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So with a chunk of change in hand and a taste for a peaty whisky, I set out to the liquor store. After a great deal of deliberation, I finally ended up with the Ardbeg Uigeadail. Is it overhyped? Yes. Is it delicious? Absolutely. Tasting it alongside its younger brother, the Uigedail shows a tad bit more sweetness and a big heavy clubbing of smoke at the end. Very, very nice - although I wager the Laphroaig 10 CS could give it a run for its money.
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Feb 24, 2013 03:07
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NightConqueror posted:So with a chunk of change in hand and a taste for a peaty whisky, I set out to the liquor store. After a great deal of deliberation, I finally ended up with the Ardbeg Uigeadail. My first tasting was Ardbeg, Tried the 10, The Uigedail, Airigh Nam Beist and the Corryvreckan. I was really happy when I found out Uigedail was going to stay around. I hear more recent bottles haven't maintained the quite the same punch of earlier batches, but It's still outstanding. I am such an Ardbeg Fanboy though. I have 2 bottles of rollercoaster and still 1 Airigh nam beist that I've been saving for a very very special occasion.
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Feb 24, 2013 05:15
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I don't know very much about whisk(e)y but I'd like to learn. I just bought a Lismore from Trader Joe's and am worried I made the wrong choice.
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Feb 24, 2013 06:20
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HEGEL SMOKE A J posted:I don't know very much about whisk(e)y but I'd like to learn. I just bought a Lismore from Trader Joe's and am worried I made the wrong choice.
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Feb 24, 2013 10:02
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Any word on what is in their Trader Joe's-branded 18 year old Speyside? It seems a steal to me at $25/fifth.
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Feb 24, 2013 16:14
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I tried some Yamazaki 18 at a friend's birthday party last night. It had this big, almost syrupy nose, with lots of honey and and a bit of spice, but on the palate it was primarily smooth, mellow peat with a bit of oak and just a touch of sweetness. Also the body was huge, it almost felt like warm oil, which was awesome. Basically it was a totally wonderful whisky.
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Feb 24, 2013 21:47
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kidsafe posted:Lismore is what it is. It's the brand name of an independent bottler who specializes in selling off extra stocks of young Speyside region whiskies. At any given moment it could be Glenlivet, Glenrothes, Glenfiddich or whoever else. It's a safe bet that the whisky is no more than 5 years-old. It's still considered a single malt since there's only ever whisky from one distillery in any particular batch, but if you want a lasting impression you're going to want to go back and pick up something else. Trader Joe's should have a few recognizable names. I know I've seen Glenlivet, Glenmorangie, Glenfiddich, Dalwhinnie, Macallan and a couple of others on shelves. Edit: I've heard good things about rye whiskey and bourbon--and looking back, I remember that once I figured out how to drink it, I really enjoyed Jack Daniels. So I'll probably get some Woodford Reserve or Bulleit Rye and stop trying to gently caress around with Scotch, at least in this price range. HEY GUNS fucked around with this message at 23:28 on Feb 24, 2013 |
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Feb 24, 2013 22:14
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Just be aware that rye and bourbon taste pretty different. Rye can best be described as "spicy." Having said that, Bulleit is really good if you like rye, and is one of the more common, inexpensive ones (Jim Beam rye is best used as lighter fluid).
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Feb 25, 2013 01:38
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HEGEL SMOKE A J posted:Edit: I've heard good things about rye whiskey and bourbon--and looking back, I remember that once I figured out how to drink it, I really enjoyed Jack Daniels. So I'll probably get some Woodford Reserve or Bulleit Rye and stop trying to gently caress around with Scotch, at least in this price range. You will probably find more bang for your buck with bourbon & rye whisky. So it is a bit easier to get into vs scotch. I just spent the last 2 days trying as much whisky as I could manage at Go Whisk(e)y Weekend in Massachusetts. I tasted a lot of things that suprised me among the bourbon and rye's that were available and some amazingly delicious scotch (Springbank 21) as well. I purchased quite a bit more bourbon than scotch however, as I've been on a bourbon kick lately. If you can, taste as many different things as possible. Try and go to tastings if there are any near you (One every Wednesday near where I work). Definitely try the different types of American whisky. Check out wheated bourbon's, high rye bourbons and even straight rye's and wheat whisky if you can. Ignore age statements for now, it is too easy to get caught up in them. Besides, there is whisky out there that tastes a lot older than it is, and vice versa.
