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Goatfangs
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 9:15 pm 
 

Grave_Wyrm wrote:
something I learned at bar training the other day is that an odd coincidence is that countries with an E in their name tend to spell whiskey with the ending e. Countries that don't have the e spell it "ky." I haven't looked into whether that's entirely true, but of the places he could think of, it was true. Scotland, Canada, Japan: whisky. America, Ireland: Whiskey. :???:


I have a French whisky that is spelled "whisky". http://www.bastillewhisky.com/age.php

It's alright, I just got it because I never heard of French whisky.

Sweden seems to spell it "whisky" as well. http://mackmyra.com/

Same with Welsh whisky, English whisky and New Zealand whisky.

In fact, going by masterofmalt.com the only places where it is spelled "whiskey" is Ireland and America, which has a significant Irish diaspora.

But while researching this, it had me thinking - what are some whiskies you've tried that are from countries not typically known for making whisky?

I've tried French and Japanese whisky, although Japan is definitely making a mark with their whisky production. I saw Amrut, an Indian single malt whisky, for sale at the local liquor store. I haven't tried it because it's rather expensive and I like to know what I'm getting. I've heard of English, Welsh, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch and Russian whiskies.
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The Ardbeg Wizard
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 9:27 pm 
 

Goatfangs wrote:
Grave_Wyrm wrote:
something I learned at bar training the other day is that an odd coincidence is that countries with an E in their name tend to spell whiskey with the ending e. Countries that don't have the e spell it "ky." I haven't looked into whether that's entirely true, but of the places he could think of, it was true. Scotland, Canada, Japan: whisky. America, Ireland: Whiskey. :???:


I have a French whisky that is spelled "whisky". http://www.bastillewhisky.com/age.php

It's alright, I just got it because I never heard of French whisky.

Sweden seems to spell it "whisky" as well. http://mackmyra.com/

Same with Welsh whisky, English whisky and New Zealand whisky.

In fact, going by masterofmalt.com the only places where it is spelled "whiskey" is Ireland and America, which has a significant Irish diaspora.

But while researching this, it had me thinking - what are some whiskies you've tried that are from countries not typically known for making whisky?

I've tried French and Japanese whisky, although Japan is definitely making a mark with their whisky production. I saw Amrut, an Indian single malt whisky, for sale at the local liquor store. I haven't tried it because it's rather expensive and I like to know what I'm getting. I've heard of English, Welsh, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch and Russian whiskies.


Amrut is decent, but not my kind of dram. Skip Dutch Whisky. Trust me.
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Under_Starmere
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 10:15 pm 
 

Smoking_Gnu wrote:
Welp, finished the Quarter Cask and looking to try something new. Since I've been trying a lot of Islays lately I'd like to take a quick break into a different variety. What would people here recommend for something with a more traditionally woody/oaky flavor? The last thing I had along that line (before I was buying scotch on my own) was Glenfiddich, but I've heard that get middling reviews from experienced scotch drinkers.


Give Ardmore Traditional Cask a shot! It's got a great, wonderfully rich balance of strong oakiness with nutty sweetness and slight peat smoke. Price point is pretty nice, too. Wish I had more firsthand recs specifically for "oaky," but one's good enough when it's Ardmore :)
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Under_Starmere
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 11:37 pm 
 

I'm only a couple glasses into my bottle of Ardbeg 10 but I can already say this is a clear favorite of mine over the Laphroaig 10. Such a better harmony of flavors going on. Slightly drier, ashier peat, nice bbq/bacon aromas, and less presence of...iodine, is it?

Next on my bottle list are Glenfarclas 12 and perhaps Longrow CV. I'm in the mood to explore more heavily sherried scotch, as that side of things I've not much experience in (though I don't feel quite like shelling out for a'bunadh quite yet) and the concept of a much different peat expression in Longrow has me intrigued.

Oh, and Ard_Wiz: No, I haven't had the pleasure of Springbank 15 yet, just due to budget constraints. But I'll put it high on my to-taste list for sure! Got any specific tasting impressions on that one?
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The Ardbeg Wizard
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 9:15 am 
 

Under_Starmere wrote:
I'm only a couple glasses into my bottle of Ardbeg 10 but I can already say this is a clear favorite of mine over the Laphroaig 10. Such a better harmony of flavors going on. Slightly drier, ashier peat, nice bbq/bacon aromas, and less presence of...iodine, is it?

