wow, sick....when was it bottled? why wait 5 years when you can drink it now?

in 5years i will be 50.it was bottled in my birth year.
the old map label from G&M was in circulation from around 85-95.

Great find. Any notes on it anywhere online? Well worth the wait, real beauty.

I think this is the one: http://www.whiskyfun.com/archiveoctober09-1.html#081009

Great stuff!

Today I bought my last bottle of the year: benriach 17 solstice. I got quite a tasting coming up when I go back home.

my lifetime experience with whiskey to date is drinking jack and coke. how do i take my first steps to becoming el diablo? i already have those oversized ice cube trays that he loves.

Scotch or bourbon Yeti? About 4 years ago I decided I would just figure out scotch. First bottle was Balvenie 12 Doublewood, second was Talisker 10 and I haven't looked back. I think they were just about the 2 perfect first bottles. Rarely finish a bottle as I like to compare new ones to old ones. Just keep collecting and you'll figure out what you like and trend that way.

Other staples you'll want to try after: Oban 14 (decent), Macallan 12 (meh), Glenfiddich and Glenlivet 12/15/18 (meh), Laphroaig Quarter Cask or 10yr (yum, super peaty!), Lagavulin 16 (yum, peaty/complex)

Can't help you with bourbon!

Went out last night and had a few whiskys I've never tried before.

First was the Amrut sherry cask. Wasn't a big fan, I had to add a lot of water and the drink still felt too hot. Then went for a Glendronach 17 px cask, good stuff, with a lot of coffee and chocolate, but didn't blow me out of the water.

Then after a few cocktails I ordered half a pour of the Highland Park Freya. It was $35 for half a pour and it was worth every penny. It had an amazing nose with some camphor notes that made me feel like a cat sniffing cat nip. It also had a super long finish. One of the best whiskys I've ever tried.

thx alot for the link!
the solstice is a great whisky!

Posting to state that i got expertly trolled by my son-in-law's cousin and his friends. They made a fb post about how he was moving into a new place, having a party, and the price of admission was a bottle of whiskey for his bar

I brought a Templeton 7 year reserve rye and some fancy Baker's what not.

The rest of the guests were apparently in on the joke and enjoyed sipping the tasty liquid i brought.

The upshot of this is it sounds like you have a good relationship with your son-in-law! Hopefully he will repay the favour in time.

owned

Start with Jack neat. It tastes fine neat, not complex and not expensive. Jack is basically a bourbon. When you get used to drinking Jack neat, move up to more more complex bourbons.

Here's a stroke of ignorance from me, and of course I could Google it and pretend, but I am happy to profess a lack of knowledge and ask you guys.

I thought Jack was *not* bourbon, ie Tennessee whiskey, different state, different method. I know bourbons can be made all over, so am I wrong to correct people who call jack a bourbon? Is there a hair's breadth between them? Give me some more back story!

Yeti- I started with grouse and Bushmills, ie what my dad had. Didn't like grouse at all, the Bushmills was fine, a bit rain-on-granite for my liking. Coming from the peat moors in Somerset I found, once I headed to Edinburgh for university, for Laphroaig to be much to my liking, big, peaty, tasty.

After that it was branching out, first in islay (Caol Ila, Lagavulin, etc.), then regions (old pulteney, auchentoshan, macallan and other speys) and before I knew it I was drinking them all.

Try a flight and find one you like the taste of. If you need ice or water, just do it, especially when you are getting into whiskies. As you hit up the cask strength stuff water is a must anyway! But experiment, as with all in life, and in a decade you'll look back and be amazed there was a time you didn't drink whisky.

Best,
Pete

Jack fits the definition of bourbon.

Produced in the U S
It is at least 51% corn
Aged in new, charred oak barrels
Bottled at least 80 proof

It is also a TN Whiskey as it is produced in TN. The manufacturers of Jack prefer not to call it bourbon. But it meets US and European requirements to be called bourbon.

Just did the Jack distillery tour a few months ago.

The only difference that separates bourbon from Tennessee whisky is the added step of charcoal filtering. Twice filtered for Gentlemen Jack.

Post above is correct. Tennessee whisky can be called bourbon, they just want to be kept separate.

Also:

Anyone try Parkers Heritage Promise of Hope? I found 2 bottles on a store shelf for $110 each.

I picked up 1 for my retirement collection, just wondering if I should pick up the other to have now.

I really like the promise of hope and would buy the second bottle at 110. Amazingly well balanced easy sipper. That said, a lot of people poopoo it so buyer beware I guess.

Yeah this was my understanding of the situation.

goose, tsearcher, peter,

thanks for the replies. i did mean whiskey, not bourbon.

i just want to experiment with drinking something that's a little more adult and sophisticated instead of just pounding nonstop beers and feeling bloated and gross.

i was given a bottle of jack for christmas so will start drinking that neat and then look to move from there to goose's suggestions.

also, it can't contain any added flavoring, coloring or other additives

Just don't wander around Kentucky saying this.

Yeti,

FWIW, I disagree with starting by drinking jack neat - could be a turnoff. Others have given good (I'm guessing) scotch recommendations, so here's how I'd start with bourbon/rye (a gentle/cheap intro to drinking straight):

-the recommendation to go to a bar and try a flight or a few different pours is gold IMO. If you don't want to do that and prefer to start with bottles at home, you might consider one or more of the following options. Try a sip neat and then with a couple cubes of ice if too strong (accessible/cheapish bottles in no particular order):

-makers mark (high wheat content)
-elmer t Lee
-basil Hayden
-eagle rare (more pronounced oak than others)
-high west rendezvous rye (easy to drink rye)

Hope this helps.

Yeti,

Potential training program:

Jack and coke
Makers and ginger
(Optional: whiskey cocktails)
Makers/Bulleit rocks
Jameson/bushmills rocks
Black label rocks
Makers neat
Other bourbons/ryes
Macallan 12
Balvenie double wood
Laphroaig
Other scotch
(If not done earlier, whiskey cocktails)

Drink them neat (just whiskey) or with a little water or with one ice cube, whatever you prefer.

Whiskey cocktails section:
Whiskey sour
Manhattan
Old fashioned
Sazerac
Rob Roy

Jack is "bourbon", though not labelled as such. And bourbon is whiskey.

Enjoy the learning process, I sure have! This chart posted early in the thread is pretty helpful.



Getting into strong cocktails is fun too. Sidecars, Manhattans, Old Fashioneds etc.

Hi all,

I've got a question concerning a whisky, I currently have a Bowmore 18 at my disposal, using a standard nosing glass and some drops of water to release some flavours it's absolutely delicious but when I get to the last two sips I seem to hate the taste, anyone with similar experiences who can shed some light on the case?

Could it be not diluted enough or so? Tastes like there's too much alcohol in the last few drops to notice any other tastes.

Thanks.