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I agree about the BT tour but it felt complete. We got to taste white dog. Where WT smells like bourbon heaven, BT smells like a farm. I want to say they had a basic and premium tour, or maybe a free and paid tour, it was quite some time ago now. I want to go back and do more distilleries. I'd like to see Beams operation. At Woodford they opened a barrel and asked for volunteers to taste it, only a couple of us did. Not sure what I expected but it overwhelmed my taste buds.
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Nov 1, 2018 17:04
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slothrop posted:Buffalo Trace was actually the first distillery I ever visited, despite having talked about and sold Spirits for years. I've visited many distilleries in Scotland and the bigger, more commerical ones were definitely less personal. The bigger ones usually have a fancy visitors center and dedicated staff (often interns), the smaller ones are more fun IMO because maybe a dozen people work there and the person giving the tours usually has multiple jobs there. My favorite was Glen Scotia, you could really tell that the people there were very passionate about their craft.
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Nov 1, 2018 17:41
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wormil posted:I agree about the BT tour but it felt complete. We got to taste white dog. Where WT smells like bourbon heaven, BT smells like a farm. I want to say they had a basic and premium tour, or maybe a free and paid tour, it was quite some time ago now. I want to go back and do more distilleries. I'd like to see Beams operation. I went to Buffalo Trace, WT, Beam, and Four Roses, and EW Experience, about three years ago.. 1) Started at Four Roses. Felt the most "authentic" of the bunch. The operation is fairly small the tour was informative and straight forward. Got to taste 3 of the standard bottling and let you take home the tumbler. 2) Next went to Wild Turkey - Outside of the tour guide, who was an older gent who clearly had a strong affinity for the brand, and the tasting this was a souless experience. You start in a barn that's clearly been built for the expressed purpose of a gift shop and tour tastings. You are then taken to a giant building with a 3 story vat of mash. They let you take a picture in front of a barrel and their logo then you leave. The whole operation is almost completely automated. The other distilleries may operate the exact same way, IDK, but WT did zero to hide it. Maybe I should find the honesty refreshing, but I didn't. Had to leave the shot glasses on the table. 3) Buffalo Trace - Took the free tour, and our tour guide Freddie made the experience fantastic. Without him it was somewhere in between Four Roses and WT. The distillery grounds are very picturesque. They take you into a rick-house and show you all of the barrels there. As far as I know it's just for the tours, but I could be wrong. I did get to go through the hand bottling section of and they were filling up EHT. I did not get to try it or take any home  The tasting was fairly interactive and they push the white dog as hand lotion and the bourbon cream as a rootbeer float substitute (This is delicious). I had to leave the glassware. 4) Beam was up next and was my favorite. Every tour was under an hour but this one. This one took almost two. They take you all over the facility including the bottling plant and an actual rick-house. I got to take home printed versions of their Japanese labels for the white label, a bung for the bung hole, a mini snifter from the tasting, and they sold me the a bottled of knob creek for retail that I got to fill myself (they don't let you dip the wax for liability). The tasting let you choose from about 12 different bourbons and they had machines dispensing the exact amount. 5) Evan Williams Experience - This was interesting. It was like a mini Disney land for the bourbon drinker. There's a set with a video and the history of Evan Williams the man. The crowd stands in the middle of sort of simulating that you are there. They have their experimental distillation room, and a fun tasting. This was mostly fun because by the time we were done with our fourth tour the information was really repetitive, and you're just experiencing the marketing difference at that point. Overall not a bad way to spend a weekend in KY. If I had to do it again I would go to Four Roses for the quaint experience and Beam for the big shebang.
