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I realize I'm probably going to look like a newbie/moron saying this, but I've never tried two different brands of the same type of liquor at the same time to do a tasting . It's pretty much always been have a full bottle, drink it,buy same type or something new, drink it, repeat. I'm trying to build up a decent collection on a budget, and as a father of four I emphasis *budget*. Right now I've got a bottle of Evan Williams and a bottle of Bulleit, so I thought I'd pour myself a glass of each to compare them at the same time. In the interest of picking up more of the notes I've added a little water to each one, maybe a third of a teaspoon each. Each glass has the same amount, 50mls. Each one has been allowed to breathe for ten minutes. First, the Evan Williams. Nose: Other reviewers have described the nose as having pretty much every note under the goddamn son. Seriously, google Evan Williams Black Label Review and read what everyone's nose detects. Everyone smells something different. This is great news for me because I feel like less of a moron. It's very sweet, and a little "dense" smelling to me if that makes any sense. Cola, caramel, toffee, vanilla, a touch of wood. Very inviting. On the one hand I sort of want to keep smelling it to see if I can make any new notes out. On the other hand, it smells delicious and I just worked 11 hours with no break, and I need a goddamn drink. Palate: A little heavy on the tongue, not an alcohol burn though. Sweet, cola notes and a woody/oak taste. Nice, very smooth and enjoyable. Finish: When I swallow, there is a slight alcohol burn but nothing that makes me feel like I should be drinking this shamefully from a paper bag under a bridge while crying. A little rough compared to other liquors I've had recently (like rum and scotch) but to be honest, I sort of like it. It's sweet, a little rough, taste lasts about 30 seconds, the coating on my tongue about a minute and then I'm ready for another sip. Now to cleanse my palate, and try the Bulleit. Nose: More lively and bright than the EW. I smells something more herbal and grassy, along with a butterscotch,brown sugar and something citrus, but citrus in the sense of a candied piece of orange. Palate: Vanilla and spice, I'm guessing that's due to the higher percentage of rye in the mash than in EW. Feels thinner in the mouth than EW. Finish: Quick finish,a bit more of a lingering taste in my mouth post swallow. I get more of a cinnamon vibe from Bulleit than EW. Feels a little smoother on the edges than EW does. Which do I like better? It's tough to say. I don't want that to sound like a cop out answer, but both bourbons bring something to the table that I like and could see them both having a place in my collection if I had the money. I liked the sweetness of the EW, but it did have a rough feel to it and seemed aggressive in it's flavor profile if that made any sense. It had a lot of heavy notes that screamed for attention, and then vanished when I swallowed and were replaced by a general sweet vibe. The Bulleit just felt lighter to me, more of a summery warm weather bourbon. The notes on the nose and palate were sharp, less sweet, and I liked how I got something new when I swallowed. EW is 18 for a 1.75 where I live, and Bulleit is 22 for a 750. I like both of them,and I have to seriously think of which one I would buy again. Yes, for 18 dollars I get a bourbon I like the taste of and can drink neat or mix without guilt over price, but I can see myself getting bored with it before the bottle is done. With Bulleit I get half the volume for more money, but I like the flavor profile more. It's smoother, and makes you think a little when you drink it. For my next bottle I'd like something that is sweet like EW, but with some of the rough edges smoothed. I'd also like to try an even spicier bourbon, I loved how lively the rye made Bulleit. Any advice on where to go next in either category would be much appreciated.
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Jun 22, 2013 09:37
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Tigren posted:Had OGD BiB? Huxley posted:I should have said it was the 100, not the 80. The 100 (BIB) is the only OG I've tried. A 4 year whiskey, young and fiery, a novelty; here it's price rises above it's quality. For about the same price you can buy EC12, for $5 less you can get EW 1783; both substantially more refined. I don't get the comparison to 101 at all, besides alcohol content they have little in common. Which is not to say you shouldn't buy OGD or like it; but it's a different animal with it's own merits.
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Jun 22, 2013 19:06
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rxcowboy posted:
You might look into Buffalo Trace Bourbon for something sweeter. Look into Old Granddad "Bottled in Bond" (100 proof) for some with some spice and a unique flavor for bourbon. Both are good value bourbons with great flavor.