Next on my bottle list are Glenfarclas 12 and perhaps Longrow CV. I'm in the mood to explore more heavily sherried scotch, as that side of things I've not much experience in (though I don't feel quite like shelling out for a'bunadh quite yet) and the concept of a much different peat expression in Longrow has me intrigued.

Oh, and Ard_Wiz: No, I haven't had the pleasure of Springbank 15 yet, just due to budget constraints. But I'll put it high on my to-taste list for sure! Got any specific tasting impressions on that one?


Springbank 15:


Color: Dull Caramel
Nose: Very Earthy, hints of Vanilla and Orange
Body: Full and heavy, but not exceptionally thick.
Palate: Quite peaty and smoky. Grass and dried leaves.
Finish: Medium length. Warm, but not intense. Quite pleasant.

Oh and about Ardbeg:
Image
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Burnyoursins
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 10:04 am 
 

That's the best picture ever, man. Hahaha. I found this liquor store here that sells Ardbeg 10 Yr for about $50, so.. I bought like four bottles. *laughs* Fucking love that stuff. Delicious.
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Evangelion2014
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 12:10 pm 
 

Ok, so my experience with scotch has been meh, but I haven't been trying the right stuff apparently. I had tullamore dew, which is ok but a bit boring, chivas which just tasted like tullamore dew to me, glenlivet which had a nice cereally note to it but tasted too mild. So today I sprang for ardbeg 10. It's pretty awesome.

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Grave_Wyrm
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 4:17 pm 
 

Yeah, the differences between medium (aka - more consistent) bottles and much better ones can be pretty staggering. I'm definitely going to be getting Ardbeg something or other on my next haul.

Which brings me to a query. Since my budget demanded I settle for mediocre bottles of Lismore and Glenfiddich (neither of which being worth much to savor on their own), I've been looking into scotch cocktails. Seems like the best thing to do with a middling bottle, really. Doesn't seem right to use great whiskey in a cocktail.

Any mixers here? Favorite scotch mixes, things you've been looking to try?

edit:
Goatfangs wrote:
*an easily accomplished schooling of my bar trainer*

Guess I should have said, "something I was told in bar training." You'd think that as much as the guy knew about alcohol he would have known about those by now. Guy's a bit of a car salesman, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Thanks for doing that dirty work for me. I'm curious about this Indian whiskey now. Not sure why I wouldn't have expected anything to come out of there, exactly, but it does come as an eye-brow raiser.
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Windom Earle
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 3:42 am 
 

Fourty Creek is some good whiskey. Especially the copper pot blend.

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Under_Starmere
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 2:38 pm 
 

Hmm...I just found another new bar with a massive scotch selection here in Brooklyn, which I'll be visiting tonight. Browsing their (actually remarkably helpful) menu, I'm now on the scent of some peated Speysiders that I'd like to try out, namely Benromach 10 & Peat Smoke as well as Benriach Curiositas, which Ard_Wiz already recommended earlier. The notion of a playful balance of fruit to smoke has me definitely intrigued.

Ard_Wiz, I know you're a fan of the Curiositas, but could you expound on its balance of peat to fruit through your experience?
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Pippin_Took
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 3:13 pm 
 

I'm not an expert in any way (never really got into the tasting side of drinking whisky at all) but I do like a dram every now and again. Mainly into the "entry level" Speyside malts, though I do like Talisker too. Anything too peaty turns me right off though; I've tried a couple of the Islays once or twice, and not been tempted into taking the plunge by buying a bottle and seeing if I develop the taste with time.

Currently the only bottle I have is actually Japanese. The Yamazaki, 12 yo. It's pretty good, though I wouldn't really know how to describe it...smooth, quite mild, I guess..??

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Grave_Wyrm
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 5:27 pm 
 

So far, the cocktails I've attempted with my pair of meh scotches, since I had the accompaniments already on hand, are the Rusty Nail, a Bobby Burns, and a Prince Edward. All of which were good, but need work. Cocktaildb rules, by the way. I'll be going through these in different permutations with the two different whiskies eventually substituting Drambuie for Benedictine where appropriate as well as trying them with B&B (Benedictine variation mixed with some secret brandy which I've never gotten around to finishing). Lismore is considerably more salty than Glenfiddich, which is actually growing on me (not spore-like), so we'll see what that does to the formulas.

