|
Mandalay posted:Are you drinking it neat? I’m finding it’s too much alcohol burn for me, which is a bummer because it’s my preferred way to take whiskey. Its the only way I drink (good) whiskey. I dont find it to have much of a burn, but I tend to prefer the stronger stuff. I think the weakest bottle I open is 92 proof right now. I hold the whiskey in my mouth a lot to savor it and i really didnt find it to have a lot of burn.
|
#
?
Jan 5, 2020 10:04
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 21, 2024 07:23 |
|
|
The new Weller Full Proof is good, not $250 good, but I might pay extra for it. I picked up the Maker's Mark RC6 last week and it's great. Definitely more complex than regular MM and easy to drink.
|
|
#
?
Jan 5, 2020 14:24
|
|
|
I did a small whisky tasting evening thing with my two best friends the other day, mainly because I had bought a bottle of Redbreast 12yo cask strength in Ireland, and promised I wouldn't open it until we could all taste it together. We all had very high expectations and it absolutely delivered, it's one hell of a dram. Lovely single pot still sherry cask matured stuff, instant favorite for all of us. Smooth classic Irish style, lots of fruit and barley, highly recommended. To follow up and continue the sherry cask style, we tasted a Glengoyne distillery exclusive bottling that one of my friends had bought in Scotland last year, and since he had brought along a Glenfarclas 15yo (also sherry cask matured) as well, we gave that a go afterwards. The Glengoyne was good, a classic sherry dram, but the Glenfarclas was top-tier stuff, obviously in the scotch style and a little bit more edgy than the Redbreast, but I would say equally good on its own merits, less fruit and barley, more oak and vanilla. All three are highly recommended, if you like sherry casks at all, just wonderful stuff. You cannot go wrong with any of them. We also cracked open my Laphroaig QC, which was obviously awesome, as well as some SMWS bottles, including an Old Pulteney that is described as "uncompromising, brutal, tough, sinewed and intensely coastal. Mighty and salty". I love it, but it certainly wasn't to everyone's taste 
|
|
#
?
Jan 5, 2020 15:22
|
|
|
I have a bottle of Glenfarclas 17 that is very good. I have had good luck giving it to people that thought they didn't like Scotch a few times.
|
|
#
?
Jan 6, 2020 15:21
|
|
|
A friend of mine went to Japan over the holidays and brought me back a couple bottles. I cracked open the Koishu Pure Malt and it's pretty drat good! Google translate doesn't tell me much from what's on the bottle, but it tastes basically like a nice highland scotch. It's a little hot for only 40% abv but nothing crazy. The other bottle is Suntory Old Whisky. Haven't tried that one yet, anybody know anything about it? Inspector 34 fucked around with this message at 06:07 on Jan 7, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jan 7, 2020 05:53
|
|
|
How’s the Hibiki as far as Japanese whiskey goes? What’s its “equivalent” in terms of other liquors?
|
|
#
?
Jan 7, 2020 07:55
|
|
|
Uhh the Koshu may actually be Highland Scotch. Sun Foods does have a license to distill whisky at their Nirasaki facility but for the most part, they use imported whisky and water it down with Japanese water. Suntory Old is the whisky brand that carried Suntory through the 70s and early 80s. Like 1 in 4 bottles of whisky sold in the entirety of Japan in 1980 was a bottle of Suntory Old, or something. However it fell out of favor mid-80s because imported (actual) whiskies were starting to get a lot cheaper. Flavor-wise it's pretty much old man sippin whisky, heavy grain and no real depth. As for Hibiki, basically it's fallen from grace since Suntory got rid of age statements. I got a bottle of the Blender's Choice (which sort of took the place of Hibiki 17) and don't really think it's worth the price. There are oodles better bottles of Scotch and Bourbon out there for half that. But what do you mean by equivalent? As in, what other liquor does it taste like? zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 08:13 on Jan 7, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jan 7, 2020 08:07
|
|
|
Vox Nihili posted:Independent bottlers. Basically third parties who buy you casks from producers and bottle them under their own label. Alexander Murray, Gordon & MacPhail, Signatory, and Douglas Laing are some of the big ones. The Costco bottles looked like this: I think I saw that at Trader Joe's. Might give it a shot.
|
|
#
?
