What is your favorite Whiskey to drink?

[monkeyrhythm]

You're a rookie, and poor if you didn't name Pappy Van Winkle as the g.o.a.t.

You're American if you did...*


*not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

[Smokes]

Very nice, def puts my collection to shame. Got my eye on that Blanton’s and is that Midsummer Night’s Dram or Midwinter? I’ve heard great things about those, I like High West a lot.

yeah it’s a Midwinter Dram. It’s pretty good and yes High West does makes some great Ryes.

 

[Smokes]

You're a rookie, and poor if you didn't name Pappy Van Winkle as the g.o.a.t.

here u go

 

[Smokes]

This been one of my fav pick up from the last few yrs

 

[aerius]

Yeah it’s absolutely insane. Weller is very hard for me to find. I know one shop that has Weller Special Reserve and it’s priced at $150. Thing is, Weller Special Reserve is the bottom end of the Weller line. It’s meant to retail for around $25-$30. $150 is an insane price for what is really meant to be a budget whiskey.

Weller used to be fairly available in my part of Canada, but the supplies dried up around 2018 or 2019. There's literally less than a week per year when it's in stock and prices have nearly doubled, though it's still way less than what it's going for where you live. I bought a couple dozen bottles of Weller 107 a few years back when it was $36 a bottle and since then I've only been able to get 1 or 2 bottles a year if I'm lucky.

 

[BFoe]

Weller used to be fairly available in my part of Canada, but the supplies dried up around 2018 or 2019. There's literally less than a week per year when it's in stock and prices have nearly doubled, though it's still way less than what it's going for where you live. I bought a couple dozen bottles of Weller 107 a few years back when it was $36 a bottle and since then I've only been able to get 1 or 2 bottles a year if I'm lucky.

I’ve actually never tried Weller, because I can’t ever find the stuff lol. Even when I’m at a nice bar or restaurant that has it on the whiskey list, they’re inevitably out when I try and order it. But yeah, it’s really crazy how all the higher end Buffalo Trace products are starting to get rare and overpriced.

I picked this up the other day, another example of a Buffalo Trace product that people charge too much for

 

[aerius]

I’ve actually never tried Weller, because I can’t ever find the stuff lol. Even when I’m at a nice bar or restaurant that has it on the whiskey list, they’re inevitably out when I try and order it. But yeah, it’s really crazy how all the higher end Buffalo Trace products are starting to get rare and overpriced.

I picked this up the other day, another example of a Buffalo Trace product that people charge too much for

View attachment 926393

I tried the standard Weller many years ago and couldn't tell much difference between it and regular Buffalo Trace. I vaguely recall the Weller being a bit spicier but I didn't think it special or anything and never bought it again. I thought the 107 was a big step up from the Special Reserve so that's what I've been buying for years until the supply dried up. Never seen the 12 year anywhere even though our liquor distributor lists it on their website.

The higher end Buffalo Trace products are pretty much unobtanium over here and there's no way I'm paying the prices they're asking. Most of the good stuff from any distillery is either unavailable or obscenely priced so I don't even bother. It's pretty much Evan Williams black label, Wild Turkey 101, and the occasional bottle of Weller 107 or Knob Creek single barrel. Also been getting a bottle or 2 from the Kavalan Soloist series from my family in Taiwan in recent years which has completely spoiled me, but that's another story for another time.

 

[Jesus X]

 

[Jesus X]

It tastes good and it's dirt cheap. Fuck all the whiskey snobs that look down on it. They're getting to be worse than wine snobs.

There is no better bang for your booze buck

Shit even a kessler is good sometimes. i bet most folks couldn't even tell it was like 12 dollar whiskey.

 

[Takes Two To Tango]

I've tried this, its pretty good.

 

[rearnakedchoke]

Buffalo trace. Best bang for my buck.

