for the poll to select the month’s recipe posts (which again will be made on Thursdays).

1. Ardbeg Uigeadail, 2007 Release
2. Balvenie 15, Sherry Cask 12243
3. Benrinnes 23, 1997, OMC for K&L
4. Bowmore 15, Feis Ile 2019
5. Caol Ila 30, 1982, Archives
6. “A Fine Christmas Malt”, 16 yo, The Whisky Exchange 2021
7. Glen Keith 28, 1993, OMC for K&L
8. Glen Scotia 11, 2008 (SMWS 93.138)
9. Kilchoman 10, 2010, Spec’s Exclusive
10. Kilchoman 13, 2008, Spec’s Exclusive
11. Kilkerran 8 CS, Oloroso, 2021 Release
12. Laphroaig Cairdeas 2021, PX Finish
13. Linkwood 18, 2002, Hepburn’s Choice for K&L
14. Littlemill 22, 1989 (Glen Fahrn)
15. Longmorn-Glenlivet 1971-2004 (Scott’s Selection)
16. Longrow 18, 2014 Release
17. Old Pulteney 15, 1982
18. Orkney Distillery 21, 1999 (ImpEx Collection)
19. Plausibly Speyside’s Finest/Glenfarclas 28, 1992 (OMC for K&L)
20. Possibly Speyside’s Finest/Glenfarclas 28, 1992 (Sovereign for K&L)
21. Talisker Distillers Edition 2015
22. Talisker 18, 2004 Release
23. Talisker 20, 1982
24. Tamdhu 20, 2000 (OMC for K&L)