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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. 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.
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Nov 18, 2011 18:12
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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.
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Nov 18, 2011 20:54
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I'd call that a Wine Shop that also does some spirits and beer, but that's just me, and apparently Wade.
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Nov 21, 2011 18:43
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kidsafe posted:As for me I grabbed a bottle of Hazelburn 12yr and Compass Box Hedonism. I was glad to learn that Hazelburn has only the faintest wisp of sulphur/burnt matches, unlike traditional Springbanks. Hedonism of course is a different beast altogether. It's a puffy marshmallow...there is some bourbon-like quality to the whisky, but it's so much more subtle and rounded. I am a big fan of Compass Box, though perhaps oddly I definitely tend to prefer their lighter whiskies. Asyla is pretty delicious, as is Hedonism. I am very interested in trying either of their "Last Vatted" series, but am not willing to splurge for them for myself.
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Nov 22, 2011 17:35
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Kenning posted:I didn't know this and it's pretty hilarious. They should bottle it as "Macallan Select Sherry" or something. Market it like "this is the sherry that gives the Macallan it's GREAT TASTE." I bet it would sell, especially if they put it in the Whisky section.
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Dec 12, 2011 23:41
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Jibo posted:That Rarest Vintage Reserve was ~$240, I'm not up on the pricing of Irish whisky so I assumed that was where you'd start to get the real premium ones. If I'm off, I have no problem spending less money than I set out to. But yes, I do mean $250, not $35. I don't think I'd spend that on Irish Whisky, but that is just me. That said, for some of the tip-toppest Irish whiskies topping out around $150 try Middleton Very Rare, Connemara 12, or Tyrconnell's top end offerings. Redbreast is also very good, the 15 year in particular. There is also this at K&L which looks really good: http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1060260 ETA - if Redbreast is what you consider the pinnacle of Irish whisky, you owe it to yourself to try Middleton. ETA2 - is it ok to talk other dark spirits here? Like Calvados, or Cognac?
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Jan 18, 2012 00:55
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spankmeister posted:Never had the pleasure, but experts would disagree with you about Midleton being the pinnacle, instead Redbreast is widely regarded to be the best, by professional whisky tasters. I'm not sure if I think Midleton is better than Redbreast, since they are quite different, and there is significant variation in Midleton's bottlings from year to year. The 2003 was widely considered to be a flop, for example. That said, I've always found Redbreast quite bullish, a little closed on the nose, and perhaps too chewy and resinous on the palate. Midleton tends to be a little more floral, and a little more elegant. All that said, it's the same distillery!
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Jan 18, 2012 18:38
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GoGoGadgetChris posted:I can see the merit in having a cheaper bottle for spirit + Coke, but what's the consensus on cocktails? Is it worth it to use a quality bottle in a Sazerac or a Buck (assuming other quality ingredients), or is it best to let the good stuff be enjoyed on its own? Different varieties of "good stuff" will be more or less suitable for use in different cocktails. Since different whiskys have different flavor profiles, they complement cocktail ingredients differently. Sazerac's tend to benefit from whiskys with less pronounced sweetness due to the quantity of sugar in them and the desired final flavor profile. Mules, I'd tend to go the other way, but that's because I'd use fresh lime juice and a ginger ale with more fire and less sweetness. If you are planning on using Rose's and sweeter ginger ale, then a sharper whisky would be more appropriate.
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Feb 1, 2012 02:14
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Stultus Maximus posted:Anybody have experience with Speyburn? I saw it at the store around the same price point as Glenlivet. Insipid and utterly monodimensional. The sweetness is disgusting and off putting, and the raw, young, harshness is predominant. Avoid if at all possible, especially if new to Scotch.
