Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

First time whiskey drinker and I just picked up a bottle of Bulleit Bourbon. How would I go by drinking this if I don't have one of those special whiskey glasses or stones? Would a straight side glass be fine?

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

So, I acquired a bottle of The Glenlivet 18 Year. I'm typically a beer drinker and I'm having a bit of a difficult time drinking this. Is this a bottle a good place to start? The only other types of hard liquor I've had are typically either with ice, or in shot form; stuff like Blue, Red, Black Label, Bullit, Jameson etc.

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

What do you guys think of WhistlePig Rye?

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

kidsafe posted:

It's made by Alberta Distillers for Whistle Pig and it's good. Jefferson's is similar as is Alberta Premium...

Cool. Is there Old World as good as the Straight Rye?

Also, I know that these spirits can run to absurd amounts of money, but what price range should I be looking for "good" whiskey? What's the sweet spot in terms of pricing? $60? $130?

I'm strictly a beer guy, but I can usually tell that I shouldn't be paying more than $35 for an "outstanding" sour. I just have no references for whiskey.

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Laphroaig 10 tastes like herbaly band-aids, in a good way.

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Drinking on some Monkey Shoulder right now. Not too shabby.

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Do you guys re-use your bottles for anything? I like my High West bottle and I want to use it for water (in the house), but would the cork "go bad" if its constantly getting wet?

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Which one of Compass Box's offerings would you guys suggest try? I've tried Peat Monster and I've enjoyed it a bit, but not as much as Laphroaig 10.

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Yamazaki 12 worth it for $60?

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Just picked it up; looking forward to trying it. What the ideal temperature to store the drat thing? My place is small so there aren't many options for me. I've kept my other whiskeys in the box and the room usually fluxes between 68-74F (20-23C).

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

I hear nothing but good things about regular Weller; so I picked up a bottle. Anything special about it being “wheated”?

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Enigma posted:

It means they use wheat instead of rye in the mash, giving it some different flavors. Usually less of the "spice" notes typical of rye.

So if I’m understanding correctly, the main ingredients...

Bourbon = corn
Rye Bourbon = rye
Wheated Bourbon = wheat

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Is there a bourbon thread, or is this it?

Someone was nice enough to give me a bottle of "Joseph Magnus straight Bourbon Whiskey", I don't know too much about it, but if it's really good I would rather gift it than keep it since I have a bunch of bourbon at home already. Anyone taste this before?

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

TobinHatesYou posted:

It’s MGP/LDI juice apparently.

Don't they supply for Willett, High West and Angel's Envy? Is that a good or a bad thing?

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Anyone tried Flaming Heart or Juveniles by Compass Box?

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

How does being aged in sherry casks affect the whiskey? I'm not too familiar with sherry, but from the sherry wines that I've tasted, I'm not a real fan. The ones I've tried were super salty, oily, viscous but more salty than anything.

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

I'm looking for a sweet / dessert whiskey.

I have High West A Midwinter Night's Dram and Glenmorangie Lasanta, both sweeter, than what I typically drink, but I'm looking for something a bit more exciting than the Glenmorangie and easier to find than the Mindwinter Night's Dram. I hear that the Nikka Coffey Malt or Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or might be up my alley, but I'm still looking for suggestions.

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Infinite Karma posted:

I recommend Angel's Envy Finished Rye. It's sweet, finished in rum casks, and not too different from MWND. Probably a tiny bit stronger, and the sugar/molasses from the rum cask is really apparent.

Apparently the Angel's Envy Finished Rye is hard to get. My local shop was able to get a 6 pack and held one for me. This. Stuff. Is. Delicious. It was exactly what I was looking for. The nose was very good, it was fairly close to a doughnut covered in dried brown sugar / maple syrup. Very easy drinking too. I wished I was able to pick up more than a bottle.

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Any suggestions to something as unique or sweet as Angel's Envy Finished Rye?

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Has anyone had Stranger & Stranger by Compass Box?

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

The Bandit posted:

Anyone else try the Stagg Jr this year? I picked up a bottle and it’s 127 and change and super mellow. I remember having it a couple years ago and not being impressed. But this bottling is fantastic.

Very good in a Manhattan.

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Has anyone been able to procure a bottle of Old Fitzgerald 13? I had a pour and found it quite enjoyable. I wouldn't mind paying a bit over retail for it, but a bunch of clowns are asking for $800 a bottle.

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Gravitee posted:

Yes I just got a bottle. $800 is entirely too much, I feel it's worth $200ish for a bottle.

I traded a Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch for it and I'm glad I did.

