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HatfulOfHollow posted:What's the best rye I can get at most bars? I usually default to Old Overholt because a) most bars have it and b) it's cheap. But am I missing out on some other generally available rye? I'm not too knowledgeable about american whiskey in general but I understand this is a pretty broad and probably dumb question. I'm not qualified to talk about best, but Rittenhouse is solid and widely available.
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Sep 29, 2017 19:34
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The bars I go to usually have Buffalo Trace, which is my go-to when I'm not looking to spend too much.
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Sep 29, 2017 19:47
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Rittenhouse is probably the most available. Regular Sazerac is good if they have it, and the High West rendezvous & double rye are pretty good as well. I know Bulleit Rye is everywhere, and it's decent but I wouldn't take it over any of the aforementioned.
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Sep 29, 2017 21:44
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I like Whistlepig
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Sep 30, 2017 04:15
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I purchased a bottle of the Redbreast 12 cask strength (batch B1/16 if that matters) using the flimsy justification that the price per unit alcohol was approximately equivalent to the standard bottle. The smell opening the bottle is very nice, it's a more concentrated and richer version of the vaguely sweet Redbreast scent. Drinking it neat without dilution is similar, the delicate and slightly spicy caramel flavors are a bit bolder while still being very smooth at 58% ABV. I tried diluting down to the normal 40% and found something very similar to the what I remember of the normal Redbreast 12. Overall the Redbreast 12 cask strength is very nice and in a side-by-side taste test I'd definitely favor it over the normal bottling. However sipping at 58% was numbing my mouth after some time despite the drink itself being very smooth. I can see myself typically diluting it, in which case it's not that different from the normal 12yo aside from the richer smell when opening the bottle. The cost of the bottle was the absolute maximum I want to spend on any liquor at present. Redbreast is probably worth the price but only just.
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Oct 1, 2017 22:37
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I am a big RedBreast fan. I would sincerely like to know if I am crazy or if the Lustau version is actually pretty good. If any of you end up picking it up please let me know your thoughts!
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Oct 1, 2017 22:46
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I'm starting to enjoy scotch and whiskey but my beer/booze budget can best be represented by a sad trombone noise. I just got a Costco membership and I'm wondering if their Scotch is any good? It was right next to Dewar's white label and was wondering if it was the same thing. My whiskey journey over the past year has been: bottle of 40 Creek on clearance; bog standard Bushmills around St. Patty's day; leftover Dewar's White Label a buddy of mine gave me because somebody left it at his house after party and he didn't want it. Which I'm sure all sounds pretty pathetic but, like I said, I'm constrained by lack of booze money.
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Oct 2, 2017 02:04
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Quiet Feet posted:Which I'm sure all sounds pretty pathetic but, like I said, I'm constrained by lack of booze money. Nothing wrong with being a poor boozeman. Just listen in and take the advice of the alkies in this thread (including me). Most of us started when we were students or entry-level workers wanting to try some adult-style entertainment. I got into good booze and cigars in college, and while my mates were drowning in Natty Light, I was sipping Glenlivet with doctors and circuit judges (which was not only badass because I couldn't afford good Scotch, but the police chief would bring confiscated Cuban cigars, too). I'm not trying to brag, just trying to get you the big picture of starting in looking for decent drams for not a lot of money. Discuss everything with the guys on SA because there is a LOT of good info on this dead gay forum more and more peopled by olds who have been posting about alcohol on a budget for almost twenty years. My personal favorites for not a lot of money range through several price points depending on how my wallet is feeling are Four Roses for bourbon 🥃 (one ice cube) and Dewar's white label for Scotch. Neither is more than $20 unless you buy it by the gallon ☠️, and neither is too poor quality to mix in a cocktail. I don't like DWL straight, though. I mix it with Drambuie for a surprisingly good Rusty Nail. Drambuie is more expensive than the whisky, but I like single-malts straight and the sweet liqueur can be a twice-a-year buy as a reward for saving your pennies. TL; DR: goons love to help with recommendations for booze and smokes.
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Oct 2, 2017 02:44
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I wouldn't think that Costco whisky is the same as Dewar's just by virtue of it being next to it on the shelf. You should absolutely try it sometime to see if you like it though. My top cheap blends (in no particular order): - Jonnie walker Black Label (nice bit of smoke and spice. Skip the red label it's horrible) - Teachers Highland Cream ( nice and smooth ) - Islay Mist ( smokey, briny and medicinal ) - Black Bush ( Irish ) - Monkey Shoulder ( very affordable all malt ) Now, prices are very regional so some of these might be a lot more expensive than where I am and I don't know enough about liquor prices in the us to take that into account. Good luck on your journey
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Oct 2, 2017 06:36
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Private label scotches like Kirkland and Trader Joes are bottled by Alexander Murray. The distillate can be pretty much anything, but it's mostly stuff from large, well-known distilleries. Like all other scotches, the quality is probably lower than 5-7 years ago as demand has gone up and so has volume.