 

[Rimbaud82]

Taking this to be the general whiskey thread lol.

https://bww.thewhiskeyhub.com/

Belfast Whiskey Week is coming up here at the end of month. Unfortunately money is too tight to do all the events I want, but so far I have booked the tasting session for Killowen, my favourite distillery, and will maybe book a few others. Confirmed by Brendan (the master distiller) that there we will be able to taste some of their own whiskeys So absolutely ecstatic for that.

And speaking of Killowen...

They have announced two new releases in their bonded series (where they bottle other peoples juice, but with full transparency, more like an independent bottling). This time they have released two fascinating whiskeys from Belgrove in Tasmania. A tiny farm distillery known for it's creative approach:



Particularly interesting for Killowen fans like me since it was apparently a big influence in Brendan Carty when he lived in Australia as an architect.

Just took delivery of this beauty:

 

[liner]

beam and coke. I prefer bourbon mixed with coke, any kind really, I can't tell the difference when it's mixed. I don't really like drinking liquor straight so rarely buy anything expensive. For guests I have some Basil Haden and a local called Stranahan. and some scotch, Glenturret and Tomintoul. I think those are all decent enough to drink straight and good enough for any whiskey snobs. I take those out if people are over.

 

[BAM]

I tend to mix it up so I dont really have a favourite anything. But my home bar usually has a bourbon, a rye and a single malt scotch. I tend to focus more on the scotch, currently have a Macallan. Will probably get an Oban next

 

[HARRISON_3]

Redbreast, though I’m more of a vodka man

 

[FactNotFiction]

Anything smokey from Scotland.

 

[Tankeray]

Elijah Craig

 

[Kryptt]

 

[Rimbaud82]

In other news I was excited to hear my local shop was getting in an allocation of Buffalo Trace antique collection stuff....they got Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye 2015, William Larue Weller 2009 and an Old Rip Van Winkle 10 year old. But disappointing to see that they are charging between £800-1200 for them. Sucks that bourbon price gouging has even impacted prices here...but I guess if people are dumb enough to pay it, then more power to them.

 

[BFoe]

Redbreast, though I’m more of a vodka man

My man
You might appreciate 2 of my recent purchases then, both limited edition:


This is the Redbreast PX (Pedro Ximenez) Sherry Cask. Absolutely gorgeous. It’s a NAS (No Age Statement) Redbreast believed to be anout 10 years old, that gets taken and finished for 12-22 mos in Pedro Ximenez Sherry hogsheads casks). It’s beautiful.

This one I just bought but haven’t tried yet, as I bought it while traveling. I gave it to my gf to fly it home.

This is a stock picture because my actual bottle is at home while I am out of state. Redbreast Kentucky Oak edition. This is the first whiskey in their limited edition American Oak series. It’s basically Redbreast finished for an additional 6+ mos in brand new Kentucky Oak, and then bottled at 101 proof. Absolutely can’t wait to try.

Probably a nerdier post here for some more casual whiskey drinkers But just taking this is a general whiskey thread too.

Had an absolutely wonderful whiskey day last Friday there at a tasting for Killowen distillery as part of Belfast Whiskey Week. Was at Madden's Bar in Belfast. Got there about 11am for an early pint, got chatting with Brendan (the head distiller/owner) and some other lads. Killowen is easily my favourite distillery in Ireland, I have obviously mentioned them before. A few days before that I was also at a private tasting for the 'Killowen Kult', a wee group for fans of the distillery. That one was just random samples from some open bottles, but this event on friday was samples of Killowen's own juice which is just now turning 3 years old, and now legally able to be called whiskey.

The tasting kicked off at about 12.30, and it was all absolutely fantastic stuff. Got to try one of their new poitins, and then the rest of the samples where just 'cask raids'....samples of Killowen's own juice as I said, not necessarily in it's final form how it'll be released, but just as samples taken straight from the cask to see how they are coming along now that it's finally 3 years or thereabouts.

So exciting to finally try their own whiskey after following their progress over the past few years (in the meantime they have been releasing amazing poitín, as well as sourced whiskey in the style of independent bottlings with interesting cask finishes etc.)

