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CrandleBerries posted:Bought this on a whim for $20 at Safeway tonight and was pleasantly surprised. Nice and mellow fruity Single Malt with complexity. Anyone else give this a try? Speyburn is really good for a limited budget. Like kidsafe said, probably the best single malt you'll find at that price (maybe even the best you'll find anywhere under about $40). I've had it a few times when I didn't want to spend the money on Ardbeg or Jameson. It's a bit... eh, I don't know what word pro tasters would use, but I'm gonna go with "loud". Sharp on the tongue for sure, but not to the point that it bothered me. Then again, I'm not really all that picky and don't always have to have something really boring and smooth. Fenrir fucked around with this message at 15:10 on May 10, 2014 |
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May 10, 2014 15:05
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Allantois posted:Laphroaig tasting at wine store: Some stuff I bought or drank of late: Bunnahabhain 18 46,3% You can really smell the sherry tones here, sweet and hitting every note one could think of in that spectrum. Oiliness in the taste and some in the mouthfeel as well, but rather as a surprise aftercling on the tongue and snking into my lips than a oily consistency on the tongue. Nuttiness definitely, slight saltiness in the background. Quite rich, super-likeable and almost perfect apart from the taste of booze pushing through some after swallowing. It receeds quickly but the whisky is otherwise so serene and flawless I'm compelled to add a bit of water just to see if I could chase that away. Yep, looks like a bit of water can cut that edge just enough to keep everything in line. This and the Flora & Fauna Dailuaine 16 have bits & pieces in common as the oiliness here gives way to some resinous stickiness in the sherry tones after a bit of water. I'm rarely so taken with a bottle right after opening it. Bunnahabhain Elements of Islay Bn5 54,9% Smoky, and ever so slightly peaty although I was only able to make up my mind about this when I compared the bottle to the 18. As I nose it I swear every now and then up wafts a tiny wisp of good weed - a smoky, skunky, sulphury aroma. This isn't very old, 12yo max, probably younger as it is pretty pale in colour (pale maize) and a little unsettled on the nose in total. Burned thyme? Something pungently herbal but not in that Laphroaig way, rather as if someone put dried herbs on the fire. All these smells are pretty shy, this is not by any means a rich and complex thing but rather like a young Caol Ila or Lagavulin with clean ex-bourbon style but not as in your face as the aforementioned two. Tennis balls. Seriously. Either this is a funny twist on the sweaty note or I've drank too much already. Oh hey, a pretty amazing mouthfeel on this baby. I put in ½ a teaspoon of water and don't think any more is needed. It burns nicely on the tongue and leaves behind really nice oily, sooty taste that's heavy on charcoal. Apart from this oily film in the aftertaste you could maybe sneak this off as a young Caol Ila to me. Quite bold stuff this, and leaves a woodsmoke/flint smell behind in the empty glass. Both this and the 18 are definitely more oily/lipbalmy (the effect of it sinking into the lips is pretty unique) than anything else on Islay. Thankfully this greasy note and feel is a very clean one, not filthy. Question: Does anyone have any experience with the malt called Kilkerran (Glengyle)? A friend gave me a taste of one of their work in progresses and to be honest I thought it wasn't that superb, kind of like a younger version of the dry and a bit stingy (yes, miserly with its flavours) Springbank 18. I'd like to know if anyone had a better experience with one of theirs. Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 17:50 on May 11, 2014 |
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May 11, 2014 16:05
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Deleuzionist, the Quarter cask contains whiskey as young as 5 yr old which is why there is no age statement (It would have to say 5 if there was). It was actually pretty good. The tasting came right after the 10 cask strength and what I got seemed a bit more rough around the edges with the side of the tongue getting more harsh exposure . It is entirely possible if I had a bottle of this and the flavors had a chance to settle that I would really enjoy this one. I'd imagine it's one that gets better as you work your way through the bottle. Both the QC and T.W. spend time in Quarter Casks, then the T.W. gets the third wood from Oloroso Sherry. I personally didn't think that the Sherry did anything for this peaty whisky. You could definitely taste it but it seemed to just make the flavor more complex for the sake of being more complex. The end result I felt was not as good as the standard QC. I am glad Laphroaig normally sticks to Bourbon barrels. The other one (Cairdeas) has a port finish which I thought was a much better way to finish this type of whiskey than with Sherry.
