Day 21 has now moved past the "busy from projects" portion of December and into my "busy prepping for Christmas Eve" portion. The tipple today is GlenAllachie's 12-year single malt finished in Sauternes casks at 48% ABV. #photography #drinks #whisky #whiskyadvent2025 #day21

Evening Grosbeak at one of the back yard feeders today. #photography #birds #wildlife #birdphotography #nature #masswildlife #massachusetts #wildmassachusetts #massachusettswildlife

Next track on the playlist…

When the Christmas playlist intersects with the actual date.

Day 20, and time for the annual defenestration of Hans Gruber to go with my wee dram today. Said dram is Wemyss Malts' Expressions of Gratitude bottling of a 21-year-old Bunnahabhain, a lovely Islay single malt at 46% ABV. #photography #drinks #whisky #whiskyadvent2025 #day20

Continuing the Christmas playlist.

Holiday merriment continues.

Continuing with the Christmas playlist…

Another repeat in drawer 19, Yellow Spot 12 Year Old Irish whiskey, which has been in 2 previous calendars. Rain gave way briefly to a tiny bit of color, so I used it. #photography #drinks #whisky #whiskyadvent2025 #day19

Another from the Christmas playlist.

And… sold. Brand-y new addition to the Christmas playlist.

Been a busy December, translating into a lot of quick photos this year. Nice dram tonight for a blend, Wemyss Malt's "A Quarter Passed", a 25 year old at 53.6% ABV. #photography #drinks #whisky #whiskyadvent2025 #day18

Last of the hand-sewn endbands on the text blocks. Other than the size of the thread, not dramatically different from all the various half-hitching and other knotwork I've done over the years. Now I just have to add the final lining for the spines and "case in" (make/attach covers). #bookbinding

Has to be this one from the Christmas playlist today, since it's been 25 years to the day that Kirsty passed.

Quick photo of day 17's dram, Chivas' Royal Salute 21-year-old blended Scotch whisky at 40% ABV. Honey and oak on the nose; orange, spices, and more oak on the palate; slightly tannic finish with maybe just a hint of smoke. #photography #drinks #whisky #whiskyadvent2025 #day17

Next up on the Christmas playlist.

The bottle in drawer 16 is a very familiar one: Oban 14, matured in ex-bourbon and bottled at 43% ABV. I gave all of my groomsmen flasks filled with this whisky when I got married 31 years ago… #photography #drinks #whisky #whiskyadvent2025 #day16

Quickie phone shot of tonights project: top-edge gilding of one of the two smaller text blocks I've been working on (just hot foil gilding, not actual gold leaf and glair). Haven't done this before, not too bad. #bookbinding

More from the Christmas playlist.

Day 15 is one from a Highland distillery I haven't heard of before, a Nc'Nean no age statement "organic single malt" at 46% ABV. Apparently matured in a combination of American whiskey and red wine barrels, and finished a bit in sherry casks. #photography #drinks #whisky #whiskyadvent2025 #day15

Doing my part to try to make John Roderick and JoCo's Christmas album part of the holiday canon. It's already part of mine. "You can't have an Atari. It'll burn in on the TV." - My Dad youtu.be/h5ihD6CZuRM

OK, close enough now to start the Christmas playlist. What? You have your Christmas music, I have my Christmas music.

Taking advantage of today's snow with dram 14, Mortlach's 16-year-old expression. The Flora and Fauna bottling of Mortlach 16 was the bottle I brought home with me on my first trip to Scotland, and it remains a sentimental favorite. #photography #drinks #whisky #whiskyadvent2025 #day14

OK, Advent calendar, I'm sensing a pattern. Another from the same Irish distillery as yesterday: Midleton's Barry Crockett Legacy @ 46% ABV. #photography #drinks #whisky #whiskyadvent2025 #day13 #clue

A second Irish whiskey snuck in for day 12: Midleton Very Rare 2024 at 40% ABV. Fresh apricots, honey, clove, and floral notes on the nose; sweet ripe peaches and pears with Christmas-y spice on the palate; a finish that gives way to oak and pepper. #photography #drinks #whiskyadvent2025 #day12

I apparently can no longer sit crosslegged on the floor for over an hour working on something and expect to stand right back up again. One leg was completely asleep and I nearly faceplanted into the coffee table.

