Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

Since it comes up so much, I've decided to put all my whiskey reviews/recommendations in one thread here on 2+2.

Anyone else, feel free to add your own reviews/recommendations to this thread. Also feel free to post links to other 2+2 scotch/whiskey threads.

I’ll also maybe write up a primer on the different types of whiskies by region, bottlings (regular v. finished v. cask strength), blends v. single malts v. single casks, distillery bottlings v independent bottlers, etc.

To get things started, I'll make a list of whiskies I've had that I can review (this is not a complete list, just looked at what I have in the house, grabbed stuff from a few 2+2 threads, and added stuff I can remember off the top of my head). A few of these have minor notes, but I’ll expand on the ones I really like and recommend.

Scotch:

Islay

ardbeg 10
bowmore 12
provenance bowmore 19yo - another new one. this was an unchillfiltered islay. REALLY nice. light peat flavor, very well-balanced.
Coal Ila 18
Lagavulin 16
laphroaig 10
laphroaig 10yo quarter cask - I love Laphroaig, but sometimes it's a little too peaty for what I want. This one was also unchillfiltered. This bottling does the latter part of aging in smaller bottles to get more oak contact, resulting in a less peaty taste overall. A phenomenal scotch, my favorite of the evening. Bottled between “regular” and “cask strength”
laphroaig 10yo cask strength
signatory laphroaig 12yo cask strength
laphroaig 15

Highland

balvenie 10yo founders reserve
Balvenie 12 Doublewood - another one of my regular favorites
balvenie 15yo single barrel
balvenie 21yo portwood - maybe my favorite scotch.
Dalwhinnie 15
edradour 10yo
glenfarclas 12
glenfiddich 12
Glenlivet 12
Glenmorangie 10
Glenmorangie 12 Sherry Wood
Glenmorangie 12 Port Wood
Glenmorangie 12 Madeira Wood
Glen Moray 12
Macallan 10 - classic, excellent basic scotch
Macallan 10 Fine Oak
Macallan 12
Macallan 13 (Trader Joe's bottling)
Macallan 15 Fine Oak
Macallan Cask Strength - my favorite cask strength scotch
Oban
Oban 14
tamdhu - this was a speyside I hadn't tried before. It was OK.

Other (lowland, isle of skye, isle of mull, isle of jura, campbelltown)

signatory bladnoch 14
Highland Park 12
Highland Park 18
Highland Park 25
Isle of Jura 10
Isle of Jura Superstition
Springbank 10 Cask Strength (100 Proof)
Springbank 15
Talisker 10
Talisker 18
Tobermory 10


Blends

Chivas 12
Chivas 18
Dewar’s White
Dewar’s 12
Johnnie Walker Red Label
Johnnie Walker Black Label
Johnnie Walker Green Label
Johnnie Walker Gold Label
Johnnie Walker Blue Label
Michael Couvreur 12yo


American


baker’s
basil hayden
blanton’s
booker’s
eagle rare 17 - wow, really great bourbon. very complex flavor with a nice kick. very smooth.
elijah craig 18 - best bourbon of the night by far. this bourbon was as smooth as a fine scotch and like the eagle rare, had a very complex flavor as well.
elmer t lee 10 - basic, solid bourbon. sort of at the maker's mark level. definitely can do it neat, but probably a good choice to have on the rocks.
gentleman jack
Jim Beam
jack daniel's
knob creek
maker's mark
Old Potrero 90 Proof Rye
Old Potrero 125 Proof Cask Strength Rye – nice flavor at initial taste, but incredibly strong and overpowering alcohol taste that burns so much it really overwhelms the flavor
woodford reserve - just a nice, smooth bourbon. very nice.

Irish

Black bush
bushmill's
bushmills 16yo single malt - hadn't seen this before. It was very smooth and quite sweet, almost chocolatey. A little too sweet for my taste, but still very nice.
murray mcdavid cooley 12
jamesons
jameson’s 1780 12yo
Knappogue Castle Irish single malt

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

No Van Winkle???????

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
No Van Winkle???????

[/ QUOTE ]

If this is the stuff I'm thinking of, my girlfriend's brother in law got a bottle of this as a wedding present, complete with a label mentioning that this commemorated the wedding. He was super psyched.