Tonight it's looking like I'll try a Gaslight. I'm making good headway through the Glenfiddich, but I've still got a long way to go. Wish me luck.
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Under_Starmere
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 6:13 pm 
 

Pippin_Took wrote:
Currently the only bottle I have is actually Japanese. The Yamazaki, 12 yo. It's pretty good, though I wouldn't really know how to describe it...smooth, quite mild, I guess..??


I've only had one glass of the Yamazaki, and I didn't have the time to let it develop all that much, but it did seem like a very solid malt. Subtle, but not boring. Fruit, oak, bright notes that kinda gently gleam like autumn light. Seems like it would improve a lot in the bottle over a few months, or with an hour in the glass. I've been enjoying my Hakushu quite a bit, so if you want to try another Suntory offering I'd definitely recommend it. It's a bit pricey, though, which is the only reason I probably wouldn't purchase it again anytime soon, when there are so many other scotches to try. It's got a great balance of fruity sweetness at the front end to a grassy/peppery finish.

Pippin, have you ever tried Caol Ila? It's definitively an Islay, but I find the level of peat/smoke it's got going on to be practically ideal. It makes its presence clearly known but in a really elegant way, leaving out most of the charcoal/iodine/fuelly qualities you find in Laphroaig or Ardbeg and instead concentrating on just a deep, sweet smokiness that suffuses the pepper and sweet spice of the body of the dram, kind of swirling around the perimeter instead of driving straight ahead, leaving a sweet cigarette-like afterglow. It's really damn good stuff and so far probably my overall favorite base-level Islay.
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Grave_Wyrm
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 6:36 pm 
 

Caol Ila, AnCnoc, and Springbank are my list for my next pay check.
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Pippin_Took
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 8:08 pm 
 

Starmere, I have never even heard of Caol Ila! I shall keep an eye open. My dad is a bigger whisky drinker than I am so I may see if I he has any kicking about when I'm next home. I think though that he's very much of the "drinks what he knows" school and has a few staples which are topped up each Christmas, haha! Looking through this thread is going to be interesting for me I think. An awful lot to learn, and I find it pretty interesting. Sounds daft but I am only one or two years out of that student mindset where you drink nasty spirits and get turned right off them. (For example, had some *wonderful* tequila in Mexico this time last year, and when I told my Mexican friend I'd only previously taken shots of it he looked at me with an odd mix of pity, disgust, and excitement -- "Let's go to the bar and fix that!" he said.) I guess it helps to have a job and no dependents and be able to buy nicer things to drink... Anyway, cheers, you guys have inspired me to raise a glass of my Yamazaki this evening! Shall report back...

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Smoking_Gnu
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 04, 2013 11:21 pm 
 

Tried the Macallon 10 year Fine Oak in my quest for oaky scotch...Didn't particularly care for it. Not as strong an oaky flavor as I was looking for, and I don't like bourbon so the bourbon overtones didn't really sit with me. The clerk at the liquor store recommended Glenlivet 15 French Oak, or a certain kind of scotch (can't remember the brand) that was virgin oaked - Any thoughts on those?
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Under_Starmere
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 04, 2013 11:44 pm 
 

Hmm, I wonder if he mentioned the Deanston Virgin Oak? That was one of the first bottles I ever bought. Pretty inexpensive, and not bad for the price, I just can't remember that much about it since my memory of it got eclipsed by other looming cylinders of Scottish tastewater.
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The Ardbeg Wizard
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 9:25 pm 
 

Grave_Wyrm wrote:
Caol Ila, AnCnoc, and Springbank are my list for my next pay check.


What Springbank?
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Grave_Wyrm
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 10:53 pm 
 

Hrrmm .. depends on what they have, I guess. Any suggestions? Any reason I should pass on it if it isn't a particular year?
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Under_Starmere
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 10, 2013 3:35 am 
 

Recently finished off my bottle of Laphroaig 10. Can't say I was exactly sad to see it go, but I'd gained a bit more of an appreciation for it by the end. Still, plenty of better whiskies out there, surely.

Had a few glasses of some unfamiliar whiskies over the last couple days:

- Oban 14 - I'd been curious about Oban for a while but it was always one of those low-priority candidates. At the outset of the glass I got a nice mingling of scents/flavors... oak, vanilla, cherry (?), general fruits/flowery, just pleasant stuff, nothing amazing but nice. Oddly I found myself enjoying it less as the glass went on, the flavors blurring together into sort of an indistinct mass. Not sure if it was me or what, but it didn't leave much of an impression. Not bad, as I said, pleasant, but nothing I'd make a point of pouring again.