Jan 7, 2020 08:24
|
|
|
The Koshu does have the words Nirasaki Distillery on the bottle at least, so maybe it's not just watered down imported booze.
|
|
#
?
Jan 7, 2020 09:05
|
|
|
PRADA SLUT posted:How’s the Hibiki as far as Japanese whiskey goes? What’s its “equivalent” in terms of other liquors? Hibiki Harmony is equivalent to no-age statement blended Scotch distilled from both malt and grain elements made by a decent quality producer. So basically something you could buy for $25 or so if it wasn't Japanese. It's plenty smooth and it comes in a very nice bottle, but there isn't a whole lot going on. The old version, Hibiki 12, was a bit more unique and IMO desirable, but still overrated.
|
|
#
?
Jan 7, 2020 23:16
|
|
|
Vox Nihili posted:Hibiki Harmony is equivalent to no-age statement blended Scotch distilled from both malt and grain elements made by a decent quality producer. So basically something you could buy for $25 or so if it wasn't Japanese. It's plenty smooth and it comes in a very nice bottle, but there isn't a whole lot going on. I think this is a perfect description. When I tried it I thought it was very pleasant, no off-putting notes, but nothing to make it pop out. Flavors seemed fairly muted, thin mouthfeel, and meh finish. Bottle is sweet though.
|
|
#
?
Jan 8, 2020 03:40
|
|
|
My Woodman’s stopped carrying Makers Mark Cask Strength, and another local chain quietly lowered the price of theirs to $40. Both got a influx of the “Private Select”. Is Cask Strength being discontinued?
|
|
#
?
Jan 8, 2020 18:48
|
|
|
Odd Mutant posted:My Woodman’s stopped carrying Makers Mark Cask Strength, and another local chain quietly lowered the price of theirs to $40. Both got a influx of the “Private Select”. Is Cask Strength being discontinued? I haven't heard anything suggesting that the cask strength is going away.
|
|
#
?
Jan 10, 2020 00:05
|
|
|
How much markup is too much for something like Weller? I really enjoy their stuff, but $85 for special reserve is a hell of a markup on a $17 retail bottle.
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2020 01:32
|
|
|
Apache posted:How much markup is too much for something like Weller? I really enjoy their stuff, but $85 for special reserve is a hell of a markup on a $17 retail bottle. Anything is too much. Seriously don’t overpay for Weller. If you are insanely hard up for it PM me.
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2020 02:14
|
|
|
Oh hi whiskey thread. I'm finally getting back into keeping whisk(e)y around at home again. Picked up a bottle of Willett Pot Still Reserve for super cheap at Total Wine and it's an interesting bourbon. Almost viscous? If nothing else, it makes killer ice cream. 
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2020 04:21
|
|
|
Apache posted:How much markup is too much for something like Weller? I really enjoy their stuff, but $85 for special reserve is a hell of a markup on a $17 retail bottle. Would only consider very minimal markup on WSR. I think it’s okay to pay a bit of a markup on the 107, but not secondary. I think if MM cask strength retails at $50ish, then OWA at a similar price makes sense. There’s just not a lot of 100+ proof wheaters out there. I think the 107 is a legit really good bourbon, but so are like 40 other bottles that are under $40. WSR shouldn’t have hype tied to it, it’s not very special at all.
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2020 04:30
|
|
|
I love desserts with bourbon. Just made a batch of bourbon balls last weekend.
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2020 05:06
|
|
|
Enigma posted:... a batch of bourbon balls last weekend. Sounds like an excuse after a night of too much drinking... Sorry hon, got bourbon balls.
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2020 07:45
|
|
|
Enigma posted:I love desserts with bourbon. Just made a batch of bourbon balls last weekend. Bourbon/spiced pecans/vanilla is my go-to ice cream. Served with a healthy pour of blackcurrant rum liquor poured over.
