Whiskey Thread (5 Viewers)

My sister gave me an engraved set of rocks glasses
I use these badboys, and they are totally and completely awesome. They were also a gift.


There's a magnifier on the website you can see all 7 designs.

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So, as a more general question, what kind of glasses do you guys use? I own some Glen Cairn glasses that I have been using, but I really don't like using them. I know they are supposed to help you smell all the subtle nuances, but I really don't like how they feel in my hand or the feel of them while drinking. They also make me feel like a pompous arse using them and that's not fair because although I'm an arse, I'm not really pompous. Well, mostly.

So, anyway, I've been bouncing back and forth between the Glen Cairn and a set of rocks glasses but neither seems quite right for neat whisky.

I have some crystal Glen Cairn glasses, some small crystal brandy snifters that I enjoy drinking from, and a set of crystal tumblers my wife gave me. These things are big...they hold 10oz which is good since I like my whiskey neat so I just fill it up so I don't have to keep running back and forth from the bedroom

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So, as a more general question, what kind of glasses do you guys use? I own some Glen Cairn glasses that I have been using, but I really don't like using them. I know they are supposed to help you smell all the subtle nuances, but I really don't like how they feel in my hand or the feel of them while drinking. They also make me feel like a pompous arse using them and that's not fair because although I'm an arse, I'm not really pompous. Well, mostly.

So, anyway, I've been bouncing back and forth between the Glen Cairn and a set of rocks glasses but neither seems quite right for neat whisky.
Clean.

I have some rocks glasses I use and I have some angled, glencairn glasses w/o a stem I use. I use whatever is available, but I enjoy a glass with a heavy bottom.
 
With fantastic temperatures and a slight breeze this evening, I'm sitting on the patio with belly full of prime ribeye, a glass of Bardstown Phifer Pavitt Reserve and an Arturo Fuente Grand Reserva while listening to a little Art Pepper.

What's your mood this evening?
 
So, I went to Total Wine this weekend and picked up a bottle of Woodford Rye, Makers' 46, and Smooth Ambler: Contradiction pictured below. I've really been into Rye recently and the Woodford Rye is good, but I still probably like Bulleit Rye better. I haven't had a chance to try the Makers' 46 yet. But, I was really surprised how good the smooth Ambler: Contradiction is. I partially bought it just because I though the label was interesting, but also because I had done some research on it and it looked interesting. Smooth Ambler is a distiller in West Virginia. Contradiction is a blended Bourbon. I think it's made with a wheated bourbon that Smooth Ambler distills and blended with a high rye Bourbon from Indiana (likely MGP). Anyway, I think it's really good. It opens with honey that quickly gives way to cinnamon and then a long dry finish. It has a really good mouth feel with lots of dense flavor with a really long finish. I highly recommend this if you like rye or cinnamon.






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I haven't found a Rye I really enjoy yet, but I also haven't tried very many mid-tier ones yet and I certainly haven't tried any top-tier ones. I'm still fairly new to Bourbon and have more of those I want to try first. That being said, cinnamon is one of my favorite flavors and I've heard of some cinnamon bombs and would like to try something along those lines.
 
I haven't found a Rye I really enjoy yet, but I also haven't tried very many mid-tier ones yet and I certainly haven't tried any top-tier ones. I'm still fairly new to Bourbon and have more of those I want to try first. That being said, cinnamon is one of my favorite flavors and I've heard of some cinnamon bombs and would like to try something along those lines.

Everybody's taste is different, but I think this fits the label of cinnamon bomb. The tasting notes for it only mention cinnamon on the nose, but I got a very strong cinnamon taste on the palate with a dry finish that reminded me of dry cinnamon.

I grew up drinking cheap Bourbon highballs. First Old Grandad and Early Times from my Dad's bar and then Jim Beam at home, or whatever the well brand was at bars. But, I know this is blasphemy in the south, but I kind of find Bourbon boring when drunk neat. I've always tended to the high rye Bourbons like Basil Hayden, but I've found that I really like straight rye more than most Bourbon. Anyway, Contradiction really is kind of the best of both. It's really interesting with the sweetness of bourdon and the bite of rye. But the rye bite comes more from cinnamon, not minty herbal and licorice flavors like most rye.
 
So, I went to Total Wine this weekend and picked up a bottle of Woodford Rye, Makers' 46, and Smooth Ambler: Contradiction pictured below. I've really been into Rye recently and the Woodford Rye is good, but I still probably like Bulleit Rye better. I haven't had a chance to try the Makers' 46 yet. But, I was really surprised how good the smooth Ambler: Contradiction is. I partially bought it just because I though the label was interesting, but also because I had done some research on it and it looked interesting. Smooth Ambler is a distiller in West Virginia. Contradiction is a blended Bourbon. I think it's made with a wheated bourbon that Smooth Ambler distills and blended with a high rye Bourbon from Indiana (likely MGP). Anyway, I think it's really good. It opens with honey that quickly gives way to cinnamon and then a long dry finish. It has a really good mouth feel with lots of dense flavor with a really long finish. I highly recommend this if you like rye or cinnamon.






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Smooth Ambler Old Scout Single Barrel Cask Strength Rye is something you should keep an eye out for...

I haven't found a Rye I really enjoy yet, but I also haven't tried very many mid-tier ones yet and I certainly haven't tried any top-tier ones. I'm still fairly new to Bourbon and have more of those I want to try first. That being said, cinnamon is one of my favorite flavors and I've heard of some cinnamon bombs and would like to try something along those lines.
Rittenhouse is a good, cheap rye for mixing. For sipping, Rare Breed Barrel Proof Rye is a very good sipper that can be easily found around $50-$60.

Michter's and Woodford Ryes are also really good, but I really enjoy the Rare Breed recently. It's very good and not as intense (112 proof) as you would expect a high proof Rye to be. Sweet on the palate with a slightly spicy finish.

If you happen to find Pikesville Rye, buy it. I hear good things about Sagamore Rye, but I have yet to taste it.
 
Smooth Ambler Old Scout Single Barrel Cask Strength Rye is something you should keep an eye out for...

Rittenhouse is a good, cheap rye for mixing. For sipping, Rare Breed Barrel Proof Rye is a very good sipper that can be easily found around $50-$60.

Michter's and Woodford Ryes are also really good, but I really enjoy the Rare Breed recently. It's very good and not as intense (112 proof) as you would expect a high proof Rye to be. Sweet on the palate with a slightly spicy finish.

If you happen to find Pikesville Rye, buy it. I hear good things about Sagamore Rye, but I have yet to taste it.
I hear good things about Rare Breed, too. I almost grabbed a bottle the other day, but ended up not getting it. There is some Pikesville in the Heaven Hill sample pack I picked up, but I'm waiting on my BIL to sample them. I'll report back when I try it.

I do also hear good things about Rittenhouse and Michter's. I'm not a huge fan of Woodford, so their rye is pretty low on my list. The reviews for Old Forester Rye also seem mixed. I've never heard of Sagamore Rye I don't think.
 
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