Whisk(e)y Appreciation Thread.

[Guest]

Whiskey, whiskey, where do we begin?

 

 

I made this thread as I am VERY enthusiastic about Whiskey. 

 

I guess this is where I can review my whiskey experiences, and you might be able to pick something up for yourself that you've never tried before. 

 

GRANTED YOU'RE OVER THE AGE OF 18/21 (depends on where you live).

 

 

A random fact about whisk(e)y:

 

Some Whisk(e)ys have an 'e', and some don't. This is due to the translation of Irish and Scottish Gaelic.

 

Scottish Whiskys have no 'e', whereas Irish Whiskey's do - the Irish share this same trait with American Whiskeys.

 

 

 

Glenfiddich 12:

 

Smell

 

When smelling Glenfiddich 12, I smell sweetness, almost caramel/butterscotch notes that jump out. And also a little bit of orange in the back.

 

Taste

 

Just as I smelled earlier, a very sweet tasting Whisky, hints of butterscotch and caramel, however I can't seem to taste the hint of orange that I smelled earlier.

 

This Whisky is a very smooth Whisky with a surprisingly long after taste and is not harsh at all. 

 

Recommendations

 

Best to drink it neat or with a bit of distilled water.

 

 

 

 

Lagavulin 16:

 

Smell

 

From the nose, this is a very smokey whisky with dark notes. 

 

Taste

This Whisky is definitely not for beginners. The peat creates a very smokey palette. You get this very dark and smokey taste but just when you're about to swallow the whisky it turns in to a very refreshing and lasting finish.

 

Recommendations

 

Only drink this neat. Hence why this whisky is not for beginners. It has a very complicated palette that rewards the drinker with every sip. It has that very distinct Islay feel and taste to it.

 

 

 

 

Johnnie Walker Green Label:

 

Foreword:

 

This Whisky has been blended with a lot of different single malts from the highlands, lowlands and even Islay malts. They call it a blended malt scotch whisky.

 

Smell

 

Surprisingly, I couldn't get too much from the smell. It was very complicated to put my finger on certain ingredients used to create it. I did smell a distinctive wood smell, probably from the barrel - oak perhaps.

 

Taste
 

This is where it gets interesting. After every sip there was a different flavour that kicked in. I paired this Whisky with a nice steak and after every sip it seemed like there was something new brought to the palette. 

 

My first sip introduced a VERY heavy chocolate hint, and it was very distinctive. So much so that I knew it was dark chocolate.

 

My second sip introduced some slight citrus flavours like orange and a hint of lemon. 

 

And it kept alternating between the two flavours.

 

Recommendation

 

A very strange but light Whisky, I would definitely recommend to get a small necked glass, smell the whisky, and then smell it again with a drop of distilled water to open up the oils. For beginners I recommend it with 1 ice cube. for intermediate this is a very smooth whisky to drink neat.

 

 

 

**If you have any reviews you'd like to add, please do. I love learning about new Whisk(e)ys!**

 

[kilgore_T]

I quit drinking 10 years ago but "Tamnavulin" and "Jura" were my favourites back then, and a little Glen Morangie thrown in for sweetness

 

[Guest]

Did you say Whisk appreciation thread? 

 

I love me some whisking. Make dough, batter or gravy. Whisks are amazing! 

[Derrk]

nothing beats a nice glass of whiskey/scotch, especially paired with a cigar. I  prefer single malts, but an occasional blend is nice too. Lately i've been on the hunt for a bottle of Nikka Yoichi. I haven't tried it yet but my friends say good things about it. I had a bottle of Miyagikyo, also by Nikka, which was very nice. I've been on a bit of a japanese kick lately, but my other favorites are glenmorangie & glenlivet. 

[EPENEX]

What Whiskeys should I try that are cheap when I turn 21 in a few months? Something I can find in America easily.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Derrk said:

nothing beats a nice glass of whiskey/scotch, especially paired with a cigar. I  prefer single malts, but an occasional blend is nice too. Lately i've been on the hunt for a bottle of Nikka Yoichi. I haven't tried it yet but my friends say good things about it. I had a bottle of Miyagikyo, also by Nikka, which was very nice. I've been on a bit of a japanese kick lately, but my other favorites are glenmorangie & glenlivet. 

Oh definitely.

 

Pairing cigars to a nice Whiskey/scotch can make all the difference!

 

I too prefer single malts, however I recently received a bottle of Johnny Walker Green label which is a blend of single malts. I have yet to try it! It's just sitting up in the cupboard at the moment.

