Whiskey / Whisky thread

About time we had another of these.

Bought some Ardbeg 10 a few days ago, it is every bit as good as people would have you believe.

Getting into bourbon recently, love Bulleit and Makers Mark is pretty good. What is pic related like? It is on offer in my local supermarket, worth getting?

Pick it up, compadre. I also recommend Eagle Rare as a good selection.

is this stuff considered good?

Eagle Rare is expensive (£34) compared to Woodford (£22) and Bulleit (£20), is it worth it? Happy to pay if so, but its top money for bourbon here.

Will get some Woodford tomorrow if you say its good, starting to really like bourbon

It is very smooth and easy drinking. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing exceptional either. For context, it is £25 a bottle in Scotland so $32 USD. Worth buying at that, but wouldn't pay much more

£34?! Uh... Well, I really like it but I don't know if it's worth £34

Not worth the jump from Bulleit / Makers? Shame.

What would you recommend as a step up from these? Amazon is pretty well stocked!

I'm about to buy my first Scotch tommorow. What should I go for? Single malt? Blend?

If single malt which one? Keep in mind im on a budget.

Dunno what to drink, got these

>suntory blended
>jim beam double oak
>eagle rare
>evan williams bonded
>old grandad bonded
>teachers blended scotch
>bulleit rye

Highland Park 12 is an affordable introduction, or even If these are a stretch, then Johnny Walker Black is fine

>>bulleit rye

That is surprisingly good shit

I like suntory. Am I a pleb?

Thank you. What is it really that separates the blends from the singles in terms of taste? Why are singles kept in higher regard and all that?

Im from lexington kentucky.

Yes.

>pleb question
how does one enjoy whiskey without the harsh, paint-thinner aftertaste? Surely there is a way to cope.

>mfw I'm drunk and just broke the cork off and it fell in my bottle of bulleit rye

That's why you add a little water and leave it to settle, or add ice if you prefer.

grow up

Just bought an Ardbeg Uigeadail bottle, did i do good?

This shit is delicious, add a little lemon juice to it for even better results.

I dont usually drink whisky but I love this

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I got a sample of some Benriach Solstice to try for Friday.
Look into Buffalo Trace OP, if you like oaky, spicy scotch you'll love BT.
The Original is watery trash. If you want a good experience with Glenmorangie try the Quinta Ruban.
Eagle Rare is fantastic stuff but you should start small and work your way up.
I'd say go for Glendronach 12 if they have it. Its affordable and very easy to get into, plus its a quality offering from an independent distiller with NCF and natural color.
Add some water if you can't deal with the alcohol, it helps to bring out the flavors as well.
How much did you pay?
Lot 40 are one of the few great up and coming Canadian rye distillers. I wish they'd put out a limited run cask strength bottling but Provincial regulations fuck everything up.

I payed €49,95

>Makers Mark is pretty good
If you like MM then you will like anything. Literally everything is better than MM.

I get this for like $18 bucks in california. This brand is great for the money, but don't expect it to compete with Macallan.

Good price then, the Uige is pretty tasty.
If its better then shit like McClellands and Grants Id drink it.

Scotch amateur here. Bought a bottle of Balvenie 12 doublewood based on last thread. Pretty impressed with it, thanks for the recommendation.

I wont be finished with this bottle for a while, but any recommendations for an Islands/Islay single malt? I'd like something where the peatiness is present but doesn't overwhelm the other flavors in the whisky. Budget around 40-70 USD.

I'd say go for a Campbeltown single malt since the peat is more subtle and complimentary, Springbank 10 is a good start.

Girlfriend's dad is a massive scotch fan. Her family is old money and very, very well off.

I'm probably going to meet her parents soon, so what scotch should I bring for him? I don't want to get something for him for him to laugh at me and go "HAHAHA FUCKING PLEB" I'm already planning on bringing a bottle of wine for dinner.

Help my uncle let me try some of his Macallan 18 and now everything else is a disappointment what do?

Given that he's rich, and a scotch man...
Unless you plan on spending well over two hundred bucks, don't try.
That being said, you're going to look like an idiot buying him a nice bottle of scotch unless you make a decent living yourself.
If you really want to impress him, ask your gf what brand he usually drinks and buy a bottle of something one step up.
ie. if he drinks macallan 15, buy him macallan 18, etc

>If you really want to impress him, ask your gf what brand he usually drinks and buy a bottle of something one step up.

That is not a bad fucking idea! Thanks, man.

Gonna have to go against . A slightly older bottle of something isn't necessarily a better purchase. There is no 'upgrading' in terms of age, it all depends on what you like the taste of.

