The Whisk(e)y Thread

The Whole Foods (at least the VA ones, less so the DC ones) and Total Wines are pretty consistently fair in their pricing on rare beers.

Yada wrote:
James wrote:
People on Beer Advocate used to bitch all the time for their price gouging on rare beers.

They may have changed ownership since that time though, I'm not sure.


Yada wrote:
Relaxer wrote:
Wow, I've never even heard of this place. Looks impressive, how are their prices? I'll never make it up there but it looks like a great place if you live in the area.


Great store… like most MD places that sell booze and aren't state run, their prices tend to be a bit on the higher side.



I find the price gouging on "rare" beers to be across the board in the DC area. Regarding regular six packs, I find the prices to be a buck or two higher.
Who cares about rare beers.
Relaxer wrote:
Wow, I've never even heard of this place. Looks impressive, how are their prices? I'll never make it up there but it looks like a great place if you live in the area.


They are slightly above what other stores charge in the area, but not super expensive. Some of their beer is pricey, but it's nice to be able to make a 6 pack of whatever you want. The employees are really nice and helpful. Dominick really knows his bourbon, whiskey, and scotch.

As for beer, they pretty much carry EVERYTHING you can get in MD. So, I don't mind paying an extra dollar for that service.
I was pissed at them because they are a major reason I can't go to Wegmans and buy booze, but I got over it.
Why can't you go to Wegmans anymore?
I live in Columbia, and in MD, you cannot go to just any store and buy beer/wine/booze. Wegmans was planning to sell it on the upper level of the Columbia store, and Perfect Pour led a campaign to stop it.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/howard/news/ph-ho-cf-wegmans-liquor-0802-20120730-story.html#page=1

And perfect pour's stance

We need your help!
As many of you have seen and heard, Wegmans is coming to our part of the world. What you may not know is that they have applied for a liquor license. This would be in direct violation of Maryland law which does not allow sales of alcohol in grocery stores. We hear politicians talk about the value of small business in this state and we have all been sad to the the corner hardware store disappear as big box stores take their place. Well, lots of neighborhood stores will disappear if the big stores are allowed to dominate the liquor industry.
We, at The Perfect Pour, have tried to create a store where selection and service are a "cut above". We work seven days a week and employ 15 members of the local community. We have only one product line to sell - the grocery stores have already put local florist out of business and when did you last visit a butcher shop??
If you support us and agree with us please send an email to PETER FRANCHOT, PFRANCHOT@comp.state.md.us, the Comptroller of Maryland and please come in and sign our petition to block this license when you come in this week.
Sincerely, Tom, Evelyn and Staff
I will watch that at some point.



In other whisk(e)y news, this book showed up on my office's "free books" shelf. It's a good book for learning the basics of whiskey and how they're made, history and differences behind the various types, etc. The author is a little too "Can you actually believe me? A chick? Loves whiskey? I am just such a chick that loves whiskey!" but it's still a fun read.
A woman!?! Who drinks whiskey!?! Well, I never! The boys at the yacht club shall hear of this!!
While I can get behind the idea in theory, that is WAY too much ice to be adding to your love sauce. Also, what happens when the ice detaches itself from the glass? Every time you take a sip, you're gonna have ol Iceberg Jones nudging at your nose.

In other news, I bought a premium tequila the other day:



This is very good. I could really see you Scotch weirdos getting into this. It has that same kind of appealingly dirty sour taste that Scotch has. It's been a real eye-opener.

Ultimately, however, I'm still drinking Irish 90% of the time. Still have a major hard-on for Green Spot. Anyone who wants to try it should order it from Hi-Time Wine as it's the lowest price I've found anywhere.
Relaxer wrote:

Ultimately, however, I'm still drinking Irish 90% of the time. Still have a major hard-on for Green Spot. Anyone who wants to try it should order it from Hi-Time Wine as it's the lowest price I've found anywhere.
\

Dude I picked up a bottle of yellow spot in Ireland over Xmas - you should stop by and taste it sometime I love it
I actually got a bottle of the Yellow a few months ago from MasterofMalt.com, and it was SUBLIME. My usual MO when having a drink is about 3 oz of whiskey, an ice cube, and a wee blurrpp of simple syrup. Hey, it's just how I like it. But every single drink I had of the Yellow, I'd pour it into a glencairn glass and spend 10 minutes nosing the hell out of it. Then I'd have it straight and it just doesn't get any better than that. Or rather, it hasn't for me. I thought it was better than the Barry Crocket but on the same level as the Midleton Very Old, which might be my favorite Irish pour (but not my favorite Irish whiskey, as I take price into consideration. And at under $50 a bottle, Green Spot wins my gold)

I've read here and there that the Yellow is being prepped for distribution in the states. I hope that's the case.
I went to a Burns night last month and had some laphroaig cairdeas 2014.  loved it.
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[move]Pernod Ricard Announces U.S. Launch of Yellow Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey[/move]

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NEW YORK, Feb. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ ? Yellow Spot?, one of Ireland?s premier Single Pot Still Irish Whiskies, has officially entered the U.S. market.  The 12 year old Single Pot Still, previously available exclusively in select European countries, will join fellow renowned Single Pot Still Green Spot, which entered the U.S. market last year.

Yellow Spot is matured in a combination of American bourbon, Spanish sherry and Spanish Malaga casks. It is the rare taste of a bonder?s style Pot Still Irish Whiskey and is known for its sophisticated and complex taste profile, possessing honey sweetness with pot still spices. Hints of fresh coffee, creamy milk chocolate and crème brulee are also found in each taste of Yellow Spot.

?Single Pot Still Irish Whiskies are the quintessential style of Irish whiskey and are characterized by full complex flavors,? said Paul Di Vito, VP, Irish and North American Whiskey at Pernod Ricard. ?We are thrilled to bring Yellow Spot to American whiskey lovers as Single Pot Stills have become highly desired.?

Each batch of Yellow Spot is made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley, which is then triple distilled in traditional copper stills. Yellow Spot was created and sold by Mitchell & Son Wine and Spirit Merchants in Dublin. The Mitchell family was in the whiskey bonding business and sent empty wine, sherry and port casks to the local Jameson distillery, which were filled and returned to the Mitchell?s cellar warehouse.

Yellow Spot will be released in the U.S., beginning this month and sold at a suggested retail price of $99.99.

Yellow Spot joins Pernod Ricard?s portfolio of Single Pot Still Irish Whiskies including Green Spot and Redbreast.

For more information please visit: http://www.singlepotstill.com/spotwhiskey/yellowspot

Please taste responsibly
I wasn't that excited until that parade got my hyped!!
sweet!
I saw this morning that Yellow Spot was Casker's feature whiskey for the day. I clicked over approximately 10 minutes after they started selling and it was sold out.  :'(

But that's okay, my usual sites tend to be cheaper. I'll bet Schneiders will tag this at $129.99.