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NightConqueror
Oct 5, 2006
im in ur base killin ur mans
Picked up some Buffalo Trace based on the recommendations I've heard. I definitely wasn't disappointed either. Really good, complex taste for only about $25. A lot, lot better than the Jim Beam White Label I'd been drinking (and mixing) before.

Also, I've been getting into scotch lately - a favorite being The Glenlivet 12. Do you guys have any other recommendations for scotch around the same price level ($25-35)?

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good luck kitten
Aug 18, 2004

Tripping the light fantastic

Oldsrocket_27 posted:

I don't know if anyone else did, but I just finished watching "Shakleton's Whisky"on Nat. Geographic. Apparently, a scotsman and antarctic explorer named Ernest Shakleton made some whisky and abandoned it on Antarctica in 1909. It was recently discovered, well over 100 years since being distilled.

Now, Mackinlays is making a blend that is supposed to near replicate the flavor. Anyone else heard about this/ had a chance to try the new whisky?

I read an article on this a while back in the New York Times, am going to look for the show now at some point. Very curious as to what it'll be like.

TobinHatesYou
Aug 14, 2007

wacky cycling inflatable
tube man
Dalmore and Macallan are masters of PR and they stir up the hype machine with novel 'vintage' replicas like these or ever more expensive super-old releases. I believe the third and final bottle of Dalmore Trinitas recently sold for a record value. A while ago Macallan actually got in trouble because they based an entire release on what ended up being a forgery.

Richard Paterson, Dalmore and White&Mackay's master blender, is very good at his craft. Dalmore King Alexander and Jura's peated offerings are some of my favorites, but I very much doubt the Shackleton release is worth the premium.

TobinHatesYou fucked around with this message at 16:34 on Nov 5, 2011

duckstab
Jun 19, 2004

I have been mere inches away from the original Shackleton whisky during its thawing and knowing the people involved in this process both in Scotland and in NZ, this is a whisky (and story) that actually deserves the hype it received.

As far as being a good approximation of the malt that Shackleton took to the ice, it is as close as you'll ever get to tasting the real thing. I'll never have the privileged of knowing first hand, but I have tasted plenty of the replica and also several different Glen Mhor (the distillery the original Shackleton's whisky came from) and I know that Richard Patterson has done a pretty spectacular job of recreating it.

Stultus Maximus
Dec 21, 2009

USPOL May

NightConqueror posted:

Picked up some Buffalo Trace based on the recommendations I've heard. I definitely wasn't disappointed either. Really good, complex taste for only about $25. A lot, lot better than the Jim Beam White Label I'd been drinking (and mixing) before.

Also, I've been getting into scotch lately - a favorite being The Glenlivet 12. Do you guys have any other recommendations for scotch around the same price level ($25-35)?

Isle of Jura and Dalwhinnie are two of my favorites, but they are bumping up there at the top of your price range.

TenaciousTomato
Jul 17, 2007

Interworld and the New Innocence

NightConqueror posted:

Picked up some Buffalo Trace based on the recommendations I've heard. I definitely wasn't disappointed either. Really good, complex taste for only about $25. A lot, lot better than the Jim Beam White Label I'd been drinking (and mixing) before.

Also, I've been getting into scotch lately - a favorite being The Glenlivet 12. Do you guys have any other recommendations for scotch around the same price level ($25-35)?

Spend $45 and get Highland Park 12. You'll be glad you did.

Blue_monday
Jan 9, 2004

mind the teeth while you're going down
Glad I found this thread!

Theres a WhiskyFest happening in my city at the end of the month that I'm going to. I've got some odeas of what I want to try but I want to see if I have any other goon recommendations. The main things I'm interested in trying are the Highland Park (all) yr, Blantons, Jack Daniel's Honey, Isle of Arran Port Cask Finish, Battle of the Glenn 15 yr, Grants Sherry Cask and The Balvenie Single Barrell 15 yr.




http://www.nlliquor.com/events/downloads/WW11%20Product%20List%20by%20Booth.pdf

TobinHatesYou
Aug 14, 2007

wacky cycling inflatable
tube man
That's a pretty ordinary selection besides the Arran offerings. I would take this opportunity to indulge in the older expressions on that list, since practically everything else is available at a high-end grocer or spirits shop.

wormil
Sep 12, 2002

Hulk will smoke you!
Whew! Had a few types of honest to god moonshine tonight. The first was clear corn liquor, tasted like lighter fluid with a dash of diesel fuel but the finish was amazingly corn sweet. The second batch was raspberry infused, much smoother and sweeter. I preferred the former over the latter.

