Whisk[e]y!

Drubbing

110% Smiley-Free
Joined
Feb 8, 2011
Location
Perth, WA
Have bought 2 watches the last 2 months, I entered yet another slippery slope of empty wallethood.

I hosted a Whisk[e]y night on GF eve last week. I know nothing about Whisky, and little more about Whiskey. I bought a small batch bourbon as back up, not expecting to like anything on the tasting menu, as my previous whisky experience ran to high end peatys like The Antiseptic Laophroag. See, you can't even spell the fkin thing. Which is what I told Alan, A Scot, of course, and serious whisky collector. He said, "I'll change your mind, and it won't be hard."

He was right. We started light and worked up and it was Glencairn glasses all round. He bought a blended! scotch which was fucking tops. Gt King Street. Light, creamy, lots of flavour and finish. My favourite spirit drop up to that moment was Makers Mark. It shat all over it and set it alight. Most bourbons are sweet smoky affairs and not a lot going on. Knob Creek is a fair exception, but too refined for my full appreciation.

Others on the taste were AnCnoc, Clynelish, Jack Daniels single barrel, my Hudson Baby Bourbon, and another one or two I can't remember, for obvious reasons.

The JD went undrunk and to be fair was only brought along for drinks in between the tasting. it was pedestrian and tasted much like the bog standard Jack.

Everyone loved Clynelish, as expected as we worked up. But the Hudsons was the surprise package. Everyone thought it a cracking good bourbon - almost Scotch-like. Even my philistine palate could tell when I opened it a couple of days before the tasting - it was a lot different to any bourbon I'd tried. No overpowering sweetness or smoke, but a big punch that opened up with a dash of water, to complex for me to deflavour, but a finish forever, just really nice.

The downside? It comes in 300ml bottles and is $90. The upside, Alan left me the King St.
 
One that may be more to totur liking is Wisers 18y.o.
A nice Canadian drop, yet only seen it at 1st choice or BWS.
 
Yikes! I'm not much of a drinker but even if I was, I couldn't swallow the thought of essentially swallowing hours of paycheck in one sitting.

My brother in law does it the whole time. He once gave me a $25 nip of scotch. Another time they were drinking Grange and the waiter knocked over the glass. The tried to make amends with a nip of house port! They were told that you cannot replace a $75 glass of wine with a $2 glass of port. I think they have a point.
 
Yikes! I'm not much of a drinker but even if I was, I couldn't swallow the thought of essentially swallowing hours of paycheck in one sitting.

If I bought it for myself it wouldn't be downed in one sitting.

It's actually 350ml, so half a standard bottle. I also got it highly recommended and discounted form the $90RRP. The King Street was 500ml. Yes, it's less whisky for more money, but it's also good marketing if your product is premium. I'm not going to drop $160 on a bottle of anything, but $90 for a night in with mates? You'd get close to that with good beer and BBQ supplies. There's quite a few sprit makers doing this, because it brings the price point within more people reach.
 
Wash your mouth out with JW Red you heathen. Laphroaig is the epitome of Whisky.

Well, I am sort of on the fence for peaty smokey whisky. Quite like balvenie thou.
 
GT is stirring with mention of whisky....

I have been buying some decent bottles of late. You usually need to wait until Uncle Dans has a sale on what you want but if you know where to look then there are specials about. Mind you the other half brought two bottles back for me from London, a Glenfarclas 105 and a Springbank 10! If she had swapped the Glenfarclas for one of the Macallan Speymalts (at under half the price than here in AU) then I nearly would have had a heart attack.

On my recent Malysian jaunt I popped into the Whisky bar on Changkat to sample a few. I was with my boss and we took the 6x 'starter' flight which was pretty damn good for 6x halves for about AUD$30. A few others were drunk also. Macallan 12 at the airport on the way home.

Currently drinking Dalwhinnie 15, Glenmorangie Original 10, and also Dickel n.12 as my current bourbon.

Edit: for bourbon lovers - this is a cracking deal at $79.95/bottle. There is also the Rye at the same price.
 
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Going to Tokyo next month. Apparently it's a desert out there. I just hope I can find a decent bottle or three. Any recommendations welcome. If you can make suggestions on where to look it would be great.
 
