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Stultus Maximus posted:Well, the trend sucks for us right now but maybe in a few years it will have moved on to tequila or some poo poo I don't care about and the bandwagoners will move on and the prices will come down again. we already did tequila from like the late nineties to the mid 2000s.
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May 25, 2013 23:20
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Kenning posted:Tequila had its big bump about 3 years ago and it's since tapered off a lot. Tequila production is even more time-hosed than whiskey because they have to wait 10 years to even harvest an agave. I'd say that Irish whiskey is the most likely thing to take the pressure off of American stuff. There's some minor chance that rum could get hot in the next couple years, but it just doesn't have the cachet of bourbon and rye. Also the flavor profiles of different rums vary too widely for a broad-based rum surge. Unfortunately American whiskey is still inexpensive and "sophisticated" enough that it probably won't cool off for a while. Lets pretend Gin is gonna make it BIG!
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May 25, 2013 23:24
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Kenning posted:Tequila had its big bump about 3 years ago and it's since tapered off a lot. Tequila production is even more time-hosed than whiskey because they have to wait 10 years to even harvest an agave. I'd say that Irish whiskey is the most likely thing to take the pressure off of American stuff. There's some minor chance that rum could get hot in the next couple years, but it just doesn't have the cachet of bourbon and rye. Also the flavor profiles of different rums vary too widely for a broad-based rum surge. Unfortunately American whiskey is still inexpensive and "sophisticated" enough that it probably won't cool off for a while. Politicalrancor posted:we already did tequila from like the late nineties to the mid 2000s. Ah well that was just a randomly named example. Whiskey has been the only spirit I have really ever made the effort to get to know and spend real money on. For me, gin, vodka, and rum are for cocktails and highballs. And tequila is for other people.
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May 25, 2013 23:39
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Rum is really spectacular, and it's unfortunate that there are so few good rum bars out there to teach people about it. It's also dirt cheap compared to almost any other class of spirit.
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May 25, 2013 23:48
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Kenning posted:Rum is really spectacular, and it's unfortunate that there are so few good rum bars out there to teach people about it. It's also dirt cheap compared to almost any other class of spirit. It's just too sweet and it doesn't really have a variety of flavor because the ingredients are basically always the same.
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May 26, 2013 09:55
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Politicalrancor posted:It's just too sweet and it doesn't really have a variety of flavor because the ingredients are basically always the same. I'd have to disagree. In my collection I have an aged Haitian rum, an aged Dominican rum, unaged white and dark Jamaican rum, an unaged rhum agricole, and a spiced rum, and they all have their own unique characteristics. There's at least as many ways that a distillery can produce and age (or not) a rum as there are methods to produce and age whiskey. Anyway, I think the increased demand for local, small-batch spirits is a good thing. It will allow those small-batch distilleries to grow in proportion to demand and cause them to have wider distribution, so that maybe three years down the line I won't be faced with the prospect of bars just stocking Jack, Jim, and Johnnie Red. It's sort of similar to how ten years ago the only beer that bars here in PA had was macrobrews and Yuengling, and now every place stocks at least one good brew from a craft brewery as an alternative.
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May 26, 2013 17:02
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I am lucky enough to have a bar with a wide liquor selection and even better it goes half-price at happy hour. All of it. Unfortunately the service is slow and incompetent but hey.
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May 26, 2013 18:22
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Went to the best stocked whisky bar in the country yesterday. Using a Glenfarclas 21 as a sounding board I went through the HP 30, the Glenfarclas 40, a 40yo Bunnahabhain from DL and the Laphroaig PX which is a travel retail-only Laphroaig that's a little older than the 10 and has sat for some years in a Pedro Ximenez cask. Also got a taste from a friend's sampling of the latest bottling of Springbank 25 and some DL Port Ellen. I wanted to know about the L PX because it's available for me due to work related travel. Turns out it's disappointing and I'll be leaving it on the shelf. Very obviously Laphroaig but the slightly bitter tang added by the PX casks didn't really bring out anything that the whisky needed. I remain convinced that Laphroaig's barrel experiments are each and every one worse than their regular bottlings. The DL Bunnahabhain was nothing particular, disappointing since it was recommended by a friend. Too boozy for something so old - at that price range and age you'd expect something much more refined, like for example the Glenfarclas 40 which was definitely the best whisky of the night. The fight for the title was between it and the HP 30, and I found the HP 30 a bit wanting. I think I'll have to go back and sample the Glenfarclas again at a later date to get everything out of it but it certainly had a whole lot more complex makeup than the 21, being less sweet, less christmas-y and with richer berry and fruit tones. Very light for something so old, and both its richness and mouthfeel clearly beat the slightly hollow taste and sticking, abrasive mouthfeel of the HP 30. Out of the older non-Islay whiskys that I've sampled so far the Balvenie 30 has been the one to impress me the most and after last night's rounds that remains the case.
