# So, who here likes Whiskey?



## Karl Hungus (Mar 9, 2010)

I was in London at the weekend, and came back with a few bottles tucked in my bags. I was in an awesome whiskey shop in Soho, they had a display of Japanese whiskeys in the window and I was instantly captivated. They had Nikka, which I've not had before (can't get it in Ireland, but you can get the various Suntory ranges here sometimes) but I've heard some extremely good things so I had to get me some.

Got this lovely presentation box of Nikka From The Barrel, which is pretty damn strong at 51.4%:







Nikka All Malt:






And I also got something that's a bit different for me, Four Roses Small Batch Kentucky Bourbon:






I've never liked Bourbon before, Jack Daniels, Jim Beam or Maker's Mark never did anything for me, but I had some of the Four Roses Small Batch in a bar in Soho and I absolutely loved it. So I had to get me a bottle, it was truly awesome, the first Bourbon I've took a real liking to, and very different to any other whiskeys I've got. 

I also picked up some more Nikka From The Barrel in the airport:






It was going pretty damn cheap, so I got 2 bottles, because one might do for a friend's birthday. The other I'm going to crack open pretty soon, then keep the one in the presentation box for a while. It's supposed to be a really terrific whiskey, so I'm looking forward to drinking it.


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## Fzau (Mar 9, 2010)

I love whiskey 

Four Roses is wonderful indeed!
Not to mention Glenfiddich single malt Scotch whiskey and Chivas 

Oh and I'd like to try Johnny Walker Blue Label one day


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## budda (Mar 9, 2010)

IT'S FUCKING KARL HUNGUS! 

My best friend would love you, as he loves good whiskey


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## robotsatemygma (Mar 9, 2010)

Canadian Club for me. 

I need to venture out more with my whiskey. I have my beers and wine just need the harder stuff. 

Hows the Nikka? Never even heard of it before.


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## windu (Mar 9, 2010)

maybe my taste are not as fine as you gents but I LOVE CROWN!!!!
i could drink crown all day er day. gentleman jacks ok, and im not a big fan of soco unless its the 100% proof one. 

mmm and black lable is tasty as well. 

and 1$ jack and cokes
funny story, bout 2 months back i spent abour 66 bux at a bar, on $1 jack and coke night between me and my best friend. now the kicker, i found a way to drive home somehow, fuck me.


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## jymellis (Mar 9, 2010)

i love whiskey but cant drink it anymore. that four roses stuff is super cheap here living next to kentucky. actually thats like bottom of the barrel stuff here lol.


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## Esp Griffyn (Mar 9, 2010)

Suntory Yamazaki is the king of whiskey. I generally can't stand that rough Scottish crap, though Glenfiddich and Laphroaig are alright.


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## synrgy (Mar 9, 2010)

I'm more of a Scotch guy personally, but whiskey is definitely good, and I'm jealous of that whole little collection you got.


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## jymellis (Mar 9, 2010)

i personally quit drinking alchohol about 4 years ago. i still enjoy the occasional absinthe trip though


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## thraxil (Mar 9, 2010)

If you want to get more into bourbons, try Basil Hayden's. It's a small batch Kentucky bourbon that avoids the sickly sweet flavor that most other bourbons seem to have.


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## Karl Hungus (Mar 9, 2010)

robotsatemygma said:


> Hows the Nikka? Never even heard of it before.



I don't know, I haven't tried it yet. Probably going to crack open one of them this weekend though, so I'll let you know. Did I just buy 4 whiskeys that I've never tried before? Yes, I did. Everything I've read about Nikka has been good, and the Nikka From The Barrel is supposed to be completely amazing, from descriptions, it sounds like exactly the kind of thing I'd like. It was a blind buy but it's something I'm not going to find in Ireland again. 

There's a great review of it here: Nikka from the Barrel - Simon Barber



Esp Griffyn said:


> Suntory Yamazaki is the king of whiskey. I generally can't stand that rough Scottish crap, though Glenfiddich and Laphroaig are alright.



Yeah, I'm not really the biggest fan of the peated scotch whiskeys myself either, I'm more a fan of the smoother, sweeter whiskeys, the likes that have a nice fruity palate, rather than the smokey flavours of some scotch. Glenfiddich is massively awesome though, I'm going to have to get another bottle of that. One of my favourite pubs in the town I live in has a massive selection of scotch, so I do get to try a few different ones. They don't have any Japanese Whiskeys though, even though I've poked them to get some in.

I've not tried Yamazaki yet, though it's on the cards. I've been looking at a Yamazaki Sherry Cask Single Malt as one of my next purchases. One of my favourite Irish whiskeys is Green Spot, which is also matured in sherry casks, giving it a very sweet taste, so I'd love to taste what Suntory have done with Sherry Casks.

