@Soba45 Oh, the liver's just fine. The journal(s) date back to 1987 when a friend gave me one he bought in Edinburgh along with my first bottle of Glenfarclas 25. So if my math is right that's only around 80 tastings a year. Actually, for the first years it was only 40 or so and in the last two decades more like 10 a month.

Very interesting to see what works for folks here! I don’t have a journal, but I do have several unofficial notebooks I scribble my notes in and then write up later. I used to write them into the app - now because of stability issues, if I’m on the go I will write them up in an email to myself so I have a copy to repaste in case it crashes on me again...

@Richard-ModernDrinking Yeah I saw your comment pop up, tried to read it in full and it took 5 times for me to actually be able for the comments to load properly (another latest bug which just does one load)! I also always copy the review at random intervals b4 posting as I get real sick of the loss of data. I think i'm just going to trend to minimal ratings so I still have a record of what I've drank i.e. literally a star and thanks if people gave me. To be honest most things have been reviewed 100 or so times and what I say adds zero value to anyone even myself:-)

@Richard-ModernDrinking yeah—-likewise. Lost reviews b/c of glitches...so didn’t bother.

I’ve also reached the point where reviewing feels too much like homework, especially as I have on several occasions lost reviews because of app glitches. I still post when I have time and something useful to say but I’m not reviewing about 90% of the whiskies I’m drinking and rarely going through the tedious process of adding new bottles. The feed has also become close to useless - doesn’t load quickly and is overwhelmed by “likes”. I’d much rather have a feed of all reviews by all users, not just activity by people I follow.

@LeeEvolved Ah that is honestly sad as purely from a selfish mode I really miss your reviews and banter. Out of interest has this happened for other things like beer, wine, other hobbies?

@cascode Woah 2500...thats crazy. I admire your liver!

@cascode @LeeEvolved @Slainte-Mhath Ah interesting... thanks for the info. I feel like I am missing out not having a hard copy note book..sadly I literally struggle to read my own handwriting (no joke!l...maybe a lifetime of intensive computer use or early Alzheimer's :-) I would have made a great doctor...less the ability to help anyone effectively!

@Generously_Paul Ah thanks. Yeah I've been sending polite friendly professional emails to no affect. Without soap boxing again to much my frustration is that these things get logged we wait a while the next update comes through and instead of fixes it has some random additional thing (new comment box), no fixes and even MORE bugs . In the sober cold light of day I could have written my note less ranty and more professionally but this has been building for over a year and things seem to be getting worse.

@LeeEvolved That sounds most annoying. Other then the obvious culprets of colds or flu there are a lot of things than can mess up your ability to enjoy spirits. Stress and depression are two, as is dependence. I think you are being very wise to step back for a while.

@LeeEvolved I did indeed send an email, though I kept it professional. Just so everyone knows, Mikael rarely checks his account when tagged in comments, or at least that’s what he told me the last time it was brought up. So using the app to bring bugs to his attention is not recommended.

@cascode - I’d say your review prep is similar to mine. I have a little black book with random, single word descriptors written for most whiskies- prioritized by which ones are stronger and/or where they occur throughout the tasting, I have smaller things written in the margin from where I’ve went back to the bottle a second or third time, along with the occasional surprise note or feeling the whisky gave. It all worked really well up until a few months ago- I could return to the notes (even after a week or two) and it all just flowed into my review. The last 5-6 whiskies I’ve drank all taste eerily the same, which I know isn’t true and I can’t remember much about any of them the next morning (not because I drank too much, mind you), but because I’ve lost something else...I’m just not sure what that is and how to get it back. I guess I need a whisky therapist to tell this to, haha.

@Slainte-Mhath The trading space on WB is excellent, and if I lived in Europe I'd use it a lot. However being in Australia the importation of individual auction bottles is prohibitatively expensive, so I never use that facility.

@cascode I use both Whiskybase and Distiller in parallel. WB is great for displaying all your bottles on the shelve, mark them as closed, open or sample, buy and sell bottles on the marketplace, and use forums for discussion. Distiller on the other hand, allows to comment on reviews and it is always great to interact with people here. Also, the users are from different countries (WB mainly Europe, Distiller mainly US). Or, as they say, never put all your eggs into one basket!

@Slainte-Mhath I did made a WhiskyBase account ages ago and added some bottles to my shelves, but it's just too much work to transfer all my notes there. I keep a handwritten tasting notes journal, and later transfer those note to a database app I made for myself. It has about 2,500 tasting notes, ratings, all my purchase records, wishlist etc. It also contains notes on things not covered by Distiller or WhiskyBase.

@Soba45 @Slainte-Mhath & @LeeEvolved (and nice to hear from you Lee). I seem to be the odd man out as I really enjoy writing reviews. As I'm tasting a dram I take notes in a system I developed years ago - to anyone else my notebook would look like it was full of random words and arcane runes. I just translate these notes into (somewhat florid) sentences later and the job is done. I also never write straight into the app - I always compose in a text editor and then upload on the desktop. My average review is about 350 words, but that's never been a goal - by the time I've said what I want to it just works out that long.