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May 26, 2013 21:03
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Politicalrancor posted:It's just too sweet and it doesn't really have a variety of flavor because the ingredients are basically always the same. Pardon the brief rum derail. I'm sorry Politicalrancor, but there is a woeful deficit in your rum education. Rum is significantly more varied than any given class of whiskey, which is entirely a product of the fact that rum has barely any legal definition anywhere. The fact is that there is a generalized flavor profile for, say, bourbon, which is a result of the pretty exacting degree to which the process for making bourbon is legally established. 51+% corn, distilled to no more than 80% abv, aged in fresh-charred white oak barrels, etc. etc. etc. Flavor differences tend to be relatively subtle, and fall within the general scope of sweet, somewhat spicy, oaky, vanilla. The same is obviously true for rye whiskey, and also true, but in a somewhat roundabout fashion, of Scotch, though that has a bit more local tradition involved as well as its legal definition. Rum, on the other hand, need only be descended, somehow, from a sugar cane. There are floral, toasted golden rums from Barbados that float over the tongue and suggest coconut and roasted pears; there are woody Haitian rums (made of raw cane juice rather than molasses) that bring to mind leather, tobacco, and sawmills; there are inky black Jamaican rums replete with sulfuric funk; and there are grassy pale Trinidadian rums that can even bring to bear a flavor like agave and tequila. In part because rum is such a dispersed spirit, made in dozens of countries around the world, there has never yet been a campaign to promote rum as such. The big, terrible rums like Bacardi and Captain Morgan have the resources to promote themselves, but that's like assuming that all American whiskey is Jim Beam. And again, like I said, there are so few good rum bars out there that it's hard to get an education in rum. To anybody who's interested, btw, I can totally provide such an education.
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May 26, 2013 22:32
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Kenning posted:Pardon the brief rum derail. I am very, very interested. I'd love to have a nice variety of rums for the hot summer months but I have zero idea what any given region is like, much less individual brands. So I end up with Mount Gay in Coke.
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May 26, 2013 22:34
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I've recently came across a bottle of Smith and Cross and learned to appreciate the funk of Jamaican rum, which in turn made me more curious about some of the less common rums from other regions. A visit to Smugglers Cove in SF just cemented by interest. If you feel up to starting a rum thread (or maybe just a post in the cocktail thread)I will definitely follow it.
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May 26, 2013 22:39
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Kenning posted:Pardon the brief rum derail. So, want to start a rum thread? Or is there one already? I was looking to get into it and unsurprisingly you seem to know a lot about it.
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May 26, 2013 22:52
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I would probably follow a rum thread. My experience with rum started with Captain Morgan and ended with a horrible night involving Sailor Jerry.
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May 26, 2013 22:53
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I do like rum too and wouldn't mind a rum thread.
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May 26, 2013 23:42
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A rum thread sounds like an interesting idea. Has anybody tried OYO Whiskey?
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May 27, 2013 00:24
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Well alright give me a day or so and I'll whip something up.
