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Hello, whisk(e)y thread! It's been a while.  I recently saw something new and interesting on PA's state store website: Connemara Peated Single-Malt Irish Whiskey. Has anyone tried this stuff? I'm an Islay-fiend, and the price point ($40) is pretty reasonable, so it has me intrigued.
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Mar 5, 2013 19:30
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Huge_Midget posted:Had some 2012 William Larue Weller reserve tonight, holy poo poo what a revelation in bourbon. Hell yeah. Weller Antique (which I'm pretty sure is the same thing, only bottled at 107 proof instead of 90) is my personal favorite wheated bourbon. It seems impossible that something that high in proof should be so pleasant to drink without water.
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Mar 10, 2013 19:02
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Killer robot posted:Are there any unaged whiskeys that aren't $50 or so? Pretty sure I've seen that Buffalo Trace makes 375ml bottles of unaged whiskey for pretty cheap. I've never tried them myself but I've heard good things about the unaged wheat.
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Mar 18, 2013 15:32
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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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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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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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Politicalrancor posted:It's just too sweet and it doesn't really have a variety of flavor because the ingredients are basically always the same. I'd have to disagree. In my collection I have an aged Haitian rum, an aged Dominican rum, unaged white and dark Jamaican rum, an unaged rhum agricole, and a spiced rum, and they all have their own unique characteristics. There's at least as many ways that a distillery can produce and age (or not) a rum as there are methods to produce and age whiskey. Anyway, I think the increased demand for local, small-batch spirits is a good thing. It will allow those small-batch distilleries to grow in proportion to demand and cause them to have wider distribution, so that maybe three years down the line I won't be faced with the prospect of bars just stocking Jack, Jim, and Johnnie Red. It's sort of similar to how ten years ago the only beer that bars here in PA had was macrobrews and Yuengling, and now every place stocks at least one good brew from a craft brewery as an alternative.
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May 26, 2013 17:02
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Shugojin posted:e: We are in Pennsylvania. We have a Premium Selection or whatever it is store at hand so hope isn't totally lost, but definitely keep that poo poo in mind. Based upon what's available in PA liquor stores, I'd go for: Jameson & Tullamore 12 (Basic "smooth" Irish, just to taste two different ones) Maybe Connemara for peat Someone else might be able to elaborate further as I'm not terribly familiar with Irish whiskey Old Grand-Dad BIB or WT101 (Rye-heavy bourbon) Weller Reserve (Wheated bourbon) Evan Williams (Basic sour-mash/mixing bourbon) Buffalo Trace (For a more "balanced" but rich bourbon - for comparison's sake with the above) Jack Daniels Single Barrel (Tennessee whiskey - just for comparison's sake) Old Overholt or WT Rye (Rye)
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Jul 12, 2013 21:52
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rxcowboy posted:Trip report: Acquired multiple bottles of bitters so I don't have to do this poo poo again for a while, and a bottle of vermouth. I like to use either a rye or a rye-heavy bourbon for a Manhattan, since all that rye pepperiness cuts the sweetness a bit. Get thee some WT101 or Old Grand-Dad BIB.
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Aug 11, 2013 18:39
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Merica posted:I recently got a bottle of Highland Park 12 and I'm not sure about it. Is it something that just takes a while to get used to or is it kind of a love it or hate it type thing? Maybe I'm just not used to the peat. HP12 is really a grab-bag of flavors from all of the different types of single-malt out there. It's got a little peat, a little sweetness, a little salinity, a little minerality. If its your first experience with peat, then that's probably what's bugging you; otherwise, I'd encourage you to try it again and try to pick out what exactly you don't like.
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Jan 9, 2014 21:57
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Deleuzionist posted:http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-13762.aspx Not gonna lie, I really want that owl.
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Feb 27, 2014 22:55
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S.W.O.R.D. Agent posted:I've never had JW Red, but I though the consensus was that it isn't a great sipping whisky but is a wonderful mixer? I wouldn't go so far as "wonderful." It's a serviceable mixer. For a mixing Scotch I generally prefer Dewars or Famous Grouse, which still aren't good enough to drink straight but at least don't have JW Red's funky flavors. For straight drinking, unfortunately the whisky boom is jacking up prices all around but there's still stuff like Speyburn 10 and McClelland's Islay around the $25ish price range that make decent sippers if you're on a budget. If you're not set on Scotch, though, nothing still beats Evan Williams for a cheap-rear end tasty mixer.