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2020 10:33
|
|
|
I am trying to get more into whisky - mostly scotch for now. About 5 years ago a friend of mine gave me a bottle of Lagavulin 16 for my wedding - after opening it I got quickly introduced into the concept of peated whisky! It took some getting used to, but now I love the smoke. Including the fact that a whole room will smell really strongly if an emptied glass was left out overnight.  I decided to get more into the hobby a few weeks ago and picked up a bottle of Tullamore D.E.W. at an airport duty-free shop. In retrospect not a great decision but at 17€ for a liter not an expensive mistake. It smells really nice and fruity for the most part but you can already sense that it will have an aggressive alcohol taste. Anyway I got a Glenfarclas 12 after that and I think that was a great decision - turns out I like mild, sherry-infused whiskys too! I want to expand my horizon - while staying true to my incredibly penny-pinching self. On some local forum I found some offers of people who will sell samples of their collection for a really fair price. What do you guys and gals think of the list below? It‘s mostly Islay and Islands whiskys. The Laphroaig QC was inspired by this thread, also the 4R. I will buy 10cc each so I have a chance to taste them on multiple occasions. Ardbeg 10 Years - TEN Highland Park 12 Years Laphroaig QC Talisker 10 Years Bunnahabhain 12 Four Roses Small Batch
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2020 11:11
|
|
|
Every one of those is a good whisk(e)y. Some are among my favorites.
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2020 14:48
|
|
|
Yeah that's a really good list.
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2020 15:03
|
|
|
I've not had the last two, so I can't comment on those. Ardbeg - 10 is great, but Ardbeg Uigeadail is sublime. If you can afford the extra ten quid, make the jump upwards. Laphroaig QC - this is an extremely good choice as it's very smooth. The 10 remains the distinct Laphroaig experience, but QC is a genuinely good drop. Talisker 10 - again, another classic. On the main line, Skye is not particularly with bothering with, although Storm is an interesting twist. Still, definitely the right choice to pick the 10 year old. Which brings us to Highland Park - and this always baffles me, as I'm not sure whether the export market is different (?) and I know the bottle has changed in the last couple of years, but I think this is a massively overrated drink - apologies, as I know this thread likes it, but to me, it's just...nothing. I've got a half bottle that I've had for about 3 years and I keep passing over it - and when I drink it, I'm never fussed. But I am aware that I am very much an outlier! I'd suggest either Caol Ila - I've got a 14 year old which is marvellous, but the standard bottle is a nice drink - and of the regular bottles, Moch is definitely worth picking up. Or Bruichladdich is excellent - the Classic Laddie is one of the cheaper offerings (cheaper for them but not cheap, if you get me) but absolutely delivers in flavour. Port Charlotte is a little pricier, but wonderful. If those are out of your price range, I think Bowmore 12 is the best of the cheaper offerings.
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2020 15:39
|
|
|
Thanks for the feedback! Testro, what exactly do you dislike in the HP12? And thanks for the alternatives you gave, I will write them down for the future. I am trying to order from one guy and he doesn‘t have any of those. I live in Europe so I get a warm fuzzy feeling every time I remember that Americans pay more for something for a change 
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2020 16:07
|
|
|
Ah yeah, I should've elaborated! Good question - I think it's just...bland. There's no real depth to it, no decent finish. Islay and Islands were my first foray into scotch, but I drink just as much Speyside these days - so my criticism isn't because it's not a peat monster or anything like that. But, having said all of that, everyone is different! There's certainly enough people who post in this thread who recommend it, so don't take my comments to heart. I've just re-read your post - if you like sherry and you're not solely into Islay/Islands, try a Tamdhu 12 if you can get your hands on it. It's Speyside, so not Islay. Speaking of which, there's a peated Tomintoul sold as Old Ballantruan which is very drinkable. On the Campbeltown side, Springbank is distinctive - as is Longrow (peated). I've been experimenting a lot recently with oxidising whisky and/or adding small amounts of water. I drank neat for ages, but I've got about 60 bottles, and I find that some taste so much better when they've been open a while - and some small dashes of water can really open some out. Bowmore 12 is a good example of that; it's not an expensive drink by any measure, but add a bit of water and it's much more complex. Longrow and Springbank both fall into that - whenever I buy a new bottle, I'm always a bit nonplussed by them and have a couple of glasses and leave them for ages...and then, once I pick them up a few months later, they're always a million times better. To the point that by the time I finish the bottle, I always pick a new one up because it's sooo good (rinse and repeat the process!). And to bring this back around to the first comment, I've been trying the same with Highland Park but it's just not getting better, ha. I've also got a lot more into independent bottlings, which I think give a far superior drink - but obviously, you can never find it again...they're a one-time thing. Miltonduff has been my highlight of all of these (Speyside again). Testro fucked around with this message at 16:55 on Jan 18, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2020 16:34
|
|
|
Testro posted:Which brings us to Highland Park - and this always baffles me, as I'm not sure whether the export market is different (?) and I know the bottle has changed in the last couple of years, but I think this is a massively overrated drink - apologies, as I know this thread likes it, but to me, it's just...nothing. I've got a half bottle that I've had for about 3 years and I keep passing over it - and when I drink it, I'm never fussed. But I am aware that I am very much an outlier! Nah, I don’t “get” HP either. It tastes like cigarette ash.