Japan, a desert? Hell no, some of the best whisky comes from there! Unfortunately it is hard to get a single malt expression with an age statement at a reasonable price, most of them start around $300 over there at retail, and more like $500 here. Thank China's rise, and their love of whisky.

The more affordable ones are blends but very nice blends at that. Yamazaki 12 is a fave of mine.
 
Japan, a desert? Hell no, some of the best whisky comes from there! Unfortunately it is hard to get a single malt expression with an age statement at a reasonable price, most of them start around $300 over there at retail, and more like $500 here. Thank China's rise, and their love of whisky.

The more affordable ones are blends but very nice blends at that. Yamazaki 12 is a fave of mine.

I meant no one could find any. I would love to get my hands on some hibiki.

No one could find an age statement blend either.
 
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I am more of a bourbon man.

Very interested in that bourbon link you provided @Monsta_AU, will have to try it.

As someone that has drunken a lot of bourbon the best value to be found is at Dan Murphy's and it is either Blantons in the green or yellow bottles (Woolworths are the sole importer and can only be found at Dans and BWS).

Other very good bourbons in my opinion are;
eagle rare 10 year old
Buffalo Trace (especially the 45% one)
Makers 46
Four Roses single barrell
 
Have bought 2 watches the last 2 months, I entered yet another slippery slope of empty wallethood.

I hosted a Whisk[e]y night on GF eve last week. I know nothing about Whisky, and little more about Whiskey. I bought a small batch bourbon as back up, not expecting to like anything on the tasting menu, as my previous whisky experience ran to high end peatys like The Antiseptic Laophroag. See, you can't even spell the fkin thing. Which is what I told Alan, A Scot, of course, and serious whisky collector. He said, "I'll change your mind, and it won't be hard."

He was right. We started light and worked up and it was Glencairn glasses all round. He bought a blended! scotch which was fucking tops. Gt King Street. Light, creamy, lots of flavour and finish. My favourite spirit drop up to that moment was Makers Mark. It shat all over it and set it alight. Most bourbons are sweet smoky affairs and not a lot going on. Knob Creek is a fair exception, but too refined for my full appreciation.

Others on the taste were AnCnoc, Clynelish, Jack Daniels single barrel, my Hudson Baby Bourbon, and another one or two I can't remember, for obvious reasons.

The JD went undrunk and to be fair was only brought along for drinks in between the tasting. it was pedestrian and tasted much like the bog standard Jack.

Everyone loved Clynelish, as expected as we worked up. But the Hudsons was the surprise package. Everyone thought it a cracking good bourbon - almost Scotch-like. Even my philistine palate could tell when I opened it a couple of days before the tasting - it was a lot different to any bourbon I'd tried. No overpowering sweetness or smoke, but a big punch that opened up with a dash of water, to complex for me to deflavour, but a finish forever, just really nice.

The downside? It comes in 300ml bottles and is $90. The upside, Alan left me the King St.

Must try the Hudson Bourbon one day
 
A whiskey zombie...

To date I've had a crack at Dewars 12yo, Monkey Shoulder, Chivas 12, JW Black, and just got in a bottle of Aberlour for Xmas and NY. I've taken to drinking my whisky with a few drops of water. Literally, a few drops from a teaspoon, pouring water in will drown every 40% scotch out there. A few drops takes the burn out the equation and releases flavour. A pro top from Ralfy on you tube.

The dewars was so meh, after adding a splash of something decent like JW Black or a malt (a neat trick to lift an ordinary whisky to very drinkable) or a few drops of water, I gave up.

I called my Scottish friend and asked what to do? He asked me over, poured it in to his home cask, and I got liquid gold out the other end. The cask has a lot of JW black, some Ardberg, Talisker and a couple of other malts in. It's been sitting there 6 months. The Dewars probably set him back 3 months in maturation...

The Monkey tasted a bit meh to begin with, but had promise. A few drinks later and it really came alive. A 3 malt blend, it's a bit different and usually under $50.

Chivas, again one that didn't do much on first open, but is pretty good when you get some air in the bottle.

