All Things Whisk(e)y

For questions/topics that don't fit into the other, more specific forums.
jmcnelly85
Posts: 2657
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2017 8:59 pm
Has thanked: 24 times
Been thanked: 415 times

Re: All Things Whisk(e)y

Post by jmcnelly85 »

This might be bringing a knife to a gun fight, but I think Ireland has really been upping its game lately. Teeling, Connemara (particularly the cask strength) and west cork are making some truly outstanding, relatively affordable offerings.

As for scotch, I'm yet to try anything better than Lagavulin 16, so much peaty goodness.
Afjagjones
Posts: 220
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2017 10:00 pm
Has thanked: 9 times
Been thanked: 15 times

Re: All Things Whisk(e)y

Post by Afjagjones »

cedarhouse wrote: Mon Mar 13, 2017 10:32 pm "I had to let expensive whiskey go when I got into knives, and audio, and cameras, and trombones...."

We share some interests: whiskey, knives, and trombones. I dig on audio but I've not yet stepped into that black hole. I like the idea of being a camera guy but I bought a DSLR a few years back and it just never
I have a toddler- so that helps with the photography thing. With audio, its easy to spend gagillions and have a sytem that sounds great to your brain, but that you never feel like listening too. The right inexpensive stuff can be far more rewarding.
Afjagjones
Posts: 220
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2017 10:00 pm
Has thanked: 9 times
Been thanked: 15 times

Re: All Things Whisk(e)y

Post by Afjagjones »

Afjagjones wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2017 12:11 am
cedarhouse wrote: Mon Mar 13, 2017 10:32 pm "I had to let expensive whiskey go when I got into knives, and audio, and cameras, and trombones...."

We share some interests: whiskey, knives, and trombones. I dig on audio but I've not yet stepped into that black hole. I like the idea of being a camera guy but I bought a DSLR a few years back and it just never
I have a toddler- so that helps with the photography thing. With audio, its easy to spend gagillions and have a sytem that sounds great to your brain, but that you never feel like listening too. The right inexpensive stuff can be far more rewarding.
And I want a tuba....
whisk(e)y
Posts: 40
Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2017 6:11 pm

Re: All Things Whisk(e)y

Post by whisk(e)y »

Happy St. Patrick's day. Redbreast 12 year Cask Strength is the best Irish whiskey I've had in a long time. Green Spot and Yellow Spot are close second.

Laga 16 is a classic but there are many islay malts in that price range that hit the same profile (peat and sherry). Give laphroaig lore and ardbeg uigeadail a spin.

jmcnelly85 wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2017 9:35 pm This might be bringing a knife to a gun fight, but I think Ireland has really been upping its game lately. Teeling, Connemara (particularly the cask strength) and west cork are making some truly outstanding, relatively affordable offerings.

As for scotch, I'm yet to try anything better than Lagavulin 16, so much peaty goodness.
User avatar
pd7077
Posts: 1045
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2017 7:02 pm
Location: Bay Area, CA
Has thanked: 66 times
Been thanked: 106 times

Re: All Things Whisk(e)y

Post by pd7077 »

I tried a dram of GreenSpot last year. I can't remember why, but I wasn't a huge fan. In fairness, I'm not huge on Irish whiskey. It's probably because I haven't tried to many, and I really should give it more of a chance. Two Irish whiskies that I did enjoy were Powers John Lane 12yr and Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy.
--- Steve
User avatar
jbart65
Posts: 3276
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2017 9:18 pm
Has thanked: 8 times
Been thanked: 105 times

Re: All Things Whisk(e)y

Post by jbart65 »

jmcnelly85 wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2017 9:35 pm This might be bringing a knife to a gun fight, but I think Ireland has really been upping its game lately. Teeling, Connemara (particularly the cask strength) and west cork are making some truly outstanding, relatively affordable offerings.

As for scotch, I'm yet to try anything better than Lagavulin 16, so much peaty goodness.
The Irish have been stepping up their game for some time now. I encourage any whiskey lover who hasn't given them a try to do so. Connemara, Redbreast, Tyrconnel, Teeling Single Grain. Lot of really good stuff.

Irish whiskey does lean toward the smooth and sweet side, but that's been changing.