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Feb 1, 2012 22:03
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wormil posted:Beginner recs up in the OP. Aberlour 12 is a little less than the Oban, and definitely a very good scotch for a new scotch drinker. It's a similar price to the Higland Park 12, less smokey, more Speyside honey. ETA - it's more representative of a style of scotch than the Highland Park is. Highland Park is (probably) a better malt, but Aberlour is more "correct." Aberlour is my second favourite whisky, right behind Highland Park, so while HP is a great recommendation, I tend to point people at Aberlour if they are bourbon drinkers looking to try scotch for the first time. pork never goes bad fucked around with this message at 21:43 on Feb 3, 2012 |
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Feb 3, 2012 21:40
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kidsafe posted:*shrug* I have a bottle of Speyburn 10yr in my cabinet. It's cheap, it's accessible...it should never be compared to a $5 handle of vodka. I'd directly compare it to AnCnoc 12yr if anything. Different distilleries, same owners, very similar profiles. For a non-whisk(e)y drinker, I'd definitely pour them Speyburn instead of Glenlivet, but that's me. The things you are saying about it are bad things, though. It barely tastes like a scotch, let alone a single malt, definitely doesn't have 12 years of barrel character no matter how long it actually spent in barrel. It's lack of whisky character may make it more accessible for a non whisky drinker, but why not just pour that person a bourbon and coke, or gin and tonic, or just vodka?
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Feb 5, 2012 21:51
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kidsafe posted:Since when are being cheap and accessible bad qualities on their own? And I said nothing of Speyburn not tasting like Scotch. What is that supposed to mean anyway? Caol Ila doesn't taste like Springbank doesn't taste like Glenrothes...what is Scotch *supposed* to taste like? Sorry - I didn't mean to imply that those were things you said. I still think that they are true statements about the Scotch. Speyburn is loving rank. It is absolutely the $5 Vodka handle of single malts. For clarification - cheap and accessible are not necessarily bad qualities, only when they are to the detriment of other things (like tasting good, or at least ok) that we might want in our Scotch. Other whiskys at that price point do the cheap and accessible thing much better. pork never goes bad fucked around with this message at 06:49 on Feb 6, 2012 |
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Feb 6, 2012 06:44
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Zeno-25 posted:It's been a while since I had a bottle of Laphroaig 10, but it couldn't be too different since as far as I know it's the same stuff just not diluted down to 80 proof. Because of that the flavor in general is more concentrated and powerful. I would say besides just the smoke/peat being stronger, the flavor of the sea comes through very nicely, as well as there being more medicinal notes. Laphroiag Cask Strength is not chill-filtered, whereas the regular 10 is. I don't know if that affects the taste much as I have never had the Cask Strength one!
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Feb 6, 2012 07:35
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Punt e Mes makes a quite nice Manhattan (or Manhattan variation, depending on what you think Punt e Mes is, I suppose). Martini and Rossi is another cheap vermouth that I'd recommend over NP if you're looking for a red/sweet vermouth. In a Manhattan made with Carpano Antica, I might skip the Bitters depending on the whisky used. Dubonnet can also sub for the sweet vermouth in a Manhattan to good effect, though that is definitely a different cocktail at that point.
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Feb 7, 2012 18:43
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What is the price of Glenlivet at Costco? Couldn't you pour that? Or one of the many, many inexpensive blends? There are a few that aren't bad.
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Feb 8, 2012 23:50
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I'd recommend branching out slightly - go to a bar and try the Macallan 12 year (Sherry cask) and the Macallan 10 Fine Oak, Aberlour 12, and a Highland Park 12. They are all very good, all common enough, have quite a lot in common with the Glenlivet, but with enough differences that they will give you some solid info about what scotch to buy a bottle of next. If you really want something like the Glenlivet, you could try a Jura bottling, or find an independent bottler's take on the Glenlivet. Natsea - I would suggest you try anything by Ardbeg, or Caol Ila. ETA  kidsafe!!! That'll teach me to leave a posting window open for ages!
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Feb 20, 2012 05:33
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You can find Vermouth in most any liquor store. Re: Grain whisky and blends. There are some really excellent blends, and some really excellent grain whiskies. Compass Box Hedonism is a Single Grain whisky, and it's really nice. Their Asyla blend is grain-heavy and is easily my favourite.