I've yet to develop the taste. Mostly whiskey just hurts me.

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

johnny,

I've had various Van Winkle, Old Rip Van Winkle, and Pappy Van Winkle Bourbons/Ryes that have all been great. However, I don't have any at present and I can't recall exactly which ages/styles of each one that I've had.

So, for reviewing purposes, I'm going to have to go get some bottles and start fresh!

Oh, if there's anything specific on the list someone wants a review of, ask away. Otherwise, I'll just start with some of my favorites.

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

Booker's is the best whiskey I have ever tasted. George Dickel is amazing for the price.

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

Maker's Mark : This is my baseline bourbon. It's a nice, standard bourbon, a little rough, with a pretty big kick going down. Sometimes I like that, sometimes not. I toured the distillery, by the way, while on one of many monthlong work assignments in Kentucky.

Knob Creek : This is the bourbon I drink most often nowadays. This is a very nice smooth-drinking whiskey. Great to drink with a strong cigar that would wipe out the subtler taste of a scotch.

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

Some things I'm interested in:

How Red Breast (Irish) stacks up against the other premium Irish whiskeys.

Your thoughts on how Blanton's compares to Eagle Rare 17, Elijah Craig 18, and Booker's.

Your thoughts on how the Highland Park Scotches compare with similarly priced/aged Highland Scotches.

Your favorite Scotch for $70 or less.

If you'd ever reach for a Canadian whiskey over an American one (which, and why).

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

I don't drink a lot of scotch and I'm sure these are all different enough, but based on me having liked each of these enough to drink a bottle at one point, can you suggest something for me to tuck into this holiday season?
[ QUOTE ]
Dalwhinnie 15
Glenmorangie 12 Sherry Wood
Macallan 10 - classic, excellent basic scotch
Talisker 18

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

amplify,

Booker's is great, and it's a testament to its great balanced flavor that it is so drinkable at 120+ proof. It is definitely one of my favorite bourbons, but I find it just a bit too strong and the alcohol just a touch too much for it to make it to the top of my lists. Having said all that, I want to reiterate that I think it's a great bourbon. I just think that as you drink more, you'll find some that you like even more.

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

***,

I like your taste in scotch. The Dalwhinnie, Macallan, and Talisker are three of my favorites.

Balvenie 12yo DoubleWood or Balvenie 21yo Portwood (depending on how much you want to spend, both are excellent) should be your next one. These are very smooth w/ just a touch of sweetness.

You would also enjoy the Highland Parks and Isle of Juras quite a bit.

And if you want to explore a little peatier taste, before jumping to the very peaty Lagavulin and Laphroaig, I'd suggest you try the Oban or Caol Ila.

But, I strongly recommend one of the Balvenies for you next, I am sure you will love it.

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

matt,

Maker's is probably my most common "everyday" Bourbon and I agree w/ your review. For a slight step up and slightly smoother, I also agree that Knob Creek is a good choice, but I think I slightly prefer Woodford Reserve. Some of the other bourbons I mention that are excellent are quite a bit pricier, but for not much more of a jump, the Elijah Craig 18 is great, an incredible value.

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

ElD,

I haven't tried many scotches, but one I have tried and loved, and my clear favorite thus far is Macallan 12. Based off this, can you make any recommendations for others I might like?

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

Wookie,

"How Red Breast (Irish) stacks up against the other premium Irish whiskeys."

Not familiar w/ Red Breast.

"Your thoughts on how Blanton's compares to Eagle Rare 17, Elijah Craig 18, and Booker's."

Blanton's is probably my favorite of the bunch. It has a nice kick, and a deep, rich flavor, but is not overpowering. It is 93 proof compared to Booker's 120+. The Booker's has a similar great flavor, but I just find it a little too strong (I'm a BIG fan of cask strength, but over 110 proof or so, it becomes VERY tough to not have a bit of harsh, alcohol taste to the liquor). The Elijah Craig is an incredible value, but I don't think it quite stacks up to the Blanton's and Booker's. It's a lot sweeter style and does not have the depth/complexity of flavor that the other two have. I definitely recommend it, but not over those two. The Eagle Rare is sort of like a mild version of the Booker's. I like it, but definitely put it a notch down from the Blanton's/Booker's.

