It's a dumb question, but I think there is some merit. There's definitely a point with whisky where price increases with age/rarity and is not necessarily an indicator of quality.

Personally I would say buy the £20-£30 bottles and try alot of them, get an idea of what you like before you buy the more expensive stuff. Also try to go to a tasting or a fair if you really want to compare.

Enough to get something you can enjoy.

Not so much that you feel you should conserve it.

Per ElD's post, these both are highly dependent on your situation and taste.

Which Del Maguey is that El D? They make some pretty awesome stuff imo.

AA,

That is the San Luis Del Rio. Very spicy, with a hint of fruity sweetness, I really like it. I've tried most of their stuff and have liked everything I've tried.

I was given a bottle of Pierde almas Dobadaan mezcal yesterday. Very good stuff. I'd say it's not as complex tasting, but packs a little more heat and has a lot more oakiness/earthiness to it. I think this is going to make an amazing mezcal old fashioned.

El Diablo, it wasn't a trolling or a mark of stupidity. You should just interpet the question as something like: "How do you, the different posters in this nice thread, personally feel about how much you think is the optimal amount to spend on a bottle of whisky, for you? And maybe for others, in different life situations?"

Solid question. How about an excuse?

I've been following this thread for quite a while, and have always wished I could drink whisky straight lol. I've been watching enough Mad Men reruns to get me to try it again and last night I bought a 750mL of Buffalo Trace. I took down about half the bottle and noticed that just taking a lil sniffle of the liquor in the glass before consuming greatly helped with the smoothness (this is probably standard and I've been doing it wrong all along). I had one hell of a hangover this morning and have one question regarding this. I usually shoot my whiskey chasing it with coke (I know...p***y) and hardly ever get a hangover. Usually, when doing this I'll drink as much if not more whiskey than I consumed last night. So my question is: Is the more severe hangover a result of drinking straight or does it definitely result from just being dehydrated in general on this particular night?

Thanks,
JB

JB,

Prob just extra dehydration. For me, drinking liquor w/ any sugary mixers always results in a way worse hangover than drinking straight.

Play,

No, it's a stupid question. FYI, there are plenty of price/performance posts throughout this thread.

Sorry about PA...I work in the industry so I know how PA and the PLCB basically suck ass...in fact amongst my co-workers the only state that probably sucks harder on our end regarding spirits is MI.

For El Diablo:...amazing collection (and your friend's btw) and I for one am envious ...What about the flavored whiskey's, i.e. Jim Bean Red Stag or whiskeys/bourbons like that opinions/thoughts...apologies in advance if this question has been addressed.

PRH,

In general, the cherry/honey/etc flavored whiskies are horrible.

**** like Red Stag is to whiskey what Taco Bell is to Mexican food. Sometimes I can get into it and I certainly won't blame you if you like it, but it's pretty much disgusting junk food and bears only a vague resemblance to whiskey.

My college years left me with a soft spot for Yukon Jack, but it is objectively horrible stuff.

Don't dick on Taco Bell like that.

Taco Bell mmmmmmmmmmm...but seriously not sure why but I do like the Red Stag...agree on honey as not a good fit, but for me I just don't like honey so not sure how objectionable I could be.

In any case question for all...I've been working in the industry for the past 6 years and i see a lot of products come and go...some I would love to try but don't really want to spend the money. A couple of newer ones that I've seen (all Domestic except the last one)...any opinions are welcome as I'd like to try one of the below but I am on a budget

Kansas Clean Distilled Whiskey


Breakout Whiskey


Jailers Whiskey


Mickey Finn Apple Irish Whiskey

I'm planning on drinking a fair bit tonight and am gonna hit the bourbon/whisky again. I plan on getting a half gallon but may be open to getting a 5th so that probably cuts down on my options. However, what whiskies/bourbons would you recommend for a newb looking to spend 40-55 bucks on a half gallon. I usually buy buffalo trace and chase it but I took a liking to drinking it straight. I'll be looking to drink straight whisky again tonight unless I can't handle it haha. FWIW Buffalo Trace is ~$41 after tax in the Indianapolis area if that helps getting an idea of the pricing here.

Thanks in advance for the recommendations,
JB

Jock,

Eagle Rare 10, Bulleitt, and Makers Mark are three in that price range avail in 1.75l that I prefer to BT.

+1 to Bulliet.

I also am a big fan of Knob Creek although it is probably a hair above your price point. For comparison though it is 100 proof so you get a bit more bang for your buck so to speak. Bulliet and Makers are 90 proof. I want to say Eagle Rare is like 86 proof but I may be recalling incorrectly.

Just had Talisker 10, 0.2 liters. Felt like heaven compared to Jack Daniel's Red Label 0.05 liters. Those blends are almost like poison, imo.
Half a gallon. Nice. A 50/50 to a kill . JK, will be enough for another Friday night. 0.4 liters: you'll not do what you planned to do at Saturday. 0.2 liters: I'll do what I planned to do at Saturday

The leftovers will be taken down on Saturday night haha...It has been a long week at work and I am looking to have a couple good nights pregaming/working on my manliness before going out....only 2 more hours! I have had eagle rare, bulleit, and makers mark before but only did shots of them with chaser. I'm gonna go with one of those 3 I believe and will let you know which one I decide to purchase. The recommendations are greatly appreciated.


~JB

I looked for about an hour trying to find a 1.75mL of either Bulleit or Eagle Rare and was unable to pull it off. Eagle Rare is pretty much completely sold out around here according to the people I talked to. I went ahead and picked up the last 1.75 of Makers I saw and got a pretty sick deal on it from what I remember it costing back in the day with a listing of $44.99. I'm about to take a nap and then wake up and hit it. TR to follow

15% off single malts and free shippage on $99+ orders at astor wines's online store. Price will be pretty good for some of you. I picked up Lagavulin 12yr cask for $75 and Caol Ila Dist Edition for $68.

Only live for today I think.

Did I mention I ****ing hate living in Pennsylvania. Lol.

44.99 isn't bad at all. I think we're out of ER around me as well.

had the balvenie portwood 21 after dinner last night. had already been through a bottle of wine, so no terribly sophisticated tasting notes, but it was ****ing delicious.

thanks for the heads up on astor, toss, i may pick up the balvenie peated cask at that price

Sure it's discussed elsewhere in the thread, but where's the best place to order whisky online? I'm in IL.

I haven't checked what is allowed/not allowed in IL however I've drooled over the following sites (since in PA I can't order):

http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/

http://www.lovescotch.com/

I'm sure some others with actual ordering experience can chime in. I've seen a few other recs in this thread that I can't recall at the moment. I never paid a whole lot of attention given that it doesn't apply here.