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Nov 1, 2018 18:41
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What's everyone's thoughts on HW A Midwinter Night's Dram? It's been on my list for a while for something to get since I like everything else from HW, but have never had it on my radar when it's out. It seems to be be hitting shelves around my area now in DC/MD, but the only place I found it seemed marked up too high. I think it goes for around $90-100 but the store near me had it for $150. Another store in town quoted me $189 when I called. I'm inclined to pass and just see if I can get lucky finding it in MD or online for closer to the $100 price tag, but also get a vibe that around here that that markup isn't out of the ordinary and it flies off shelves. I like HW, love rye, and love port and sherry finished scotch so it seems right up my alley. Should I wait or pull the trigger?
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Nov 1, 2018 21:56
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nosleep posted:What's everyone's thoughts on HW A Midwinter Night's Dram? It's been on my list for a while for something to get since I like everything else from HW, but have never had it on my radar when it's out. It seems to be be hitting shelves around my area now in DC/MD, but the only place I found it seemed marked up too high. I think it goes for around $90-100 but the store near me had it for $150. Another store in town quoted me $189 when I called. I got a bottle for ~$65 a year ago. It's definitely very good, and frankly there's really little else like it on the market. The rye and port both show up to the party in a big way, with a bit more emphasis on the port. It's a great holiday whiskey and tastes older than its actual age (probably ~ 6 years total). I wouldn't pay over $100, though. Yippee Ki-Yay, by contrast, is a bit of a mess. Tastes super young. I wouldn't recommend it at any price, and it's not a good replacement for MWND despite being another finished rye put out by the same producer. Vox Nihili fucked around with this message at 22:23 on Nov 1, 2018 |
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Nov 1, 2018 22:19
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S.W.O.R.D. Agent posted:I went to Buffalo Trace, WT, Beam, and Four Roses, and EW Experience, about three years ago. Definitely some differences. WT gift shop was part of a separate building that was mostly offices and there was no tasting. Sounds like we got a better tour. I just googled WT Distillery and it doesn't look like I remember. BT didn't have a rickhouse you could tour, at the time all their barrels were in climate controlled facility.
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Nov 1, 2018 22:48
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wormil posted:Definitely some differences. WT gift shop was part of a separate building that was mostly offices and there was no tasting. Sounds like we got a better tour. I just googled WT Distillery and it doesn't look like I remember. On the Buffalo Trace tour they took us into a room in an old building to talk more about the booze, and then at the end of the talk this big bookshelf turned out to be a door to a full rick-house. We got to walk down a single aisle and see the barrels. No idea if they we're for show or not...
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Nov 1, 2018 23:09
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As someone who lives in Louisville, and having had to go on so many at this point, I personally like Woodford's tour the most. They have a beautiful property and different levels of length and detail depending on how much time and money you have to spend. I can't say I actually love their bourbon, but the tour itself is one of the best. Maker's Mark is good too, but driving their sucks rear end on the country roads. P.S. if any of you do find yourself in Louisville again - definitely hit up Copper & Kings, the local brandy distillery. It is in a hip part of the city with lots to do/eat around it, has amazing spirits within a very cool building, and is just different versus the other, standard bourbon tours.
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Nov 2, 2018 00:11
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I'm always surprised by how many people don't like Woodford, it was all I drank for awhile. Love that high rye.
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Nov 2, 2018 02:25
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wormil posted:I'm always surprised by how many people don't like Woodford, it was all I drank for awhile. Love that high rye. I've tried to like it, as one of my best friends is from Versailles and is a HUGE fan of it, but I just can't get into it. Not sure why, as I love ryes on their own, it just doesn't do it for me. I will say I like their double barrel and some of the new specialty offerings more than the standard bottle.
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Nov 2, 2018 02:58
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I love high rye bourbon, but something about Woodford just tastes like a hot mess to me. I can't figure out how to describe it. It's not the rye content though. I went to a tasting class, and the Woodford rye was actually the one I disliked the least.
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Nov 2, 2018 03:57
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Has anyone here seen a bottle of High West's Valley Tan in the wild? I'm puttering around with oat mashes at the moment and there's a couple of Oat whiskies on the market - but I've been largely unimpressed with them (Koval, etc). I'm trying to figure out if this is the oats' fault, or the distilleries' faults.
