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Troll Bridgington posted:I think I'm in love with the Highland Park 12... the smokier scotches are really starting to grow on me. Where should I go from here? Are the older HPs a huge step up from the 12? HP 18 is a blast but the 21 is a bit of a letdown next to it.
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Apr 9, 2013 20:06
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Deleuzionist posted:HP 18 is a blast but the 21 is a bit of a letdown next to it.
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Apr 9, 2013 22:15
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On the other hand, the 15 year old is pretty unremarkable and not worth the price hike from the regular old 12. Also, I just recently had an opportunity to try a Clynelish 14 recently. Super affordable, sweet and nice. It's definitely kindled my interest in seeking out OBs\IBs from more obscure distilleries. It's sad that the popular guys, like Ardbeg, are burning through all their old, high-quality casks and are being forced to use more questionable ones. NightConqueror fucked around with this message at 01:38 on Apr 10, 2013 |
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Apr 10, 2013 01:12
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drat Evan Williams is pretty good and i haven't even got to the Single Barrel version. Thanks thread~!
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Apr 10, 2013 07:16
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On the subject of Highland Park, has anyone here had Thor or Loki? For various personal reasons, I won't be able to stop myself from buying Odin, but I'm wondering if anyone has impressions of the collection so far.
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Apr 10, 2013 07:41
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Not too big of a bourbon/whisky drinker, but I heard that Buffalo Trace is one of the best for your buck. Apparently it's the stuff the overpriced Pappy's line is made from. I was going to give it a try, but is it something I'd be drinking straight?
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Apr 10, 2013 12:49
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DirtyTalk posted:Not too big of a bourbon/whisky drinker, but I heard that Buffalo Trace is one of the best for your buck. Apparently it's the stuff the overpriced Pappy's line is made from. I was going to give it a try, but is it something I'd be drinking straight?
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Apr 10, 2013 13:25
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DirtyTalk posted:Not too big of a bourbon/whisky drinker, but I heard that Buffalo Trace is one of the best for your buck. Apparently it's the stuff the overpriced Pappy's line is made from. I was going to give it a try, but is it something I'd be drinking straight? I had Buffalo Trace straight and it tasted awesome. Drink it how you like it.
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Apr 10, 2013 13:59
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DirtyTalk posted:Not too big of a bourbon/whisky drinker, but I heard that Buffalo Trace is one of the best for your buck. Apparently it's the stuff the overpriced Pappy's line is made from. I was going to give it a try, but is it something I'd be drinking straight? Buffalo Trace is not the same line as the Van Winkle line. Buffalo Trace bourbon uses rye as it's "flavor" grain. The Van Winkle line uses wheat (With the exception of the Family Reserve Rye). Buffalo Trace bourbon shares its name with the distillery it is made at, which is the same distillery the Van Winkle line is made at. The Weller line of bourbon's is a wheated bourbon made by Buffalo Trace, I'm not sure if they use the exact same mashbill, but Weller 12 is pretty close, some say the same, as the Winkle Family reserve (Also a 12 year). I've never been able to compare the two, but Weller 12 is near the top of my list of favorites. Buffalo Trace is a good bourbon, and I always have a bottle on hand (Along with Weller Special Reserver (107 proof) and Weller 12 year). I know many that use Buffalo Trace in cocktails, drink it straight, as well as on ice. I drink it neat and use it in cocktails like an Old Fashioned.
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Apr 10, 2013 23:55
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Smokewagon posted:Buffalo Trace is not the same line as the Van Winkle line. Buffalo Trace bourbon uses rye as it's "flavor" grain. The Van Winkle line uses wheat (With the exception of the Family Reserve Rye). Buffalo Trace bourbon shares its name with the distillery it is made at, which is the same distillery the Van Winkle line is made at. The Weller line of bourbon's is a wheated bourbon made by Buffalo Trace, I'm not sure if they use the exact same mashbill, but Weller 12 is pretty close, some say the same, as the Winkle Family reserve (Also a 12 year). I've never been able to compare the two, but Weller 12 is near the top of my list of favorites. Very informative! Thanks. Gonna give it a try.