JW Black is a straight forward, above average blend. Spicy and bit smoky and darker. No wonder this stuff sells in millions.

Aberlour is a single malt. Double casked in oak and then sherry casks. This is big and rich and smooth, and a big bargain at Dans at just over $50. I tried Glendronach at a mates, another heavily sherried malt, and Aberlour is a favourable comparison, but at half the price.
 
A whiskey zombie...

To date I've had a crack at Dewars 12yo, Monkey Shoulder, Chivas 12, JW Black, and just got in a bottle of Aberlour for Xmas and NY. I've taken to drinking my whisky with a few drops of water. Literally, a few drops from a teaspoon, pouring water in will drown every 40% scotch out there. A few drops takes the burn out the equation and releases flavour. A pro top from Ralfy on you tube.

The dewars was so meh, after adding a splash of something decent like JW Black or a malt (a neat trick to lift an ordinary whisky to very drinkable) or a few drops of water, I gave up.

I called my Scottish friend and asked what to do? He asked me over, poured it in to his home cask, and I got liquid gold out the other end. The cask has a lot of JW black, some Ardberg, Talisker and a couple of other malts in. It's been sitting there 6 months. The Dewars probably set him back 3 months in maturation...

The Monkey tasted a bit meh to begin with, but had promise. A few drinks later and it really came alive. A 3 malt blend, it's a bit different and usually under $50.

Chivas, again one that didn't do much on first open, but is pretty good when you get some air in the bottle.

JW Black is a straight forward, above average blend. Spicy and bit smoky and darker. No wonder this stuff sells in millions.

Aberlour is a single malt. Double casked in oak and then sherry casks. This is big and rich and smooth, and a big bargain at Dans at just over $50. I tried Glendronach at a mates, another heavily sherried malt, and Aberlour is a favourable comparison, but at half the price.

@Drubbing I love the burn of Scotch Whisky in the back of my throat, love it straight without ice or splash of water. If you want my little secret straight from Scotland scotch taste heap better in winter without ice or a splash of water, because you'll catch the real flavor of true Scotch Whisky in winter in you're mouth and smooth straight down the throat with a very small burn (y);)
 
Wisers 18 y.o
Chivas 18 y.o
Two different beasts, same age, both worthy of a try at minimum.
This Glen Orrin 30 y.o though... apparently from the Grants house, so should be interesting.
 
A whiskey zombie...

To date I've had a crack at Dewars 12yo, Monkey Shoulder, Chivas 12, JW Black, and just got in a bottle of Aberlour for Xmas and NY. I've taken to drinking my whisky with a few drops of water. Literally, a few drops from a teaspoon, pouring water in will drown every 40% scotch out there. A few drops takes the burn out the equation and releases flavour. A pro top from Ralfy on you tube.

The dewars was so meh, after adding a splash of something decent like JW Black or a malt (a neat trick to lift an ordinary whisky to very drinkable) or a few drops of water, I gave up.

I called my Scottish friend and asked what to do? He asked me over, poured it in to his home cask, and I got liquid gold out the other end. The cask has a lot of JW black, some Ardberg, Talisker and a couple of other malts in. It's been sitting there 6 months. The Dewars probably set him back 3 months in maturation...

The Monkey tasted a bit meh to begin with, but had promise. A few drinks later and it really came alive. A 3 malt blend, it's a bit different and usually under $50.

Chivas, again one that didn't do much on first open, but is pretty good when you get some air in the bottle.

JW Black is a straight forward, above average blend. Spicy and bit smoky and darker. No wonder this stuff sells in millions.

Aberlour is a single malt. Double casked in oak and then sherry casks. This is big and rich and smooth, and a big bargain at Dans at just over $50. I tried Glendronach at a mates, another heavily sherried malt, and Aberlour is a favourable comparison, but at half the price.
Arberlour abundah is worth a try. About twice the price of the 10yo tho
 
I've gone through a bottle of Sullivan's Cove and it was a very nice experience.

Might have to try this Aberlour by the sounds of it - thanks @Drubbing. I'm not sure it's the "air in the bottle" that's making things taste better though? I find everything tastes better after I've had a few...
 
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