Whiskey - It's the water of life!

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Takayuki Yagami said:
As for cocktails that don’t taste like oversweetened shit, go basic, as in really basic. 2:1:1 ratio of spirit, fresh juice, and sweetener shaken over ice. 2 oz Rum, 1oz Lime, and simple you have a classic daiquiri.
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What I dislike about this basic formula is taking something like whiskey and making it SWEET. Its bitterness is actually what I like. This is why I think the classic cocktail is the Old Fashioned, where any sweetness added by the muddled sugar is counteracted by the Angostura bitters.

Alcoholic beverages should taste like pain and fuck up your memory.
 
AnOminous said:
What I dislike about this basic formula is taking something like whiskey and making it SWEET. Its bitterness is actually what I like. This is why I think the classic cocktail is the Old Fashioned, where any sweetness added by the muddled sugar is counteracted by the Angostura bitters.

Alcoholic beverages should taste like pain and fuck up your memory.
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If you want bitter whiskey drinks try a boulevardier. Whiskey on its own isn’t something I’d register as bitter. The sugar has as much to do with keeping the citrus in check as it does with just sweetening it.
 
I have a permanent deep scar on my left knee which I got taking a knee into a piece of broken glass created the last time I drank Jamesson so since then I have stuck to Makers’ Mark
 
I can't drink Maker's Mark any more because it reminds me of Ethan Ralph's repulsive gunt.
 
AnOminous said:
I can't drink Maker's Mark any more because it reminds me of Ethan Ralph's repulsive gunt.
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Maker's Mark is overpriced for what it is anyway

If I want a really nice bourbon, I pay maybe a few bucks more a bottle and get Willett PSR, McKenna BiB 10yr. If I want a decent beater bourbon there are tons of options that are typically cheaper than Maker's.
 
Wasteland Ranger said:
Maker's Mark is overpriced for what it is anyway

If I want a really nice bourbon, I pay maybe a few bucks more a bottle and get Willett PSR, McKenna BiB 10yr. If I want a decent beater bourbon there are tons of options that are typically cheaper than Maker's.
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Any of the Evan Williams lines that isn't Green Label are serviceable (Green is furniture polish).
 
Wasteland Ranger said:
Maker's Mark is overpriced for what it is anyway

If I want a really nice bourbon, I pay maybe a few bucks more a bottle and get Willett PSR, McKenna BiB 10yr. If I want a decent beater bourbon there are tons of options that are typically cheaper than Maker's.
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Maker's 46 is pretty good though. And the cask strength is great. I used to drink plain Maker's all the time but I haven't bought a bottle in years.
 
AnOminous said:
Any of the Evan Williams lines that isn't Green Label are serviceable (Green is furniture polish).
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As I said earlier, Evan’s While Label/BnB is a great value for the quality you get. Now that I think about it most Heaven Hill products are good value for quality. Evan Williams BnB, Rittenhouse, Elijah Craig.
 
Anyone have experience with Jim Beam’s Old Tub Whiskey? A few weeks back it was the only bottled in bond my local store had. I think it’s at least better than Beam, but it’s still kind of... I’m not sure if watery is the right word like their main bottle.
 
Takayuki Yagami said:
Anyone have experience with Jim Beam’s Old Tub Whiskey? A few weeks back it was the only bottled in bond my local store had. I think it’s at least better than Beam, but it’s still kind of... I’m not sure if watery is the right word like their main bottle.
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I despise their normal liquors enough I wouldn't even consider a premium.
 
March order: quite possibly the last bottle of Arran Machrie Moor CS in the whole region, a bottle of Smith&Cross Navy Strength rum, two minis - JD Single Barrel and Writer's Tears Copper Pot -, and a bottle of Hunter Laing Scarabus for a friend.

Scarabus
Another Mystery Single Malt From Islay. All natural, bottled at 46% ABV, there's also a recent 10 yro and an even more recent cask strength expression.

Nose: mild spices, vanilla, sea salt, and raw peat.
Taste: bitter green peat, sea salt, and old leather followed by sweet citrus notes and vivid vanilla.
Finish: medium length, salty and bitter.

It's nothing special. Very easy to drink, and I'd consider it a great introduction to Islay malts. No need to frighten anyone with an Ardbeg 10.

Smith&Cross Navy Strength
It's a blend of young (3-6 years old) Plummer and very young (3-6 months old) Wedderburn pot still rums from Jamaica. Simple label with an even simpler wood-topped cork stopper, 57% ABV. The term Navy Strength has nothing to do with Navy Style, it simply means it won't ruin gunpowder.

Nose: very strong, pungent, brown sugar and molasses. A bit of nail polish remover. Pushing my nose deeper into the Glencairn I find some overripe cherries as well.
Taste: brown sugar and molasses, faint pineapple, a hint of coconut, a bitchslap of quince and a fistful of overripe plum ready to ferment.
Finish: the only low point, it's very short after the blast of intense aromas and flavours.