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Nov 2, 2018 04:11
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Weltlich posted:Has anyone here seen a bottle of High West's Valley Tan in the wild? I'm puttering around with oat mashes at the moment and there's a couple of Oat whiskies on the market - but I've been largely unimpressed with them (Koval, etc). I'm trying to figure out if this is the oats' fault, or the distilleries' faults. Cheerios whiskey sounds awesome. Mix your coffee with Bailey’s and you can get to’ up from de flo’ up before 8 AM.
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Nov 2, 2018 06:09
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Weltlich posted:Has anyone here seen a bottle of High West's Valley Tan in the wild? I'm puttering around with oat mashes at the moment and there's a couple of Oat whiskies on the market - but I've been largely unimpressed with them (Koval, etc). I'm trying to figure out if this is the oats' fault, or the distilleries' faults. I would not judge any style based on Koval. I haven't had a single thing from them that wasn't an absolutely overpriced pile of trash.
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Nov 2, 2018 12:57
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wormil posted:I'm always surprised by how many people don't like Woodford, it was all I drank for awhile. Love that high rye. Brown-Forester's stuff just doesn't do anything for me. They do achieve an incredible bottle quality to whiskey quality ratio with Woodford, though.
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Nov 2, 2018 20:18
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California goons: K&L has Maker's Mark Cask Strength discounted to $35 at the moment. Also just posted up 5 or 6 independently bottled cask strength single malts as well, lots of sherried goodness.
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Nov 2, 2018 22:18
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Vox Nihili posted:Brown-Forester's stuff just doesn't do anything for me. Brown Forman covers a lot of brands and liquors but I guess they are best known for JD which I would classify as inoffensive and boring. Woodford is a much different product though, a high rye bourbon, peppery and delicious.
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Nov 2, 2018 23:33
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What's the dumbest thing I've ever heard about whiskey? This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard about whiskey: https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1058204721104580608
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Nov 2, 2018 23:59
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God damnit why am I seeing his tweets in so many loving threads.
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Nov 3, 2018 00:19
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Stultus Maximus posted:What's the dumbest thing I've ever heard about whiskey? This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard about whiskey: I love myself too much to read that guy's tweets.
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Nov 3, 2018 01:02
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Ken White nails the reply: https://twitter.com/Popehat/status/1058351531177607168
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Nov 3, 2018 01:17
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Nov 3, 2018 02:39
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wormil posted:I love myself too much to read that guy's tweets. I hate myself a whole bunch but not enough to click on a Shapiro thing. What'd he say, that all bourbon tastes like burning unless you add a quart of grape syrup to every shot or something?
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Nov 3, 2018 03:04
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Paul Proteus posted:Maker's Mark is good too, but driving their sucks rear end on the country roads. Getting there is the best part, especially in the fall. It's such a beautiful drive. I didn't care for the Old Forester Tour. It felt too new and sanitized. I don't think I got anything interesting about the brand or product that would set them apart.
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Nov 3, 2018 03:05
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Whalley posted:I hate myself a whole bunch but not enough to click on a Shapiro thing. What'd he say, that all bourbon tastes like burning unless you add a quart of grape syrup to every shot or something? Guessed it in one. He's basically of the opinion that alcohol isn't good unless you dump sugar into it.
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Nov 3, 2018 03:13
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Imagine hating whiskey and salads. It must suck to be an adult with the palate of a six-year-old.
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Nov 3, 2018 03:22
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I love whiskey and a good salad, so I’ll go on record as saying gently caress whoever that twitter guy is. I just ran out of High West Double Rye. What rye should I get next, preferably for Manhattans but wouldn’t mind something sippable in its own right (i.e. not costing $Texas)?
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Nov 3, 2018 04:13
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Enigma posted:I love whiskey and a good salad, so I’ll go on record as saying gently caress whoever that twitter guy is.