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Jun 22, 2013 19:28
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wormil posted:The 100 (BIB) is the only OG I've tried. A 4 year whiskey, young and fiery, a novelty; here it's price rises above it's quality. For about the same price you can buy EC12, for $5 less you can get EW 1783; both substantially more refined. I don't get the comparison to 101 at all, besides alcohol content they have little in common. Which is not to say you shouldn't buy OGD or like it; but it's a different animal with it's own merits. My palate is refined all the way down to "big" and "small" as categories for bourbon. They're both big, so I compare them. And it's very possible that my idea of big and small is just based on ABV (or giving myself some credit, rye content), and I have no clue what I'm talking about. Verrrry possible.
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Jun 22, 2013 19:32
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A question - are there any good standards to judge when to bottle whisky? I am asking since I (well - we have formed a fellowship) own a hogshead of Arran from 1995 - and I am beginning to consider getting it bottled - or should I wait? Besides this we own a 1997 Mortlach and a 1999 Bruichladdich, all hogsheads - but those will be left for a while longer.
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Jun 22, 2013 21:28
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Happy Hat posted:A question - are there any good standards to judge when to bottle whisky? There are a ton of variables to consider - including the type of cask (IE: refill or first fill, bourbon or sherry), the way the spirit was distilled, the proof it was placed into the barrel and others. I think the best way to gauge it would be to try a sample and see if its ready. Sometimes spirits are ready at younger ages, sometimes they can go longer. Keep in mind, more age isn't necessarly better. There are plenty of very old whiskies out there which are way over oaked and fairly unpleasant to drink.
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Jun 23, 2013 01:56
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUiSPia9Wk0 I just want to bring to your attention the oracular qualities of Ralfie. In this review from 2010 he says "why would you sell a regular 10 year old when you can give it a fancy finish and double the price?". At Ardbeg they probably heard this and now we have Ardbog, a 10 yo with a finish and a double price.
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Jun 23, 2013 02:15
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Deleuzionist posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUiSPia9Wk0
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Jun 23, 2013 02:34
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I don't know if any Maryland goons read this thread, but if you do and live in Baltimore, I just stumbled upon something cool: A cocktail bar named Rye. It's two blocks from where I work in Fells Point, and if you couldn't tell based on the name it specializes in rye, either neat or in cocktails. I'm going to hit it up next week and try to not blow my entire paycheck.
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Jun 23, 2013 07:36
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kidsafe posted:NAS whiskies with Gaelic names have been a thing much longer than since 2010. Uigeadail was first bottled in 2003 for example. Yes they have and that wasn't what I was after. Shoulda been clearer, he's specifically talking about the availability of the regular 'new' 10yo at the price it's retailed at and the likelihood of it either going up or becoming less available as more of it is diverted into cask-finished 10yo without any older component involved. Since they've been doing NAS releases for some time I kind of expected that maybe Ardbog would be the moment we'd finally see something older (bogs being things that develop over a long period of time) but the continued trend of using young spirit with less and less of older casks involved isn't promising. At least previously they have been successful with their choices of cask finish (unlike Laphroaig IMO) but with the 'bog it was impossible for even an upstart like myself to pretend it was worth its price. Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 12:46 on Jun 23, 2013 |
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Jun 23, 2013 12:38
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Deleuzionist posted:Yes they have and that wasn't what I was after. Shoulda been clearer, he's specifically talking about the availability of the regular 'new' 10yo at the price it's retailed at and the likelihood of it either going up or becoming less available as more of it is diverted into cask-finished 10yo without any older component involved. Since they've been doing NAS releases for some time I kind of expected that maybe Ardbog would be the moment we'd finally see something older (bogs being things that develop over a long period of time) but the continued trend of using young spirit with less and less of older casks involved isn't promising. At least previously they have been successful with their choices of cask finish (unlike Laphroaig IMO) but with the 'bog it was impossible for even an upstart like myself to pretend it was worth its price. As a point of comparison, I like Laphroaig Quarter Cask much more than their 10yr. It's slightly more expensive and slightly younger on average, but so what...I prefer it that much. Do I care at all if Laphroaig shifts its focus away from the 10yr then? Not at all. Another example would be Lagavulin. They are single-minded...the lion's share of their production goes into the 16yr, not the 12yr or anything younger. People love the 16yr that much and Lagavulin probably has no intention of expanding their core range to include young NAS stuff. I'd be very interested in seeing sales breakdowns for each of these distilleries. I imagine Laphroaig sells a far higher percentage of its 10yr than Ardbeg does, and Lagavulin is likely >95% 16yr.