For example, if you like strong peaty whiskey in general the younger stuff has more of a kick to it than the older stuff. I'd take a bottle of Laphroaig 10 over a 15 or an 18 any day.

If you're looking to impress, just remember that a lot of it is all marketing, the fancy bottles, boxes, wax seals and certificates are usually useless blather to a new buyer.

Snoop around his collection if you can, and see if you can find out if he has a preference without asking him. Jot down the names of shit he's into and look them up online and see if there's a theme. If he goes for peat, or heat, or fruit etc.

If he is big on scotch and rich, the best thing you can get him is something he hasn't had before. Find a bottling by a company he owns shit by but hasn't tried. For example if likes Balvenie 12 doublewood, maybe don't get the 17 doublewood (if he's rich he coulda bought that) but maybe get the Carribean Cask (it's still a 14 year so slightly older but it's a different line). People who are into scotch tend to value drinking as many varying types and having variety about. Even a scotch that isn't to your taste is expanding your taste profiles.

That being said, buy him a laphroaig. It'll put hairs on his chest and make it look like you can drink scotland itself.

If you can find it Macallan Cask Strength is amazing

jk she literally just broke up with me

Bitches aint shit but hoes and tricks

Highland Park 12 is a great place to start for island stuff, and it is pretty cheap too which helps.

If you want to get into Islay stuff I would recommend something like Ardbeg 10 or Lagavulin 16 depending on pricing as they give you the peat but are still very flavoursome.

Laphroaig 10 is incredible, but very much a love hate thing as it is quite intense so puts a lot of people off. I wouldn't recommend that as your first foray into Islay malts.

Glendronnach and Aberlour are in a similar ballpark but more affordable. The age statement Macallan stuff is lovely though.

Did anyone here win the 37 year old Lagavulin from the Whiskey Exchange?

I didn't ;_;

I live in the Dominion of Canuckistan so I couldnt enter the contest.
If I could I would have.

Looks like you're already in the perfect thread.

Went to Wales to visit an old friend for the weekend, and they took me to the Penderyn Distillery. Pretty fascinating shit, bought a bottle of this good shit after the tasting session at the end.

Penderyn peated edition, aged in ex-laphroaig barrels to get the taste instead of peating the barley because the substances that impart the smoke flavour don't survive their distilling process. Really great stuff, unlike any other whisky I've ever tried. Not better, but really unique.

make sure you aren't inhaling through your nose as you drink, family, that will really give you the alcohol

>hmm, sounds interesting let me loo~
>70€
JESUS CHRIST! I will rather continue buying the real deal Laphroaig for less than HALF that price. Thank you very much.

I can't blame you on the price, but you wouldn't be buying a laphroaig knock-off. It's really nothing like anything else.

It'd be like calling bourbon the "real deal" version of scotch because a lot of scotches are aged in bourbon barrels.

same. also love Woodford.

So what about it is unique in taste or nose to you?

Where should I branch out in Scotch if I really like Laphroiag and Lagavulin? Islays do it for me.

Is bourbon the same as whiskey?
If not, what the fuck is bourbon whiskey?

Look into some Island offerings like Talisker or some peated Highland varities. Also check out Campbeltown distilleries like Springbank and Kilkerran for a different kind of peat.

Whiskey is almost always the spelling used for American and Irish distilled spirits. So technically its Bourbon Whiskey, American Whiskey and Irish Whiskey and then you have everyone else from Scotch Whisky to Canadian Whisky.

The fact they're unlike any other whisky I've tried. You know how you'd never mistake a scotch for a bourbon, or vice versa? You'd never mistake penderyn for either. It's a different variety of whisky altogether.

Someone who's tried every whisky on earth might be able to draw some comparisons, but in my personal experience it stands well on its own.

always does the trick for me. keep a bottle on the table next to my bed

Bourbon is American whiskEy and refers to said spirit specifically from Kentucky.
There is also Tennessee whiskey which is technically not Bourbon anymore but most people refer to it as such anyway.

Whiskey / whisky is the big umbrella term for distilled spirits using a fermented mash from cereal grains - corn, rye, wheat, barley. Those are the most-used cereals, but distillers are also experimenting with other grains like millet and quinoa. Surprise, they're not real good.

The difference between "whiskey" and "whisky" is entirely cultural; Americans and the Irish call their spirits whiskey, Scots and the Canucks call theirs whisky. They all use different methods and predominant grains to make their particular whiskies (Scotch using mostly malted barley, Canadians favoring rye, etc), but it's all under the same umbrella of grain spirits.

Bourbon uses mostly corn as its grain for mash. For whiskey to be "bourbon", it has to be produced in the US, be at least a 51% corn mash, and aged in new charred oak containers.