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Nov 3, 2018 04:59
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Enigma posted:I love whiskey and a good salad, so I’ll go on record as saying gently caress whoever that twitter guy is. Bulliet Rye for a 95% rye with a big herbal kick. Rittenhouse Rye for a sweeter, more corn-forward mixer. Can't go wrong with either.
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Nov 3, 2018 05:24
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silvergoose posted:God damnit why am I seeing his tweets in so many loving threads. Just be glad no one posted his gender swap pic this time. That thing is unsettling.
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Nov 3, 2018 05:25
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Whisky should taste like phenol and gin should taste like turpentine. Pick your poison, so to speak. Maybe this guy is just bad at chemistry?
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Nov 5, 2018 01:32
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I should probably consider it a major concern that even unflavored moonshine at 100 proof doesn't taste all that bad to me now.
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Nov 5, 2018 06:37
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chitoryu12 posted:I should probably consider it a major concern that even unflavored moonshine at 100 proof doesn't taste all that bad to me now. Nah. Think of how much money you save by drinking rotgut.
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Nov 5, 2018 15:46
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Anybody here a Wild Turkey expert? Why did these 2 handles have different bottle design? One older? The one without a physical "handle" was from DC, other VA. 
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Nov 5, 2018 17:17
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I drink WT all the time but have never bought a handle, only 750s. The flavor of "moonshine" is so all over the place but most of it tastes like paint remover. Twice I've had good moonshine, both times from an unmarked quart jar of course. First time I have no doubt it was the real deal knowing the guy. Second time I don't know but it was tasty with a sweet corn flavor.
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Nov 5, 2018 17:32
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Comb Your Beard posted:Anybody here a Wild Turkey expert? Why did these 2 handles have different bottle design? One older? The one without a physical "handle" was from DC, other VA. My "local" version has the handle like the one on the right. Both of those bottles have the 2016-and-onward label design, so they're probably effectively the same.
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Nov 5, 2018 20:28
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Vox Nihili posted:My "local" version has the handle like the one on the right. Both of those bottles have the 2016-and-onward label design, so they're probably effectively the same. Yeah the label is 100% the same, just cropped on one to fit a smaller area of glass.
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Nov 5, 2018 21:38
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wormil posted:The flavor of "moonshine" is so all over the place but most of it tastes like paint remover. Twice I've had good moonshine, both times from an unmarked quart jar of course. First time I have no doubt it was the real deal knowing the guy. Second time I don't know but it was tasty with a sweet corn flavor. Moonshine generally falls into two camps - the real stuff made by an old man out in the woods, and "moonshine" which is white dog that goes in a decorative mason jar on the liquor store shelf. The latter is generally pretty rough grain spirit that never had the benefit of a barrel. Some distilleries are just buying neutral grain spirit and watering it down to call it "moonshine." Either way, it's usually the worst expression of the craft distilling movement. The former has a real potential to be good, if it's a hobbyist that made it, though ironically lots of "real" moonshine isn't whiskey. A lot of "tried and true" moonshine formulas use a LOT of white sugar in them, and unmalted corn. Yeast doesn't eat unmalted corn, but it does eat sugar, so you end up with corn-flavored rum. EDIT: I'm not saying that all "backwoods" moonshine is that, but that a lot of it is. I've also had some incredibly good hobbyist moonshine that was all-grain mash, and used some really interesting yeasts and got spectacular flavor on the new-make. Some of that stuff is as good new as other stuff is aged. Weltlich fucked around with this message at 00:28 on Nov 6, 2018 |
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Nov 6, 2018 00:24
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Yeah someone gifted me a jar of fake moonshine, because I like whiskey. It was very thoughtful and I hope they never do it again.
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Nov 6, 2018 01:08
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wormil posted:I drink WT all the time but have never bought a handle, only 750s. If you want a commercial moonshine that has that sweet corn flavor, check out Las Vegas Distillery. I got a shot of their moonshine at the Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings.
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Nov 6, 2018 15:34
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