whiskey

i'm not big on bourbon, would chose scotch over it just about always (but i don't like laphroaig)

Virginia Lightning is awesome stuff.

Legal moonshine, actually.

Laphroaig is way too peaty for me, but I'm not really a fan of the Islay scotches.

it's all a mood thing--i always have a bottle of each in the home bar at all times. bourbon is much better if yr out with friends (though dewar's and ginger is a good go to mixed drink at bars), and lately i've been wrapping up nicer dinners with some scotch since i have no use for coffee at that time of day. i expect as someone was alluding to upthread i'll go w/more scotch as it gets cooler out.

i'm a week late but bulleit is fucking awesome.

Is there as much a divide, as I see, between Scotch and bourbon drinkers? I mean, I'm never gonna turn down a glass someone offers me, but I GREATLY prefer bourbon to Scotch. I don't even keep Scotch in the house, despite my acknowledgement of it being a great liquor of the world.

came into whiskey intrigued by both. gradually i've realized that i definitely prefer bourbon. tennessee whiskey too. can't nail it down exactly but i've tried some scotches that do nothing for me, but in just about every bourbon i've tried i've found something i liked (tho tbh i haven't tried the low low end shelf bourbons). i'll prob regret saying this once 'my palette is more refined' but i'll defintely take an average-to-modestly-good bourbon or tennesee - your g. dickel or maker's - to, say, a glenlivet or something like that

tho i guess glenlivet is pretty middle of the road wrt moderately priced scotches? i don't know.

also anyone try michter's whiskeys? they've got a rye whiskey, a bourbon, and an unblended american whiskey. want to buy b/c they look good and aren't horribly expensive (mid-$30s)

From what I remember about michter's it's a bit brighter than a maker's or something, but I could be totally wrong cause I haven't had it in 2 or so years.

I am on my way to buy whiskey right now, actually... What will I get?

get g. dickel if you're looking for something not too expensive. i will rep for this whiskey non-stop

glenlivet is on the low end of single malts, price-wise
not a great scotch, but serviceable

a friend recently traded a piece of his art to his liquor store distributor boss for a $750 bottle of Ardbeg that was as old as me. i'm 36. my friend shared and it was a landmark experience for me for real. that stuff got me high. oh man. imagine laphroaig but more deep than bright and complex beyond, well, what i'd imagined it could be at least. very round and simple finish though and left the tongue numb. oh man i want some more. sigh. mh, you wouldn't like this one though. if Laph is too peaty-islay, this one would turn you off.

oh, and this friend did have a bottle of the regular 10 or 12-yr ardbeg and it was good. but more $$ than laphroiag, the quality of which makes it kind of a bargain in comparison

get g. dickel if you're looking for something not too expensive. i will rep for this whiskey non-stop

― mark cl, Tuesday, September 22, 2009 10:19 PM (11 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i can't even imagine what that tastes like xp

i got bulleit. and some sazerac rye.
and regular and orange bitters.

i love scotch and whiskey with equal ventricles of my <3

john, that is fucking poetic.

i enjoy sazerac.

sazerac is one of my favs, just wish it was cheaper over her in the uk

i've yet to see sazerac in shops

blanchard's in allston!

on the question you raise:

the only really nice scotch i've spent enough time with to really say anything about is laphroaig, which i love for v. specific reasons and want to drink once every couple months. i have had some of the more common single malts and they're nothing special. i do like dewar's and stuff as a cheapish sipping drink or highball drink--it's pretty smooth and tasty.

i do agree that bourbon/tennessee is prob a bit more agreeable to my palette overall. but i've also been enjoying canadian club recently so maybe i don't know what i'm talking about.

god i wish bulleit was broadly available in england

― thomp, Wednesday, 19 August 2009 15:36 (3 minutes ago) Bookmark

it is! thresher's/wine rack stock it.

― joe, Wednesday, 19 August 2009 15:40 (1 month ago) Bookmark

My local Threshers closed down yesterday and I went in and bought a bottle of bulleit for 20% off. And then, as I was talking to the woman she was all "ah, fuck this company" and threw in another bottle for free!

May have been a shitty week but sometimes I love life.

bulleit is really good imo

lots of cedar

there are few things better than free alcohol.

last night i finished off my Macallan 10yr (fine oak), which i've enjoyed very much. now looking for something similar, sweet not peaty, not really wanting to pay more than 35-40€. any tips?

i'm trying to figure out my next bourbon purchase, suggestions?

prob don't want to spend more than $40, would maybe go up to like $45. want it to be really interesting - i have a really close friend/whiskey buddy who's been going through some rough financial times who's visiting in a few weeks and i want to have something really good on hand for him to try. dude needs some cheering up. what do you say?

i don't really know single-malts all that well but do you like highland park? is that comparable at all to macallan 10

have never tried highland park. i think it might be a bit more on the heavier, smokier side than what i'm looking for? seem to have some good stuff in my price range tho

I'd just like to take a short moment to genuflect upon the wizened grimace of Old man Overholt. Mixes a finer Manhattan than any bourbon.

he makes a damn fine old-fashioned too

single malt classification:
http://www.whiskyclassified.com/classification.html

Has anyone tried the Suntory/Yamazaki whiskies? I am curious but I don't know if that's just because lol japanese scotch

I thought I just posted this but it seems to have vanished. er

i have always wanted to but they're a bitch to find

i know one bar that has one of them but it's the kind of place where i would feel like a dork ordering that

Anyone ever had Blanton's? Best bourbon I've ever tasted, hands down.

the japanese whiskies are real good apparently but yea i never see them either

xp blanton's, no i haven't... ok yea i've seen it tho, cool bottle

http://www.winespecialist.com/ecart/img/productImages/blantons.JPG

how much does it run for?

McClelland's bottles a nice peaty, islay single malt that's pretty worthy for someone who wants Laphroiag-like flavor but doesn't want to pay for it all the time. It's available around here for under $25! it's the least expensive islay scotch i've seen available. recommended.

Of the other McClelland's single malts, I've had the highland variety, but you could go even cheaper and do better I think.

One of the Yamazakis has started showing up in Tesco. And there's a whisky shop here that stocks like four different variations.

Ha, according to that link McClelland is a subsidiary of a subsidiary of Suntory.

xxp I've only seen Blanton's at one store around my house, and it was $54. $9 a glass at the bar. If I had a job it might almost be worth it.

i'm thinking i might go w/ the michter's i saw in the shop the other day

I did a favor for a friend and his parents, who dont drink anymore, gave me a gallon bottle of Chivas that they have had lying around for 40 years. It says 12 years old on the label, so its 52 years old. It's so goddamn smooth its dangerous.

interesting, bill. that actually brings up a n00b question i was wondering about tho - does aging matter once the whiskey (or wine or whatever) is bottled? or is it only the barrel/cask aging that matters?

i.e. i know that the wood in the barrels are responsible for so much of the flavor and color, so once it leaves the barrel and is bottled, is still "aging" ("aging" as opposed to just, um, getting older)

okay yea i'm a dumbass - i just thought about wine cellars and all that so yea if it's stored properly it definitely continues to age

I am not sure either. This is the first really old whiskey I've had. It's really smooth, there is almost an apple-like aftertaste to it. There is no bite at all.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=1006020304959