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Oct 2, 2017 07:20
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Lowness 72 posted:I am a big RedBreast fan. I would sincerely like to know if I am crazy or if the Lustau version is actually pretty good. If any of you end up picking it up please let me know your thoughts! As someone who thinks regular RedBreast (12yr) is good (I recognize it as a good drink but not my personal style preference) I really liked the bottle of Lustau I picked up on a whim. I really like sherry and port finished whiskey, though. If you're into that I'd suggest Balvenie doublewood which is cheaper, in my area, and tastier, to my taste.
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Oct 2, 2017 07:21
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There's a newspaper article from 1905 talking about how Thomas Dewar invented the highball. Some bartenders swear by White Label for that drink, otherwise you don't hear much about it. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030193/1905-01-06/ed-1/seq-8/ Since you've already got the bottle, get some soda water and give it a try.
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Oct 2, 2017 08:03
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Quiet Feet posted:I'm starting to enjoy scotch and whiskey but my beer/booze budget can best be represented by a sad trombone noise. I just got a Costco membership and I'm wondering if their Scotch is any good? It was right next to Dewar's white label and was wondering if it was the same thing. Have you tried bourbon or rye? You can try some pretty solid bottles of American whiskey without breaking your budget. Eagle Rare, Four Roses Small Batch, Henry McKenna, Wild Turkey 101, Rittenhouse Rye, etc. Should all be available under $30. You can also go real cheap with Evan Williams and still do OK. IMO, you can't get the same quality in the US with similarly priced Scotch (or Irish whiskey for that matter), but it will all boil down to finding what you like. Vox Nihili fucked around with this message at 16:51 on Oct 3, 2017 |
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Oct 3, 2017 16:47
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Quiet Feet posted:I'm starting to enjoy scotch and whiskey but my beer/booze budget can best be represented by a sad trombone noise. I just got a Costco membership and I'm wondering if their Scotch is any good? It was right next to Dewar's white label and was wondering if it was the same thing. Give Buffalo Trace a whirl if you're looking for a good whisky on the cheap.
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Oct 3, 2017 16:54
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spankmeister posted:- Islay Mist ( smokey, briny and medicinal ) Seconding, it's a pretty good gimmick for a blend.
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Oct 3, 2017 16:56
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On the cheap side, I've been enjoying Grand Old Parr 12. It's pretty solid for $25.
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Oct 3, 2017 20:39
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I tried Wild Turkey 101 after reading about it in this thread and I like it more than any other bourbon I have tried, even more expensive ones. Old Pulteney 12 yr is a lower priced single malt scotch that I enjoy. ~$35 / bottle.
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Oct 3, 2017 21:39
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Wild Turkey is my favorite distillery although I do drink a lot of OGD100 which has a similar flavor to 101 but a little sweeter.
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Oct 3, 2017 23:18
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threeagainstfour posted:Give Buffalo Trace a whirl if you're looking for a good whisky on the cheap. Agreed. Someone told me about it and it's great for under $30. I like it over ice with some ginger ale.
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Oct 4, 2017 01:28
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Vox Nihili posted:Have you tried bourbon or rye? You can try some pretty solid bottles of American whiskey without breaking your budget. Eagle Rare, Four Roses Small Batch, Henry McKenna, Wild Turkey 101, Rittenhouse Rye, etc. Should all be available under $30. This is the exact same reason why I started drinking Canadian whisky. I can find some pretty decent local stuff at the LCBO for way less than a comparable bottle of single malt scotch.
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Oct 4, 2017 16:54
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wormil posted:Wild Turkey is my favorite distillery although I do drink a lot of OGD100 which has a similar flavor to 101 but a little sweeter. My next whiskey purchase will be one or the other of these. My experience with whiskey so far is pretty limited but basically breaks down like this: Liked: Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare 10, Bushmills Black Bush Ehhhhh: Four Roses Small Batch, Jim Beam Black Label Oh gently caress off: Crown Royal Don't know if there's any logical pattern there or not. 
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Oct 5, 2017 20:45
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My favorite regular cheap bourbon is definitely the white label Evan Williams. You can get a handle of it here for about $25 and there's a big jump in quality from the regular black label for just a couple bucks.
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Oct 5, 2017 20:54
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I finally cracked open the last of my Johnnie Walker collection I bought duty-free last year: 4x200mL black, gold, platinum, and (last night) blue for £88. It's decent, but I'd never, ever pay full price here, $300 for 750mL.
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Oct 6, 2017 00:21
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Yeah I got that same collection for Christmas a couple of years ago and I thought the packaging was a whole lot cooler than the actual product. I mean it was nice to be able to have a couple drams of Blue without paying a fuckton of money for it, but it wasn't life changing or anything. Can't imagine actually buying a bottle of any of those. I still prefer JW Green over all the rest, but it seems like it's been going up in price over the last few years. I heard something (maybe in this thread?) suggesting that it was going to duty free stores only or being discontinued or something recently.
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Oct 6, 2017 06:20
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It was going to be discontinued but then it wasn't and now it's available again.
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Oct 6, 2017 07:01
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Thanks for everyone's suggestions! There's a great bottle shop in my town that should have just about anything that was brought up. I walked down the whiskey aisle there once or twice and I think the most daunting thing was the sheer variety, even of stuff that was in my price range. I go through booze relatively slowly and I didn't want to be stuck with garbage for like 3 months. I haven't tried rye yet. I'm assuming it's spicier? Only experience with rye anything comes in the form of rye beers.
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Oct 6, 2017 13:15
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Spicy is the usual description, yeah, though it's not spicy in the cooking sense, not really. Rittenhouse bottled in bond is great.
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Oct 6, 2017 13:27
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Got a bottle of The Ardmore Legacy today wanted to try a smokey scotch and this is pretty good for a decent price.
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Oct 7, 2017 22:49
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I finally had a taste of Laphroaig two days ago and I really waited too long. I'm getting a full bottle when I can.
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Oct 7, 2017 23:03
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Inspector 34 posted:Yeah I got that same collection for Christmas a couple of years ago and I thought the packaging was a whole lot cooler than the actual product. I mean it was nice to be able to have a couple drams of Blue without paying a fuckton of money for it, but it wasn't life changing or anything. Can't imagine actually buying a bottle of any of those. I still prefer JW Green over all the rest, but it seems like it's been going up in price over the last few years. I heard something (maybe in this thread?) suggesting that it was going to duty free stores only or being discontinued or something recently. Yeah, Green is back at the LCBO and it's $80 or so. I'd still rather pay $90 for The Balvenie doublewood.
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Oct 8, 2017 21:49
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So beer's been my drink of choice for a while, but due to medical reasons I can't drink non-distilled alcohol without being sick as a dog, so I figure it's about time for me to branch out. For a college student who's willing to spend a bit but is obviously hesitant to spend much, especially on something new, what would you recommend? My favorite flavors from beer are these deep fruity flavors that I guess are the "sherry-like/port-like" flavors in barleywines and darker trappist beers, and so if there's an equivalent in Whisky I'd be interested.
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Oct 9, 2017 05:04
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everythingWasBees posted:So beer's been my drink of choice for a while, but due to medical reasons I can't drink non-distilled alcohol without being sick as a dog, so I figure it's about time for me to branch out. Seems like the obvious thing to do is start with sherry and port finished whiskies. These will mostly be Scotch, but there are a few finished ryes these days too (Yippee Ki Yay from High West comes to mind). Maybe Aberlour, Glenfarclas, or Glenmorangie Lasanta.
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Oct 9, 2017 08:23
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everythingWasBees posted:So beer's been my drink of choice for a while, but due to medical reasons I can't drink non-distilled alcohol without being sick as a dog, so I figure it's about time for me to branch out. It's not whiskey but have you considered brandy? You probably aren't gonna get closer to a "sherry-like" flavor than a drink that's literally distilled wine. It's generally fairly inexpensive unless you're getting cognac or an XO or some VSOPs.
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Oct 9, 2017 08:58
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everythingWasBees posted:deep fruity flavors that I guess are the "sherry-like/port-like" flavors Aberlour A'Bunadh It's like Christmas cake. Deep fruit and spices, soaked in sherry.
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Oct 9, 2017 15:43
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German chain store Aldi have been selling Scotch for £17.49/$22.99 here in the UK, under the made up name "Glen Marnoch". They got rave reviews for a now discontinued Speyside, so I thought I'd try the Islay as I'm not that flush at the moment. It's 40% ABV and reminds me of a light weight young Laphroig with a coastal/mineral light peak smoke flavour. Finish is medium length too. Absolutely no sulphur aftertastes or hot alcohol notes. Would definitely recommend if you're looking for a cheap Islay.  e: had a couple more drams since first test and it's growing on me even more. e2: forgot to add: 
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Oct 9, 2017 16:07
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Jamsta posted:e2: forgot to add: it's a blend, not a single malt Uhh... What?
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Oct 9, 2017 19:04
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I've picked up the Glen Marnoch Islay and Highland, both are good, especially for the price. As the Islay is an unnamed single malt distillery it is very likely a Caol Ila.
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Oct 9, 2017 19:11
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Nth Doctor posted:Uhh... What? Possibly got a bit confused there Dave Angel posted:I've picked up the Glen Marnoch Islay and Highland, both are good, especially for the price. As the Islay is an unnamed single malt distillery it is very likely a Caol Ila. Interesting! Jamsta fucked around with this message at 22:33 on Oct 9, 2017 |
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Oct 9, 2017 22:26
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The Lidl Ben Bracken single malts are also £17.50 and are perfectly acceptable. I've tried the Highland and Speyside, but not the Islay yet. Nothing hugely memorable, but as good as most of the name brand single malts that generally hang around the £25 mark. The Highland one tasted a lot like Jura Origin to me.
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Oct 9, 2017 22:41
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everythingWasBees posted:So beer's been my drink of choice for a while, but due to medical ... I've only had barleywine once but if I remember it was sweet so you may like bourbon.
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Oct 10, 2017 01:54
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