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Apr 11, 2013 01:47
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I'm young and new to Whiskey, but love Jack Daniels from black label to single barrel select yet find it no where mentioned in the past few pages- is this because I like a terrible Whiskey or because I enjoy but one of a sea of great beverages?
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Apr 11, 2013 05:38
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Uh, Jack Daniel's is fine. It's far from the worst thing anyone could drink, but there are whole worlds of American whiskey to explore beyond Jack. What exactly is it that you like so much about the ole JD? Is it the sweetness, the charcoaly oaky flavor, the spice? We might be able to point you towards other whiskeys with similar characteristics that are a bit more complex, or more finely-crafted than Jack and you will then be awash in the sea you mention.
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Apr 11, 2013 07:24
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Get some Evan Williams. Matter of fact try all the variants. That is three bourbons for less that 100 bucks(depending on where you are.)
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Apr 11, 2013 16:05
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Kenning posted:Uh, Jack Daniel's is fine. It's far from the worst thing anyone could drink, but there are whole worlds of American whiskey to explore beyond Jack. What exactly is it that you like so much about the ole JD? Is it the sweetness, the charcoaly oaky flavor, the spice? We might be able to point you towards other whiskeys with similar characteristics that are a bit more complex, or more finely-crafted than Jack and you will then be awash in the sea you mention. I think its definitely the sweetness and the charcoal oak flavor, not too big on spice myself and don't care for rum aside from Kracken due to its vanilla taste.
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Apr 11, 2013 17:06
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I bought a bottle of Goon-related Dad's Hat recently. I like it, quite mellow and has a strong vanilla taste. That I found it in a State Store was surprising, I'm still under the impression the PLCB only stocks the basics.
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Apr 11, 2013 17:38
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InsensitiveSeaBass posted:I bought a bottle of Goon-related Dad's Hat recently. I like it, quite mellow and has a strong vanilla taste. That I found it in a State Store was surprising, I'm still under the impression the PLCB only stocks the basics. They do, and for the most part you need to find one of the rare (outside of major cities) "Premium Collection" stores to find the good and/or unusual stuff. You can also order some of that stuff online but I've never done it myself so I couldn't tell you how easy it is. (Knowing the PLCB, though, they probably have about 10 annoying hoops to jump through.)
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Apr 11, 2013 18:12
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Devil Wears Wings posted:They do, and for the most part you need to find one of the rare (outside of major cities) "Premium Collection" stores to find the good and/or unusual stuff. Yeah Premium Collection stores are where it's at. Or drive across state lines if you're near a border. Totalwine in Delaware is awesome if you're near Philly.
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Apr 11, 2013 18:32
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door Door door posted:Totalwine in Delaware is awesome if you're near Philly. Ah, the advantages of Delaware.
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Apr 11, 2013 20:54
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Devil Wears Wings posted:PCLB Chat I'm from the Lehigh Valley, so I've got the stores in the Phillipsburg area and the Nazareth mega state store. Haven't had the chance to directly compare, but that one state store seems to be competitive with the Jersey stores.
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Apr 11, 2013 21:09
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Rapdawg posted:I'm young and new to Whiskey, but love Jack Daniels from black label to single barrel select yet find it no where mentioned in the past few pages- is this because I like a terrible Whiskey or because I enjoy but one of a sea of great beverages? I personally think Evan Williams tastes better than Jack throughout their whole range, while managing to be 15% or so cheaper the whole way. I think that's mainly why you don't see a lot of goon recommendations for Jack. That and I think goons on the whole shy away from hyper-marketed, huge production products like Jack Daniels, Grey Goose, Maker's Mark(to a lesser extent) etc.. There's nothing wrong with any of those, but there are probably options as good or better for less coin. It costs a lot of money to market so aggressively and part of that cost falls on the consumer at some point. If I were you I'd branch out and try some bourbons in the JD Single Barrel price range. I think you'd be impressed with how far that $35-$45 can go in bourbon country. Depending where you are I think: Evan Williams Single Barrel ($25) Blanton's Single Barrel ($40) Four Roses Single Barrel ($37)** Black Maple Hill ($40) Woodford Reserve ($30) Templeton Rye ($35) are all great options that could be had for less(or about the same) than a Single Barrel bottle of JD. When I sit down with a drink of one of those I know I'm drinking something tasty at a reasonable price. When I drink Jack I'm always left wondering if I'm paying more for the 1,000 TV commercial and magazine ads than I am for a finely crafted product. **These are my local prices, they could vary a lot depending on where you live. But JD SB is anywhere from $35-$45 by my house.
