Review one whiskey

[KDawg]

Highland Park 12 (orkney islands)

note: I drank this out of a glass designed by Riedel for single malt whisky and have fast fallen in love with drinking from this glass (I also need to note that my writing is gonna be a bit off as I've just had some wine before this)


color: a golden mahogany

nose: some subtle smoke and peat to it with possible cinnamon undertones(again, my nose is a bit off after having it full of shiraz for the past two hours, so some of that may be coming through)

taste: very nice going down. May be due to the glass as I've noticed that its taken away from some of the initial fire. Long finish that hits the back palate real nice. Still getting the smoke flavors that I got on the nose

overall: very nice though young. I'm very looking forward to trying the highland park 18 at some point in the near future(as in the next 6-8 months). It has a very nice finish and is very drinkable though not fully for the faint of heart

[ElSapo]

Corner Creek



This one is an eight-year Kentucky "value" - I get this at my liquor store for about $20 a bottle, but it drinks like it's much nicer and apparently others feel the same because they have trouble stocking it. It's not nearly as sweet as something like Makers. Tends to have a slight caramel flavor. It's not the smoothest out there, but I drink it neat as an every-day type bourbon.

[El Diablo]

Booker's Bourbon ($55, BevMo)



This is a relatively expensive, cask strength Bourbon. It is 120+ proof, which means it's like fire.

The first thing you get from this is the intensely strong alcohol, almost burning your mouth. A few drops of water definitely helps here. And drink smaller sips than you might with other bourbons.

Once you let it linger in your mouth a bit, though, you'll realize that it has a really deep flavor, not sweet, but very flavorful and well rounded. Oaky and smoky with hints of fruit/vanilla/whatever sweetness to round it out. The initial hit of alcohol fades and leaves a nice, long, lingering taste. Very smooth finish for a bourbon this strong.

This is too strong for my taste to be an everyday whiskey, but on occassion after a few drinks I like to finish the evening off slowly sipping on a Booker's. Really nice, and also goes really well with cigars.

Now, some comments on other reviews (I missed a couple, but thanks to everyone for the awesome contributions!). Remember, ALL POSTS IN THIS THREAD MUST START WITH A REVIEW, OTHERWISE THEY'LL BE DELETED:

Sapo: That has come highly recommended to me as a great value, I'll give it a try.

K: Highland Park is excellent. It's another one that I recommend very highly along with the Balvenie for people getting into scotch. Very nice and smooth, not quite as sweet as the Balvenie.

K: Oban, along with Dalwhinnie, is one I frequently recommend to people who want to start trying out some slightly peatier scotch. Very nice one.

L: That Balvenie 10 is nice, but for not about the same price, I think the 12yo is much nicer. It's a little bit smoother and a little bit sweeter. If you found the 10 to be a bit on the sweet side, you might think the 12yo is too fruity, though. I think it's just right to balance the pretty full scotch flavor.

W: That was just barely enough of a review to keep me from deleting it!

dark: Those Glenmorangies are nice, but a little pricey. I think for the price you can get better stuff.

Lars: Oh my, that sounds phenomenal I will def look out for it, and DEFINITELY post a trip report. I have a review of the 12yo cask strength Laphroaig in the OOT thread (linked in OP). That's currently my favorite whiskey.

d: The Oban is sort of an intro to peaty scotch. The Laphroaig is the real deal. You should check out some different varieties of Laphroaig and also get some Lagavulin. Those are the two kings of peaty scotch!

bd: Talisker is really good stuff. It is a little peatier than the Oban and Dalwhinnie, sort of the next step before hitting the super peaty scotches. I am a big fan. That 10 is a nice scotch. The ones aged more get a little smoother.

Banks: Blanton's is one of my favorites. Nice review, agree completely, though I go with a few drops of water rather than a whole ice cube in that tasty bourbon!

belly: That sounds like exactly how I would review Old Overholt Rye. Harsh and knocks your socks off, but hell, you're drinking rye.

Audi: Any and all reviews are welcome and appreciated!

Iron: Woodford is one of my standards to order at a bar, but as you'll see when we get into more bourbons in this thread, I think you can do a little better for the money. Woodford is definitely very nice and smooth with a really good flavor.

fyc: Macallan 18 is definitely a top notch scotch.

quids: We'll get into some other bourbons in this thread and get you some recommendations for under $20 that I think you'll really like.

ads: I enjoy the Bowmores quite a bit and will get around to reviewing a couple of them.

Mike: Old Rip van Winkle is really good stuff.

dylan: Lagavulin 16 is one of the most delicious heavy peat scotches around.

[private joker]

OK, I'll write the standard "cheap" whiskey 101 review for novices. Since this thread is full of great but expensive/rare whiskeys, what should you get when you're just at a bar and want a regular drinkin' whiskey that isn't Jack Daniels or Knob Creek or Seagram's?

My favorite is Jameson:



It's a smooth Irish whiskey with the typical properties of an Irish, like Bushmills if you know that one. It tastes good if you just have it neat or on the rocks, but if you prefer mixing it (looked down upon by many), I recommend having it with 7-up and a lime wedge. This is my favorite mixed whiskey cocktail.

