World of Whiskey

[time]

Scotch AND Bourbon! Some of those in my collection, in no particular order:

Bourbons:
Pappy Van Winkle (12, 15, 20)
Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch
Jefferson's Presidential Select 18 Year
Parker's Heritage Barrel Select
George Stagg
W.L. Weller

Whisky:
Aberlour A'Bunadh
Lismore The Legend 21 Year
Glenrothes 1985
Glen Garioch 1994
Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or
Scapa 14
Balvenie Caribbean Cask
St. George Single Malt
Dalwhinnie
Compass Box Flaming Heart
Compass Box Spice Tree
Red Breast 12 Year (and Cask Strength version)
Rendezvous Rye
Templeton Rye
Sazerac 18
Russell's Reserve (6 year is a deal) rye

[kassdnb]

Yea... Jameson's a good standard and usually nobody rejects a shot, except for the pussies and die hard JD heads.

I slowed my drinking a lot the past 4 years, but I'm sure I've drank a few barrels in my time. And the 18 year Jameson is very nice! Not sure how much it is now, but about 6 years ago a bottle went for around $80 and it's definitely worth it.

However I was a HUGE Kentucky Straight Bourbon fan... And THESE were my babies:



Booker's batches were always different, but aged the longest with the highest alcohol of the 4.
Bakers is the mids, and Knob is the regs. But very tastey and strong (alcohol and flavor). Kind of like Bulleit Bourbon.

And the Basil Haydens I usually didn't hit very often, but still good.

Also when sipping a glass of bourbon/whiskey I recommend adding a splash of water. It really helps spread out the flavor and is a little easier going down when you're drinking all night. And I've also read some articles saying to add a teaspoon of water to a shot to enjoy the flavor more.

But yea, good luck in your endeavor... But tread lightly and respect the whiskey!!!

[Fattyramone]

It sounds like you like bourbons and Irish. You may not want to jump to Scotch right away, the extra funky flavors might turn you off. If you get tired of bourbon's sweetness but like it's character, try some good ryes.

Jack Daniels is not whiskey. It's crap.

I almost never drink bourbon anymore, I've switched to rye, Canadian, and the few Scotches I know I love. I feel like bourbon is too sweet, rowdy, and obnoxious, whereas other whiskeys, you can relax with it and see what's going on.

My recommendations for brown liquor that ain't rum:

-- Balvenie Doublewood. Scotch, without the George Clinton Funk Factor. Incredibly delicate and delicious. Angel tears. My favorite liquid on earth.

-- Cheap rye is a great mixer in "bourbon" cocktails. Old Overholt is a good one that's easy to find, I prefer Pikesville but it's disappeared over here.

-- Jameson is too toffee/candy flavored for me. I prefer Bushmills for Irish -- thin and crisp -- even if McNulty has issues with it.

-- Buy your expensive hooch at Costco. I got a Lagavulin 16 for like $54 the other day.

-- Of the big name bourbons, try Knob Creek and Woodford Reserve, and maybe even Maker's Mark, for your baseline of "this is what good bourbon tastes like" before moving up to pricier stuff. Also, don't neglect the old standby stuff like Jim Beam (low end, but a handle on the shelf is what you want when your buddies want to mix with Coke) and especially Wild Turkey (the 101, naturally).

-- The "medium batch" bourbons vary wildly in taste and character, so you'll have to try them all (oh no). Big names with big followings (and occasionally, big price tags, but all these are well under $100) are Eagle Rare, Buffalo Trace, Basil Hayden, Dickel, Evan Williams, Four Roses, Pappy Van Winkel, Blanton's, the high-end Wild Turkey stuff like Rare Breed, Elijah Craig, etc. Hit your local liquor store and treat yourself to a bottle every six weeks, pretty soon you'll have a great collection of tasty treats going.