Shoot. I really got to get on this trading thing. I have access to lots of different bourbons and whiskeys, but I typically drink everything. I’ve gotten Stagg Jr, Weller 12, Yamasaki 12, Blanton, Michers Rye etc. but the one freaking bottle I want...

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Was able to get a bottle of E.H. Taylor Single Barrel, this one is wayyy better than their small batch. Probably lucky though as I hear there is a ton of variance.

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

DoctaFun posted:

Need to finish a few bottles first though, my EHTaylor small batch had just never suited my tastes, so I think it might be time to make some big old fashioned’s to drain that bottle.

Big boozy Manhattans is how I drink my E.H. Taylor.

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

asciidic posted:

I finally killed off a bottle of Angle's Envy that's been sitting at a little less than 1/4 full for a month. I didn't think that was long enough for oxidization to change the flavor, but it tasted like caramel syrup. I...think I love it? I want to go get another bottle and put it into several other bottles.

Try the Balvenie Caribbean cask. You’ll like that too.

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Control Volume posted:

Thinking of buying another bottle, anyone got any thoughts about Evan Williams?

BiB 100 Proof, white label? Great price, for a decent mixer. I personally don't drink it straight, but you can't really beat the price.

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Made a few Manhattans using Stagg Jr. again, my friend wasn't too pleased with it, but what is the point of having good whiskey if you don't drink it the way you want to?

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

I can’t find a decent supply of EH Taylor aside from the small batch and single barrel. Are the rest of the line up supposedly hard to get?

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

People who horde whiskey are so loving lame.

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Any gin drinkers around here? Is there a thread for that?

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

I've been drinking a lot of G&Ts as of late and I'm really enjoying them. I've been using Monkey 47 ~(6oz) with a small bottle of Fever Tree Mediterranean or Indian or Grapefruit tonic water and it's been pretty nice in this hot weather.

I was wondering what are the staples in the gin world. Is it like the whiskey world where large producers make really good whiskey and small ones make mediocre whiskey? Or is it more like the beer world, where smaller breweries make good beer and the larger ones make decent beer?

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

DoctaFun posted:

Also not an expert, but a lot of the local micro distilleries around here have bottled gin to sell while their bourbon still needs to age for a bit.

New Riff makes a gin, it is very bad.

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Olpainless posted:

My wife's big on gin, she has a good 20/30+ different bottles. Quite a few duplicates on top of that as well.

What are some of your wife’s favorites?

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Drinking this gin called Elephant Gin. It's very straight forward, nothing too special or complex about it. The gin hits all of the right spots as far as a London Style gin goes.

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

I recently had some "expensive" sherrys ($80 a bottle) and holy poo poo, it soooooo loving good. It's really an acquired taste. Old people probably like it cause their taste buds don't work anymore.

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

FYI there is a Discord channel now... https://discord.gg/Cr5VCE

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Carillon posted:

Anyone had the Angels Envy Rye? I'm curious how the rum cask finish works, or if it sweetens it up too much?

Maple doughnut. Delicious. Not for everyone cause it’s pretty sweet

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

Josh Lyman posted:

I just broke open the Evan Williams Single Barrel and Elijah Craig store pick. The best bourbons I’ve had are Makers Mark (maybe 46?) and Woodford Reserve so the bar is quite low.

Evan Williams very smooth and pleasant but a bit too laid back. The Elijah Craig has a decent kick to it reminiscent of the rye I prefer with a sweet finish, really nice but I’m not sure whether I’d get the same from their usual small batch.

My collection is now to the point where I could start worrying about oxidation of opened bottles, but my understanding is if I finish a bottle within a year of opening, I should be fine?



My rule of thumb is... if the bottle is about 1/4 full you're going to need to finish it sooner than later. I give it 1-3 months. Anything other than that, if it's stored in a dark cool place, it is virtually bullet proof. I should note that I am not a connoisseur by any stretch, but I have a lot of bottles and I don't really taste a difference in them with this method.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

obi_ant
Apr 8, 2005

nwin posted:

Wife bought me something called bourbon bullets for Christmas.

I guess they’re supposed to infuse the bourbon with flavors like cherry or oak. I can’t tell if they’re made from the barrels or just pieces of wood that were cut into a bullet shape.

Any idea of these work? Not sure if it’d be worth putting my a bottle of $40 bourbon or if they’re better on cheaper bottles or just a gimmick?

I personally would not drop some wood shaped bullets into my whiskey bottle.

Might be a good experiment for a cheap bottle of whiskey, less than $20 a bottle.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply