I am in NY state USA and I am interested in both. I drink more scotch than anything but I do enjoy bourbon and cognac regularly. I looked around on google but I'm hoping to get some recommendations for online stores that have good price, selection, and low shipping. Thanks!

K and L wine and spirits is good for both and The Party Source has some scotch but is really great for bourbon and rye.

I've been looking at online stores too... haven't made a purchase yet though. This store looks the best for buying scotch, IMO: https://www.whiskyshopusa.com/default.aspx

van winkle fans protip: like "old rip van winkle distillery" on facebook for updates on shipments to your area. DC allotment went out today, hoping to snag some 15 and/or 20 year this week.

foobar, the van winkle rye is amazing too so u should try to get a bottle of that as well.

Will do. The rye is actually always on the top of my list but I have never, ever, seen a bottle in a store here, have only been able to have it while out.

As far as I can tell, you can't beat www.thewhiskyexchange.com for selection. However, if you're ordering from the US shipping is gonna be brutal. Buy more whisky to realize economies of scale!

http://www.whiskyreviews.blogspot.com/

This guy is awesome. Great whisky reviews and general malt talk.

For beginners on tasting whisky check out the whisky masterclasses beginning in June 2011.

Ralfy is the man!!

Learnt a lot from his videos.

For the California folks ITT. Van winkle shipment left the warehouse today.

Caol Ila 18yo



Nose: At first a touch of smoke, plenty of oak and malty creaminess. Soon the smoke starts to come through more. Same at the 12yo, the smokey aroma is more of an ashtray kind of smell than a normal rich firey smell - this might sound strange but I love it.

Taste: Very smooth and clean, a little bit medicinal. Grass and salt with smokey (ashtray!) undertones. Long smokey and oily finish.

Incredible whisky, I could drink this forever.

re: whisky festivals and tastings etc

i keep meaning to go to one of these but usually end up hearing about them right after they happen.

can anyone recommend a particular whisky event taking place in nyc in 2012 that should not be missed? i'm an islay scotch man above all else and have another friend who is up for going with me. also interested to know if folks usually go for the "vip" promotions that are offered with an early admittance / extra access type deal.

whiskeyfest is what you want IMO. You just missed 2011, but expect it around the same time in 2012. VIP is prolly worth it for scotch drinkers as you get some extra time and pours of stuff you wouldn't get otherwise. Not so much for people like me who primarily drink bourbon.

Devil: where's your promised 10 bottle mega-review post?

foobar: It's def a mega-review now. Will do soon, maybe tomorrow, hopefully by this weekend.

HoR: whiskeyfest that foobar mentions is huge. http://www.singlemaltextravaganza.com/ is far smaller, but plenty of good peaty scotch there. This one's coming up in NYC but sounds horrible: http://www.whiskylive.com/usa/38/new-york-2012 VOUCHERS!?!?!??! All of the ones I've been to are an entrance fee and you get to try as much as you want. In general, the VIP hour is worth it at these things - some premium stuff you can't taste otherwise and far less crowded. For smaller local stuff, this looks like a cool listing: http://nycwhisky.com/

Been to several of these in the UK. The vouchers are a bit of a pain, some stands dont worry much about them others insist.

The London whisky live has got worse over the last few years. The feel of the show has moved greatly towards a crowded money grasping event in itself rather than an opportunity to increase interest in whisky and reap the benefits from future sales. There are some exceptional vendors who still make the shows worthwhile, Compass Box saved the show last year imo.

I much prefer shows where it cost a bit more to get in but then all but the most expensive whiskies are free, they are far better value for a bit more money but more importantly its just so much more friendly with far more of an atmosphere of enjoying whisky.

chezlaw,

where can i find such events in UK?

The Whisky Show was organised by The Whisky Exchange and held at Vinopolis near London bridge. Guess the next one wont be untill October 2012. Apart from the provided but frankly very poor meal it was just exceptionally good. Keep an eye on http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/ for next year.

