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biglads posted:Any goons going to Whisky Live in London this coming weekend? I wish. It's on my "Things to do concerning whisky before I die" list though. If you go, please give us a bit of trip report.
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Mar 19, 2013 22:53
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I considered going to Whisky Fest in Chicago, since it was like less than an hours drive away, but by the time I made up my mind the tickets were all sold out. Maybe next year?  Also, I punted today and bought something I've never tried before: A Springbank!  It's slightly sour on the front, then leads into some fruity, sherry notes. A brief puff of peat, and a nice long finish. Very, very good. Might be one of my favorites so far.
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Mar 20, 2013 02:42
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NightConqueror posted:
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Mar 20, 2013 06:19
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So while visiting my favorite out in the middle of gently caress all liquor store earlier this week I found they still had the single bottle of Thomas H. Handy Sazerac that was there in the middle of January when I last visited. Finally cracked it open two nights ago and was pleasantly surprised. I had been avoiding it because it seemed to be priced a little high for what is essentially a barrel strength 6yr old rye. I am still undecided if it was worth the $70, but it probably ranks right up there with the tastiest of rye's so I am definitely not disappointed.
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Mar 21, 2013 23:50
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Smokewagon posted:So while visiting my favorite out in the middle of gently caress all liquor store earlier this week I found they still had the single bottle of Thomas H. Handy Sazerac that was there in the middle of January when I last visited. Finally cracked it open two nights ago and was pleasantly surprised. I had been avoiding it because it seemed to be priced a little high for what is essentially a barrel strength 6yr old rye. I am still undecided if it was worth the $70, but it probably ranks right up there with the tastiest of rye's so I am definitely not disappointed. You fucker. Someday, somehow, I will get something from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.
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Mar 22, 2013 14:52
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That is really just the most classically "rye" tasting spirit I've ever had. I mean Rye like bread, not like 'oh it's kinda spicy.' It's amazing.
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Mar 22, 2013 17:35
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NightConqueror posted:You fucker. The worst part was when I was there in January they had 4 total bottles of BTAC just sitting on the shelves, months after everyone else had been long sold out. They had 2 bottles of William Larue Weller, and a bottle of George T Stagg. quote:Someday, somehow, I will get something from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.  If you've never tried them I'd be happy to host a personal tasting if you ever find yourself in central Mass.
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Mar 22, 2013 22:34
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ChickenArise posted:That is really just the most classically "rye" tasting spirit I've ever had. I mean Rye like bread, not like 'oh it's kinda spicy.' It's amazing. I had a second go of it last night. No change in my opinion, still very tasty. I'd really like to compare it to the BTAC Sazerac 18 year. I really want to see what 18 years in a barrel does for this Rye, becasue it's pretty drat good for being so young. I've found over the years of bourbon exploration I tend to favor older expression. I'm finding my personal sweet spot is 10-15 years in a barrell. If they get to be much older they usually take on too much wood flavoring for me, younger and they don't have the smoothness and balance I like. Although I have plenty of "go to" bourbons that are younger, my absolute slap-my-momma-for-a-taste bourbons are almost all 10 years +.
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Mar 22, 2013 22:43
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 Recently finished a first draft of a novella I've been working on for months, got this to celebrate. I picked it based partly on the high praise it got in this thread, and partly because it was on sale. My first impression was wow this is really sweet, and smooth, and creamy. My second impression was RAISINS. I just ate a mouth full of raisins, like, my tongue was feeling at my teeth for bits of raisin just on its own with the flavor it left in my mouth. This is the first whisky ive had that was aged in sherry casks, and it definitely is a flavor unlike anything I've had before. This is also my first 16yo whisky. It definitely stands out from anything I've had before, enjoying very much!
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Mar 24, 2013 05:14
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I just had some Peat Monster, and that is a really nice and smooth peaty scotch. There's something almost caramely sweet in there that I'm liking.
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Mar 24, 2013 05:35
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Just tried some Yamazaki 18 year that my friend had and wow was that intense. The only other thing I had tried was Glenlivet 15. It would take a bit of getting used to for me to drink it regularly but overall it was good. I can't really describe it very well because I don't have much to compare it to. I tried it on the rocks. Next time I may go neat with a bit of water because I think it became a little nicer as the ice melted a bit. The flavor was just more overwhelming than what I am used to but it wasn't bad. I also tried JW Green Label and I really hated it. I took 1 sip and just absolutely couldn't stand it. Not sure what it was but I just hated it.
