|
Remy Marathe posted:Has anyone here tried Buffalo Trace's "White Dog Mash #1"? I almost picked up a half bottle last night but didn't want to blow $15 on a gimmick. Reading reviews on it today has piqued my curiosity again, I've only tried new make once before at a Bruichladdich tasting and I don't really remember what it was like, just that it was inoffensive. You know, I picked up a bottle a while back, and just realized I haven't cracked it yet. I'll remedy that on Sunday (I'll be out of town for most of the weekend), and post some tasting notes here for you. On another note for the preceeding post, since when is Balvenie Doublewood in any way more smokey than HP12? That's crazy talk. It's only got the very faintest hint of smoke possible, where the HP12 has a quite noticeable peat smoke finish. Schpyder fucked around with this message at Oct 14, 2011 around 01:27 |
| # ¿ Oct 14, 2011 01:24 |
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 20, 2013 06:50 |
|
|
Jetfire posted:That being said, several Canadian whiskies include rye in the mashbill. That doesn't really mean much considering that most bourbons include rye in the mashbill. Canadian whisky is its own thing, but when people are talking rye in a whisk(e)y thread, it's decidedly not what they're talking about.
|
| # ¿ Dec 20, 2011 00:53 |
|
|
Jibo posted:Also, I'm not sure if anyone here is in these areas but I'm looking for a good shop to find rarer whisky/ey in the Northwest Ohio / Southeast Michigan area (as in, Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Toledo) and also for one in the Columbus Ohio area. The best spot in Ann Arbor, IMO, is Super Liquor IV on State St. just south of I-94. They have some interesting stuff, and the biggest selection of IB's I've seen in the state. Mind you, that isn't saying much. As for Ohio, forget it. That's an ABC state, and while not as bad as some states, you can straight up forget finding rarer stuff. That said, the best place I found was Corner's Beverage Shoppe in Gahanna on the corner of Morse and E. Johnstown, but apparently they've closed? There's another one up around Polaris somewhere, but I've never been to that one. The best source for beer in Columbus is probably Kenny Road Market, on Kenny north of Henderson a bit. I don't remember if they carried spirits, but if they did, I wasn't impressed. I can't think of another place that really grabbed me, but I've heard good things about Weiland's.
|
| # ¿ Jan 18, 2012 01:08 |
|
|
Voodoofly posted:I didn't notice much in the OP, so can someone give me a quick introduction to learning more about rye whiskey? Straight rye whiskey is exactly straight bourbon, but with the >50% corn requirement in the mashbill replaced with rye. Other than that, the process is identical. It was also the commonly preferred American whiskey up until prohibition, after which bourbon massively took over in popularity. I haven't tried Whistlepig so I can't tell you how the flavor compares, but the following are what I recommend in each price bracket: Good cheaper ryes: Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond Wild Turkey Rye Bulleit Rye Mid-priced ryes: Russel's Reserve Rye Sazerac Rye Expensive ryes that are actually worth the money: Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye Sazerac Rye 18yo
|
| # ¿ Feb 7, 2012 01:10 |
|
|
Kenning posted:There are so many incredibly expensive craft ryes that I just can't believe are worth the price tag. Totally agreed. That's why the two "expensive" ryes I listed are ones that shouldn't top out over $60... assuming you can find them. That said, VWFRR is worth every penny I paid, and probably then some, since it's literally the best thing I have ever put in my mouth in my entire life.
|
| # ¿ Feb 7, 2012 02:53 |
|
|
skooma512 posted:Any thoughts on Kirkland Signature Premium Small Batch Bourbon from Costco? I haven't tried it yet, but I do know that it's a Beam product, and I'm not particularly fond of any particular Beam bourbon, so I'll probably just pass on it entirely.
|
| # ¿ Feb 20, 2012 23:35 |
|
|
spankmeister posted:Have you tried any of the Beam bourbons that don't have Beam on the label, like Knob Creek? I prefer woodford over knob but it's not bad. Tigren posted:Ya, this, seriously. How can you say you don't like any Beam products. Basil Hayden's? Bakers? Bookers? Yes, I've tried all of Beam's small batch collection, numerous times. And I certainly appreciate what Booker and Fred did for the industry, essentially creating the small batch bourbon market out of whole cloth. And I'm not saying they're bad, just that I don't particularly prefer them. That is, at any of the pricepoints of any Beam bourbon or rye, there are numerous other bourbons or ryes I'd rather be drinking. I vastly prefer, say, the Wild Turkey product-wide character over that of Beam. The same goes for most Buffalo Trace and Heaven Hill products in comparison to Beam. I won't turn down any offered drink of a Beam product, but I'm not going to go out of my way in any fashion to pick some up when I like pretty much everything else more.
|
| # ¿ Feb 21, 2012 11:54 |
|
|
NightConqueror posted:Any opinions on good rye whiskeys for sipping? I've been thinking about trying Bulleit. I haven't had much experience with rye, outside of some Jim Beam rye in a Manhattan. Russel's Reserve Sazerac Rittenhouse BIB mmmmmmmmaybe Bulleit, but I find it makes a better Manhattan than just drinking it neat or on the rocks. I'd put it right around WT Rye as far as that goes.
|
| # ¿ Feb 23, 2012 00:00 |
|
|
Zeno-25 posted:Are they still making Sazerac Rye? I last had it a few years ago, and I remember it was really good for the relatively low price. I liked it more than Rittenhouse (go with the 100 proof on that one), but none of the stores I was usually able to find it at in northern IL have had it in ages. Other Sazerac products are no problem (ignoring the premium/rare ones). As far as I know, yes, they are. There certainly haven't been any announcements to the contrary from BT. That said, demand for bourbon and rye has skyrocketed in the last five years, and BT in particular has been caught off guard in regards to having a large stock of properly aged whiskeys ready to bottle, so it's highly likely that it's just going to be harder to find.
