The Whisk(e)y Thread

Relaxer wrote:
Interestingly enough, as long as we're discussing fun candy drinks, I've become quite enamored with this occasional tipple:



If I drink it more than once a week, I feel shame, but when it's been awhile, a little of this with ice is a delightfully tasty dessert-style drink. Added bonus: Every woman I've offered this to has loved it and found me immediately more interesting.

I hate to say it but it's a guilty pleasure. It's a good alternative to Bailey's on ice.
It's really a stretch to call it horchata since the majority of recipes have no dairy in them.
Second, it's straight up created by a white dude in Wisconsin (hence the use of dairy cream)
I guess it's kinda like enjoying pro-wrestling as an adult.

Thanks for the Bourbon book recommendation. My husband really loves it!

I am very glad to hear it. Feeling like I touched a life today.

Relaxer wrote:
I am very glad to hear it. Feeling like I touched a life today.

As opposed to your usual touching of a child?

SOMEONE HAD TO MAKE THE JOKE.

im pretty, sure, whiskey gives you cancer.  just like everything.  water does, too.  and the glass that holds your whiskey and water . . . cancer.

walk,on,by wrote:
im pretty, sure, whiskey gives you cancer.  just like everything.  water does, too.  and the glass that holds your whiskey and water . . . cancer.

Whiskey - particularly single-malt - prevents cancer!!

Carlos wrote:

Relaxer wrote:
I am very glad to hear it. Feeling like I touched a life today.

As opposed to your usual touching of a child?

SOMEONE HAD TO MAKE THE JOKE.

Man, I spent the years 2004 through 2009 knuckle-deep in little boy asshole on a daily basis. Can't nothin gonna teach me shit.

walk,on,by wrote:
http://gawker.com/from-pouring-to-sniffing-a-guide-to-whiskey-tasting-1732080670

Nice typo here:

For a truly contemporary event, be sure to include a bottle of , which is finished in casks that once held traditional Irish stout from Cork?s Franciscan Well Brewery.

But that's cool. From the very start of the article, I could tell they were talking about the Jamesons Caskmates.

I'm still drinking way too much of the Jamesons Black Barrel, but as the weather grows nippy, I'm finding myself grabbing the rye and ginger and having them get all porno in a snifter. My favorite rye by a Canadian mile is this:

curious if anyone has had this

Was looking for a gift for someone who let me crash at his place as well as borrow his bike
was looking to spend the $45-55 range when the guy at the liquor store made hard sell on this (for $72 w/tax) after someone came in and cleaned him out of a rare version of Suntory(person came in and spent $512 on 3 bottles and would have bought more if he had it)

I've always wanted to try Japanese whiskey but just never have. That said, Drinkhacker (which is my favorite booze-rating site on the web) thinks highly of it. And now I'm extremely intrigued.

http://www.drinkhacker.com/2015/09/18/review-hibiki-japanese-harmony-whisky/

Finally went to Jack Rose this weekend. Woah. Had some red label Black Maple Hill and really good cocktails. They even make a decent Ramos Gin Fizz!  Recommend!

I know there's not a lot of Scotch interest on here but I just got tickets to a scotch dinner next Tuesday with a Balvenie Ambassador which I'm quite hyped about. 2 oz pours of Balvenie 12, 14, 17, and 21 (only the 14 have I not had before) paired with a great meal for $110. Should be fun.

Carlos wrote:
I know there's not a lot of Scotch interest on here but I just got tickets to a scotch dinner next Tuesday with a Balvenie Ambassador which I'm quite hyped about. 2 oz pours of Balvenie 12, 14, 17, and 21 (only the 14 have I not had before) paired with a great meal for $110. Should be fun.

That sounds cool. My wife and I did a bourbon-themed dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse a year or so ago. Their bourbon selection was pretty unimaginative (if it's sold at Safeway, it's in no way a unique or exclusive bourbon) but they were still good whiskies and drinking bourbon and eating stake is always a hoot, so I had no complaints.

That sounds awesome. I really like Balvene. Does that mean I will like other scotch?

K8teebug wrote:
That sounds awesome. I really like Balvene. Does that mean I will like other scotch?

Scotch really should be considered a liquor all to itself instead of a variant within "whisk(e)y". The variant in taste from scotch region to region is far wider than you're going to find in bourbons, brandys, etc.

If you like Balvenie, you will not like all scotches. Not by far. You will probably like other Speysides, although this is by far your most productive region and has the most variation within the region of the five main ones. You would probably like Macallan, Glenlivet, or Glenfiddich, three of your easiest to find (single-malt) scotches.

OTOH, if you really like Balvenie, there's a good chance Islay's (Bruichladdich - my absolute favorite, Laphroaig, Ardberg) would be spit out of your mouth as quickly as they went in and you will start yelling "why are you serving my ocean water!?"

tl; dr - You will need to test and see which scotches you like as there is huge variation between regions/distilleries.

I've found that newcomers to Scotch, like myself, are inclined toward the less peaty versions at first. My first Scotch purchase was Laphroaig and I just hated it, tasted to me like dirty dogpark swamp water. Macallan, however, I do like to an extent. I've started to appreciate the dry, sour bite of Scotch a little more over the years. Not enough to forego my predilection for Irish, but it's a nice alternative.

Weirdly, the Scotch I've probably enjoyed the most was Black Bottle, a cheapo bottom shelf whiskey.

Relaxer wrote:
I've found that newcomers to Scotch, like myself, are inclined toward the less peaty versions at first. My first Scotch purchase was Laphroaig and I just hated it, tasted to me like dirty dogpark swamp water. Macallan, however, I do like to an extent. I've started to appreciate the dry, sour bite of Scotch a little more over the years. Not enough to forego my predilection for Irish, but it's a nice alternative.

Weirdly, the Scotch I've probably enjoyed the most was Black Bottle, a cheapo bottom shelf whiskey.

I usually suggest people try a blended like Johnnie Walker or Dewar's to get started on scotch (as that is most similar to Irish or Bourbon) before going to single-malt. And yes, once you get to single malt, people are going to be most open to Macallan or Glen_____ than they are the super peaty Islay's.

I can imagine your first scotch being Laphroag and absolutely thinking all us scotch drinkers are bizarre. But there's a point where you drink scotch long enough and work your way basically across the country through the Highlands region to eventually the Islands and Islay which are your saltier/peaty-er ones and next thing you know, paying $300 for a last year's release of a Bruicchladdich Octomere seems like a privilege beyond belief.

i believe the thing that keeps most folks from getting into scotch is pronunciation. 

dude at a bar looking at the scotch menu: "ugh… shall i have a 'Bruicchladdich'?  i kinda like the description of this 'Laphroaig'…"
bartender: "may i take your order?"
dude: <panics> <cries>