Good whisky/whiskey

[MattPie]

This thread is having a bad influence on me. Gin and tonic at a wedding on Saturday, Gin and Tonic Monday night (using the fancy-pants tonic at Wegmans), Eagle Rare bourbon Tuesday, and Speyburn single malt last night. And, for the first time in many moons, I am out of scotch.

[korab rules]

If you are going to drink tonic - drink Q-tonic - made with agave - not sweet like schweppes and all that crap - really good stuff - once you have had it you will never want to drink any other kind of tonic.

 

Q tonic

[MattPie]

If you are going to drink tonic - drink Q-tonic - made with agave - not sweet like schweppes and all that crap - really good stuff - once you have had it you will never want to drink any other kind of tonic.

 

Q tonic

 

I should try Q now that I'm back into it. I had Fever Tree, which isn't nearly as sweet as the big brands. Q claims the sell at the Wegman's in the area. but I don't remember seeing them. I'll have to look again...

[nobody]

Duds...Tanquery is my go-to. Do you ever drink their TEN? If you want to obliterate a group of people in a hurry, including women, make a pitcher of Lime Rickeys with TEN. It goes down like nectar water. It sounds counter-intuitive to waste such good stuff in a mix like that....but I have seen the truth in action.

 

 

Why ruin Ten with anything other then an ice cube? :)

 

It is summertime - I was going to say it is time to put away the brown and drink your gin & tonic. But I have been drinking mostly rum this week.

[nobody]

Just let me know and I'll set it up somewhere.

 

 

Let us all know when that event is going to happen!

[SDS]

Why ruin Ten with anything other then an ice cube? :)

 

It is summertime - I was going to say it is time to put away the brown and drink your gin & tonic. But I have been drinking mostly rum this week.

 

Am I the only one who doesn't drink alcohol every week? :unsure:

[nobody]

Am I the only one who doesn't drink alcohol every week? :unsure:

 

 

I'm on vacation - give me a little slack; Scott! :)

 

The rest of these lushes - I can't control.

[SDS]

I'm on vacation - give me a little slack; Scott! :)

 

The rest of these lushes - I can't control.

 

Other than the very occasional beer, I rarely drink outside of social situations. By the time I found a drink I liked I'd forget it by the next time it was appropriate to have to again.

[nobody]

Other than the very occasional beer, I rarely drink outside of social situations. By the time I found a drink I liked I'd forget it by the next time it was appropriate to have to again.

 

 

What? You forget what you drink? Sounds like you may have a serious drinking problem. :D

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

Am I the only one who doesn't drink alcohol every week day? :unsure:

[korab rules]

Other than the very occasional beer, I rarely drink outside of social situations. By the time I found a drink I liked I'd forget it by the next time it was appropriate to have to again.

 

You need to involve yourself in more social situations.

 

No Irish whisky connoisseurs on this board? WTF? I am looking for new GOOD brands to try.

[X. Benedict]

Duds...Tanquery is my go-to. Do you ever drink their TEN? If you want to obliterate a group of people in a hurry, including women, make a pitcher of Lime Rickeys with TEN. It goes down like nectar water. It sounds counter-intuitive to waste such good stuff in a mix like that....but I have seen the truth in action.

What's your mix?

 

A Lime Rickey is just gin, lime juice, and club.

[LastPommerFan]

Haven't tried the Ten yet but will have to give it a try on your recommendation.

For a cheaper party and still good with the ladies alternative you might try a simple gin bucket. Take a new clean large bucket and start with a handle of cheap gin add two regular frozen concentrates, I personally recommend one 5 alive and one tropicanna lemonade or limeade, chop up one full lemon and one lime and add two 2 liter bottles of pop like 1 diet fresca and 1 diet 7up and fill the rest with ice. Travels pretty easy if you want to take to a party your invited too ladies love it and it goes down too easy. Have bucket will travel.

 

/snip/

 

 

This travels even better if you mix it in an (unused) 2.5 GAL gasoline container. Comes with a spout for easy pouring into a cup or, more likely, an open mouth. Proper tailgate requirement.

[biodork]

You need to involve yourself in more social situations.

 

No Irish whisky connoisseurs on this board? WTF? I am looking for new GOOD brands to try.

 

Can't vouch for it personally, but my friend's husband loves FECKiN.

[Weave]

You need to involve yourself in more social situations.

 

No Irish whisky connoisseurs on this board? WTF? I am looking for new GOOD brands to try.

 

 

I've dabbled a bit with the big labels. I do like the Irish whiskeys I've tried. But I've yet to really explore it at all. I have a bottle of Jameson's 15 yr old sitting amongst my stash. I bought it to entertain with on St. Paddy's weekend (go figure). Nice stuff. It's been a few months since I've last taken a glass from it but if I remember correctly it had some nice soft peaty notes and hints of sherry to go along with the soft sweet malt that usually makes up Jameson's profile. A nice interesting upgrade from the Jamesons we all see on the back of the bar. It still gets third billing at my house though. I'm a bourbon drinker at heart with a growing soft spot for single malt scotch.

