What are you drinking?

[General Ceel]

Double Nugget Nectar
Brewer: Troeg's Independent Brewing
https://troegs.com/beer/double-nugget/

LET'S TAKE NUGGET AND DOUBLE IT.
Well, it wasn’t quite that easy, but it sure was a fun balancing act. To start, we boosted the Simcoe, and this complex hop’s notes of apricot, peach rings and bright citrus are the star of the show. Azacca enters the picture to add hints of juicy orchard fruit, and Munich malt brings a bready sweetness. To strike a balancing note, Columbus joins Nugget hops, grounding this limited release with a layer of dank pine.

ABV: 9.5%
AVAILABILITY: Once a Year
COLOR: Amber / Orange
HOPS: Azacca, Columbus, Nugget, Simcoe
GRAIN: Flaked Oats, Munich, Pilsner, Vienna
YEAST: Ale
................

This one is made a few hours away out in Central Pennsylvania.

[Danster]

I'm currently drinking a Glen Marnoch Highland Single Malt.

Glen Marnoch is a weird range, they have three Single Malts; Islay, Highland and Speyside. However, they are not a distillery, it's a made up brand for German supermarket chain Aldi. Who actually produces the whisky isn't publicized, because whoever it is does not want to damage their brand by being associated with a budget supermarket chain.

However, what that means is we have a single malt from a potentially skilled distillery at around $20 a bottle. As such, the Highland and Speyside tend to be my go to bottles; they're both very tasty and affordable whiskys, my two priorities when purchasing! The Islay isn't my cup of tea, it has a very harsh, peaty taste. I'll drink it, but I'll stick in an ice cube or two, whereas generally I drink my whisky neat (or with two or three ice stones that reduce the temperature but don't add water to the whisky).

I did say I wouldn't drink on days that weren't Friday or Saturday, but it's not something I've been able to stick to.

[General Ceel]

We have Aldi here, but in Pennsylvania the government still has a monopoly on on hard alcohol sales (a leftover from the end of prohibition,) so you certainly won't find and whiskey there. Luckily, I live close to border with New York State and the "finger lakes" region where they have great laws that support small wine, beer and distilling, with an emphasis on locally grown ingredients.

[General Ceel]

water

[Danster]

We have Aldi here, but in Pennsylvania the government still has a monopoly on on hard alcohol sales (a leftover from the end of prohibition,) so you certainly won't find and whiskey there. Luckily, I live close to border with New York State and the "finger lakes" region where they have great laws that support small wine, beer and distilling, with an emphasis on locally grown ingredients.

That's amazing. Land of the free hey?!

[General Ceel]

More like "land of different laws from state to state."

[Danster]

We're getting slightly more like that with further devolution of laws to Scotland and Wales. There are a few quirky laws that change when you cross over invisible borders. For example, in England if you are prescribed medicine by a doctor, there is a nominal fee to pay for that medicine (around $10, regardless of what the medication is). In Scotland and Wales, there is no fee. And if you live in England but close to the border, there is nothing stopping you registering with a Welsh or Scottish medical practice and getting your prescriptions for nothing!

And on the plus side, Scotland, despite it being the home of whisky, has a minimum price per alcohol unit so you can't get any cheap booze or special offers on alcohol. But pop across the border to an English supermarket and you can fill your boots.

[General Ceel]

I live in Pennsylvania, but always gas up by truck in New York State because right now the tax is cheaper. I buy my beer in NY too, but that's mostly just because the best craft beer seller in the area is on that side of the border.

I used to have a friend who loves his guns way too much. He complained about the differences in laws from state to state, were he to drive across the border with a gun that has a magazine that holds more than is allowed.

[Danster]

I'm on the whisky tonight. I've actually been quite good the last few days, haven't had a drop since Saturday (four dry days is something of an achievement for me these days) but today is the day that my dear old Mum would have turned 70. She died in 2010, so it would have been rude not to raise a glass this evening. Ok, I didn't need to raise four glasses, and given her and my Irish heritage, I'm a little ashamed it was Scotch I used to toast her, but she always encouraged me to walk my own path and to my shame, I've always preferred whisky to whiskey.

[General Ceel]

Yeah, I drank today too. A 4 pack of stouts this afternoon while doing some video editing and other maintenance around the channel