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fireman2a posted:Tell me more about this Whisky Live Sydney. Google search didn't really turn up that much detail, and $85 is a bit steep for me to just punt and hope for the best. Is it a decent turnout, with a good selection of tastings? Well I went to Whisky Live 2010 (there was no 2011). I think that may have been the first or second time they ran it? I'm pretty sure its still very early in its running. Anyway, there were lots of OBs, originally it was going to be a ticket/token system but they dropped that and just let people RSA themselves or whatever. Not enough food served to keep you drinking but it was like an afternoon session I went to and not the dinner/night time format this time around. Haven't looked into those details much for this year but if it says "light supper" I will likely eat beforehand. Best in show for me was the Talisker 57" North and they also had the DE available. There was a lot of variety and you could pick up some bottles for cheaper than usual but there was nothing too amazing. I had a free ticket thanks to a Perth goon so for me it was great value, my girlfriend was designated driver (it was at Randwick last time not in the City) so only one of us was really drinking anyway. There were also other spirits on show like Ron Zacapa 23yo and some sort of vodka I think (the Vodka company was a major sponsor so they had a big stand anyway). Overall I probably wouldn't have gone in 2011 had it been on but after a couple of years it could be very different, but i still wouldn't expect any like G&M Mortlach 30yo or whatever other old IB. It was mostly a good chance to try a very wide range of OBs and see what I might have liked. Let me know if you have any more specific questions and I'll be sure to answer. The other thing I guess to consider would be that without more people coming they won't get bigger/better displays and products... you could consider it an investment in the Whisky Live concept by coming along? 
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Mar 28, 2012 13:19
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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?
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Mar 30, 2012 04:00
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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? e: reading comprehension
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Mar 30, 2012 04:08
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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? The Yellow Label is nothing special. It's a pretty run of the mill $20 bottle. The small batch is pretty great and the single barrel is even better. Keep an eye out for Elmer T. Lee, Noah's Mill, Rowan's Creek, and Old Weller 107. They're all pretty awesome. If you find Black Maple Hill and fancy the purchase, try that guy too.
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Mar 30, 2012 04:44
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The yellow label is a blend anyway, so stay away from that, there are much much better bourbons at that price point. That being said, I really like the single barrel.
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Mar 30, 2012 08:54
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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? Evan Williams small batch (I think it's small batch) is supposed to be good. It's one up from their standard bottling.
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Mar 30, 2012 09:10
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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? Knob Creek single barrel.
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Mar 30, 2012 21:40
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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.
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Mar 31, 2012 14:43
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Thanks for the outpouring of suggestions. I wrote down a bunch and was totally overwhelmed when I got the the store and had about 35 different brands to choose from. Ended up picking up the Four Roses Small Batch, which is sweet and delicious.
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Mar 31, 2012 15:34
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Tried Pappy Van Winkle 12 year last night. It was really good but not amazing or notable.
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Mar 31, 2012 16:16
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I use fancy whisky in my Manhattans but I end up using run-of-the-mill Martini & Rossi vermouth. It's not bad but I feel like I could be doing better relative to the bourbon. What's a good vermouth these days?
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Mar 31, 2012 22:04
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kitten smoothie posted:What's a good vermouth these days? Cocchi Vermouth di Torino is absolutely worth getting if you can find it. If $19 is too much, try Noilly Prat.
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Mar 31, 2012 22:59
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Dolin Rouge is an excellent sweet vermouth. That and Rittenhouse Bonded was one of the finest drinks I've ever had, to say nothing of being the finest Manhattan I've ever had. Vya sweet is also very good, and it's from my hometown! Both will make an amazing Manhattan. Also, you should try using rye instead of bourbon. It makes for a much spicier, tastier drink.
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Mar 31, 2012 23:02
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I agree, a manhattan should be made with rye and try some Carpano Antica instead of sweet vermouth. It is kinda pricy but totally worth it. Here's my fancy manhattan recipe, stolen from the Violet Hour in Chicago. 2 parts rye 1 part dry vermouth 1 part Carpano Antica Angostura bitters Shake it up Rinse glass with Laphroaig and peach bitters I think they called it the blue ridge manhattan. AWWNAW fucked around with this message at 02:19 on Apr 1, 2012 |
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Apr 1, 2012 02:17
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AWWNAW posted:I agree, a manhattan should be made with rye and try some Carpano Antica instead of sweet vermouth. It is kinda pricy but totally worth it.
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Apr 1, 2012 02:44
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What's a good absinthe/herbsaint/whatever liquor for a Sazerac? The best Sazerac I ever had was made with herbsaint, but does absinthe or whatever work better? Are there any specific brands I should be looking out for?
