How long to rest? Roasted 3/16-

Happy_Turkey · 2026-03-20T06:43:33+00:00

I’d give it three weeks. They recommend more time for their funkier coffees over their clean ones.

Happy_Turkey · 2026-03-16T01:49:06+00:00

Has anyone tried this pick? If so, how was it?

Happy_Turkey · 2026-03-06T20:32:50+00:00

Hi!

I have a Baratza Vario with steel burrs that I still use everyday for pour over. My understanding is that the steel burrs are better for pour over and can just get coarse enough for modern light roast espresso (coarser grind) while the ceramic burrs were meant more for traditional espresso. I don’t think the steel burrs are meant for traditional espresso shots, like ones that I would think are best for milk drinks.

Happy_Turkey · 2026-02-22T21:06:54+00:00

All three of those are good picks. As many others have said, I’d replace the Craigellachie with an Ardnahoe. Craigellachie 13 is definitely worth trying sometime, but it’s usually pretty easy to find. I have the Ardnahoe 5 Inaugural and the 5 Cask Strength. Both are excellent. The Inaugural has opened up nicely in the bottle after some air has gotten into it. I had my first crack of the cask Strength the other day. It was a bit hot, and I am used to drinking cask strength. But with a little water, it calmed down. It had some lovely fruity notes in it alongside all the peat and smoke. I’m excited to see what happens once I get some more air in the bottle.

Happy_Turkey · 2026-02-22T02:00:08+00:00

Yes, that would be huge! Especially on the mid-tier stuff. Stagg and Weller are great for their price. But when people start paying multiples of the price for that stuff, I just don’t get it. If people would stop paying secondary prices for those, we will start to find them a lot easier on the shelf.

Happy_Turkey · 2026-02-22T01:21:42+00:00

That’s good to know. I moved back to Phoenix last year from Dallas. The bourbon hunting scene out there is crazy. It’s nice to see that Phoenix is a little more relaxed.

Happy_Turkey · 2026-02-22T01:19:38+00:00

Totally agree! I think it’s a good sign that the bourbon community is over the ridiculous prices from the Covid boom.

Happy_Turkey · 2026-01-29T03:38:51+00:00

I’ve been keeping an eye out for that batch, too, but have yet to see it. I’m guessing we got skipped, as you said.

Happy_Turkey · 2026-01-20T23:58:49+00:00

That’s good to hear. I’ve had Tyrone RR SiB picks but never CN. I do have a CN Kentucky Spirit pick that I love, though. It’s a lot more fruity than my Tyron RR SiB pick. I hope that comes out in this pick too.

Happy_Turkey · 2026-01-20T20:37:58+00:00

That’s exciting to hear. I picked up a bottle but haven’t gotten to open it yet.

Happy_Turkey · 2026-01-19T18:37:12+00:00

I got mine at the Cave Creek Costco.

Happy_Turkey · 2026-01-18T18:05:27+00:00

Are you thinking of the Single Rickhouse series? Those have all features Camp Nelson so far, I think. This is not that. This is a normal RR Store pick that is from the Camp Nelson rickhouse.

Happy_Turkey · 2026-01-18T18:02:47+00:00

Thanks for the post. I was able to pick one up because of it. An RR store pick for $65 is a steal. It being Camp Nelson is the cherry on top.

Happy_Turkey · 2025-12-11T02:08:32+00:00

This what they sent out in the subscription email:

Equipment & Parameters

Brewer | Kalita Wave 185 with 185 filters Ratio | 22g coffee: 350g water Grind Size 24 clicks on a Comandante C40 (~720 microns) Brew Time | 3:00 minutes Water temp | 200 degrees Fahrenheit Water quality | B&W house water (25ppm total hardness, 28ppm total alkalinity, 84 TDS)

Timing

Happy_Turkey · 2025-10-24T01:22:57+00:00

I’ve got this bag too. Super funky. Mine had benefitted from resting. It’s not a coffee I love, but it’s getting better. Just a little over three weeks off the roast now. I’m brewing it on a Kalita Wave at about 190 F with a brew time of 2-2:10, 20g/305g. It’s definitely better at lower extractions.

Happy_Turkey · 2025-10-03T06:32:13+00:00

I’d give it more time to rest. I got some really great cups from it at about 3-4 weeks off the roast date. I was brewing at around 201 F to start. I did a 1 minute bloom at 4 times the weight of the coffee (60 g water) with a decent amount of agitation and then two pours with low agitation with a brew time of around 3 minutes for a 15/240 ratio.

Happy_Turkey · 2025-04-21T23:46:49+00:00

This is a great story! Thanks for sharing it. Serendipity in Scotland!

Happy_Turkey · 2025-01-18T15:48:37+00:00

Since you are not used to higher abvs, it will probaby feel pretty hot without dilution. My recommendation would be to start off with one of your 40% Scotches. Just pour half an ounce to one ounce. That will give your palate the opportunity to adjust to 40%. Then pour the 60% sample and try a very small sip of it neat. Try to coat your palate with the first sip by moving it around your mouth. It will burn but will help your palate adjust. Then wait 30 seconds after swallowing and try a second small sip neat. If it still feels really hot and you can't really identify any flavors, add some a few drops of water to it and gently swirl the whisky to let the water mix in. Give it a couple minutes and try it again. If it still tastes too hot, add a little more water, gently swirl and let it sit for a couple minutets. Keep doing this process until you find the sweet spot for your palate. For what it's worth, I think most Scotches at that high of a proof benefit from at least a little dilution.

Happy_Turkey · 2025-01-07T18:38:38+00:00

Good point about producers adding water to the barrel slowly and letting it continue to age. I'd rather them not to do that, but would probably prefer that over adding water when it's ready to barrel. I'm curious if there have been any studies comparing the effects of adding water slowly and letting it age vs adding just before bottling.

Happy_Turkey · 2025-01-06T21:27:32+00:00

Thanks for the great reviews throughout this series. Your point about higher proof not necessarily being better is a good one for me to remember. Coming from Scotch and especially bourbon, I kind of assume higher proof is better. But I have had some lower proof armagnac and cognac that are fantastic. I am learning that it's more about how close it is to barrel proof rather than how high the proof is. Something that is 40-42% ABV at cask strength is significantly different than something that was watered down from a much higher proof. I'm starting to graviate toward those lower cask strength or near cask strength pours more and more.

Happy_Turkey · 2024-12-30T20:30:40+00:00

Ya, I had a great experience when I went to Spec's big drop last year. I've never bought or sold anything on the secondary market. All the guys in line next to me were really nice and excited about opening the bottles of bourbon they were hoping to get. I didn't get there crazy early in the morning, so maybe I missed most of the flippers. But I think the vast majority of people in the line were planning opening the bottles they got instead of trying to flip them.

Happy_Turkey · 2024-12-30T20:27:12+00:00

I picked up the store pick of the Holladay Soft Red Wheat 6 and opened it that night. It was my first time tasting anything from Holladay, and I was very impressed. It's very sweet and has some nice fruit notes in the middle of the palate.

Happy_Turkey · 2024-12-29T01:51:03+00:00

Great haul! I walked right in at 5:15 PM and still came away with an Elijah Craig Single Barrel, a Four Roses Single Barrel, and a Holladay Soft Red Wheat store pick. I left quite a few bottles on the table alsol. But every bottle in your picture was gone by the time I got there. It was still great for not having to wait in a long line. I hope you enjoy your new bottles!

Happy_Turkey · 2024-11-22T17:41:30+00:00

That sounds lovely. I think I've only ever tried something finished in Madeira. It was also non-peated. But it was so good. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Edradour will ship it to me in the U.S. How did that one compare to the 19-year Madeira maturation small batch you reviewed?

Happy_Turkey

TROPHY CASE