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May 11, 2014 17:06
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Deleuzionist posted:
How do you think these two compare to Bunnahabhain 12? It's one of my favorite go-to in my cabinet right now and I was thinking of trying some other Bunnahabhain offerings seeing how they currently have a pretty good price point. The flattering review of the 18 has already pretty much convinced me to get it once I am finished with the 12. Allantois fucked around with this message at 17:12 on May 11, 2014 |
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May 11, 2014 17:09
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Allantois posted:How do you think these two compare to Bunnahabhain 12? A friend has an open Bunna 12 so I've had some of that again lately. Thinking about these bottlings I'd say the Bn5 comes across as a bit more smoky than the 12yo. It didn't have that much nuts or nut oil tones in it as the 12 and covered that up with some Caol Ila-like charcoal notes (could be it's one or a few casks that are just bourbon because the Bn5 had no sherryish notes). It wasn't as peaty as Toiteach either because there just wasn't that 'roomful of rubber boots' that's my impression of Toiteach. This Bn5 was better than Bn4 or Bn2 which are ok, more widely available and also veer in this smokier-than-12-but-unpeated-or-very-light territory., but somehow not as immediately appealing as the 5. 18 has one big selling point: MORE SHERRY. And drat if that doesn't fit Bunnahabhain. I bought my current 18 after really liking it in a Bunna tasting which I wrote about earlier this year, and the bottle doesn't disappoint. If you think the 12 could use a bit more richness and that richness could come from sherry flavours then you are in for a treat especially with just a bit of water. Of course to each his own but for example as much as I like Caol Ila stuff I think a fair price point for their normal 18yo would be at €60, yet I have no regrets paying the circa €80 I did for the Bunna18. I got a new Lagavulin 16 (a familiar drink) on the same go as the Bunna 18 and I'm happier about the Bunna purchase. edit: I appreciate all your comments on the Laphros. I've felt the TW and the QC seem a bit shy in the company of the basic Laphro range so it was interesting to hear from someone whose ranking was similar in that regard. I think I had one Highland Park sample too many just now. Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 18:44 on May 11, 2014 |
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May 11, 2014 18:12
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I've always put Quarter Cask ahead of the 10yr, but Triple Wood near the bottom. Quarter Cask is a bright whisky, no doubt...I treat that as a plus when dealing with earthy, damp Islays. It's more woody, less medicinal...again it plays to my preferences. Triple Wood though just feels like they took QC that was off and tried to mask the fact.
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May 12, 2014 03:57
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I bought a bottle of Auchentoshan Heartwood on a whim in an airport duty free shop. Anybody know if I made a terrible mistake or hit a lucky jackpot?
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May 13, 2014 17:59
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Elliptical Dick posted:I bought a bottle of Auchentoshan Heartwood on a whim in an airport duty free shop. Anybody know if I made a terrible mistake or hit a lucky jackpot? It's okay, but a jackpot it is not.
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May 13, 2014 18:04
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Auchentoshan Heartwood is nice, I didn't appreciate my first glass but every time I open it up now the strong espresso smell is refreshing.
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May 13, 2014 18:21
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I've just started getting into bourbon a few months ago, and due to my budget have been playing around the bottom and middle shelves. Last night I tried Old Forester Signature. Its nose promised heavy oak and vanilla, and the taste definitely delivered on that promise with a little tea thrown in. At 100 proof it's dangerously drinkable. It runs about $23 a 750 in my area, for that price I think it's worth a try. At this point it's my preferred Brown-Forman whiskey.
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May 13, 2014 18:36
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Deleuzionist posted:Question: Does anyone have any experience with the malt called Kilkerran (Glengyle)? A friend gave me a taste of one of their work in progresses and to be honest I thought it wasn't that superb, kind of like a younger version of the dry and a bit stingy (yes, miserly with its flavours) Springbank 18. I'd like to know if anyone had a better experience with one of theirs. I'm a fan of the Kilkerrans. Having tasted all the WIP expressions, I would really hope they bring out a regular 8yo in addition to the older ones, I think they aim for 12yo as the first commercial release. It's been fascinating to taste the development year by year, but they are also very good whiskies. Well maybe WIP1 was a bit too rough, but still tasty and interesting.
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May 13, 2014 23:29
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Meowenstein posted:I've just started getting into bourbon a few months ago, and due to my budget have been playing around the bottom and middle shelves. Some may disagree with me but I've rarely found a bourbon that costs more than $30 that really lives up to the price. Notable exceptions are Stagg Jr and Blanton's for me, others likely have other feelings. As Chuck Cowdery says, it's easy to drink good bourbon on the cheap and hard to drink good scotch on the cheap.
