Whiskey - It's the water of life!

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Takayuki Yagami said:
I think I recommended Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters further up in the thread for use with maple syrup in an old fashioned. Chocolate bitters from Angostura or Fee Brothers, or Bitterman’s Xocolatl Mole Bitters (a bit more expensive but they have a dropper in the bottle so you’re actually controlling how much is in a dash and they’re pretty tasty) if you want to try things with tequila. Some kind of orange bitters is probably more important than either of those, but if you’re sticking to old fashioneds the former two will take you further.
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Black walnut bitters are the secret weapon in making an absolutely perfect Manhattan.
 
Captain Hastings Official said:
Black walnut bitters are the secret weapon in making an absolutely perfect Manhattan.
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I’ve heard it goes well in a lot of things but there’s a mountain of shit I still need to add to my liquor cabinet. Walnut bitters, Peychauds, absinthe and a dasher bottle or atomizer, and I only have maybe an ounce of Campari left. Shame my poker games have been pretty dismal the last few weeks.
 
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CivilianOfTheFandomWars said:
I'm legally allowed to buy booze now, so I got a small bottle of Wild Turkey and I'm liking it so far. I also made some "Irish" coffee with it and it went surprisingly well.
Any suggestions for a total noob that isn't retardedly expensive?
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Well, what's your price range (basically, what qualifies as expensive)? If you like bourbons, they usually stay pretty reasonable. There are some scotches that are much better than their price tag would suggest. Ryes tend to vary but will usually sit in the same range as bourbons. Canadians are not usually expensive, but if you don't like ryes you probably won't like Canadians. Irish can be very variable but there are some gems in the "reasonable" range.
 
TFT-A9 said:
Well, what's your price range (basically, what qualifies as expensive)? If you like bourbons, they usually stay pretty reasonable. There are some scotches that are much better than their price tag would suggest. Ryes tend to vary but will usually sit in the same range as bourbons. Canadians are not usually expensive, but if you don't like ryes you probably won't like Canadians. Irish can be very variable but there are some gems in the "reasonable" range.
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Think "Albertsons", I guess.
 
CivilianOfTheFandomWars said:
Think "Albertsons", I guess.
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Wild Turkey is both good and fairly cheap - even the Rare Breed expression - until you get into limited stuff like famous Forgiven or the Master's Keep releases. Avoid the 81 though.
Irish: Writers Tears.
Scotch: Arran. That too is quite affordable up until the 18yro.
I like Tomatin as well but @scallion had a run-in with the 12yro. The entry Legacy/Dualchas is good.
 
CivilianOfTheFandomWars said:
Think "Albertsons", I guess.
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For Irish might I suggest Jameson Black Barrel and Knappogue Castle, most Irish isn't worth writing home about.
Wild Turkey, Basil Hayden, and Rittenhouse Ryes are fantastic btw
Boris Blank's glass eye said:
Wild Turkey is both good and fairly cheap - even the Rare Breed expression - until you get into limited stuff like famous Forgiven or the Master's Keep releases. Avoid the 81 though.
Irish: Writers Tears.
Scotch: Arran. That too is quite affordable up until the 18yro.
I like Tomatin as well but @scallion had a run-in with the 12yro. The entry Legacy/Dualchas is good.
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I really can't get into scotches I've noticed, only thing I've bought a second time is J&B and the price certainly had something to do with it lol
Also I did not like Writer's Tears, it's almost sour like a bad bourbon.
 
scallion said:
I really can't get into scotches I've noticed, only thing I've bought a second time is J&B and the price certainly had something to do with it lol
Also I did not like Writer's Tears, it's almost sour like a bad bourbon.
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You might be looking for something different, then - both Tomatin and Writers Tears have a predominantly fruity character that's nothing like bourbon.

Scotch Whisky Picks For Bourbon Drinkers | The Whiskey Reviewer

whiskeyreviewer.com whiskeyreviewer.com
I don't agree with the A'Bunadh since it's a heavily sherried expression - the rest might suit your palate better.
 
CivilianOfTheFandomWars said:
I'm legally allowed to buy booze now, so I got a small bottle of Wild Turkey and I'm liking it so far. I also made some "Irish" coffee with it and it went surprisingly well.
Any suggestions for a total noob that isn't retardedly expensive?
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Wild Turkey is a reasonably good choice. Just be sure to not overdo it. I generally stick to a drink a night at most because as much as I like the taste of alcohol I also like being lucid. And the idea of being an inveterate junky like Ethan Ralph terrifies me.
As for suggestions... Elijah Craig, Four Roses Small Batch or Single Barrel, Evan Williams Bottled in Bond (probably the single best value option possible) or another aged spirit if you want to broaden your horizons. I’d recommend Jamaican rums with Appleton Estate being the easiest to get ahold of. Boris would probably be a better person to ask about scotch.
 
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Had a pour of Four Roses Single Barrel after not having it in a while at this trendy Mexican restaurant cum bourbon/tequila bar. Stand by my recommendation from earlier today. Starts a bit hot with rye without it being kind of over the top like Bulliet can be, goes a bit sweet but in a nice way in the middle, and finishes on a nice mellow note. Damn good. Shame it’s about 50 bucks a bottle here.
 