For now just three or four distilleries make all the Irish whiskey. More than two dozen distilleries have been started up, though. Some time in the next decade we'll start to see the products show up on retail shelves.
Jeffry B
PaulB
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2017 1:39 pm
Location: Birmingham, UK

Re: All Things Whisk(e)y

Post by PaulB »

cedarhouse wrote: Sun Mar 12, 2017 12:18 am Boy would I love to try a few of those, pd.
Master of Malt sell sample size bottles of most of their whisky - great for trying stuff that's rather expensive!
User avatar
ashy2classy
Posts: 1147
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2017 7:47 pm
Has thanked: 87 times
Been thanked: 13 times

Re: All Things Whisk(e)y

Post by ashy2classy »

whisk(e)y wrote: Fri Mar 17, 2017 10:39 am Happy St. Patrick's day. Redbreast 12 year Cask Strength is the best Irish whiskey I've had in a long time. Green Spot and Yellow Spot are close second.

Laga 16 is a classic but there are many islay malts in that price range that hit the same profile (peat and sherry). Give laphroaig lore and ardbeg uigeadail a spin.

jmcnelly85 wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2017 9:35 pm This might be bringing a knife to a gun fight, but I think Ireland has really been upping its game lately. Teeling, Connemara (particularly the cask strength) and west cork are making some truly outstanding, relatively affordable offerings.

As for scotch, I'm yet to try anything better than Lagavulin 16, so much peaty goodness.
I've wanted to try both Readbreast and Greenspot. Just never got around to buying bottles. I need to find a good whisky spot in the area where I can just try this stuff rather than having to buy an entire bottle. I don't get out much these days with the 3 1/2 and 9 month old around. ;)
cedarhouse
Posts: 4703
Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2017 7:12 am
Has thanked: 16 times
Been thanked: 36 times

Re: All Things Whisk(e)y

Post by cedarhouse »

"And I want a tuba...."
Haha, I always wondered if people actually owned those things at home.


I like the Redbreast 12 CS. IIRC, the Greenspot was ok. I suspect it might be my strong preference for overproof whiskeys. I have little interest in Yellowspot because I generally don't care for sherry finishes.


To touch on something from earlier in the thread, as well as the current discussion on Irish whiskey, I don't mind all the new product, or even that bottlers are buying stock from other makers to product their product, but in both the American whisky market and the Irish whiskey market, I wish there was more transparency. Tell me what is in you product, where it is made, what it is made with, etc. The Irish, for example, only have four (?) distilleries right now, so a lot of the product proliferation is coming from a small number of facilities. I wish they would drop the facade about small market, craft BS and tell me, on the bottle where your product comes from.
User avatar
ashy2classy
Posts: 1147
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2017 7:47 pm
Has thanked: 87 times
Been thanked: 13 times

Re: All Things Whisk(e)y

Post by ashy2classy »

*Bookmarked* Super impressive list!

Oh, and love the hair from college! :lol:
User avatar
pd7077
Posts: 1045
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2017 7:02 pm
Location: Bay Area, CA
Has thanked: 66 times
Been thanked: 106 times

Re: All Things Whisk(e)y

Post by pd7077 »

We had a bunch of people over yesterday for NFL opening weekend. All the guys are pretty much whiskey-heads so that's pretty much all we drank yesterday. One of the guys is super nerdy when it comes to ice, and he does some pretty cool stuff. You can check him out on IG (Mr.Clear.Ice). He broke down the ice primarily with a sobakiri and a rubber mallet.

Image
Image
--- Steve
jmcnelly85
Posts: 2657
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2017 8:59 pm
Has thanked: 24 times
Been thanked: 415 times

Re: All Things Whisk(e)y

Post by jmcnelly85 »

Even though I often drink my whiskey neat, that ice cube is so cool to me... agh I really did not mean that pun.
User avatar
ChefKnivesToGo
Site Admin
Posts: 16857
Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2017 2:23 pm
Location: Madison, WI
Has thanked: 2051 times
Been thanked: 3275 times
Contact:

Re: All Things Whisk(e)y

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

Ok, I want to be a whiskey drinker. Give me a suggestion on a good bottle to get me hooked!
Image
Mark Richmond
Co-Owner Chefknivestogo
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/newarrivals.html
Carter
Posts: 1152
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2017 2:58 pm
Location: Hendersonville, NC
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 19 times
Contact:

Re: All Things Whisk(e)y

Post by Carter »

For a single malt scotch, Lagavulin 16 is a great one, though there are so many, and is widely available. Redbreast is an excellent Irish whiskey, 12yr is good, 15yr is better.

