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Author Topic: Whiskey  (Read 180988 times)

Offline Phil_M

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #1050 on: January 15, 2019, 11:53:20 am »
There's another good Virginia rye that's made by Copper Fox. They also make a "scotch", but it's definitely quite smoky.

You have the opposite taste in Scotch from me, as I find it the smokier the better. If I don't want a smokey Scotch, I'll have Irish.
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Offline Wilbur

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #1051 on: January 15, 2019, 01:29:54 pm »
Side note: Interesting article on Good Beer Hunting on Peter Hemings, brother of Sally Hemings and Jefferson's brewer.

https://www.goodbeerhunting.com/blog/2018/11/28/missing-ingredients-the-incomplete-story-of-thomas-jeffersons-unsung-brewer

Offline ethinson

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #1052 on: January 16, 2019, 06:09:37 am »
There's another good Virginia rye that's made by Copper Fox. They also make a "scotch", but it's definitely quite smoky.

You have the opposite taste in Scotch from me, as I find it the smokier the better. If I don't want a smokey Scotch, I'll have Irish.

I seem to very sensitive to that phenol/aroma. I pick it out pretty easily in beer too. Smoked beers are a no go for me, unless it's very subtle like a rauchbier.  Stuff like "Smoked Porter" or "Smoked Amber" are out for me, especially homebrew versions where people go heavy handed on the smoked malt.  That's the one category I usually request not to judge, it will wreck my palate for days.  Usually that's something I can smell from across the room, so right under my nose is just overwhelming.

I'm a big fan of Irish whiskey.  I like Bushmills a lot. I'm interested to try some other ones.  I can't remember if I've had Jameson or not, I think I have but then I'm not totally sure. It's just so smooth compared to single malt.  I appreciate why people like it, but sometimes it can be too intense.  In the same vein blended Scotch like Johnnie Walker is also very nice (for me).
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Offline MDixon

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #1053 on: January 24, 2019, 06:36:57 pm »
Finishing up a fifth of Slane Irish Whiskey. Picked it up locally for $28. I like it quite a bit, supposedly a blend which is aged in three different casks (Bourbon, Tennessee Whiskey, and Sherry). If you find it, give it a whirl.
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Offline tumarkin

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #1054 on: January 24, 2019, 07:50:37 pm »
Ethinson....
interesting that you like Johnny Walker, as it has a fair amount of peaty Isla whisky in its blended makeup. the phenolics are not as pronounced as some of the straight peat monsters, but there none the less. the Irish whiskeys tend to be much smoother and subtler.
Mark Tumarkin
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Offline jeffy

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #1055 on: January 25, 2019, 05:02:24 am »
Ethinson....
interesting that you like Johnny Walker, as it has a fair amount of peaty Isla whisky in its blended makeup. the phenolics are not as pronounced as some of the straight peat monsters, but there none the less. the Irish whiskeys tend to be much smoother and subtler.
I did the tour at Jameson Old Distillery in Dublin in 2017 and at the end they had a tasting that included a comparison of a blended scotch, which turned out to be Johnny Walker.  It was subtle but everyone could taste the peatiness compared to the Irish.
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Offline reverseapachemaster

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #1056 on: January 25, 2019, 07:55:33 am »
Ethinson....
interesting that you like Johnny Walker, as it has a fair amount of peaty Isla whisky in its blended makeup. the phenolics are not as pronounced as some of the straight peat monsters, but there none the less. the Irish whiskeys tend to be much smoother and subtler.

That really depends upon which blend. Black and Double Black have a fair amount of peaty whisky but it's far more subdued than an Islay single malt. Green is a little iodine-y and I don't find Red to have any smoky or iodine character. Can't speak to Gold or Blue though.
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Offline ethinson

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #1057 on: January 29, 2019, 06:01:47 am »
Ethinson....
interesting that you like Johnny Walker, as it has a fair amount of peaty Isla whisky in its blended makeup. the phenolics are not as pronounced as some of the straight peat monsters, but there none the less. the Irish whiskeys tend to be much smoother and subtler.
I did the tour at Jameson Old Distillery in Dublin in 2017 and at the end they had a tasting that included a comparison of a blended scotch, which turned out to be Johnny Walker.  It was subtle but everyone could taste the peatiness compared to the Irish.

I've had the Red and the Blue, which I think are the bottom two, I know the Red label is the lowest (cheapest) and is honestly most likely used for mixing like scotch and soda, but that doesn't mean it's bad on it's own.  It might be in there and it's just not enough to notice since it is blended with other stuff.  I'm sure it wouldn't take much to cut it compared to a single malt.  The prices go up dramatically above those two, so needless to say I haven't tried the black/gold/platinum.  They have an airport version that you can only get at duty free stores that's called Double Smoke or Smoke Monster or something like that like, so they certainly have it in the portfolio available for mixing.

