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cbubbles posted:I'll just throw out Johnnie Walker Black for the list. It is widely available, has a smooth flavor and is a step up for anyone who might be used to just Jack Daniels... Hmmm, I would think Dalwhinnie 15 or Glenlivet 12 would be a little easier on a first time scotch drinker. JW Red was one of my first scotches and just about put me off the drink forever. kitten smoothie posted:I'll throw in Black Maple Hill, and second the Four Roses Single Barrel and Elmer T Lee. I've never even heard of Black Maple, who makes it?
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Feb 1, 2012 21:03
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Beginner recs up in the OP.
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Feb 3, 2012 20:51
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Voodoofly posted:I didn't notice much in the OP, so can someone give me a quick introduction to learning more about rye whiskey? I updated the OP but there isn't much to it. Like Voodoofly said, it's basically bourbon with rye as the main grain.
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Feb 7, 2012 06:34
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kidsafe posted:Speyburn 10 is always very consistent. It's slightly boozy as all 10yr single malts tend to be, but it's a steal at $19.99. I might buy it again at that price but it's $29 loving dollars here, I was so disappointed in it.
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Feb 9, 2012 18:26
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Voodoofly posted:Yeah, for $29 you can find much better Scotch. I got mine for basically $15, and $20 is about as high as I would go with it. Here you can't. The next cheapest would be Glenlivet 12 for $10 more. They have single malts between but I would have to buy them by the case.
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Feb 9, 2012 19:57
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Bought some George Dickel #12 last week and it tasted exactly as I imagined, a bit of pepper and maybe butterscotch with a little lingering sweetness but less than bourbon and not much else. It just kind of dies in your mouth. I don't hate it but I see no reason to buy it again and I'll be glad when it's gone.
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Feb 14, 2012 07:57
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Got an email yesterday from Woodford announcing Double Oaked will be available the first week of March. This will be their regular offering of what was the Oak Finish Master Collection. Great news for those of us who loved it. Hopefully it will be available in my state. Suggested retail is $50/bottle.
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Feb 18, 2012 05:09
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d3rt posted:Then I bought laphroaig and can't say the same. It tastes like campfire Yeah I didn't like the flavor either except I kept getting cravings for it.
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Feb 19, 2012 09:55
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I've been curious about Fighting Cock, a 103 proof, 6 year, bourbon by Heaven Hill (Elijah Craig, Evan Williams) and found it on sale ($12.50) so I grabbed a bottle. You might expect it to be thin, fiery and alcoholicish because of the age, price and proof but I was pleasantly surprised. There is definitely a strong rye content. It is not particularly complex but more so than Evan Williams or 1783. Quite smooth despite the proof. The first taste was almost off-putting but the aftertaste was pleasant and after a few glasses I would definitely buy this again. It would make an excellent cooking bourbon that you wouldn't be shy of serving on casual occasions. crazyfish posted:...does anyone have suggestions for a really great, preferably long-aged bourbon? The 20 year runs around $150, let's consider that a firm price point... The only long aged bourbon I've had was Elijah Craig 18 at a tasting and I was very disappointed. Just be aware that because bourbon ages relatively quickly, a long aged bourbon can lose it's best qualities if too long in the barrel so spend your money carefully. Personally I would never spend $150 on bourbon without tasting it first. The Woodford Master's Collection runs $100/bottle and is well worth it but their Double Oaked (a previous Masters) will soon be a regular offering at $50/bottle.
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Feb 24, 2012 08:18
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Schpyder posted:...and BT in particular has been caught off guard in regards to having a large stock of properly aged whiskeys ready to bottle... I don't know how they could be caught off guard when for years they've been touting themselves as the fastest growing distillery in the world. Considering how many companies they distill for, more likely they are just overextended. BT likes to give the impression they have been around for a long time but they are actually a young distillery. I like turtles posted:So, I get an extremely unpleasant soapy taste from rye and some bourbons I've had. Is this just what rye tastes like? Old Overholt and Bulliet Rye both had this. No, that isn't what they taste like. Maybe your dishwasher isn't rinsing well?