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May 14, 2014 00:43
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rufius posted:As Chuck Cowdery says, it's easy to drink good bourbon on the cheap and hard to drink good scotch on the cheap. This is a very good quote because of how true it is. And I got a new whiskey blog to read! 
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May 14, 2014 06:01
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Deleuzionist posted:A friend has an open Bunna 12 so I've had some of that again lately. Thinking about these bottlings I'd say the Bn5 comes across as a bit more smoky than the 12yo. It didn't have that much nuts or nut oil tones in it as the 12 and covered that up with some Caol Ila-like charcoal notes (could be it's one or a few casks that are just bourbon because the Bn5 had no sherryish notes). It wasn't as peaty as Toiteach either because there just wasn't that 'roomful of rubber boots' that's my impression of Toiteach. This Bn5 was better than Bn4 or Bn2 which are ok, more widely available and also veer in this smokier-than-12-but-unpeated-or-very-light territory., but somehow not as immediately appealing as the 5. 18 has one big selling point: MORE SHERRY. And drat if that doesn't fit Bunnahabhain. I bought my current 18 after really liking it in a Bunna tasting which I wrote about earlier this year, and the bottle doesn't disappoint. If you think the 12 could use a bit more richness and that richness could come from sherry flavours then you are in for a treat especially with just a bit of water. Of course to each his own but for example as much as I like Caol Ila stuff I think a fair price point for their normal 18yo would be at €60, yet I have no regrets paying the circa €80 I did for the Bunna18. I got a new Lagavulin 16 (a familiar drink) on the same go as the Bunna 18 and I'm happier about the Bunna purchase. If you get to try the old Bunna 18 (it's at 43%) you'll like the Sherry in that. Very Christmas Cake flavour.
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May 15, 2014 21:36
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Tried a bottle of Breckenridge for the first time tonight and really enjoyed it compared to the Jefferson I picked up a couple months ago. For comparable alcohol profiles the taste of the Breckenridge was just on-point, light and airy with just enough spice and sweetness to make it well rounded and drinkable. I enjoyed it very much. I also realized that the old-school request of "two fingers" was actually like 3 shots as I poured in one true 1 oz portion and found that my rocks glass was...larger than anticipated.
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May 16, 2014 05:19
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I grabbed a bottle of the Ardmore Traditional this week after wanted something a bit different to my usual Talisker and Lagavulin. Has a nice hit of peat at the end but starts off pretty sweet and there isn't really a iodine taste through it at all. Tastes pretty young though and a bit harsh.
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May 16, 2014 05:41
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Trip report! Clyde Mays has a ridiculous amount of apple flavor to it. It was super sweet, and it was the biggest green apple bomb I've ever had (not that I've tried a ton of whiskey). I actually kind of liked it, although I don't think I could have more than a single long pour of it. Angel's Envy may be my favorite whiskey I've ever tried. My bar just got in a bottle, and I've had it as my shift meeting whiskey two nights in a row at work. It's incredibly smooth, and the port barrel finish gives it a nice sweetness. I think I like it just for how easy drinking it is. The bottle is also one of the coolest I've ever seen. Does anyone have any recommendations for other whiskeys to look out for if I really enjoyed Angel's Envy?
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May 16, 2014 19:34
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Kudosx posted:Does anyone have any recommendations for other whiskeys to look out for if I really enjoyed Angel's Envy? Bulleit is also on the sweeter side of bourbon without being cloying. It's cheap, too. imo avoid the rye.
