Whiskey (Not Scotch!)

[GitFiddle]

 

[LPMarshall Hack]

Evan williams

 

[E1WOOD5150]

Makers is my keep around the house brand. Their "46" is quite good as well. If someone else is buying, i'll have Woodford Reserve, Basil Hayden, Bookers or Knob Creek. I started enjoying bourbon with Jim Beam. I prefer all of the above on the rocks, except Bookers, which needs some water to calm it down a bit.

If you prefer yours neat, add 1 semi sweet chocolate chip to it and let it sit a few. Swirl it and enjoy. You'll be amazed at how well chocolate compliments bourbon.

Crown Royal is pretty good, especially when drinking Dimebag's Black Tooth Grin. And if you want to get the wife just drunk enough for some solid sexy-time, mix the Crown Royal Apple with ginger ale. You can thank me later.

 

[LSAR]

Revel Stoke Spiced is where it's at. Gibson's is decent too. Depends on the mood.

 

[Tone deaf]

Connemara Irish whiskey is excellent, IMO. For burbon, I like Woodfords and Makers. I like my whisky and my whiskey neat (maybe a few drops of water). I'm not a big fan of Canadian whiskey, unless it's the only thing available, in which case it's just fine.

 

[prs97]

I used to be a Scotch drinker up until a few years ago when a colleague bought me a bottle of Woodford Reserve. Since then, Bourbon has been my go to drink, either neat or on the rocks.

I like Bulleit a lot as well. Makers is fine for me too. I found the Blantons to be a little sweet for me.

My personal fav is Walthen's. I got a bottle last year as a gift and haven't seen it in the stores. If I see it, I'm scooping up a few bottles.

 

[Inside Guy]

Pretty much anything made at the Kilbeggan Distillery in Ireland I like.

 

[HardCore Troubadour]

if you can find this (there was a trademark law-suit---they LOST...whiskey is still around though)....give it a try.

very, very close to CR......Same stuff in each bottle, but marketed by STATE:

 

[Tone deaf]

If you like whiskey, you might like a good reposado* or anejo** tequilas. Gran Centenario is a favorite of mine.

I like my tequila neat. No limes, no salt, no ice. Just a clean glass (the clean part is optional).


* "reposado" means rested as in the white lightening is aged in wooded casks (previously used for wine or spirits or intentionally charred) to add complexity, color (whiskys and whiskeys also go into the casks clear and come out dark) and flavor. Reposados are aged in the cask for between two months and a year.

** "Anjeo" means aged and it goes into the barrels for at least one year. Anjeo also requires smaller barrels so that there is a higher ratio of barrel surface area to liquid. I assume that (smaller barrels) is to impart more flavor, complexity and color which the longer aging process will also do.

 

[winexprt]

Try Buffalo Trace. One of the best I`ve ever had and cheaper than JD. Also Jim Beam Black.
I also enjoy a good Irish Whiskey(Bushmills/Jameson)

I was going to recommend (highly) Buffalo Trace but you beat me to it. EXCELLENT bourbon for the price.

BTW, the same distillery (Buffalo Trace Distillery) that produces Blanton's also makes Buffalo Trace Bourbon, and many other highly regarded brands. E.H. Taylor is one of them, and it's fantastic.

I'm in the biz...

 

[winexprt]

If you like whiskey, you might like a good reposado* or anejo** tequilas. Gran Centenario is a favorite of mine.

I like my tequila neat. No limes, no salt, no ice. Just a clean glass (the clean part is optional).


* "reposado" means rested as in the white lightening is aged in wooded casks (previously used for wine or spirits or intentionally charred) to add complexity, color (whiskys and whiskeys also go into the casks clear and come out dark) and flavor. Reposados are aged in the cask for between two months and a year.

** "Anjeo" means aged and it goes into the barrels for at least one year. Anjeo also requires smaller barrels so that there is a higher ratio of barrel surface area to liquid. I assume that (smaller barrels) is to impart more flavor, complexity and color which the longer aging process will also do.

You're exactly right Tone. I'm a big fan of premium Tequila.

One of my favorite Anejo's is Don Julio.

Sublime.

 

[JayFreddy]

Oddly enough, Canadian whiskey is colloquially called "rye" and can even legally be labeled "Canadian rye whiskey," but doesn't actually have to contain any rye at all! Certainly it's much, much sweeter, being essentially corn-based like Bourbon, than straight rye whiskey as defined by US law.

I've learned quite a bit since starting this thread!

I knew that Scotch whisky was spelled, "ky", without an "e", but I hadn't been paying attention, and thought all other whiskies used the "e".

Apparently, Irish and American whiskies are both spelled with the "-key", while Scotch and Canadian whisky are spelled, "-ky"

Also, I didn't realize that bourbon was a simply another way of saying American corn whiskey, and that the terms "Canadian whisky" and "rye whisky" could be used interchangeably, regardless of actual rye content.

Now I'm curious to try a rye whisky that actually contains rye.

Since I like Crown Royal and I like Blanton's, I guess my preference is in the "sweeter" end of the whiskey spectrum.

Crown Royal is a Canadian whisky blended from supposedly 50 different kinds of whisky, but it tastes so smooth, I imagine that corn must be the primary ingredient.

Can anyone provide insight into how the ingredients and process used in Crown Royal compare to those used American bourbon?

This could be fun investigation... Just have to let someone else do the driving!

I was going to recommend (highly) Buffalo Trace but you beat me to it. EXCELLENT bourbon for the price.

