Had about a bakers dozen of single malts last night, some neat, some with soda.

Had to bury a close friend today.

Thanks Hep.

I agree. Today was a pretty cathartic funeral, which is rare. Lost someone who was only 33, and unexpectedly. Usually these affairs are a little more perfunctory or celebrations of life. This was certainly a time we celebrated her life, but also one of the few times I had to come to grips with it so quickly.

A pint of Triplefff 3.8%  Alton Pride

Followed by a half of Dorking 4.2% and a half of Marton's Old Empire - http://www.marstonspedigree.co.uk/otherales/old-empire.aspx - in one of the Royal Borough's better Wetherspoons.

Then I got the nutter upstairs on the bus ( a good name for a beer).

He complained ''Speak English! If you live in England speak English. They are all on benefits. I am 72 years old and I still pay tax. Off down the reservation ! See the bus is empty now !  If there was another war I would shoot the people here first.''

While I was sympathetic to what he was saying, it is bad form to articulate these opinions to nobody in particular. I think he wanted me to talk to him but he was behind me, so I could ignore him.

It use to blacks who were labelled lazy and thick, now the establishment target the white ex-working classes as they are the easiest targets as the new underclass. The creation of the chav class has been very convenient for rubbing out the troublesome lefty working class once and for all.

I purchased a bottle of Arran whisky on Friday, I've been greatly impressed with 10 year old expression in the past, this didn't have an age on it, but the 29 Euros I thought it would be a canny buy. Sadly, it was all super young spirit: all apple and bears and chemical undercurrents. Ugly. For that price, a half decent blend would have been worth the risk, indeed, Famous Grouse port wood finish would have been ideal, Black Label or even Glenfiddich 12 year old would have been better.

The Glenfiddich 15 year old is impossible to beat for consistent quality, absolutely not, so the 16 year old should be equally superlative. Of course, it's distilled slightly differently to all other whiskies.

Rating distilleries on consistent quality, excluding blends which I personally rate as high as single malts (in some instances), I would go on a cost effectiveness plus quality basis: Glenfiddich - Balvenie - Springbank - Macallan - Glengoyne (subject to drinking the bottle quickly) and Irish whiskey; Red Breast and Bushmills Black Bush and nothing else, well, maybe the Midleton, but there's been some bad batches of that for 150 Euro a bottle whiskey. Japanese whiskies are good too.