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Apr 11, 2013 21:34
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InsensitiveSeaBass posted:I'm from the Lehigh Valley, so I've got the stores in the Phillipsburg area and the Nazareth mega state store. Haven't had the chance to directly compare, but that one state store seems to be competitive with the Jersey stores. This is the truth. I have a huge-rear end Premium Collection store a few minutes' drive away, and they actually have a pretty enviable selection. Last time I walked through there (to get a bottle of the Connemara I posted about a while back), I saw that they stock Amrut, Yamazaki, lots of awesome single-malts, Penderyn, a few quality Canadian whiskeys, and lots of other oddball goodies like green Chartreuse and cachaca. And yet, due to their arbitrary restrictions, I can never find stuff like Black Bottle or Evan Williams Single Barrel that's relatively common in other states. PA is such a strange state for buying liquor. E: They do stock Black Grouse, though. How does that compare to the much-vaunted Black Bottle for a cheap Islay blend? Devil Wears Wings fucked around with this message at 03:13 on Apr 12, 2013 |
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Apr 12, 2013 03:09
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So I had to go get my friend a birthday gift today so naturally I thought whisky, then I spent way too much money and ended up only buying myself things. I got a bottle of Corsair Triple Smoke and a bottle of Glenfidditch 15 year Solera. I haven't had the chance to try the Solera but I really liked the Triple Smoke, unfortunately the cherry wood really doesn't come through much unless you're really looking for it which is a shame because when it hits it really adds a balance to the other flavors. I'd like to hear what you guys think about these two bottles.
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Apr 12, 2013 04:11
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A good friend's mom has been dumping a whole bunch of stuff on him. I finally made him take pics. It's completely ridiculous. Bourbons:  Scotches: 
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Apr 12, 2013 14:52
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DoctaFun posted:I personally think Evan Williams tastes better than Jack throughout their whole range, while managing to be 15% or so cheaper the whole way. I think that's mainly why you don't see a lot of goon recommendations for Jack. Thanks man! I've had Evan Williams before and it was alright but did not wow me, although I have yet to try single barrel or anything of that nature. I think in the next couple of days I'll try some of this and try posting a review by One thing I've done is re-fill my empty bottles with Canadian Black Velvet whiskey to see if anyone can tell the difference- with mixed results. Most people don't know the difference because I'm in college and they aren't enjoying a nice Jack and Coke because of the taste, they are trying to get blasted. Its a common joke with my friends now that I do this because "Lucky No. 7 refers to the bottle, not the batch. It makes it taste better dude." but every once in a while I'll meet a douchebag and not tell him and just be Mr. High Roller giving out JD shots. The best is when some rear end in a top hat went on and on about how you can just taste the difference in quality when having Jack Daniels and how he won't touch other swill. I've also had Johnny Walker Double Black and found it to be pretty good but had to leave half a bottle of it at a hotel room in Boston... I hope the cleaning people took it as an extra tip.