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Mar 11, 2014 15:49
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IIRC bottlings like that Aldi one and the Trader Joe's or Kirkland single-malt scotches are generally barrels from good distilleries that, for whatever reason, didn't pass quality control standards, so an independent bottler buys them up and releases them for a budget price. They're generally a really good value for your money, from what I hear (we don't have them here in PA.  )E: To the poster above me, I don't recall liking Glenmorangie's basic bottlings either. My standard recommendation for a bourbon person looking to get into Scotch is Glenlivet 15 French Oak, because it's affordable and doesn't have any "off" flavors. It's Just Good. From there you can branch off into other styles/regions. Devil Wears Wings fucked around with this message at 15:44 on Mar 13, 2014 |
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Mar 13, 2014 15:40
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Deleuzionist posted:You might have selected the wrong Scotch. I remember being gifted a bottle of that Glenmorangie many years ago and my only fond memory of it was when the bottle was finally empty. I tried it again at a friend about 6 months back and although I didn't think it was quite as vile as I remembered, it was still a very boring drink. I personally think, based on tasting the Original, Lasanta, Signet and Traditional, that Glenmo wares are either uninteresting or plain mediocre, and the punchline of the joke that is Whisky Expert Jim Murray is his repeated exaltation of the distillery's releases. Glenmorangie is a weird distillery - any of their basic bottlings are kind of bland at best, but their Quinta Ruban/Lasanta/other special bottlings are fantastic for their price. I'd still recommend the Glenlivet 15 as a starter, though, as its $50ish price point is a steal in this ever-more-expensive whisky market.
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Mar 13, 2014 17:07
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While shopping around at my local Wine & Spirits store this evening I saw that they were having a big sale on Irish whiskey for St. Paddy's, so I decided to pick up a bottle of Tullamore 10 Year Single Malt. On sale for $32. For that price, and because I'm always looking for cheap-but-good drams for my shelf, I decided to take the plunge. Turns out there's some serious TLC put into this stuff. It's alternately been aged - not finished, but aged - in ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, ex-madeira, and ex-port casks. Nose: Woody, winey, a bit thin. Definitely get the sherry. A bit of dark fruit from the port, too. Taste: Yep, it's a sherry bomb alright. Hits you right away with big waves of fruit - peaches, cherries, Red Delicious apple - and a bit of golden syrup. Nothing unpleasant, nothing unexpected, but surprisingly refined for its age. Finish: Long for an Irish whiskey. The fruit in the palate gives way to green grapes and some more dark fruit - including a bit of unexpected fig or raisin? - and a bourbon-y oaky quality. Verdict: A steal for the sale price, and even recommended at its usual $40 price point, if you're looking for a cheap sippin' sherry bomb. A big surprise considering I found Tullamore's 12-year blend to be kind of lackluster. Devil Wears Wings fucked around with this message at 05:44 on Mar 15, 2014 |
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Mar 15, 2014 05:42
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nwin posted:However, Jameson is my drink. I can have it neat, I can mix it with ginger ale, I just like it. Is there another Irish whiskey I might like more? It sounds like you just don't care much for bourbon. For something better, I recommended Tullamore 10 single malt a few posts back - it's basically Irish whiskey kicked up a couple of notches. door Door door posted:Finally picked up some Old Grand Dad BiB and holy poo poo. The sweetness is very muted compared to other bourbons and the proof gives it just a just a bit of spiciness without an alcohol burn. Easily my new favorite bourbon at this price. Also split a bottle of Laphroaig 18 (paid literally half of retail anywhere outside of PA, state store does something useful for once) with some friends and will cracking that open this weekend. Can't loving wait. Yeah, PA is weird for liquor purchases. Half of everything is ridiculously expensive and the other half is somehow quite reasonably priced.
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Mar 21, 2014 15:37
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Devoz posted:If you had to pick between a Macallan 18 Sherry Oak or Glenmorangie Signet what would you pick? Assuming price was the same for both. Definitely the Glenmorangie. Macallan 18 is pretty bland in my experience and I've heard nothing but praise for the Signet.
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Mar 25, 2014 17:06
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 Attention PA Whiskeygoons I was browsing PA's wine & spirits website for their new monthly deals today and found that Springbank 10 (which is awesome) is on "stealth sale" for just $39.99 a bottle. At my local state store it was still marked at $48.99, but I asked one of the employees to confirm the price and it rang up at the discounted price. I'd grab this while you can, as it's a great deal on one of the best mid-priced single-malts out there.
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May 2, 2014 23:34
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Laminator posted:My friend is graduating medical school tomorrow, so I decided to get him a bottle of Oban 14. Did I do good? Hell yes.
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May 31, 2014 01:36
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Errant Gin Monks posted:Glenfiddich 50 at 1919 the other day. The bartender let us smell the cork and get the nose from the bottle but at 1500 a glass and 26k a bottle that's as close as we came. Holy poo poo. I wouldn't spend $1500 on a glass of any spirit, let alone something that might be really hideously over-oaked.