- Glenfarclas 12 - This was my first intentional test with a heavily sherried scotch. The nose and palate are what the nature of the liquor would suggest: sherry, fruit, some spice. Body was a bit thinner than what I'd hoped for. Finish also made the sherry influence very clear, not in a cloying way (actually in a blessedly restrained fashion, as sherry can go wrong easily), actually rather nice, but in the end I'm not certain a heavy sherry presence is really my thing... I'm not sure it's what I want to taste when I taste scotch. It's a bit of a distraction. Anyway, tasty liquor, but based on this I'll probably give the sherry side of things a wide berth for the time being in favor of other profiles.

- Benriach Curiositas - The notion of a smoky Speysider definitely had me intrigued, so this was my first foray into that concept. Pretty nice nose, with lots of deep fruity sweetness overlaid by strong peaty wisps. The nose translated to the palate pretty directly, no real surprises based on the aroma profile, though at the finish a sudden peat wave brought an interesting hit of savory/salty coming to the fore. In a way I almost found the sweetness of the Curiositas to be almost too much, kind of verging into the cloying range, though again that might have just been a first impression. Would definitely try this again under more contemplative circumstances. If the sweetness level had been toned down just a bit it would've struck me as an excellent scotch at first blush. Makes me curious to give Benromach 10 a shot next to see what another perspective on the same sort of concept might offer.
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Grave_Wyrm
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 10, 2013 5:40 pm 
 

envy. I need to find a bar near me with a decent scotch inventory. This whole "not drinking enough scotch" thing is really the living end.
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The Ardbeg Wizard
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 11, 2013 1:00 am 
 

Grave_Wyrm wrote:
Hrrmm .. depends on what they have, I guess. Any suggestions? Any reason I should pass on it if it isn't a particular year?


There's no bad Springbank. My favorite is the 15.
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erickg13
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 11, 2013 3:36 am 
 

Anyone watch Ralfy's Whiskey reviews? They are a bit long, but interesting and have lead me in the right direction towards my whiskey selections.

I actually was sipping on a Balvenie Doublewood 12 when I decided to visit this site for the first time in a long time. Quite a good sipping whiskey. Goes excellent with the Gurkha Challange (Churchill) that I'm smoking.

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Grave_Wyrm
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 13, 2013 8:47 pm 
 

Thanks, Wizard.

What are anyone's thoughts on blended scotch? All the bottles I've tried lately have been single malts. I've been thinking about looking into it since the art of the master blender is a niche all its own, but I have no experience with blended scotch outside of Johnny Walker.
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Goatfangs
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 14, 2013 4:21 am 
 

Erickg13 - Every time I get a new whisky, especially if it is a Scotch, I go and find Ralfy's review on it. He is an entertaining old chap!

My latest trip to the liquor store had me bring home Springbank 10-year and Dalwhinnie 15-year. I've had the Dalwhinnie and I must say it is smooth and simply delicious. I can definitely taste why they call this kind of whisky a honey-malt!
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Under_Starmere
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 14, 2013 9:46 am 
 

Methinks this will be the next bottle I add to my shelf, and soon at that:

Image

Haven't even sampled it yet (it's not the easiest dram to find around town) but the descriptions sound lovely, just the sort of thing I've been wanting in a peat-heavy whisky that doesn't follow the Islay playbook. I trust Springbank with quality whisky. Plus there's something about the packaging as well that I find a little bit irresistible. Everything I can glean about this whisky seems to be out of the ordinary in the classiest way possible and I love that.

I also want to add another bottle that's sweet but on the robust side, maybe one of these friends:

Image

Image

Image

Image

Also going to be settling into a glass of Bowmore 12 the next time I go to get my hair cut. Not expecting to have my wig blown back, but it's an Islay I've yet to try and I'm so very open-minded.
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The Ardbeg Wizard
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 14, 2013 10:24 am 
 

Under_Starmere wrote:
Methinks this will be the next bottle I add to my shelf, and soon at that:


Not a bad list. The Longrow in particular.
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Grave_Wyrm
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 14, 2013 11:16 pm 
 

You can drink scotch while you get your hair cut? Sheer decadence!
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Under_Starmere
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 14, 2013 11:22 pm 
 

Hehehe. No, but I think there actually is a barber shop somewhere in Brooklyn that doubles as a bar. Kind of weird, though, I'm not sure how much I'd like to drink around lots of fallen hair and shit. Bleah... nah, just gonna head down the street to ze bar when finished.
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Inspector_Satan
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 15, 2013 2:47 pm 
 

Grave_Wyrm wrote:
Thanks, Wizard.