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May 27, 2013 00:31
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Holy poo poo. Shawan Liquors in Hunt Valley Maryland has a selection of whiskey that is not even remotely sane. I Saw like 6 Corsair expressions, nearly 200 kinds of single malt. I was blown the gently caress away. I wanted to take the whole wall with me. Ended up with these two for a party.  Great King Street has been discussed already, including by me, the signatory bottle, man that is something special. As an FYI -- Signatory is an independent bottling company, the other side of the business of the Edradour distillery. They buy up casks from distilleries that they normally would either age further or sell to blenders, or closed distilleries -- basically stuff that would not otherwise see release in it's current form. I've tasted a 7 year old Laphroaig from them, as well as an unchillfiltered Laphroaig 10. Both awesome, and one of my favorite highlands of all time is a 17 year old Ben Nevis signatory bottle. Aaaanyway, this is a 14 year Ledaig. Talked about the Ledaig 10 earlier as having a good blend of sweet and peat. this was an even subtler/milder mellowed out version of that, but it had 2 distinct characteristics on top of the 10's flavor profile. The Brine/iodine was a little bit more present in a way that was reminiscent of Jura malts and the nose, well, I couldn't come up with something better than my friend's instinct of "that smells like tequila" in a slightly burnt salty way, like a partida blanco or something, but there's no Tequila in the palate. Something to look out for if you're somewhere well stocked and want something subtle.
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May 27, 2013 07:54
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Cloks posted:Has anybody tried OYO Whiskey? I picked up a bottle a few months back. I wasn't too impressed, for the price you would expect better. My big qualm is the overpowering alcohol burn. I feel if they gave it a few more years to age it could be good (They only started distilling in 2010). That being said, go to a bar and give it a shot. You might have a different experience than I did. They also have a bourbon but I haven't tried that yet. The bourbon looks like it might be a bit more promising.
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May 27, 2013 14:14
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Kenning posted:Well alright give me a day or so and I'll whip something up. Awesome!
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May 28, 2013 23:10
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With all the talk of rum, i got some of this on a whim today.  my only experience with rum is morgans, bacardi and krakken. this is leagues beyond those, and it looks pretty gimmicky. definitely can tell there are worlds of rum to be had out there if something so affordable and silly as this can taste so good.
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May 29, 2013 05:18
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Your Ardbeg Fanboy Checking in. This arrived today Nope, not a rare typo, Ardbog is the latest committee/Ardbeg Day Release. TAR. TAR TAR TAR SMOKE TAR TAR TAR TAR. And did I mention Tar? Honestly given the hype about all the complexity it should get from the blending of the bourbon matured portion and the manzanilla matured portion, I'm a tiny bit let down by it. Maybe spring water will open it up a bit when I taste next and unveil something I'm missing at the moment, but I quite preferred the Galileo. That being said, there's something cool about Diving into Tar as opposed to Char which is the main character of the Aligator. I suppose I owe it another tasting with a slowly melting ice cube like I've done for other Ardbegs, but offhand I'd say enthusiasts could pass on this safely. (That being said, popular opinion is against me on the Galileo, so YMMV).
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May 29, 2013 05:39
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derp posted:With all the talk of rum, i got some of this on a whim today. I've started a rum thread for you and everyone else who was interested. Just waiting on bart or Happy Abobo to change the tag  . Oh, and for the record I've heard that Pyrat is actually fairly decent, but nothing outrageous.
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May 29, 2013 10:03
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I have to wait until 3.6. for that thing to come to the local shops. Thanks for posting your impressions. Based on them I think I'll start with one bottle and go back for more if I find it fun. Is the tar in the 'Bog rich boatside tar like in Lagavulins or bitter ashtray tar like in Laphroaig QC?
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May 29, 2013 13:09
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Kenning posted:I've started a rum thread for you and everyone else who was interested. Just waiting on bart or Happy Abobo to change the tag Great thread OP, I've got it bookmarked. I only have 3 bottles of rum in my bar; Dogfish Head Brown Honey Rum, Kraken and Cruzan Black Strap. I enjoy some straight rum every now and then. Back to whiskey, last week on a roadtrip I spend a few days on the bourbon trail. It was a blast, went to 9 distilleries and a cooperage. My favorites were Buffalo Trace(can these guys do anything wrong !?!) and, suprising to me, the Barton Distillery. I left with 7 bottles of bourbons I can't get at home including Very Old Barton BiB (super good for the price) and Ancient Ancient Age 10 Year (now being discontinued). I guess I didn't get anything super rare or breathtaking. I could probably write paragraphs about what I saw so if anyone has any questions shoot away! More importantly if you have the chance go to Kentucky yourself.
