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Author Topic: White Whiskey  (Read 5041 times)

Offline AmandaK

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Re: White Whiskey
« Reply #15 on: December 06, 2013, 06:26:07 am »
So..  white whiskey is just moonshine?

I'm more of a gin lady myself. Hendricks is my go to gin. Negronis are my go to drink. Drop a bit of Angostura Orange and Fee Brother gin barrel aged orange bitters in there and you're in business. 8)
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Offline majorvices

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Re: White Whiskey
« Reply #16 on: December 06, 2013, 06:44:48 am »
The moonshine I have always had is 100% corn and often sugar. The white whiskey is mostly corn with barley or rye or whatever they use as the other grain. I hear what Carl is saying but to me good bourbon is good because of the interaction of the spirit with the wood. I have found the flavors in "white whiskey" in bourbons that were oak aged and found those "white whiskey" flavors to be flaws to my pallet.

Offline Joe Sr.

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Re: White Whiskey
« Reply #17 on: December 06, 2013, 07:43:24 am »
The moonshine I have always had is 100% corn and often sugar. The white whiskey is mostly corn with barley or rye or whatever they use as the other grain. I hear what Carl is saying but to me good bourbon is good because of the interaction of the spirit with the wood. I have found the flavors in "white whiskey" in bourbons that were oak aged and found those "white whiskey" flavors to be flaws to my pallet.

I'm with you.  I've tasted heads and tails before, and I don't think those are the flavors, though I'm glad Carl chimed in and he may be right.  Maybe they are making bad cuts to get more product, but some of the flavors are almost botanical.  I don't think they add anything botanical and the distiller gets good reviews from lots of people so who knows?  It's not the alcohol kick I've gotten from other jars I've tasted, but simply odd unpleasant flavors.

FWIW, I've had the aged stuff from another local distiller as well as one from Iowa and I just don't care for it.  The white whiskey flavors come through strongly and the whiskeys aren't smooth.  My guess is the spirits aren't aged long enough.  It seems people think these odd flavors are what makes it "craft" but to me they make it crap.  Especially at the micro distiller prices.

And Hendrick's gin?  That stuff goes on the shelf with the white whiskey.  Although I've had some guests who will drink it which means maybe I should move it up a shelf.  Or find more discerning guests... I'd put a smiley here, but I've never done that and I'm not starting.
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Offline reverseapachemaster

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Re: White Whiskey
« Reply #18 on: December 06, 2013, 09:08:27 am »
I tried white dog moonshine once. It came from some unknown family still in TN. The person who offered it to me had shoved half an apple in it and had been putting it through temperature swings. I think he misunderstood that the temperature swings help push and pull the whiskey into the barrel wood rather than providing some mysterious smoothing. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as I expected. I've had much worse well whiskey in college bars.

I drink scotch neat so it wasn't too big of a deal to take a swig of the moonshine. The owner was floored that I could drink it straight without coughing or turning red. I think he worships me now. I told him to quit drinking that JD swill.
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Offline redbeerman

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Re: White Whiskey
« Reply #19 on: December 06, 2013, 10:17:32 am »
I've had white whiskey that is wonderful and I've had white whiskey that is more or less industrial cleaner.  The cut and any blending and dilution make the difference as far as I can tell.
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Offline punatic

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Re: White Whiskey
« Reply #20 on: December 06, 2013, 11:33:18 am »
Food for thought:  would you pass judgement on an entire style of beer based on couple of sips of a bad example of the style brewed by an inexperienced microbrewer? 

What do you suppose Glenlivet or Makers Mark taste like before they are barrel aged?

Think of some of the brewing techniques that are being employed now that brewers would not have even considered before the current microbrewery "revolution."
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Offline punatic

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Re: White Whiskey
« Reply #21 on: December 06, 2013, 11:43:42 am »
I'm more of a gin lady myself. Hendricks is my go to gin. Negronis are my go to drink. Drop a bit of Angostura Orange and Fee Brother gin barrel aged orange bitters in there and you're in business. 8)

Vodka is ethanol that has been distilled to have the congeners (impurities) and most or all of the flavors removed (neutral spirits).

Gin is redistilled vodka where the ethanol vapors are passed through botanicals such as juniper berries, corriander, lemon peel...  to infuse the gin with flavor.  Good gin making is truely an art, and there are many excellent interpretations.
« Last Edit: December 06, 2013, 11:49:31 am by punatic »
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Offline majorvices

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Re: White Whiskey
« Reply #22 on: December 06, 2013, 05:06:29 pm »


What do you suppose Glenlivet or Makers Mark taste like before they are barrel aged?

best guess: CRAP!