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Feb 27, 2012 16:35
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DoctaFun posted:What would you guys recommend in the $60-$100 range for Scotch/Bourbons? ... I don't like peaty scotches Oban 14 or one of the craft Woodfords
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Feb 28, 2012 09:36
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There aren't many ryes available where I am so I can't compare it to many others but if you like WT and like rye then I'm can't imagine you won't like it. I don't taste much difference between Russell's and regular WT rye though.
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Mar 4, 2012 21:33
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It's just a matter of what you drink. A few years ago I stopped drinking beer and rum and started drinking bourbon, then ventured into scotch. I'm not a snob by any stretch as I'll drink an inexpensive (but not well) whiskey if it's good. (e.g. Fighting Cock, EV 1783, Ancient Ancient Age) but I appreciate a well crafted whiskey.
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Mar 5, 2012 09:22
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Check if your local stores sell the Red Stag miniatures. It's 4 year Beam with Black Cherry flavoring. I got a free sample at the liquor store and while it wasn't as terrible as expected, I never felt any urge to buy a bottle. But flavored liquor isn't my thing, if you like mixing with soda it might be yours.
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Mar 6, 2012 04:25
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Ample posted:The same could be said of all awards in a sense. I was talking to a marketing person at IBM and she showed me a huge binder full of awards they had won. Being polite, I congratulated her to which she replied, "Believe me, we bought every single one and they were expensive." Her openness about it really surprised me considering her job. Content: I never really loved a scotch until I had Lagavulin.
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Apr 7, 2012 08:09
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Beyond a certain point, price is no longer about taste but about scarcity and uniqueness.
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Apr 12, 2012 20:27
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Any Columbus Ohio goons here? I'll be in Columbus this coming weekend and hope to visit a liquor store with a very good selection of bourbon.
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May 1, 2012 09:39
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I accidentally bought a bottle of Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve, 120 proof. It tastes like regular Knob Creek but very alcoholish even on the nose. A bit spicy, the usual suspects (oak, vanilla, pepper), but not much depth, a sweet corn finish. For the price I could have bought 2 bottles of EC12 and should have. It was better with a JR Cohiba Behike Laguito ripoff even though the combined spiciness ruined my taste buds for about 12 hours... think I'll go do it again.
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May 10, 2012 04:48
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NightConqueror posted:That's too bad, and a little odd, because I thought a lot of whiskeys do better at high proofs, at least flavor-wise. I think the whiskey was over-matured, it just had nothing left to back up that proofage. That's the problem with single barrel offerings, barrel choice is everything. Goes to show why Jimmy Russell is a legend and Fred Noe is an also ran.
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May 11, 2012 01:18
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Untagged posted:What is the consensus on Eagle Rare? I was at the liquor store and the clerk recommended that as a good starting point for straight sipping but also cheap enough to mix and not feel bad about it. I've enjoyed it so far. Bought a bottle a couple years ago and just remember neither being impressed nor put off. Never felt any urge to buy it again.
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May 14, 2012 23:40
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beefnchedda posted:I am trying to pick up a belated mother's day gift and my mom has recently gotten into bourbon. She says she enjoys Woodford and Bulleit, but not Eagle Rare. Unfortunately, she is not able to describe her likes and dislikes with any clarity. Any recommendations on bourbons that I should have try? I was leaning towards Four Roses Single Barrel. Yeah if she likes Woodford then the Masters Collection or the new Double Oaked are close to sure bets. 4RSingle is also a good choice as is Small Batch. Off the reservation a bit would be Bakers at 107 proof it'll put some gitty up in her go; but really it is smooth and very drinkable. From what I remember about Eagle was it being very sweet and somewhat "thin" if that helps.
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May 17, 2012 20:02
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I always thought corked meant the wine oxidized from air leakage.
