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The finest Manhattans I've ever had are Rittenhouse, Dolin Rouge, and Angostura, 2:1:dash, stirred with an orange twist. You cannot imagine how delicious they were.
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Oct 2, 2012 07:08
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Oddly enough, I've had that same exact combo at a local bar and I can honestly say that it was loving Fantastic.
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Oct 2, 2012 07:59
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NightConqueror posted:Good man. I remember graduating from coke + bourbon to ice + bourbon then to water + whisky, and boy what a difference. While some people may like ice, if you're really in it to savor some of the flavor you have to have it room temp. Cold kills flavor. How much water do you add? I saw a "how to drink scotch" video some master distiller made, I forget the distillery but it was an oddball guy who throw much scotch on the ground, but he seemed to add a lot of water. He said he added enough to dilute it to 30% to get the most amount of flavor. I've been following this personally.
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Oct 2, 2012 20:43
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Midorka posted:How much water do you add? I saw a "how to drink scotch" video some master distiller made, I forget the distillery but it was an oddball guy who throw much scotch on the ground, but he seemed to add a lot of water. He said he added enough to dilute it to 30% to get the most amount of flavor. I've been following this personally. I'm still torn on the whole dilution thing. I seem to enjoy sipping 80-110 proof whiskey straight, but when I add more than a couple of drops it just tastes completely different and...watered down way beyond how much water I actually put in it. I may have to try it again with some scotch instead of bourbon to see if that is any different.
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Oct 2, 2012 21:17
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Midorka posted:How much water do you add? I saw a "how to drink scotch" video some master distiller made, I forget the distillery but it was an oddball guy who throw much scotch on the ground, but he seemed to add a lot of water. He said he added enough to dilute it to 30% to get the most amount of flavor. I've been following this personally. Depends on the strength of the spirit. With a 100 proof bourbon, I might add 1-1.5 teaspoons. Just enough to help calm the alcohol vapors. If I'm drinking something cask strength, I might add up to 1 to 2 tablespoons. The trick is to add enough to help open up the aromas and flavors without drowning it.
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Oct 2, 2012 22:02
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Some whiskies will take water far better than others, the ABV can be an indication but is by no means a rule on how much water it will take before collapsing.
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Oct 3, 2012 04:39
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It really does depend on the Whisky. I feel personally a Islay malt takes water a lot better than a Speyside for example. The general rule is to get the ABV of what's in your glass down to ~40%. But there's no right or wrong answer here, it's your Whisky so do whatever you like to it. Often I like to drink something neat then after about half the glass add a touch of water to open it out a bit.
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Oct 3, 2012 09:52
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For the Lagavulin fans here I recommend trying this if you spot a bottle anywhere.  The specifics are not listed but by smell and taste I'd say it's definitely much younger than the standard 16 year old expression, making the two fun to compare side by side. A bit more saline, burning and kelp-like, but still a wonderful Lagavulin.
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Oct 3, 2012 11:26
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For the bourbon dilution I've been taking it by ear, if I can smell alcohol I usually add a little more.
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Oct 3, 2012 22:45
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If you can smell with your ears you've had too much bourbon.
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Oct 4, 2012 01:18
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Midorka posted:How much water do you add? I saw a "how to drink scotch" video some master distiller made, I forget the distillery but it was an oddball guy who throw much scotch on the ground, but he seemed to add a lot of water. He said he added enough to dilute it to 30% to get the most amount of flavor. I've been following this personally. I just want to observe that that was a joke video. The other night I tried some Yamazaki 12 because I wanted to see about this whole Japanese whisky thing and man that was some pear-heavy aroma. It was tasty, very light compared to all the Islays I've been drinking. I suspect this is pretty much an entry-level Japanese, right? Anything else I should look for?
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Oct 4, 2012 12:16
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Kenning posted:I just want to observe that that was a joke video. This is the video I'm talking about, I don't think it's a joke. I just see a very eccentric enthusiast.
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Oct 4, 2012 13:08
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Midorka posted:This is the video I'm talking about, I don't think it's a joke. I just see a very eccentric enthusiast. That's Richard Paterson. Pretty much the top man at Whyte & Mackay. Normally seen extolling the virtues of some ridiculously priced old Dalmore.
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Oct 4, 2012 18:32
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It's definitely a joke video, and it's loving hilarious.
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Oct 4, 2012 21:44
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Upon further inspection, he does that "throw it on the floor" thing in every single video, so I'm not really sure where to draw the line on when he's hamming it up and when he's entirely serious. The advice he's giving seems real enough, though. That terrifying statue in the background of the second half of the video is something else, though.
