My investment in distilled beverages is limited to taking advantage of the closeout shelf at the Jewel's (Albartson's) by my house. If the hip-hop stars aren't drinking it it doesn't sell. Recent acquisitions include several Woodford Reserve at $16 a 750 and Bushmill's for $10.

Don't know about The Stones, but I do know about The Dalmore, and if the Dalmore ever tops $30 a bottle, you're wasting your money. It ain't that good and there are currently plenty of flavors in the $30+ range that shame The Dalmore.

Around here (PA/NJ), you can get The Dalmore for about $26, and that's up five bucks from about three years ago. Yeah, it's good, but it's good cheap single malt.

A Bigger Bang is indeed very good, though calling it the most vital Stones album since 1972 is damning with faint praise. (I'm also not sure what "vital" means). Still, you're right: at least one song ("Oh, No, Not You Again" could easily have been on Exile, and others are very good. One can safely call it a good Stones album without having to qualify it with something like " . . . for a bunch of old guys." But I'm pretty sure Keith sings on two songs.

What are you saying about Chrichton? I can't tell whether that was supposed to be a compliment or an insult.

Also, did you ever get that monster essay written up?

About your Dalmore 12... It's a fine single malt, but try the 21....

WOW...

Just for fun though, try the famous grouse single malt. It's fantastic, AND cheap.

If you're into blended scotches (i like them for starters) you really can't go wrong with the Famous Grouse. I used to be a Dewars man, but it tastes like pisswater compared to the Famous Grouse...

Sorry, I know I sound like a Famous Grouse salesperson, but damn, it's good...

And you can get the blended for about 16 bucks!!!!

Do yourself a favor and get a bottle.

You can spend lots of money buying hyped up single malt my friend. Or you can save some cash and get a good Irish whiskey. They often are as good or better and cost lots less. Their advertising isn't up to speed yet. I recommend John Powers and Sons Irish whiskey.

i find the only drinkable blended is painfully, painfully expensive.

johnny blue, hennesy, etc

my single expertise is similarly limited, thanks to thoughtful girlfriends and suppliers' christmas gifts.

in that vein though, macallan 18 and older are rather nice, as is the balvenie single cask 15.

Royal Lochnagar.

I absorbed State of Fear as an audiobook. While I was pleased to see a mainstream author challenging some of the non-scientific environmental idiocy that the others parrot, I couldn't figure out why the reader kept changing the tone of his voice to explain scientific points. Now I know -- subtitles! It all makes sense. Barely literate, contrived, poorly edited, rambling sense, but sense nonetheless.

"Keith's solo album, "Main Offender," on my all-time fave list at all times."
Sorry, but you must also enjoy the sound of someone dragging a rake along the sidewalk. Ugh.
I like the 'Stones, but Keith should never have done that one.

-

Hey, this is a good blog.

The documentary film Hail Hail Rock & Roll, X - Pensive Winos Live at the Palladium, and Exile On Main Street make my all time available list and as an added treat the Keith Richards, Tom Waits collaboration on Rain Dogs. (Bob Dylan...21st century Shakespeare)

There's alot of hoobideehow surrounding Scotch, wine, etc. I like Bell's or Glenn Livet, wine is for somebody else.

State of Fear, to be avoided.

Stalin, to be cursed. (Saadam to be shot, mullahs to be skinned etc.) Maybe I should take some R&R from the war.
.

Ah single malt such a shame they've become so over priced. Lagavulen and Talisker my man. So good, so smokey. I once used to frequent the bar at the Savoy Hotel in Zurich. There, after a hard day's work we'd relax and enjoy the piano music and sip Lagavulen; "The Old Burned Couch".

Wonderful stuff.

Dalwinnie, Talisker, or MacCallans

For Irish whiskey, Tallimore Dew.

And what's the beef about Crichton?

Glenmorangie. Yes, please amplify that Crichton comment for us slow boys at the back of the class. Or do the book reviews before the single malt . . .

