Spirits Thread

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Quarter cask might just be the best there is under the 10 years mark...

See pic for another very smoky scotch...

>>8047140
That or the Talisker are the next Islays I want to try unless I have enough to buy a dram of Lagavulin 16, but I'll treat myself to those once Christmas comes because I gotta save some money now for paying off school.

>>8047110
I recently bought a bottle of the Laphroaig 10 year old. It tasted like a campfire. It took half the bottle, not all at once, before I began to really appreciate it. Now I'm hooked...

>>8047164
I kinda had this problem with the first sip because I couldn't taste citrus despite smelling it fine. Also I hear from some people past the smoke they get notes of banana which sounds weird because I couldn't get that flavor at all.

>>8047110
not too bad. if you end up liking it check out ardbeg. it's a different kind of peaty believe it or not, smokier maybe even saltier? IDK, some people say they taste like wood and seaweed but I love a peaty scotch. if you like them get ready for the "eww gross" comments like you brought a nice beer to a frat party. honestly, don't become a douche and push it on people.

It's a weird cross section of liking unmixed spirits and really strong flavors.

>>8047110
I'm more of a brandy fan personally, but if you're into peaty scotches and you happen to find it, Port Askaig is pretty GOAT. It's from the Caol Ila distillery, but better imo, and ranges in age right up to 40 years. The 17 and 19 are both great- smoky, citrusy, with a nice rich honey note to it.

On a slightly more affordable side, Bowmore, while a bit variable in quality, has some really good bottlings, notably one called Laimrig, which is a really rich sherry-aged whisky bottled cask strength and without chill filtration.

>>8047110
>Did I fuck up or is it worthwhile for $58 USD?
I think since you bought it...it's within your budget, or you wouldn't have been so impulsive.

Anon, just enough what you like. It's what people say about wine, and it's true. You're not going to go through this in a week. Enjoy something knowing that you tried it and it appealed to you. Nuff said. If when you're done with the whole bottle and you're still on a kick about it, buy more or try something else new.

>>8047193
>honestly, don't become a douche and push it on people.
I work at a liquor store so I definitely understand that everyone has very different tastes and that most people don't actually like alcohol and just want to get buzzed or get drunk via coolers, sweet wines like moscatos, watery beers and ciders.
I honestly thought that I was gonna hate it at first, but It surprised me by how good it really was, I'm glad I went from Auchentoshan and Glenmorangie straight to this, the polarizing tastes make it a lot more special and unique to me.

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>>8047110
That feel when I bought a Laphroaig 10 for £25.99 on offer on Amazon ($33)

>>8047197
Thanks for the suggestions! Ive been meaning to try the Caol Ila 12 since Ralfy said some good things about it.
Also that Bowmore looks interesting but I'm curious, does it use any caramel coloring or is it natural color?

>>8047110
that shit is WAYYYY too smokey for me. It's like drinking a goddamned campfire.

>>8047205
but you still live in a rainy socialist hellhole. enjoy your muslim infestation, churchill would have nuked the entire island by now.

>>8047147
Ardbeg >>>> Talisker

>talisker is colored
>talisker is chill filtered
>talisker has lower ABV
>talisker is owned by Diageo
>talisker is surrounded by that gay "classic malts" gimmick

>>8047174
>Also I hear from some people past the smoke they get notes of banana
Most people say they get pear juice or sometimes citrus, which I thought was weird because banana is the strongest fruit note I get in here.

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>>8047215
Try this stuff instead, anon. Much smoother.

>>8047218
Actually, I split the year between Northern and Southern Europe, making the most of each season. It's pretty good.

>>8047232
I've got news for you, pretty much every malt is coloured and has been since the 19th century. Even really obscure, expensive bottlings. Non-coloured is a recent meme and many Scottish distilleries don't care much for it.

>>8047310
>Octodude
You post it in every single whisky thread don't you? See, this isn't shilling though because it's actually really nice (but expensive as fuck).

>>8047318
how did you come to do that? what kind of job lets you do that seems very nice.

>>8047323
>pretty much every malt is coloured and has been since the 19th century
In some European countries a bottle of liquor needs to list every ingredient, including caramel coloring, by law.