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Mar 25, 2013 00:50
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derp posted:Recently finished a first draft of a novella I've been working on for months, got this to celebrate. I picked it based partly on the high praise it got in this thread, and partly because it was on sale. Nice to see some tasting notes from the other expressions of Aberlour. I feel like the A'bunadh is all everyone talks about. Also, with so many distilleries putting out high quality sherried stuff (Glendronach, Glenfarclas, Aberlour, etc...), Macallan seems pretty much obsolete to me. It's fine stuff, but it's far too easy to get something better and more distinct at a cheaper price.
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Mar 25, 2013 01:37
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Finally tried Lost Spirits Leviathan I last night. Holy poo poo. It's incredibly peaty but unlike any Islay scotch I've ever had. The smoke was incredibly heavy and forward, but it quickly gave way to dark chocolate and butterscotch. It had by far the thickest mouthfeel of any whisky I've ever. It was like a beautiful whiskey dessert. Totally unlike any other whiskey I've ever had, but goddamn delicious.
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Mar 25, 2013 02:32
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I made the mistake of drinking straight Johnnie Walker Red as my introduction to whiskey. I wrote off all whiskey for a while after that. I became somewhat enlightened after trying Lagavulin 16 at a buddy's house a few weeks ago. I was not a fan of the smokiness, but the lack of burn changed my outlook on whiskey entirely. I was gifted a bottle of Glenfiddich 15 a couple days ago and am really enjoying it. I can't wait to try more. I think next stop is Glenlivet...
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Mar 25, 2013 06:04
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door Door door posted:Finally tried Lost Spirits Leviathan I last night. Holy poo poo. It's incredibly peaty but unlike any Islay scotch I've ever had. The smoke was incredibly heavy and forward, but it quickly gave way to dark chocolate and butterscotch. It had by far the thickest mouthfeel of any whisky I've ever. It was like a beautiful whiskey dessert. Totally unlike any other whiskey I've ever had, but goddamn delicious. I preferred Seascape to Leviathan. Leviathan was all peat and nothing else, it had no sweetness, no terroir, nothing at all. And as this is really the smallest of microdistilleries, there's not going to be any sort of consistency between batches of either whiskey. It's a nice little story and I'm glad the dude it local, but he is also a bit of a flake... He didn't show up to the K&L tasting so the pouring was actually done illicitly. This is a far less reliable operation than St. George or even Old World Spirits. NightConqueror posted:Nice to see some tasting notes from the other expressions of Aberlour. I feel like the A'bunadh is all everyone talks about. Also, with so many distilleries putting out high quality sherried stuff (Glendronach, Glenfarclas, Aberlour, etc...), Macallan seems pretty much obsolete to me. It's fine stuff, but it's far too easy to get something better and more distinct at a cheaper price. For anyone visiting Scotland for distillery tours, Aberlour is definitely one you'd want to visit. Go and hand bottle yourself a cask strength bourbon or sherry aged Aberlour straight out of the barrel. -- I have some Nikka 12yr on hand, but I need a bit of time to evaluate it. TobinHatesYou fucked around with this message at 06:14 on Mar 25, 2013 |
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Mar 25, 2013 06:07
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It's Scotch whisky, people. Not whiskey.
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Mar 25, 2013 07:33
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geetee posted:I made the mistake of drinking straight Johnnie Walker Red as my introduction to whiskey. I wrote off all whiskey for a while after that. I became somewhat enlightened after trying Lagavulin 16 at a buddy's house a few weeks ago. I was not a fan of the smokiness, but the lack of burn changed my outlook on whiskey entirely. I was gifted a bottle of Glenfiddich 15 a couple days ago and am really enjoying it. I can't wait to try more. I think next stop is Glenlivet... That's awesome! Glad you found something you enjoyed, I was fortunate to never drink the red when I was still new to whisky. I've never tried Glenfiddich 15, or any Lagavulin. Glenlivet 12 was alright, you might like it, but the french oak reserve was quite a bit better in my opinion. I've heard good things of Nadurra 16, but I've never tried it. I recommend you try anything Balvenie, but that might just me being a fan boy. 
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Mar 25, 2013 13:11
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Troll Bridgington posted:I recommend you try anything Balvenie, but that might just me being a fan boy.
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Mar 25, 2013 13:59
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Yes -- Balvenie is great. While I prefer the Glenmorangie Quinta ruban to the standard Balvenie doublewood in a showdown between port finished single malts, I think Balvenie is my favorite Speyside distillery. My favorite expression is the Caribbean Cask, which is double aged in a Rum cask -- I normally think about scotch as a drink for winter nights, but this is a scotch to drink on a summer day. Sweet, light and you get the evocation of a daiquiri with the hints of rum flavor.
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Mar 25, 2013 15:12
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KhyrosFinalCut posted:
Yes! I love the Caribbean Cask, it's delicious. It really is a nice scotch for a summer day. I think I might need to make a trip to the shop and pick up another bottle...