Aside from the disappointingly short finish, it's bretty good stuff. While the bottler recommends it for mixing Tiki drinks, I say it should be tasted neat at least once.
Won't even burn if you're used to drinking cask strength stuff.

Edit: JD Single Barrel
A lot less sweet and is more rye-forward than JD No. 7, which are both good. Slightly bitter oak - I suspect it's got a heavier char than No. 7.
It also has interesting banana (Gros Michel) and mint notes. I like it, but Four Roses Single Barrel and Wild Turkey Rare Breed both cost just a teeny-tiny more and either is a better option. Single Barrel Barrel Strength is phenomenal I hear, however, that costs around three times as much as the regular Single Barrel.
 
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Boris Blank's glass eye said:
March order: quite possibly the last bottle of Arran Machrie Moor CS in the whole region, a bottle of Smith&Cross Navy Strength rum, two minis - JD Single Barrel and Writer's Tears Copper Pot -, and a bottle of Hunter Laing Scarabus for a friend.

Scarabus
Another Mystery Single Malt From Islay. All natural, bottled at 46% ABV, there's also a recent 10 yro and an even more recent cask strength expression.

Nose: mild spices, vanilla, sea salt, and raw peat.
Taste: bitter green peat, sea salt, and old leather followed by sweet citrus notes and vivid vanilla.
Finish: medium length, salty and bitter.

It's nothing special. Very easy to drink, and I'd consider it a great introduction to Islay malts. No need to frighten anyone with an Ardbeg 10.

Smith&Cross Navy Strength
It's a blend of young (3-6 years old) Plummer and very young (3-6 months old) Wedderburn pot still rums from Jamaica. Simple label with an even simpler wood-topped cork stopper, 57% ABV. The term Navy Strength has nothing to do with Navy Style, it simply means it won't ruin gunpowder.

Nose: very strong, pungent, brown sugar and molasses. A bit of nail polish remover. Pushing my nose deeper into the Glencairn I find some overripe cherries as well.
Taste: brown sugar and molasses, faint pineapple, a hint of coconut, a bitchslap of quince and a fistful of overripe plum ready to ferment.
Finish: the only low point, it's very short after the blast of intense aromas and flavours.

Aside from the disappointingly short finish, it's bretty good stuff. While the bottler recommends it for mixing Tiki drinks, I say it should be tasted neat at least once.
Won't even burn if you're used to drinking cask strength stuff.

Edit: JD Single Barrel
A lot less sweet and is more rye-forward than JD No. 7, which are both good. Slightly bitter oak - I suspect it's got a heavier char than No. 7.
It also has interesting banana (Gros Michel) and mint notes. I like it, but Four Roses Single Barrel and Wild Turkey Rare Breed both cost just a teeny-tiny more and either is a better option. Single Barrel Barrel Strength is phenomenal I hear, however, that costs around three times as much as the regular Single Barrel.
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That’s a very good rum. I’d use it for ti punches.
 
I recently picked up a fifth of Knob Creek, which is about as high as a price tag as I am willing to spend on a fifth of anything. It goes well with my cigar habit. I prefer to sip it straight.

Jim Beam is alright if I want to mix it with Coke, by itself I don't care much for it.

I don't have a well-stocked liquor store within walking distance from where I live, so I am stuck with my local Kroger selection when it comes to whiskey.
 
Finally found a bottle of Chartreuse, which I’ll probably regret considering the price tag. Wasn’t super wild about the Last Word, which is weird considering I usually prefer gin cocktails, but I can see the potential for it. Might have put too much lime and maraschino in it though, and it’s my first time making it.
 
Tried some Caol Ila 12 tonight. It's been forever since I've had an Islay, and while this one has a reputation for being more subtle than more famously peat-heavy ones, it still hits the spot for me. It's been a couple of years since I've had it, but Lagavulin 16 is probably the closest point of reference I have to this one flavorwise, though I think Lagavulin had a stronger/more lingering aftertaste and more intense/varied flavors in general.
 
I'm wondering if I should talk about moonshine here or start a new thread about it?
 
Followup on the chartreuse I found. Made a Final Ward, a Last Word with rye whiskey and lemon instead of gin and lime, and liked it a lot more. I think it was me overdoing the maraschino like I thought and my ice machine cubes adding a weird flavor. Used better ice this time. That’s a really good drink.
 
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Takayuki Yagami said:
Followup on the chartreuse I found. Made a Final Ward, a Last Word with rye whiskey and lemon instead of gin and lime, and liked it a lot more. I think it was me overdoing the maraschino like I thought and my ice machine cubes adding a weird flavor. Used better ice this time. That’s a really good drink.
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protip for ice cubes: to get nice clear cubes you want to put the water through a few cycles of boil-cool-boil before you toss them in the tray or whatever, and use a covered ice tray
 
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