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Feb 26, 2012 07:19
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Healthy Spirits also carries Old Potrero.
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Feb 29, 2012 02:10
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Anyone try The Laddie yet? I've liked a lot of their whisky, but have desperately been waiting for older stuff. Their gin is, as David says, incredible. http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=995928&cid=EML-NewArrivals
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Apr 3, 2012 16:58
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Deleuzionist posted:Is anybody well familiar with the Auchentoshan 12 or older ones? I had a dram of the 12 which was otherwise nice but I was hit with a heavy alcohol aftertaste. Was it just a fluke or is this taste typical to the 12 or the distillery's other products? Auchentoshan as a distillery tends to produce whiskies with a significant level of burn, in my experience. I have had most of their range at one time or another, and have not been impressed. Recently bought a bottle of the A'bunadh bottling #32 - will write up some notes. For those who like sherried drams, the A'bunadh is amongst the greatest. Glenfarclas has some exceptional sherried whiskies too, and the 12 is a perennial favorite on my shelf. ETA - if you like Bruichladdich 12, try Jura. Same distilling team, and approach.
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Apr 7, 2012 00:48
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kidsafe posted:I had batch 37 of A'bunadh and it's still way too 'big' for me. In the Aberlour range, my pick is still the 18yr. Glendronach 15yr and 18yr are also fairly accessible sherry monsters...without low-medium peating in Glenfarclas. What I say is true about Bruichladdich 12, not about the distillery in general. The owners at the time, Jim Beam, brought the Jura crew over after the distillery officially mothballed in 1994 to produce some more, I guess. I think I read that on K&L's blog a while ago? And I just checked my bottle - I have 39 not 32! I love it, do love the Glenfarclas as I mentioned, but will have to try the Glendronach next. Sherried whiskies are definitely my favourite, and I like a lot of the fruitcake like character that you can only get with heavy sherry influence. I have been told that Bladnoch have some good sherried offerings, but have not had much chance to research yet.
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Apr 8, 2012 06:02
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You guys... Corked wine is wine that has been spoiled by TCA. It's got nothing to do with the flavor of the cork - uncontaminated cork has no TCA taint. Typically the taint is from the cork in the bottle, though to some extent TCA can be transferred through the cork from barrels, in transport, or at other times (some sources say almost never, some say half the time, it doesn't seem to matter either way to me). TCA is a metabolite of TCP, a common fungicide. There are a wide variety of bacteria (including Botrytis Cinerea, typically quite desired in certain sweet wines) and fungi which can metabolize chlorinated phenolic compounds into anisole derivatives like TCA. TCA taint in wine is detectable by most people in the parts per trillion range (as in 4 parts per trillion or so, not in the hundreds of parts per trillion range). That said, people habituate to it quite fast, so it's less detectable on the second sniff. In high quantities it makes wine (or other corked liquids) smell and taste flat, with the natural aromas suppressed. In larger quantities it smells musty, like wet newspaper, mold, a damp basement, or even a wet dog. Wine which is overly oxidized before its time would be described as prematurely oxidized, or premoxed. This is a big problem with White Burgundy right now, and people aren't exactly sure of the cause. Prematurely oxidized wines have an almost sherry like character. Often premoxed wine will be so due to air leakage as Wormil suggested, but it's often more complex than that, and is a long term result of some complex of factors between racking, aging, stirring, time on lees, barrel treatment,bottling style, sulfur levels, &etc. Premox is not a problem with whisky, but TCA taint is. If you ever have a bottle of whisky which tastes almost inextricably flat, and which seems to have no aroma, or at least none of the aromas you expected, TCA taint could be the culprit. You can order kits which contain bottles of various aroma compounds - wine flaw kits are some of the most fascinating. Smelling some of the chemicals that contribute to the negative aromas of brett bloom alone is enlightening in particular, since many of them in small quantites contribute a lot of the complexity that many belgian beers, Rhone valley reds, and Loire reds have. There is this almost farmyard, or barnyard, like aroma which in high quantities absolutely ruins wine, but which in small amounts has a sort of savory, funky, meaty thing going on that is delicious. Premox is not a real problem with whisky,
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May 19, 2012 05:26
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spankmeister posted:This is an excellent post, thank you. http://www.winearomas.com/ This is the gold standard for quality, but they are quite expensive. You can find cheaper ones, but they are often not as good. To add some actual whisky content, recently bought an AD Rattray vatted malt. It's a mix of Auchentoshan, Balblair, Benriach, and Bowmore. It's a vatting of 4 sherry butts at least 19 years of age, which were further married in sherry hogsheads. Bottled at approx 56%, this definitely needs water to bring it out of its shell. A lot of the typical sherry flavors were there, along with some interesting undercurrents from the blend selections. The Auchentoshan contributed a sort of floral sweetness that floated above the blend, with the Bowmore contributing a backbone of smoke and spice. I can't identify anything I'd specifically attribute to the other two, and for all I know they may be the ones bringing the spice, but the blend is certainly more than any Bowmore or Auchentoshan, or really any single malt I've had. I'm not sure that it's better than these single malts, tough - personally, as a sherry fiend, I prefer Glenfarclas 18 and Aberlour A'bunadh both.
