Whiskey or Whisky? Let's talk about them.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > Whiskey or Whisky? Let's talk about them.

Radio Nowhere: Jan 8, 2010

asciidic posted:

I finally got a vault invite from ABC and had to make a quick decision. I chose William Larue over Van Winkle 10 / 12, Weller 12 and Bowman Brothers which I'd never heard of. I done good?

Which Bowman Brothers? They make pretty good stuff, but not allocation good. Their one offs can be hit or miss.

# ? Apr 17, 2020 13:26

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# ? Apr 29, 2024 09:39

asciidic: Aug 19, 2005; lord of the valves

I think it was small batch and was $30 iirc. I'm glad my decision to get the WLW was a good one. I only bought it because it was the most expensive offering at $120 and the bottle looked like George T Stagg. Reselling it is tempting but I'm going to drink it.

# ? Apr 17, 2020 17:12

Gravitee: Nov 20, 2003; I just put money in the Magic Fingers!

Drink it! It's one of my favorites of all time.

# ? Apr 17, 2020 20:29

Radio Nowhere: Jan 8, 2010

asciidic posted:

I think it was small batch and was $30 iirc. I'm glad my decision to get the WLW was a good one. I only bought it because it was the most expensive offering at $120 and the bottle looked like George T Stagg. Reselling it is tempting but I'm going to drink it.

Yeah you made the best choice, I've never even had the opportunity for WLW. Bowman must be a consolation prize, or is actually rare in your state? It's widely available here, single barrel at $50 is very nice.

# ? Apr 17, 2020 20:32

DoctaFun: Dec 12, 2005; Dammit Francis!

I�ve heard rumors that the bowman brothers uses Buffalo Trace mashbill #2 juice, but it�s not aged at BT.

No idea if that�s actually true or not.

# ? Apr 18, 2020 00:41

Vox Nihili: May 28, 2008

Nice piece of fish posted:

So, I recently found myself some decent (?) quality high proof alcohol that I have absolutely no use for outside of hand sanitizer and I decided to experiment some. Seeing as I have no old barrels lying around I decided to try basically every trick in the moonshiner's handbook to make something drinkable out of all this mess.

So I'm gonna use an ultrasonic cleaner to wood the diluted stuff (bout 55%) with charred and toasted sticks of dried birch, oxygenate it by airing, then chill filter it through activated charcoal on to a bottle with another stick or two of wood, and leave it in the attic for a good six months at first. Gonna be completely unscientific about it too since I don't know the first thing about anything like this, probably gonna be undrinkable but then it's undrinkable now so no great loss.

I'll post about it when I get poisoned and die.

Sounds like a lot of work for the equivalent of a swift kick in the nuts.

Which is to say, please keep us updated!

# ? Apr 20, 2020 23:31

Vox Nihili: May 28, 2008

DoctaFun posted:

I’ve heard rumors that the bowman brothers uses Buffalo Trace mashbill #2 juice, but it’s not aged at BT.

No idea if that’s actually true or not.

Apparently it's distilled twice at Buffalo Trace then distilled a third and final time at the Bowman pot still. Technically they don't disclose the original source and it could be from some other distillery in Kentucky, but the whole operation is owned by Sazerac (Buffalo Trace's parent company) and it's pretty widely believed to be their own stuff.

# ? Apr 20, 2020 23:38

zmcnulty: Jul 26, 2003

Dunno if any goons listen to it, but I'm on this week's WhiskyCast talking about the upcoming Japanese whisky standards. Starts around the 21'30" mark.

# ? Apr 21, 2020 00:00

spankmeister: Jun 15, 2008

zmcnulty posted:

Dunno if any goons listen to it, but I'm on this week's WhiskyCast talking about the upcoming Japanese whisky standards. Starts around the 21'30" mark.

It's a big problem and I don't buy Japanese whisky anymore because of it.

# ? Apr 21, 2020 07:50

Nice piece of fish: Jan 29, 2008; Ultra Carp

Vox Nihili posted:

Sounds like a lot of work for the equivalent of a swift kick in the nuts.