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Cocktail posting again. If you making a sour with egg white (which you should if it’s whiskey or gin) and you aren’t making drinks for a lot of people, reverse dry shake is strictly better. Add everything to a shaker except the egg with ice, shake vigorously and strain your drink back into your small tin, toss the ice, add the egg, and shake vigorously again. The foam comes out better because the dilution from the ice in the 2nd shake breaks the froth otherwise.
 
Had a BYOB whiskey night with a couple of lads from work last week, pretty decent line-up. While we didn't get anywhere near black-out drunk it wasn't a "proper" "make and compare notes" tasting either.

  1. Wemyss Nectar Grove CS - one guy bought this at my recommendation. I actually regret not buying another bottle, it was a wonderful whisky and great value at €40.
  2. Benriach Peated CS Batch 2 - the last 2 deciliters I saved for drinking later. It was pretty well received.
  3. Oban 14 - bit of a safety game but I haven't had it before. Very pleasant, sweet and fruity. Perfect at 43% ABV, it doesn't need to be any stronger and would be neutered at 40%. I could drink it all day every day.
  4. Caol Ila 12 - bit of a safety game 2, but it's a classic for a good reason.
  5. Macallan 12 Double Cask - another pleasant, straightforward single malt, but it costs around €70 here, and that's too goddamn fucking high.
  6. Cotswolds Peated Cask - the second bottle I brought, the first glass was a bit rough around the edges. Would be fun to get hammered on, but it's a bit expensive for that. It was finished in "Ex-Islay Quarter Casks", but there's no hint of Laphroaig in there - I suspect they waved a photo of an empty Laph QC bottle around in the warehouse and that was it. I had a second glass at home, and it's mellowed out considerably. The flavour profile is mostly the same as the basic Cotswolds Single Malt with added cherries and a noticeable spicy twist. Pleasant, but I wouldn't buy another bottle at €60.
  7. Kilchoman Sanaig - intense sherry and intense peat. Well balanced, asked the guy for a sample this monday. Second tasting went differently - opened with dry, ashy peat with a sweet, bourbony underlay and ended with a more refined, mellowed version of the initial experience. Recommended.
  8. Koval Millet - I hadn't had much of that, but it was interesting. Had a very distinct smell of - as we were told - Austrian Oak and a taste of vanilla and coconuts.
  9. The undisputed winner of the night, Mortlach 16. Very oily and heavy despite the relatively low ABV. Citrus, prune, nuts, baking spices. The price is a bit steep, however.

For June I ordered a bottle of Tormore 13 (Gordon&Macphail) a bottle of Delamain Pale&Dry XO Centenaire, and two Teeling minis - Small Batch and Single Grain.
The Centenaire is a revamped expression of the old one keeping the same age range and flavour profile while increasing the ABV by 2%. Sounds promising, review later.
The standard bottling volume, however, was decreased from 0,7l to 0,5l.

Tormore 13
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Tormore is a huge distilling facility owned by Pernod Ricard. They have two OB expressions, a 14yro and a 16yro single malt.

Bottled at 43% ABV, matured exclusively in ex-bourbon casks, it's non-coloured and non-chill filtered, but it isn't mentioned anywhere on the bottle label or the cardboard tube.

Nose: citrus and pineapple with some freshly cut grass.
Taste: vanilla, chocolate, citrus, mango, pineapple, nectarine.
Finish: sweet and herbal. Medium length.

Delicate and mild-mannered. Medium body with a good creamy texture, definitely non-chill filtered. It delivered on most of its promises but I wouldn't mind if it was a bit more lively - still, it's quite refreshing. Perfect for a lazy, hot summer evening.
 
What’s a good absinthe? Not for the memes or anything, but for sazeracs and shit to bring it back to whiskey. I’m in an abc state so my options are a bit limited as far stuff getting this arcane go, but the non-abc stores carry the OG Pernod sometimes if I can’t find anything else.
 
Takayuki Yagami said:
What’s a good absinthe? Not for the memes or anything, but for sazeracs and shit to bring it back to whiskey. I’m in an abc state so my options are a bit limited as far stuff getting this arcane go, but the non-abc stores carry the OG Pernod sometimes if I can’t find anything else.
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I kind of like Lucid, although it's fairly pricey for what it is and I am not exactly an absinthe connoisseur.
 
Takayuki Yagami said:
What’s a good absinthe? Not for the memes or anything, but for sazeracs and shit to bring it back to whiskey. I’m in an abc state so my options are a bit limited as far stuff getting this arcane go, but the non-abc stores carry the OG Pernod sometimes if I can’t find anything else.
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Cant you just order online? the swiss stuff is very good.
 
Stoneheart said:
Cant you just order online? the swiss stuff is very good.
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Some US states do not ship alcohol. Mine is supposedly starting to, but who knows how long it’ll take to iron that out. It’s a minor annoyance all things considered because the prices are actually very good, but some things are limited in terms of variety. Absinthe in particular is probably a bit weird considering it was still banned until a little over a decade ago over here. All the main spirits and common modifier spirits like curacao/triple sec, Campari and other potable bitters, amari, etc are easy though.
 
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Went to the non-abc stores looking for an absinthe, didn’t have anything that was immediately appealing, but they did have those walnut bitters I mentioned a little further up the thread as well as Luxardo cherries. Not what what I went in for but probably better in the end. Guess today’s libation’ll be a manhattan, and I’ll touch base on that maple old fashioned some time this week now that I have the right bitters for it.
 
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