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May 19, 2012 18:58
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That amount of mold certainly affects the aging environment. Many caves in the Mosel, Alsace, and the Rhone in particular the owners never clean, believing that the mold and such in the caves contribute to the expression of terroir of their wines. I'm sure a similar effect would be expected with whisky. Though as the person above who reported corked Longmorn mentioned, things are not exactly comparable due to the higher abv of whisky, higher intensity of flavors, and the often significantly longer aging.
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May 20, 2012 05:05
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Why do you say that? Presumably there is more than one kind of mold, and presumably more than one factor can contribute to taste.
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May 20, 2012 07:13
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magnetic posted:This is not at all correct, the previous poster explained what "corked" is. It is a fungal infection in the cork. That infection leaches "corky" taste into the wine. Maderized, oxidized, "cooked" wine is a completely different deal. I thought I had covered it adequately, but there we are. Nice to see the word Maderized though. Quick edit - I suppose I ought to add that TCA Taint can come from other parts of the winery/distillery - often the barrels.
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May 27, 2012 04:21
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Aberlour A'Bunadh!!! If he likes the Sherry of the Macallan 18, he'll love the A'Bunadh. Alternately, you could look for Glendronach or Glenfarclas in your range.
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Jun 27, 2012 03:06
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kidsafe posted:My description of Glendronach: Like Macallan, except better. That's a pretty good description of Glendronach! A'bunadh certainly needs a drop or two of water (I try to measure it down to about 45%).
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Jun 27, 2012 17:38
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Blue Label tastes more like Crown Royal than Scotch. It's been made to be smooth above all else. So it's got very little flavor more assertive than silky and caramely notes, little finish, and the alcohol kick is masked by, well, something. By the mouthfeel? Does glycerol mask perception of alcohol?
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Jul 9, 2012 16:48
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Caramel color is colloidal, and an emulsifier, so it's possible that they use larger quantities of lighter caramel to achieve a given amount of darkening with greater mouthfeel boosting properties. Either way, since that's the only permitted additive, they either play with that, or are doing it with the wood/aging/new make.
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Jul 9, 2012 18:00
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I like Evan Williams fine in bourbon drinks, but I am not specifically a bourbon fan. For gin drinks, or rum drinks, that I have I find most well liquors to be unsatisfactory largely because I like the base spirits a lot, and have a lot of context as to which varieties I like and dislike &etc. I'd suggest trying the well drinks, and seeing if they work for you. ETA - there is also a cocktail thread where you could ask this question.