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Oct 4, 2012 21:58
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Kenning posted:The other night I tried some Yamazaki 12 because I wanted to see about this whole Japanese whisky thing and man that was some pear-heavy aroma. It was tasty, very light compared to all the Islays I've been drinking. I suspect this is pretty much an entry-level Japanese, right? Anything else I should look for? Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 23:13 on Oct 4, 2012 |
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Oct 4, 2012 23:08
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Jetfire posted:Upon further inspection, he does that "throw it on the floor" thing in every single video, so I'm not really sure where to draw the line on when he's hamming it up and when he's entirely serious. The advice he's giving seems real enough, though. That terrifying statue in the background of the second half of the video is something else, though. He's out of his mind if he think I'm going to be my tossing whisky on the floor.
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Oct 5, 2012 00:21
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Kenning posted:It's definitely a joke video, and it's loving hilarious.
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Oct 5, 2012 05:01
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Look he's clearly a serious whisky expert, that's evident from the video, but if you don't realize that at least 60% of that video is a dead-panned schtick about whisky culture you're out of your mind. The whole bit about the temperature of the water from 1:11 on is hilarious and absurd.
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Oct 5, 2012 07:02
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Sorry, but Richard Paterson blends whisky that goes for 160 grand a bottle. He may be eccentric, but he is definitely not joking.
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Oct 5, 2012 07:56
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Oh Jesus Christ.
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Oct 5, 2012 10:30
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Kenning posted:Oh Jesus Christ. I don't know if you meant, "Oh Jesus Christ, I can't believe you believe he's serious," or "Oh Jesus Christ, he is serious?" Either way, leaving open/vague responses really doesn't help the thread, I guess I'm not either by responding, but I'll add content here. I drank some Bakers last night and while I thought it was rough at first, I really enjoy it now. It's definitely a bolder bourbon than most I've had.
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Oct 5, 2012 15:04
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New to whiskey here. Went to the store yesterday day and saw a bottle of Glenlivet 12 year (As recommended by this thread) for about $45 and picked it up on a whim, had to leave town later that day I I'm leaving it in my closet until this Sunday. Hope I'll enjoy my first whiskey experience!
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Oct 5, 2012 15:31
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Paterson's presentation is cleary ridiculous, but as mentioned before the basic advice is sound. You could try swirling 1 tsp of whiskey in the glass and then throw it in the sink instead of on the floor, obviously. You should probably be cognizant of the temperature of the water you add, and make sure that the bartender knows you want cold/tepid water to add. The rest is him being silly/memorable that makes him a good presenter.
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Oct 5, 2012 15:58
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That's what I mean. He's got some good information in there, but that's obviously a video for people who already know a bit about whisky. It's primarily entertaining rather than informative. He has other videos where he explains things a bit more and isn't totally mad, but that's not one I would suggest a whisky newcomer start with. Because it's a joke.
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Oct 5, 2012 22:09
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So I've been given a bottle of Dewar's White Label (I'm almost positive it has been sitting in a closet for many, many years). A quick google search has informed me that I am dealing with a rather low quality whiskey. Has anyone had any experience with this? Am I safe to assume the best way to drink this is mixed with soda or in a cocktail?
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Oct 5, 2012 22:57
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Calling it a joke is misleading, though, because it implies that the advice is bad. It's almost entirely good advice. Dewar's White Label is a perfectly serviceable blended scotch for drinking with soda, or making into Whisky Smashes, on a hot day. It's, well, not at all better than just serviceable, however.
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Oct 5, 2012 23:02
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Hubbins posted:So I've been given a bottle of Dewar's White Label (I'm almost positive it has been sitting in a closet for many, many years). A quick google search has informed me that I am dealing with a rather low quality whiskey. Has anyone had any experience with this? Am I safe to assume the best way to drink this is mixed with soda or in a cocktail? Depends on how old it is. If it's a legit 70's bottle or something or will be much better than today's version. (And it may be worth some money even.) If it's not, then give it a go neat anyway, you may like it.
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Oct 6, 2012 00:43
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What's wrong with a bottle of jack daniels?
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Oct 6, 2012 08:56
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happy cabbage posted:What's wrong with a bottle of jack daniels? There's a lot of people out there who only ever drink Jack Daniels or Johnnie Walker Black Label or whatever. My only issue with this is they are missing out on the potential discovery of a whisk(e)y they might like even better.
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Oct 6, 2012 10:13
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I work at a liquor store and we get many of those "I've been drinking Jack for 30 years," types. I once suggested, "well isn't it time to try something new?" That was the first and last time ever.
