fill me in on whiskey!
 

whiskey = good shit.

which are the high value (flavor, smoothness, price) whiskeys to try?

is there such a thing as a smooth whiskey or is that part of it all?

what else?

sipping.


:)

besides being a cool shop in london, this website has a lot of info too - http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/

checking it out now, thanks, I noticed they don't have bourbon whiskeys, only scotch whiskeys. I guess bourbon whiskeys are primarily (only?) a USA spirit?

I am definitely no expert on higher end whiskey's but I am familiar with some canadian ones.

canadian club (cc) is decent, not too sweet. They distil it here in windsor. forty creek, wisers and gibsons are really good alternatives. I really don't like crown royal, it is popular but i find it far too sugary.

I prefer drinking it without ice or mix, but not often. I've had the same bottles for years...

forty creek caught my eye the other day at the store, looks good via google. I can't figure out what Canadian whiskeys are blended with, do you know if they are scotch or bourbon or ? I think I prefer the bourbon blended more but don't have enough experience to be sure.

:thumbsup

Jim Beam... $3.25 triples

a fellow AMerican! :1orglaugh

whenever I hear of triples, I always think of the george thorogood spirit blend !

Woodford Reserve, Wild Turkey 101 and of course Jack Daniels.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oban_distillery

my favourite (see what i did here?)

currently wrapping up a bottle of the Wild Turkey 101, fucking delicious! $20 for a fifth around here.

I'm thinking I need to plan a vaca visiting distilleries :thumbsup

I didn't see what you did there???????????? :1orglaugh

Bourbon
 

Bourbon Whiskey is only an American spirit. The other Amrican whiskey usually found is sour mash whiskey like Jack Daniels. Notice the spelling "whiskey" is for American products. "whisky" is the usual Scotch spelling.
I prefer The Balvenie in a Scotch. Although we went on our honeymoon to Jack Daniels, many a year ago. I've been to Scotch & Bourbon tastings and you can find stuff to die for. Or as W C Fields said, "died in a barrel of whiskey, O' death where is thy sting?"
Woodford is damn good and I met the maker of 40 Creek, when he was touring at of all things a wine tasting. But this store has a wine tasting plus liquors, foods cooks in alcohol, mixes samples. You name it. plus it's a grocery store & hardware store.
http://www.riversideredx.com
There used to be a local sour mash distillery a few miles from here. Not so good, but the free weekends were killer. They used it to bottle vodka, as you couldn't in Kansas, despite at the time 50% of all gin & vodka came from Kansas. The cheap neutral grain spirits stuff.
However my true passion is wine, I'm developing 15 web sites devoted to wine

i used the british spelling ;)

With so many styles and varieties to choose from, its going to be a lot of trial and error. Generally the more age that the whiskey has on it, the more mellow it's going to be. The Scottish distillers have a saying "Time takes out the fire, but leaves in the warmth".
I think bourbons are a good place to start, because of the high vanillin compnent of the new oak barrels they use, they tend to be a little sweeter on the palate. Try cutting it with a little water (just a drop, and make sure its decent water) and avoid ice, it kills the flavor. A few people have mentioned some good ones, Woodford Reserve, I like Blantons too.

As for Scotch, if you are looking for a place to start, try Macallan 12 or 15 to start (they have a high sherry wood component to them. Also Dalwhinnie is nice with a bit of a honeyed finish. Bowmore is a good place to start for Islays, sweet and smooth with a nice touch of smokey peat to it.

You could always see if there are any tastings in the area, quite often resturants will host them, especially in Feb around Robbie Burns day.

You can't go wrong with Bulleit and WhistlePig

I'm going to snoop around about the sour mash, I don't really understand that. I haven't had Jack in a long time either, I'll have to give it another whirl.

