[JJeffers09]

I have always found it to be 'sweet oak' fresh wood flavors vs sugary sweet.  I am not sure I follow the politics but it will give me something to google...

I will agree with you Redbreast is sweet, sugary sweet.  Not the neat kind of whiskey, its a car bomb whiskey.  Kilbeggan is high for most but the 21YO blend is pretty awesome.  The ex-Bourbon Barrel is the only negative I have picked up, but it is still an ever changing bottle.  Funny thing about the Kilbeggan single malt 8y that I found funny anyway, the main ingredient is corn.  Which to me isn't irish whiskey, but I am not against it I just don't call it "Irish Whiskey" its Irish Bourbon.  I will agree it is sweeter than a bourbon, but still good.

Whistle Pig is one of the only ryes (straight up rye) I will order neat.  Everything else is better in a cocktail for my tastes anyway.

[MDixon]

Whistlepig = MWGP as do most Rye's.

I was in a bar in Baltimore last night and they had a bottle of "local" Sagamore rye so I took a glass. Sure enough when I looked it up it was Midwest Grain Products. Tasty stuff, but not from Baltimore.

[JJeffers09]

Whistlepig = MWGP as do most Rye's.

I was in a bar in Baltimore last night and they had a bottle of "local" Sagamore rye so I took a glass. Sure enough when I looked it up it was Midwest Grain Products. Tasty stuff, but not from Baltimore.

Whats that now? It is owned by Raj Peter Bhakta.

[Joe Sr.]

He might own Sagamore, but most rye is distilled in Indiana.  Maybe aged near Baltimore.

Bushmills vs. Jameson is a loaded topic.

[MDixon]

He might own the company, but he doesn't make the rye, he buys it from Indiana.

[Joe Sr.]

Just to be clear, that's not to say it's not good rye.  Just that the vast majority of rye is distilled in Indiana as well as a ton of the smaller label bourbons.

Whistle Pig is outstanding rye.  Noah's Mill is outstanding bourbon.  They're both distilled in Indiana.

[reverseapachemaster]

Whistlepig = MWGP as do most Rye's.

I was in a bar in Baltimore last night and they had a bottle of "local" Sagamore rye so I took a glass. Sure enough when I looked it up it was Midwest Grain Products. Tasty stuff, but not from Baltimore.

This is one area where I feel the TTB does its worst job regulating the industry. If you buy fermented product (whether it is wine or spirit) from another business you should not be able to even intimate it is a local product just because you repackage it locally. I don't mind that businesses buy industrial wine/spirit but be honest that you aren't the producer, just a packager or blender.

[69franx]

Just seems like that would be common sense Mike. They regulate so much down the nitty gritty. To let this continue to occur just seems like they are missing a huge piece in this day and age of buying local

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[JJeffers09]

I agree with you.  Let me say I do think it is an amazing product, however, I can't say when I crack knob creek, whistlepig, bullet, dickel that they all taste the same.  I do not appreciate regulations, but could you imagine what it would be like without them?

At any rate, I love me some sippin whiskey...  Oh and is W.L. Weller 12 easy to get your hands on or about as hard as the Pappy 12?

[MDixon]

If you are looking for the Antique series it is near impossible to find. The WL Weller Special Reserve is not that bad, but most people gouge. I didn't find it to be all that impressive when I had it, but I think it was like $27. I saw a bottle just the other day for $80 which is nuts.

[Joe Sr.]

Anything Weller is hard to get by me.  I almost ordered a pour of Weller 12 when i came across it but they wanted more than $25 for a glass.  Crazy.

[MDixon]

I've been working my way through some blends lately. Monkey Shoulder was on sale this month in NC for $27 so I figured why not. Really enjoyable at an affordable price point. Appears to primarily be casks from Balvenie, Glenfiddich, and Kininvie with other Speyside casks added from time to time. Anyway it has quite a bit more character than the Bon Accord I mentioned not long ago. I can see both finding a home in the bar except not long after each is opened they seem to be drained.

[MDixon]

I just opened my second 1.75 l bottle of Kirkland (Costco) Blended Scotch Whiskey.  The first one was very pleasant, but simple.  Easy to drink, but without distinction.

This second one is IMO a bit phenolic.  It is not unpleasant, but right on the border.  It tastes of band-aids, smoke, sea-water, cinnamon and (I'm reaching here) marshmallow.  As I taste a little more of it,  sea water or oyster shell is what comes to mind more than anything else.

I bought the $18 handle of Kirkland blended and I cannot choke it down. I can't make it work neat or with any volume of water except the water chasing it down the drain. I'll try it in some mixed beverages, but if it doesn't present as tasty in anything I can come up with it will probably get to clean my pipes.

[pete b]

I just opened my second 1.75 l bottle of Kirkland (Costco) Blended Scotch Whiskey.  The first one was very pleasant, but simple.  Easy to drink, but without distinction.

This second one is IMO a bit phenolic.  It is not unpleasant, but right on the border.  It tastes of band-aids, smoke, sea-water, cinnamon and (I'm reaching here) marshmallow.  As I taste a little more of it,  sea water or oyster shell is what comes to mind more than anything else.

I bought the $18 handle of Kirkland blended and I cannot choke it down. I can't make it work neat or with any volume of water except the water chasing it down the drain. I'll try it in some mixed beverages, but if it doesn't present as tasty in anything I can come up with it will probably get to clean my pipes.

Try it in a Rob Roy

[yso191]

I'm getting the impression that Kirkland is not going for consistency.  It may be that they are just buying up the leavings of various distillers, blending those and bottling...but that is just a guess based on the variation observed.

I'm headed there today, and plan to pick up another.  It may be my last.