Other than Scotch

[Aidan]

what whisk(e)y do you like to drink? Me, apart from numerous Irish whiskies, I love to drink Wild Turkey 8 yr old and Maker's Mark.

[heer.veer]

What about............Scotch of the Single Malt kind? Maybe A Highland Park 12 for you?

[Aidan]

heer.veer

I do drink single malt Scotch, and love it (most of it, anyway) - I was just wondering what people drink when they're not drinking scotch.

Highland Park 12 yr is one I have not had the pleasure to try, however.

[Ileach]

I like the odd Maker's Mark too. Sometimes even an off-the-shelf Jack Daniels - it's got a sweet banana feel to it.

And you must try the Basil Hayden's Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (8 yrs old). An amazing array of scents - a bit of wood, sweet corn, banana (again).

Oh, and great bottle design, too (a copper belt around the bottle).

Ileach

[Ize]

Irish whiskey, Redbreast and Bushmill's Black Bush are yummy.

Kippis,
Ize

[Rudolph Hucker]

If you can find it, Van Gogh's Apple Vodka is just amazing

cheers

Rudolph

[Deactivated Member]

Apart from whisky? I love a good Cognac too. My favorites are the XO Excellance and Louis XIII from Remy Martin, but a Remy Club is very nice too.

[Aidan]

lleach

I must look that one up. Is Basil Hayden's Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey hard to find in Europe?

My favourate drinks in the world are Green Spot, Redbreast, Wild Turkey, Maker's Mark, and Powers (brilliant and costs next to nothing), along with some scotch single malts and a few Scotch blends. I'll have to try some Canadian stuff.

A glass of wine now and then is always nice too.

I would love to like vodka, but I can't stomach it after an experience in my younger days.

[Rudolph Hucker]

Aidan

Basil Hayden is a new one on me, but in Jim Murray's Classic Bourbon, Tennessee & Rye Whiskey he says this about it -

8 yo 80 proof

Magical and mercurial, this is one of Kentucky's most gentle noses, yet boasts wonderful riches. Dry and pleasantly oaky.
At the very end it sweetens out into cream toffee rather like a high class Canadian.

A lovely bourbon, a gentleman of a whiskey.
Every note is understated, almost ethereal. Delicious.

Jim lists Basil Hayden under the Jim Beam brands. Unfortunately,he does not say where you can get it !

Cheers

Rudolph

[Laphroaig]

Basil Hayden is pretty good. If you want high octane and still fairly tasty try Bookers. I think the two main stream bourbons that are most talked about are Knob Creek and Makers mark. Both are excellent, but are so commonly refered to I get tired of hearing about them!
I like Elijah Craig both the 12 and 18. They also are reasonably priced (which counts for a lot in my book). Even cheaper and able to hold it's own is Old Forrester. Those are two brands that I think are unrated and slept on!

[Rudolph Hucker]

As I said on another forum on this web site -
if you are talking bourbon it just has to be
FOUR ROSES - but sadly you just can't find it
in many places outside of the US. ome to think of it, you can't find it in many places in the US either!

Cheers

Rudolph

PS

The Apple Vodka I mentioned in an earlier posting is, I am told, on sale at Schipol Airport ( I had it at a private club in New York City )

[Aidan]

Thanks Rudolph and Laphroaig

I will look those up next time I'm in the States. I've tried the Knob Creek 100 proof and liked it, although it wasn't my favourate.

Is the Basil Hayden a departure from Jim Beam's taste?

Aidan

[Jenny]

- Swedish Absolut Vodka (of course!)
- "Fruity" cocktails like "Singapure Sling" or "Touch Down"
- Guiness with Port wine (only combined and mixed, no pure beer and no pure port wine)
- Champange (of course!)

Jenny

[Aidan]

Guiness with port wine, well that's somethin I've never heard of. Worth a try though. I am mainly a Guiness drinker, but don't like the way all the pubs in Ireland are serving it ice cold now. Great drink to have with whiskey.

[SpeedyJohn]

Aidan: If you're planning on coming to the U.S. and buying some bourbon, may I recommend the following:

-Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit
-Wild Turkey Rare Breed
-Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve
-Baker's
-Woodford's Reserve
-A.H. Hirsch 16yo
-A.H. Hirsch 20yo
-Wathen's Single Barrel
-Blanton's Single Barrel
-Eagle Rare 17yo
-Old Rip Van Winkle 15yo/107proof
-Pappy Van Winkle 20yo

And, how about some straight rye whiskey:

-Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye 13yo
-Sazerac 18yo

Some of these may be a bit harder to find (particularly the Hirsch), but are all worth trying.

