Whiskey Thread (2 Viewers)

[St. Widge]

I know Zeetes would be mad at me, but I prefer Bushmills over Jameson, especially if you don't like alcohol taste. Bushmills white label is very mild and smooth, especially with ice.

Yeah, Irish is probably the mildest whisky to start with. And I didnt' think about the Ice vs. neat issue. I still have a hard time drinking most whiskey totally neat. I can drink Abelour and Macallan neat pretty easy, but I find it difficult with Bourbon. But, I will do it every so often to try to really taste the flavors.

However, if I just want to have a few drinks and not concentrate on it too much, I usually put a very small piece of ice in each 1 1/2 ounce drink. I find it helps bring out some flavors and rounds off the bite bit.

What I have stopped doing is throwing a bunch of ice in because you end up with whiskey flavoured water.

 

[tomwaits]

I saw a Jefferson's Ocean bourbon today that was "Aged at sea".
It made me wonder, when are going to get the first one "Aged in space" or something like that.
Make it happen Elon...

 

[St. Widge]

I saw a Jefferson's Ocean bourbon today that was "Aged at sea".
It made me wonder, when are going to get the first one "Aged in space" or something like that.
Make it happen Elon...

I'm sure Elon Musk is working on it.

I would like to try Jefferson's Ocean. Apparently is just basic Bourbon in the normal charred new oak barrels, but they send it out to sea on a ship for like 6 months. It doesn't seem like it would make much difference, but some claim it has a bit of a salt flavour. But, that could be psychosomatic.

 

[boutrous]

I'm sure Elon Musk is working on it.

I would like to try Jefferson's Ocean. Apparently is just basic Bourbon in the normal charred new oak barrels, but they send it out to sea on a ship for like 6 months. It doesn't seem like it would make much difference, but some claim it has a bit of a salt flavour. But, that could be psychosomatic.

I hear it's good, but it's also like $90.... so unless I can sip someone else's, I probably won't buy it.

 

[St. Widge]

I hear it's good, but it's also like $90.... so unless I can sip someone else's, I probably won't buy it.

Yeah, I'm not paying that much for standard Bourbon. I think when it first came out it was only like $35, but I never got around to buying it. I'm not paying $90 for a Bourbon unless it's really special and unique. And even then, I probably wouldn't do it.

 

[zeetes]

Yeah, Irish is probably the mildest whisky to start with. And I didnt' think about the Ice vs. neat issue. I still have a hard time drinking most whiskey totally neat. I can drink Abelour and Macallan neat pretty easy, but I find it difficult with Bourbon. But, I will do it every so often to try to really taste the flavors.

However, if I just want to have a few drinks and not concentrate on it too much, I usually put a very small piece of ice in each 1 1/2 ounce drink. I find it helps bring out some flavors and rounds off the bite bit.

What I have stopped doing is throwing a bunch of ice in because you end up with whiskey flavoured water.

jameson neat or go home

 

[MLU]

I've seen Woodford Reserve mentioned several times here and seems like something I'd like to try. Does that fit on this list? Or is that more of a higher grade whiskey?

You could easily swap out Woodford Reserve for the Old Forester 86. WR is good stuff, especially when to start getting into their better stuff like the Double Oaked, Distillers Choice and Baccarat. The WR Rye is very good, too. I just had to end the list somewhere. Lol

 

[MLU]

Good starter list! As primarily a rum drinker (Foursquare, do yourself a favor) who dabbles in other spirits, Evan Williams BiB and SB, and Wild Turkey 101 are great places to start that are always available and inexpensive.

Actually almost picked a bottle of Foursquare Redoubtable with a 14 year age statement couple weeks ago. I am regretting it.

 

[rail]

Redemption 9, cask strength, is fantastic.

 

[MLU]

Awesome list! I had started a list, but I jumped off to go look something up and lost the whole thing. I didn't feel like re-typing it.

A few points:
Evan Williams is pretty good. I also really like the Jim Beam Black Double Aged for a cheap option. Total Wine has the small bottles of it that's easy to stash on you for emergency situations.

Basil Hayden's is good, but I just get Four Rose Yellow (now tan) Label. I like it as a good cheaper option. I use it for my Sazaracs.

Wild Turkey 101 is a classic higher proof that you can't go wrong with.

Makers Mark is a very good wheated entry bourbon. It's easy drinking and mixing and certainly won't turn you off to bourbon. Don't be afraid to take the step up to Larceny if you like Makers.

Buffalo Trace has such a good flavor profile, I think. You always get a good bottle, but occasionally you get a great bottle. It's my standard cocktail bourbon that I keep on my bar, and I keep the big bottle. If I've had a few, I can also switch to drinking it neat. The finish is not as great as pricy bourbon because it's young, but once you had a few you don't care as much



Going a little up in price:

Knob Creek 9 Year is a good high proof option and is not that much more than the entry brands.

Four Roses Single Barrel is amazing, but no one has it right now that I can find. Four Roses Small Batch is everywhere and is pretty good, but the single barrel is special.

Elijah Craig Small Batch is a great light tasting bourbon that doesn't try to go over the top. Very well rounded flavor.

Woodford Reserve I really tried to like a bunch of times, but for some reason I just never really got into it. I mean it's not bad, it just never wowed me.



My Favorites:

Eagle Rare - it's just a great balance of flavor and smoothness at an incredible price. But it's so damn hard to find.

Old Forrester - 1920 Prohibition Style - I was not expecting much, and maybe that's why I like it so much. I had it at a bourbon tasting party and was excited to try a couple of the other selections, but this is the one that blew me away. It was complex and flavorful without being too harsh or spicy.

Sugarfield - Batch V - Small Louisiana upstart brand. I've only had the Batch V (5), but it's a great tasting bourbon. To me it taste like roasted marshmallows and dark chocolate. It could be a little smoother, but it's young.

I didn't add Buffalo Trace because it's getting so difficult to find now. People buy it all up like it's Pappy. Elijah Craig Small Batch is starting to become easier to find in stock and is a worthy inclusion if its readily available where you live. I'm not a fan of Four Roses Small Batch, but Four Roses Small Batch Limited Edition is dang tasty.

 

[MLU]

Yeah, I haven't decided whether I'll start with a bourbon or a Scotch. Fwiw, I'm not a fan of the taste of alcohol. So something that doesn't have too much bite/burn would be a good start and see if it's something I can get used to over time. So I'll probably be buying a bottle of one of the recommended ones here as well as a cabernet or Pinot Noir. We'll see.

Honestly, I feel that when I started drinking my coffee black my taste buds started to change. It wasn't long after that I started really enjoying dark lagers and stouts. Soon after that, I developed a taste for the brown water. Not sure if this is a chicken or the egg situation, but that's my experience.

Start with bourbon. It's typically sweeter and definitely cheaper. Drink it with ice and then over the months, dial back the ice. I drink barrel proof whiskey with a large cube. Wheated stuff I drink neat. Everything else might get a chip or two. There's no wrong way to do it. Adding ice will actually sweeten the juice a bit and sometimes soften it.

jameson is simply awesome.

redbreast 12 is even better, just double the price. the 18 sucks though. very oily.

Redbreast 15 is the sweet spot, laddie. I've been eyeballing the Jameson Caskmates Stout.

I'm sure Elon Musk is working on it.

I would like to try Jefferson's Ocean. Apparently is just basic Bourbon in the normal charred new oak barrels, but they send it out to sea on a ship for like 6 months. It doesn't seem like it would make much difference, but some claim it has a bit of a salt flavour. But, that could be psychosomatic.

It's a gimmick. My daughter asked for a bottle when she turned 21. I bought her voyage 19 I think which was a wheated mashbill. It's a solid pour, but for $80+ I could have bought her two bottles that were better. It's sweet up front, but there's no finish to it. I really wanted to believe in it because concept just sounds cool, but it's all hype. Save yourself $50 and buy a bottle of Bernheim instead.

 

[Dago]

There are generally 3 starter single malt scotches...all from the speyside region and all on the sweet side. Glenlivet, Glenmorangie, and Glenfiddich

All their base offerings are aged for 12 years. Of the 3, I would choose Glenfiddich

Macallan has just gone insane...they are blaming tariffs but that isn't it. All scotches went up some because of them but Macallan has used it as an excuse to rip people off. For example, every one of their past annual special editions were $100. This year's is $157. No thanks

 

[St. Widge]

There are generally 3 starter single malt scotches...all from the speyside region and all on the sweet side. Glenlivet, Glenmorangie, and Glenfiddich

All their base offerings are aged for 12 years. Of the 3, I would choose Glenfiddich

Macallan has just gone insane...they are blaming tariffs but that isn't it. All scotches went up some because of them but Macallan has used it as an excuse to rip people off. For example, every one of their past annual special editions were $100. This year's is $157. No thanks

Macallan prices are out of control although you can get any of the regular line of 12 years Macallan for around $65 which isn't too terrible. And, you can't go wrong Glenfiddich or Glenmorangie, but I'm pretty sure that Monkey Shoulder is a blend of malts from Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, and Kininvie and it costs about half as much as a bottle of Glenfiddich or Glenlivet. So, if you don't know if you are going to like Scotch, it's probably better to waste $30 instead of $60 if you don't like it.

 

[zatsnzapps]

I saw a Jefferson's Ocean bourbon today that was "Aged at sea".
It made me wonder, when are going to get the first one "Aged in space" or something like that.
Make it happen Elon...

I've tried the Ocean, and I wasn't impressed.

I honestly liked the Jefferson's Reserve much better and it's cheaper.

 

[buzd]

Macallan prices are out of control although you can get any of the regular line of 12 years Macallan for around $65 which isn't too terrible. And, you can't go wrong Glenfiddich or Glenmorangie, but I'm pretty sure that Monkey Shoulder is a blend of malts from Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, and Kininvie and it costs about half as much as a bottle of Glenfiddich or Glenlivet. So, if you don't know if you are going to like Scotch, it's probably better to waste $30 instead of $60 if you don't like it.

$65 for Macallan is not worth it. It is much too sweet. Granted, I prefer peat and smoke in my scotch, but yuck. I would rather Glenfiddich.