 

I have only ever had a few Japanese Whiskeys, so I can't base an opinion on it until I have had a few more!  

 

 

[Guest]

8 hours ago, kilgore_T said:

I quit drinking 10 years ago but "Tamnavulin" and "Jura" were my favourites back then, and a little Glen Morangie thrown in for sweetness

 

Jura is VERY nice. I have yet to purchase a bottle as they get very pricey here.

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, EPENEX said:

What Whiskeys should I try that are cheap when I turn 21 in a few months? Something I can find in America easily.

With Whiskeys, everyone has a different taste. 

 

You can get smokey, sweet and bitter Whiskeys/scotch among many different other taste pallets.

 

I recommend Chivas for beginners. It has a combination of flavours, and isn't too rough at all. Best to consume with an ice cube, or if you're daring - neat.

 

And it is pretty inexpensive too. It is blended though, I generally recommend blended for first time whiskey drinkers.

 

 

[Derrk]

18 hours ago, EPENEX said:

What Whiskeys should I try that are cheap when I turn 21 in a few months? Something I can find in America easily.

If you want cheap whiskey, canadian club and jameson are pretty inexpensive, and widely available in the US. I also like bourbon on occassions, and jim beam is a decent inexpensive bourbon. My favorite bourbon I've had is woodford reserve but its a little pricey, but not too bad. Bought a bottle of woodford double oaked on my 21st birthday - very nice

[Derrk]

18 hours ago, Netivity said:

Oh definitely.

 

Pairing cigars to a nice Whiskey/scotch can make all the difference!

 

I too prefer single malts, however I recently received a bottle of Johnny Walker Green label which is a blend of single malts. I have yet to try it! It's just sitting up in the cupboard at the moment.

 

I have only ever had a few Japanese Whiskeys, so I can't base an opinion on it until I have had a few more!  

 

 

A little over a week ago i went into the city with some family and friends, and we ended the night at a cigar bar. I had a very nice montecristo with a glass of macallan 12

[Guest]

This thread has been updated with more reviews that I have done. Please scroll to the top of the page.

[Guest]

5 hours ago, Derrk said:

A little over a week ago i went into the city with some family and friends, and we ended the night at a cigar bar. I had a very nice montecristo with a glass of macallan 12

I have heard good things about Macallan, strangely never picked it up. Do you recommend it?

[Derrk]

1 minute ago, Netivity said:

I have heard good things about Macallan, strangely never picked it up. Do you recommend it?

it was very nice. Its no glenmorangie, but it seemed like a more social drink than several other scotches i've had. It had kind of a sweet aftertaste, and it was very smooth. I think a lot of non-scotch drinkers could enjoy it.

 

Recommend getting a bottle to share with friends

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Derrk said:

it was very nice. Its no glenmorangie, but it seemed like a more social drink than several other scotches i've had. It had kind of a sweet aftertaste, and it was very smooth. I think a lot of non-scotch drinkers could enjoy it.

 

Recommend getting a bottle to share with friends

Cool! thanks mate

[voiha]

Came to say hi from the Wine thread, but as I don't see someone talking about these questions, I'll ask them again.

 

- What whiskey you advise ? (for beginners without breaking the bank)

- Is the red/black label up your taste ? ( I tend to actually like the red label)

- Do you mix coca-cola with whiskey ?

[kilgore_T]

2 hours ago, voiha said:

Came to say hi from the Wine thread, but as I don't see someone talking about these questions, I'll ask them again.

 

- What whiskey you advise ? (for beginners without breaking the bank)

- Is the red/black label up your taste ? ( I tend to actually like the red label)

- Do you mix coca-cola with whiskey ?

never mix anything but water with whisky

unless of course its irn bru lol

[sakamoto747]

I'm not very experienced with different brands but I tend to like whiskey with a little bite and smokey flavors. Bulleit and Jack Daniels are my go-to picks for this. I don't like fruity or soft whiskeys such as Southern Comfort, which tastes like I'm drinking a wine cooler or something.

 

I always add a little ice to my glass. I've seen a lot of opinions going both ways on the subject as in if it unlocks new flavors or dilutes it. I dunno.

[sakamoto747]

5 hours ago, valdyrgramr said:

I gave bourbon/whiskey a chance it reminds me of this in terms of flavor.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

The first time I tried whiskey I thought it was awful and it was way too strong for me. I toyed around with vodka mix drinks for awhile until I realized the sweetness was grossing me out. I'm very fond of whiskey now so it's a toss up between acquired taste and personal preferences. Maybe some day you will grow to like it or maybe it was never meant to be.