Funny enough, I was discussing Johnnie Walker Blue with a coworker today at an office holiday gathering, and what do I find in drawer 11? Johnnie Walker Blue. #photography #drinks #whisky #whiskyadvent2025 #day11

Day 10 is busy again, so another quick shot of today's dram, which is Jameson's 18 year (yup, they snuck in an Irish whiskey again). It's… well, it's Jameson. #photography #drinks #whisky #whiskyadvent2025 #day10

Day 9's wee bottle was Glenfiddich's 23 year old, 40% ABV Grand Cru, which has shown up in two previous calendars. Matured in ex-bourbon American oak, European oak, and French Champagne cuvée casks. #photography #drinks #whisky #whiskyadvent2025 #day9

Day 8 marks the 5th appearance of this whisky in an advent calendar for me: Glenfiddich's Gran Reserva 21 year old single malt at 40% ABV. Tastes just as I remember: fruitcake in a glass with an oaken finish. #photography #drinks #whisky #whiskyadvent2025 #day8

Day 7's drawer contained a bit of Glenfiddich's 18 year old expression at 40% ABV, which I've had before. #photography #drinks #whisky #whiskyadvent2025 #day7

Assembling signatures for another book to be bound tonight while I enjoy whisky #6, which is a Glen Keith 21-year-old Speyside single malt at 43%ABV, part of the "Secret Speyside" series. #photography #drinks #whisky #whiskyadvent2025 #day6

Day 5 is the Caol Ila Distillers Edition 2022, a no age statement Islay single malt finished in Moscatel barrels and bottled at 43%ABV. #photography #drinks #whisky #whiskyadvent2025 #day5

Inside the #4 drawer of the Whisky Advent calendar was Douglas Laing's bottling of a 30-year-old lowland Cameronbridge single grain at 49.6% ABV, which spent 30 years in a refill hogshead starting the year I finished my undergrad. #photography #drinks #whisky #whiskyadvent2025 #day4

One of four LEGO dioramas at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam depicting different scenes from Van Gogh's life; this one shows him painting "Sunflowers in a Vase". #photography #travel #amsterdam #netherlands #vangoghmuseum #lego

Day 3 of Whisky Advent is a Bunnahabhain Islay single malt, 18 years old, 46.3% ABV. Sherry-finished and unpeated. #photography #drinks #whisky #whiskyadvent2025 #day3

Man, it's going to be that kind of year, isn't it? Guess I know what I'm rewatching tonight. RIP.

The central stair of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, while lightly-animated versions of portions of Van Gogh's works are projected on the upper walls of the gallery (one of his works featuring irises here.) #photography #travel #amsterdam #netherlands #vangoghmuseum

A Dunlin backing off a bit from spray being thrown up by a Sanderling at Gooseberry. #photography #birds #wildlife #birdphotography #nature #masswildlife #westport #massachusetts #wildmassachusetts #massachusettswildlife

The whisky Advent calendar this year has nice little drawers instead of tear-open doors, and today's opened on a bottle of Bruichladdich Re/Define 18 year old Islay single malt at 50% ABV. #photography #drinks #whisky #whiskyadvent2025 #day2

Great show by The Beths tonight at the Royale. #concert #photography #boston #royale

On the first day of Chri… no, wait. It's the most wonderful ti… hmm. Well, it is the first day of Advent, which means peeking into drawer 1 on this year's Whisky Advent calendar. Inside is an 18-year-old sherry finish Aberlour at 43% ABV. #photography #drinks #whisky #whiskyadvent2025 #day1

A visitor spending some quality time with Van Gogh's "Wheatfield with Crows" (1890), possibly Van Gogh's final completed painting, at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. #photography #travel #amsterdam #netherlands #vangoghmuseum

Sunset at Gooseberry Island this past Friday. #photography #westport #massachusetts #surf #sunset

Detail of a portion of Van Gogh's "Landscape at Twilight" (1890), showing some of the heavy brushstrokes he applied. Van Gogh is known for his use of color, and I thought that was particularly notable here. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. #photography #travel #amsterdam #netherlands #vangoghmuseum

Immature White-crowned Sparrow at the Cumberland Farms IBA late today (per Merlin, anyway; I might have guessed Chipping Sparrow but the beak matches Merlin's guess). #photography #birds #wildlife #birdphotography #nature #masswildlife #halifax #massachusetts #massachusettswildlife

Opted for the one at the intersection of his film and theater careers. Which is not to say that I won't also spin up "Brazil" tonight.

Oh, man. Sad news. I think he was probably better-recognized as a playwright, but he had quite the career as a screenwriter as well, even if I suspect a lot of people might not recognize Stoppard's name. www.bbc.com/news/article...

I've shared this before. I'll probably share it again.

Visitors capturing photos of Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" (repetition of the fourth version) at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. #photography #travel #amsterdam #netherlands #vangoghmuseum