For bourbon, there are 2 main varieties, those with more wheat (sweeter) and those with more rye (spicier). Maker's Mark, Weller's, Pappy Van Winkle (mentioned as an example, not that you can find it) are examples of a wheat bourbon....Four Roses and Bulliet are bourbons with more rye.

Proceed with caution....for me whiskey was worse than knives....I packed up almost 200 bottles when we moved. The hunt for rare or annual release whiskeys can be all consuming, both time wise and $$$.
User avatar
pd7077
Posts: 1045
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2017 7:02 pm
Location: Bay Area, CA
Has thanked: 66 times
Been thanked: 106 times

Re: All Things Whisk(e)y

Post by pd7077 »

Whiskey can definitely become a slippery slope. The hole is just as deep as it is with knives. For scotch, I have always found it easier to break things down by region. Those still early in their journey tend to start with the lighter flavors. While there are definitely exceptions, Speyside, Highland & Lowland scotches tend to be on the lighter, sweeter and more floral side of things. Campbelltowns tend to have a little more smoke and salinity to them. Islays tend to lean towards the smoky/peaty flavors. Island scotches seem to be all over the place but the ones I remember had a nice balance of peatiness, salinity & sweetness.

Then you have the Japanese whiskies, most of which are similar to the Highland style. If I remember correctly, the distiller that ran Suntory-Yamazaki trained in the highland region. IMO, Hibiki Japanese Harmony is a great "bang for your buck" bottle. It's a blend, but I haven't found many that can rival its flavor profile at the $50 price point.
--- Steve
Chefcallari
Posts: 448
Joined: Sat Jun 24, 2017 12:49 pm
Been thanked: 2 times

Re: All Things Whisk(e)y

Post by Chefcallari »

ChefKnivesToGo wrote: Tue Sep 12, 2017 11:57 am Ok, I want to be a whiskey drinker. Give me a suggestion on a good bottle to get me hooked!
Knob creek...

I triple dog dare any body to give me a better dollar for dollar burbon..
ahanson
Posts: 73
Joined: Tue Jan 31, 2017 10:45 pm
Been thanked: 2 times

Re: All Things Whisk(e)y

Post by ahanson »

I came to Whiskey after trying to find a Brandy I liked since I drank quite a bit of wine at the time. I went through a few Scotches at first but never acclimated to the flavor profiles. The one that I drink from time to time still is Balvenie Doublewood but then I found bourbon. I've tried many but settled on Woodford Reserve. The regular is great for the weekdays, but if I could only drink one from now on it would be the Woodford Double Oaked. I love the sweeter flavor and it's just an incredible sipping whiskey. I drink Rye from time to time too but usually just in whiskey sours with lime juice (my favorite cocktail). I usually keep a few other bourbons in the cupboard like Four Roses (single barrel) and Bulleit (mostly for mixed drinks) and I like to try new stuff I see every now and again.

I'll throw Bulleit in the ring for one of the best budget whiskies. I think their rye is the better of the two though.
User avatar
ChefKnivesToGo
Site Admin
Posts: 16857
Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2017 2:23 pm
Location: Madison, WI
Has thanked: 2051 times
Been thanked: 3275 times
Contact:

Re: All Things Whisk(e)y

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

I may need to try some of this stuff.

Image
Image
Mark Richmond
Co-Owner Chefknivestogo
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/newarrivals.html
User avatar
ChefKnivesToGo
Site Admin
Posts: 16857
Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2017 2:23 pm
Location: Madison, WI
Has thanked: 2051 times
Been thanked: 3275 times
Contact:

Re: All Things Whisk(e)y

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

Carter wrote: Tue Sep 12, 2017 12:58 pm For a single malt scotch, Lagavulin 16 is a great one, though there are so many, and is widely available. Redbreast is an excellent Irish whiskey, 12yr is good, 15yr is better.

For bourbon, there are 2 main varieties, those with more wheat (sweeter) and those with more rye (spicier). Maker's Mark, Weller's, Pappy Van Winkle (mentioned as an example, not that you can find it) are examples of a wheat bourbon....Four Roses and Bulliet are bourbons with more rye.

Proceed with caution....for me whiskey was worse than knives....I packed up almost 200 bottles when we moved. The hunt for rare or annual release whiskeys can be all consuming, both time wise and $$$.
Maybe you should make whiskey instead of knives?
Image
Mark Richmond
Co-Owner Chefknivestogo
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/newarrivals.html
Post Reply