Good whisky/whiskey

[biodork]

Anyone tried this? (Looking mostly at you, weave.)

 

http://liquor.com/articles/auchentoshan-american-oak/

 

If it’s great and it’s brown, we welcome it with hands outstretched, ready to give a big ole brown-liquor bear hug. Then there is the sizable contingent who, while happy to bow to the allure of bourbon, can’t leap over the peat-pond funk of certain well-made Scotches.

Now there’s a bottle to bridge the gap: Auchentoshan American Oak ($40)

[Weave]

Anyone tried this? (Looking mostly at you, weave.)

 

http://liquor.com/ar...n-american-oak/

 

I have neither seen nor heard of this one. I'll keep an eye out.

[biodork]

I have neither seen nor heard of this one. I'll keep an eye out.

 

Seems like it'd be up our alley. I've found a couple scotches I like (Macallan, Monkey Shoulder), but far more bourbon.

[Weave]

Seems like it'd be up our alley. I've found a couple scotches I like (Macallan, Monkey Shoulder), but far more bourbon.

 

There are a few I enjoy, Oban for instance, but given a choice I go for bourbon every time.

[biodork]

There are a few I enjoy, Oban for instance, but given a choice I go for bourbon every time.

 

Oban is the bf's favorite. I've grown to like it, too, but most times if I'm drinking scotch it's a Speyside. The Glenrothes 1998 is nice.

[Weave]

Been awhile since I've had Blanton's until tonight. I'd forgotten just how damned good that whiskey is.

[biodork]

Been awhile since I've had Blanton's until tonight. I'd forgotten just how damned good that whiskey is.

 

Still haven't tried that one. Thought about it when I was restocking the bar a couple weeks ago, but opted for two less expensive bourbons instead. Having Elijah Craig tonight, myself.

[korab rules]

 

 

 

 

We need a big BringYourOwnBourbon party. Get a half dozen of us hooligans somewhere outdoors so the cigars can get lit (and so can we!).

Belatedly, I am in! Pm me details!

 

Been awhile since I've had Blanton's until tonight. I'd forgotten just how damned good that whiskey is.

Mmmmmmm, Blanton's!

[darksabre]

Came home tonight to a bottle of Baby Saz sitting on my desk. Josie treats me right. :wub:

[Weave]

Came home tonight to a bottle of Baby Saz sitting on my desk. Josie treats me right. :wub:

 

Don't screw this up, dude.

[LastPommerFan]

Missed my bourbon of the month delivery today by 10 minutes. No I gotta wait till Monday :-(

[DirtDart]

Okay, so this came up in the Complaint Thursdays thread this week and since a lot of you seem to know your alcohol, figured I'd ask this here. I'm primarily a vodka drinker; I enjoy the clean taste and versatility in mixing, but I'm a little bored with it. I also enjoy light rum in a mojito during warmer weather, but I'd like to try whiskey or scotch. So what I'm hoping you guys might be able to help me with is: just how does one begin drinking whiskey or scotch? I'd eventually like to get to the point of being able to enjoy some of the good stuff neat or on the rocks, but I'm guessing I'll need to work up to that point since I don't drink it now. Two main questions come to mind:

 

1) What are some good "starter" liquors, i.e. something good enough I'll have a chance at liking, but not so good that I'll hate myself if I buy a bottle and don't end up liking it, and

 

2) Is it best to start with a mixer, or jump right in with the undiluted stuff?

 

Any suggestions would be much appreciated -- thanks in advance for the help!

 

Yellow Spot Irish whiskey. They are just beginning to allow imports into the States. Smoothest whiskey I have ever had, a sin to dilute with anything other than a splash of water, or an ice cube.

Edited July 20, 2014 by DirtDart

[LastPommerFan]

I received my first bottle from my "Bourbon of the Month" club yesterday evening. :D

 

It is a 3-year aged bourbon <_< form the Northwest (Distilled in Washington, aged in Bend, OR) called Tatoosh. They are a brand new outfit, opened in 2009, started sales in 2012. Small batch Bourbon, but bottled at 80 proof.