I've had a Dalwhinnie and you are right, wow, super good. I can't recall which one it was though, it was pricey, I remember that1 :1orglaugh

My country is #2 in whiskey consumption per capita. It IS good shit. ;)

Scotch - there can be only one... Macallan, but you have to go 18 yr or older. That is personal taste, but I would take a Glenlivet 18 over Macallan 12 any day.

for whiskey - who cares, youre gonna mix it with coke anyway! :upsidedow


Wanted to add, if you get the chance to go here its pretty awesome!
http://www.whiskycastle.com/Whiskcas...AAAA/home.html

All whiskey must be stored in a freezer before drinking! I find it makes drinking it straight nice and smooth :)

There's a guy on here who tried to tell us that he had a bunch of bottles of some valuable whiskey that was aging in the bottle (which doesn't happen with whiskey) ... we looked it up and it was like $30. :1orglaugh

It was one of the fake nick guys, and I don't remember his nick ... I have his posts filtered out, so I'd have to undo all of that to go look. He actually may have already posted here .. but be sure to laugh at him when he does.

As far as getting into whiskeys .. make sure you understand where your palate is and how much difference a "better" bottle of whiskey is going to make on your tongue. Unlike vodka, a "better" whiskey doesn't have much effect on hangovers, etc .. so really, you should only buy what you can taste.

Bourbons are an approachable start, so you can see what the low-end of the whiskey chain is like. Think Jack Daniels (they make a honey variety if it's too strong for you). Bourbon is very harsh, but Jack Daniels is a blend, so all bottles will taste very similar to each other. Try mixing it with a bit of water, or ice. I wouldn't recommend making a mixed drink just yet, as you're trying to develop an appreciation for the whiskey itself ... that said, Jack mixes nicely with Diet Dr. Pepper (the diet is sweeter, and goes better with the bourbon).

From there, you might consider moving to a Canadian whiskey like Crown Royal. This is a much smoother experience that Jack Daniels, and the finish isn't as likely to burn your throat and/or stomach. Here, you might be more able to drink it straight.

The next step is to go to an Irish Whiskey. I don't drink them, so I don't have any specific recommendations here. You'll see a good amount of varietals in the whiskey, whereas you are less likely to see that in American bourbon or Canadian whiskey. The microclimates of Ireland play well with the aging they do.

Finally, you'll want to check out scotch. This is what I drink. All scotch is made in Scotland, but it's still a whiskey. In the beginning, a blended scotch such as Johnny Walker Black will help introduce you to the genre. Up from there is Johnny Walker Blue, also a blend. Once you are used to scotch and appreciating the peaty taste, you will want to experiment with single-malt scotches. This is my primary drink, the single malt. Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie, etc, are good low-end (under $100) bottles. This stuff, you will want to drink "neat", meaning no ice, no water added. It's all about appreciating the difference from bottle to bottle (this is what single-malt does).

Consider joining us on /r/scotch if you develop a taste. Hope that helps!

Maybe I'm just a simple man, but I love me some Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey.

Do you guys have yours on the rocks? I can't enjoy whiskey or bourbon with ice.

I'm going to have to add scotch then. Looks like my liqour cabinet needs updating!

I always stock vodka, tequila and beer, but I'll be expanding my spirit pallete now

I'm only drinking this neat, no water/ice/soda, just sippin.

A lot of good ones have been named. You don't have to spend a ton to enjoy good whiskey. Forty Creek was mentioned. A few years ago when it was first introduced it was 7 bucks a bottle. Ever since it beat out Crown at a competition it is now selling for $18 here. My liquor store guy gave me the heads up before he raised it and I was lucky enough to get a case.

I love rye's. Builliet makes a good rye (and whiskey) not very smooth but oh so tasty. I usually add a splash of water, I know this is a sin in the scotch world. It really opens up the flavors on the higher proof rye's though.

Templeton Rye is also good although the company has gotten a lot of shit for lying where it was made.

Knob Creek Rye

Whistle Pig Rye

Find out what you like. I'm not a huge scotch fan although I do have a bottle of Johnny Blue I break out with a good cigar.

Good luck, tasting new labels is half the fun.

I don't even know if I've ever even tried a Rye! hmmm, I'll check that out.