Remy Marathe
Mar 15, 2007

_________===D ~ ~ _\____/

^^ That buffalo trace white dog mash grew on me in the same way- I find myself craving that corn flavor for all its brutality. I also recall some clear homemade poo poo a couple friends kept in the freezer when they were banding ducks that went down like water all night (after the first few), and I'd guess that was corn whiskey as well. I wonder if there are mass-market options that are cheaper than the buffalo trace?

Blue_monday posted:

Glad I found this thread!

Theres a WhiskyFest happening in my city at the end of the month that I'm going to. I've got some odeas of what I want to try but I want to see if I have any other goon recommendations. The main things I'm interested in trying are the Highland Park (all) yr, Blantons, Jack Daniel's Honey, Isle of Arran Port Cask Finish, Battle of the Glenn 15 yr, Grants Sherry Cask and The Balvenie Single Barrell 15 yr.




http://www.nlliquor.com/events/downloads/WW11%20Product%20List%20by%20Booth.pdf

I always assume things like JD's Tennessee Honey are ways to use whiskey that's not up to snuff by masking it with something even cheaper for them to produce, in this case a "proprietary honey liqueur", and relying entirely on marketing rather than taste to get it on all the shelves. C.f. Alize and Hpnotiq.

I'm not against mixing things in principle, just paying them to do it for me with garbage. I was on a sort of hot toddy kick last month: big mug, 2 shots bourbon, heaping spoon of clover honey, a couple cloves, squirt of lemon juice, add hot tea to fill.

The Glen Grant 16 I'd be kinda curious, and yeah the Highland Parks for sure.

Remy Marathe fucked around with this message at 18:12 on Nov 7, 2011

Vampyr
Feb 27, 2004

Remy Marathe posted:

^^ That buffalo trace white dog mash grew on me in the same way- I find myself craving that corn flavor for all its brutality. I also recall some clear homemade poo poo a couple friends kept in the freezer when they were banding ducks that went down like water all night (after the first few), and I'd guess that was corn whiskey as well. I wonder if there are mass-market options that are cheaper than the buffalo trace?


I always assume things like JD's Tennessee Honey are ways to use whiskey that's not up to snuff by masking it with something even cheaper for them to produce, in this case a "proprietary honey liqueur", and relying entirely on marketing rather than taste to get it on all the shelves. C.f. Alize and Hpnotiq.

I'm not against mixing things in principle, just paying them to do it for me with garbage. I was on a sort of hot toddy kick last month: big mug, 2 shots bourbon, heaping spoon of clover honey, a couple cloves, squirt of lemon juice, add hot tea to fill.

The Glen Grant 16 I'd be kinda curious, and yeah the Highland Parks for sure.

I enjoy mixing certain whisky myself, usually a whisky dry with some lower shelf whisky; but i agree the "honey mix's" that are coming out, which started with the WT American Honey, are fowl. I literally cannot drink it, because of the quantity of sugar they dump in there to mask the low quality whisky.

Kenning
Jan 11, 2009

I really want to post goatse. Instead I only have these🍄.



Vampyr posted:

WT American Honey...fowl.

Heh.

wormil
Sep 12, 2002

Hulk will smoke you!
Woodford's newest Master Collection is out.

Tasting notes here:
http://www.woodfordreserve.com/email/wr3124/Rye_Tasting_Notes.pdf

quote:

Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Rare Rye Selection

This year's sixth release of the Woodford Reserve Master's Collection begins arriving in stores this week. It includes dual 375ml bottles - one that has been matured in a new charred cask and one matured in an aged cask. Both are from a 100% rye recipe but the difference in the final product is the manner of maturation.

quote:

The 2011 edition of Woodford Reserve’s Master’s Collection, a Rare Rye Selection, is starting to hit stores. For this edition, Woodford Reserve first created a 100 percent rye whiskey. That in itself is unusual, master distiller Chris Morris told me; very few craft distillers are making 100 percent rye, and no other large distillers.

Half of the rye whiskey was then aged in new, charred white-oak barrels; the other half in used Woodford barrels. The purpose, Chris says, was to showcase the barrel conditioning. The two expressions are packaged together in 375ml bottles fashioned to evoke Woodford Reserve’s iconic copper-pot stills. This Master’s Collection retails for right around $100.

mojo1701a
Oct 9, 2008

Oh, yeah. Loud and clear. Emphasis on LOUD!
~ David Lee Roth

I know it's been said that if I can't remove the oxygen from a whisky bottle that's half-done, then I should pour it into a smaller bottle. But what kind of bottle is recommended/where can I get good bottles for this?