I tried some Jameson over the weekend while we were in San Francisco since a bar had a special on it and I've wanted to try it.  It was good, but it was very sweet (especially paired with an Anchor Steam).  Nice caramel/sugary type flavors but lingering sweetness.  It's not bad but I think I might prefer Bushmills.
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Offline tumarkin

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #1058 on: January 29, 2019, 06:53:00 am »
actually, the Red & the Black are the lower end Johnnies. the Blue is one of their higher end offerings. it is an NAS (no age statement) blend selling around $180. good, but not worth the money imho. if I'm going to spend that kind of money (rarely) there are certainly better choices.

there is also a Blue Ghost and Rare expression, I haven't had that (it's north of $400 a bottle). it's still an NAS whisky, but includes old whiskies from Port Ellen (a legendary & now shuttered Isla distillery), also Caledonian & Carsebridge (also shuttered distilleries). These are blended with whisky from Mortlach, Dailuaine, Cragganmore, Blair Athol & Oban.

along with Brora, Port Ellen was closed down back in the early 1980's. Diageo is building a new distilleries for Port Ellen and rebuilding the Brora distillery.
https://scotchwhisky.com/magazine/in-depth/16389/the-resurrection-of-port-ellen-and-brora/

both will supposedly open around 2020 - and also supposedly recreate the original whiskies as closely as possible. I haven't had Port Ellen but it's revered in the whisky world (as is Brora).  Diageo still releases liquid from both distilleries annually but at very costly prices. These whiskies come from stocks that were made before the distilleries were closed down. I have had Brora (from an independent bottling, not the Diageo releases, and much less expensive, though still costly) and it was pretty spectacular.

Clynelish is a sister distillery to Brora, and located next door. It is one of my favorite single malts. It's a delicate, floral whisky - very different from Brora which was a lightly peated Highland whisky. Gets confusing because Brora was originally called Clynelish until the 1960's when they built the new 'Clynelish' distillery next door and changed the name of the original distillery to Brora.

 

Mark Tumarkin
Hogtown Brewers
Gainesville, FL

Offline ethinson

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #1059 on: January 30, 2019, 06:04:30 am »
Ah, I knew I was going to mess that up and should have looked.  Now that you mention it I remember now the blue label is the fancy one.  So in that case I've had the Red and the Black.

I've seen all sorts of wild Johnnies at airports that are "Travel Exclusive" (duty free stores/international) that all tend to be pretty expensive.  I guess by their very nature they are lower volume and therefore more rare.  I think I remember them because it's such a distinctive bottle/label.  I think that's where I saw the "Double Black" and also a Platinum label.  I used to follow an instagram account that would post pictures of stuff they would find at like Dubai Airport, but I haven't seen anything recently so they must have stopped posting or I stopped following them.
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Offline MDixon

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #1060 on: February 07, 2019, 05:35:13 pm »
Finished off a fifth of Shenk's Homestyle Sour Mash 2018 tonight. To me it was just a bit too alcoholic to love. At $40 I can find something more interesting for a lower price point although inexpensive Bourbons seem to be more difficult to find nowadays.
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Offline Wilbur

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #1061 on: February 07, 2019, 10:09:41 pm »
So, finally got low enough in the bottle to throw my Johnny Walker white Walker in the freezer. Very disappointed to find the message "Winter is here". When the back promised a big reveal, I kind of expected a little more. That being said, for the price ($30/Central IL) I feel I could've gotten something much better for a few more bucks. Deanston 12 is $35, and much better quality. I seem to remember getting a single malt speyside for $28 a few years ago that was about the same quality. I'm sure more than a few out there will scoff at me for trying to get a decent scotch for less than $60 though.

Offline MDixon

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #1062 on: February 16, 2019, 08:40:42 pm »
Tried the GoT White Walker out of the freezer. Not a fan of it freezer cold on the first pour. Trying to decide if I will hit it again cold (typically try things at least two or three times) or just pull it and let it get warm. Aroma is light citrus coupled with leather and a hint of alcoholic plastic. Flavor has some sweetness, citrus, leather, oak, and aftertaste which seems to have more phenolic alcohol although at a low level.
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Offline Joe Sr.

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #1063 on: February 18, 2019, 09:49:19 am »
Sounds like I'll leave it on the shelf.
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Offline MDixon

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Re: Whiskey
« Reply #1064 on: February 19, 2019, 06:29:44 am »
I typically never go on the first taste alone. I'm only gonna hit this one more time ice cold before letting it warm up. Ice cold it was certainly a pass, but why would anyone drink Scotch ice cold?
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