"Your thoughts on how the Highland Park Scotches compare with similarly priced/aged Highland Scotches."

Very well. Highland Park is one of my favorite scotches and is vastly underrated.

"Your favorite Scotch for $70 or less."

Impossible question to answer. Here are 5 of my favorites in that range from klwines.com.

Caol Ila 18 $69
Talisker 18 $69
Laphroaig 15 $59
Highland Park 18 $59
Macallan Cask Strength $59

BTW, Balvenie Scotch 12 Year Double Wood $33 - is imo the best scotch value around.

"If you'd ever reach for a Canadian whiskey over an American one (which, and why). "

Can't really think of any reason to do that.

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

M,

See the ones that *** listed + my recommendations to him.

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
the Elijah Craig 18 is great, an incredible value.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agree. Had this for the first time about a month ago at the Bourbon Festival in Bardstown KY. Was very surpirsed at how good it was.
(I didn't think it'd be bad. Just was surprised it was so good.)

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

El Diablo:

I wish I could get the Elijah Craig. My local liquor store doesn't stock anything better than the Knob Creek, but I'll have to hunt out a store that sells the really good stuff and try some of the better ones.

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

matt,

bevmo prices.

Blanton's $50
Booker's $50
Eagle Rare 17 $47
Elijah Craig 18 $38
Woodford Reserve $27
Knob Creek $20
Maker's $19

I haven't had the Eagle Rare 10 ($30) or Elijah Craig 12 ($20), but the Elijah Craig 18 is a solid step up from the Woodford at not a big premium. I bet the Elijah Craig 12 is a really good value for $20 and will try to taste some soon.

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

Rocking thread, El D. Thanks for the price guidance, too. That's important for a lot of us.

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

Yeah, I can't use Bevmo - they won't ship to Washington state. Drat, that Booker's looks good, too.

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

Blarg,

I'm a big fan of value buying, and whiskey is no exception. There's tons of great stuff in the $15-35 range, it just takes a little more research to find the best stuff.

PS - I have some good recommendations in the $6 wine thread, too.

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

I still need to try the Potrero and something from Elijah Craig. I've had most everything else of note off this list (probably 80%+ of the total). Booker's and Knob Creek are still my standards for bourbon, with the Black Maple Hill 16 as my favorite when I'm not in the mood for the Booker's. If I have anything useful to add here I'll try to chime in, although I'm going to be out of town for most of the weekend. I like where this thread is going.

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
I have some good recommendations in the $6 wine thread, too.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm listening, trust me.

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

evan williams?

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

While the precise details of this story are going to be somewhat muddled, the results are still crystal clear.

The Cliff Notes: Among mainstream whiskies, men like Jameson and women like Chivas. Neither men, except for oddities, prefer Bushmills and neither do women.

The story: fifteen years or so ago it became tradition for our somewhat transitory friends to disengorge the contents of their liquor cabinet on us when they moved out of the area. The motherload came from a friend who was moving to Singapore who had an ample collection of scotches, whiskies and bourbons.

With her collection and what we had at the house we had somewhere in the neighborhood of 12-15 bottles. This is where the particulars get a little fuzzy but definitely included were:

Jamesons
Bushmills
Black Bush
Glenlivet 12 year
Glenfiddich 12 year
Seagram's 7
Canadian Club
Wild Turkey (bourbon)
Chivas Regal

There may have been a bottle of Jack and a couple other bottles of 12 year old Scotch but none of them figured prominently in the likes or dislikes of our tasters.

The tasters were sundry men and women of various ages and stripes though weighted towards the early twenties, all of whom enjoyed the occasional drink and could be counted on to hold a reasonably informed opinion. The tastings were done blind. No one knew what they were drinking and care was taken to mark the glasses for identification. The whiskies were all served neat, generally in shot glasses, with just a couple of drops of L.A. tap water.

To our surprise, the results were very uniform. Each of the women preferred Chivas (a blend), and I believe each of the women also put the Jameson second. Each of the men, except one, rated the standard Jameson as their favorite. Their was no consensus for number two among the men, but I do remember the Chivas having pretty high appeal. The one dissenter liked Bushmills best and put Jameson at the bottom.