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Jun 4, 2014 12:49
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door Door door posted:I want to buy my sister a bottle of whisky as a graduation present. Problem is, I'm all about the peat. What's a good scotch that's on the sweeter side? Can a good non-Islay single malt even be had for around 50 bucks? Any of the ones that other posters have mentioned are excellent choices, but my pick would be Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban. It's port-finished, and therefore sweet and fruity in all the right ways.
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Jun 12, 2014 12:36
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Allantois posted:Also, if anyone has a chance to sample the new Mortlach releases (rare old, 18yo, 25yo) please post. Yeah, for a $124 NAS bottling you definitely want to taste before buying. That price is pretty ridiculous unless you know for a fact that it's good.
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Jul 9, 2014 12:40
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Sticky posted:I recently got a bonus from work in the form of one of those prepaid debit cards so I decided to head to the liquor store to replenish some stuff I've run dry on. Normally I go to the giant liquor warehouse store up near Wegmans but I went to a smaller place that mostly advertises itself as a wine shop so I wasn't expecting much but I went in I found they had a pretty good sized selection of Bourbons and Scotches and I got talking to the assistant manager and he told/showed me some cool stuff, they have single barrel collections that they buy right from the distillers and have customized bottles/labels for. While I was there he also made a couple of recommendations, I normally drink Elijah Craig 12yr and occasionally Buffalo Trace or Makers Mark but he recommended W.L. Weller and said it would be a good branch out and that I would like it. So I picked that up along with a couple of other things. Anyone have any experience with it? It was pretty cheap but I've run across a few cheaper bourbons that have been great values like Craig or Evan Single Barrel. Weller always has a place in my liquor cabinet. It's like the "grown-up" version of Makers, and generally cheaper to boot.
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Jul 11, 2014 12:40
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silvergoose posted:Hmm, okay. Only thing is to find a place that actually has any ryes ever, or I guess buy some rye. For some reason really hard to find. Wild Turkey rye is pretty widely available and very, very good. Or Jim Beam rye if you absolutely have to.
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Jul 28, 2014 17:24
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good jovi posted:I liked this article and was glad to see the whole thing getting some attention. Not so much the issue of rebottling itself, but the bits about places ignoring TTB regulations and not revealing the distiller. I wish the whisky situation was a bit more like how it works with independent scotch bottlers. They have their own branding and all, but it still says right on the front of the bottle what distillery the juice is from. That's a lot better than some 6pt font on the back mentioning Indiana. McCarthy's is both good and hand-crafted. But nigh-impossible to find.
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Jul 31, 2014 16:07
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spoon0042 posted:I remember liking the single malts from Connemara and Tullamore though I really should try them again. (Tullamore's is pretty cheap, which is nice. The more neutral spirit that serves as the base for Irish whiskeys is great for showcasing the effects of things like peat smoking, barrel aging and finishing. Connemara and Tullamore 10 Single Malt are basically canvases for peat and oak, respectively.
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Oct 1, 2014 15:23
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I'm super excited today because I found a single remaining bottle of pre-relaunch Black Bottle at a local liquor store. For those not in the know, Black Bottle was a tasty, reasonably priced Islay-based blend that used to be universally beloved around these parts. About a year ago, however, the company behind it relaunched the brand as a Speyside-based blend (in other words, a JW Red clone/competitor, most likely because stocks of young cheap Islay whiskey are becoming harder to come by), and it kind of sucks now. Has anyone else seen the old bottles around? E: Durr there was apparently a discussion on the last page that I missed.
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Oct 6, 2014 04:29
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ocrumsprug posted:My wife has been reading the Outlander books and is now sniffing around my scotch collection. However, I largely drink Isleys and that is very much not her thing (yet anyways.) Glenlivet 15 French Oak is my standard recommendation. Glenfidditch 12 if you can't find that.
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Oct 11, 2014 18:09
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Now that Black Bottle is gone, what good options are left for budget Islays? I know McClelland's is decent, I hear varying things about Black Grouse, and mostly negative things about Finlaggan.
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Oct 14, 2014 21:29
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I was initially impressed by HP12, and I know it has a lot of fans around these parts, but after a while I noticed an unpleasantly bitter/vomit-like note in the mix and now that's all I can taste. Honestly if you're a novice peat-head then the next place I'd go is Ardbeg 10 or maybe a younger Caol Ila or Bowmore.
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Oct 20, 2014 18:42
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oversteps posted:I hope I find the same "wow, I had no idea whisky could taste like this" experience in a lot of other drams. Hoo boy I can't wait until you try a Springbank or Auchentoshan or Nectar D'Or or... Seriously, once you try a bunch more, you'll be amazed at what people can do with barley spirits aged in oak barrels.