Which is to say, please keep us updated!

Sure thing! So far it looks pretty much like a dark golden bourbon, smells like a perfumey vanilla (friend of mine said it smelled like a sweetish bourbon), doesn't smell at all of alcohol or moonshine, and it tastes like absolute poo poo.

So so far a complete failure, we'll see what happens once it gets a chance to rest a while.

# ? Apr 21, 2020 07:58

Carillon: May 9, 2014

spankmeister posted:

It's a big problem and I don't buy Japanese whisky anymore because of it.

Maybe this makes me naive, but I would assume the bigger names are ok?

# ? Apr 21, 2020 08:55

zmcnulty: Jul 26, 2003

spankmeister posted:

It's a big problem and I don't buy Japanese whisky anymore because of it.

I agree that these rules should have been put in place years and years ago. From a label alone, there's basically no way to tell whether or not the whisky was actually distilled in Japan or not. Especially in the US, because lax Japanese rules + TTB labeling guidelines makes stuff like this possible. Ironically, Kikori may actually be more "Japanese" than real Japanese whisky, given it's shochu and not whisky.

Carillon posted:

Maybe this makes me naive, but I would assume the bigger names are ok?

Even for the bigger names you're getting into iffy territory with blended whiskies. Especially on the low end, though the low-end stuff isn't really sold outside Japan.

Nikka owns Ben Nevis, who has more or less confirmed they're sending massive quantities of the stuff to Japan. Rumors abound that the revamped NAS Taketsuru was released in order to quietly increase the Ben Nevis component.

Suntory is just as guilty; they were making fake whiskies years before Yamazaki even existed. There's also the 1967 incident where a Yamazaki Distillery supply truck spilled a bunch of loving potatoes on the expressway. Suntory Kakubin, Japan's best-selling whisky, is like $9 for 750ml at any convenience store in Japan. Do you think that's possible using a blend of only whiskies from Chita, Yamazaki, Hakushu? I don't. They're selling so much of it that they had to pivot to pushing Jim Beam here in Japan over Kakubin.

This is one of the reasons said rules weren't in place earlier. On the whole, I'd saying being more strict about the "Japanese whisky" definition hurts Nikka and Suntory more than it helps them. Especially since they have no problem at all selling their actual Japanese whiskies. The Japanese drinking public isn't really aware that Kakubin and Nikka Black etc. aren't made in Japan, so introducing new rules like this means a lot of consumers are in for a rude awakening. A similar rude awakening led to a backlash in the 80s with sake. It's why you today have a distinction between junmai and non-junmai sake. US craft whiskey dealt with the NDP/MGP bullshit, but Japan still has a lot to overcome before people who want transparency are satisfied.

If you want to be completely sure, stick with the single malts from Yoichi/Miyagikyo and Yamazaki/Hakushu. Kirin's single malts and single grains are fine (and fantastic, if you can find them) but don't even think about touching their cheaper poo poo. Beyond that you're mostly getting into maniac territory with limited-edition/discontinued bottles, Chichibu, blah blah blah. If there's a specific bottle you're wondering about, feel free to ask!

zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 09:48 on Apr 21, 2020

# ? Apr 21, 2020 09:43

spankmeister: Jun 15, 2008

zmcnulty posted:

I agree that these rules should have been put in place years and years ago. From a label alone, there's basically no way to tell whether or not the whisky was actually distilled in Japan or not. Especially in the US, because lax Japanese rules + TTB labeling guidelines makes stuff like this possible. Ironically, Kikori may actually be more "Japanese" than real Japanese whisky, given it's shochu and not whisky.

Even for the bigger names you're getting into iffy territory with blended whiskies. Especially on the low end, though the low-end stuff isn't really sold outside Japan.

Nikka owns Ben Nevis, who has more or less confirmed they're sending massive quantities of the stuff to Japan. Rumors abound that the revamped NAS Taketsuru was released in order to quietly increase the Ben Nevis component.

