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wormil posted:So what? Kool aid would do well in a blind taste test, if that is your only criteria. My point is basically the strict rules of bourbon production actually stifle my interest. It's borderline too homogenous, but I get it. Traditional bourbon drinkers have their preference and they don't deviate from it so it doesn't matter. Right now I keep a bottle of Four Roses Single Barrel for sipping and Bulleit for mixing. I have Whistle Pig Rye for sipping and Redemption Rye for mixing. I have countless bottles of scotch and world whiskies though because they are a curiosity at the very least. My point is also that homogeneity means I'd be pretty okay with the $20 bottle of Bulleit for sipping vs the $45 bottle of Four Roses SB. Basically I'd save a few bucks on bourbon in order to expand my horizons on single malts. TobinHatesYou fucked around with this message at 01:52 on Jun 6, 2016 |
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Jun 6, 2016 01:49
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I'm go through more <$30 bourbon than anything else, but I can't say I've ever had a single malt and thought "I really wish this was an equally priced bourbon." They're too different, it's not like a $40 scotch is the equivalent of a $15 bourbon insert glenlivet joke here. Scotch is more expensive so I buy less scotch and drink bottles more slowly.
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Jun 6, 2016 02:19
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kidsafe posted:Traditional bourbon drinkers have their preference and they don't deviate from it so it doesn't matter. This is probably true unfortunately. Bourbon drinkers tend to be scattered and don't congregate like scotch drinkers. Atop that there are drinkers who prefer bourbon and then there whiskey drinkers that drink primarily bourbon (a minority); I consider myself the latter. I drink lots of whisk(e)ys and aren't afraid to try new things but generally I prefer bourbons. And over time I've come to prefer fewer and fewer bourbons mostly because of consistency. WT101, OGD100, EC12, 1783, 4R small batch, Woodford, are all fairly consistent. Bulleit, 4R single barrel, BT are less consistent but generally excellent. (If I didn't mention something, nothing is implied). To me there is a good deal of variety but obviously nothing to the extent of scotch. If money were no consideration I would drink a lot of Lagavulin, love that stuff. But money is a consideration and at $100 bottle, it isn't worth that; as in objectively, the quality doesn't justify the price. And I understand that quality isn't what drives economics but it is what drives me. And quality is a tough discussion in whiskys and we will all have different opinions but quality to me doesn't equal different than bourbon. Baker's bourbon is every bit equal in quality if not better than Lagavulin and is $50. Scotch isn't driven by quality but by availability and uniqueness and the latter is not as important to me as it is to some.
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Jun 7, 2016 04:36
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wormil posted:Scotch isn't driven by quality but by availability and uniqueness and the latter is not as important to me as it is to some. Just chiming in to kind of agree with this. The rarity of Scotch/Japanese whiskies does have a massive effect on the price, but right now we're in a boom and there is some considerable price-gouging going on. Big Speyside distilleries are doubling & tripling in size yet replacing their core age-statement ranges with NAS offerings at the same price. As an example that has been discussed recently in the thread, Glenlivet recently finished a massive expansion and are in the midst of another. The 12 year old is disappearing from non-US markets to be replaced by the NAS Founder's Reserve - an inferior whisky. Macallan are in a similar position (massive expansion, NAS bottlings, cheaper wood) and a lot of the bigger Diageo distilleries have released NAS bottlings that currently sit alongside their aged bottles. I'm not one of those people who have a bee in their bonnet about NAS whisky, there's a lot of very good ones about. However, when whisky matured for 5 years is being pushed at the same price as stuff 10/12/15 years old you know there's more profit involved so that's why we're seeing it. A couple of weeks ago I was in the highlands and talking to someone involved in the industry. They basically said that because we are in a boom, a lot of stuff that is frankly not great is getting bottled, particularly by indys. "If we can't get rid of this stuff now, when can we?". There are still some comparative bargains available though. £80 is a lot to spend on a bottle of whisky, but £80 for a bottle of Glendronach 21 y/o is reasonable considering a Macallan 21 will set you back nearly £300 and a Glenlivet 21 will be £140, plus IMO the Glendronach is a much better dram than either. Now I'll wager that there's less casks of 21 y/o Glendronach kicking around than 21 y/o Macallan or Glenlivet, plus Glendronach being smaller won't benefit from the economies of scale that Macallan (Edrington) or Glenlivet (Pernod Ricard) can achieve. So, the link between availability/uniqueness and price isn't quite as clear cut as it can seem.
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Jun 7, 2016 14:28
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I usually keep a handle of beam around for mixing or bad decisions, but recently Old Forester's classic bourbon has been the same price in VA. It's pretty good! I can actually enjoy it with an ice cube or whatever. It's fairly unremarkable, with a slight fruity sweetness, but smooth for its price. It's no Birthday Bourbon, sadly.
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Jun 7, 2016 15:04
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Biglads, the very same gouging is happening in the bourbon market. Bourbons I could have bought for $15 three years ago like Weller Special Reserve are $25 now. Bourbon distillers in general have never really been too keen on featuring age statements. A while back a big deal was made when Maker's Mark announced they were not only bottling it 1-1.5 years younger (5.5 years vs 7,) but also at a lower proof. They have since done an about-face on the proof change, but it speaks to the decline in quality/value proposition.