Mikey Purp
Sep 30, 2008

I realized it's gotten out of control. I realize I'm out of control.

mojo1701a posted:

I know it's been said that if I can't remove the oxygen from a whisky bottle that's half-done, then I should pour it into a smaller bottle. But what kind of bottle is recommended/where can I get good bottles for this?

Is this true?? I had no idea. I always assumed that since all whiskys are aged in barrels that are not air tight for at least a year anyway, being in contact with oxygen was not as much of a concern as long as the container did not allow for excessive evaporation.

smn
Feb 15, 2005
tutkalla

mojo1701a posted:

I know it's been said that if I can't remove the oxygen from a whisky bottle that's half-done, then I should pour it into a smaller bottle. But what kind of bottle is recommended/where can I get good bottles for this?

I've had bottles open for several years, even bottles with as little as 10cl in them, and the whisky stays good. It's true though that whisky changes a bit after opening when it's gotten some air. But usually it is a positive change, the whisky 'opens up'.

I don't think you need to worry. Just keep your bottles out of sunlight.

Remy Marathe
Mar 15, 2007

_________===D ~ ~ _\____/

Whiskey that sits out in a glass is gross after a day or so, so I guess it's possible.

Not that I'd bother, I've never noticed a problem with closed bottles of hard liquor at any level, but just buy a couple little guys (375ml or 200ml) next time and keep the bottles when you're done.

mojo1701a
Oct 9, 2008

Oh, yeah. Loud and clear. Emphasis on LOUD!
~ David Lee Roth

I guess I was wrong. I thought I read here that there was some trick involving eating the air in a less-than-half-full liquor bottle so the alcohol doesn't... something.

Glad I don't have to.

Kenning
Jan 11, 2009

I really want to post goatse. Instead I only have these🍄.



I mean, if all you've got is a couple ounces at the bottom of the bottle you might as well drink it off.

uncle spero
Nov 18, 2011

Bobby couldn't make it...
'till he went fun-truckin'!
Anyone else tried this stuff?



Distillery in upstate NY that uses all local ingredients. They're not very traditional but this 100% corn baby bourbon is my fav by far. Really sweet and lots of vanilla to it.

What I like about them is although they aim for the premium market they sell half size bottles for $50 rather than fulls for $100 to make it a little easier to talk yourself into buying one.

They also do a manhattan rye that's almost too good to let vermouth touch.

Remy Marathe
Mar 15, 2007

_________===D ~ ~ _\____/

mojo1701a posted:

I guess I was wrong. I thought I read here that there was some trick involving eating the air in a less-than-half-full liquor bottle so the alcohol doesn't... something.

Glad I don't have to.
There are reuseable rubber stoppers with one-way valves and vaccuum devices (Vacu Vin makes one ), and cans of heavy gas that can sit on the surface keeping oxygen at bay that one could use if they were so inclined, but those are generally marketed more at wine to buy yourself a day or two.

Honestly I think even for wine it's more of a high-markup impulse upsale thing for liquor stores than anything else, but I guess if someone liked popping expensive wines with nobody around to help them finish it it might be worth the effort.

Killer robot
Sep 6, 2010

I was having the most wonderful dream. I think you were in it!
Pillbug

uncle spero posted:

Anyone else tried this stuff?



Distillery in upstate NY that uses all local ingredients. They're not very traditional but this 100% corn baby bourbon is my fav by far. Really sweet and lots of vanilla to it.

What I like about them is although they aim for the premium market they sell half size bottles for $50 rather than fulls for $100 to make it a little easier to talk yourself into buying one.

They also do a manhattan rye that's almost too good to let vermouth touch.

Seen the stuff, I haven't tried it though. I'll have to look it up next time I'm looking to buy something premium.

I didn't realize you could have a 100% corn bourbon either, I thought it needed to have more than half but under 80%. Looks like I was mistaken though.


Finally got around to trying that Bulleit Rye too, and that is pretty great stuff at the price. Thanks to all who mentioned that one.

Tigren
Oct 3, 2003

Killer robot posted:

Seen the stuff, I haven't tried it though. I'll have to look it up next time I'm looking to buy something premium.

I didn't realize you could have a 100% corn bourbon either, I thought it needed to have more than half but under 80%. Looks like I was mistaken though.