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Apr 1, 2012 05:54
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biglads posted:I'd agree with spankmeister. There seemed to be a silly little game being played by Bruichladdich and Ardbeg recently where they'd run some of their newmake or whisky through a gas chromatograph and announce "The Peatiest Whisky Ever" with x+1 ppm of phenols. I felt this way without actually trying it, totally thinking the 167PPM would be gimmicky and overpowering. Well I tried it tonight and was pleasantly surprised. For a young whisky, it's extremely smooth...the wave of peat comes, it warms over your mouth slowly from top to bottom. It lingers for quite some time. Octomore's only faults are its barrel time and price...it really hasn't picked up enough additional complexity from the wood to compete with the peat. It was definitely my favorite peated offering from the Bruichladdich table, beating out the Port Charlotte bottlings.
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Apr 1, 2012 09:07
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Aglet56 posted:What's a good absinthe/herbsaint/whatever liquor for a Sazerac? The best Sazerac I ever had was made with herbsaint, but does absinthe or whatever work better? Are there any specific brands I should be looking out for? Traditionally the Sazerac is made with herbsaint but that has more to do with the prohibition on actual absinthe I think.
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Apr 1, 2012 09:36
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Can anyone clarify this puzzling question for me? I live right next to a big chain booze franchise thing in Australia (Dan Murphys), and the whisk(e)y section is heavily populated with 'Hart Brothers Caol Ila 11 Year Old Scotch Whisky' and the like. Seen here: http://danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_913995/hart-brothers-caol-ila-11-year-old-scotch-whisky As far as I can see Hart Brothers are just a bottling company that presumably has some tie-up deal with the underlying companies, but can anyone clarify that relationship, and is the product in the link Caol ila 11 year old as bottled by some idiots, or something completely different.
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Apr 1, 2012 13:03
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Cthulhu Dreams posted:Can anyone clarify this puzzling question for me? I live right next to a big chain booze franchise thing in Australia (Dan Murphys), and the whisk(e)y section is heavily populated with
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Apr 1, 2012 13:16
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Deleuzionist posted:Never had a Hart bottling but if they're like other bottlers (Gordon & MacPhail, McMurray...) then yes, that's Caol Ila, bought by the cask from the distillery then bottled wherever Hart bottles their drinks. Is that standard practice? I'm wondering why Caol Ila does it's own branded bottlings and onsells casks to others for bottling?
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Apr 1, 2012 13:27
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Cthulhu Dreams posted:Is that standard practice? I'm wondering why Caol Ila does it's own branded bottlings and onsells casks to others for bottling? Yea. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_bottler
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Apr 1, 2012 13:42
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Aglet56 posted:What's a good absinthe/herbsaint/whatever liquor for a Sazerac? The best Sazerac I ever had was made with herbsaint, but does absinthe or whatever work better? Are there any specific brands I should be looking out for?
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Apr 1, 2012 15:12
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I'm slowly reading through this thread and learning as I've just started getting into whiskey. I feel I should mention my favourites: 1. Jura Superstition, absolutely gorgeous drink straight with no harshness or excess peat. It's too easy to drink which usually makes the next day a little fuzzy. Always in stock in my drinks cabinet. 2. Yamazaki 10yr, Japanese and very nice, didn't know what to expect and was very pleasantly surprised by it. Peaty but not ridiculous, mostly in stock. 3. Laphroaig 10yr, this is what my mum's Scottish uncle drinks, a professional drunk. Peaty as owt and a little bit hot on the old throat, certainly not a tame drink. With these I've never had a harsh hangover compared to the cheaper poo poo on the market like Teachers or Bells. JD also doesn't agree with me though Bulleit and Makers Mark are all good. *edit: I have some Talisker and a couple of bottles of Glenmorangie in there too, then Glen La Santa is very similar in taste to the Yamazaki. Olympic Mathlete fucked around with this message at 23:06 on Apr 1, 2012 |
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Apr 1, 2012 22:59
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If you're in NoVA and are interested in Pappy Van Winkles the ABC store in Vienna has started there waiting list for the next batch... Due in November.
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Apr 2, 2012 01:40
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spankmeister posted:Had some Yamazaki Sherry Cask and after that some Ardbeg Uigeadail. What were your new years drams Goons? On the off chance you're in the US, where did you find that Yamazaki? Even the normal 12 yr is hard to find where I live right now. I'd like to throw my opinions on some here too. I love Oban, I could barely make it through 1 Laphroaig (sorry), Black Maple Creek is ok, Makers 46 is good for beginners, definitely sweeter, I really like the Yamazaki 12 & Hibiki 12, My go to bourbon right now is Noah's Mill, and i'm desperate to find someone that imports Kavalan after trying it in taiwan. I should have read the whole thread first Kenning posted:I am firmly opposed to muddled anything being in an Old Fashioned. If you want orange flavor, use orange bitters or a finish with a twist. If you want cherry flavor, drink something else. An Old Fashioned is cold, bracing, and simple. It *definitely* shouldn't have particles in it from muddling a bunch of fruit in there. I like them both ways, but my favorite so far is similar to your preference. Local cocktail lounge essentially uses the bitters a a rinse in the glass, whiskey, syrup, and sweet/sour, garnish with one cherry and orange slice, superb and relaxing. [ts]xenophobe fucked around with this message at 05:17 on Apr 3, 2012 |
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Apr 3, 2012 05:08
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They use sweet and sour in an Old Fashioned? That's weird.