 

 

I'll make a point of pouring a dram tonight and refreshing my memory and post my thoughts.

[Weave]

Am I the only one who doesn't drink alcohol every week keep a bottle of booze in my desk at work? :unsure:

 

:ph34r:

[LastPommerFan]

With the wife all knocked up and nesting (I've We've renovated our bathroom, built a nursary into a previously unused nook on the second floor, built a guest room in the basement, and replaced every sheet, curtain, and towel in our house...all in the past month.) I haven't found the time to sit down and have a glass out of the Four Roses Single Barrel that's been staring at me from our bar. Tonight may be the night. Just the thought has me all happy inside. :)

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

What's your mix?

 

A Lime Rickey is just gin, lime juice, and club.

 

Pretty much that, except we'd add a Canada Dry lemon peel concoction. I can't find it in the stores anymore.

 

All I know is I had my girlfriend and her cousin end up in my bed, "playfully" waking me up after a night of drinking these. The girls were happily lit, but not sloppy. After that I was a believer.

[Weave]

With the wife all knocked up and nesting (I've We've renovated our bathroom, built a nursary into a previously unused nook on the second floor, built a guest room in the basement, and replaced every sheet, curtain, and towel in our house...all in the past month.) I haven't found the time to sit down and have a glass out of the Four Roses Single Barrel that's been staring at me from our bar. Tonight may be the night. Just the thought has me all happy inside. :)

 

Have you tried your 4R SB yet or is the bottle new? We went to Kentucky last year on vacation and toured the 4 Roses distillery. Before then I was only dimly aware of that brand. I fell in love with 4R SB at that tour. Bought a couple bottles from that batch to take home and am now on my 3rd bottle of it (different batch though). Each batch is a little different. Long story - short, but they have a very complicated blending for their plain yellow label 4 Roses. They have 10 recipes that they cask separately to age and then blend them to the master distillers taste. Their single barrel bottling could come from any of those casks and any of the 10 recipes. And each recipe is distinctly different in flavor and character from the others. The master distiller chooses which one to use for their single barrel bottling based on what he thinks turned out the best. We got the opportunity to sample several of the different recipes on that tour and a couple differnet blendings of the finished product. It was very educational.

[korab rules]

Can't vouch for it personally, but my friend's husband loves FECKiN.

 

I have seen it, but haven't tried it yet. The label throws me off - looks like some new age concoction, not a traditional Irish WhiskEY

 

I've dabbled a bit with the big labels. I do like the Irish whiskeys I've tried. But I've yet to really explore it at all. I have a bottle of Jameson's 15 yr old sitting amongst my stash. I bought it to entertain with on St. Paddy's weekend (go figure). Nice stuff. It's been a few months since I've last taken a glass from it but if I remember correctly it had some nice soft peaty notes and hints of sherry to go along with the soft sweet malt that usually makes up Jameson's profile. A nice interesting upgrade from the Jamesons we all see on the back of the bar. It still gets third billing at my house though. I'm a bourbon drinker at heart with a growing soft spot for single malt scotch.

 

 

I'll make a point of pouring a dram tonight and refreshing my memory and post my thoughts.

 

First my apologies, for screwing up the whiskey/whisky. Not paying attention to what the hell I am doing here.

 

Jameson is my least favorite of the big names. It's entry level is basically undrinkable for me. Tullamore Dew is only slightly better. Bushmills is better yet, but the upgraded Black Bush is too sweet for me. As I said previously, Powers is th best of the entry level Irish whiskeys I have tried to date - perfect for filling that flask for cold weather events.

 

I have to say that I am so turned off by Jameson that I haven't bothered to try their higher end offerings. I have had the 12 year old special reserve Tullamore Dew, and while it is a substantial improvement over the entry level dew, it is not as pleasing to me as red breast despite being in a bout the same price range - $35-40 for a fifth. I would like to try Tullamore's single malt, but haven't seen it in stores yet.

 

My tastes run all over the place - I like just about everything. Irish whiskey is a go to favorite, but I love to drink scotch under the right circumstances - for scotch, there are so many options that it gets confusing, and I have trouble remembering what I have tried and liked. I love the heavy peaty, smoky ones, especially at cask strength. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. I think I am going to drink my lunch today.

[DR HOLLIDAY]

I have seen it, but haven't tried it yet. The label throws me off - looks like some new age concoction, not a traditional Irish WhiskEY

 

 

 

First my apologies, for screwing up the whiskey/whisky. Not paying attention to what the hell I am doing here.

 

Jameson is my least favorite of the big names. It's entry level is basically undrinkable for me. Tullamore Dew is only slightly better. Bushmills is better yet, but the upgraded Black Bush is too sweet for me. As I said previously, Powers is th best of the entry level Irish whiskeys I have tried to date - perfect for filling that flask for cold weather events.