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Feb 25, 2013 02:16
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Kenning posted:I tried some Yamazaki 18 at a friend's birthday party last night. It had this big, almost syrupy nose, with lots of honey and and a bit of spice, but on the palate it was primarily smooth, mellow peat with a bit of oak and just a touch of sweetness. Also the body was huge, it almost felt like warm oil, which was awesome. Basically it was a totally wonderful whisky. TobinHatesYou fucked around with this message at 03:39 on Feb 25, 2013 |
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Feb 25, 2013 03:37
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Huh? No peat at all? That's really weird. And no it was a fresh glass. It was definitely peaty though. Mellow, but peaty. Have you guys tried Finlaggan? It's good and cheap. We're talking like $18 for an Islay single malt.
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Feb 25, 2013 06:09
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So I mentioned I'm an Ardbeg fanboy
Annyway. While I'm frustrated that they decided to keep Corryvreckan in stores (too much pepper!) around over Airigh Nam Beist, I'm very grateful that they're keeping Uigedail as the 10's angry older brother. It's not the most distinctive of the offerings but I do think it shows off most of Ardbeg's strengths the best. So drink it.
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Feb 25, 2013 07:11
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Kenning posted:Huh? No peat at all? That's really weird. And no it was a fresh glass. It was definitely peaty though. Mellow, but peaty.
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Feb 25, 2013 07:41
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I got a Bulleit Rye and it's pretty good.
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Feb 25, 2013 08:04
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kidsafe posted:Evaporation has very little to do with the quality of the barrel really and more to do with local humidity and temperature. I have a 22 year old Bunnahabhain from Exclusive Malts that was down to 43% in its cask by the time it was filled in a bottle. At 22 years in cask and such a weak ABV, you expect such an offering to be silky smooth or have a strong wood influence. Nope, neither. This is incorrect. The cask is an extremely important factor in the strength of the spirit. A whisky that has reduced to 43% ABV within 22 years is exceptionally unusual, and is a result of an issue with the cask rather than environmental aspects. Any whisky that has matured 'abnormally' is usually (not always) something to be wary of, especially when you're forking good money over for it. However, a good example of a whisky that has held is strength remarkably well, even after prolonged maturation, would be the Glenfarclas 105 40 years old - it is absolutely spectacular. kidsafe posted:Are you trying to suggest buying used barrels and reusing barrels multiple times is more costly than having coopers/robots make fresh barrels for every drop of new make? I doubt that very much. I can see the one-time cost of a former sherry butt being more than that of a new bourbon barrel due to size and availability, but that's why they use those butts for a 2nd, 3rd, 4th or even more fills. It is efficient and cost-effective to use a new barrel for every filling. American distillers doesn't have to worry about re-conditioning, checking and repairing re-fill casks, they just grab a new one off the shelf and fill it with spirit. Also, American coopers do not need to create multiple casks sizes, unlike the Scots whose barrels vary greatly in volume and variety.
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Feb 25, 2013 09:08
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duckstab posted:This is incorrect. The cask is an extremely important factor in the strength of the spirit. A whisky that has reduced to 43% ABV within 22 years is exceptionally unusual, and is a result of an issue with the cask rather than environmental aspects. I'd love a reference for your side of the barrel cost discussion. You are suggesting that hiring loggers, mills, coopers is more efficient than hiring cooperages to recondition barrels. We could probably just e-mail someone in the Scotch industry who does use brand new oak barrels, like John Glaser, and find the real answer. TobinHatesYou fucked around with this message at 10:17 on Feb 25, 2013 |
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Feb 25, 2013 09:59
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quote:Thank you for your email. Wow, that was fast. 
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Feb 25, 2013 13:17
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Wow, that's cool. Compass Box is full of awesome people.
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Feb 25, 2013 14:43
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biglads posted:There are some older Tomintoul expressions available that are cheap in comparison with other similarly aged malts and are very very good. The 32y/o Tomintoul is a great replacement for the 27.
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Feb 25, 2013 15:06
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NightConqueror posted:Wow, that's cool. Compass Box is full of awesome people.  It's great that you can just walk up and talk to Jim Rutledge, John Glaser, Bill Lumsden, the Van Winkles, etc. at all the various whisky expos. And they actually talk to you rather than talk at you.
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Feb 25, 2013 15:08
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Anyone else gone for the Yamazaki Bourbon Cask and want to report in? Still awesome when I had some last weekend. Also, good to see you posting Duckstab 
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Feb 25, 2013 15:16
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KhyrosFinalCut posted:So I mentioned I'm an Ardbeg fanboy Cool collection, and it's good to see your're actually drinking it. Nothing bugs me more than those guys who load up on rare bottlings and sit on them for decades. Have you ever tried Ardbeg's weirder offerings like the Blasda? Also, I heard the Gallieo wasn't anything to really write home about.