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May 16, 2014 19:48
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Let's drink... something. That thing's brought from Japan, 29% ABV, given to me by a friend, cheap as hell, and supposedly some kind of whisky. All these points except for cheapness are up for debate, even the friend part. I tried googling this thing but since I don't know Japanese I didn't get very far. All I can hope is this won't become a blind tasting all of a sudden. Just to get some contrast I'm putting it next to a known poor whisky (Elements of Islay Br3) and a known good Japanese whisky (Hakushu 12). First of all the colour, a somehow perverse hue of deep copper. Disturbingly rust-orange and lifeless. You can see the low ABV in the way the liquid retreats down the glass very rapidly after swishing compared to the two others. Then the nose. The nose. Repeat that like Marlon Brando as Kurtz to get my initial reaction. A bag of freshly opened vacuum sealed airline peanuts, the kind cooked in palm oil until everything tastes of that slightly stale oily nuttiness. Nail polish. I didn't expect this to be good or decent even, but after first nosing I'm hesitant to taste it. It's hard to put into words how off-putting the way that stuff hits the nostrils is, like there's something a bit rotten about it. Maybe if I probed it enough I could figure out what it is but I don't care for that feeling too much. I'm going to be a coward and start the tasting part with the Br3 and the Hakushu before I dive into this one. The Br3 is a poor fare as expected, and while the Hakushu 12 does give me some nice wood notes I'm not entirely taken with it either this time. It was a sample from the last of an old bottle so it wasn't exactly in top form at the time of collection. I do regard Hakushu the first decent whisky of the night though. Nosing the... something again I find the source of that rotten impression, rotting oranges. I always wondered how people found specific smells of rot in certain liquors but this is unshakable, that slightly steely tang, sweetness of overripe citrus that could actually be bit sweeter than oranges (but well past the use by date whatever it is) and makes me a bit sick now that I reconsider the colour of the stuff. Time to dive. Errrgh. Impressions of nail polish or something else definitely not meant for human consumption - some industrial chemical - rather than a drink. The mouthfeel is all wrong, like trying to drink a mix of perfume and vegetable oil. The taste is mercifully short but the aftertaste is a long and painful cheap perfume tang, a single consistent and strongly repulsive note. I'm so afraid I've been had with a cup of nail polish that I'm not going to try again although there's more than an ample amount left. To be truthful it's not just fear of becoming blind or developing sudden tumors that stops me from going on. At its core it's simply the thought that if I drank any more that aftertaste might stick around for long enough for me to find some detail in it, an idea I'm thoroughly against. I've been trolled in much less imaginative ways. Deleuzionist fucked around with this message at 11:01 on May 20, 2014 |
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May 16, 2014 22:02
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Lookies like http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%99%B6%E9%99%B6%E9%85%92 , a medicinal spice wine? (look at the kanji at the top, comparing to the URL in the address bar, matches afaict, and then google translate the *poo poo* out of it)
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May 16, 2014 22:22
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I know the feeling. I've had a whiskey liquor before and it was a similar experience. It's just that bad that you simply cannot have any more. But drat do I really want to know what that is now.
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May 16, 2014 22:23
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Hubbins posted:I know the feeling. I've had a whiskey liquor before and it was a similar experience. It's just that bad that you simply cannot have any more. See my post.  Now, can anyone tell what the gently caress it is *after* finding that wiki page in japanese? Translate says the ingredient list is: Viper Cinnamon Carrot Meat 蓯蓉 Kuko-ko Hu 荽子 Anger grass Licorice And yes, 29% alcohol is one of the varieties?
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May 16, 2014 22:27
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Deleuzionist posted:Let's drink... something. Looks like an alcoholic cousin to one of Japan's many bizarre vitamin drinks. Amazon reviews suggest plum wine flavors and the Rakuten ingredient list has the following: quote:real main component cassis that blend, longan, hawthorn, cinnamon, wolfberry, hibiscus, coriander, bitter orange, licorice, Houttuynia, perilla, viper extract, Cornus, and ginseng GIS on the name yields results in vending machines and the bulk pricing on Rakuten is ~$1.75 per 50ml cup, so yeah, probably bottom-tier herbal hooch. e:f,b zgrowler2 fucked around with this message at 22:42 on May 16, 2014 |
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May 16, 2014 22:38
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"anger grass" is apparently horny goat weed. So yeah, "medicinal".
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May 17, 2014 00:27
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ChickenArise posted:Bulleit is also on the sweeter side of bourbon without being cloying. It's cheap, too. imo avoid the rye. I like Bulleit Rye. I think its just LDI juice, but the price is usually right if you can't find Rittenhouse BIB.
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May 17, 2014 01:40
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Viper extract? I sure didn't expect that.silvergoose posted:Lookies like http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%99%B6%E9%99%B6%E9%85%92 , a medicinal spice wine? ...and there are entire bottles of this stuff? 
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May 17, 2014 08:21
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The horny goat weed apparently works the same way as an active ingredient in Viagra! Just fyi!