-- My go-to "cheap" Scotch is Famous Grouse. You can get a handle for like $30-35 I think. A very good, very "Scotch" Scotch. A little funky, not ridiculous. With Scotch, go no cheaper than "a few dollars more than the junk." The junk is junk.

-- Above all else, taste. Our truths do not extend to your tongue.

He pretty much nails it for me.

I sell the stuff for a living and ocassionally , just occasionally , someone will order a quality malt and ask for it to be mixed with a coke ...i feel like spitting in it ...philistine.

[finneganm]

It's not cheap by any means, but every year on my birthday for years I bought myself a bottle of Middleton. That tastes like heaven. Don't drink much whiskey these days, but mmmm.

[Danno1]

I like Bulleit also.

Anyone into any spirits will love this book, American Still Life: The Jim Beam Story and the Making of the World's #1 Bourbon. Absolutely one of the best books I have ever read.

[mtarail]

This is another great thread. I used to prefer scotch, but over the past year I've started drinking pretty much exclusively bourbon and rye, when I want to drink the hard stuff. To the OP, I HIGHLY recommend that you peruse this dude's blog.
http://sourmashmanifesto.com/

He's very passionate about his bourbon and rye, but his reviews are pretty spot-on, for the most part. If you check out his youtube clips you'll get a good idea about what's going on in the world of bourbon. Bourbon is a strange thing. When you go to the bourbon aisle, there are a ton of "brands". But if you start looking into these brands you'll see that the vast, vast majority of products that you see at your local store will be produced by a handful of companies. Then you have the world of limited releases...which is another ball game.

But back to your original question...
Russell's Reserve is a great bourbon, imo. Some other good ones below $30 are Eagle Rare and Wild Turkey.

If you can spend a little over $30/bottle, I'd recommend Rowan's Creek, Four Roses single barrel, Knob Creek single barrel 9yo, and Old Rip Van Winkle 107 (that one will probably be hard to find.)

I generally prefer ryes and spicier bourbons. Some great ryes that I'd recommend are: High West Rendezvous Rye or double rye, Willet's single barrel rye. Rittenhouse is a pretty damn good rye too, and is cheap. Same with Bulleit.

Beware, getting into the world of bourbon and rye can be as dangerous for the wallet as getting into prints. There are some very expensive bourbons and ryes out there.

[FroDawg]

I haven't read every post closely but a couple that I didn't immediately notice are:

Kentucky bourbon: Black Maple Hill singe barrel, somewhat hard to find but <$40

Irish: Yellow Spot. Not available in the States but got some while in Ireland last year and want more. €50 at Dublin airport duty-free.

[scumbugg]

Denver is ga-ga for beer.

But whiskey is gaining in popularity! We've got Leopold Brothers, Peach Street, Breckenridge and my personal favorite, Stranahan's.

[poopsicle]

Denver is ga-ga for beer.

But whiskey is gaining in popularity! We've got Leopold Brothers, Peach Street, Breckenridge and my personal favorite, Stranahan's.

Yea I'm finding that out. I actually wanted to get the Breck last night but $40 at Argonaut was a little more than I wanted to spend at the time. I've had Stranahans. Love supporting Colorado anything at this point haha

[sidewaysscott]

Here's my current whiskey collection. Just finished the Breckinridge. In the left decanter is templeton rye and on the right is knob creek.

[poopsicle]

as far as decanters, does the same logic apply to bourbon as it does to wine? as in letting it breathe?

[alittle]

I prefer to serve from the bottle. Wine matures up until the day you open it, whereas Whiskey matures in the cask only, and remains relatively unchanged once bottled.

[poopsicle]

[Cragars]

Love Oban and Aberlour.

Gf got me a bottle of Aberlour A'Bunadh for xmas.

[Danno1]

I prefer to serve from the bottle. Wine matures up until the day you open it, whereas Whiskey matures in the cask only, and remains relatively unchanged once bottled.

I thought I had heard whiskey goes bad after extended periods in a bottle. Any truth to that?