whiskey

hm, I probably could get wild turkey. I'll keep an eye out for it

do they have rye in HK? maybe that would do the job? i know what you mean about kicking back with a nice drink after work but not spending too too much. bulleit is good for that here but i don't know if it's over there.

haha yeah I have one bottle of rittenhouse, but it's the one I brought over, and once it's gone it's gone.

cozen, taking into account the UK-availability & pricing issues, I'd say that either the Jim Beam Black (and £18 is a very good price for that here IMO) or possibly Buffalo Trace, which big Asda's stock, and was at £19 when I last bought, would be your best bet for a 'everyday'/'don't worry about actually drinking it' bourbon round these parts. Anything else is going to a significant step up the £££'s ladder.

I personally don't like Four Roses.

If you can find more interesting items than these (in real life, as opposed to online, I mean) for good prices then please let me know where...

yeah that's why i was wondering how much they cost in america, cuz although jb is nice it's in the same price range as discounted single malts

yeah this is p much the problem w/ drinking bourbon in the uk (rye's even more expensive)

can you get woodford reserve dayo? it's pretty reasonable and prefer it to beam.

nicer bottle for a start

there are american online stores selling it at £10.50/$16 tho i dunnno how much it wd be in irl stores w/ sales tax

(jb black label)

I think I will hit up some stores this weekend in search of good/cheap bourbon/rye

i am literally drinking balvenie right now. very good it is too.

― The sulky expression from the hilarious "Aubrey Plaza" persona (history mayne), Thursday, September 9, 2010 11:49 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

manageable hangover

could do with some now. difficult morning.

such a nice bottle, apart from everything else

Where are you thinking to try cozen?

Please let me know where and how you get on...

So, I tried to like scotch. I've had anything you can get in a bottle over in the States, and a lot which are shipped straight from the distillery to my local liquor playground.

Its just not doing it.

I feel like this makes me somewhat less of a drinker, qualitatively. Any opinions?

BTW - for cheaper bourbons, Beam Black is a total win. Smoother and smokier than Beam white label, and not expensive at all, as bourbons go. Woodford and I need to have a conversation or two.

I took a good couple swigs from my bottle of Knob Creek last night in an attempt to make myself feel terrible & of course it failed.

u are american; drink bourbon. no shame; scotch is kinda weird to me too

In my opinion, bourbon, or at least good bourbon, tastes like the more sophisticated drink. It simply tastes like sophistication to me, whereas scotch, and it's more earthy taste, seems guttural. It's weird to me that their reputations are almost the opposite. The one thing I respect the Scotch over Bourbon for is that there aren't any scotch whiskys distilled solely to be used in mixed drinks, at least none that I'm aware of. Scotch is not meant to be mixed with sugary sodas in red plastic cups. Whereas there are plenty of bottom shelf, aged 18 months, bourbons on the market that no one would dream of doing anything with except mixing with coca cola and feeding to this year's class of pledges.

I too am a big fan of Beam black for cheap bourbon. Very good stuff.

IDK the bottle of Duggan's Dew I had once really made me think there is such a thing as a bad Scotch.

well i mean nothing is distilled "solely" to do any one thing but anything produced in the u.s. and labeled "straight bourbon" is drinkable on its own.

iirc something aged only 18 mos. can't be designated bourbon anyway?

blended scotches are ok for mixing?

yes please

I had a friend who used to mix Glenlivet with Squirt and drink it out of red plastic cups. true story.

Pointing out an 11 year old article on Islay single malts Scotch from The Alantic Monthly:

Smoky Scotch, pt 1
Smoky Scotch, pt 2

Its an education, and the adjectives keep rolling...

haven't had enough good bourbon to challenge TRD above, except on 'guttural', really, and i guess everyone's got their own opinions on what works.

will share with thread that as far as Irish is to be distinguished from Scotch, bushmill's black is very much worth a try. neither earthy nor peaty. very smooth and sweet.

Beam White Label is the threshold to good bourbons. Everything less - Kentucky Gentleman, Virginia Gentleman, Early Times, etc. - they all suck much ass.

But Beam White is, relatively speaking, a perfectly fine bourbon.

How does everyone feel about Beam Black?

― Ultraviolet Thunder (B.L.A.M.), Thursday, November 12, 2009 2:47 AM (10 months ago) Bookmark

is early times really that bad? the store that used to stock beam black has stopped doing so. considering early times or beam white.

Pointing out an 11 year old article on Islay single malts Scotch from The Alantic Monthly:

Smoky Scotch, pt 1
Smoky Scotch, pt 2

Its an education, and the adjectives keep rolling...

― your message can reach dozens (Sanpaku), Sunday, 12 September 2010 03:58 (2 days ago)

yeah it's a good article, <3 islay malts

the article has convinced me to portion part of my next paycheck for a bottle of laphroaig

glenfiddich more accessible to start just sayin

eh, I've had single malts before - glenmorangie, highland park iirc

think imma try talisker next if i get a good price

ive got some laguvulin at the moment + i would def recommend

think imma try talisker next if i get a good price

― Chinedu "Edu" Obasi Ogbuke (nakhchivan), Tuesday, September 14, 2010 1:26 PM (13 minutes ago) Bookmark

do it

£25 in sainsburys iirc

it's a happy day when you see a legit single-malt for less

Current favourite: Tobermory Old Malt Cash 14 y.o. So salty.

Knobb Creek!

Gorgeous.

Too many b's in my excitement. But, yes, this tastes great.

Gentleman Jack is on offer at Asda for ~£23, compared to the usual £30+ here - worth a punt?

i had three tall glasses of canadian club & soda tonight -- i usually keep the cc around for manhattans, but wanted something simpler tonight. sobering up now.

I'm having those silly thoughts of buying a bottle of Sazerac 18 year old or George T Stagg again.

The thoughts are only silly because they're £100 each here. The desire keeps plaguing me though.

<3 stagg

did you get the gentleman's jack? i've heard it's nice but i've never tried it.

I did, but I haven't cracked it yet as I'm still totally in love with my Knob Creek, which I think is utterly wonderful.

sainsburys have 20% of a lot of spirits inc lagavulin, talisker, laphroaig, balvenie, glenlivet, balvenie :D

last one was sposed to be dalwhinnie

eagle rare treating me well atm.

also got to try the new maker's 46. i liked it a lot more than standard MM, which i'm not a big fan of. smoother but with much more of a finish, and more cinnamon than vanilla. worth a sip

aberlour 10 year. not super into anything peaty but it's got a bit of a sherry whiff to the nose and a sweetness to it.

it's a happy day when you see a legit single-malt for less

On the fucking money.

This is how I've proceeded in educating myself re Malt whisky. From memory, I have tried Bowmore 10yo, Laphroaig 10yo, Glenfiddich 12yo, Macallan 10yo, Bruichladdich (10yo?), Bladnoch (18yo?), AnCnoc, Jura (awful, don't buy it), Bunnahabhain, Glenmorangie and Talisker.

In terms of alcoholic drinks generally, I'm happy to drink almost anything - and appreciate it!

All the malt whiskys I've tried, I've enjoyed (oops - Jura the exception, bit bland) - all different.

I should say that the 2nd bottle of whisky I ever bought (the second whisky I ever tried!) was Laphroaig. Took me some time, but I LOVE it now.

I tried Highland Park a while ago, it was good.

xp wish i had tried that many scotches!

back on the bourbon front, i have a new bottling of four roses single barrel. it's intensely dry and spicy--a tough drink but i can appreciate its qualities.