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Mar 25, 2013 15:46
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KhyrosFinalCut posted:Yes -- Balvenie is great. While I prefer the Glenmorangie Quinta ruban to the standard Balvenie doublewood in a showdown between port finished single malts, I think Balvenie is my favorite Speyside distillery. Yeah it is one of my favorites. And I am totally seconding (or thirding) that it's a drink for a summer day.
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Mar 25, 2013 20:02
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I was given a Black/Blue/Green/Gold sampler, any advice on how to try them to best appreciate them?
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Mar 26, 2013 02:31
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22 Eargesplitten posted:I was given a Black/Blue/Green/Gold sampler, any advice on how to try them to best appreciate them? Save Green Label for last no matter what order you try the others in. Black Label and Green Label can take a drop or two of water after an initial nosing/tasting. Do not add any water to Gold Label or Blue Label. Other than that the most logical progressions would either of the following: Black->Gold->Blue in terms of rarity and supposed quality. I'd say age, but Blue technically doesn't carry an age statement. Blue->Gold->Black in terms of peatiness. Gold Label and Blue Label really have very little peat at all, and I actually find the sweetness in Gold Label to mask the peat taste quite effectively. Black Label is medium peated. Green Label should be tried last because it's the most complex...It's the only one of the bunch that technically isn't a blend, but a blended malt / pure malt (obsolete: vatted malt.)
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Mar 26, 2013 04:26
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And if you happen to like green best, tough poo poo they don't make it anymore. 
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Mar 26, 2013 07:34
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No, you can get it, you just have to take a trip to Taiwan.
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Mar 26, 2013 07:40
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Yeah it's in the process of discontinuation as a global product. However I bet there's still plenty to go around (at least here in the US.) Buy up I guess. Also I forgot to add, don't overdo your pours if you are indeed just having a taste. Half an ounce is plenty...you don't want to numb your tastebuds (and your brain) before you get to the Green Label. When you take a sip, draw it in so that it flows over the tip, then the top of your tongue. Let it sit in your mouth an dilute slowly as you begin to salivate. Chew it slowly if you want, but I prefer to let the whisky diffuse slowly. TobinHatesYou fucked around with this message at 08:54 on Mar 26, 2013 |
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Mar 26, 2013 08:46
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I've been seeing Green Label at just about every liquor store I go to here in the Portland, OR area. It seems to be the most popular Johnny Walker product here, is it worth the price tag? I mean for the $80ish dollars it's going for I could get my normal EW Single Barrel + Ardbeg or Laphroaig 10 (both of which I've just recently bought/tried and love).
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Mar 26, 2013 09:31
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JLightning posted:I've been seeing Green Label at just about every liquor store I go to here in the Portland, OR area. It seems to be the most popular Johnny Walker product here, is it worth the price tag? I mean for the $80ish dollars it's going for I could get my normal EW Single Barrel + Ardbeg or Laphroaig 10 (both of which I've just recently bought/tried and love).
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Mar 26, 2013 10:59
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It's the absolute best of the JW range, better than both gold and blue. It's well worth the money, although I use my local liquor prices as a reference. Here it's around €30 -ish, whereas decent single malts start at 40.
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Mar 26, 2013 12:21
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When you add water to your whisky, what do you typically use? I'm assuming it's not tap water, but it seems a bit wrong to distill an expensive drink with a dollar bottle of water.
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Mar 26, 2013 16:11
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I don't usually add water, but some people use distilled water I think.
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Mar 26, 2013 16:19
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I use tap water but that's because our tap water is better than most bottled water. No chlorine and no fluoride etc.. Now water in the US tastes awful so yeah go with bottled water.
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Mar 26, 2013 18:18
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spankmeister posted:And if you happen to like green best, tough poo poo they don't make it anymore. Yeah, I tried all of them last night, the Green was really good. My only point of reference is bourbon, but the Green label made me think of the single barrel WL Weller that I had, very spicy, but with a lot of other flavors as well. Honestly, I'm not sure why the blue is as expensive as it is. It's not bad, it's just kind of bland. The gold at least has a sweetness that fills it out. I can't see myself ever buying blue label, even if it was reasonably priced. The gold label was pretty good too, reminded me of the Buffalo Trace single barrel I had, but with more of a rich sweetness. Black label was like a more restrained Evan Williams. Not saying that as a bad thing, but kind of pricey for that. edit: Tap water quality varies quite a bit around the US depending on the rock making up the groundwater reservoirs. There's some good tap water, and some bad. But there's also bottled water that is literally bottled at a factory that uses municipal tap water to fill up bottles. So, yeah, watch out for that.