The pride and joy of my collection though, and easily the best whiskey I've ever tasted, has to be my absolutely beautiful Suntory Hibiki 17 year old that I got for Christmas. I had first tasted it when I was in Japan, and it knocked my socks off. It's matured in plum liqueur casks, so has an incredible taste. 






Not the best Irish, nor best Scotch whiskeys I've had have tasted anywhere near as good.

I'm also planning on getting one of the Suntory Hibiki 12 year olds:






But yeah, Suntory Hibiki would be the king of whiskeys for me. 

I'll see if the Yamazaki measures up.


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## sami (Mar 9, 2010)

<----------Gentleman's Jack, served room temperature, no ice.


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## pink freud (Mar 9, 2010)

I like whiskey/bourbon that has a spice to it. Wild Turkey being a good example.


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## Mavigh (Mar 9, 2010)

There is an awesome place in London along Camden high street called "Blues Kitchen", they have a 3 page menu of whiskeys & small batch bourbons which go down amazingly well while having some dinner and watching the blues bands playing in there haha!

I recommend sampling a glass of Elijah Craig while you are there, my favourite of the ones I tryed


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## Necky379 (Mar 9, 2010)

love it. i'll drink beer or rum once in awhile, 90% of the time it's bourbon though. i usually buy jim beam just because it's cheap but lately i've been buying wild turkey 101. i think im going to stick with it. my favorite is maker's mark, woodford reserve is pretty good i remember.
i'm usually not out to enjoy a glass of whiskey though so the cheapest highest proof i can find is what i buy (currently 101 turkey).
im not a big jack daniels fan though and i have know idea why, could never figure out what it is that i dont like, i would just rather drink another brand.
anybody seen this stuff before:





125 proof, straight out of the barrel, no water. it's 65$ at the local packy, im going to pick up a bottle for when i go up to maine in august.


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## Variant (Mar 9, 2010)

We at The Surfacing camp love our scotches. This right here is the best I've had on my palate:






Everything you'd love about Ardbeg, put to an exponent! 


I sampled a few of the pricier Japanese "scotches" at a scotch tasting some time back, and I found them overrated. Didn't have the Hibiki so I'll have to keep an eye out.  Of course, we finished the night out with what turned into several glasses (after all but two of us went home) of *Bowmore 27*, which absolutely laid waste to anything else we had earlier that evening. 

So far as the *Glenfiddich*'s go, skip over the 12, straight to the 15, which was our "table" scotch for a while. While the 12 is more than fine if its the only decent single malt at a restaurant, the jump in both price and taste is worth it. The 18 is excellent as well. 

We've been drinking a lot of *Talisker* of late as well, like Ardbeg, the 10 is *easily* good enough for a weekend standard. I have a quickly vanishing bottle of the Distillers Edition, which is excellent as well... one of those that wells up inside you after you sip it.


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## Karl Hungus (Mar 9, 2010)

Hmm, I've found Ardbeg to be too smokey for my tastes. Though I've never come across that Supernova before, so I might look out for it. I just never warmed to the peated smokey Scotches.

I've had both the 12 and 15 Glenfiddich before, and the 15 remains probably my favourite Scotch, probably because it's definitely one of the smoothest and sweetest Scotches I've had. If I'm getting another bottle, it'll be a toss up between the 15 and the 18.


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## DavyH (Mar 10, 2010)

I'd just like to point out that if it's Scotch (or Japanese, apparently) it's WHISKY (or malt if it's a single).

Irish and bourbons are whiskEy, although I believe there's an Irish whisky as well .... something to do with it being filtered in the Scottish rather than the Irish fashion.

Anyone saying Scotch is generally rough needs to try an Orkney malt -





Malts are an acquired taste, but fortunately one a lot of us have been able to acquire...... (apologies to Winston Churchill)


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## Karl Hungus (Mar 10, 2010)

I'm Irish, I spell it Whiskey.


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## telecaster90 (Mar 10, 2010)

Four Roses is the shit


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## Variant (Mar 11, 2010)

> Hmm, I've found Ardbeg to be too smokey for my tastes. Though I've never come across that Supernova before, so I might look out for it. I just never warmed to the peated smokey Scotches.



*DON'T* then!!! If you can't get on with the *Ten*, the *Supernova* will be a huge waste of your money. It's 16-years old (potent for an Islay), cask strength, and has an enormous 100+ ppm (phenol, i.e. peat smoke) content. I love, love, love Islays for that very reason, but if you don't like peaty or smokey scotches, Supernova is not for you. 

I'd say try a run of the mill Taliker 10-year. A really good balance between an Islay and a Highland kinda flavor. Fairly smooth, and not overly one thing over another. The Reserve is a lot more bold, though. 