This all started when I started watching Boardwalk Empire recently, great show too, turns out some friends drink the whiskey too. :1orglaugh

Yep, Boardwalk is what really got me into the ryes. I mentioned Templeton Rye. When they came out they originally claimed the recipe used was the same one Al Capone drank, that was proven bullshit. They still claim it was Capone's favorite Rye but now say their recipe is different versus the one he drank.

http://www.templetonrye.com/history/product/

Don't forget them irish though!

I'll have to try that too, my stomach is burning in anticipation :1orglaugh

dang, that's a drinking song eh.

AaronM is the guy to ask about Jack Daniels. He can tell you all about the special blends, which bottles are best, etc.

drinking Glenfiddich right now :glugglug

I have yet to even get any whiskey to my mouth without feeling like it's trying to set me on fire from the inside out - I'd make a terrible drunk - I am not into eating/drinking anything that fights me back. :1orglaugh

I bought a Bell of Lincoln bottle of Jack Daniels around 1980 and still have the bottle, beautiful bottle for serving. I always keep a bottle of JD in the house as many people drink it.
Someone said MaCallan Scotch, I've had the 18 year old and the 25, it is the best Whiskey I have ever had. I drink it chilled neat Or on the rocks.
Although I am a rum drinker and drink mainly Sailor Jerry on the rocks,
I do enjoy a good Scotch from time to time. Presently I have been drinking more wine. Malbecs seem to have my interest latley

Makers Mark is pretty good. I like trying new shit. But never bad shit.

AaronM and his wife did get me attached to tenesee honey for a minute. Its Honey Flavored Jack Daniels. Very Sweet.

Yeah, American Honey which is made by Wild Turkey was the first and the best of those whiskey's, the worse is Maple flavored Crown Royal, it's just plain nasty

I prefer Jim Beam to Daniels - I find it a little smoother (and slightly cheaper here in Canada).

Plus the Jim Beam distillery in Happy Hollow, Kentucky gives free samples to visitors - as opposed to JD being distilled in Lynchburg - a dry county...no samples.

Has seemed ironic that the county is "dry" eh? :helpme:error

so giving away free stuff makes people still buy it?

where did i hear that before...

You guys need to keep an eye out for Tincup...just released this year and has replaced Bulleit as my #1 Whiskey. If you like the Canadian type then I would suggest Pendleton.

:1orglaugh

Oddly, despite the free sample I got at 10am (breakfast of champs)...I still buy Beam. :thumbsup

Label me old skool.

the spirits get me in trouble. jd and coke this way when i do take in the devils nectar

good stuff folks! I haven't tried any of the honey whiskeys.....yet.

I have to be careful with it. I'm a sipper, prolly takes me 30-45 minutes to get ~shot's worth down the hatch. 2 shots worth is about the right amount for me to enjoy at a time.

What you missed in all of that wasn't about the liquor itself. If you knew anything about collecting it's better to have it in original packaging. You also missed the price I paid. For the 60 full sealed decanters in original packaging I paid right around $100. You might find a handful around here and there as descibed but even if we went with your $30 scenario I stood to make 1800% return if I sold them right then. I guess it's pointless in telling you how much I actually made selling all of the doubles and triples I had to a local establishment for display while keeping the others for myself. Let's just say I'm well ahead of you and your silver investments which was the point. For those that I kept and cracked open as I said then the ones that didn't have bad corks actually tasted great.

I've always liked the classics - Glenfiddich for Scotch and Maker's Mark for Bourbon, but since moving to Malaysia I've been turned on to Japanese whiskies and they are worth trying!

Suntory is the big label. They have about 6 different bottles - Single Malts & blends of varying ages. I was lucky enough to have a couple of glasses of their Yamazaki 25-year-old single malt - really amazing stuff. A tour of their distillery outside Kyoto is on my to-do list.

Nice article here: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-0...-s-finest.html

The bar where I was introduced to Japanese Whiskey: http://www.rils.com.my/

if you are the adventurous type, are willing to try anything once...

https://warosu.org/data/ck/img/0041/...9779449371.jpg


I myself find makers mark & bookers always satisfies my pallet.

:)

"If you know what I mean" ... :1orglaugh

George Dickle isn't that bad either

jack daniels honey is heaven

yeah i like that one too