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Jun 23, 2013 13:17
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A tip for anyone who does even occasional business with The Whisky Exchange: based on last night's nosing and tasting of both at a friend's place, I'm positive the Port Askaig 19yo cask strength is 100% the same whisky that is bottled as Elements of Islay Cl3, a travel retail exclusive bottling for one vendor only. The Cl3 is hands down the best of the Caol Ila elements and its sister bottling is a solid buy for friends of the distillery's peated style. poo poo's good and has been a solid hit among my circle of friends.
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Jun 26, 2013 21:02
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Finished off a bottle of the Balvenie Doublewood this afternoon with my dad. He generally doesn't enjoy Scotch, but he really liked the DW today. What are some good single malts that have a fruity taste or are bottled after aging in sherry casks? We have a liquor store nearby, and I would love to get him further into Scotch rather than his normal favorites like Bourbon or gin. Any help is appreciated.
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Jun 27, 2013 05:12
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DerekSmartymans posted:Finished off a bottle of the Balvenie Doublewood this afternoon with my dad. He generally doesn't enjoy Scotch, but he really liked the DW today. What are some good single malts that have a fruity taste or are bottled after aging in sherry casks? We have a liquor store nearby, and I would love to get him further into Scotch rather than his normal favorites like Bourbon or gin. Any help is appreciated.
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Jun 27, 2013 05:49
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kidsafe posted:Balvenie Double Wood is so pleasing because it actually isn't heavy on the Sherry. It's only aged in an sherry butt for months rather than years. Similar, but maybe a little bit more sherried is Aberlour. I might also look into Glenrothes. Ok, never tried either of those but I have seen the Aberlour in the store. Of course the smart thing to do is buy a new bottle of the DW since I already knows he likes it. But I will definitely try the Aberlour this weekend. Thanks also for the tip about the sherry casks. I've read this entire thread over the last couple of weeks, but didn't remember that fact coming up.
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Jun 27, 2013 19:38
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How "peaty" is Lagavulin 16? I hear people raving about how great it is, and now I've come across some bottles of it at costco for like $55 bucks, and am debating on picking one up. The biggest thing though, is I'm not sure how much of a super smokey scotch fan I am. I got a bottle of Finlaggan from TJs awhile back, and maybe it's just because it's cheap as hell scotch, but I *really* don't like it. It tastes like I'm drinking liquid smoke basically. Highland Park 12 had just about the perfect amount of peat for me, but I still generally prefer the lighter and sweeter finish on some of the different sherry cask bottles I've had. So, worth a shot at the $55 price? Or is it still just a smoke bomb that I probably won't enjoy? They also had Oban 14 for $44. I had a bottle of that sometime around Christmas before I really started to get into scotch, and I vaguely recall enjoying it (3 of us finished the whole bottle in one night, everything about that night is a vague memory..) I'm just wondering if I should grab that instead. Or get both.
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Jun 27, 2013 22:17
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Capt. Awesome posted:Or get both. For that price do this. The Lagavulin will be way too much peat for you but that price is amazing and you may have friends that will love it
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Jun 27, 2013 22:36
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Gegil posted:For that price do this. The Lagavulin will be way too much peat for you but that price is amazing and you may have friends that will love it
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Jun 27, 2013 23:30
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Haha funny thing is, I was going to put in my original comment, "this wouldn't be a question if I had scotch drinking friends, as I'd just gift it to them, or share when they visit." But alas.. I don't have any.  I may still buy it(both) anyways. I've only got stupid Finlaggan left, and I've been jonesing hard for a nice dram lately.
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Jun 28, 2013 00:53
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Finlaggan makes a spectacular hot toddy – 2 oz. Finlaggan, 1 tsp. raw sugar (or a sugar cube), 4-6 oz. boiling hot water, and freshly-grated nutmeg. It's totally rad. Sub out lemon peel for the nutmeg and you've got a Skin. It's a nice use for any single malt that you don't necessarily care for.