Bushmills was least liked by every taster except the one guy who had it as his favorite. This was consistent among men and women. Blackbush was generally liked though it made no impact at the top of the list.

The Moral: If you want a mainstream whiskey that will please many people, go with Jameson (Irish, blended) or Chivas (Scotch, blended).

Personal Notes: While not a huge whiskey drinker, of the higher end I've really liked the 18 year old Jameson and 21 year old Glenlivet and savored each botle that I had.

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

Johnnie Walker high lables is baller IMO

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

I just drank a tall glass of Jack Daniels after a long day at a legal symposium. I'm 20 years old, WTF AM I DOING AT A LEGAL SYMPOSIUM? [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
Balvenie 12yo DoubleWood or Balvenie 21yo Portwood (depending on how much you want to spend, both are excellent) should be your next one. These are very smooth w/ just a touch of sweetness.

[/ QUOTE ]

Portwood is my favourite Scotch and I'll second Diablo's comments on it. It's smooth and it's excellent.

Portwood is quite expensive compared to Doublewood, but definitely worth the extra money.

NP: Loudness - Crazy Nights

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

Just recieved my bottle Macallan Sherry Butt Cadenhead's 14 (58.4% Vol) ~$80. Will try it out tonight.

How do you guys drink your whisky?
I use this glass:
http://www.cocktailstar.de/out/oxbas.../1/4510015.jpg
and put some (good, tasteneutral) water into the whisky.

Is that the common way in america, too?

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
Just recieved my bottle Macallan Sherry Butt Cadenhead's 14 (58.4% Vol). Will try it out tonight.

How do you guys drink your whisky?
I use this glass:
http://www.cocktailstar.de/out/oxbas.../1/4510015.jpg
and put some (good, tasteneutral) water into the whisky.

Is that the common way in america, too?

[/ QUOTE ]

I add a drop of water on cask strength whisky, the rest I just pour in a glass and enjoy.

Currently enjoying a glass of 10 year old Laphroaig cask strength (with a drop of water) inspired by this thread.

Diablo: I don't think I've ever tried quarter cask. How's that compared to original cask strength?

NP: Loudness - Run For Your Life

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

That's a very common way to drink Scotch. I've started drinking it from a brandy snifter recently, though, and I like it. There's something about the shape of the snifter that helps your nose smell it when you stick it in to sniff. Also, the thinner glass helps you warm it up for more aroma and such.

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

Good rec's, Diablo.

I personaly love Talisker 18. I may have to get a bottle, as soon as I get through the fifty-three bottles of booze you guys gave me recently... that's if I still have any liver left.

For bourbon, I don't think anything beats Booker's. I see your points, but for my money, nothing beats that caramel taste that you get as that stuff just evaporates on your tongue. Mmmmmmmmmm. I love bourbon, even more than scotch, typically.

I also like Irish whiskey. There's no better way to start your day than Bushmill's. For the money, there's nothing better, IMO.

Nice work!

The Sucker

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

not to go off on a tangent, but Johnny Walker Gold IMO is the best whiskey to dip a cigar in and enjoy. It has a very slight sweet after taste and goes perfectly as a cordial. I'd also add in Glenlivet 18 as one of my top choices for after dinner.

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

El D or anyone-

I'm very much a novice here. Johnny Walker Red & Black are two that I enjoy occasionnally. I've never sprung the extra for green, gold, or blue. What are some opinions on those, and are they worth the pricetag?

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

JB,

Blue imo is not worth the price. Green and Gold are good, but I'd recommend exploring some single malts instead of paying more for premium blends.

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

halfway through this blog i talked about a cool whiskey place in berlin:

cadenhead's

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

I agree Blue is very good, but very overpriced. Duty-free at airports, though I think I've seen it for like $75. . .

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

NYers,

http://brandylibrary.com/sections/home.htm

Excellent place to try out lots of great stuff.

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

El D-

If single malts are the recommendation, what would you suggest (in the price range along something like Johnny Walker Green, or less) for someone who has only had Glenfiddich (18 or 12 - don't recall) and didn't care for it much at all?

Re: Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread
 

I just purchased a bottle of Knob Creek, and a little 200 ml flask of Jack for Halloween partying tonight. I'm sipping some of the KC right now, and it is good. I should have tried this sooner.