Whisky live run a few shows http://www.whiskylive.com/shows

Fellow whisk(e)y lovers,

As promised, a review of some recent bottles:



Vintage Bourbon 17 - This is a blend of 17+yo bourbons (you can find more info on this on the Internets), and wow it's very delicious and super-smooth. Highly recommend it. Light caramel, super balanced and smooth, very easy-drinking. Not a ton of kick, but enough.

High West 16yo Rye - one of the best ryes I've had. Way more flavor than most ryes, sweet and spicy. Highly recommend this one too!

Willett 8yo bourbon - 120 proof, delicious bourbon, packs a ton of flavor and quite a punch. I've posted a lot earlier about how much I love these. I currently have Willett 6,8,16 and 3yo rye on the shelf, and love them all.

Gordon MacPhail Caol Ila Port Wood - the peaty character of the Caol Ila shines through here, with a port wood finish that makes it sweeter and smoother. My current favorite is the Balvenie Peated Cask, and I love this bottle for the same reason - I really love the combination of peat + a little sweetness.

Highland Park 15 and 18 - the 18 is actually an old bottle I love, and I wanted to get a 15 to compare (the 12 is fine, but I'm not a big fan). The 18 has a ton of flavor and is super smooth. The 15 is simpler, and with less spice and richness, the smoke comes out a little more to me and it has a little more kick to it - not nearly as smooth as the 18. But I still like it a lot. Both of these are very good scotches, I recommend both.

El D, the Vintage 17 is a wheated bourbon right? I have also heard good things but havent tried it yet. I have Vintage 21 rye and its really really good but very hard to find these days as it came out 6-7 years ago I believe. If u can find it for $75 or less its well worth it imo.

I have the vintage 23 rye and I think it's amazing. It is almost gone though and i don't know if I can get more

I FTd some live donkament recently and decided to buy myself something nice and got this:



Review coming soon....very excited

Holy crap, that looks incredible! Some some serious Caol Ila love going on in here recently - I thought it was one of the more obscure distilleries, but everyone here seems to love it. Do you mind if I ask how much that was? Looking forward to a review.

Lucid: yep, vintage 17 is a wheater.

Devil: your review of the vintage brings back memories - was the first "fancy" bottle I ever bought. Was in manhattan somewhere killing time before a haircut and wandered into a liqour store. As I was casually looking at bourbon, sone older guy who was working there tells me, "you've gotta try this stuff" and grabs a dusty bottle of vintage 17 from the top shelf. He launches into this long story about how it reminds him of the great bourbons he drank back in the 70s and how the smell fills the whole house when you open the bottle. Obv he completely upsold me and I bought it without even asking how much it cost (I was a 20-something kid from dc in the big city and didn't want to seem cheap to this "sophisticated" guy). And that's the story of the first time I spent >$60 retail on a bottle of booze. I would have loved that stuff even if it was bottled piss, just because I wanted to like it so much. Anyhow, that was many years ago and the bottle is long gone- maybe time to buy another and see how it rates.

Also, pretty sure vintage is made by Kentucky bourbon distillers (KBD). The same folks who bottle, but don't distill, your beloved Willett.

Hey guys,

Picked up a few new bottles today while stocking up for annual Xmas party:



From left to right:
2011 handy saz - I've always liked the handy and was running low so grabbed a 2011 bottle. Assume it's more or less a known quantity and looking forward to it.

E.H. Taylor single barrel - the new BT label. I've heard this described as having a scotch-like finish, which sounds interesting. Not normally the kind of thing I'd be into, but trying to ease my way into the wonderful world of scotch, so thought I'd give it a go.

Vintage 23 rye - excited to find this one sitting around and looking forward to cracking it open after the diablo/lucid conversation

Redemption high rye bourbon - was cheap and bought on a whim, Hoping it will have a nice rye spice.

Anyhow, reviews hopefully coming soon.

Looks like the vintage 23yr ryes are still floating around.....good news for me! Will probably end up ordering one on the internets since I cant find any around where I live.