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: White Whiskey
« Reply #23 on: December 06, 2013, 05:34:21 pm »
I've had a lot of good Scotch Whisky, and I'm still torn on what ones I like best.  The 10 years are obviously a little hotter, but to me have the maltiest up front flavor. 12 years have smoother, rounded maltiness, with more complexity.The 15+ year olds I've had were silky, silky smooth, but many less intense to a fault.  I've loved, liked, and been ..meh. ..about scotches from all three categories. It seems that the maltiness, complexity, and silky smoothness meet at some weird three way intersection, going opposite directions, depending on the whisky and age of it. I'm blown away at what a master whisky distiller ( or any master distiller) can do, or not do in some cases.    ;)
« Last Edit: December 06, 2013, 08:24:39 pm by HoosierBrew »
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Offline erockrph

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Re: White Whiskey
« Reply #24 on: December 06, 2013, 10:28:29 pm »
I've had a lot of good Scotch Whisky, and I'm still torn on what ones I like best.  The 10 years are obviously a little hotter, but to me have the maltiest up front flavor. 12 years have smoother, rounded maltiness, with more complexity.The 15+ year olds I've had were silky, silky smooth, but many less intense to a fault.  I've loved, liked, and been ..meh. ..about scotches from all three categories. It seems that the maltiness, complexity, and silky smoothness meet at some weird three way intersection, going opposite directions, depending on the whisky and age of it. I'm blown away at what a master whisky distiller ( or any master distiller) can do, or not do in some cases.    ;)

I think your assessments for how scotch ages are pretty close to my experience with a few exceptions. The best scotches I've had are the Balvenie 21 year Portwood and Laphroaig 30 year.  The Port barrel aging adds a nice layer that gives some extra depth to a ridiculously smooth Balvenie. And Laphroaig is so intense that it continues to develop more complexity well beyond the 15-18 year landmark without losing too much of its big peaty, smoky quality.
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Offline 1vertical

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Re: White Whiskey
« Reply #25 on: December 06, 2013, 10:53:05 pm »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVG1U-faqHY

Ok now that we know the correct way....I chime in with my
feelings on a white whiskey called Low Gap.
http://craftdistillers.com/trade/Low_Gap_whiskey
 It is really delicious IMO.  And I follow the method above to a large degree
by adding good water to a dilution of around 42% alcohol. 
Sweet and nice smooth no headaches......whats not to like?
Oh, the 30$ price tag for a fifth....
« Last Edit: December 06, 2013, 10:55:42 pm by 1vertical »
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Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: White Whiskey
« Reply #26 on: December 07, 2013, 06:30:39 am »
I've had a lot of good Scotch Whisky, and I'm still torn on what ones I like best.  The 10 years are obviously a little hotter, but to me have the maltiest up front flavor. 12 years have smoother, rounded maltiness, with more complexity.The 15+ year olds I've had were silky, silky smooth, but many less intense to a fault.  I've loved, liked, and been ..meh. ..about scotches from all three categories. It seems that the maltiness, complexity, and silky smoothness meet at some weird three way intersection, going opposite directions, depending on the whisky and age of it. I'm blown away at what a master whisky distiller ( or any master distiller) can do, or not do in some cases.    ;)

I think your assessments for how scotch ages are pretty close to my experience with a few exceptions. The best scotches I've had are the Balvenie 21 year Portwood and Laphroaig 30 year.  The Port barrel aging adds a nice layer that gives some extra depth to a ridiculously smooth Balvenie. And Laphroaig is so intense that it continues to develop more complexity well beyond the 15-18 year landmark without losing too much of its big peaty, smoky quality.

Yeah that Balvenie 21 is great, as are pretty much all the Balvenie IMO. I love the Double Wood too.  The other one you mention sounds great. I've had plenty of 15+ years that had loads of complexity, but it seems like a crapshoot. We know how expensive the older ones are, and some of them (to me) are smoother but less flavorful. For twice (or more) the $$.
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Offline euge

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Re: White Whiskey
« Reply #27 on: December 07, 2013, 08:37:05 am »
I'm not so sure about whiskey or scotch even as that charred flavor doesn't thrill me that much. But a vsop brandy or cognac... I drink that straight and a lot of it. Some of the brands have obviously been matured in old whiskey barrels though and have oaky smoky qualities.
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