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Nothing & Everything => Open Discussion => Food and Naked Yodeling => Topic started by: micah on May 23, 2018, 01:53:08 AM

Title: Whisk[e]y
Post by: micah on May 23, 2018, 01:53:08 AM
I've always been a Jack Daniels fan, I like the other obvious big name bourbon brands like Knob Creek and Makers Mark. Tonight I bought some Bulleit which I'm enjoying neat.  (don't worry, everything in moderation)*

Its been a while since I've had Scotch, I've tried red and black jonny walker and dewers but I'm not really a fan.

What about you guys? recommendations?

*edit (an hour later): i'm not good atmoderation
Title: Re: Whisk[e]y
Post by: KnuckleBuckett on May 23, 2018, 06:08:14 AM
Beer.
Title: Re: Whisk[e]y
Post by: hans on May 23, 2018, 11:32:51 AM
Double Oak Woodford Reserve, no need to drink anything else.

But if you do, Bulleit Rye is better than their bourbon and great for mixing. Angel's Envy is pretty good and on a budget Four Roses Single Barrel can usually be had pretty reasonably. Regular Woodford is fine and I used to drink it often until I focused on the double oak. Old Forester is a pretty good value as well.

In the scotch world, if you're coming from bourbon, I'd go with something like Aberlour 12 or maybe Balvenie Doublewood if you can find it for a just a bit more than the Aberlour, they're both pretty similar profiles IMO.

And if you like the spicier knob creek, then old grand dad (100 proof bonded) might be a good change, heck in that spirit even the Trader Joe's Bourbon isn't terrible.

I've been through quite a few Bourbons so if you have a price range and profile you're looking for (what your favorite is) I can make some more targeted suggestions.
Title: Re: Whisk[e]y
Post by: hans on May 23, 2018, 11:42:16 AM
Also, I recommend the Old Grand Dad with some water or on ice since it's pretty hot neat. McKenna was pretty good when I tried it too but I also preferred it on ice.
Title: Re: Whisk[e]y
Post by: ober on May 23, 2018, 09:10:17 PM
Never been a fan of whiskey/bourbon.  Not huge on beer either but I will drink it socially.  I prefer to wine.
Title: Re: Whisk[e]y
Post by: hans on May 24, 2018, 09:35:46 AM
That one that taste like cinnamon

Fireball, and no, just no.
Title: Re: Whisk[e]y
Post by: micah on May 25, 2018, 08:55:03 AM
Yeah, no to cinnamon.

My price range generally is whatever is affordable. I like the $25-$35 price range but I'm willing to go a bit higher I think to try something that is noticeably better.  I should point out that I'm a fairly sporadic drinker, maybe once a month I'll have a few drinks. I only buy liquor a few times a year; mostly because I'm too cheap to justify the cost.

@tgm, I read up on that double oak woodford you mentioned. I might try that next time.  I generally don't mix whiskey in drinks, I prefer to sip it as is (usually on the rocks).  Gin and tonic, Rum and coke (kraken and rootbeer!), vodka and olive juice; all great mixes but for some reason I like whiskey as is.
Title: Re: Whisk[e]y
Post by: micah on June 09, 2018, 01:15:31 AM
the problem with expensive whiskey is that, if you drink a half bottle in one night, you're out a lot of money. like, you could just buy a 12pack of beer for $15 but if you buy a $45 bottle of whiskey and drink half of it, it likes you spent way more money.  On the other hand, its a lot less carbs then the equivalent amount of beer so I guess maybe its worth the extra cost.

My local store didn't have the "double oak" woodford reserve that tgm recommended but they had regular woodford reserve so I got that. I like it, very smooth and lots of distinguishable flavors. I'll have to shop around to see what I want to try next.
Title: Re: Whisk[e]y
Post by: hans on June 09, 2018, 03:02:55 PM
Regular Woodford is great, and for the $25-35 range (around here it's $23-$30 depending on the store) I think it's the best value. Double Oak is definitely worth it though, but probably better suited for a weekend sipper due to the price.

And man, if you're drinking half a bottle of 90 proof whiskey in a night, that might be a bit much. My preference is to treat Bourbon as a take your time kind of drink. Sip and enjoy.

If you like the Woodford, you might consider the slightly cheaper yet similar Old Forester 86.

And if you prefer on the rocks, consider something 100 proof. Generally I've found those open up nicely with with the ice.

