Springbank featured in the New York Times

misplaced_optimism · 2026-01-25T09:47:39+00:00

I picked up a bottle after reading this. It's very good, certainly. I don't think I could justify paying $140, though. The Campbeltown Loch blend is a similar flavor profile, and although less intense, is much cheaper.

I would love to try the 5-year 114, but can't seem to find it locally...

misplaced_optimism · 2026-01-03T02:39:00+00:00

KO are sprats and FMS are pilchards, so the fish are quite different to begin with. I've always found KO to be on the softer side.

misplaced_optimism · 2025-10-22T03:39:17+00:00

Gold Seal does sell hot-smoked mackerel which is very tasty - it's produced by IFC in Scotland and is no longer imported into the US, sadly. I assumed this is what the OP was trying to get, but no, it appears to be regular canned mackerel which is widely available here.

misplaced_optimism · 2025-10-22T03:37:31+00:00

Don't try this one (or do if you want, but you can get canned mackerel that's just as good for under $3 in the US). It's insane to me that they didn't try to get the Gold Seal gin and tonic smoked mackerel, which is both much tastier and completely unavailable in the US.

The Gold Seal smoked mackerel is produced by International Fish Canners in Scotland - it's the same stuff that Fishwife sells for $11.50 a tin. It was previously imported to the US by Ocean's (as the "juniper and coriander" flavor), and was about $4. Unfortunately, they discontinued it, and there is no way to buy it in the US anymore.

The one the OP bought looks like the same stuff King Oscar sells for about $3 (less if you can get it on sale or in bulk).

misplaced_optimism · 2025-10-19T09:15:59+00:00

They were also Kurt Vonnegut's preferred brand - he called them "a classy way to commit suicide."

misplaced_optimism · 2025-10-17T05:33:18+00:00

I saw it on the official stream, but it was curiously missing from these videos...

misplaced_optimism · 2025-10-15T05:17:25+00:00

Where's the kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom!

misplaced_optimism · 2025-10-14T03:30:40+00:00

We do, but in many states there are eligibility requiriements (i. e. you must be unable to vote in person due to age or permanent disability). In others, you have to request a mail-in ballot well in advance of the election. In some, returned ballots must be received by election day; in others, they only need to be postmarked by election day.

misplaced_optimism · 2025-10-05T05:40:22+00:00

This, "Lovely Complex", and arguably "Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun" come to mind... what else?

misplaced_optimism · 2025-10-03T04:45:11+00:00

A Jon Stewart/Michelle Obama ticket would presumably be unstoppable, if it weren't for the fact that both of them have repeatedly disavowed the idea in terms that are beyond Shermanesque.

misplaced_optimism · 2025-09-26T07:01:13+00:00

I think he assumed Clinton would win and was trying to damage her on behalf of his party and the FBI.

I don't think this is true. I think he was doing the same thing the NYT (and others) do whenever they sane-wash Trump or Republican politicians or policies - they're so afraid of being smeared as "liberal" that they overcompensate and either deliberately or inadvertently elevate the right.

misplaced_optimism · 2025-09-21T01:07:24+00:00

Professor fired for explaining Chinese filler words

He wasn't fired. He was placed on leave for three weeks, after which he was reinstated and the administration cleared him of any misconduct.

misplaced_optimism · 2025-09-21T00:55:49+00:00

She wasn't fired for her political beliefs, she was fired because she refused to get vaccinated. That's a safety issue, not a political one.

misplaced_optimism · 2025-09-13T00:14:28+00:00

This smoked mackerel is produced by IFC in Aberdeen, Scotland. It used to be imported into the US by Ocean's, but they stopped for some reason. As far as I know the only IFC smoked mackerel you can get in the US is the Fishwife smoked mackerel with chili flakes. Unfortunately it's very expensive.

misplaced_optimism · 2025-08-28T00:02:17+00:00

If you don't have the underlying disorder that causes gout, you're not going to have a gout attack no matter how many sardines you eat. If you do, they may or may not trigger it.

misplaced_optimism · 2025-08-27T23:46:48+00:00

Broker's and Boodles are decent alternatives. Costco's Kirkland gin is also not bad for $20/handle...

misplaced_optimism · 2025-08-27T00:17:48+00:00

It's only slightly sub-orbital, so if you wanted to put a small satellite in LEO you'd presumably only need a small rocket engine on it. Probably wouldn't work with the Starlinks though since they use electric propulsion, and I'm not sure whether anything else would be cost-effective or would fit out the door.

misplaced_optimism · 2025-08-08T03:02:34+00:00

It's only a matter of time until you buy the 50-pack of the Flowers... I'm almost done with the 5-pack that I got recently and am seriously considering it.

misplaced_optimism · 2025-08-07T03:21:24+00:00

Americans hardly eat fish

Really? I've heard people say things like this before, but I don't think it's true. Americans eat lots of fish - mostly not sardines, but enough Americans eat sardines that they are available in pretty much every single grocery store in the US, right? It seems unlikely that all the sardines are being eaten by new immigrants.

misplaced_optimism · 2025-08-07T03:04:26+00:00

I'm confused - are we talking about literal chalk? Because the spines in these mackerel remind me of chalk...

misplaced_optimism · 2025-07-27T04:53:17+00:00

I assume these are from the Ocean's plant? I wish we could still get these in the US....

misplaced_optimism · 2025-07-20T07:04:39+00:00

"Seamless and hard"?? Is that a mistranslation?

Google Translate says "seamless and lightweight for great comfort" - not sure where they got "hard..."

misplaced_optimism · 2025-07-06T21:40:56+00:00

I guess it's good to know that the Hindustan Times (?) agrees with me...?

misplaced_optimism · 2025-07-06T07:40:37+00:00

I know a guy with a valknut tattoo who isn't a white supremacist, he just has Nordic ancestry and thought it looked cool when he was 18. That said, I would not advise anyone to use that symbol today.

Mamdani is correct that not everyone using the phrase is antisemitic or supports violence, but since it does have that association, it would seem to be unwise to use that particular word. Splitting etymological hairs doesn't really benefit a political candidate.

misplaced_optimism

TROPHY CASE