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May 17, 2014 14:00
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Deleuzionist posted:Let's drink... something. Deleuzionist, I had the wife read the label. What you were drinking was an attempt to make an all-natural, herbal, liquor. The Japanese have a multitude of herbal drinks they will down really quick (about the same size as a 5-hour energy) that help reduce the affects of a hangover the next day. None of them include booze though, so perhaps this is an attempt to get drunk without the hangover, all in one terrible drink? I can read Coriander and a few other things on the label you provided. Thanks to your post I know to stay the hell away from this stuff. Better luck with your next trip report
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May 18, 2014 12:38
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So my girlfriend's dad is a big fan of Southern Comfort and I was looking to get him something on our trip up there. Any recommendations for something similar that he would enjoy?
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May 18, 2014 19:20
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Filthee Fingas posted:So my girlfriend's dad is a big fan of Southern Comfort and I was looking to get him something on our trip up there. Any recommendations for something similar that he would enjoy? Up where?
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May 18, 2014 19:35
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lexan posted:Up where? Sorry. We're in London, UK. Heading up to Newcastle.
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May 18, 2014 19:53
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Southern Comfort isn't a whisky but a liqueur. Do you know of any actual whisky that he likes? e: why aye
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May 18, 2014 19:59
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spankmeister posted:Southern Comfort isn't a whisky but a liqueur. Do you know of any actual whisky that he likes? Nah I haven't spent that much time with him but I know he's pretty picky. I may just take the safe bet and get the 100 proof of Southern Comfort (figure It's not readily available here and I don't think he would have tried it). e: Howay the lads!
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May 18, 2014 20:06
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Hell even if it is readily available there it's a bottle of something he likes for free. I could get ahold of Bulleit easily, for example, but I'd never be upset if someone got me a bottle.
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May 18, 2014 20:23
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An old colleague of mine liked to drink Southern Comfort and I once got him a gift of Famous Grouse whisky liqueur. He really liked it. I don't drink liqueur so I don't know if they still make it but you could try that. There's also Drambuie E: If you want to get really fancy, Compass Box Orangerie spankmeister fucked around with this message at 21:57 on May 18, 2014 |
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May 18, 2014 21:54
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Shugojin posted:Hell even if it is readily available there it's a bottle of something he likes for free. I could get ahold of Bulleit easily, for example, but I'd never be upset if someone got me a bottle. I totally agree. He actually helped us out so I figured I could make it something special. spankmeister posted:An old colleague of mine liked to drink Southern Comfort and I once got him a gift of Famous Grouse whisky liqueur. He really liked it. Cool I'll check those out. For myself, I received a bottle of Monkey Shoulder that I enjoyed (as a sipping drink after work). Is there anything similar I should look into? (so smooth, creamy, not too sweet).
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May 18, 2014 22:24
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My status as a consultant ended yesterday when I signed a contract to continue as salaried where I work, plus they agreed to my salary request, so felt it was time to celebrate. I've had my eyes on this baby for a while, having tasted it before at least on 3 occasions.
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May 23, 2014 17:58
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I picked up some Speyburn 10 based on an earlier post in the thread. Most single malts that I've liked start at about $45 in VA, and for $27 I'd buy Speyburn again. It's got a massive/harsh booze component (that seems to improve as the bottle empties), but otherwise there's a nice bit of complexity underneath with a fair amount of peat and spice.
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May 23, 2014 18:08
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 That must be incredible. Please post tasting notes. I bought a bottle of Kilchoman cask strength single bourbon barrel #172 at K&L and a friend bought a bottle of single barrel #74. Compared side by side it's hard to believe that they both started out as the same distillate. Cask 172 is an explosion of peat, butterscotch and pepper while #74 is much sweeter with baking spices, vanilla and smoke. The guys at K&L seem to be really excited about these two releases, and after tasting them both I can't blame them. The intensity of both of these bottles rivals any of the other Islays in my collection by a long shot, and are surprisingly smooth especially when you consider that they are only 5 years old and ~120 proof. Here is a link to the K&L blog that talks about Kilchoman that I found interesting: http://blog.klwines.com/httpblogklwinescomuncork/kilchoman-the-true-craft-distilery.html Based on the strength of these releases I definitely plan to pick up some more Kilchoman in the future.
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May 24, 2014 03:59
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Deleuzionist posted:My status as a consultant ended yesterday when I signed a contract to continue as salaried where I work, plus they agreed to my salary request, so felt it was time to celebrate. I've had my eyes on this baby for a while, having tasted it before at least on 3 occasions.  I won't be able to afford that any time soon, so please tell us about it when you crack that fucker open.
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May 24, 2014 18:33
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