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2020 16:36
|
|
|
That‘s a huge part of the fun for me right now - finding out what I like in whisky. Looking forward to the delivery. By the way I read the past 20 or so pages of this thread and picked up something along the lines of tax incentives for small distillers in the US about to run out - looks like that was at least extended by a year, or did I read that wrong on some .gov website?
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2020 19:35
|
|
|
Neco posted:That‘s a huge part of the fun for me right now - finding out what I like in whisky. It does get expensive, though. I'm one of the Highland Park enthusiasts. On the other hand, I like Jura 10 and many people have recommended Jura Superstition. I got a bottle and feel like I just wasted $50. It's definitely going to be what I offer guests for a while.
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2020 20:40
|
|
|
Is New Riff as good as the hype? I keep seeing favorable reviews, but I don't know if it's just "good for 4 yo bourbon from a craft distillery" or objectively good and competes with the traditional distilleries.
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2020 16:13
|
|
|
Bourbon is pretty fuckin' good. I loving hate rye whiskey and it's got like 1/3rd rye, it works really well, the rye spice bridges the taste of the whiskey to the 100 proof of the alcohol. It's a good buy at $40.
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2020 19:57
|
|
|
Thanks! I got to sample the BiB and SiB at Total Wine. It's a Spirits Direct product (but don't hold that against it), so if you ask you can probably get a sample. The BiB is really, really good. The high rye nature works well with the youth. It's got a really nice citrus to it too. At $40 it's great. The SiB I was less of a fan of. It's a fantastic bourbon, and it's shocking that it's only four years old. It's just really caramel, syrupy, and sweet, which isn't my thing, but if it's yours then I highly suggest trying it.
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2020 21:39
|
|
|
I work at TW, so I can definitely say that while some spirits direct is more or less knock off bullshit they picked up (lonehand getting sued lol), plenty of it is actually good. Especially when it comes to the whiskey.
|
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2020 09:42
|
|
|
Enigma posted:Is New Riff as good as the hype? New Riff is objectively good. However, it's also thought of as being 5-10 bucks more than it should. I personally like it because out of all these new distilleries popping up they are committed to doing things the "right" way. They're totally transparent about how they are making things. I think they're a company worth supporting going forward (https://newriffdistilling.com/about/story/).
|
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2020 16:05
|
|
|
SpookyLizard posted:I work at TW, so I can definitely say that while some spirits direct is more or less knock off bullshit they picked up (lonehand getting sued lol), plenty of it is actually good. Especially when it comes to the whiskey. Which of the whiskies are actually good? Lonehand is the worst thing I've ever tasted. I got the sample bottle for $0.01 and still felt cheated. Re: New Riff, I bought the BiB for $40. I think it's worth that, and may end up becoming one of my top 5. Enigma fucked around with this message at 16:20 on Jan 20, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2020 16:08
|
|
|
I picked up a bottle of Blanton's for the first time in a couple years. It used to be easy to find and I took it for granted.  This bottle is more interesting and a lot woodier that I remember from past bottles, but more barrel spice than bitter. And it plays really well with a cigar. I was going to hang onto it to serve to friends occasionally and maybe get some brownie points with the boss, but now I don't see it lasting very long.Also picked up some scotches I've been meaning to try for a while: Bunnahabhain 12 - tastes like a briny speyside to me, not that that's a bad thing. Might be good as an into to islay for someone who's not ready to get rocked by peat. Ledaig 10 - Reminded me of my impression the first time I had an islay scotch: iodine, salt and smoke that's more tire fire than wood fire. I'll have to try it again later with a fresh palate, because that was after drinking hot chocolate with rumple minze. Laphroaig Triple Wood - sort of like a sweeter and more mellow Quarter Cask, plus wood. Wasn't really doing it for me. Testro posted:I've been experimenting a lot recently with oxidising whisky and/or adding small amounts of water. I drank neat for ages, but I've got about 60 bottles, and I find that some taste so much better when they've been open a while - and some small dashes of water can really open some out. Bowmore 12 is a good example of that; it's not an expensive drink by any measure, but add a bit of water and it's much more complex. Yeah I've found that I prefer some bottles after they've been open for a few months. Amrut cask strength is one that I like a lot better after oxidizing and adding a little water.