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Apr 3, 2012 07:01
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"[ts posted:xenophobe"] The Yamazaki is generally pretty easy to find in big outlet stores like Binny's (a chain of stores in the midwest).
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Apr 3, 2012 14:22
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Kenning posted:They use sweet and sour in an Old Fashioned? That's weird. Sweet or sour, your preference, maybe a Wisconsin thing. NightConqueror posted:The Yamazaki is generally pretty easy to find in big outlet stores like Binny's (a chain of stores in the midwest). I had actually asked the place closest to me to special order it, they've had it before, they said their distributer couldn't get any. I'm specifically curious about the sherry cask. I've never seen any special finish Yamazaki.
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Apr 3, 2012 15:32
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"[ts posted:xenophobe"] I'm not.  I got it here: http://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/yamazaki-sherry-cask-whisky/ But the Sherry Cask was a limited run, so I doubt you'd be able to find any, sorry dude. 
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Apr 3, 2012 15:57
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Anyone try The Laddie yet? I've liked a lot of their whisky, but have desperately been waiting for older stuff. Their gin is, as David says, incredible. http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=995928&cid=EML-NewArrivals
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Apr 3, 2012 16:58
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Bruichladdich makes gin? Hm, interesting. Anyway I haven't tried that particular Bruichladdich yet, I've tried some of their other offerings (of which there are many different kinds) and found them to be inconsistent. This being entirely "new" spirit it might not have that problem.
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Apr 3, 2012 18:46
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spankmeister posted:Bruichladdich makes gin? Hm, interesting. Some friends tried and said it was pretty good. Gin is the new hip thing, even for whiskey distillers with a well established history apparently. Tried Black Maple Hills bourbon the other night. Pretty good stuff. Same distiller that makes Willet, Noah's Mill, and Rowan's Creek. I like all of those so I'm looking forward to trying some of the other labels they have.
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Apr 4, 2012 01:06
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I think when you literally make several dozen different expressions, some are bound to be misses. I don't think that's so much inconsistency rather than inevitability. Don't most new distilleries start off making gins, rums, and other white spirits because its a way to make a profit short term while their brown spirits age? Anyway the edition of Octomore I had was apparently the latest (4.1) and the most refined.
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Apr 4, 2012 01:09
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spankmeister posted:I'm not. well, at least they deliver here, for $31 minimum Any suggestion for a middle of the line milder bourbon I could use to infuse. Nothing as good as Woodford or with a taste like Beam. $20-30 [ts]xenophobe fucked around with this message at 04:09 on Apr 4, 2012 |
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Apr 4, 2012 02:10
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"[ts posted:xenophobe"] Generic suggestion, but why not Maker's Mark? About as mild as they come, but not bad either.
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Apr 4, 2012 04:53
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kidsafe posted:Don't most new distilleries start off making gins, rums, and other white spirits because its a way to make a profit short term while their brown spirits age? Pretty much. I think you can have a gin out the door in a few months versus a minimum of a year for bourbon (at least Kentuck bourbon). Probably a lot easier to distill something to no flavor and add the botanicals in than to produce a flavor profile that's then aged as well.
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Apr 4, 2012 23:06
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"[ts posted:xenophobe"] Depends on what you're going to infuse in it. I like Maker's for something sweeter and Buffalo Trace for something a bit spicier. Last bottle of Buffalo Trace I got was $23, so I wouldn't feel too bad about using it and it would take a lot to screw it up.
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Apr 4, 2012 23:08
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attila posted:Pretty much. I think you can have a gin out the door in a few months versus a minimum of a year for bourbon (at least Kentuck bourbon). With Scotch Whisky of any kind it needs to be aged for at least 3 years to be legally sold as Scotch Whisky. And although it's legal at 3 years, the magical number for a single malt is 10 years usually. (Although I know a couple single malts that are very good at a younger age)
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Apr 5, 2012 07:59
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AWWNAW posted:I just have to say again how loving delicious this Jefferson's 10 year straight rye is. Around $30 a bottle and tastes as good and better than a lot of stuff that costs 2-3x that. Get some if you find it, apparently they didn't make much of it and I bought the last bottle they had at my local store.
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Apr 5, 2012 17:03
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