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Jun 28, 2013 06:03
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Kenning posted:Finlaggan makes a spectacular hot toddy – 2 oz. Finlaggan, 1 tsp. raw sugar (or a sugar cube), 4-6 oz. boiling hot water, and freshly-grated nutmeg. It's totally rad. Sub out lemon peel for the nutmeg and you've got a Skin. It's a nice use for any single malt that you don't necessarily care for. Done and done. I'll keep this in the back of the cupboard until cooler weather rolls in, and then I'll give this a shot. I've tried making a few different variations of a Rob Roy with it, but they were all a no go. I poured myself a drink of it today, just to make sure I wasn't crazy. A few sips and I was done. Bleh. I'm pretty excited to try the Laguvilin, even if it ends up smoking my face off. We'll see!
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Jun 28, 2013 06:26
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The Lag16 really is good. I wasn't much different than you when I bought it the first time and it won me over quickly. If I could buy it that cheap i'd be drinking it all the time.
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Jun 28, 2013 08:24
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I'm nursing my bottle of Lag 16 and was bummed to see it now costs $74 (as well as Laphroaig 10 CS) at the Total Wine near me (Northern California). I need to just go in there, buy 5 different bottles of stuff I like, and not look at the total cost.
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Jun 28, 2013 23:11
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Keyser S0ze posted:I'm nursing my bottle of Lag 16 and was bummed to see it now costs $74 (as well as Laphroaig 10 CS) at the Total Wine near me (Northern California). I need to just go in there, buy 5 different bottles of stuff I like, and not look at the total cost. Better than where I'm at (WA), bottles go for $100 here. I just order poo poo from NY now.
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Jun 28, 2013 23:13
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I thought you guys eased off your state liquor laws and taxes a bit? I am always horrified when I see prices during visits to friends in Oregon but the drat roads are so clean and everyone drives so nicely it was almost worth it - as opposed to our bombed out 4x4 tracks overloaded with gun toting gang members/tweakers and overmedicated soccer moms we call freeways here in California.
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Jun 28, 2013 23:42
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Keyser S0ze posted:I thought you guys eased off your state liquor laws and taxes a bit? I am always horrified when I see prices during visits to friends in Oregon but the drat roads are so clean and everyone drives so nicely it was almost worth it - as opposed to our bombed out 4x4 tracks overloaded with gun toting gang members/tweakers and overmedicated soccer moms we call freeways here in California. The law privatized the sale of spirits so there are more places to buy instead of just state stores. But it also added additional taxes to make up for the loss of revenue to the state. My local stores carry Lagavulin 16 at about $100 retail but taxes push it up to about $133. rufius posted:Better than where I'm at (WA), bottles go for $100 here. I just order poo poo from NY now. I didn't know we could order from out of state. Most of the sites I checked didn't mention shipping to WA. Where are you ordering from?
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Jun 29, 2013 00:53
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Cpt.Wacky posted:
I think this is where I got it last time. I can't seem to find the email from the order: http://www.brooklyncellars.com/
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Jun 29, 2013 07:31
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Keyser S0ze posted:I'm nursing my bottle of Lag 16 and was bummed to see it now costs $74 (as well as Laphroaig 10 CS) at the Total Wine near me (Northern California). I need to just go in there, buy 5 different bottles of stuff I like, and not look at the total cost. It's available in many Northern CA Costcos for $55 right now
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Jun 29, 2013 08:58
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Glottis posted:It's available in many Northern CA Costcos for $55 right now Guess I need to ask one of my Groomsmen to bring up a bottle when he goes down there in a couple weeks. drat son.
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Jun 29, 2013 19:54
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Got a couple of bottles of this recently. http://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/karuizawa/karuizawa-spirit-of-asama-whisky/ Almost liqueur like, sweet but not too sweet.
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Jul 3, 2013 10:09
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Japanese whisky is really cool stuff, and I'm happy to see it beginning to grow (albeit slowly) in the US. However, the price of even 12 year old spirit is sky high. Around me Nikka 12 Pure Malt runs for about $70 and Hibiki 12 is roughly the same. For that price I'm still tempted to lean toward comparably priced Scotches.