If you are looking for Eastern Front reading based on new archives, check out David Glantz. Gorodetsky's Grand Delusions is also instructive, but flawed. John Erickson and Earl Ziemke are good too. "When Titans Clashed" is a nice primer.

One point about Soviet archival material and Soviet intelligence material: it's been very carefully vetted, so it's difficult to conclude almost anything definitively. Often, the available sources raise more questions than they answer. See pertinent essays in Jackson and Siegel, eds. The Limits of Intelligence.

More of an ale guy, so I won't comment on the scotch, but another great effort from 60-something rockers is Cream's Royal Albert Hall concerts. I'm on my 3rd time through it (DVD version) since Sunday night.

I enjoy the Dalmore myself, but agree that it's not worth much more than $30. Once you get above that then Laphroiag (or Lagavulin if you're a peat pansy), Talisker, and Highland Park 18 are your friends.

MacAllan just isn't what it used to be.

(Stick to the cask-strength Laphroiag if you can get it, it's smoother than the standard stuff for some reason, and only marginally more pricey)

Scotch: The Laphroaig 15 year old. Tastes like a bicycle tire was dissolved in the vat, in a good way. An acquired taste, yes, but it is man's drink, laddie.

Bennett: If you like the book, check out his website, Albion's Seedling.

My understanding is that the Lagavulin plant was closed for a period starting around 1990, so that before long there will be very little of the 16 year "expression" (seriously, can we do away with that pretentious term?) That might be the one to buy now & save.

Laphroaig "tastes like a bicycle tire was dissolved in the vat, but in a good way" -- loooool. It's funny because it's true.

The only tune from the new Stones disc I've heard is Rough Justice, and I thought it sucked. Is the rest of the album better? Also, the new Neil Young blows -- don't understand why the critics are hot & bothered for it.

Rolling Stones?? Those are old guys, right? Didn't one of them invent the guitar or somethin'?

Single Malties:
Trader Joe's has put out 3 TJ labeled Single Malts at $20 each: a Bowmore, a Speyside, and a Macallan. That as unpretencious as it gets.

I saw the Stones a couple of weeks ago in Durham, and they completely rocked the house. Easily the best Stones show i've ever seen, they were SO tight. At times I found myself thinking Wow, THIS is how they've always wanted to sound live. They were not ragged like they used to be in the 70s and especially the 81 tour. In fact they were the opposite. And I dare say Mick's voice is better now than it was 30 years ago. And i won't even go into the production values and stage--including a chunk of stage that broke off and carried the band OVER the crowd's heads (WHILE the band continued playing an extended Miss You outro jam) for a mini set in the middle of the field. The mini set consisted of a couple of pretty good songs: Satisfaction, Honky Tonk Women. Wow. Seriously, if you get the chance go see the Stones on this tour, i can't wait to go see them again.

I'm with you on Main Offender. Wicked As It Seems is a riff up there with the very best the Stones ever did. Although i prefer the lighter overall touches and mellower groove of Talk Is Cheap.

And i don't care what anybody says, some of the Stones greatest studio work was in the mid to late 70s, especially the whole It's Only Rock and Roll album, which i rank right alongside Sticky Fingers, Exile and Let It Bleed. Heck, most of Bridges to Babylon was good, in my opinion.

The Stones are real pros, haters be damned. People are just too cool for school and want to be hip, and they're jealous of the fact that the Stones STILL BRING THE ROCK.

Heay Dave, I'll be sitting on the floor at MSG for Cream's show next Wednesday night. Can't wait!

Every year on my birthday I get two Stones CDs from my brother. This year I got 1967's "Between the Buttons" and it's already one of my favorites - raunchy and raw and bluesy.
As a bonus, I won a bet with myself: that mystery Mick-like song you hear on those Lexmark commercials is called "Complicated", and it came off this album.

Anne--that's awesome. She Smiled Sweetly is the groove that MAKES the royal tenanbaums. BTB is an awesome album, make sure to get both the British and the American versions, they are a bit different.

You misspelled "Ketel."

=darwin
(Ketel One Enthusiast)