Whisky discussion

• gut

  O-Trap;1860094 wrote:Had a Laphroaig the other day. It was like licking the ashes after a campfire ... but somehow in a good way.
  
  I'm sure that makes no sense, but it's true.

  Haven't tried that, but Lagavulin is the same basic thing (think I went with the youngest, 8 years I think). I do enjoy it, although it seems to get better after a little ice melts to keep the peat flavor from overpowering you.
• O-Trap

  

  gut;1860101 wrote:Haven't tried that, but Lagavulin is the same basic thing (think I went with the youngest, 8 years I think). I do enjoy it, although it seems to get better after a little ice melts to keep the peat flavor from overpowering you.

  Yeah. About 90% of the time, I prefer something without quite so much from the get go. Don't get me wrong; I like a little peat. But I'd rather it be just part of the nuance. Not the whole damn thing. Certainly, the ice would help, but I prefer them neat. My go to is Oban 14, since it gives a nice, middle-of-the-road peat and bite. However, every now and then, I get in a mood for something at the extremes. The other night, Laphroaig just worked for me.
• gut

  O-Trap;1860118 wrote: Certainly, the ice would help, but I prefer them neat. My go to is Oban 14, since it gives a nice, middle-of-the-road peat and bite.

  I kind of like how the complexity and profile changes as the ice melts. But I'll have to give Oban a try.
• O-Trap

  

  gut;1860119 wrote:I kind of like how the complexity and profile changes as the ice melts. But I'll have to give Oban a try.

  Sure. Works especially well with a strong one, in that case.
• jmog

  Never had scotch before, was out of town for work a week ago or so and at a high end restaurant/scotch bar. I figured when in Rome...
  
  They had a sampler of sorts that was a double shot of like 5 or 6 different whiskeys/scotches/ryes. To be honest, having never really drank any of them, I had to ask and look up the difference. So, out of a list of about 40 different whiskey/scotch/ryes I chose my 6, just got 2 of each.
  
  I couldn't tell you their names as I really just asked the waiter which ones were more smooth vs hard punch to the throat and picked from there.
  
  I do have to say that I liked the subtle differences of a scotch better than whiskey or rye.
  
  Oh, and with 6 double shots before my meal, it was a good thing I was walking distance to my hotel....
  
  It wouldn't be my drink of choice, but at a "scotch or whiskey" specific bar out with the guys, I would have another scotch or 2.
  
  They are definitely acquired tastes, I could drink them before beer any day.
• fish82

  

  O-Trap;1860118 wrote:Yeah. About 90% of the time, I prefer something without quite so much from the get go. Don't get me wrong; I like a little peat. But I'd rather it be just part of the nuance. Not the whole damn thing. Certainly, the ice would help, but I prefer them neat. My go to is Oban 14, since it gives a nice, middle-of-the-road peat and bite. However, every now and then, I get in a mood for something at the extremes. The other night, Laphroaig just worked for me.

  Laphroaig is probably one of the best "bang for the buck" single malts out there. I used to drink a lot of Lagavulin, but it started getting a little pricey some years back.
  
  There's really no such thing as "too much" smoke/peat for me.
• Con_Alma

  O-Trap;1860118 wrote:Yeah. About 90% of the time, I prefer something without quite so much from the get go. ...

  That being the case you might appreciate Glen Moray 12. I like it as a change now and then and it doesn't wallop you with too much of anything...especially peat flavor.
• Con_Alma

  jmog;1860312 wrote:... I could drink them before beer any day.

  Amen to that.
• O-Trap

  

  fish82;1860412 wrote:Laphroaig is probably one of the best "bang for the buck" single malts out there. I used to drink a lot of Lagavulin, but it started getting a little pricey some years back.
  
  There's really no such thing as "too much" smoke/peat for me.

  Oh, no doubt it's a great Scotch. I didn't buy it, and while I think I've seen it in liquor stores, I've never looked closely enough to see the price, so I'm not sure what "the buck" is.
  
  If there's ice in it, that level of peat doesn't bother me as much, because as gut put it, the nuances come out as the ice melts. But that much peat the whole way through seems, at least to me, to smother any hint of anything else.
  
  The night I had it, I compared it to one of those really hoppy IPAs, in which it's obvious the brewery was trying to just jam pack as much bitterness into a beer as possible. Though they can still be quite good, I prefer a balance, so that nothing else gets lost or overpowered.
  

  Con_Alma;1860416 wrote:That being the case you might appreciate Glen Moray 12. I like it as a change now and then and it doesn't wallop you with too much of anything...especially peat flavor.

  I may have to try that. If I'm buying the bottle, I'll usually go with Talisker 18 if I want heavy peat, Balvenie 10 if I want very little or no peat, and Oban 14 if I want a nice balance. Those have been my mainstays for the last six years or so. Obviously, if we're out, the safest bets are Glenfiddich 12 or Glenlivet 12, as they seem to be the most common single malts in bars and restaurants. I enjoy them all in their own way.
• Fred Garvin

  I just am not a person who likes scotch. Not sure if it is an acquired taste or just does not appeal to me.
  
  But I am a bourbon hound. And I like a few ryes as well. Basil Hayden is kind of my "go to" now. But I do keep a few other bottles for variety and special occasions. Elmer T Lee is one of my favorites along with E.H. Taylor small batch.
  
  Regarding ryes, I like WhistlePig.
• Automatik

  

  I'm with you regarding scotch, and I've tried a lot. I just can't get into it...same w/ mescal.
  
  bourbon is a seasonal thing for me, but I still drink Bulleit regularly. Hudson Baby Bourbon with I feel like splurging.
• O-Trap

  

  Fred Garvin;1860427 wrote:I just am not a person who likes scotch. Not sure if it is an acquired taste or just does not appeal to me.
  