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May 19, 2012 02:00
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pork never goes bad posted:You guys... Corked wine is wine that has been spoiled by TCA. Yeah I googled it after posting but my phone wouldn't let me edit so instead I poured a glass of the disappointing Knob Creek Single Barrel and lit up a maduro cigar to kill the taste. On the bright side, the Knob Creek is all gone. Seriously though, whether it's corking or something else, I've had bottles of whisk(e)y that were just... crap, but that typically get good reviews (e.g. $40 RedBreast, $55 Bookers, $45 Knob Single). The Knob I believe was just a poor barrel choice. The Bookers tasted like dust and alcohol, something was very wrong with it. The RedBreast had nothing, generic whiskey with a somewhat metallic taste. It makes me appreciate labels like Elijah Craig, Wild Turkey, and Woodford that maintain a high degree of consistency.
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May 19, 2012 09:35
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kidsafe posted:If there ever was a brown spirit that benefits from ice, Booker's might be the one. Baker's is the one out of the Beam Small Batch selection that I would gravitate toward. Well Bookers is something like 126 proof. Bakers is the only Beam product that I really like although Knob regular isn't bad.
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May 20, 2012 02:34
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duckstab posted:I can't think of any warehouses in Scotland that are climate controlled, poor yanks must have huge power bills. I don't believe most US whiskey barrel warehouses are climate controlled other than vents and maybe fans to let excess heat out in the summer. According to kidsafe the warehouses at Buffalo Trace have crude climate control although I don't remember that being mentioned during the tour. I know the Wild Turkey warehouses are not climate controlled and they can tell you almost exactly how long it will take each barrel to mature based on it's location. Micro-climates in the warehouse are why age statements on whiskey are only generally useful as some barrels could mature a full year before another in the same building.
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May 21, 2012 02:27
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Paramemetic posted:Also, I grabbed a bottle of Evan Williams to try as a utility bourbon, it's quite good for the price. 1783 was my "utility bourbon" until I tried Fighting Cock which blows it out of the water. Give it a try.
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Jun 12, 2012 09:33
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Capt Murphy posted:Bulleit ... And the frontier medicine bottle is super cool. My wife thinks I'm an idiot for keeping an empty Bulleit bottle on the mantle in my office man cave. Not a big fan of the drink though, tried it twice and the first bottle was good and the second not. There were goon reports in the old thread about it being inconsistent. Maybe it's better now?
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Jul 25, 2012 02:24
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Hubbins posted:...but the Laphroaig... My first taste of Laphroaig really put me off but after a day I couldn't stop thinking about it and wanted more, then I just kept wanting it. It's odd because I wouldn't say I like it but something about it has me on the hook.
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Jul 27, 2012 23:58
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Jakabite posted:What's the general consensus on JD? That it's a dandy if you want to get drunk on something innocuous. JD is the Budweiser of American whiskey. That said, if I go into a bar with a poor bourbon selection I will sometimes order JD.
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Jul 28, 2012 10:30
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Jetfire posted:I don't know if it's that bad. JD is one-note, but straight-forward and distinctive in its own charming way. If you're with buddies at the bar and they all want to take shots of some other bar-rail bourbon, you can more easily convince them to upgrade to JD instead of a top-shelf bourbon. I didn't mean to imply it's bad or low quality, just that JD is made for mass consumption and not interesting as a sipping whiskey. Perhaps calling it the American Crown Royal is more fitting. Supposedly it meets the requirements of bourbon but it doesn't stand up if compared that way. I don't dislike it but like Makers, you can buy much better whiskeys for the price.
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Jul 29, 2012 00:41
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New premium wheated bourbon from Heaven Hill... Larceny. Average retail is $25/bottle; 92 proof. http://www.heavenhill.com/detail/145  Named for John E. Fitzgerald who was a distiller of premium bourbon after the Civil War. Years later it was revealed that Fitzgerald was actually a Treasury Agent pilfering bourbon and reselling it as his own. First impressions (tl;dr similar to Maker's Mark but favorable): http://www.whiskyadvocateblog.com/2012/07/27/some-new-bourbon-and-rye-whiskeys/ http://lewbryson.blogspot.com/2012/07/heaven-hills-larceny.html North Carolina is on the list so if I can score some, I'll post my thoughts.