I've been getting into Rye's lately and Woodford makes a good one of that too, but Bulleit is great value for money. And I've been experimenting with blending my Rye with Bourbon and so far I've been enjoying the results. I had a bottle of Hudson Bourbon (once again their Rye is much better) that's way too sweet corn for normal drinking but adding a bit of Bulleit Rye with it gives it an interesting character. I say don't be afraid to try blending a bit either.
Title: Re: Whisk[e]y
Post by: hans on June 09, 2018, 04:44:42 PM
Oh and if you haven't already found it:
The Whiskey Vault is a fun channel for reviews, more scotch I'd say but lots of whisky in general.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCElm866_W5r1eg8VjhFNARw/videos
Title: Re: Whisk[e]y
Post by: micah on June 10, 2018, 06:25:01 PM
to clarify, it apparently wasn't a half bottle - I was going to keep it to the neck and shoulders but over the course of a few hours had at least 1/4 of the bottle.  That was apparently enough though for me to misjudge how much I had  :D

my bottle of woodford was $39.99+tax at the place I usually go because I trust their prices.  I might shop around though next time.
Title: Re: Whisk[e]y
Post by: hans on June 10, 2018, 06:51:31 PM
Wow, that's really high relative to my area. What are are you in again? If you have a Total Wine anywhere around I know they're the cheapest around here. I know some areas are higher priced but that seems steep and I'd probably see about some other options maybe then. The Double Oak in my area is $43 - $52 so I'd definitely shop around.
Title: Re: Whisk[e]y
Post by: micah on June 10, 2018, 07:07:56 PM
I'll be damned, I got ripped off.  I just checked my receipt and it was actually $37.99 I paid (plus tax) but there is a total wine & more about 20 minutes from me and, according to their website, the sell it for $26.99.

Oh wait, they say they don't have it in stock there... the next closest store has it for $33.99.  So thats $4 cheaper.  I guess I only got ripped off a little bit.  :dunno:
Title: Re: Whisk[e]y
Post by: hans on June 18, 2018, 12:57:18 AM
Well, been sipping a bit more than usual tonight and have been trying the Knob Creek 120 proof, which while I can appreciate the taste better now than when I started drinking bourbon is still not really my thing. But coming off that to the Old Grand Dad 100 proof I get a lot of corn out of it and it's actually pretty nice for a budget one. Not nearly at sweet corn as the Hudson Baby but definitely in that same area. My first impressions were much spicier but I guess coming off the Knob Creek that mellows it out quite a bit. It's interesting sometimes how your palate can change like that based on what you've been drinking before. It'll be interesting to come back to it on its own or from something else next time.
Title: Re: Whisk[e]y
Post by: hans on June 21, 2018, 11:40:26 PM
So I picked up a set of new stuff to try and have some initial impressions. I've been watching the "bourbon night" youtube channel a bit lately and have been inspired to do some of my own blind flight tastings and needed some options. I stuck to stuff that I thought I'd like so stuff like Maker's and such are still something to come later, I'm just not a huge fan of wheated bourbons.

Anyways tonight's arrivals are:

Jim Beam Double Oak
I don't recall drinking any Jim Beam in the past so this was a first for me. It was dirt cheap ($15) at the Total Wine nearby so it was more of a "why not" kind of purchase. It was also the same price as the white label and from what I've seen most people think they're similar with this being a bit smoother and a bit more character, but not much. I liked it, and if I needed to drink something at a bar with limited select this might work fine. It's very smooth and uneventful for me though. The flavor is fine and but it disappears fast and isn't memorable. Some people said it's a cheaper Woodford Double Oak but I wouldn't say they're close. Woodford DO is much richer and sweeter and has much more character and complexity. But for $15 it decent enough. Kind of reminds me a bit of Maker's from what I remember, smooth but uneventful. Good budget bourbon though, but I wish the finish lasted longer. Maybe that's intentional to get you to drink more though.

Clyde May's Straight Bourbon
This one reminded me of Knob Creek a bit, but better. It's got that same kind of kick to it in the profile but it's smoother and more rounded with the fruity hints. I think if Knob Creek is your thing this would be right up your alley and I'll probably end up keeping a bottle around to fill that spot. While the Knob Creek 120 I recently picked up was interesting, I like this one better in the spot. I still need to spend a bit more time with it though since it does seem to have a nice full body flavor to it and there's enough complexity in there that it might take some time to learn the nuances of. This was a direct snag from watching the Bourbon Night videos. It was available as a 375ml so I figured it was a bit less of a commitment in case it didn't turn out to be to my liking, and I'll have a nice smaller bottle for some self blends of other stuff later.

Old Forester 100
I've been looking for something to fill in the regular Woodford's spot since I'm kind of stuck on Double Oak now. Since these are from the same family of whiskies I figured it was worth a shot. The 86 is OK, but kind of boring. This is pretty good for about the same price as Woodford ($25). It's definitely got some kick to it and more body than the 86. It has some nice sweetness like the Woodford but definitely has more kick to it. I tried it with a little water and it held its own but I think I prefer neat. Ice might be good too. I'm sort of liking these 100 proofs lately though.