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Mar 26, 2013 18:22
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spankmeister posted:Now water in the US tastes awful so yeah go with bottled water. That's a massive generalization. Tap water around Lake Tahoe tastes like magic and sunshine. Tap water in San Luis Obispo tastes like garbage. It really depends on how close you are to the real source, etc.
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Mar 26, 2013 19:07
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spankmeister posted:I use tap water but that's because our tap water is better than most bottled water. No chlorine and no fluoride etc.. Not if you live in colorado 
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Mar 26, 2013 19:19
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Does anyone know this: I stopped smoking a couple of months ago and went to buy a bottle of Talisker 10. Drank a glas and.... ugggghghghg I used to love this, but apparently not anymore. What are some good whiskys like Caol Ila, Ardbeg or Bowmore, but without that much smoke and more balance : - ( I also got a bottle of Glenmorangie Lasanta 12y. What are you thoughts on it? I kinda liked it but at the same time the flavour of the sherry was maybe a bit too much for whiskey. Will still probably get the Port Cask and Sauternes Cask versions because it was a good whisky all in all. Which would you prefer to get next? - Bruichladdich The Laddie Ten - Glendronach 10 - Glengoyne 10 or 12 - Balvenie 12 double wood - Aberlour 10 - One of the other Glenmorangie expression Boner Slam fucked around with this message at 20:05 on Mar 26, 2013 |
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Mar 26, 2013 19:27
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Glottis posted:That's a massive generalization. Tap water around Lake Tahoe tastes like magic and sunshine. Tap water in San Luis Obispo tastes like garbage. It really depends on how close you are to the real source, etc. True I suppose the water in Morro Bay is the same because it was really bad there. My experience with US water from my travels is that it ranges from bad to worse than Hitler but I have fine European tastes soo.  Didn't visit CO so can't comment on that.
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Mar 26, 2013 20:06
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Boner Slam posted:What are some good whiskys like Caol Ila, Ardbeg or Bowmore, but without that much smoke and more balance : - ( When say "like Caol Ila, Ardbeg or Bowmore but without that much smoke and more balance," do you mean you want a milder smoky whisky? Highland Park 12 is a solid single malt with a touch of smoke, but certainly not enough to be off-putting. I never really though Talisker was too smoky. Ardbeg 10, in my opinion, is very well balanced but also very peaty. Did you mean Glendronach 12? I've never see a 10 year old version outside of some independent bottlings. The 12 year old "original" is probably one of my favorite sherried whiskies. I wasn't a fan of the Lasanta, however. There's probably some other guys in here like biglads or kidsafe who know a lot more about the different Glenmorangie cask finishes. The regular old 10 year old is a fine single malt, and from what I've heard the cask finishes range from excellent to mediocre.
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Mar 26, 2013 23:21
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I thought the bottle of Talisker tasted dusty/smoky but not in a good way, more in a rancid/old way. It didn't work. Since it is not a bad whisky, I will probably feel the same way about the other peated wishkys I previously enjoyed. This is just a guess. It could be I just don't like Talisker but would still love Caol Ila or the other ones I know like Bowmore, Ardbeg etc. But I am hesitant to sink money into strong peated stuff even if I enjoyed it before. As it happens this kind of "taste change" happened in a lot of foods/smells after I stopped smoking. I find it more likely that I just taste more stuff and enjoy less intensity on the smoke front. As far as balance goes, on the one hand I still think I'd enjoy some smoke in my drink, if it is balanced right and not to overwhelming. On the other hand the Glenmorangie Sherry stuff tastes like something I might like. I thought the sherry in this particular drink was a bit too much in the situation I was drinking it in (cold outside) and/or was just not balanced right but I can see me liking stuff like this. So this gives me path 1: go explore the port and french sweet wine varieties. But I could also go for another sherried whisky, maybe finding something I like more or something which is just better. Or thirdly, take a step back and try a balanced whisky (like Highland Park?) which has something of everything. The list I made was just a bit research into those directions, maybe you know other stuff. In the end I'd probably guess you'll say that out of my list, if you'd pick one whisky which is best, it would be XY. And yes I did indeed mean Glendronach 12, and also you can change Aberlour 10 to the 12y Double Cask variety since it is only three bucks more here. I have also added your suggestion: - Bruichladdich The Laddie Ten - Glendronach 12 - Glengoyne 10 or 12 - Balvenie 12 double wood - Aberlour 10 or Double Cask 12 - One of the other Glenmorangie expression - Highland Park 12 - Glenfarcas 15 Boner Slam fucked around with this message at 23:49 on Mar 26, 2013 |
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Mar 26, 2013 23:45
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Thanks for the advice, I live in an area with relatively decent tap water so I'll probably stick to that for now. I prefer drinking whisky neat so it's not a huge deal either way.
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Mar 26, 2013 23:51
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