Suntory is just as guilty; they were making fake whiskies years before Yamazaki even existed. There's also the 1967 incident where a Yamazaki Distillery supply truck spilled a bunch of loving potatoes on the expressway. Suntory Kakubin, Japan's best-selling whisky, is like $9 for 750ml at any convenience store in Japan. Do you think that's possible using a blend of only whiskies from Chita, Yamazaki, Hakushu? I don't. They're selling so much of it that they had to pivot to pushing Jim Beam here in Japan over Kakubin.

This is one of the reasons said rules weren't in place earlier. On the whole, I'd saying being more strict about the "Japanese whisky" definition hurts Nikka and Suntory more than it helps them. Especially since they have no problem at all selling their actual Japanese whiskies. The Japanese drinking public isn't really aware that Kakubin and Nikka Black etc. aren't made in Japan, so introducing new rules like this means a lot of consumers are in for a rude awakening. A similar rude awakening led to a backlash in the 80s with sake. It's why you today have a distinction between junmai and non-junmai sake. US craft whiskey dealt with the NDP/MGP bullshit, but Japan still has a lot to overcome before people who want transparency are satisfied.

If you want to be completely sure, stick with the single malts from Yoichi/Miyagikyo and Yamazaki/Hakushu. Kirin's single malts and single grains are fine (and fantastic, if you can find them) but don't even think about touching their cheaper poo poo. Beyond that you're mostly getting into maniac territory with limited-edition/discontinued bottles, Chichibu, blah blah blah. If there's a specific bottle you're wondering about, feel free to ask!

Thanks for the info!

I'm curious about the Nikka Days, is there anything you can tell me about it? The price is right and the scarce reviews are generally positive, but my gut tells me it has quite a bit of scotch whisky blended in.

# ? Apr 21, 2020 22:06

java: May 7, 2005

Anyone have any thoughts about Old Carter or Booker's Granny Batch? Contemplating picking one up, but not sure which one, or even either.

# ? Apr 21, 2020 22:12

Vox Nihili: May 28, 2008

zmcnulty posted:

I agree that these rules should have been put in place years and years ago. From a label alone, there's basically no way to tell whether or not the whisky was actually distilled in Japan or not. Especially in the US, because lax Japanese rules + TTB labeling guidelines makes stuff like this possible. Ironically, Kikori may actually be more "Japanese" than real Japanese whisky, given it's shochu and not whisky.

Even for the bigger names you're getting into iffy territory with blended whiskies. Especially on the low end, though the low-end stuff isn't really sold outside Japan.

Nikka owns Ben Nevis, who has more or less confirmed they're sending massive quantities of the stuff to Japan. Rumors abound that the revamped NAS Taketsuru was released in order to quietly increase the Ben Nevis component.

Suntory is just as guilty; they were making fake whiskies years before Yamazaki even existed. There's also the 1967 incident where a Yamazaki Distillery supply truck spilled a bunch of loving potatoes on the expressway. Suntory Kakubin, Japan's best-selling whisky, is like $9 for 750ml at any convenience store in Japan. Do you think that's possible using a blend of only whiskies from Chita, Yamazaki, Hakushu? I don't. They're selling so much of it that they had to pivot to pushing Jim Beam here in Japan over Kakubin.

This is one of the reasons said rules weren't in place earlier. On the whole, I'd saying being more strict about the "Japanese whisky" definition hurts Nikka and Suntory more than it helps them. Especially since they have no problem at all selling their actual Japanese whiskies. The Japanese drinking public isn't really aware that Kakubin and Nikka Black etc. aren't made in Japan, so introducing new rules like this means a lot of consumers are in for a rude awakening. A similar rude awakening led to a backlash in the 80s with sake. It's why you today have a distinction between junmai and non-junmai sake. US craft whiskey dealt with the NDP/MGP bullshit, but Japan still has a lot to overcome before people who want transparency are satisfied.

If you want to be completely sure, stick with the single malts from Yoichi/Miyagikyo and Yamazaki/Hakushu. Kirin's single malts and single grains are fine (and fantastic, if you can find them) but don't even think about touching their cheaper poo poo. Beyond that you're mostly getting into maniac territory with limited-edition/discontinued bottles, Chichibu, blah blah blah. If there's a specific bottle you're wondering about, feel free to ask!

Any idea about "Kura the Whiskey" made by "Helios Distillery"? K&L claims it is distilled in Japan and made with "peat sourced from the mires of Hokkaido," but I am not so sure and other sites seem to disagree.

# ? Apr 21, 2020 22:50

zmcnulty: Jul 26, 2003

spankmeister posted:

Thanks for the info!

I'm curious about the Nikka Days, is there anything you can tell me about it? The price is right and the scarce reviews are generally positive, but my gut tells me it has quite a bit of scotch whisky blended in.

It's export-only, and I haven't had it myself. But from what I hear supposed to be bright, fresh, and approachable at the entry-level. So basically Nikka's answer to Suntory's Toki. I'm guessing it contains a bit of Ben Nevis, given the price point.

Vox Nihili posted:

Any idea about "Kura the Whiskey" made by "Helios Distillery"? K&L claims it is distilled in Japan and made with "peat sourced from the mires of Hokkaido," but I am not so sure and other sites seem to disagree.

Most other sites/youtubes saying it's not Japanese whisky are probably citing me.

Helios stopped distilling whisky in 2001. I *heard* they restarted in 2016, but to my knowledge none of that fresh is these Kura bottles. Kura the Whisky Rum Cask is described on Helios's own site as using a "carefully selected" blend of malts, which is then finished in their own ex-rum casks. That phrase is Japanese-whisky-maker-speak for imported whisky. And the marketing materials that went out to Japanese retailers specifically say that it uses Scottish malt.

There are actual Japanese whiskies coming from Okinawa eventually... and not just Helios. Kumesen is supposedly working on it (funded by their Kujira crap), and Masahiro already got a license. But we're still several years away. Until that happens, bottles like this are far more intriguing to me.

zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 02:15 on Apr 22, 2020

# ? Apr 22, 2020 02:02

Vox Nihili: May 28, 2008

zmcnulty posted:

Most other sites saying it's not Japanese whisky are probably citing me. The Whiskey Vault guys did this in their recent episode about the Kura Rum Cask Finish too.

Helios stopped distilling whisky in 2001. I *heard* they restarted in 2016, but to my knowledge none of that fresh is these Kura bottles. Kura the Whisky Rum Cask is described on Helios's own site as using a "carefully selected" blend of malts, which is then finished in their own ex-rum casks. That phrase is Japanese-whisky-maker-speak for imported whisky. And the marketing materials that went out to Japanese retailers specifically say that it uses Scottish malt.

There are actual Japanese whiskies coming from Okinawa eventually... and not just Helios. Kumesen is supposedly working on it (funded by their Kujira crap), and Masahiro already got a license. But we're still several years away. Until that happens, bottles like this are far more intriguing to me.

I wonder about this one because if what you're saying is correct, the makers are essentially pushing some actual fraud. The bottle's label says "distilled by Helios Distillery Co., LTD. Okinawa, Japan." (I'm looking at a bottle in front of me right now, and yes, I am somewhat bitter about being defrauded--I bought this one a year or two back on the assumption that the actual label would at least be accurate.)

Also, not really related, but it does indeed taste pretty terrible.

# ? Apr 22, 2020 02:13

zmcnulty: Jul 26, 2003

Vox Nihili posted:

I wonder about this one because if what you're saying is correct, the makers are essentially pushing some actual fraud. The bottle's label says "distilled by Helios Distillery Co., LTD. Okinawa, Japan." (I'm looking at a bottle in front of me right now, and yes, I am somewhat bitter about being defrauded--I bought this one a year or two back on the assumption that the actual label would at least be accurate.)

Also, not really related, but it does indeed taste pretty terrible.

It says that in English, yes. The Japanese National Tax Agency and other authorities give no fucks about what English text is on any given bottle/can of booze. I don't know enough about TTB regulations to say if they care or not, though. Perhaps TTB is satisfied if it says "Product of Japan" somewhere on the label.

As for fraud, IANAL but I was approached by a US-based law firm a few months back looking to bring litigation against companies that engage in this practice. US courts have no jurisdiction over Japanese companies so you'd have to go after the importer/US distributor. I'm guessing their answer would be "the label was cleared by TTB, so suck it."

# ? Apr 22, 2020 02:26

Vox Nihili: May 28, 2008

zmcnulty posted:

It says that in English, yes. The Japanese National Tax Agency and other authorities give no fucks about what English text is on any given bottle/can of booze. I don't know enough about TTB regulations to say if they care or not, though. Perhaps TTB is satisfied if it says "Product of Japan" somewhere on the label.

Wild stuff. Thanks for your insight!

# ? Apr 22, 2020 04:27

Carillon: May 9, 2014

It's funny coming from the American regulations on what whisky gets called what, I don't always expect what an unregulated market other places can be.

# ? Apr 22, 2020 07:04

DoctaFun: Dec 12, 2005; Dammit Francis!

java posted:

Anyone have any thoughts about Old Carter or Booker's Granny Batch? Contemplating picking one up, but not sure which one, or even either.

I�ve had a couple batches of bookers and I�m always a little let down for the price, especially since the price hike. It�s approaching $80 here in the twin cities, and there are just far better options for barrel proof bourbon at that price point.

A good store pick knob creek will be half the cost, nearly as high proof, and potentially twice the age.

Russel�s reserve single barrel store picks are higher on my list as well.

Jack Daniels single barrel barrel proof, Elijah Craig barrel proof, Stagg jr(if you can find it).

Heck, you can almost get Stagg jr on secondary for the price of bookers at retail.

# ? Apr 23, 2020 04:45

Professor Shark: May 22, 2012

Last year I bought a bottle of (the admittedly gimmicky) Game of Thrones: House Tully Scotch by Singleton

Link

It took me a few glasses, but I grew to enjoy it. Now it's sold out, and I want another bottle.

The NSLC only has one type of Singleton offered here in NS:

Link

Is this the same stuff? The tasting notes are different, but I know those don't always line up.

I'd like to try something with Orange notes if at all possible.

# ? Apr 27, 2020 18:34

spankmeister: Jun 15, 2008

Professor Shark posted:

Last year I bought a bottle of (the admittedly gimmicky) Game of Thrones: House Tully Scotch by Singleton

Link

It took me a few glasses, but I grew to enjoy it. Now it's sold out, and I want another bottle.

The NSLC only has one type of Singleton offered here in NS:

Link

Is this the same stuff? The tasting notes are different, but I know those don't always line up.

I'd like to try something with Orange notes if at all possible.

It's not the same, because "The Singleton" is a brand name that Diageo bottles whisky from three different distilleries under. The game of thrones one is from Glendullan, and the one at your liquor store is from Dufftown. Which is a completely different distillery with completely different whisky.

So instead of searching for Singleton you want to be on the lookout for Glendullan.

Incidentally the third variant is Glen Ord. I really used to like Glen Ord but Diageo took the distillery bottling off the market and rebranded it under Singleton
When they did this they decided to only release it in the Asian markets. So I can't get it anymore. :mad:

# ? Apr 27, 2020 19:14

Professor Shark: May 22, 2012

drat. I cannot find anything Glendullan offered by the NSLC (in fact they just bring me back to that bottle of Singleton).

Is there anything similar they might have?

# ? Apr 28, 2020 13:03

Deceptive Thinker: Oct 5, 2005; I'll rip out your optics!

Professor Shark posted:

drat. I cannot find anything Glendullan offered by the NSLC (in fact they just bring me back to that bottle of Singleton).

Is there anything similar they might have?

Although I haven't had the Glendullan - from the tasting notes and your desire for something with orange notes - I'd say try something from Glenmorangie

# ? Apr 28, 2020 13:26

Tangerines: Apr 25, 2016

Anyone been on any whiskey tours in Japan? The missus wants to go and as not a big Japanese whiskey bod, I don't know where to start.