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May 29, 2013 13:09
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Deleuzionist posted:I have to wait until 3.6. for that thing to come to the local shops. Thanks for posting your impressions. Based on them I think I'll start with one bottle and go back for more if I find it fun. Is the tar in the 'Bog rich boatside tar like in Lagavulins or bitter ashtray tar like in Laphroaig QC? Confession, I still need to try Laphroaig QC, but the taste I'm talking about is richer, more lagavulin-like
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May 29, 2013 14:44
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzUME4-H6Ms Bourbon whiskey running low  Nothing this thread hasn't talked about already - but interesting to see it reported on anyways.
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May 30, 2013 04:25
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cougar cub posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzUME4-H6Ms Time to stock up and bunker down. Panic! Everyone panic!
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May 30, 2013 04:37
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On the plus side, think of how much whiskey we'll have in 10 years!
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May 30, 2013 04:49
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Last night, I went to a scotch tasting, with a goddamned Astronaut (Marc Garneau). We tasted four scotches. I can't remember the first one, but the second was Glen Garioch, Third Was Glen Fiddich Cask of Dreams, and third was Lagavulin 16. Got to say, not a fan of the cask of dreams. Lagavulin is always nice, but Glen Garioch was my clear favourite. Also, Commander Garneau complimented me on my ability to discern the chocolate notes of it, which he noticed after I mentioned it.
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May 30, 2013 18:37
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On mention in this thread, I picked up a Laphroaig 10 last night. I am new to flavorful alcohol and was utterly blown away by a glass of this Laph. The entire night, the smell from a simple half full glass was glorious. I never had any idea such good whisky existed. Thank you for the suggestion.
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May 30, 2013 22:00
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Tasting notes for a cross comparison of Glengoyne 17, Dalwhinnie 15 and Lochside 47 grain/malt blend (distilled 1965, Adelphi IB) What I should find according to distillery or Master of Malt: Glengoyne 17: Nose Plummy, cherry liqueurs, sweet, rounded. Taste Very fruity, red currants, barley, red fruit sweetness. Dalwhinnie 15: Nose Aromatic, toffee, fruit salad, lush nectarine, custard. Floral, apple blossom, honeysuckle. Apple peels, pear, touch of smoke. Taste Malty. Walnuts steeped in manuka honey with vanilla sponge. Gentle smoke weaves its way through the cereal with a touch of spice. Lochside 47: Nose A gorgeous combination of poached stone fruits, maraschino cherries and dried fruits leading to apple cider vinegar. Taste Marzipan and dried apricots leading to Cognac-like leather and masses of Pedro Ximenez sherry. What I find: Glengoyne 17: The nose is like a less extreme Yamazaki 12. The wood tones are present but rounder and not very dominating. A liqueur-like smell, with spice (cardamom and that cinnamon-like ground pepper whatever it's called) with some plum or apricot skin, and toasted peanut. Woodier mouthfeel and general flavour profile than the Dalwhinnie. An impression of sun dried tomatos. Very rich in taste with a good mix of cherry and oak. Surprisingly dry finish yet despite dryness the taste stays a satisfyingly long while. Dalwhinnie 15: Fresh, youthful and lively compared to the more refined Glengoyne. The peat smoke hovers around without being very dominating. Behind it, saline notes and pear lemonade. Mouthfeel is slick and a little stingy, nothing particular but nothing to complain about either. Very, very fresh in the mouth with the peat practically gone leaving only pear and currant. Lochside 47: As if the Glengoyne had been in a chateau cellar since the last pan-European war. Definite old wine cask smell about this one with musty earth notes hovering around a nutty, sugary aroma. Some hint of oil used for popcorn here, probably the grain portion's influence coming through. I agree with the mention of marzipan in MoM's tasting notes but for the nose instead of the palate, and not like a bit of marzipan but the smell that comes from having an entire display case of that stuff in front of your nose. Sweet but damp. The mouthfeel is blissful even at cask strength. There's the toasted grain note I expected, and couch leather. Sweet but with some alcohol burn. The mustiness is in the taste too, a bit damp yet not mouldy note which I assume to be the PX mentioned in the tasting note because this has something in common with younger PX-whiskys I've tried yet... well, 30 years more in a cask sure does nice things to it. Mmm. Comparing to a known upmarket malt/grain blend, this bottling is roughly 1/3 more expensive than JW Blue Label and the Blue Label has absolutely no chance tastewise against this. It's Coca-Cola next to this. The bottling starts from 54.something% so I'm adding a bit over teaspoonful of water to see what comes out: Nose takes a step toward nail polish remover. Popcorn oil starts to disappear and so does the musty dustiness. Left with PX's slightly bitter sweetness and a wonderful fresh earth smell, there was quite some transformation going on here, much more obvious and drastic than with sub-20yo cask str:s. Mouthfeel becomes ethereal, feels heavy on the tongue but evades and becomes watery when you try to move the tongue in it. Alcohol burn comes and goes. Numbs the roof of the mouth but nothing else. Still stunning. More water. A second teaspoon goes in and I'm standing in a rainy barley field. The smell of cereal and wet earth. How can this thing get richer with more water? But it does. Mouthfeel starts to lose consistency. No longer any kind of burn or numbness but obviously optimal watering point has been crossed. Still delicious and in total easily goes to the top of my list of rare treats. Sadly, sold out now, so I'll never get more than this little tasting bottle. Long aftertaste? Yup. I'm not sure this'll stop tonight. 20 minutes later and the wine cellar tone is still on my breath and in my nose.