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Oct 20, 2014 20:49
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UnoriginalMind posted:I've been trying a number of the lower priced bourbons mentioned back in the OP, as well as other items in the 30 dollar range, and I've been pleasantly surprised. I'm a bit of a whiskey neophyte, though. I've had the following: WT101 is great for the price. It's amazing that WT have kept a high-proof bourbon around the $20 mark per bottle amidst climbing whiskey prices across the board. From your likes, and your comment about sweetness, it seems like you might want to try some ryes. Look for WT rye, Bulleit rye, or Rittenhouse BIB to start.
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Oct 21, 2014 18:34
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Just popped open the (old) Black Bottle for the first time and had myself a dram. Honey and campfire smoke on the nose, luscious creamy mouthfeel (I love this about blended whiskys but it's especially apparent here), surprisingly subdued on the smoke (more Caol Ila/Bowmore than Laphroaig/Lagavulin), and a decent little honey/Wonderbread/smoky finish. It's like Bowmore Legend's subdued, chilled out little brother. Sad to hear they won't be making any more of it. I also grabbed Four Roses Single Barrel on sale from BevMo and I'm super psyched to crack it this weekend. What am I in for?
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Oct 24, 2014 05:08
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silvergoose posted:Hmm, so this Wild Turkey American Honey is not as bad as I expected based on what I heard of...jack daniels' kind of similar thing? I dunno. It's sure not whiskey, but it's a tasty enough liqueur. American Honey is about the only good thing to come out of the "sweet flavored whiskey liqueur" trend. It makes a superb edition to hot teas or coffees.
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Oct 26, 2014 01:34
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beefart posted:I've been a pretty consistent scotch drinker for the past couple of years, starting out with a bottle of Glenlivet 18 I got for Christmas and then moving on to JW Red/Black. For a while now I've been mainly getting peaty varieties like Laphroaig, and I'm thinking of trying something at the opposite end of the spectrum for some lighter notes and flavors and I need some suggestions. I heard some good things about Auchentoshan 12, can anyone confirm or deny if it's a good one? Auchentoshan is a lowland whisky, so it's definitely on the exact opposite end of the spectrum than a heavy peated dram. I haven't tried the 12 year, but if the Classic is anything to go by, then you can expect a lot of subtle mineral/oak flavors without a lot of sweet/fruit. My personal favorite light/"dry" dram is Glen Garioch Founder's Reserve, but it's a pain in the rear end to find. (If you find it, though, it's more than worth the $45 asking price. Lots of lovely woody/tannic flavors at work as well as honey, but not sweet honey if that makes any sense.) Otherwise, I think that Auchentoshan would be a good option for you.
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Oct 26, 2014 20:51
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wormil posted:This year's Woodford Master Collection is aged in pinot noir barrels. Haven't read any tasting notes yet. I haven't tasted a wine-barrel-aged whisk(e)y yet that hasn't been overly "winey." I don't know if Woodford can stand up to something as strong as pinot noir. I'd still like to try it, though. Unrelated: While at Costco this past weekend, I saw they had a stock of Alexander Murray "Bon Accord" for just $25/bottle. That's good even for a NAS single-malt Highland. I'm always on the lookout for good budget drams, but I can't find a single review on this stuff - has anyone tried it?
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Oct 31, 2014 04:25
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radthibodaux posted:I just started drinking bourbon again after a year-plus break and have found that my go-to bourbon, Buffalo Trace, is now $10 more expensive than it used to be which I find exceedingly frustrating. I picked up a bottle of Bulleit instead but am not really a big fan. I was looking at trying out Four Roses or Wild Turkey 81 next. Any opinions on these as a budget bourbon? Thankfully the price increase simply dropped Buffalo Trace from, "an awesome value for your money" to, "about what I would expect to pay for a bourbon of that quality." It's still worth it, IMO, but if you're looking for something cheaper then Four Roses is always a good option.
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Nov 2, 2014 23:51
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Speaking of ryes, what's everyone's favorite bottle at or under the $50 mark? I don't know much about them but I've been loving Rittenhouse lately and I'd like to add something different (but still good, of course) to my collection.
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Nov 6, 2014 02:03
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terre packet posted:I've always enjoyed my whisky neat, and am looking for a recommendation for a "smooth" as possible whisky to introduce friends to the joys of pouring raw alcohol into your mouth. Ideas? For American whiskeys, try a wheater - Weller Reserve if you can find it, Makers 46 if you can't. For Scotch, try Balvenie Doublewood. For something different, Tullamore 10 Single Malt or Yamazaki 12.
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Nov 7, 2014 00:52
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Boris Galerkin posted:It was Pappy Day today and the line wrapped around the building by the time I got there at 6am with tons of tents up front and the parking lot 50% to 75% full so I just went to work Wow, that's insane. I don't blame you for not bothering. There's plenty of great bourbons out there that you don't have to wait in long lines for.
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Nov 7, 2014 17:42
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