Finally got around to trying that Bulleit Rye too, and that is pretty great stuff at the price. Thanks to all who mentioned that one.

Ya, turns out that less than 80% thing hasn't been a law for about 40 years. Now regulations are mostly just "at least 51%" for distinctions as bourbon or rye.

Mikey Purp
Sep 30, 2008

I realized it's gotten out of control. I realize I'm out of control.

uncle spero posted:

Anyone else tried this stuff?



Distillery in upstate NY that uses all local ingredients. They're not very traditional but this 100% corn baby bourbon is my fav by far. Really sweet and lots of vanilla to it.

What I like about them is although they aim for the premium market they sell half size bottles for $50 rather than fulls for $100 to make it a little easier to talk yourself into buying one.

They also do a manhattan rye that's almost too good to let vermouth touch.

I had this a long while ago and really wasn't too impressed with it. I find it to be overpriced. Maybe I'll give it another shot though.

pork never goes bad
May 16, 2008

Remy Marathe posted:

There are reuseable rubber stoppers with one-way valves and vaccuum devices (Vacu Vin makes one ), and cans of heavy gas that can sit on the surface keeping oxygen at bay that one could use if they were so inclined, but those are generally marketed more at wine to buy yourself a day or two.

Honestly I think even for wine it's more of a high-markup impulse upsale thing for liquor stores than anything else, but I guess if someone liked popping expensive wines with nobody around to help them finish it it might be worth the effort.

In my experience the primary problem with leaving small amounts of whisky in a large bottle is alcohol or volatile flavor compounds blowing off, rather than oxidation per se. Vac-u-vin type devices could actually accelerate this. Also, since volatilization is not a uniform process and compounds will volatilize at different rates, the equilibrium concentration may be different given different quantities of air in the bottle, hence why deterioration is more rapid in a bottle with little left in.

If you really care, the three best options are drinking it all up, putting sterile glass beads or marbles into the bottle, or putting it into a smaller bottle. So while it is indubitable that whisky changes with a long time in the bottle with air, it does not necessarily deteriorate. For scientific purposes of course, next time you have an older bottle with an inch or so left, buy a replacement, and then compare the two side by side. There may or may not be perceptible differences depending on age, and if there are differences it is likely a toss-up which you prefer. I did this with Macallan 12 year, Highland Park 12 year, and Balvenie Doublewood a few years ago. The Balvenie tasted wretched compared to the new bottle, Highland Park I could tell no difference at all, and the Macallan I at first said it improved slightly, but then couldn't tell the difference blind so that may have been in my head.

Remy Marathe
Mar 15, 2007

_________===D ~ ~ _\____/

pork never goes bad posted:

putting sterile glass beads or marbles into the bottle
Do people do this? It's kind of a neat idea (more or less non-problem aside) I just never heard of it.

pork never goes bad
May 16, 2008

Remy Marathe posted:

Do people do this? It's kind of a neat idea (more or less non-problem aside) I just never heard of it.

I know a lot of people on whisky forums or in the mags talk about it as if it's relatively normal, but I haven't seen anybody own up to doing it themselves. The transferring to smaller bottles is much more common.

vincentpricesboner
Sep 3, 2006

by LITERALLY AN ADMIN
Just tried Booker's Bourbon for the first time today, I think I have died and gone to heaven.

Kenning
Jan 11, 2009

I really want to post goatse. Instead I only have these🍄.



Mikey Purp posted:

I had this a long while ago and really wasn't too impressed with it. I find it to be overpriced. Maybe I'll give it another shot though.

This is something I've heard from a number of people/reviewers about these new boutique American whiskeys. The thing is, distilling and aging and blending is an old man's game – most of the master distillers etc. at the big houses are loving ancient, since it takes a lot of waiting around and a lot of experience to nail something as finicky as barrel aging. It's partly why boutique gins have been so much more successful than boutique whiskeys.

Killer robot
Sep 6, 2010

I was having the most wonderful dream. I think you were in it!
Pillbug

pork never goes bad posted:

I know a lot of people on whisky forums or in the mags talk about it as if it's relatively normal, but I haven't seen anybody own up to doing it themselves. The transferring to smaller bottles is much more common.

Even if I saw need to do this, I'd be fretting at not being able to tell how much whiskey is in the bottle by looking at it.

Tigren
Oct 3, 2003

Kenning posted:

This is something I've heard from a number of people/reviewers about these new boutique American whiskeys. The thing is, distilling and aging and blending is an old man's game – most of the master distillers etc. at the big houses are loving ancient, since it takes a lot of waiting around and a lot of experience to nail something as finicky as barrel aging. It's partly why boutique gins have been so much more successful than boutique whiskeys.