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May 30, 2013 22:29
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Picked up a bottle of Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban for a friend's birthday, following the trend of the thread. I was worried it would be too sweet, what with that brandy color, but it somehow managed to be rough and smooth at the same time. And that finish lasts forever. Its a keeper in my book. Now I need one for my shelf. Fills the gap between the Aberlour and the Talisker quite nicely.
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May 31, 2013 01:45
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Deleuzionist posted:Tasting notes for a cross comparison of Glengoyne 17, Dalwhinnie 15 and Lochside 47 grain/malt blend (distilled 1965, Adelphi IB) Your review of that Lochside reminds me a lot of the other reviews I've read regarding super old grain whiskies. Do you know how much grain\malt is in that blend? From what you said, it sounds pretty spectacular.
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May 31, 2013 03:38
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Kenning posted:I've started a rum thread for you and everyone else who was interested. Just waiting on bart or Happy Abobo to change the tag Also glad for this. I like rum, but most of what I've really ever known about it is that it's maybe the only major segment ahead of bourbon for getting flavorful and very drinkable liquor for rather little money, and where bourbon prices are trending that's only going to get more true. Fortunately, while still losing weight I drink a lot less often too, so there's that. Speaking of bourbon that isn't cheap, I finally got around to picking up a bottle of Booker's, which I'd sampled before, and while tasting mostly of fire as is, it really comes out more with a bit of extra water added. Also picked up a bottle of Redemption Rye, which I think I like nicely for the price, especially with how Bulleit has gone up around here.
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May 31, 2013 03:47
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NightConqueror posted:Your review of that Lochside reminds me a lot of the other reviews I've read regarding super old grain whiskies. Do you know how much grain\malt is in that blend? From what you said, it sounds pretty spectacular. Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 10:31 on May 31, 2013 |
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May 31, 2013 07:32
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Maker's Mark just can't stay away from water. http://www.courier-journal.com/arti...?nclick_check=1
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May 31, 2013 18:03
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Periodic table of Scotch -- making the Rounds on Social Media. http://www.dramming.com/2013/05/24/the-periodic-table-of-scotch-whisky/ Posters available -- http://www.dramming.com/2013/05/26/the-periodic-table-of-scotch-whisky-posters-available/
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May 31, 2013 18:16
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After Ardbogging, I have to say that I'm not super impressed either. Good but somewhat monotone next to Corry or Uige.
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Jun 2, 2013 10:45
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Deleuzionist posted:After Ardbogging, I have to say that I'm not super impressed either. Good but somewhat monotone next to Corry or Uige. Yeah, it's a nice note, but it's one note. Glad I'm not alone in this assessment. I wish they had kept airigh nam beist around instead of the Corryvreckan
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Jun 2, 2013 18:51
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I wish Ardbeg would cut it out with the goofy NAS whiskies at absurd prices and focus on the core range. However, we all know they're so popular and their marketing is so good that they'll never stop because they know whatever they put out people will snap up instantly. It's like Apple.
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Jun 2, 2013 19:12
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