 

I have to say that I am so turned off by Jameson that I haven't bothered to try their higher end offerings. I have had the 12 year old special reserve Tullamore Dew, and while it is a substantial improvement over the entry level dew, it is not as pleasing to me as red breast despite being in a bout the same price range - $35-40 for a fifth. I would like to try Tullamore's single malt, but haven't seen it in stores yet.

 

My tastes run all over the place - I like just about everything. Irish whiskey is a go to favorite, but I love to drink scotch under the right circumstances - for scotch, there are so many options that it gets confusing, and I have trouble remembering what I have tried and liked. I love the heavy peaty, smoky ones, especially at cask strength. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. I think I am going to drink my lunch today.

 

Try the single Malt ten year old Bushmills, its really good.

[LastPommerFan]

Have you tried your 4R SB yet or is the bottle new? We went to Kentucky last year on vacation and toured the 4 Roses distillery. Before then I was only dimly aware of that brand. I fell in love with 4R SB at that tour. Bought a couple bottles from that batch to take home and am now on my 3rd bottle of it (different batch though). Each batch is a little different. Long story - short, but they have a very complicated blending for their plain yellow label 4 Roses. They have 10 recipes that they cask separately to age and then blend them to the master distillers taste. Their single barrel bottling could come from any of those casks and any of the 10 recipes. And each recipe is distinctly different in flavor and character from the others. The master distiller chooses which one to use for their single barrel bottling based on what he thinks turned out the best. We got the opportunity to sample several of the different recipes on that tour and a couple differnet blendings of the finished product. It was very educational.

 

I have, we are on bottle #2. The first bottle had the strong maple and brown sugar sweetness that the standard blend is known for, clearly we got the mash/age mix that provides the bulk of those notes. This bottle is much less sweet, and has a little more smoke to it, but still delicious. I am a little confused as to why the 4R has not caught on in the states until very recently. It was the third most popular bourbon in europe for a long time behind JB and MM*. It's been available in Northern KY, SW OH and SE IN for a while, but seems to be spreading now. By far favorite primary offering from any of the distilleries, and I think it stands up against some of the higher level offerings.

 

*(I don't count JD, though some do. I firmly believe that the Lincoln County process is a significant enough departure from standard aging that it makes it impossible to compare it to a "true" bourbon, and they would agree with me.)

[Weave]

I have, we are on bottle #2. The first bottle had the strong maple and brown sugar sweetness that the standard blend is known for, clearly we got the mash/age mix that provides the bulk of those notes. This bottle is much less sweet, and has a little more smoke to it, but still delicious. I am a little confused as to why the 4R has not caught on in the states until very recently. It was the third most popular bourbon in europe for a long time behind JB and MM*. It's been available in Northern KY, SW OH and SE IN for a while, but seems to be spreading now. By far favorite primary offering from any of the distilleries, and I think it stands up against some of the higher level offerings.

 

*(I don't count JD, though some do. I firmly believe that the Lincoln County process is a significant enough departure from standard aging that it makes it impossible to compare it to a "true" bourbon, and they would agree with me.)

 

4R hadn't caught on in the states because for a long time they weren't distributing it in the states. For several decades it was made for export only. They are only in the last few years starting to get widespread distirbution in the states. I don't care for their base yellow label offering, I can't put my finger on it but there is something about it that my palate doesn't quite agree with. But 4R Single Barrel and Small Batch are very nice to me. They are spicy, complex, and have alot of floral notes. Very full flavored whiskeys. Even the plain yellow label 4R is very full flavored.

 

 

Even JD doesn't call itslef bourbon. It is "Tenessee whiskey". Sez so right on the bottle.

[LastPommerFan]

Even JD doesn't call itslef bourbon. It is "Tenessee whiskey". Sez so right on the bottle.

 

 

Yeah, I've just seen so many writers argue that they belong in the category because the mashbill matches that of bourbon (>50% corn) and they are aged in New Oak Barrels at similar barrel proofs. But You can't pour a liquid through a 10' tall pillar of maple charcoal and not significantly changes the properities pre barrel. I guess I'm arguing with people who aren't even here...again...

 

JD is a bourbon according to NAFTA and The Truthiness of Wikipedia.

[Weave]

Yeah, I've just seen so many writers argue that they belong in the category because the mashbill matches that of bourbon (>50% corn) and they are aged in New Oak Barrels at similar barrel proofs. But You can't pour a liquid through a 10' tall pillar of maple charcoal and not significantly changes the properities pre barrel. I guess I'm arguing with people who aren't even here...again...

 

JD is a bourbon according to NAFTA and The Truthiness of Wikipedia.

 

Admittedly, the difference in names of the two products is more about regional pride than big differences in the end result. Excepting that whole maple charcoal filtering thing, bourbon and Tennessee whiskey are about as similar as two types of distillate can get.

 

I haven't had George Dickel in ages but I recall really enjoying it. And it is always good for a giggle from a young waitress when you order it.