  But I am a bourbon hound. And I like a few ryes as well. Basil Hayden is kind of my "go to" now. But I do keep a few other bottles for variety and special occasions. Elmer T Lee is one of my favorites along with E.H. Taylor small batch.
  
  Regarding ryes, I like WhistlePig.

  That's fair. Nothing's for everyone. I did try a Basil Hayden small batch once. It was nice. I was sitting outside on the patio at the Boston Harbor Hotel watching the evening activity in the bay, and it fit the occasion perfectly.
  

  Automatik;1860428 wrote:bourbon is a seasonal thing for me, but I still drink Bulleit regularly. Hudson Baby Bourbon with I feel like splurging.

  Bulleit has a great rye, too. If I drank rye regularly, it'd probably be my go-to.
• fish82

  

  O-Trap;1860426 wrote:Oh, no doubt it's a great Scotch. I didn't buy it, and while I think I've seen it in liquor stores, I've never looked closely enough to see the price, so I'm not sure what "the buck" is.

  It's about $50, give or take.
  

  O-Trap;1860426 wrote:If there's ice in it, that level of peat doesn't bother me as much, because as gut put it, the nuances come out as the ice melts. But that much peat the whole way through seems, at least to me, to smother any hint of anything else.

  I usually don't do ice, since even one cube can dilute it too much IMO. If the mood strikes, I'll just shake a couple fingertips of water in.
  

  O-Trap;1860426 wrote:The night I had it, I compared it to one of those really hoppy IPAs, in which it's obvious the brewery was trying to just jam pack as much bitterness into a beer as possible. Though they can still be quite good, I prefer a balance, so that nothing else gets lost or overpowered.

  That's fair.
  
  
  

  O-Trap;1860426 wrote:I may have to try that. If I'm buying the bottle, I'll usually go with Talisker 18 if I want heavy peat, Balvenie 10 if I want very little or no peat, and Oban 14 if I want a nice balance. Those have been my mainstays for the last six years or so. Obviously, if we're out, the safest bets are Glenfiddich 12 or Glenlivet 12, as they seem to be the most common single malts in bars and restaurants. I enjoy them all in their own way.

  Same. I have yet to meet a single malt that I wasn't able to at least choke down.
• O-Trap

  

  fish82;1860436 wrote:Same. I have yet to meet a single malt that I wasn't able to at least choke down.

  Agreed.
  
  Blended, on the other hand ... (I'm looking at you, Bells)
• Commander of Awesome

  

  Automatik;1860428 wrote:I'm with you regarding scotch, and I've tried a lot. I just can't get into it...same w/ mescal.
  
  bourbon is a seasonal thing for me, but I still drink Bulleit regularly. Hudson Baby Bourbon with I feel like splurging.

  Been meaning to buy their maple whiskey for some time. Thanks for the reminder
• gut

  Commander of Awesome;1860448 wrote:Been meaning to buy their maple whiskey for some time. Thanks for the reminder

  Ewww....hopefully it's better than Beam or Jack. I've tried some of the Apple and Maple for mixing, and it was absolutely disgusting. Tasted like they just dropped in way too much syrup. You couldn't drink that stuff no matter how much coke you dumped in there.
• ptown_trojans_1

  

  Commander of Awesome;1860448 wrote:Been meaning to buy their maple whiskey for some time. Thanks for the reminder

  I hate the flavored bourbons put out by most distilleries. I prefer to make my own as usually theirs is just too powerful.
  
  My favorite is the apple pie bourbon, the one referenced at 11 Warriors years ago. Take a bottle of say Beam or Bulleit, cut a granny smith apple, throw in some vanilla or vanilla beans, a few cinnamon sticks, and let sit for about a month. It is good shit.
  
  Even better, once the bottle is empty, the wife takes the apples, infused with bourbon, and adds them to an apple crisp. Heaven.
• O-Trap

  

  gut;1860503 wrote:Ewww....hopefully it's better than Beam or Jack. I've tried some of the Apple and Maple for mixing, and it was absolutely disgusting. Tasted like they just dropped in way too much syrup. You couldn't drink that stuff no matter how much coke you dumped in there.

  The only flavored whiskey I was able to stomach (among the admittedly limited number of which I've tried) was Cleveland Whiskey's Christmas Whiskey, but even that's better mixed. I mixed it with some Irish Cream, and THAT was the dog's bollocks for the Christmas party.
• Fred Garvin

  I tried some Stagg Jr. bourbon last night. It is 65% alcohol, 130 proof. Poured over a couple ice cubes and added a bit of water. Sipped it as the ice melted. Very good.
• Con_Alma

  Fred Garvin;1860558 wrote:I tried some Stagg Jr. bourbon last night. It is 65% alcohol, 130 proof. Poured over a couple ice cubes and added a bit of water. Sipped it as the ice melted. Very good.

  
  Where did you get that from????
• Fred Garvin

  I found it on my last trip to Illinois. The liquor store I go to there is in an old OfficeMax. It is huge and the amount of different brands they have there is amazing. Also got a bottle of 10 yr old WhistlePig Rye (100 proof).
• Con_Alma

  Fred Garvin;1860599 wrote:I found it on my last trip to Illinois. The liquor store I go to there is in an old OfficeMax. It is huge and the amount of different brands they have there is amazing. Also got a bottle of 10 yr old WhistlePig Rye (100 proof).

  It's tough to find in a retail store. The supply delivered is pretty low. Buy it whenever you see it. You can sell it for more than list pretty easily.
• justincredible

  

  Flavored whisky?
  
  
• O-Trap

  

  justincredible;1860731 wrote:Flavored whisky?
  
  

  For mixing.
• justincredible

  

  O-Trap;1860751 wrote:For mixing.

  Mixing whisky?