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Jul 3, 2013 13:14
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NightConqueror posted:Japanese whisky is really cool stuff, and I'm happy to see it beginning to grow (albeit slowly) in the US. However, the price of even 12 year old spirit is sky high. Around me Nikka 12 Pure Malt runs for about $70 and Hibiki 12 is roughly the same. For that price I'm still tempted to lean toward comparably priced Scotches. At first, I was tempted to classify Japanese whiskies in the same boat as Scotch Whisky. Having had more time to drink more of both, I now find that I think of Japanese Whisky as a very distinct beast (versus Scotch Whisky). Mainly, the fact that the Japanese have focused on a sort of floral/fruitiness with malt flavors and I don't find as many Scotches focusing on that. The Japanese Whiskies are generally immediately obvious to me. The primary distinguishing characteristic is the "clean-ness" of the spirit. The Japanese are nothing if they aren't perfectionists. In that regard, they've made a spirit that for me is most distinctly characterized by being clean. The flavors are clear, no muddying, etc. If I were to equate it to one of the four classic elements, I'd compare it to water (think cold mountain spring water). Scotch Whisky on the other hand is complex and rich, but I find I tend to think of it less as a clean spirit and more of a fiery, rich spirit. If I were to equate it to one of the four classic elements, I'd compare it to fire (think camp fire). I've rambled a bit, but you get the point. I think it is a mistake to classify the two together. They each bring something to the table, never mind the very distinct variants withing Scotch itself (e.g. Islay, Skye, Highland, Speyside, etc.).
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Jul 3, 2013 18:09
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Welp, I bought that bottle of Lag 16.. it's good for sure, WAY better then the Finlaggan, still pretty peaty, but I feel like it's workable, and is probably a way better expression of the style I can get behind. In other news, a lady at work bought me a bottle of Highland Park 18 yesterday for being a bad rear end. Awesome! I only had one of those tiny airline bottles of this before, so this was a nice treat. I'm not sure I'll be able to go back to HP12 anymore!
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Jul 3, 2013 18:54
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Capt. Awesome posted:Welp, I bought that bottle of Lag 16.. it's good for sure, WAY better then the Finlaggan, still pretty peaty, but I feel like it's workable, and is probably a way better expression of the style I can get behind. Jesus, where the hell do you work where they give out HP 18s as gifts? Are you hiring?
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Jul 3, 2013 19:10
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Finally decided on a birthday bottle after an uneven fight between Glenfarclas 40yo and this one: Decided on the Lochside based on it being a curiosity, a blend of malt and grain aged together, and it being richer in taste and aftertaste than the Glenfarclas.
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Jul 4, 2013 21:26
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I'm up in Cleveland catching the 1st 2 games against the tigers. Well i was at a random bar before the game yesterday and saw the Cleveland bourbon whiskey and talked about it with the bartender and got a free sample and can agree with agree consensus just no flavor to it, i would say it is just a watered down cheap taste. I was bummed.
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Jul 6, 2013 18:27
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My local Costco has a bunch of Johnny Walker Green Label for like $45 right now. Would it be wise to pick up a couple bottles? I know it's going to disappear soon. Is it objectively a very nice whisky (especially at that price) or is it more just that it's better than the rest of the Johnny Walker line? I do like Islay malts.
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Jul 11, 2013 22:33
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Kenning posted:My local Costco has a bunch of Johnny Walker Green Label for like $45 right now. Would it be wise to pick up a couple bottles? I know it's going to disappear soon. Is it objectively a very nice whisky (especially at that price) or is it more just that it's better than the rest of the Johnny Walker line? I do like Islay malts. I would be buying at that price, Black is more than that here.
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Jul 11, 2013 22:57
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Speaking of Costco, my local one in SoCal has a Kirkland branded 20 year Speyside that's finished in Sherry for 45 dollars. Just for the sake of science, I picked this up last week and found it rather enjoyable, despite my usual preference for Islays. It's smooth with a little bit of sweetness and not much alcoholic burn at all. Interesting but I'm curious of anyone else has any other experiences with this whisky. Or for that matter knows where or originally came from.
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Jul 11, 2013 23:20
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Zatheria posted:Speaking of Costco, my local one in SoCal has a Kirkland branded 20 year Speyside that's finished in Sherry for 45 dollars. Just for the sake of science, I picked this up last week and found it rather enjoyable, despite my usual preference for Islays. It's smooth with a little bit of sweetness and not much alcoholic burn at all. That was one of the first bottles of scotch I ever had, and I really enjoyed it. Rumor has it that it's Macallan, but who knows. Mine also has some 18 yo speyside finished in Sherry right now as well, for I think 5 bucks cheaper. If I wasn't already weighed down with a crapton of other booze, I'd be performing my own science experiments!
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Jul 12, 2013 01:51
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