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Jun 7, 2016 16:09
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I agree that bourbon prices are going up, but not there are some really good ones that haven't. WL Weller and BT have been, but others like Evan Williams 1783 and single barrel, Woodford, and Rittenhouse haven't. Actually, Weller and BT are from the same distillery, it may vary by company.
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Jun 7, 2016 16:55
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And that's why I don't bother with new bourbons, the ones I have tried were an inferior product sold above $30.
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Jun 7, 2016 17:22
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The bourbon market right now is totally gross with ridiculously overinflated prices, but there's still a ton of good stuff out there for reasonable prices if you put some effort into it. Which kind of sucks. I used to be able to buy Weller 12 and Elmer T Lee at any liquor store near me for less than $30. Now they're averaging $199 and $110 on wine-searcher. It's mind boggling. I've been grabbing store selects lately when I'm looking to try something very good to great for less than 80 bucks. I don't particularly care for Eagle Rare 10, but I've had two select bottles from different shops and they were both incredibly good. And it's hard to go wrong with any of the Four Roses private selects, even though some shops have caught on are are starting to charge too much for them.
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Jun 7, 2016 21:36
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Is $60-70 a pretty good price for Ardbeg uigeadail or corryvreckan? I thought they were closer to $90 but that would have been a couple years ago I last checked. Maybe New Hampshire is just that much cheaper?
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Jun 8, 2016 01:47
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KWC posted:Is $60-70 a pretty good price for Ardbeg uigeadail or corryvreckan? It's a pretty standard price for Corryvreckan. Uigeadail has never been as high as $70 around these parts. It's $55 at K&L for example.
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Jun 8, 2016 02:11
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Thanks. It seemed like a better deal. I think I may still grab the Corryvreckan. I haven't seen it locally for a while.
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Jun 8, 2016 03:27
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wormil posted:If money were no consideration I would drink a lot of Lagavulin, love that stuff. But money is a consideration and at $100 bottle, it isn't worth that; as in objectively, the quality doesn't justify the price. Right? It's crazy and there's a reason I was happy to accept it as my sole birthday present. It's one of my favorite things to taste but dang it's expensive when I know I can get two to three bottles of bourbon for the same price that I will enjoy not significantly less. I really like Lagavulin but I am okay with it being an occasional thing.
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Jun 8, 2016 03:55
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Decided to try out the Makers 46, only to discover my local whisky pusher had sold out. He steered me to the Bakers instead. He has chosen.. wisely. Sampled last night with a tiny drop of water to open and tame the beast a little. Going to help me through the winter months nicely. Came in at NZD$90, or $63 American. Don't tell the wife.
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Jun 8, 2016 23:35
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I rarely like Beam products but Bakers is fantastic.
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Jun 9, 2016 01:26
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Bakers is good, Bookers is better!
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Jun 10, 2016 17:16
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The Mandingo posted:Bakers is good, Bookers is better! I vastly prefer Baker's to Booker's and so it seems like the majority of people who visit the Jim Beam Small Batch tables at Whiskyfest, Whiskies of the World, Whisky Live, etc.
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Jun 10, 2016 20:38
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Haven't tried the Bookers yet, but it's got a pretty steep price jump over here. (something like an extra NZ$20 over the Bakers) Or in my mind, 1/2 a bottle of Coruba Rum.
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Jun 11, 2016 00:02
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The Mandingo posted:Bakers is good, Bookers is better! The bottle I had tasted like dust; terrible. Took forever to finish it. I think I mixed it with a honey bourbon that I wasn't fond of but together they were drinkable. At that price range I expect better; someone should be tasting the loving barrels before bottling. Does Beam even have a master distiller? I've had issues with Knob Creek not being consistent too. To be honest, I think Bakers is an anomaly among Beam products in that is delicious, higher end, and consistent.
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Jun 11, 2016 07:38
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Heads up to UK goons. Aldi are doing a Rum cask finished single malt for £20, and pretty drat nice it is too. Other than the Balvenie Caribbean Cask/Rum Cask bottlings there doesn't seem to be any OB Rum Cask bottlings right now, the BenRiach ones have all disappeared, so I was pleased to spot it.
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Jun 15, 2016 14:10
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wormil posted:The bottle I had tasted like dust; terrible. Took forever to finish it. I think I mixed it with a honey bourbon that I wasn't fond of but together they were drinkable. At that price range I expect better; someone should be tasting the loving barrels before bottling. Does Beam even have a master distiller? I've had issues with Knob Creek not being consistent too. To be honest, I think Bakers is an anomaly among Beam products in that is delicious, higher end, and consistent. It is a small batch bourbon so it can be inconsistent, but the three bottles I've had have all been good. Hot with a big burn but with some water or in a classic cocktail it's great. I've never had bad tasting notes, always sweetness, vanilla, and tannin. The nose can be off-putting though. Plus I buy it on sale, never paid more than $45 iirc.