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Feb 26, 2013 01:05
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Is the Botanist Gin new? I have never heard of it although I am not a gin fan, I picked up a bottle cos I thought the bottle would look nice in my bar. drat this stuff is great.
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Feb 26, 2013 04:58
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Winkie01 posted:Is the Botanist Gin new? I have never heard of it although I am not a gin fan, I picked up a bottle cos I thought the bottle would look nice in my bar. drat this stuff is great. I started seeing it about 18 months ago I'd say. Since it's from the Bruichladdich distillery, I like to tell people that see it on my shelf that it's a peated gin, which leads to everyone cringing. It's actually a really tasty gin, floral as you'd expect with a good spicey herbal flavor to go along with it. The packaging even says "Non-chill filtered" as a little in joke.
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Feb 26, 2013 05:14
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NightConqueror posted:Cool collection, and it's good to see your're actually drinking it. Nothing bugs me more than those guys who load up on rare bottlings and sit on them for decades. Thanks, I try not to be that guy, but I am waiting for the right moment to open that bottle of Beist. The Day is almost done though. I should just kill it soon. I personally think Corryvreckan is weird -- but more directly, I haven't been able to get my hands on Blasda stateside. On the one hand, I've been fascinated by the concept, see what the other side of the spectrum from Supernova was like, but on the other hand... if I want something with very little/no peat, there're other things out there. Have you had? Would love to hear impressions. Galileo was interesting. I'd probably buy another bottle if I saw it around. I could understand people not thinking too much of it -- one reason it's disappeared from my personal collection is that it was a lot easier drinking than many of the other expressions from Ardbeg, the sweetness was very accessible. The other reason is that I'm a bit of a sci fi buff and I fell hard for the Marketing of "SPACE WHISKY!" and poured a few rounds at a meeting of SF association alumni. It frustrated me not remembering what the Alligator tasted like last night so I poured a dram tonight to complete the impression list: The Aligator boasts maturation in heavily charred casks. It starts to rival the supernova for the length of finish, but the dominant and almost sole characteristic of the finish is the char/creosote. The peat, iodine, and sweetness die a lot faster. I definitely recommend drinking this over the course of an ice cube melting in it as the initial heaviness of the less diluted char primes your palate to pick up on the much subtler, sweeter notes that appear later, but I feel like the range of sensations are more than the sum of their parts when experienced over time. That being said, the char (which is a different taste from smoke) never leaves, even once it's quite diluted and cloudy.
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Feb 26, 2013 05:56
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I was at the store today choosing between a bottle of Black Maple Hill or Rock Hill Farms. One was $50, one was $52, I forget which. I opted for the BMH and it tastes pretty great. Anybody have strong feelings of one over the other?
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Feb 26, 2013 07:24
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kidsafe posted:You love the Glenfarclas 105 40yr, but without batting an eye you're shrugging off that IB Longmorn. Sounds like you are picking and choosing sides without admitting that it's more about storage climate except for extreme cases. And it wasn't an issue specific to my Bunnahabhain cask as there were several bourbon barrel selections around that age to choose from that all had ABV within 2-3%. Where exactly did I shrug it off? I said that you need to be wary of whiskies that show an unusual strength (high or low) for a particular age. Of course there are exceptions and Glenfarclas is a notable example. quote:I'd love a reference for your side of the barrel cost discussion. You are suggesting that hiring loggers, mills, coopers is more efficient than hiring cooperages to recondition barrels. We could probably just e-mail someone in the Scotch industry who does use brand new oak barrels, like John Glaser, and find the real answer. I never suggested that its cheaper to make new barrels than use second hand ones - I was simply pointing out that there is more to meets the eye when it comes to a comparison of cost between American bourbon and Scotch whisky. For example, check out the difference in cost between corn and barley. There's no need to get defensive my friend, let's just relax and have some fun.
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Feb 26, 2013 07:55
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Is there any reason to keep trying out mid range blended scotch? I've tried Buchanan's, Chivas and JW Black and none come close to a same size single malt (e.g. Speyside 10) at the same or lower price.
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Feb 26, 2013 09:06
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duckstab posted:
Sure there are various other difference contributing to the final cost of bourbon and scotch. Maturation time, coffey stills vs. pot stills, grainbills, transport costs, taxes, etc. I'm just wondering why you quote-split a section focusing on the use of new vs. used barrels. TobinHatesYou fucked around with this message at 09:39 on Feb 26, 2013 |
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Feb 26, 2013 09:30
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Politicalrancor posted:Is there any reason to keep trying out mid range blended scotch? I've tried Buchanan's, Chivas and JW Black and none come close to a same size single malt (e.g. Speyside 10) at the same or lower price. I would take Johnnie Walker Black Label over Speyside 10yr or Speyburn 10yr nine times out of ten. Blends also try to fit their own 'profiles' and will vary wildly in tastes. Try Compass Box Great King Street or Asyla for example. Try Famous Grouse's blends or blended malts. Try Duncan Taylor's Black Bull 12yr.