|
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2020 18:42
|
|
|
I'll mention ones I'd actually buy. New Riff as mentioned, Clyde Mays, 1792, Grangestone, Shieldaig (I love their 14 yr Islay, but their speysides are nice too, but I prefer Islays), Angel's Envy was originally SD, Catch Fire (if youre a cinammon whiskey person), Ensign Red Apple & Peach (the regular is OK, mainly redeemed by being cheaper than crown, flavors are actually good if you like that kind of thing), Kavanughs for irish. Theres also a ton of limited releases from big name distilleries, MaCallan and Dalmore especially. Oh, and Hancock's Reserve, but like all things Buffalo Trace around here you're lucky to lay hands on it. St Augustine does a nice Bourbon but I wouldn't argue with you if felt it was overpriced for it's quality.
|
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2020 19:03
|
|
|
asciidic posted:I picked up a bottle of Blanton's for the first time in a couple years. It used to be easy to find and I took it for granted. Feel your pain on the blantons. Just as an FYI, you can em generally find plenty of it on local or national bourbon Facebook groups if you are absolutely desperate. I generally don’t pay secondary for bourbon, but usually you can buy blantons for $75 in those groups, which I’ve done for gifts or my uncles who can’t get any of it. It’s one of the easier ones to pickup that way, mainly cause every bottle is apparently hoarded in some dudes basement.
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2020 00:43
|
|
|
SpookyLizard posted:I'll mention ones I'd actually buy. New Riff as mentioned, Clyde Mays, 1792, Grangestone, Shieldaig (I love their 14 yr Islay, but their speysides are nice too, but I prefer Islays), Angel's Envy was originally SD, Catch Fire (if youre a cinammon whiskey person), Ensign Red Apple & Peach (the regular is OK, mainly redeemed by being cheaper than crown, flavors are actually good if you like that kind of thing), Kavanughs for irish. Theres also a ton of limited releases from big name distilleries, MaCallan and Dalmore especially. Oh, and Hancock's Reserve, but like all things Buffalo Trace around here you're lucky to lay hands on it. St Augustine does a nice Bourbon but I wouldn't argue with you if felt it was overpriced for it's quality. Thanks for the info. So far New Riff is the exception for me of SD products. I've tried Clyde Mays and loathed it, and the marketing is weird (iirc it's a Texas company making whiskey in Florida with Kentucky distillate marketed as Alabama Whiskey). Grangestone I found to be fine, not good but not bad either. I've not tried the rest of those but I'll keep them in mind next time I'm there in case they have any available for sampling. The TW near me either used to hide limited releases or just started selling them, because the other day is the first time I found a display for them, and I know my way around that place better than I care to admit. Nothing I was interested in this time (well maybe makers barrel pick but not at $75), but hopefully it rotates.
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2020 01:45
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 21, 2024 07:23 |
|
|
Clyde Mays/Conecuh Ridge is owned by a texas company, but it was founded in alabama and made in kentucky using alamaba spring water. i believe they moved production to Alabama a few years ago, however. Im a big of their bourbon, the alabama style whiskey less so. TW is big on tasting the SD stuff so feel free to ask people at your local store to try to stuff. They should have a decent stock of open spirits to try.
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2020 02:31
|
|