 

Popped open the bottle, nose has a really nice cherry note. :)

 

Then I had to close 'er up because I had to haul tookus into the office and get some work done. :(

 

I'll report the tasting tonight when I get a chance, hopefully. For now I just get to think about bourbon all day. :cry:

[Eleven]

All right. Are we doing this thing? weave, name a town with a hotel. Everyone else, get there and bring a bottle or two to share and sample.

[LastPommerFan]

I received my first bottle from my "Bourbon of the Month" club yesterday evening. :D

 

It is a 3-year aged bourbon <_< form the Northwest (Distilled in Washington, aged in Bend, OR) called Tatoosh. They are a brand new outfit, opened in 2009, started sales in 2012. Small batch Bourbon, but bottled at 80 proof.

 

Popped open the bottle, nose has a really nice cherry note. :)

 

Then I had to close 'er up because I had to haul tookus into the office and get some work done. :(

 

I'll report the tasting tonight when I get a chance, hopefully. For now I just get to think about bourbon all day. :cry:

 

Notes: spicy, strong clove notes, slightly sweet, but in an unfortunately simply way that brings little to the table. Hipster bourbon. Distiller is new, and for a first offering it certainly is drinkable, but needs a lot of work to be able to compete with the bluegrass state on quality.

 

Made a cocktail with vermouth and crushed blueberries that was suggested on a card in the box. That was fantastic.

[LTS]

So, I just jumped in here and may have missed if this was ever mentioned, but I'm not a die hard whiskey fan (I'm trying). I found it interesting:

 

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/28/your-craft-whiskey-is-probably-from-a-factory-distillery-in-indiana.html

 

It goes on to discuss how many small batch "craft" whiskey distillers are nothing more than marketing companies that are buying from a set of recipes and then bottling the output. Pretty sketchy.

 

A long list of the distillers and bottlers is referenced in that article, that list is here: http://recenteats.blogspot.com/p/the-complete-list-of-american-whiskey.html

 

Still determining if some of the one's I like are listed there or not.

[MattPie]

So, I just jumped in here and may have missed if this was ever mentioned, but I'm not a die hard whiskey fan (I'm trying). I found it interesting:

 

http://www.thedailyb...in-indiana.html

 

It goes on to discuss how many small batch "craft" whiskey distillers are nothing more than marketing companies that are buying from a set of recipes and then bottling the output. Pretty sketchy.

 

A long list of the distillers and bottlers is referenced in that article, that list is here: http://recenteats.bl...an-whiskey.html

 

Still determining if some of the one's I like are listed there or not.

 

You'll see that with contract brewing in the beer world a lot. I've run into bars/restaurants that'll have one or two of their own beers that they have brewed for them. By and large they haven't been *that* good, but I wouldn't look down on the beer solely for that reason.

[LTS]

MattPie - absolutely. I believe the labeling requirements on beer are stricter (for whatever reason) it needs to have it's originating location. it doesn't appear to be the same with the whiskey.

 

A lot of people are surprised when they realize where the beer actually comes from.

[Weave]

So, I just jumped in here and may have missed if this was ever mentioned, but I'm not a die hard whiskey fan (I'm trying). I found it interesting:

 

http://www.thedailyb...in-indiana.html

 

It goes on to discuss how many small batch "craft" whiskey distillers are nothing more than marketing companies that are buying from a set of recipes and then bottling the output. Pretty sketchy.

 

A long list of the distillers and bottlers is referenced in that article, that list is here: http://recenteats.bl...an-whiskey.html

 

Still determining if some of the one's I like are listed there or not.

 

The marketing of American whiskey is approaching the level of snake oil sales.

 

http://recenteats.blogspot.com/2014/05/how-do-you-know-its-sourced-whiskey.html

 

 

 

And the Feds don't seem interested in enforcing their own rules. Whiskey makers have labeling restrictions that are designed to prevent this.