[bd8802]

Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey - 20$

This stuff is SO smooth. I like going to Irish pubs and eating some fish and chips and having a nice Irish whiskey. Tullamore Dew has become my standby Irish whiskey. It is lighter than the scotches I drink. It has a nice little bite to it, and unlike some of the peatier scotches I have it has little to no lingering aftertaste.

I personally don't have a refined palate to be able to tell you hints of X and Y. I like it and it is smooth and has a nice bite that is refreshing but not Bourbon heavy.

I find that I can really drink a lot of this stuff.


ElD - I am going to buy me a new bottle of scotch soon. I am thinking Macallan Cask Strength or Laporaig Quarter Cask. Or do you think I should start off Laporaig drinking with the 10 or 15 instead? I know I can find those, the Quarter Cask might be a bit of a chore.

[Gelford]

I'll bend the rules here simply to draw attention so something that is imo essensial to whisky drinking, and that is knowledge of scottish geography. There are districts and those usually come with their own brand of whiskys.

My favorate part is the island Islay. It all comes down to what one prefers in a drink, but .. I like smokey and complex and Islay offers that.

My two favorites are Laproigh and especially The Lagavulin (16 years), the ten year old laproigh is a bit harsh and lacking slightly immature, but the older are really good. The Lagavullin has always been my favorite.

There is also The Caol Ila (18 year old is what I have, but they are all fairly good) and the now closed Port Ellen, the latter I've never tasted, but it is supposedly very good.

My least favorite is the Ardbeg (15 years), that is smokey, but light ... and also The Bowmore is too dark and heavy, allthough I've only tasted the 12 year old Bowmore.


These reviews are very superficial, as I wanted to draw attention to Islay more than the indivial whiskys. It is a wonderful district, everything is very smokey with lots of character ... highly recommended!

Allthough when I feel in the need of something more civil I always turn to the Dalwhinnie (15 years) (Again no review, but there are not that many whiskys around, so I want to leave a bit space for others)


Also I do not know if it has been mentioned, but Michael Jackson has written a book, where he reviews all of Scotlands whiskys and then some, a classic book.


And to BD asking which whisky to start with, I'd say the Lagavulin else go with the 15 year old Laiphroigh or Dalwhinnie.

[dcasper70]

Lagavulin 16yo
Strength: 43% ABV
Appearance: Deep amber.
Nose: Heavy, velvety smoke with a touch of sweetness (a hint of vanilla???).
Taste: The smoke fills the palate, followed by a salty wood flavor. Other online reviews mention a sweetness coming from the sherry casks.
Finish: The dry peaty smoke stayed with me for a very long time. Extremely pleasing. I'm very glad I bought this bottle.
Price: $45

Is this what I should expect from other Isley brands? If so, I need to plan a trip...

[Kneel B4 Zod]

Balvenie 15:

After drinking the Balvenie 12, I wanted to see how different the 15 was. it has a lot of similar tastes, but a couple things stood out:

I thought the aroma was harsher than the 12. Cedery tastes are evident. Also tasted some vanilla. I thought the taste was a touch smoother than the 12, but I liked both a lot.

Whiskey Drinkers,

How many bottles do you keep around the house? I've recently gotten into scotch and wanted to pick up different things to try, so I bought a few different bottles. Plus it's kind of addicting to have a bunch of different bottles, but not in a weird alcoholic way. I think.

anyways, I currently have bottles of:

Balvenie 12 (almost gone)
Balvenie 15 (this and the others are about half full or more)
Macallan 12
Highland Park 12
Oban 14
Glenmorangie 15

[emil3000]

Laphroaig Quarter Cask

Me and friends drank this one on a train ride from the northern part of Sweden to Berlin last summer. I can't quite call the specifics of it, but I clearly remember it as being excellent. Most people into scotch have had a lot of Laphroaig already. This is sort of a change up of the old Laproaig recipe, same style, but a bit stronger and with some interesting flavors and a high complexity. Still it is in an acceptable price range, similar to the classic Laphroid 10yo.

Highly recommended for Islay lovers who want to try something new.

[matt2500]

Knob Creek Bourbon



Maker's Mark used to be my baseline bourbon, and I still like it quite a bit. But in the last couple of years, I've moved up to Knob Creek, which is a very smooth sipping bourbon. I don't like Maker's up, as it's got more of a bite to it than I usually like, whereas Knob Creek is a perfect bourbon to drink neat. Knob Creek has a very rich flavor that's not smoky, so much as, hmm, full-bodied I guess is the term. This is a nice sittin'-on-the-porch whiskey to enjoy with a cigar.

ElDiablo recommended Woodford Reserve to me a while back in an OOT whiskey thread, and I must say that may even supplant Knob Creek, as I've found my local liquor store now stocks it. It is a very nice upgrade from Knob Creek, for only a few dollars more per bottle.

Finally, I recently discovered that the bar at my local cardroom and casino has Booker's up on the top shelf. I was about to order a Knob Creek there a few weeks back, when I saw the Booker's and gave it a try. I must say, this was a transcendent bourbon-drinking experience for me. I noticed the high alcohol content, but what really struck me was the smokiness and the underlying sweetness (vanilla, I guess, is what BevMo calls it). I'd never tasted another bourbon like it.

The alcohol content, though. Whew! I had one more, and was feeling the booze, even though I'd been munching on finger food, and nursed the two drinks for a good half-hour each. This is not an everyday bourbon, but a break out for special occasions (like after a five-star meal) kind of drink.