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Jun 15, 2016 16:27
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Inconsistent and bad are different things. The former is acceptable and unavoidable in a small batch or single barrel, the latter indicates a failure in the quality control process.
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Jun 16, 2016 00:32
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So, my brother shipped my dad the Johnie Walker Adventurer's collection, with the caveat that one bottle goes to my grandfather, one to my dad and one to me. My grandfather got the only drinkable one (The Royal Road IIRC) and I got the dreck (Spice Road)
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Jun 16, 2016 01:40
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Cross-posting from the PYF cat pics thread. My cat has approved the Bakers.
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Jun 20, 2016 02:30
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Glendronach so good.
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Jun 20, 2016 02:34
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kidsafe posted:Glendronach so good. Both those two are pretty drat good. My whisky pusher is VERY big on the label, so I don't doubt I'll end up with another variant somewhere down the track.
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Jun 20, 2016 02:40
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Quick question: is JW Green Label still available for purchase in duty-free stores, or is it gone for good? I'm finally planning a trip overseas in a couple of months, and I'm hoping that I still have a chance of snagging a bottle.
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Jun 20, 2016 15:04
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Green Label is part of the core range again as of last year in the US and earlier this year everywhere else. Considering single malt prices, it's kind of a steal to be getting 15-year old blended malt for ~$55..
TobinHatesYou fucked around with this message at 20:13 on Jun 20, 2016 |
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Jun 20, 2016 20:11
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kidsafe posted:Green Label is part of the core range again as of last year in the US and earlier this year everywhere else. Considering single malt prices, it's kind of a steal to be getting 15-year old blended malt for ~$55.. I'm in Canada, and the LCBO's website doesn't list it, so I guess travel will have to do (unless I can find it in Poland if/when I go).
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Jun 20, 2016 23:23
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Looking for some suggestions for ryes. Some that I have had before and liked are: Bulleit Highspire Knob Creek Michters Old Overholt Rittenhouse Wild Turkey Also: How does the Crown Royal Rye compare to American ryes? I know it was flying off of the shelf this past Christmas, but am curious if the hype for it was justified, at least compared to ones from the likes of Bulleit, Rittenhouse, and Wild Turkey. Terminal Entropy fucked around with this message at 04:24 on Jul 1, 2016 |
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Jul 1, 2016 04:20
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Distorted Kiwi posted:Cross-posting from the PYF cat pics thread. The Jacob's Creek aged in whisky barrels is also good. I got the Coonawarra cab sauv from them together with one that wasn't whisky aged and the barrel aging made it smoother. Had some cider in Tasmania that was aged in ex-Lark whisky barrels and it was awesome, you could still really taste the whisky in it 
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Jul 1, 2016 07:29
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Terminal Entropy posted:Looking for some suggestions for ryes. Some that I have had before and liked are: High West's Double Rye and Rendezvous Rye are both great, as are the limited edition barrel finished versions of both if you can find them (Yippee-ki-yay and Midwinter Night's Dram) Hochstadter's Vatted Rye (avoid their Slow & Low) Sazarac is also a good bang for the buck if you can find it at retail price. People also rave about Pikesville, but I found it to be nothing special. The Crown Royal rye that you saw flying off the shelves is not for rye drinkers, it is WAY too sweet, and not in the good way. It won a whiskey of the year award from Jim Murray so of course people bought it out like crazy.
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Jul 1, 2016 14:50
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Brexit is doing awesome things to import whiskey prices! Make sure to grab some while you can (if your state allows it).
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Jul 1, 2016 19:34
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Deceptive Thinker posted:High West's Double Rye and Rendezvous Rye are both great, as are the limited edition barrel finished versions of both if you can find them (Yippee-ki-yay and Midwinter Night's Dram)
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Jul 1, 2016 21:57
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LorneReams posted:Brexit is doing awesome things to import whiskey prices! Make sure to grab some while you can (if your state allows it). Do you mean ordering online or just the prices at your local liquor store? Here in Oregon prices are set by the state so I don't know if Brexit will change much around here in the short term.
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Jul 8, 2016 19:33
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Inspector 34 posted:Do you mean ordering online or just the prices at your local liquor store? Here in Oregon prices are set by the state so I don't know if Brexit will change much around here in the short term. I order from here, and the price fluctuates quite a bit as they are just converting from GBP anyway. https://www.thewhiskybarrel.com/
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Jul 14, 2016 16:24
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5th & Harrison is out, but don't buy any so I can grab a second bottle later if I decide it's good enough for a revisit.
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Jul 15, 2016 03:51
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Local store has an overstock of Octomore 6.1, Black Art 4.1 and HP Freya at a heavy discount (limit 2 each per). Store owner had a tasting of those and a few others tonight. Most people left the store with 2-4 bottles
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Jul 16, 2016 01:15
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Octomore is very good. It's scary to think about before ever trying it, but it's not the sledgehammer people think it will be. In fact it's kind of the opposite, the ABV and peat just kind of well up in the bottom of your mouth and permeate slowly through the rest. I love it.
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Jul 16, 2016 05:34
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People were shocked that it was 57% abv
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Jul 16, 2016 13:32
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