 

http://recenteats.blogspot.com/2012/09/why-isnt-ttb-enforcing-state-of.html

 

 

 

 

 

Here's an interesting take on the subject.

 

http://chuckcowdery.blogspot.com/2014/04/ttb-fails-are-becoming-all-too-frequent.html

[Eleven]

So, I just jumped in here and may have missed if this was ever mentioned, but I'm not a die hard whiskey fan (I'm trying). I found it interesting:

 

http://www.thedailyb...in-indiana.html

 

It goes on to discuss how many small batch "craft" whiskey distillers are nothing more than marketing companies that are buying from a set of recipes and then bottling the output. Pretty sketchy.

 

A long list of the distillers and bottlers is referenced in that article, that list is here: http://recenteats.bl...an-whiskey.html

 

Still determining if some of the one's I like are listed there or not.

 

I meant to post that in here yesterday, but I didn't get to it. It is interesting.

 

weave, what are the labeling restrictions like?

[Weave]

I meant to post that in here yesterday, but I didn't get to it. It is interesting.

 

weave, what are the labeling restrictions like?

 

For starters,

 

The federal regulations of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) require that whiskey labels disclose the state where the whiskey was distilled. If the whiskey is distilled in the state where the company is located, then the address of the company is sufficient to comply with this requirement. However, if the business address is not in the state where the whiskey was distilled, the state has to be stated separately on the label.

 

But you won't find any of the ryes distilled in Indiana having labels that indicate actual distilling in Indiana. Pretty big when you figure that the majority of rye being sold today is Indiana produced.

[LastPommerFan]

The Tatoosh Bourbon I have does indicate on the label that it was distilled in Oregon and Aged in Washington.

[Weave]

Angel's Envy was my pour tonight. Neat, of course. T'was the port cask finished expression.

 

88 proof. Sweet on the nose. Lots of maple syrup but a hint of black pepper too. First tasting impression was that it was thinner on the tongue than I expected. No oily, viscous feel to this one. Very contrasty. Sweet and spice. Spicier than I expected at 88 proof. Initial impression on the tongue was sweet, cotton candy and maple syrup. There was no middle to speak of as the sweetness quickly evolved into cracked black pepper and cinnamon. Maybe a hint of peppermint. The spicy finish was a long one with the pepper lasting right up until the next sip.

 

I would never have guessed this was a port finished whiskey. I just never picked up the fruit. It was a sugar and spice bomb. Nice enough pour, but I imagine the whiskey would have been uncomplicated without the port finish.

[Weave]

Good news for the bourbon drinkers. All of the major distilleries are running at capacity not seen in decades. Granted, we won't see the fruits of this for a few years.

 

http://chuckcowdery.blogspot.com/2014/08/kentuckys-distilleries-are-running-full.html

 

 

 

Brown-Forman Distillery in Shively is now running full throttle, meaning at full capacity, more-or-less. They run their two stills 24-hours-a-day for three days, shut them down briefly for cleaning, then do it all again......... The news about Brown-Forman was a surprise because it is the first time in living memory that particular distillery has been ridden so hard. ......

 

Brown-Forman's other two distilleries, Woodford Reserve in Kentucky and Jack Daniel's in Tennessee, are both running balls out with major expansions underway.

 

Buffalo Trace, probably the second-largest distillery in the state after Jim Beam's Booker Noe plant, is going all out too. That's another distillery that hasn't been close to operating at capacity in decades. Their smaller Barton 1792 Distillery, which like Brown-Forman was running way below capacity just a few years ago, is also going full tilt. Maximum warp has been the rule at Maker's Mark, Heaven Hill, George Dickel, and Four Roses for years. Wild Turkey is ramping up its new distillery and will be at full bore soon. Same with MGP of Indiana.

[LastPommerFan]

I really wish they didn't have their balls out while making my whiskey.