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Oct 6, 2012 15:12
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I just got some WT101 at a wal mart, they don't sell that over in Europe. Hopefully the bottle will survive the plane trip. 
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Oct 6, 2012 15:25
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Midorka posted:I work at a liquor store and we get many of those "I've been drinking Jack for 30 years," types. I once suggested, "well isn't it time to try something new?" That was the first and last time ever. Some people get in a groove and like it; others branch out and experiment. I like Jack fine "When the weather gets rough and it's whiskey in the shade," as Tom Waits says, but I would never lay in a stock and drink that forever. There's too much interesting stuff out there.
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Oct 6, 2012 16:04
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happy cabbage posted:What's wrong with a bottle of jack daniels? Pretty much what was said. I don't think there's anything much wrong with Jack. I drink it from time to time. But just as you wouldn't eat chilli every day you wouldn't drink the same drink everyday. I have a wide range of whiskies ,and gins etc, so that I've always got something interesting to drink.
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Oct 6, 2012 18:00
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How's the Jim Beam Rye? I confess I'm a newbie when it comes to Whisky, but for some reason I have a really big desire to try Rye. Unfortunately Jim Beam Rye is the only Rye Whisky that is available to me (in the state owned alcohol chain   ) that isn't like expensive as hell. The Jim Beam is 44 bucks. Worth a try or should I pass?
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Oct 7, 2012 10:13
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Man, Beam rye is fine but not THAT good. That's soooooo much money man. I dunno dude, I've begun to wonder if Europeans should even care about American whiskey because it seems like it costs an insane amount over there.
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Oct 7, 2012 10:19
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I know. It kinda sucks, but I have to comfort myself that the $75/L of 100% ethanol tax (excluding additional 25% VAT) goes to pay for good stuff.... I looked up what it'd cost me to import a High West Double rye (since it wasn't that expensive in the online shop). ~$90. Yay. How different are Rye's from a malt whisky?
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Oct 7, 2012 10:31
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MrOnBicycle posted:I know. It kinda sucks, but I have to comfort myself that the $75/L of 100% ethanol tax (excluding additional 25% VAT) goes to pay for good stuff.... I was going to say I'd had that and enjoyed it, but I had High West Rendezvous Rye instead, which isn't actually the same. But from what I tell they're making some pretty good blends while waiting for their own stock to age up properly. I just can't be bothered to pay what they want for unaged whiskey. Rye's more easily compared to bourbon than malt whiskey, just since the process is overall the same other than the base grain mixture. Like a bourbon you've got the aging in new charred oak so there's the caramel and vanilla from the wood, but rye is drier and spicier compared to the sweeter corn that dominates in bourbon.
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Oct 7, 2012 10:54
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Rye and malt whisky are only both known as whisk(e)y by an accident of linguistics. The difference between at least 51% rye mashbill distilled to 160 proof aged in never-before-used charred white oak barrels for 3 years and bottled at no less than 80 proof and mostly malted barley mashbill usually dried with peat and aged 3 years or more in some barrel, maybe bourbon, maybe sherry cask, is substantial. Rye and malt whisky (i.e. Scotch, or in rare cases, Irish) are only passingly similar. If it were 4 months ago and Rittenhouse were still available I'd offer to ship you a bottle myself. I'll drop by the specialty spirits store tomorrow and see if they have any in stock – if available, maybe we could work out a deal.
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Oct 7, 2012 11:31
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Wow, I looked up Rittenhouse and it seem like it gets very good reviews everywhere and is cheap. Seems awesome. I appreciate your offer, but I'm afraid that even through a package marked as a gift I'll be stuck with excise + VAT if the customs get hold of it. I think the cheapest way to get it would be to wait until (whenever that is) I go to the UK and visit. A bottle there is £30. Edit: Killer robot posted:I was going to say I'd had that and enjoyed it, but I had High West Rendezvous Rye instead, which isn't actually the same. But from what I tell they're making some pretty good blends while waiting for their own stock to age up properly. I just can't be bothered to pay what they want for unaged whiskey. Ah, that's interesting. I might give a bourbon a shot as well then. Thanks! Of the goon recommended in the OP I can get Four Roses Bourbon and Four Roses Small Batch. So there's a start. Not that expensive (relative to where I'm from). Wild Turkey 81 proof is also available at a slightly higher price ($45). MrOnBicycle fucked around with this message at 14:43 on Oct 7, 2012 |
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Oct 7, 2012 13:34
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