|
| # ¿ Feb 26, 2012 13:16 |
|
|
NightConqueror posted:I've just run out of bourbon and I'm looking to pick up another. My go-to bourbon so far has always been either Wild Turkey 101 or Buffalo Trace. I've been eyeing up Four Roses recently. Is anything other than their Single Barrel offering worthwhile? Any other recomendations within the $20-$40 range If you like WT101 and you haven't tried Rare Breed yet you should really get Rare Breed. Otherwise, I like the suggestion of Elmer T. Lee, and some other good suggestions in that price range would be Eagle Rare 10yr, Four Roses Small Batch, and Evan Williams Single Barrel. Also, spankmeister, what the hell are you smoking? Four Roses Yellow Label isn't a blend, it's a straight bourbon. It's only a blend in the sense that multiple barrels are dumped and diluted somewhat, just like every other non-single barrel bourbon out there. It includes no neutral grain spirits at all. That said, I do agree that there's better stuff at the price point FRYL inhabits.
|
| # ¿ Mar 31, 2012 13:43 |
|
|
wormil posted:Any Columbus Ohio goons here? I'll be in Columbus this coming weekend and hope to visit a liquor store with a very good selection of bourbon. No such thing. Ohio is an ABC state, with a fairly anemic selection offered by the state. Not as bad as some states, but when I was living there a few years ago, I had to go to Kentucky or Michigan to find a decent bourbon selection.
|
| # ¿ May 1, 2012 10:32 |
|
|
Jibo posted:Scotch or Irish Whiskey seems to get some okay representation, but not Bourbon for some reason. Or at least that's how it's been in my experience. They've got a pretty terrible selection of scotch as well. You're looking at pretty much the youngest expressions from the largest distilleries, and even then some of the larger ones (like Ardbeg) are next to impossible to find. And forget about IBs, or anything from a smaller distiller. Ohio is a terrible, terrible state to buy whisk(e)y in. Every single one of the states that border it is almost assuredly better in that regard. If you're going to take that route, I'd suggest just driving to Bellevue, KY (across the river from Cincinnati) and go to The Party Source, which has one of the best bourbon selections I've ever seen, and a pretty drat good scotch selection as well, with plenty of IBs. Schpyder fucked around with this message at May 2, 2012 around 23:23 |
| # ¿ May 2, 2012 23:20 |
|
|
NightConqueror posted:That's too bad, and a little odd, because I thought a lot of whiskeys do better at high proofs, at least flavor-wise. The only high proof whisky I've had was Laphroaig Cask Strength which had some serious punch at 114 proof. I've never had a bourbon above 100 proof, but I'd like to try George T. Stagg sometime. If you want to dip into high-proof bourbons, keep your eyes peeled for Old Grand-Dad 114, which is one of the all-time great bourbon bargains, IMO.
|
| # ¿ May 10, 2012 23:33 |
|
|
GramCracker posted:Did anyone see this? $175 for an eight year old single barrel? 
|
| # ¿ Jun 11, 2012 01:43 |
|
|
Senf posted:So I'm thinking about picking up a new Islay as a Christmas gift for a friend of mine and I'm looking for something similar to Ardbeg Uigeadail. Dude loves his peat and isn't into overly sweet whiskys (but appreciate some), so any suggestions would be appreciated. I'm trying to be a little more original than Ardbeg 10, though I may just grab a bottle of that and call it a day. If he likes Uigeadail, he'd probably also like the other notable and readily available sherried peat bomb: Lagavulin 16. Assuming he hasn't had it yet, of course.
|
| # ¿ Dec 4, 2012 00:26 |
|
|
spankmeister posted:You do mean the Lagavulin Distillers Edition right? Oh whoops, of course I did. 
|
| # ¿ Dec 4, 2012 12:11 |
|
|
22 Eargesplitten posted:Any recommendations for a good starter rye? I've normally had bourbon, but I've heard enough good stuff about rye that I want to give it a shot. Good starter ryes: Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond if you can find it Bulleit Rye Wild Turkey Rye (101 proof) Slight steps up: Sazerac Rye Russell's Reserve Rye Ryes to ruin all other ryes for you forever  Sazerac 18 year old Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye
|
| # ¿ Dec 7, 2012 01:13 |
|
|
Stultus Maximus posted:Define "budget". Highland Park 12 is about $45 and is a good Islay. Do you consider that budget? Highland Park isn't an Islay. They're on Orkney. Getting some Highland Park thinking it'd be anything like an Islay peat monster would be a bit of a disappointment. It's a lovely whisky, but the peat is merely a backdrop, not up in your face. If you want something cheap and peaty, it's hard to go wrong with Black Bottle.
|
| # ¿ Dec 29, 2012 03:05 |
|
|
Oakland Martini posted:Edit 2: Their website seems to confirm the switch to 81-proof rye, but also has made me aware of a 12-year old, 101-proof expression. I've never seen that anywhere. Anyone have experience with it? It's a very, very limited release that they've been doing for years. I've never once actually seen a bottle in the wild.
|
| # ¿ Feb 19, 2013 12:02 |
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 20, 2013 06:50 |
|
|
bunnyofdoom posted:Am I a heathen for planning on making a Manhattan with Woodford Reserve? Only if you're not pairing it with a good vermouth.
|
| # ¿ Feb 20, 2013 22:59 |
|
