The Glade 4.0

I've had little experience with whiskey.

Surprising, since I grew up in Tennessee.

Had some aged Laphroaig once and it tasted like I would imagine straight lighter fluid would taste.

Still have some Wild Turkey in the fridge. It has a pretty smooth taste, but then again I don't have a good base to compare it to.

Well, my wife just brought me home a "thank you for everything you do" bottle of The Balvenie Doublewood, aged 12 years. It's aged first in regular "oak whisky" barrels, then spends a few more months in sherry barrels. Pretty freakin' tasty, I have to say.

Lenas, you should pick up a book on whiskey. I have one that's kind of old by now, but only rarely have I come across something it doesn't have. It's by Stefan Gabanyi, and it's called Whisk(e)y. It's fun to read what he thinks of different whiskeys, and the history of the different distillers.

I also enjoy Bourbon a great deal. I have the best wife - she also brought home a bottle of Rebel Yell. I've had it before, and it's also very tasty.

Don't worry about drinking them straight, Lenas. All whisk(e)ys are already diluted, so adding a bit of spring water to mellow it out really isn't a crime or anything. Gabanyi suggests that ice is frowned upon for Scotch, but a few drops of spring water is acceptable. He says that Bourbon and Tennessee whisk(e)ys are good for mixing, and that you can even add ice for "the plainer bottlings." As he points out, however, "whisk(e)y is meant to be enjoyed, and no one should allow his pleasure to be diminished by arbitrary rules."

(I had an ice cube in my Scotch, so, sue me!)

I once visited the Glengoyne distillery in Scotland, and have found it here on occasion. It's a very light whisky, but nice. If you want the opposite effect, go for something from Islay - Laphroaig is the most well-known example. The Islay whiskys are the "peaty" ones, and they have a definite taste that you'll either love or hate. I'd wait a bit, though, as these are an acquired taste.

As for standard-issue stuff and everyday drinking, I enjoy Jim Beam and The Glenlivet.

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This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

I enjoy a shot of Bushmill's in my coffee when I go fishing! Other than that, I'm not much of a whiskey drinker! I prefer tequila or spiced rum for sipping or mixed drinks.

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Pretty much all whiskey is blended to one degree or another, and that's the job of the Master Distiller at any place producing a Single Malt or Single Grain spirit. Casks, despite being made from the same tree and charred by the same guy and soaking the same Bourbon, are unique and have their own characteristics and flavors. Of course, the more you age something in the same cask, the more that cast mellows. It's a rather complex thing.

Bourbons have to be aged in virgin charred oak, or they aren't legally a bourbon. They also have to be made in the bourbon district in Kentucky, which is actually a relatively small area. But even a small batch bourbon like Rebel Yell or Woodford Reserve or Baker's is going to end up blended to normalize the final product. You take 20 or 30 casks which are all individually tested and mix them together before bottling to normalize the flavor table of the resultant whiskey. And the same is done with Scotch and Irish Whiskey and Japanese Whiskey, what have you.

With blended whiskeys, what you're doing is blending the products of several different distilleries, re-aging them for some period of time to let them mix properly, and striving for an idealized and consistent product. The problem is that the majority of blends tend to be cheaper than Single Grain/Malt whiskeys, so people immediately assume they're inferior. Truth is, there's just bad whiskey out there and blending might not save it.

And, us real snobs like me, we'll be buy single casks and have it bottled independently of normalization, but that gets expensive.

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I prefer buying single cask stuff when I can, it's just often out of budget. With a regular single malt, due to it all being combined for some consistency, you get a similar product. With single cask, you get a lot more character.

"Character," "flavor," "consistency".....makes no sense to me. They all taste like turpentine. I don't really get it.

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"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Jesus of Nazareth

Well, like many things, they're acquired tastes. My wife hates the taste of beer, for example, but likes sweet things, so on the rare occasions she has a drink she goes with vodka and something fruity. She's also discovered she likes lambics.

And really, a fine whiskey has characteristics from the aging process that really can be incredible. But it's all a matter of taste

Just made it home with some Woodford Reserve, will post impressions later... or not?! Depends how good/strong it is :p

Edit:
Woodford was pretty good. I still find it hard to enjoy drinks like this neat unless supplemented by something like a cigar. Hoping I can eventually get past that. Other than that, it went very well with Coke :p

I woke up lying sideways on my bed.

Lenas:

You're dead to me. Dead, I tell you. Dead. Pour it over ice and add a bit of water if need be, as it's a bit stronger than a lot of Whiskeys (~94 proof). But don't mix it with Coke.

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Hey, man, those are tips you should have given with the initial suggestion!

I still have a lot left. Perhaps I'll try after class tonight.

We're talking about whiskey. I figured it was a safe assumption that you can, with stronger 80 proof whiskeys, add water and ice to taste.

Also, let it breathe for about 20 minutes and for the love of all that is holy ...

NEVER DRINK WHISKEY OUT OF PLASTIC ...

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Never drink any liquor out of plastic.

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Better plastic than metal.



How do you know what turpentine tastes like?

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

I've had a bottle of Crown Royal and also a bottle of Canadian Club whiskey sitting on my table for some time but haven't had the nerve to crack it open. I'm more of a vodka guy.

How do they both rate? I'm going to assume they are "entry" level hehe.

The Crown Royal might go down better without any mixed, but neither, I think, are particularly meant to be drunk straight. I'd throw in an ice cube and splash of water until you find a nice strength to your taste, and see what you think. Do a taste test and let us know!

_________________
This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

Aethien is correct. Back when I was drinking in bars a lot, CC was equivalent to Seagrams 7, which was commonly mixed with 7-Up. Crown Royal was occasionally done straight, but more often used with mixes.

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I usually drink Crown Royal with ginger ale. Goes well with some other whiskeys that aren't worth drinking straight.

Gave another go with some ice/water. Much more enjoyable (see: actually drinkable).

I don't know if I'm an apostate heathen in the whiskey world, but I like good old fashioned Jack Daniels on the rocks, as a shot, or mixed with soda. I haven't had Gentleman Jack yet, but I look forward to trying it to see the difference.

No apostasy there, Ienan, drink what you like how you like it. The nice thing about the Jack line of whiskeys, though, is that is provides a nice line of stepping-stones neatly laid out for you to try .

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Lenas:

The general rule of thumb is that if its over 80 proof, it's fair game to cut with ice and water. Still, as far as tasting conventions go, you want to taste it neat first.

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I <3 flasks.

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