# ? Apr 28, 2020 19:16

Tambreet: Nov 28, 2006; Ninja Platypus; Muldoon

Caskcartel.com has some of the Game of Thrones ones still, but that House Tully is only available in a set. And good lord, the prices!

# ? Apr 29, 2020 02:39

DoctaFun: Dec 12, 2005; Dammit Francis!

Professor Shark posted:

Last year I bought a bottle of (the admittedly gimmicky) Game of Thrones: House Tully Scotch by Singleton

Link

It took me a few glasses, but I grew to enjoy it. Now it's sold out, and I want another bottle.

The NSLC only has one type of Singleton offered here in NS:

Link

Is this the same stuff? The tasting notes are different, but I know those don't always line up.

I'd like to try something with Orange notes if at all possible.

Where are you located? I know that there�s still some of these game of thrones bottles hanging around shelves in some twin cities liquor stores.

Unfortunately it�s not really good explore liquor store environment otherwise I�d take a look for you.

# ? Apr 29, 2020 05:15

spankmeister: Jun 15, 2008

I just checked and I can get both the game of thrones one and the Singleton 12yo Glendullan for 40 euro and 50 euro respectively. So of you really want some we can set up an intercontinental trade.

https://drankdozijn.nl/zoeken?zoekterm=Glendullan

spankmeister fucked around with this message at 07:29 on Apr 29, 2020

# ? Apr 29, 2020 07:25

spankmeister: Jun 15, 2008

Tangerines posted:

Anyone been on any whiskey tours in Japan? The missus wants to go and as not a big Japanese whiskey bod, I don't know where to start.

Everything is closed right now due to the Roni

# ? Apr 29, 2020 07:27

Bape Culture: Sep 13, 2006

Anyone had the Belvenie Caribbean cask?
I�m hearing a lot of absolute rave reviews lately.
I quite fancy something a little bit different to my usually sherry lead, none smoked stuff.

# ? Apr 29, 2020 10:46

zmcnulty: Jul 26, 2003

Some distilleries offer tours and some don't, are there any specific ones you have in mind?

Generally you get to the distillery yourself, and join the tour group. You'll need reservations for the more popular distilleries like Yamazaki. Many are easy daytrips from Tokyo, Kansai, or Sapporo so easy enough to tack on to the standard Japan tourist route.

There's also a guy offering a more all-inclusive kind of thing, if you are interested in spending like week covering a shitload of ground and several distilleries.

But yeah, at the moment everything is closed to the public.

# ? Apr 29, 2020 10:48

Brutal Garcon: Nov 2, 2014

Stuck at home like half the planet, so I decided to try making "whisky" from some cheap vodka and an oak tree in the garden.

I broke the wood into slivers, baked it at about 190 C for a hour or so and then put it into a small jar of vodka, which I ran through an ultrasonic cleaner a few times and then left for a couple of days.

The resulting liquid has a nice caramel-ish smell to it, but it was extremely bitter. In what particular way did I gently caress this up (and are the results safe to drink)?

# ? Apr 29, 2020 12:39

Nice piece of fish: Jan 29, 2008; Ultra Carp

Dzhay posted:

Stuck at home like half the planet, so I decided to try making "whisky" from some cheap vodka and an oak tree in the garden.

I broke the wood into slivers, baked it at about 190 C for a hour or so and then put it into a small jar of vodka, which I ran through an ultrasonic cleaner a few times and then left for a couple of days.

The resulting liquid has a nice caramel-ish smell to it, but it was extremely bitter. In what particular way did I gently caress this up (and are the results safe to drink)?

Wooding vodka isn't the same as whisky-ifying it, aging can be artificially started with ultrasonic treatment combined with heat and super-aeration and it generally works poorly at less than 55% abv. Try putting a small stick of wood in a glass bottle, filling it up half way and leave it somewhere with temperature variations.