@Soba45 I use the iPhone app and while it does have some flakiness and will occasionally stop it's not a deal -breaker yet. Plus I also access Distiller from the desktop 99% of the time. It seems more stable but does not have certain features.

@Soba45 I use my ticklist at WB to keep track of all the drams I ever had: https://www.whiskybase.com/profile/slintemhath/lists/ticklist

@Soba45 sounds frustratingly unstable for you alright :(

@1901 Ok my theory is out the window. Despite repeated cache clearing, restarts etc comments it no longer loads past the first lot for me..... i'm going to bed! And then ironically I got a message saying 'error cannot create comment' the gift that keeps giving! Trying again......

@Soba45 I second your suggestions to improve filtering, sorting and searching. Also your comments that feed and comments can take a while to load/scroll. However, i must admit I don’t seem to have the same stability problems you mention - perhaps the combination of app, device and OS plays a part here? When I find a problem I often report it to bugsquash@Distiller.com and I have always received a timely and considered response. But part of the reason I subscribed for Pro is to fund improvements and hopefully this can happen. I come from an IT background too and would be happy to play a part in beta testing new features if @Distiller wanted

@Slainte-Mhath Ah good approach! I review for a number of reasons but primarily to keep track of what I've drunk as it gets real hard to remember what you have and haven't had. Post starting this I spun up a google spreadsheet (as those were the days you couldn't review anything not already on the site)..whilst I could have dumped this site and continued with the google spreadsheet, from that point it became about the social banter. To avoid getting out of sync I use this as my master and then ever so often do a 'back up' to my main google list...much easier to search plus who knows how long this (or any site) will be around. And there is no way to bulk download info...a point I'll continue shortly..

@LeeEvolved I know all too well what you are talking about. When I started to write tasting notes back in 2016, I had loads of samples and miniatures, and I wrote at least 2 reviews a week, or even more. What started as a fun activity became a habit and got tiresome at some point. That's when is fun is lost, so you either have to change your approach or stop it entirely. I wanted to sip whisky again WITHOUT over-analyzing it. That was when I stopped to review every dram I tasted. I have had some 500 different whiskies, but only reviewed 158 so far. No point in reviewing everything, same as with drinking whisky: quality is more important than quantity. Don't think about reviews, open a bottle and simply enjoy it. At some point, you will feel motivated to write a review, and that's when the ideas and the fun returns. I keep it at a steady 2 reviews a months, with lots of other stuff in between that I don't bother reviewing. It works for me, so maybe it might work for you as well. I wish you all the best, Lee!

@PBMichiganWolverine - I wouldn’t say I’m back just yet, but don’t give that JW Ghost sample away- is like to get a chance at that one. I’ve also been saving pours for you so I’ve got a nice box I can send your way in the near future. Just say when. @Soba45- I’ve got several notes from whisky I drank 4-5 months ago, too- I just can’t seem to bring myself to write anything meaningful. Plus, this app has been giving me all sorts of issues. I think @Generously_Paul has been giving Mikael the business over it, lol.

@LeeEvolved Oh and to add I lose the fire all the time. That's when the one line reviews come out..Haha

@LeeEvolved Ease into it. Start with a simple score Move to a one liner or two And then take it from there :-)

@LeeEvolved you’re back? If you are, there’s a sample of JW Ghost Brora with your name on it.

@Slainte-Mhath - I’m sipping a little bit over the last week or so. I’m not taking notes or really evaluating things- just sipping. So, maybe the fire will return... Thanks for the kind words. Cheers.

@LeeEvolved Great review. Still hoping to see you returning to whisky one day!

Great review - yes the recent batches of 105 have been excellent- it’s a very good value malt. If you’ve not tried this yet, add a teaspoon and a half of water to an ounce of 105 and let it sit covered for about 30 minutes before tasting.

@LeeEvolved - yes, that price for a 4 star cask strength is astounding.

@LeeEvolved if you can’t find it, let me know—can sell you mine.

@Slainte-Mhath @PBMichiganWolverine - well, if the two of you recommend splurging on a family cask bottle or the 22yo 105 then it’s like when E F Hutton speaks- I better listen (1980’s financial service advisor commercial reference to you young cats out there, lol.). Bottles added to my search list... Thanks, guys.

@LeeEvolved see if you spot the 22yr 105. I think it was a one off, but auctions should have it ( or I can sell mine..if I find it )

@LeeEvolved Glenfarclas Family Cask range is pretty good value, if you compare their age statements (plus single cask & cask strength) with other distilleries.

@LeeEvolved Nice review. I picked up a bottle last month for $59. Last one one the shelf. Priced to move. Looking forward to opening. Liked the 12 year. So a local had the 21 for about $120. May grab that one day soon.

@PBMichiganWolverine - the price of those family casks, tho... 😮😮😮

Glenfarclas has some amazing one-offs. Their Family Casks are superb, and so is their 22 yr old 105.

@LeeEvolved Damn nice find! Cheers!

@dubz480 - yeah, I found this one at a UK online shop. The sale price was too good to pass on.

The 750ml is about $90 in my market! $30 is unreal!