Also, also keep your eyes open for a soon-to-be-leased bottling called George T. Stagg, a 15yo reported stunner that clocks in at a whopping 67% a.b.v.!

SpeedyJohn

[Aidan]

Thanks John

I have a friend going over there so I might get her to look it up. What would you recommend highest out of that list?

Aidan

[Rudolph Hucker]

Aidan

It will be interesting to see what John has to say - and of course it's all very subjective - but the Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 20 yo was awarded 99 points out of 100, the highest mark ever given to a whiskey by the Beverage Tasting Institute in Chicago.

And I still think Four Roses just beats it!

Cheers

Rudolph

[Aidan]

Maybe I'll try to get a bottle of the Pappy and the Four Roses. If they're too hard to find, I'll break into the Beverage Tasting Institute and steal some.

[Stephane Grialet]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Arial, Verdana">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Huurman:
Apart from whisky? I love a good Cognac too. My favorites are the XO Excellance and Louis XIII from Remy Martin, but a Remy Club is very nice too.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Remy Martin, LOUIS XIII !!!???... well... hummm... are you a millionnaire ???

I also like many different alcohols: cognacs (specially the Hine's ones), armagnacs (i've just bought a 1970 one for my birthday), vodkas (specially russian and polish ones), gins (Tanqueray is really the best for me), portos and other muted wines, wines (of course !), tequilas (Herradura is really good... but so hard to find), rums (french or cuban ones), calvados, bourbon, irish and Scoth whiskies !

As a cigar amateur, i often try cigar/alcohol associations; and after many many tastings, for me there is nothing like,
either a charming-perfumed rum, or a greatly smokey, peated single malt to go with a good habanos !
Is there any other cigar amateur here ?

[Nikwik]

When speaking of cigars (Hmmm, perhaps this subject deserves an own thread?) I like the Lagavulin and Talisker Distillers Edition or perhaps Bowmore Voyage. The combination of sherry and smokeyness together with some "real" smoke (Can recommend AVO XO or Domaine) is really the perfect way to end a dinner/tasting.

[SpeedyJohn]

Aidan: Picking one, two or three of these would be tough...they are all very good to outstanding. Of course, selection also depends on what you are willing to spend. The older Van Winkles and Hirches can run well beyond $100US. Forget about Four Roses. They don't sell their bourbon here in the U.S.; it's export only. And be careful. Four Roses makes a blended whiskey that's widely available here, but is total bilge water.

If forced to choose only a few bottles, my personal preferences would be (in order):

1. Van Winkle Family Reserve Straight Rye Whiskey 13yo. (Mouth-filling goodness from start to finish. A true taste of America. My favorite American whiskey...at the moment

2. Wild Turkey Rare Breed. (A consistently outstanding marriage of 6-, 8- and 10-year-old Wild Turkey bottled at around 54%abv. So full-bodied and rounded you almost have to chew it.)

3. Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit. (A single barrel bottling, the best of which are without peer.)

4. A. H. Hirsch 16yo. (From the now-closed Michter's Distillery in Pennsyvlania. You know how some folks lament the loss of Port Ellen? This is the American version of that story.)

5. Booker's. (A barrel-proof juggernaut that explodes with flavor and fire. Not for the faint of heart.)

However, if you or your friend are lucky enough to find a bottle of George T. Stagg 15yo or Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, grab them! I have not tasted either of these, but have read glowing reports from people whose taste I trust.

Happy hunting.

SpeedyJohn

[SpeedyJohn]

Rudolph: I'm very skeptical of the scores awarded by the Beverage Testing Institute. This is the same outfit that awarded Benriach 10yo a 95 rating. And, if memory serves correctly, they awarded Macallan 25 a 100 rating, thus making it the highest scoring whisk(e)y. Just proves, yet again, that taste is completely subjective and ratings are over-rated.

SpeedyJohn


[This message has been edited by SpeedyJohn (edited 22 November 2002).]

[Aidan]

Thanks again for the advice. I was out last night just drinking plain old Wild Turkey 8 year old and I don't think there's a whiskey that I have tasted that stands head and shoulders above it. It reminded me of what Lagavulin tastes like under the peat, although a little less so, even though it's not a malt. Excellent, yet not rated as one of the greats by the "experts."

I think when it comes to ratings, you have to find a rater with similar tastes to yourself, otherwise...