 

Spoiler

 

[sargon2]

talisker is my favorite whiskey brand

[Derrk]

7 hours ago, voiha said:

Came to say hi from the Wine thread, but as I don't see someone talking about these questions, I'll ask them again.

 

- What whiskey you advise ? (for beginners without breaking the bank)

- Is the red/black label up your taste ? ( I tend to actually like the red label)

- Do you mix coca-cola with whiskey ?

Cheap whiskey isn't always the best, but my favorite cheap whiskey is canadian club. Seagrams and Jameson are also both nice (jameson is a little more expensive but not bad). Jim Beam is my favorite cheap bourbon, but i like to consider bourbon as a seperate drink entirely, even though it is whiskey.

 

Black label is usually smoother than red, but the taste is often similar. Not much point in spending more on black unless you want to treat yourself to something special. You can really taste the difference with scotch though. 18 years is much smoother than 12, and usually has better flavors. I once had a glass of glenlivet 25 and that was pretty much life-changing.

 

You can mix whatever you want with whiskey, no matter how unconventional, but i prefer the taste of it by itself. For cheaper whiskeys, i'll add 2-3 ice cubes. If it's a scotch, don't mix anything. I don't even like putting ice in my scotch. When i was younger though, i had plenty of jack & cokes. I think jack daniels is overpriced. It's nice, but imo, i dont think it's worth the pricetag..  I know this will sound weird, but bourbon and root beer actually mixes together very well... Again, if i get a bottle of something nice, i won't mix it. I got a gift one year of metal ice cubes - they cool the drink but there's no water to mix, and those are pretty nice.

[Guest]

13 hours ago, voiha said:

Came to say hi from the Wine thread, but as I don't see someone talking about these questions, I'll ask them again.

 

- What whiskey you advise ? (for beginners without breaking the bank)

- Is the red/black label up your taste ? ( I tend to actually like the red label)

- Do you mix coca-cola with whiskey ?

Hey mate, welcome!

 

To answer your questions in order:

 

- For beginners, definitely Chivas regal 12. It is a blended scotch that has a very smooth finish and after taste.

- I am not a fan of the red, for my personal taste, it is too aggressive in the back of my tongue. I do like the black label though.

- I don't mix coca-cola with any whisk(e)y.

 

Thanks for your questions mate. And I hope you enjoy Whiskey as much as we do!

[18358414]

I have an unopened bottle of Canadian whiskey from the opening of the CN Tower (in a bottle shaped like the CN tower) -- Anyone know how good it is?  I kind of don't want to open it until a special occasion.

[sakamoto747]

55 minutes ago, valdyrgramr said:

It's not that it's strong for me I just don't like the taste.  I mean I can handle 151 fine, and I like the flavor there.  It's just the mouthwash taste that I can't stand of whiskey and bourbons.  Crown Royal, for example, has that taste dead on.  I've tried Jack and several expensive ones too, and I keep getting that mouthwash taste.  If there was one that had a non-mouthwash taste then I'd maybe like it, but until I can find one I'll stick to tequila and high proof rums.

Ah, that's fine, to each their own. I've personally sworn off tequila because I always end up going on adventures I regret later. Something wild about that cactus beverage. Rum is something I should probably taste more of.

[Derrk]

5 hours ago, valdyrgramr said:

Most like Malibu due to the coconut taste, I prefer Bacardi and Goslings myself.  Bacardi doesn't make 151 anymore, so I have to get Goslings 151 which tastes about the same.  Vodka I'm kinda picky with I'll mostly only drink Grey Goose or Christiania, my fav one.  Christiania is probably the cleanest Vodka you can get because they distill it in fjord water which is a melted glacier in Norway.

Actually, there is one bourbon/whiskey mix drink  I can tolerate which is a called a black tooth grin.

I'm actually kind of glad bacardi did away with 151. It's led to some very poor decisions i don't remember. I didn't know goslings had their own, but i'll need to take this info with extreme caution. big fan of their dark and stormys though

[Derrk]

36 minutes ago, valdyrgramr said:

Well, Bacardi was getting slammed with lawsuits frat boys kept killing themselves on it like they did with Four Loko. Everclear was banned in my state for the same reason.  But ya, Goslings still sells it throughout the US.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

I'm dumb enough to drink 151 but smart enough to stay away from everclear. It served its purpose at parties, but that stuff is pure poison.

 

"Whatd you mix in the punch?"

 

"It's literally just everclear and hawaiin punch"