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Apr 12, 2013 17:09
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Rapdawg posted:One thing I've done is re-fill my empty bottles with Canadian Black Velvet whiskey to see if anyone can tell the difference- with mixed results. Most people don't know the difference because I'm in college and they aren't enjoying a nice Jack and Coke because of the taste, they are trying to get blasted. Its a common joke with my friends now that I do this because "Lucky No. 7 refers to the bottle, not the batch. It makes it taste better dude." but every once in a while I'll meet a douchebag and not tell him and just be Mr. High Roller giving out JD shots. The best is when some rear end in a top hat went on and on about how you can just taste the difference in quality when having Jack Daniels and how he won't touch other swill. This reminds me of a story from my early college years. I had a snooty friend who was insufferable whenever we were drinking because he refused to drink anything but Guinness. He'd go on and on about how it was the only thing worth drinking and he was one the biggest Guinness drinkers and blah blah blah. So we were at a bonfire and I got up to get another drink and he asked me to bring him a Guinness. "Sure!" I said. I went inside and filled one of his empty guinness bottles up with Icehouse, a truly disgusting beer that tastes NOTHING like Guinness. I bring it back, he takes a swig and goes, "Ahhh, Guinness." I think drinking brings out the snobbery in a lot of people and they just can't help trying to impress others with their tastes and sophistication or some crap.
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Apr 12, 2013 17:39
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ChickenArise posted:A good friend's mom has been dumping a whole bunch of stuff on him. I finally made him take pics. It's completely ridiculous. Want that mom.
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Apr 12, 2013 20:12
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DoctaFun posted:This reminds me of a story from my early college years. I had a snooty friend who was insufferable whenever we were drinking because he refused to drink anything but Guinness. He'd go on and on about how it was the only thing worth drinking and he was one the biggest Guinness drinkers and blah blah blah. Trying to be pretentious by talking about the virtues of JD or Guinness are sure ways to show that you have no idea what you're talking about.
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Apr 12, 2013 20:47
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DoctaFun posted:I think drinking brings out the snobbery in a lot of people and they just can't help trying to impress others with their tastes and sophistication or some crap. I think that, if there's a lesson to be learned from these stories, it's, "Drink what you like and don't give a poo poo about anything else." Of maybe, "If you're going to be an insufferable snob, then at least know what you're talking about." (EFB on this one.)
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Apr 12, 2013 20:48
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Devil Wears Wings posted:I think that, if there's a lesson to be learned from these stories, it's, "Drink what you like and don't give a poo poo about anything else." Yeah, drink what you like but don't snub other things or bad talk other people's poo poo. If you like JD then drink it but don't act like your friend is a philistine for offering you some Evan Williams. My friend for instance got in an argument with me about Johnny Walker because he heard Christopher Hitchens drank it and we got in an argument about aging. JD does not tell you how long it is aged for, but JD lists the time on every bottle. We had a discussion about what that means and in the end I just said that this was stupid and taste is key and that we should break out the measuring tape and dicks. What is the difference though? Is length of age more important in Scotch or is it just a brand thing. I'm going to try to review some Whiskey in the next couple of days and sample some nice delights mentioned in this thread. Also more awesome stories of snobs and shenanigans please, I am in college and these are awesome lessons.
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Apr 12, 2013 23:13
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Rapdawg posted:What is the difference though? Is length of age more important in Scotch or is it just a brand thing. I'm going to try to review some Whiskey in the next couple of days and sample some nice delights mentioned in this thread. In general, length of age matters more for Scotch than bourbon because of the temperature differences between Scotland and the Southern United States. Whiskey in warmer climates matures faster. A ten to twelve year old bourbon is generally thought of as being pretty mature, while twelve years old for Scotch is still quite young. Bourbon in excess of twenty years old is extremely rare, while Scotches that are 25-30 or even 40 years old aren't terribly rare. That being said, age isn't everything. I've had a blend of 3,4 and 5 year old Scotch (Kilchomann Machir Bay) which is really quite good despite its youth. The problem today is with whiskey producers who are pushing out young whiskey that isn't ready and charging a premium by slapping a cute Gallic name on it. NightConqueror fucked around with this message at 01:23 on Apr 13, 2013 |
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Apr 13, 2013 01:17
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Rapdawg posted:My friend for instance got in an argument with me about Johnny Walker because he heard Christopher Hitchens drank it
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Apr 13, 2013 02:22
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Deleuzionist posted:Maybe there's something in JW that makes you go neocon and stay neocon. Despite being a stupidly rich sack of poo poo that could down an Ardbeg 1977 per day and not even notice the annual bill, Dick Cheney's favourite drink is Johnnie Walker Red. According to Wikipedia, Richard Nixon used to drink Johnnie Walker Blue with ginger ale.