What are anyone's thoughts on blended scotch? All the bottles I've tried lately have been single malts. I've been thinking about looking into it since the art of the master blender is a niche all its own, but I have no experience with blended scotch outside of Johnny Walker.


If you're one of those scotch sissies like me that's not really into being floored by peat then might I recommend Suntori's Hibiki? Dat 12-year is awesomely smooth.

Image


Those Compass Box blends are supposed to be pretty solid as well but I can never find them in bars around here to sample.

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Grave_Wyrm
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 15, 2013 3:28 pm 
 

Thanks, IS. I have yet to find a bar around here for scotch. Any thoughts? [predictable lament about the lamery of working at night] also, Van Kleef is terrible. I'll bet 355 has a good selection, but I keep getting seduced by their cocktail list and neglect to actually look at the bottles.

Under_Starmere wrote:
Hehehe. No, but I think there actually is a barber shop somewhere in Brooklyn that doubles as a bar. Kind of weird, though, I'm not sure how much I'd like to drink around lots of fallen hair and shit. Bleah...

haha .. yeah, I was imagining something more hygienic and exclusive. A single barber, one customer at a time. Black leather chair with brass and silver mounting. Measured, precise cuts as he patiently makes his way through the work, a wide plate-glass window overlooking a section of the park. It goes unsaid that he'll bill you. Money exchange would be tasteless.
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Under_Starmere
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 11:06 am 
 

Of course. Even just talking about the idea of handing cash or a personal cheque to such a person makes me feel creepily plebeian.

@Inspector_Satan: I trust you don't only drink blends? There are so many single malts for sissies! But I have been wanting to try the Hibiki myself. The Yamazaki and Hakushu are both really nice so I wouldn't expect any less from Suntory's other offerings.
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Under_Starmere
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 8:23 pm 
 

Just attended my first single malt tasting class. It was a lot better than I'd expected! Led by a man in a black t-shirt and black sporran, kilt, socks, and shoes (and, later, black leather jacket with red/white dragon patch) that I took to be some form of metalhead. Can't go wrong there... About forty people in attendance. The teacher was a representative of independent bottlers Gordon & McPhail, whose own whisky is Benromach, one of the single malts I mentioned above. I'd been curious about Benromach 10 and it was included in the (entirely free!) tasting, so I made a point to sign up. I was not disappointed.

The four whiskies on the tasting menu:

Old Pulteney 21
Benromach 10
Highland Park 8
Caol Ila 10

Of all of them, the Highland Park was the only one that didn't qualify as Pretty Fucking Good. It felt a bit young and...vague. Good, but without much taste distinction. The other three were very nice. So much so that I am currently nosing my first glass from the bottle of Benromach 10 that I bought just afterward ;). It's very strong in the nutty/hazelnut aromas, which is new for me and extemely welcome! Benromach does need better packaging, though, I will say that.
The Old Pulteney 21 was the first scotch I've ever tried over 16 years of age and it (probably needless to say) was fucking good. Basically tasted like a really rich, developed version of the 12, so it still retained the signature saltiness but added a robust wave of other flavors as well, with an intense finish. Excellent stuff, though the price tag is a bit high for me to consider buying anything of that age range. The Caol Ila was the last we tried, and it was damn good too. Basically tasted like a slightly younger, more aggressive version of the 12, but I think I prefer the 12... it's smoother and the flavors are more elegantly stated.

Damn good experience, looking forward to trying more of this!
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Grave_Wyrm
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 10:29 pm 
 

Damn that sounds awesome. How'd you find out about that? (I can't imagine myself getting through life and NOT buying at least two kilts by the end of it.)
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Under_Starmere
Abhorrent Fish-Man

Joined: Tue Apr 24, 2007 5:00 pm
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 17, 2013 1:26 am 
 

Actually found out about it through the high-tech advertising vector of the liquor shop's chalkboard sidewalk sign. It pays to be literate! Not only can you get people to give you free alcohol but also sometimes have a job and then write something really unimportant on the internet. The benefits are endless!
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Grave_Wyrm
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 4:26 pm 
 

Pays to not have a car and to walk past bars.