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Jul 19, 2012 20:44
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Good (quick, simple) post on the K&L Spirits Blog yesterday - http://spiritsjournal.klwines.com/klwinescom-spirits-blog/2012/7/26/a-few-more-words-about-blending.html
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Jul 27, 2012 17:21
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Mr. Glass posted:Pretty sure they can't call it bourbon if it's not made in Kentucky. Bourbon can be made anywhere in the US. Broadly, the requirements are at least 51% corn in the mashbill, aging in new oak barrels, some specific requirements around proofs at various stages in the process (distillation, introduction to aging, bottling), and various other requirements for "straight" bourbon or whisky. EFB :---(
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Jul 29, 2012 06:28
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Aberlour 16 is really nice. Overall, as a big fan of sherried scotch, Aberlour is one of my two favorite distilleries. The 16 is less sweet, less candied fruit, than the 12. My favorite is the A'bunadh, a cask strength offering with no age statement (they use some extremely rich sherry butts in this, and typically use small quantities of younger whiskies to balance that out - since age statements are of the youngest whisky in the blend this practice can "undersell" an otherwise excellent whisky, hence no age statement). The 12 is sweeter, simpler, but with similar or slightly lower sherry influence. The 10 the same but more so. A'bunadh has the highest sherry influence of all, an unrepentant sherry bomb. Either way, you can't go wrong with Aberlour in my book. ETA A'bunadh varies from batch to batch - they're not trying to match a specific flavor, so much as make a very good single malt blended from a variety of casks of various ages, all sherry butts, that expresses sherry character in scotch excellently.
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Jul 31, 2012 05:52
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I can only second the suggestions thus far. Glendronach, Glenfarclas, and Aberlour are all awesome sherried scotches. If you want strong peat and sherry, Bowmore has a decent sherried offering, and there is a fancy vatted malt from AD Rattray floating about that's 19 yrs and heavily sherried (4 casks from 4 distilleries, 19-21 years of age, all first fill sherry butts, 1 highland, 1 lowland, 1 island, 1 Islay or something like that - maybe 1 Speysider instead of 1 island)
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Aug 8, 2012 00:55
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biglads posted:Tsk, Sherried Scotch? Mortlach is good, but the lack of availability is somewhat frustrating.
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Aug 9, 2012 06:21
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By that I mean it's a loving poo poo.
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Aug 9, 2012 06:22
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Bolocko posted:3. This is a bit off-topic, but there aren't really other spirits threads to field the inquiry: what are your favorite rums? Pusser's is one of my favorites. I like Lemon Hart 151, and Wray and Nephew overproof as well. Pampero Anniversario is also nice. Rum is one of the best cocktail spirits out there, with so many options, and since different rums taste so different it leads to a lot of variety. The cocktail thread would be happy to help with more detail, too. E - spelling
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Aug 15, 2012 22:14
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Alternately look at Rebel Yell. I prefer Rebel Yell, but I tend to prefer Heaven Hill to Buffalo Trace. That said, I'm new to bourbon, so don't quote me as it were. Rebel Yell is similarly priced to Weller. Also, and I may not be correct about this, but I think Weller Special Reserve stopped being a 7 year old a while ago, and moved to NAS.
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Sep 12, 2012 06:03
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wormil posted:Midnight Moon is made here in NC and I've been tempted to try it but it seems like a waste of money for $22. There's also Howling Moon at $25 and Troy & Sons out of Asheville that's $30, ridiculous. Heaven Hills makes Georgia Moon which is a more reasonable $12. But really, I don't see a point in unaged whiskey unless it's dirt cheap. There are some cases where I think the unaged whisky is, well, point-ful. Take Charbay's recent Racer 5 Whiskey releases. The white version was much better than the aged one - in the aged one you lost a lot of the hop character which made the stuff interesting, and it became humdrum. In the unaged one, though, you could tell you were drinking distillate of Racer 5. It tasted like Racer 5 in particular, not just like hoppy white whiskey. The new-make and young whiskey that people sell also often serves to fund new distilleries. In that case it's almost like investing in the distillery - something I'd do for somewhere like Kilchoman, less so for many of the generic American distilleries which are popping up everywhere. I think a lot of these guys could make better money by producing vodka or gin to fund their initial foray into distilling, whilst laying down whisky stock for aging.
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Sep 15, 2012 22:22
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