The list in this link was created by a Swede, and I use it as a basis for my purchases as an American whose labels do not need to announce these additives:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread107768.html

>>8047328
Yeah, I guess I do. It rarely disappoints.

>>8047329
I'm still a student so I get a huge summer that's all. But seeing how nice this way of life is, I'm really set on finding a job that allows me to carry on doing this. I imagine that any freelancing job would be good.

However the best life I've heard is a guy who was really into his sports so he got good at them, did a couple of qualification courses and now spends the winters teaching skiing and snowboarding in the Alps and the summers teaching wind-surfing and wake-boarding in Greece. He gets paid to keep fit, do his favourite sports, travel and gets pussy left and right. He probably makes a really decent amount of money as well. Wakeboarding and skiing lessons are pricey as fuck.

>>8047334
>http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread107768.html
Thanks for the link. Whiskeyexchange states if a whisky is coloured too on the individual page.

I don't get the fuss though, I'm not a celiac so I don't mind.

>>8047350
>Whiskeyexchange states if a whisky is coloured too on the individual page.
Outdated or simply incorrect at times, though. Like, I've seen them claim several bourbons are "colored," where the government wouldn't allow those whiskeys to be CALLED bourbon if they had caramel in them. That's part of the criteria for using that word: no artificial coloring allowed.

Fuck scotch. Shit tastes like it's been filtered through heaps of peat and god damn gasoline.

Bourbon master race.

>>8047365
Sad to hear, Islay whiskies are amazing.
Bourbon is pretty good though, had some Knob Creed 100 proof last weekend and it was delicious.

>>8047360
What if they're export versions? WE is a UK site after all.

>>8047374
Maybe! I hadn't thought of that. Though I would think the producers would be prouder of a "bourbon" label than an "American corn whiskey" label.

And "bourbon" would probably be more appealing to foreign markets, just as we here in the States would prefer "Scotch" over "Scottish malt whisky."

>>8047394
No what I mean is that it's export-grade Bourbon. For example 'Greek Yogurt' has to be made in Greece if it's sold in Europe but in America it can be made anywhere yet sold as 'Greek Yogurt' due to different regulations. They don't need US approval to name it Bourbon if they're not selling it in the US, unless the EU has rules as to what 'Bourbon' can contain (which it doesn't) then they're fine. Caramel colouring has a big psychological impact and so distillers would have many reasons to use it.

>>8047205

I bought the same bottle in California for $29.00 on sale.

>>8047425
Makes sense I guess. But hol up senpai, what about those regional laws which protect products from certain countries and provinces?

Like, there's no Californian wine that can call itself "champagne" since champagne is any sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of France. And Blue Moon got into a lot of legal hot water for creating "Belgian white" beer, until they changed their label to say Belgian-STYLE beer.

>>8047425
that's not the only difference though. according to US law, bourbon sold for domestic consumption must be :
>Produced in the United States
>51% corn Aged in new, charred oak barrels
>Distilled to no more than 160 (U.S.) proof (80% alcohol by volume)
>Entered into the barrel for aging at no more than 125 proof (62.5% alcohol by volume) >Bottled (like other whiskeys) at 80 proof or more (40% alcohol by volume)
even bourbon labelled "blended" (meaning it can contain things other than bourbon) must contain at least 51% straight (2 year aged) bourbon. however, this is all for domestic consumption. export, if the country it's being shipped to has no regulation on it, fucking anything could be in there

>>8047463
>The Federal Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits (27 C.F.R. 5) state that bourbon made for U.S. consumption[18] must be:
(Note the "US consumption qualification", doesn't say anything about exports.)

>Produced in the United States[19]
>Made from a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn[20]
>Aged in new, charred oak barrels[20]
>Distilled to no more than 160 (U.S.) proof (80% alcohol by volume)[20]
>Entered into the barrel for aging at no more than 125 proof (62.5% alcohol by volume)[20]
>Bottled (like other whiskeys) at 80 proof or more (40% alcohol by volume)[21]

>...
>Bourbon that meets the above requirements, has been aged for a minimum of two years, and does not have added coloring, flavoring, or other spirits may (but is not required to) be called straight bourbon.[26]
>...
>Bourbon that is labeled blended (or as a blend) may contain added coloring, flavoring, and other spirits (such as un-aged neutral grain spirits); but at least 51% of the product must be straight bourbon.[28][29]

Since this is a general spirits thread, do you like gin? If so, what brands/bottles. I like the Beefeater 24.

