whiskey

Ha, that's one way to do it.

I made it down there in time last year, not lookin' likely this year

I could do it, in theory, but that tweet is already 2 hours old, isn't it?

yeah, but they don't start until 6 and there's only one favorite so far

iirc last year I saw the tweet while I was in class, ended up making it down there about an hour later and they still had a couple bottles

they jack the prices up though

love this stuff

its good

my favorite kind is bourbon but rn i am drinking scotch

i'm trying to turn myself into a scotch person, there's so much more scotch to try and the bourbon scene is full of basic bottles and ripoffs these days

imo the problem with scotch in north america (or bourbon abroad) is the import/scarcity price difference

i don't think i'll ever prefer scotch tbh, but it's good to mix it up.

this shit is my jam always and forever. i like how it is in a genie bottle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willett_Pot_Still_Reserve

the bourbon scene is full of basic bottles and ripoffs these days

otm it is a huge problem

I do love good bourbon though

My wife bought a pint of OGD BIB 100 with the intent of making hot toddies and the didn't drink it... It's been a while but it's still really good.

that's a great mixing bourbon, i don't use anything else for juleps

a lot of people i know
for mixing use old crow

this shit is my jam always and forever. i like how it is in a genie bottle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willett_Pot_Still_Reserve

Have you tried the Willett 2-years coming out of their new distillery? Shockingly good for a whiskey that young.

Said it before on the bourbon thread, but Evan Williams Black is a good cheaper substitute for Jack Daniels if you are going to mix it with coke. I always got a couple bottles of Evan Williams bourbon around either the black, white (which is Bottled in Bond) or the 1783 which is my current favorite.

I know Churchill Downs switched to using Old Forester from Early Times for the Juleps at the track.

Drank a bit of Very Old Barton for the first time last weekend at band practice. It's pretty mellow tasting stuff. Not bad.

I'll need to look up that Willett. It's mind boggling how many different labels are out there.

Old Crow?!? Blecch

Old Crow is, probably literally, Jim Beam they wasn't aging right so they pulled the barrels early

I have the good fortune of having several good to great liquor stores in my immediate area. But yeah, the generally available stuff is pretty consistently average.

That being said, I have a lot of love for the Beam high proof bottles - Bookers and Bakers. I can always find them, even if I don't want to spend the $55 - $65 to buy them. I have also really come to appreciate Bulleit 10 yr. It really opens up, and has some really great spice. They have it at Trader Joe's all the time.

Really? I've had Bulleit 10 year and kind of found it overpriced and not really remarkable. I bought it at Target when it went on clearance for some reason for $28. It was a good deal at that price.

I got a bottle of Belle Meade Sherry Cask finished bourbon over the weekend and it is absolutely delicious. I really like sherry-finished whiskeys! Although I guess I've only tried two of them, this and Glenmorangie Lasanta. Still. Yum.

In other news, a week or two ago Elijah Craig 12 finally dropped the age statement. RIP, EJ12.

Best cheap whiskey is no-doubt Evan Williams BIB (white label). Bulleit, it's cheap, alright, but part of the sketchy rip-off problem, often courtesy Diageo, which has been pushing fake fancy juice on unsuspecting consumers for years now.

Still say Four Roses almost across the board produces the best, most consistent everyday product.

xpost Angel's Envy is port finished, isn't it? Same sort of idea.

fwiw Bulleit Rye, Dickel Rye, Templeton Rye, and possibly a few others are pretty much the same whiskey processed differently. there's a difference in taste profile but you can swap them for each other pretty easily.

Yeah the port-finished ones are also good! although I've only had the Glenmorangie one.

Need a scotch thread

whiskey thread! My go-to is Bulleit, formerly Makers Mark. When I'm feeling fancy, I'll splurge for Knob Creek. When regular Bulleit isn't avail, I'll go for Buffalo Trace, which is surprisingly similar. Maybe it's another for the list upright mammal?

Bulliet 10 yr is decent but yeah overpriced. It's a lot like the four roses single barrel (which is also easy to find), if you're into that type of bourbon.

Cask strength Maker's Mark is a pretty good bourbon.

Anyone try the jefferson's "ocean aged" bourbon? I have a bottle that I've been planning to give away but if it's really good maybe I should keep it.

Speaking of Jefferson's, if you ever see the "presidential select" you should grab it. Truly outstanding.

Jefferson's is another one guilty of some truly inspired levels of bullshit.

I bought knob creek smoked maple variation recently.
It's kind of gross and I'm not really sure why I did that.

What are people's go-to affordable whiskeys? I usually get Buffalo Trace ($35 here) but feel kind of in a rut.

$35 and under is what I think of as affordable.

imo there are a handful of duds between $20 and $35 but the vast majority is drinkable

Jim Beam Black, when on sale, is worth picking up imo

yeah that one, the OGD BIB100 as noted, and Four Roses are my go-to bottles

good choices

Weller also falls in that range and I've enjoyed it

I have had both the At Sea and Presidential Select versions of Jefferson's, thankfully they were gifts bc I don't think I could ever muster the will to pay $$$ for something like that. They were good, for sure! I think I posted about each of them way back itt.

imo there are a handful of duds between $20 and $35 but the vast majority is drinkable

― μpright mammal (mh), Thursday, February 4, 2016 1:49 PM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

definitely, its higher up in the price ranges that you can get burned ime. bourbon obviously an easy target for new wave "artisanal craft" bullshit w/ cool labels and bottles filled with garbage warehouse whiskey

good affordable (less than $40) bourbons imo:

woodford reserve, perhaps the best affordable bourbon
knob
elmer t lee (is this still around? i seem to recall they are not)
makers
dickel

bakers and bookers are also both good over $40 bourbons (both beam brand iirc)

this is useful to me. in the past I've done knob creek, dickel (#8 and #12... which are good but can be a bit much eventually?), evan williams single barrel, and some others. I usually have a bottle or two of old granddad or heaven hill or some other mixing bourbon.

maybe I haven't hit many of the unrecognizable duds because I tend to cap spending at $40

I've also enjoyed eagle rare but can't remember how much it costs.

yeah I like that as well

$30 or so iirc

Eagle Rare is what I get – $22 or so iirc
xp

makers is good but kind of expensive? it's the go to "i would like a good bourbon" but it doesn't really have anything distinctive. it also doesn't have any negatives! just smooth, drinkable, not too weak or burning