All the drams were brilliant and testament to the fact that whiskey doesn't need to be 10yo or above just to be interesting. If the raw spirit is as high quality as Killowen's it can be just as interesting while young. None of these are gonna be released as is and they'll be aged a bit further or vatted with other casks, but even as is they were fantastic.

Of the whiskeys two of them where 'standard' pot still whiskey, as in compliant to how pot still was defined according to the old technical file/geographic indicator. For anyone that doesn't know, for whiskey to be called Irish single pot still under the old definition it had to be a minimum of 30% malted barley, 30% unmalted barley and up to 5% other grains. This is quite contentious among the new distillers as it doesn't reflect the history of mixed mash bills in Irish whiskey whatsoever, it basically just reflected the distilling process and house styles of one company, ie. Midleton, which happened to be the only distillery standing when the definition was put down. This is basically the pot still style of your Redbreast, Powers, and Spots. @BFoe

Or to use a clear example, Kilbeggan's Small Batch Rye (https://www.irishmalts.com/blended/kilbeggan-small-batch-rye) has a mashbill of 70% unmalted/malted barley, and 30% rye. In historical terms it's every bit an Irish pot still whiskey but because of the current definition they can't market it as such. So they have to call it a rye.

Killowen were one of the biggest advocates for changes and a return to more genuine historical mashbills. So a new technical file/GI has since been submitted allowing for 30% malted barley, 30% unmalted barley, and now up to 30% of other grains. Which is therefore more reflective of the history of Irish pot still and allows for more creativity from distillers. Nonetheless it was interesting to try Kilowen's old GI compliant 'Midleton' style pot still at a young age.

Of these two one was aged in refill bourbon casks, apparently quite tired casks but still seemed to impart a fair influence. The other one was aged in PX casks and it is one of the most sherried whiskeys I have ever smelt, a massive sherry bomb. On the nose it was pure sherry. On the mouth however, it still had that ultra syrupy richness you get from wet sherry casks....but unlike say Boann's PX, I Love You, which I found way over-sherried, the strength of Killowen's raw spirit avoids being totally overwhelmed. I still think it's probably a bit too sherried, but the distiller himself said that he was thinking of vatting both of these releases together...and as an experiment we got another pour of both blended together, which I thought worked well. Both were very good though.

Next sample was, if memory serves, a mashbill of 70% unmalted oat and 30% unmalted barley, aged in a heavily charred cabernet sauvingon firkin. Again fantastic, took well to water but then it opened up nicely.

Final one was their core mashbill, a pot still whiskey but not one that is compliant to the Midleton style GI. Didn't catch the exact ratios/percentages but uses a mashbill of smoked oats with malted and unmalted barley, rye and wheat. Sample was at 60.5% (all of them were straight undiluted from the cask). This was lovely, possibly my favourite of the bunch...had a very mentholic, minty note from the turf smoke, but not quite as 'dirty' as you'd find in an Islay whiskey. Of course it uses local turf from the Mourne Mountains which is also fascinating and wonderful to see.

Although there are Irish peated whiskeys popping up, at present none of them use Irish peat (what we call turf) since the distilleries aren't equipped to malt barley that way. They source pre-smoked malt from Scotland which is then distilled in Ireland. So although peated whiskey is a part of Irish whiskey tradition just like it is in Scotland (albeit one that pretty much died out), we are only just starting to see resurgence. Waterford will be release the first peated Irish whiskey later this year, as in the first one to market since obviously KIllowen have been using local peat too.

Hey, I appreciate your “nerdy” whiskey posts. Bought these 2 whiskies just yesterday as part of a sale bundle:

I am beyond stoked to finally own a bottle of Blue Spot. I’ve never tried the Wilderness Trail bourbon, but I’ve heard good things. Most Wilderness Trail is small batch, but mine is a Single Barrell BiB. I bought those together as part of a sale bundle. I passed up a different whiskey though, which was a Whistlepig 10 Year Single Barrel Cask Strength store pick—and it’s causing me some regret lol. I might have to just pick that up too.