whiskey

so i got a bottle of buffalo trace discounted, it's now bottled at 40% abv here and some people seem to be unhappy about this (also 700ml as standard rather than 750ml in america i'd imagine?)

could benefit from the extra alcohol but it's very nice and makes a change from laphy taphy

Wow, 40% is pretty low.

40% abv and 700ml? they are disrespecting your country and your personal integrity

yeah reducing spirits to the legal minimum is pretty common, although most of the better single malt scotches seem to be bottled at 43-46% which is alright but even at 40% scotch doesn't lose as much as bourbon

I just picked up a bottle of BT the other day, now I'm paranoid that it is lower % than previously.

nah i'm pretty sure this is a specific to the uk and the shitty market for imported liquors that ensures i only ever buy them at unusual discounts

the price of yamizaki seems to have skyrocketed too cuz i was going to get a bottle but it's into ardbeg territory now

only offender of perpetual proof-lowering in the US is JD, I think

those fuckers

me mum surprise me with a bottle of jefferson's rye last night.
yum!

ooh lagavulin 16 on deal at waitrose, finally time to try it

it was pretty outrageously expensive for what it was, but i just enjoyed a mini bottle of highland park 30 this week. it's a shame more distillers don't do mini bottles of their more expensive versions, since buying a full bottle would just be impractical, though it's fun to see what you'd be paying for.

Thanksgiving dinner with the whole family is great but when my aunt unexpectedly produced a bottle of 1792 Ridgemont Reserve, it got even better.

cool aunt imo

xps,

Not mini-bottles, as such, but Masters of Malt sells whiskey by the 30cl measure which makes sampling rare / old stuff much more affordable.

3cl, rather, 30ml.

wow, do they ever.

STRANDED ... NO WHISKEY ... DESPERATE ...

Snagged a bottle of Pappy 15 today. Mission accomplished.

well done

On Thanksgiving morning Dad produced a bottle of Knappogue Castle, which is an excellent breakfast single malt from Ireland.

Picked up the Lagavullin 16 yr old in Waitrose today. So tempted to get a couple of other bottles while there. The Lagavullin is excellent.

Recommend me an Islay scotch to get for a good friend (and ex)'s 50th birthday? I know he likes Laphroaig. I'd like to get him something that he'd be unlikely to buy for himself. $100 is my limit.

The Lagavulin just mentioned may fit the bill?

Was not paying attention! Good candidate.

lagavulin distiller's edition or ardbeg corryvreckan maybe

but the entry level (16 yr and 10 yr old respectively) versions of those are both excellent and i would always get two of them rather than a single premium whisky

i feel like this recently acquired bottle of rittenhouse has a mustier, more vegetal taste than i am used to.
is this a recent trend among current batches? was my palate misleading me? i'm not complaining, i like it, but it doesn't taste quite like i'm used to.

ian, can you check the back of the label where it says "distilled by kentucky d.s.p." and then there will be a number--let me know what that number is.

backstory: there was a change in where rittenhouse was distilled and i'm curious if you got one of the new bottles.

ardbeg uigeadail is amazing too, my favourite ardbeg I've tried

mine is 354 - is that a good #

354 is the old stuff...i believe the new stuff will be d.s.p. 1

I will never drink from this bottle again

to be clear i don't know if there are d.s.p. 1 bottle out there *or* if they taste different, but it would be mighty interesting if they did.

Q: If Dickel 12 is called a sipping bourbon how come I want to gulp it?

I've never had Dickel before, so I bought a bottle of 12 today. Not bad at all! Not a huge fan of Tennessee whiskey, and I do taste a hint of the charcoal, but for the price this might be one of the better bargains short of Wild Turkey 101.

I need a good bourbon or rye in the UK to make WHISKY SOURS. Any suggestions that aren't (a) majorly expensive or (b) Jack Daniels?

Dickel Sour Mash makes a tasty Whiskey Sour, not as deep as the 12 and it sits nicely with all the other elements.

Its $20 a bottle round here, don't know how much of a mark up you'd be paying in the UK.

it's hard to say w/out knowing much about what you can get in the uk. buffalo trace is available just about everywhere and is good. or pretty much any rye you can get your hands on since rye would be my preference for whiskey sours.

You'll be very lucky to get a bottle of Dickle for under £30 in the UK. Yes, that's $45, chums! This may give you a clue why I think the Van Winkle starting at £60ish over here is interesting. And why I nearly fall over when I go and look at liquor when I'm in the USA.

Difford's Guide uses Maker's Mark in its whiskey sours. I take no position on this (I don't drink sours much) aside from saying he's usually pretty reliable.

knappogue otm

woodford reserve? can you get that?

but i googled and found people talking about wild turkey 101 for £19.99 at waitrose, whatever that means

it's a bottle of 354, c.a.d. sorry that took so long to get back to you. i just fished it outta the recycling.
it did not taste bad just diff to what i wld characterize as the usual rittenhoues taste. a definite musty basement vibe which i don't recall being present in previous bottles.

Ooh, Wild Turkey for £20 should do the trick. Woodford is nice but a bit too smooth -- I prefer 'em a bit more trashy and semi-poisonous.

I find the concept of paying roughly $30 for a bottle of Wild Turkey slightly incomprehensible, that's the whiskey my friends drank when they were 17-19. That and rotgut vodka and gin.

Its the Fleischmanns of whiskey, (please don't tell me they make whiskey).

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gLJopL2jr3A/TJRRb0AdO6I/AAAAAAAAAMA/7uifTrIVyqI/s1600/Fleischmann's+Rye.jpg

Just looking at that makes my head ache.

I think you're thinking of Old Crow or Black Velvet or some other bottom-shelf whiskey

WT 101 is pretty good.

Tangentially related, I went to my local uber-whiskey (and food) joint, Longman & Eagle last weekend, and they did have Ancient Age, but not Ancient x2 Age. I got hopeful at first but was slightly dismayed when I realized it was just the standard stuff. I had a killer Old Fashioned instead.

X-post Nah it was Wild Turkey, drank in great quantities, often mixed with Faygo. And it was much cheaper then.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Turkey_(bourbon)

See the section under "In Popular Culture", maybe it was just the reputation it had in my neck of the Midwest.