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Feb 26, 2013 09:39
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kidsafe posted:You said it was efficient and cost effective... It really is neither of those things because it expands the supply chain in both directions. Not only do you need fresh wood from a source, but you also need someone to buy your endless supply of used barrels. I would say it's more efficient to be have ready supply of new barrels made locally than it is import, check and re-make casks in another country. America has to wait x days/months/years long for a cask to be made and ready for use, Scotland has to wait at least x + y where y is the maturation time of a Bourbon or sherry. It's obviously cheaper to buy something new than second hand, but I did say cost effective, not cheaper. quote:Sure there are various other difference contributing to the final cost of bourbon and scotch. Maturation time, coffey stills vs. pot stills, grainbills, transport costs, taxes, etc. I'm just wondering why you quote-split a section focusing on the use of new vs. used barrels. Isolating one aspect of production from the overall picture gives a skewed view of where the actual cost to the end product comes from, plus, it stimulates conversation such as this!
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Feb 26, 2013 09:56
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duckstab posted:I would say it's more efficient to be have ready supply of new barrels made locally than it is import, check and re-make casks in another country. America has to wait x days/months/years long for a cask to be made and ready for use, Scotland has to wait at least x + y where y is the maturation time of a Bourbon or sherry. Nobody was isolating one aspect of scotch/bourbon production as an indication of their overall costs. Aramoro suggested the bourbon industry saves money relative to the scotch industry due to barreling practices. I refuted him because I knew he was disseminating misinformation. TobinHatesYou fucked around with this message at 10:51 on Feb 26, 2013 |
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Feb 26, 2013 10:19
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Winkie01 posted:Is the Botanist Gin new? I have never heard of it although I am not a gin fan, I picked up a bottle cos I thought the bottle would look nice in my bar. drat this stuff is great. I guess they want to make some extra cash since gin and vodka is a nice way for a distiller to put out product on the market quickly without maturing the spirit. I hope they're not in financial trouble or anything, but if they make good stuff and it doesn't get in the way of regular production I think it's a cool development.
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Feb 26, 2013 11:39
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spankmeister posted:I guess they want to make some extra cash since gin and vodka is a nice way for a distiller to put out product on the market quickly without maturing the spirit. I hope they're not in financial trouble or anything, but if they make good stuff and it doesn't get in the way of regular production I think it's a cool development. It reminds me of New Amsterdam basically abandoning their Gin and going right to Vodka within like 6 months of launching the brand.
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Feb 26, 2013 21:44
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kidsafe posted:Personal preference...you can't find out what you like or don't like without trying. Thanks for the suggestions! Also I just got a job at a new Whiskey bar in town and I will be back with lots of questions! I know a lot about bourbon and enough about scotch but you guys constantly impress. Also I guess I'll be able to do some tastings so I'll report back on those too
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Feb 26, 2013 21:48
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Politicalrancor posted:It reminds me of New Amsterdam basically abandoning their Gin and going right to Vodka within like 6 months of launching the brand. Huh? New Amsterdam gin is still cheap, tasty, and available everywhere.
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Feb 27, 2013 01:26
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Do you all drink your gin neat?
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Feb 27, 2013 01:28
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While we're all on non-whiskey chat, does anyone have any recommendations for good mezcal? I tried a del Maguey San Luis mezcal last weekend and it was awesome: sharp and citrusy, but with a strong smoke aftertaste. I'd love to try some other similar stuff. Back to whisky chat, I'm sitting on a bottle of Leviathan I from Lost Spirits. I'm waiting till one of my friends, who's a big scotch fan, gets back from a trip in a few weeks to crack it open and the wait is killing me. Anyone else tried it?
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Feb 27, 2013 02:26
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kidsafe posted:The whisk(e)y industry in general is, but yeah Compass Box is full of awesome. It is refreshing how approachable the folks in the indistry are. I was at a whisky event this past weekend where a lot of current and former head distillers and master blenders were and everyone from John Glasser & Ian McCallum to Chip Tate & Gable Erenzo were awesome. They all answered my silly rear end questions and put up with my 
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Feb 27, 2013 02:36
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derp posted:Do you all drink your gin neat? I do. But if I drink gin I mostly drink Jenever/Genever. (i.e. Dutch gin) which generally isn't mixed.
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Feb 27, 2013 02:39
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