Still doesn't excuse the $100/fifth price tag though.

Mikey Purp
Sep 30, 2008

I realized it's gotten out of control. I realize I'm out of control.

Tigren posted:

Still doesn't excuse the $100/fifth price tag though.

If the product were good, I would gladly pay those kinds of prices, but it rarely is. Distilling and barrel aging is a very pricey business, so I wouldn't be too surprised if they are more or less forced to charge that much for their product. It's just unfortunate that every time I buy a bottle of something like the baby bourbon, I wish I had just gotten Eagle Rare and saved myself ~$70.00

Hudlinkin
Dec 31, 2007
Any suggestions for good Irish Whiskeys? I've been drinking Bushmill's for a while but I'm wondering what else is worth checking out.

Kenning
Jan 11, 2009

I really want to post goatse. Instead I only have these🍄.



Powers is a great blend for cheap. It makes what may be the tastiest whiskey sours I've ever had. I've got a friend who's all over John L. Sullivan, which I thought was good, but not revelatory. If you want something off the hook you should spring for some Redbreast. Pure pot stilled awesome.

spankmeister
Jun 15, 2008






Don't forget green spot, probably the best Irish I've tried.

Jo3sh
Oct 19, 2002

Like all girls I love unicorns!
There's a shop near me that I hesitate to call a 'liquor store' or 'bottle shop' as it seems to be so much more than that. They have a beer and wine tasting room as well as regular beer, wine and whisk(e)y tastings. Perhaps the most distinctive thing about them, though, is the fact that the staff will happily spend an hour or more helping you choose a single bottle.

I think my wife is in love with their whiskey specialist. Last we were there, she picked up a Murray McDavid bottling of a 18yo Bunnahabhain (distilled 1992, per the label) and an 18yo Elijah Craig Single Barrel (bottled 1990). This was after long discussion and tastes of both.

So I guess my question is, what the hell should I call such a place that offers so much more than the corner liquor store?

Here's the unimpressive website of the place I am speaking of - no affiliation other than they let me spend money there sometimes:
http://www.wadeswines.com/Wades/main.html

Mao Zedong Thot
Oct 16, 2008


Jo3sh posted:

There's a shop near me that I hesitate to call a 'liquor store' or 'bottle shop' as it seems to be so much more than that. They have a beer and wine tasting room as well as regular beer, wine and whisk(e)y tastings. Perhaps the most distinctive thing about them, though, is the fact that the staff will happily spend an hour or more helping you choose a single bottle.

I think my wife is in love with their whiskey specialist. Last we were there, she picked up a Murray McDavid bottling of a 18yo Bunnahabhain (distilled 1992, per the label) and an 18yo Elijah Craig Single Barrel (bottled 1990). This was after long discussion and tastes of both.

So I guess my question is, what the hell should I call such a place that offers so much more than the corner liquor store?

Here's the unimpressive website of the place I am speaking of - no affiliation other than they let me spend money there sometimes:
http://www.wadeswines.com/Wades/main.html

"A good liquor store"

pork never goes bad
May 16, 2008

I'd call that a Wine Shop that also does some spirits and beer, but that's just me, and apparently Wade.

Windyblade
Oct 17, 2005

I hope we're still friends after I taser you.
Picked up a bottle of Four Roses Small Batch for around $30 yesterday based on recommendations in the thread and it's very, very good. Is Single Barrel a significant upgrade in your opinions? If so I might just have to spring for it on my next liquor store outing.

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logical fallacy
Mar 16, 2001

Dynamic Symmetry
I've heard mixed reports on the single barrel. A liquor store employee told me the Small Batch was better because then the Master Blender could create a specific flavor profile, whereas the Single Barrel was more left to chance. A liquor rep who had Four Roses in her portfolio told me about the same thing. But then I'll ask someone else and get a completely different story.

Whisky Mag has mixed reviews as well, not sure if this is from the same bottle/sample or not.

I think it comes down to luck in choosing a good bottle of the single barrel, which I've only tried once at a tasting and found it lacking in dimension compared to the bottle of small batch I had at home at the time.


Off topic now, I picked up a bottle of Laphroaig Quarter Cask the other day, and while I'm not a huge fan of really smokey peat (I prefer Island peatiness more than Islay) I must say I love this bottle and I highly recommend it.

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