BTW, the same distillery (Buffalo Trace Distillery) that produces Blanton's also makes Buffalo Trace Bourbon, and many other highly regarded brands. E.H. Taylor is one of them, and it's fantastic.

I'm in the biz...

They also have a cool website with live webcams!

Buffalo Trace Distillery

 

[JCM900MkIII]

I like Glennfiddich 12y.o. single malt
That's it.

Really smooth.

 

[Donal]

I've learned quite a bit since starting this thread!

I knew that Scotch whisky was spelled, "ky", without an "e", but I hadn't been paying attention, and thought all other whiskies used the "e".

Apparently, Irish and American whiskies are both spelled with the "-key", while Scotch and Canadian whisky are spelled, "-ky"

Within the broad category of whisky/ey are many sub-categories, including bourbon, rye, Tennessee, Scotch, Irish, and Canadian style whiskies. The manufacture of each of these types of whisky/ey is guided and regulated by the government of the spirit's country of origin. As a result, Canadian whisky, for example, is a whole different animal from Scotch whisky, Irish whiskey, and American-style whiskeys such as Tennessee, bourbon, and straight rye.

Okay, so far, so good. Maybe at this point, you’d be happy to enjoy a glass of the stuff no matter how it’s spelled.

American and Irish liquor producers tend to favor the spelling WhiskEy, while Canadian, Scottish, and Japanese producers tend to favour (or should I say, favor) Whisky.

Here’s a quick way to remember how some of the world’s biggest producers spell their products:

Countries that have E's in their names (UnitEd StatEs and IrEland) tend to spell it whiskEy.

Countries without E’s in their names (Canada, Scotland, and Japan) spell it whisky.

And one other thing: The plural of WhiskEy is Whiskeys while the plural of Whisky is Whiskies.

Whew! Time for a drink.

 

[roeg]

Canadian Club, Small Batch Classic 12 yr. old whiskey here. I like a shot with a Mill Street Tankhouse Ale.One Whiskey,One Scotch,One beer.Perfect.

 

[rcole_sooner]

I'd do Blanton's or Maker's Mark, but Knob Creek for me. I don't like to mix, I like to drink it neat or just a bit of ice.

 

[rcole_sooner]

Then there is this. I dunno, but some ideas, yeah and some Scotch.

2015 Gift Guide for Whiskey Geeks

 

[chito]

I'll recommend 2 things, for those who like Crowne Royale, you should try out Forty Creek. I always keep a bottle around.

The next one for Irish Whiskey lovers, try Writers Tears Whiskey. A friend gave it to me for my birthday and I was surprised at how good it was.

 

[Bill Hicklin]

Also, I didn't realize that bourbon was a simply another way of saying American corn whiskey, and that the terms "Canadian whisky" and "rye whisky" could be used interchangeably, regardless of actual rye content.

Well, Bourbon has to jump through a few more hoops than just being corn based! Specifically, it has to be made from a mash of at least 51% corn, must be distilled to no more than 80% strength*, must be aged in new, charred white oak barrels, casked at not more than 62.5%, and bottled at not less than 40% (80 proof US).

To be labeled straight Bourbon, it can contain no artificial colors or flavors (a rule unique to Bourbon, even lordly single-malt scotches can have caramel coloring added), and cannot be blended with grain spirits (alcohol distilled from grain to more than 80%, usually 96% or 198 proof)- which is cheaper and a way for inexpensive blended Bourbon to keep cost down.

Tennessee whiskey is identical to Bourbon except that it has to be filtered through maple charcoal before casking, and made in Tennessee.

What you see labeled as "corn whiskey" in the US is, basically, legal moonshine, and doesn't have to be aged at all.

-----------------
Bourbon and Canadian are corn-based; (US) rye is rye-based, Scotch and Irish* are barley-based.

Now I'm curious to try a rye whisky that actually contains rye

There are many, but the go-to standard is Old Overholt.

---------------
*The maximum distillation strength is important- going beyond 80% (160 proof US) distills off the complex organics that give whiskey its flavor and color and all you have left is tasteless grain alcohol
**Although the legal definition of Irish whiskey is simply "whiskey made in Ireland"

 

[JayFreddy]

Well, Bourbon has to jump through a few more hoops than just being corn based! Specifically, it has to be made from a mash of at least 51% corn, must be distilled to no more than 80% strength*, must be aged in new, charred white oak barrels, casked at not more than 62.5%, and bottled at not less than 40% (80 proof US).

To be labeled straight Bourbon, it can contain no artificial colors or flavors (a rule unique to Bourbon, even lordly single-malt scotches can have caramel coloring added), and cannot be blended with grain spirits (alcohol distilled from grain to more than 80%, usually 96% or 198 proof)- which is cheaper and a way for inexpensive blended Bourbon to keep cost down.

Tennessee whiskey is identical to Bourbon except that it has to be filtered through maple charcoal before casking, and made in Tennessee.

What you see labeled as "corn whiskey" in the US is, basically, legal moonshine, and doesn't have to be aged at all.

-----------------
Bourbon and Canadian are corn-based; (US) rye is rye-based, Scotch and Irish* are barley-based.



There are many, but the go-to standard is Old Overholt.

---------------
*The maximum distillation strength is important- going beyond 80% (160 proof US) distills off the complex organics that give whiskey its flavor and color and all you have left is tasteless grain alcohol
**Although the legal definition of Irish whiskey is simply "whiskey made in Ireland"

You're makin' me thirsty!