Old Forester 1920
The winner of the new arrivals and what I'm actually sipping on tonight. Even more body than the 100 proof and some cherry or something in the flavor. The nose is very nice on it and the taste delivers as well. You notice the high proof but it's very drinkable at the same time. It's a little hot going down but finishes long and lovely, it fades nice. It's odd but I get a hint of peanut butter out of it, like a couple other's I've had recently. It's like it starts out with corn notes and then moves over towards oily peanut butter, like the natural kind. Maybe that's what they mean by "nutty" I keep hearing them say.  It's a bit more spendy at just over $50 but should complement my Double Oak for when I'm looking to vary it up a bit. If I was trying to save some money though between all of the Old Foresters I've tried I think the 100 proof is the bang for buck, but this is my favorite. Perhaps the Statesman (I tried a few of the others in a tasting this Spring), but I think this one might be easier to find.


My wife said she'd help me setup a blind tasting flight so I can try and see how well I can guess the bourbons and do a less bias kind of assessment. I'm curious how well I'll do and how the order of them or what's in the group might affect what I think are my favorites. I'll keep you posted just how terrible of a whiskey sommelier I am, but I have hopes...
Title: Re: Whisk[e]y
Post by: Jake on June 22, 2018, 11:03:44 AM
My drinking choices are changing - I wouldn't say they are evolving - just changing. I've tried expensive whiskey and scotch and it is not my cup of tea. These days I enjoy a common Jameson with ginger [beer] or a sweet Canadian whiskey with Coke. But I'll take good ol' clear and chilled vodka like Titos or Finlandia over any colored stuff.
Title: Re: Whisk[e]y
Post by: micah on September 16, 2018, 12:56:23 AM
I think I knew something similar before, but tonight I learned, "eight companies produce over 99% of the whiskey made in the U.S. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_whisky_brands)"

I guess its kinda like how coke and pepsi own 60% of the soda market and Atria and Reynolds run 86% of the cigarette sales in the US. 

Its just weird I guess because, with so many individual whiskey brands, it feels to me like they are in more competition with each other but really, they're all (practically) the same company.  Some products conjure more brand loyalty then others. Whiskey has always seemed like one of those things products.
Title: Re: Whisk[e]y
Post by: hans on September 16, 2018, 08:32:41 AM
And distilled in Indiana.
http://whiskyadvocate.com/different-craft-whiskey-mgp-distillery/
Title: Re: Whisk[e]y
Post by: micah on March 21, 2019, 12:09:59 AM
I have like 5 empty bottles of woodford reserve next to my desk. its my new goto but I need to find something a little cheaper I think. wooodrffed is like $35 abottle. i mean, i could always go bakc to jack daniels, my first love, but i've started t o reallly love woodford.  I likke makers mark and knob creeek too..  thos arew a few $dollars cheaper but not by much.  whats a good alternative that less but just as good>?/./?
Title: Re: Whisk[e]y
Post by: hans on March 21, 2019, 10:01:42 AM
Cheapest drinkable ones are probably going to be Jim Beam. White, black, double oak, depending on your preference but those should be readily available and inexpensive comparatively. Nothing special but perfectly fine. They should be smooth like Makers but they won't be as "rich" flavored as Woodford.

Instead of Woodford, maybe try looking into Old Forester 86 (smooth) or 100 (a little more bitey like Knob). They're from the same distilling family and while not exact substitutes do share a lot in common. The 86 should be cheap. Old Forester 1920 took the spot as my favorite from Woodford Double Oak, so I'm a fan of the line.

My latest recently is Elijah Craig though, which I think is a bit cheaper than Woodford but on par.

And while I haven't had it, Four Roses yellow label is supposed to be decent. I've had their small batch and single barrel and liked them both.

Also, check out the 375ml section for some options too just to try something new. It's cheaper than committing to a whole bottle of something. And for the Jim Beams I think they should have hotel sample bottles of most of those for a couple bucks to try and see if you like any of them.
Title: Re: Whisk[e]y
Post by: micah on August 08, 2019, 02:36:47 AM
a couple weekends ago, when visiting my friend, he bought me a gift of box of Glenmorangie Highland Ingle Malt Scotch whisky samplers (https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/7380/glenmorangie-taster-pack-4-x-10cl).  It was like $45 for four 100mL bottles.  A kind gesture.  Anyway, they've been sitting on my desk at home since then but tonight I cracked a couple of them open.  They're definitely better than my past experiences with Johnny Walker and the like but...

I can say with confidence now, I just don't like Scotch.  I mean, I'm going to drink all of these bottles tonight, but I would never pay for them.
Title: Re: Whisk[e]y
Post by: hans on August 10, 2019, 08:21:34 PM
Mmmm. It's been a while for this thread. I've got a new regular in my cabinet now. The barrel proof Elijah Craig.

Micah, Scotch is a pretty wide gamut I think. While I'm more of a bourbon and rye fan, I do sort of like some of the more sherry scotches, but I'm not a fan of the peaty, smokey ones. Something like an Aberlour 12 or even a Nikka Coffey Grain might be a nice bridge between the bourbon and Scotch worlds.