Once you get deep enough into whisky, there are a couple of topics you start to encounter: “batches” and “rebuys”.
Batches are relevant to cask strength whiskies mostly, because any blending diffuses the character, while making whisky more consistent. “Batch” is between “single cask” and “age statement” for me at least. People still rave about Bunna 12 Batch 2022.
Rebuy is a whisky that once you’ve got in your collection, you’ll happily get one more once you finish the bottle. It’s one of the highest praises a whisky can get from an enthusiast. Because, let’s be honest, there are plenty of good whiskies.
For me, Lochlea Cask Strength Batch 2 is probably the first whisky ever I’d happily rebuy. Not that I didn’t have other great whiskies, I’ve had plenty, but I really think this one was something special, and I’m not sure they’re gonna beat it.
Day: August 24, 2026
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Lochlea Cask Strength Batch 2
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Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty
The Brazilian spies sidequest is what I’d expected from more quests in this game. You’re asked to track a spy that was MIA half a year ago, but not his tracker came back online. Only it’s not the spy, but his interrogator who fell out of favour that activated the tracker. You’re asked to kill her, but you also can let her go. Then one of the spies asks you to destroy the tracker, because it all was a government coverup, while the second spy wants justice.
What really sets the main story of Phantom Liberty apart is the murder of the French twins. And I’m sure it’s deliberate, as you have voice lines to protest it. By that point, you’ve killed a thousand people, probably, but most of them faceless. But the twins, you get to know, they are funny, and not even particularly evil, just kid hackers. Then your companions murder them.
In any case, Songbird gets possessed by a rogue AI. Either you help her, female spy assassinates the colonel, and you escape with Songbird, or you try to incapacitate Songbird, colonel kills Alex, Songbird goes full Darth Vader, and you escape alone. The benefit of the later is that you get to fight and kill Hansen yourself, and it’s a good boss fight. He chases you with a machine gun, then throws his unique Yakut knife at you and tries to beat you in a hand to hand combat. Fun times.
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HifiMan Ananda Stealth
Don’t laught, but I replaced my Hifiman XS with Ananda. I got an open box this time, and with a coupon, the price was the same I paid for Hifiman XS.
The main visual difference is the metal headband with headstrap on Ananda. No more 3D printed crap.
The sound quality is… the same, to me. Won’t lie and say I can hear the difference, but hey, it’s the same price.