Whiskey Review and Recommendation Thread

[El Diablo]

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.

[ethan]

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.

[ethan]

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

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm listening, trust me.

[junglewarfare]

evan williams?

[jfk]

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.

[ASD99]

Johnnie Walker high lables is baller IMO

[Tron]

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]

[Pete H]

[ 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

[xenthebrain]

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:

and put some (good, tasteneutral) water into the whisky.

Is that the common way in america, too?

[Pete H]

[ 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:

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