So, things like bourbon, scotch, and the like are just "subsets" of the larger whiskey/whisky family.

Nice choices OP. Bulleit Bourbon is great stuff, their rye is delicious, too.

Ardbeg is one of my favorite whiskys. If you recently started getting into Islay single malts also try the Lagavulin 16, Laphroaig 10 and Caol Ila 12.

Another good option is the Talisker 10 or (if you got a bit more to spend) the Talisker North. Incredibly spicey whisky from the Isle of Skye. You can almost taste the waves of the brave sea crashing against those cliffs. Beautiful!

Octomore...

Woodford reserve is my go to bourbon because its easy to find and only 30 quid. Its nice

Blantons Gold is the GOAT for me

> eagle rare
Ew no

I dont like the taste and its still the only whiskey that gives me a terrible hangover, and i drink 60 per cent A'bunadh on the regular

If tou are a bong then get something not sold in Tescos

Something classic like Bunnhaibhan or Glenkichie, check out waitrose

Oban
Caol Ila

Standard Penderyn was my introduction to whiskey
My favourite young whiskey

In Virginia, Eagle Rare is $24-$27, while Woodford Reserve is $35

Black friday sale at the local CG base tomorrow. It's not all whiskey, but I think asking this thread would pull a better response than al/ck/. Too much self loathing.

Anything interesting? No tax gets added to the prices. Most things on there I haven't tried. Usually just drink Eagle Rare / scotch, but neither are on there.

2/2

I don't see anything fancy on there that would be worth the price.
The only half decent thing on that list regarding whisky really is Woodford Reserve

Thanks for this. I'm pretty new to whiskey in general, and this was quite helpful.

wow that's reasonable as hell, I love me some eagle rare. It's closer to 40 bucks where I live in oregon though

I should add that the sale prices are typed in the right column, pencil is the regular price. And I feel the same as you, a couple Woodfords and maybe some Courvoisier. Getting a case of turkey for 144 bucks would be entertaining right until I have to drink the stuff.

Wish my state had sales like that.
Unfortunately we have state-run liquor stores so thats not happening

just bought my second bottle of this.

when did you grow out of blended whisky?

how do you break the cork?

is richard paterson /our guy/?

I never grew into it. I got started on bourbon when I was in university, and one of my housemates bought me a bottle of Grant's for christmas.

Compared to the bottle of Four Roses I was going through at the time, it was like drinking a sawblade. Haven't touched blends since.

Inhale through mouth, exhale through nose.

Water enhances flavor (IN SMALL AMOUNTS) and ice dilutes/dampens it.

Awesome, I bought a triple cask 700 ml Balvenie16 and two 200 ml Glenfiddich 18s.

BBQ with the boys is gonna be classy.

Wild turkey 101 looks good for the price. I'd buy a case of it for that money.

Fuck me Wild Turkey is cheap for you guys! Usually around £22 here and sometimes down to £15 on offer for the 81 stuff, never seen the 101 outside of a specialist whisky shop and they want about £40 for it.

>tfw bought a bottle of Lagavulin 16 for £60

Got a bottle of glendronach 15, heard it was pretty good and I loved the 12.

FORTY CREEK IS AN EXCELLENT CHEAP WHISKY

Talisker storm is my go to, so comfy

>like drinking a sawblade
like it was rough? that happens if you're not drinking all malts, might have some grain whisky in it too.

I honestly don't like it desu, too creamy for my tastes.
Appreciate that shit because they won't be making more until 2018 once the current stockpile goes away.
Also its a big step up from the 12, enjoy that magic.

Yep.

AllI know is Grant's is the devil's piss.

Mah nigga, 40 Creek is what got me back into whisky after a year of party college drinking soured me on the stuff.

didn't read thread but as a long time drinker i'm gonna go ahead and say i dunno if i'll ever buy anything other than bullitt again.

however, i have just discovered scotch whiskey and it's so smooth in comparison to any non scotch

>long time drinker
>just discovered scotch
>bulleit is the best you've had
Long time drinker of what, exactly? Milk?

suntory

it's not the best, it's the combination of the best/price. I have had scotch before but recently "discovered" it meaning started buying and drinking more regularly.

I'll keep mentioning this until you people try it.

>ice in glas to dampen the taste
already confirmed trash drink

> chink whiskey
If i wanted something dead and soulless i would fuck a prossie

anyone ever try this? Its quite good.

ITT: children pretending they know jack shit about spirits proven by their unilateral dismissal of blends

>You can almost taste the waves of the brave sea crashing against those cliffs

how many miles of cock have been in your mouth and ass?

cheap blends*