Now that you're sober, can you tell us how that Caol Ila 25yo was? How did it differ from the standard 12yo? I had some of the 18yo when I was in Vegas last year and it was stunning. Been meaning to buy a bottle ever since.

Try adding a touch of water. It takes the edge off the alcohol bite and can bring out the flavours a bit more.

Also, the whiskies you've listed are towards the cheaper end (esp Teachers), so the harsh alcohol taste is going to be more pronounced than in a more mature whisky. If you don't want to go to the expense of shelling out for a full bottle of something a bit more expensive just yet then you can try just ordering a glass of something next time you're in a decent bar to see if you like it.

Posts like this make me sad that I'm not good enough at poker to be able to afford a trip out to Vegas this year.

I test The Balvenie 14 this week, not as good as the 21 one but very good.
Nice thread btw

Hey all,

Ran out of space in my bar due to Compulsive bourbon buying. Considering using some wall mounted wine storage to house excess bottles of booze like so



anybody know if there's any negative impact to storing whiskey on it's side like this?

Thanks.

I've read somewhere that is not a good idea because the alcohol could erode the cork

I am not much of a scotch drinker, I prefer bourbon, but I purchased Glenlivet "Naddura" (16 year single malt) as a gift for a friend and he was kind enough to have a few shots with me. I was very impressed with this whiskey!

I just keep trying to find a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle. Damn near impossible. If anyone knows a place in NYC that regularly carries it, let me know.

I definitely read somewhere that there is but can't remember specifically what the reason behind it was. I just remember hearing u don't want to store it the same way u do wine. Could possibly be higher alcohol content dries out the cork? That is like 70% a guess though.


No one really carries it regularly. They get it in twice a year and its typically gone within a week tops and usually within a few days. Sometimes u get lucky and find a place that still has it after a few weeks or even months but I would guess that would be very unlikely in NYC, its pretty rare anywhere really.

I tried my first Islay today at lunch. Lagavulin 16. Before sitting down at the bar I had set my mind to enjoy and appreciate it for what it was, knowing that many people simply don't like Islays. After the first sip I could tell it was completely different from any whisky I had experienced before. I enjoyed the drink, especially the long finish. It wasn't overpowering and it wasn't as harsh as I was expecting. The thing I didn't like about it was an almost overwhelming taste of salt, almost to the point where it dried my mouth out. Overall I can appreciate the flavor and understand why many consider it their favorite style of Scotch, and I will certainly try others on occasion, but I don't ever see myself buying a bottle unless it really grows on me in the future.

Just searched for this thread cause I new it had to exist here. Can't believe I never thought of it before. Only through the first 11 pages or so so far but great OP and thread. Thanks Ron. I love scotch but have made it an unwritten rule not to buy them for the house because it would be far too easy for me, due to my nature and the absurd amount of scotches available, to get carried away. I cheat the rule somehow by buying my brother a different bottle of scotch for birthdays and Christmas and regularly tasting his fairly large selection. Bourbon is my whiskey of choice anyway. I like bookers, blantons, knob creek... Just opened four roses single barrel tonite and it is quite nice. Had never seen it before. Had George T Stagg recently at a tasting and it really blew me away. Probably my favorite so far. Haven't tried the pappy 23 but like the others I've tried. Makers is good but is kind of boring as another poster was mentioning. I like it for manhattans and a few other bourbon drinks I make when feel like making drinks over drinking straight. After many years of using Jameson as a go to shooter whiskey I recently realized that it is surprisingly nice to sip and especially so for the price. For me it seems a mild mix between scotch and bourbon. I haven't tried all of the higher end Jamesons but the 18 year is almost too light and fruity (peachy) for me. I'm curious as to what the others are like. I'm rambling as Ive been tasting many bourbons while reading this thread but I also wanted to know if anyone here is or has ever been in the alcohol or related service industry. I worked fine dining before playing poker for a living about 5 years ago but a couple of years ago I decided to take the intro sommelier exam for fun and in case anything happened to poker (as it recently has). I loved the study, the process of breaking down all of the elements of tasting, and I like wine, but Im more into beer, whiskey, and sake for that matter. Any sommeliers or similar out there? Are there equivalent certifications for whiskey. Im sure there are for Scotches. Bourbons? Thanks again for the thread and sorry for the semi drunken rant

Some Islay whiskies can be pretty overpowering for the uninitiated (Ardbeg and Laphroig especially), but Lagavulin is just simply amazing whisky. Rich, oily and deeply peaty (in a kind of tasting of soil way, unlike say Caol Ila which I think tastes more ashy) but also very smooth. I don't notice the salt really when I drink Islays, maybe I'm just more concerned with the other flavours to notice. I'll keep an eye out for that next time I have a glass.

Sounds like a sick place. Won't be out there this year but will be in LA a decent amount so if there is somewhere out there that is similar and a few ppl that want to meet up 1 night I would be down.

Yeh, that place sounds pretty ridiculous. We just moved to a beach town in Delaware and its kinda lacking in culture and variety in some areas but fortunately one of my favorite breweries is minutes away (dogfishhead) and I just found out that the local BBQ place has a really incredible bourbon selection. They offer a variety of flights. This one is pretty sick for 16 bucks since you basically get 3 standard pours (maybe slightly less but not much). #5 Top of the Top Shelf Flight $16.00
I George T. Stagg Single Barrel 141.6p ($15 glass)
II Rittenhouse Rye 23 yr V Rare---100p ($39)
III William L Weller Single Barrel 125.3p ($14)
So I dunno who worked the math on it but I'm not complaining. The Stagg was by far my favorite. The Weller was really good and the rye was impressive in that it was a rye that was actually enjoyable for me to drink which I haven't found before. I wish I had better descriptions but this was about a month ago. Here they are from left to right. NOMNOMNOM

I had a friend bring me some from colorado where it is $$$ much cheeper then here in michigan (bastard law makers) ! He brought me my normal go to 18 year glenfiddich, a 30 year glenfiddich that in michigan is $350 and he got it for $262 that will sit around till my wedding in may of 2012 and a 15 year glenlivet rich french oak.

The 18 fiddich is so amazing and at 47 a bottle isnt that expensive. I fell in love with the 18 because of its sweetness. I think the 15 glenfiddich solora is very good but the extra 3 years that the 18 is in the barrel changes it so much. Apples and cinnamon are the main flvors that pops but finishes with an oaky smoothness.

The 15 year glenlivet was something that i was very excited to try. I normally stick with glenfiddich products but thought id change it up and i am truely sorry i did. At first taste i was amazed how lack luster the taste was. It felt like something was missing. Nothing popped at all flavor wise. At first i thought it was just my bias taste but i had a friend who is a fellow scotch drinker and he backed up my views. I had a feeling it was going to be light but not this light. The only real flavor i picked up was pear. And at $57 but was not at all worth it.

When i open the 30yr i will post reviews of it.

Sometimes the first dram you pour is not impressive at all, I don't know if it is about perception or something changes within the whisky because of oxigenation or something like that.

Last monday my brother brought me a bottle of Highland Park 12 from the free shop, the first dram I was like WTF I don't get all the hype about this malt, that same night I had another dram with my GF and thought "ok this is good", next day tried it again and just fell in love with it and can't believe how good it is.

Try the 18. Everything the 12 is, but with more balance and subtlety. Both are high on my list of go-to scotches.

Which reminds me, I don't have a bottle of either on my shelf right now. I need to fix that...

Got to try a couple whiskeys from the Tuthilltown Distillery lineup. Namely the Hudson New York Corn Whiskey and the Hudson Baby Bourbon. The Corn Whiskey tasted for lack of a better term, quite "young". I think I need to give it another go in the future but given the prices here it's not on my list for any time soon. Now the Baby Bourbon on the other hand was amazing. It's sweet but other flavors come through quite easily such as wood and vanilla. The finish didn't linger long and it was just incredibly smooth on the tongue.

They're priced at around $70 in Vancouver for a 375mL bottle. I'm going to pick up my own bottle of the Baby Bourbon this weekend when I go for a liquor run. Even with the high price I'm going to go ahead and give it a try in a Manhattan, a Boulevardier and an Old Fashioned.

The city also finally picked up a shipment of Rittenhouse. I'll have to purchase mine before all the bars grab the remaining stock.

Rye fans,



http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sk...=TPV-WineFetch

Amazing rye value for $36. Lot of flavor. Starts a little sweet, then becomes a little peppery, then hits you with a nice kick of alcohol. Highly recommend this, it is going to become my go-to rye.

JWB is obviously a somewhat overpriced "status" drink, but whatever. It gets plenty of (somewhat deserved) hate at reputable liquor stores (for its price), and personally, though its obviously an entirely different category, I'm almost as happy with $30-$50 bottle of irish whiskey like Paddys or Redbreast.

That said, I get a ton of vanilla on the nose from JWB, which I heartily enjoy. On the mouth, anyone who says it's the "smoothest whiskey" of course must include "... for a blended scotch." Compared to irish whiskey, JWB's smoothness is pretty standard for a $30 bottle of anything decent.

I'm curious as to what other people think of the stuff, even if it's a decent amount of hate. I'm pleased with the purchase, if only because, for the most superficial reasons, it's a recognizable enough brand to bust out on special occasions for people not overly familiar with whiskey, and if they think they're drinking the best whiskey ever or something, then I'm more than happy to let them go away thinking that.

Like to include my thoughts on Michter's bourbon also, but I'll save that for later.

Shots of 110 proof Nadurra = pretty baller.

ElD, on my phone so no link but check out thepartysource.com for their private bottling of a Willett 8yr rye. I have a bottle of it and its amazing and if I remember right its about $46-48.

I have tried quite a few Whisky's and my ALL time favourite is a Bruichladdich. Amazing taste and smell!



Anyone else had this?

had some of this last weekend-



It was delicious, but only had a small taste (like a shot glass size). My GF's uncle had a bottle and brought it out at a family dinner. I don't really recall specific flavors right now, other than "really good".

Pappy van winkle 23 and 23 OMFFGGGGGGGGFFFFKDJDK ZOMGHGGZHFFG. That sums ot up nicely

23, and 20 of course