[Frank]

What is the beverage tasting unit? Who runs it? And what for? And what is the bais for the scores? Anyone know ?

[Aidan]

I think this site might be theirs, but I'm not sure - www.tastings.com .

[blackkeno]

I agree with many of the previously mentioned favorates. Here are some of my less common favorates under $100US:

Canadian:
Bush Pilot's Private Reserve 13yo (single cask)
Century Reserve 15yo (single cask)
Breton's Hand and Seal

Irish:
Greenspot
Jameson 15

Bourbon:
Wellen Centenniel 10yo

Gin
Citadelle

Vodka
Original Polish

[Gate]

Guinness and port?? "Wine with beer, makes you feel queer" as my graddad used to say (mind you, he usually drank half-and-halfs, which is as good a way of making yourself feel queer as any). Perhaps not as weird as Guinness and lemonade, though - the alcoholic equivalent of a Pepsi float (for a good laugh, try ordering a pint of Guinness shandy in an Irish pub and watch the barman's face).

On whisk(e)y, other than Scotch, any of the Wild Turkey 8-year-old single barrels are gorgeous, and Rare Breed (1855 Reserve in UK duty free) is possibly even better. Wild Turkey rye is terrific stuff too. You can't go far wrong with any of the Jim Beam small batch range (Basil Hayden, Baker's, Knob Creek, Booker's, but especially Booker's), or pretty much anything from Van Winkle (I've now tasted Pappy, and it's great but can't live up to the hype and is very expensive indeed: but the Old Rip van Winkle 15-year-old is reasonably well available, reasonably priced and for me, maybe the best non-Scotch whisky out there). And Elijah Craig 12-year-old is excellent and great value.

Other than whisky, fine rum is a revelation - particularly stuff like Cadenhead's range of single still Jamaican/Bajan/Demerara rums or the best rhum agricole like Bally or Dhillon - or Barbancourt, which is up with Cognac, IMHO.

[This message has been edited by Gate (edited 25 November 2002).]

[Rudolph Hucker]

Speedy John,

According to Jim Murray's book Four Roses -
the good stuff, not the blend that has always been available in the US - has been
available in the US since at least 1998

Cheers

Rudolph

[Jenny]

Actually Guiness+Port is very, very poplar. It's called "Black Witch", and you can find it even in a lot of cocktail books. You should really try it. 1 pint of guiness and 4-8 cl of port. Delicious.

Jenny

[Gate]

I may just have to try the Black Witch. It made me wonder (perhaps this should be a separate thread)- are there any cocktails involving whisk(e)y and port? I don't see why it shouldn't work - after all, rye and vermouth is actually pretty tasty.

[Aidan]

They say a black Russian is a waste of both champaign and Guiness. I suppose they're all worth trying, so I'll give it a go. There's a cocktail section in this site, I think.

[Torodd]

I am a mainly Scotch whisky (both blends and single malts) addict, but living in Belfast, my second preference has to be Black Bush (from Bushmills distillery). A very good whiskey. Fully boodied and very complex nose. The Bushmills 10 Years Old Single Malt is also very good.
The standard Bushmills is also recommended. I have never tried the 16 and 25 years old Bushmills.
Let me also add that Bushmills has a superb visitor centre and that the 2 hours drive (or in my case; cycling) along the north-east coast of Ireland from Belfast to the distillery is brilliant. A very nice day out indeed.

Coleraine whiskey is best avoided. The same goes for the rest of the Irish whiskey. I love Guinness and Caffrey's beer though !!

Bourbon is not my kind of stuff.

As a Norwegian; I guess I should be into Aquavit. But I am not. But check it out.

Gin & Tonic is good stuff during hot summer days when whisky becomes too stuffy.

That's all, I guess.

[Jenny]

>are there any cocktails involving whisk(e)y
>and port?

A lot of!!!
If it's of public interest I will post here all recipes I know otherwise you can contact me via eMail Gate!

Jenny

[Aidan]

Torodd

You may not like Irish whiskey, but it is a bit much to say it's best avoided.
They are among the finest whiskies in the world, alongside Scotch and American whiskey. Unfortunately, pretentious preconceptions put them at a disadvantage. Thank God for Redbreast, Jameson 1780, Green Spot, Middleton VR, Powers, Connemara....

[tavish]

that is what irish whiskey is up against, i'm afraid. i would never of triaed irish whiskey had i 'not come here. i am glad i have tried it as irish whiskies rank among my favorites now.

After highland park, redbreast is my favourate spirit. there are lots more excellent ones too. powers is not to my taste.