>>8047531
I've only tried a few gins myself, but I personally loved Boodles and Dillons Rose gin. Had some Botanist but thought it was tasted too much like pure ethanol.

Is Asbach Uralt any good?

>>8047531
Boodles is fantastic but I can only get it at a Total Wine like half an hour away.

Tanqueray is for people with no self-respect.

Beefeater is good, strong, cheap, with a nice mineraly flavor profile.

Junipero is just the snobby American craft version of Beefeater basically, but it does have a higher ABV so it makes better cocktails.

>>8047140
Pretty good

Thinking about getting a bottle of Springbank 10, has anyone here had any experience with it?

>>8047110
>scotches
Don't bother with single malts anon, you are clearly not ready.

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>>8047110
It's worth what you paid. Great whisky.

>>8047140
>Quarter cask might just be the best there is under the 10 years mark
Not this guy >>8047310 but try Octomore 6.3. Age statement on the bottle says 5 years. It's in another class than QC.

>>8047147
Talisker ain't an Islay, brother. And save some money and get Lagavulin 8 instead of the 16. It's a much better value considering it's both cheaper and better.

I picked up a bottle of Ardbeg Dark Cove a couple nights ago and I definitely recommend it.

>>8048748
Yes, it's good, but hard to find and even harder to find at a decent price.

>>8048758
Thanks for the advice grammar nazi-kun.
Sadly I've already had Dalmore, Glenmorangie, Auchentoshan, Dalwhinnie, Macallan and Laphroaig in the short 3 months that I've started trying scotches so I'm far gone by this point.

So are you guys all functional alcoholics that like to fancy themselves connoissuers instead?

>>8049028
>projecting

>>8049028
Some people on this board are but most just do it occasionally on the weekend because like most of the world we all have jobs or school and are too tired to drink.

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>>8047110
You're posting my favorite fucking whisky, OP.

If I want to go full cowboy, should I go whisky, bourbon, or something else?

>>8049678
All of them at once.

>>8049678
unaged corn whiskey is the proper answer

>>8049678
All of them.
Grab some Pinckney Bend Rested American whiskey(or any "Rested" whiskey) if you want some kind of "cowboy" feel.
Cowboys didn't drink aged whiskey, it was quite a feat if it was aged more than 1 year.

Young whiskeys(that are good, not Rogue's Dead Guy whiskey) can be great and have another character to them.
They'll be lightly oaked, but not so much as to introduce bitter elements.

>>8047310
Have a bottle of octomore 7.2 and it's without doubt the best whisky I've ever tried. I love it! Too bad it's fucking expensive tho

>>8049844
Jealous. I have a couple bottles of 6.2 that I picked up at the distillery, but I don't really travel internationally very much so getting the 7.2 has been a challenge.

>>8049856
I picked up mine at a whisky cruise between Sweden and Finland. I would love to visit the distillery. I might go to Scotland with my dad and his friends this fall tho. Not exactly sure witch distillerys they have planed to go to.

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I'm looking for the best cheap ass brandy. I've had brandy before, it was some cheap shit that I got when I turned 21 and it was a pain in the ass to put down. I hated it and barfed big time and haven't really wanted to give brandy another try as it's the last major spirit i need for my home bar. Suggestions since I'm an insufferable prick?

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>>8049868
Take my advice: if you plan to head to Islay, RENT A CAR. I didn't and, while it was a great stay, I wasn't able to visit some of the distilleries I wanted to, like Caol Ila and Bunnahabhain. Ferries run to Port Askaig and Port Ellen from Kennacraig. There are taxi services on the island, but it's easier if you have your own transport.

>>8049913
We was planing on renting a car, but the hard part will be deciding who will drive, cuz we all want to try the whisky lol

>dram
This has been thrown around a lot lately, but kill yourselves

>>8049921
That's where the taxi service comes in, ha!

Also, whenever you can sign up for a warehouse tour, do it! At least a Bruichladdich, you get to sample from unique casks that you won't be able to try anywhere else.

>>8049946
>dram
Is this a new word to you?

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>>8049949
Thanks for the tips senpai!

>>8049946
>This has been thrown around a lot lately
Literally twice itt