Tried the Johnny Walker Black, just to get a starting point on the blended scotch while I had the chance. It was definitely a better experience knowing that it had actually been built by combination into the liquid in my glass. Different than single malts (single grain, single distiller), the blended whisky comes from a bouquet of sources. Sometimes a grain alcohol is mixed with a malt and this qualifies as blended whisky. It's all about the blender's remarkable ability to create a consistent product from a very large inventory that may vary considerably from barrel to barrel.

Johnny Walker black had a confusing, almost bisected effect, with peat appearing on the right side of my tongue, and bourbon on my left. After a couple sips, the palate blended. It was a mid-heat, lightly smoked malt that flirted with sweetness, but held strongly enough to the dry oak. Definitely a good place to start. I wouldn't turn down a bottle on sale, for sure.
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Inspector_Satan
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Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2011 11:48 pm
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 3:44 pm 
 

Under_Starmere wrote:
@Inspector_Satan: I trust you don't only drink blends? There are so many single malts for sissies! But I have been wanting to try the Hibiki myself. The Yamazaki and Hakushu are both really nice so I wouldn't expect any less from Suntory's other offerings.


Not at all actually, I've only had a handful of the big names besides the Suntory one which was surprisingly good. The concept always struck me as economic by design so I hadn't bothered wasting the money. I definitely prefer bourbon but I'll pick up an Auchentoshan on occasion since it's like the appletini of the scotch world. I've heard good things about Bruichladdich too, and I'm open to suggestions if you know of anything similar.

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Evil_Johnny_666
Reigning king of the night

Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2007 8:54 pm
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Location: Canada
PostPosted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 4:11 pm 
 

Grave_Wyrm wrote:
Pays to not have a car and to walk past bars.

Tried the Johnny Walker Black, just to get a starting point on the blended scotch while I had the chance. It was definitely a better experience knowing that it had actually been built by combination into the liquid in my glass. Different than single malts (single grain, single distiller), the blended whisky comes from a bouquet of sources. Sometimes a grain alcohol is mixed with a malt and this qualifies as blended whisky. It's all about the blender's remarkable ability to create a consistent product from a very large inventory that may vary considerably from barrel to barrel.

Johnny Walker black had a confusing, almost bisected effect, with peat appearing on the right side of my tongue, and bourbon on my left. After a couple sips, the palate blended. It was a mid-heat, lightly smoked malt that flirted with sweetness, but held strongly enough to the dry oak. Definitely a good place to start. I wouldn't turn down a bottle on sale, for sure.

I'm not really a big whiskey connoisseur, although I must say I tried Johnny Walker Double Black once and thought it was pretty good. I don't think I tried the Black one, although I found it much better than Blue. It has a certain smoked, ''wood'' taste which I really enjoy. Unfortunately we don't sell the Double Black in Canada...

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Grave_Wyrm
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 4:21 pm 
 

I can't remember what the blue tastes like. I think I've only had it once. I definitely like the black better than red. Johnny Walker's pretty good, I just wish it had more presence in general. Make a better shot with a beer than Jameson does, that's for sure. Now to start pairing whiskies with beers. This is how drinkers keep it fresh.


Had half pours of Hibiki 12 and Nikka 12 "Pure Malt" last night. The Hibiki was just as smooth as reported, tending toward a bourbon-y finish after a mild, but enjoyable time seeing whisky through vanilla-tinted glasses. Nikka held close to the same mild center, but listed further over toward a smokey scotch (not peated, mind you, but closer to the taste of mescal). Both were good. Very mild and subtle flavors. The food I was eating had pretty strong flavors, which muted the experience somewhat. I probably should have tried the Hakushu 15 (i think), since the bar tender said it was "more aggressive and woody," which sounded kind of intense the way he put it because he'd felt like it had just aged too long. Now that I've tried these two, I probably would have enjoyed a half pour of that, too. I think the Nikka was something I'd buy on its own, whereas the Hibiki was so much like a refined bourbon, I'd probably rather just buy a bourbon.
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Inspector_Satan
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Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2011 11:48 pm
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 5:44 pm 
 

Grave_Wyrm wrote:
Make a better shot with a beer than Jameson does, that's for sure.


:nono:

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