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Jul 29, 2012 10:18
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attila posted:From what I've heard, Jack Daniels reuses their barrels which is why even if the mash bill is similar to a typical bourbon, it can't be called bourbon. They probably bu quite a few older bourbon barrels since they're only used once for bourbon. Tennessee Whiskey is just bourbon made in Tennessee. quote:NAFTA: Annex 313: Distinctive Products
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Jul 29, 2012 20:38
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While it may meet the legal requirements, Dickel is really terrible when compared as a bourbon. A better recommendation for a sweet bourbon is 1783 especially since you are already fond of EW. Eagle Rare is also quite sweet.
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Aug 14, 2012 17:15
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Bolocko posted:1. Have any of you had a whiskey bottle uncork itself? 1. Was any missing? Maybe you have a gremlin drinking your booze after midnight. 2. Screwdriver or Tequila Sunrise. Evan Williams 1783 is good introductory bourbon for mixing or sipping. 3. Zaya. 4. No idea.
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Aug 15, 2012 08:18
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22 Eargesplitten posted:What do we think about Buffalo Trace? I remember a guy at my friend's birthday party saying it was really good, but I didn't try it since I was driving. There's a place in town that has it for $19 per 750ml... BT is not one of my favorites but it is a very good bourbon for $19.
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Aug 17, 2012 17:26
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22 Eargesplitten posted:Found it at another place for $18 while I was looking for 1783, so I ended up grabbing a bottle. According to this, it's hand-selected by the store from a certain barrel, not sure exactly what it means. Smooth to me means well balanced to the point where the alcohol (especially in a higher proof) is cancelled by other flavors. I consider WT101 very smooth; perhaps the smoothest American whiskey. Oddly I didn't care for Evan Williams expressions (including single barrel) except for 1783 which I really like and believe to be an exceptional bourbon in it's price range (under $15). My biggest complaint about the EW line is that it tends to be sweet even for bourbon. BT, I don't know, I'm happy to drink it but not enough to choose it over other bourbons. A couple years ago it was sold for $30 here (state liquor store) and it really didn't compete well in that price range. Then the price dropped to $21 and is now back up to $25. In those price ranges I'd much rather have an Elijah Craig 12 or Wild Turkey 101 which are less, or Russell's Reserve which is only a couple dollars more.
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Aug 21, 2012 05:35
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For something a little different I bought a bottle of Tap 357 Canadian Maple Rye Whisky. Maple syrup overwhelms both the nose and pallet and rye is deep in the background. The rye blend is 3-7 years old and my pallet tells me much closer to 3 than 7 which is a shame as the immature rye doesn't complement the maple well and leaves an alcoholic aftertaste on the back of the tongue. Tap is the sweetest whisk(e)y I've tasted, it's almost American Honey levels of sweet. A little water dulled the rich sweetness and helped the immature rye fade a little further into the background. I kinda like it but I suspect it will go over better as a mixer.
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Aug 25, 2012 22:55
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wormil posted:New premium wheated bourbon from Heaven Hill... Larceny. Average retail is $25/bottle; 92 proof. Just cracked open a bottle, first impression it is sweet and oaky with more pepper than I expected from a wheated bourbon with a bit of sour corn whiskey finish. Cost was $30 with a $10 rebate which I promptly mailed in. At $30 I probably wouldn't buy it again but if it drops to >$25, definitely. I would buy this in a heartbeat over Makers. Incidentally the bottle looks nicer in person.
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Sep 12, 2012 03:46
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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.
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Sep 14, 2012 06:16
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| # ¿ May 9, 2024 16:34 |
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The glenlivet is a good choice, it's milder and more approachable for someone not used to Scotch. You'll probably find JW harsher and less enjoyable.
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Sep 22, 2012 01:15
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