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Apr 13, 2013 15:03
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Cheney's favorite snack is probably deep fried cheese so keep that in mind. I bought me a bottle of Elmer T. Lee yesterday gonna try a bit tonight. $29 at Total Wine.
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Apr 13, 2013 15:39
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Deleuzionist posted:Maybe there's something in JW that makes you go neocon and stay neocon. Oh my he is my most conservative roommate and after getting poo poo faced on Red Stripe last night did try to explain Obamacare to me  .Tried maker's mark for the first time last night as my other roommate got it for his birthday. Pretty smooth and went down easily while not really leaving too bad a burn.
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Apr 13, 2013 17:48
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ChickenArise posted:A good friend's mom has been dumping a whole bunch of stuff on him. I finally made him take pics. It's completely ridiculous. Best mom ever. Not a single bottle there that isn't worth buying really. Definitely all worth drinking for what he paid.
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Apr 15, 2013 00:53
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Smokewagon posted:Best mom ever. Not a single bottle there that isn't worth buying really. Definitely all worth drinking for what he paid. How is the peat monster? I've been eyeing that bottle for a couple months.
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Apr 15, 2013 00:57
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Troll Bridgington posted:How is the peat monster? I've been eyeing that bottle for a couple months. I had a taste of it at the liquor store a while back. Don't be fooled by the "monster" part in the name. It's really quite a mild peated whiskey. Doesn't really beat out Ardbeg or Laphroaig at the same price point (unless you're looking for a more mildly peated whisky).
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Apr 15, 2013 01:31
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I'm a huge whiskey fan and don't know why I've never checked out this thread before! So my favorite regular drink is Yamazaki 18, but it's been pretty impossible to find recently, so I've had to branch out a bit. I goddamn love everything about it and can't help but crack a huge smile when I get a whiff of it after opening the bottle. Anyone know where I could order it? In the mean time I've tried a few other things, mostly standard stuff I hadn't gotten around to. One notable bottle I tried was the Glenlivet Nadurra 16 y/o non-chill filtered. Not even because it was really that great but it had this intense honey flavor that put it more in the dessert drink category for me. Also I had recently finished my yearly "occasion" bottle, last year's was Chivas Royal Salute 21. I did really like it, it had the sweet flavors that are characteristic of Chivas and was overall enjoyable. So this time I picked up a bottle of the Balvenie 21 port wood cask. My only other experience with Balvenie was the 12 y/o doublewood, which I LOVED, for a 12 y/o which I rarely drink it was great. This 21 y/o is pretty amazing. It's very delicate as a drink of that age will tend to be, and extremely complex. There's ALL SORTS of things going on with this scotch. It's only got a hint of sweetness, and a bit of pepper, lots of dark dried fruits, and cocoa. When I'm drinking it I feel like that scene from willy wonka where the gum has an entire meal that it goes through as you chew it. My only criticism is that it doesn't appear all that interesting on the nose, so it's really a great surprise when you drink it.
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Apr 15, 2013 13:52
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DONT CARE BUTTON posted:I'm a huge whiskey fan and don't know why I've never checked out this thread before! So my favorite regular drink is Yamazaki 18, but it's been pretty impossible to find recently, so I've had to branch out a bit. I goddamn love everything about it and can't help but crack a huge smile when I get a whiff of it after opening the bottle. Anyone know where I could order it? Depends on where you are. These guys have it and ship internationally. They are more expensive for me than buying locally, but that may be different for you. http://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/yamazaki-18-year-old-whisky/?srh=1
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Apr 15, 2013 14:02
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spankmeister posted:Depends on where you are. These guys have it and ship internationally. They are more expensive for me than buying locally, but that may be different for you. Oh man that is literally like twice the price of what I had been paying before. I wonder if its because it had become so popular? Ever since the tsunami it's become a lot more rare so I thought that had something to do with it.
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Apr 15, 2013 15:24
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