Probably won't help much since the only way to make drinkable whisky is pretty much an oak cask and leave it for 10 years but you might as well try. Also yeah, throw some glycerol in there, about 5ml per liter. It's food safe, helps.

# ? Apr 29, 2020 14:02

Yuns: Aug 19, 2000; There is an idea of a Yuns, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

The problem with starting with vodka is you have a neutral spirit with no character and you are just leaching stuff from the wood alone as flavor and smell components. You're guaranteed to have a bad time. I think you'd be better off with White Dog or other unaged corn or rye distillate that hasn't had all its smell and flavor filtered out then appropriately age it in charred or toasted wood.

# ? Apr 29, 2020 17:42

CleverHans: Apr 25, 2011; Can't post for 8 years!

In addition to the too-low-proof and too-neutral-base-spirit, I'd say the most fundamental problem you ran up against is that you just threw some wood in the oven for an hour or two rather than using properly seasoned wood staves / stave shavings.

Per a major stave producer:
"Staves are air-dried, or �seasoned,� for 24 months to achieve 12-14% moisture levels for liquid-tight barrels. Natural drying allows rain and other elements to reduce the tannins in the wood, softening the flavors. The seasoning process also results in pliable wood that can be molded into barrels without splintering."

The reason it is quite bitter is that all the tannins were still in the wood and leached out before all the pleasant wood notes could come out.

It is not going to be poisonous (assuming there is isn't anything hosed up with the tree you used) but I'm sure it is quite unpleasant to drink.

Maybe dilute it with some other whisky or vodka and/or put it in a mixed drink and use the bitterness to your advantage.

# ? Apr 29, 2020 23:25

biglads: Feb 21, 2007; I could've gone to Blatherwycke

Bape Culture posted:

Anyone had the Belvenie Caribbean cask?
I�m hearing a lot of absolute rave reviews lately.
I quite fancy something a little bit different to my usually sherry lead, none smoked stuff.

It's nice. Any bottle I have had has disappeared very quickly.

# ? Apr 30, 2020 12:25

Nice piece of fish: Jan 29, 2008; Ultra Carp

CleverHans posted:

In addition to the too-low-proof and too-neutral-base-spirit, I'd say the most fundamental problem you ran up against is that you just threw some wood in the oven for an hour or two rather than using properly seasoned wood staves / stave shavings.

Per a major stave producer:
"Staves are air-dried, or �seasoned,� for 24 months to achieve 12-14% moisture levels for liquid-tight barrels. Natural drying allows rain and other elements to reduce the tannins in the wood, softening the flavors. The seasoning process also results in pliable wood that can be molded into barrels without splintering."

The reason it is quite bitter is that all the tannins were still in the wood and leached out before all the pleasant wood notes could come out.

It is not going to be poisonous (assuming there is isn't anything hosed up with the tree you used) but I'm sure it is quite unpleasant to drink.

Maybe dilute it with some other whisky or vodka and/or put it in a mixed drink and use the bitterness to your advantage.

Now that's a real good point. As to my earlier test with wooding alcohol, that just might be how I hosed up. Even using a low-tannin wood like birch, the smell was wonderful but the taste was bitter and sharp. However, I lied before when I said I don't have any old barrels lying around, I actually have several probably 100-year old molasses barrels lying around. Might take a chance on some of that wood, if I maybe boil it some first and then toast it. Worth a shot.

# ? Apr 30, 2020 14:47

asciidic: Aug 19, 2005; lord of the valves

Balvenie Caribbean Cask ruined my palate with unpeated scotch for a few weeks. I picked up a really tart, sour apple like note in it and then started getting it from everything that wasn't a smoke bomb. It took Macallan 25 to get it back on track. Taste is weird.

# ? Apr 30, 2020 15:02

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# ? Apr 29, 2024 09:39

wormil: Sep 12, 2002; Hulk will smoke you!

Bourbon barrels are charred to get the vanilla flavor, might have better luck going that way than just toasting in an oven.

# ? Apr 30, 2020 19:04

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > Whiskey or Whisky? Let's talk about them.

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