> I've had both the 12 and 15 Glenfiddich before, and the 15 remains probably my favourite Scotch, probably because it's definitely one of the smoothest and sweetest Scotches I've had. If I'm getting another bottle, it'll be a toss up between the 15 and the 18.



 Not that I'm the kinda guy to play up the "run of the mill", but the plentiful and common *Glenfiddich 15* is one of the best, by far, in the "I wont rape your wallet" category of single malts. Something about mix of sherry, oak (and finally, a pine finish) makes it a really round and balanced scotch without it getting too sweet for my tastes (a lot of sherry finish scotches are to wine-y for me). 

I'd much rather have it to, say, a *MacAllan 18*, which is _*the*_ single most overrated scotch I've taken in. While bold and oaky, it's flat, one-dimensional, and has the must uninspiring finish I've encountered in a scotch older than 8 years.


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## Underworld (Mar 21, 2010)

My own lil' collection!

The Benriach _Aromaticus Fumosus_ is my favorite (up to date). Peat, smokies, and a hint of vanilla. Still I'm wondering what will taste the Peat Monster (got the bottle 2 days ago with the 2 Glenlivets so I did not had time to taste them all yet). The Bowmore is an excellent day-to-day scotch, smoked caramel, quite sweet. The Johnny Walker sucks a bit compared to the others! 












The Glenlivet 18 years aged


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## Daemoniac (Mar 22, 2010)

Necky379 said:


> 125 proof, straight out of the barrel, no water. it's 65$ at the local packy, im going to pick up a bottle for when i go up to maine in august.



Bookers is really quite nice. It's possibly a touch overpriced, in my eyes anyway (the fact that here in Aus it's closer to $100 doesn't help...), but definitely a nice drop.

I preferred the Knob Creek and Elijah Craig myself, even more so considering the price differences 



Variant said:


> We at The Surfacing camp love our scotches. This right here is the best I've had on my palate:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



 I finally managed to try some of that... It is fantastic. No other word for it. It is everything that makes the 10y.o. great, but pushed further and made stronger.

Peat haters, beware.

EDIT: I have to say though, i don't like it with any water in there... I tried it both ways; with and without, and adding water made it seem a touch oily for my taste


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## matty2fatty (Mar 22, 2010)

I love whiskey, probably a little too much

I got hammered on saturday night from drinking wayyy too many manhattans (with Jamesons, pretty decent stuff, even more so if you're a fan of The Wire, haha). 

Last thing I remember is puking. On my roommates bed. I need to make a note to stop smoking after drinking too much.


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## Underworld (Mar 23, 2010)

matty2fatty said:


> I love whiskey, probably a little too much
> 
> I got hammered on saturday night from drinking wayyy too many manhattans (with Jamesons, pretty decent stuff, even more so if you're a fan of The Wire, haha).
> 
> Last thing I remember is puking. On my roommates bed. I need to make a note to stop smoking after drinking too much.


 


I'm not the "power by number" kinda guy, more the "quality over quantity" type


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## matty2fatty (Mar 24, 2010)

Underworld said:


> I'm not the "power by number" kinda guy, more the "quality over quantity" type


 
Well, if I had my way I'd have a large quantity of quality, but that gets expensive, so....


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## Underworld (Mar 25, 2010)

yeah it takes time. And efforts. But a nice glass of a 18 y/o scotch is so rewarding you'll forget the price. The problem comes when you pass 3 glasses!


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## ivancic1al (Mar 25, 2010)

Got me a bottle of Jameson for St. Patty's. So smooth and flavorful. yum


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## Daemoniac (Mar 26, 2010)

Underworld said:


> yeah it takes time. And efforts. But a nice glass of a 18 y/o scotch is so rewarding you'll forget the price. The problem comes when you pass 3 glasses!



Depends on the whiskey though... I've had some younger whiskeys that absolutely smoke certain older ones. Older =/= better.


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## El Caco (Mar 31, 2010)

Necky379 said:


> anybody seen this stuff before:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I discovered Bookers last year and it has been my favourite drink since then, unfortunately I can no longer buy it locally. It is Rare breed on steroids, similar flavour but more intense and it hits you harder as it is stronger yet it is so smooth. If you enjoy Rare Breed you will like Bookers as a result Rare Breed is my Bookers substitute. After Bookers anything but Rare Breed is far too boring.

My favourite easily attainable Scotch is Glenfiddich 15 but I have been wanting to try some from here for a while now Single Malt Whisky Club, Australia. Inexpensive mail order single malt scotch whisky, cheap.


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## Daemoniac (Mar 31, 2010)

^ If you're a fan of the peaty scotch's (ie: Islays), then try the Ardbeg 10y.o. It's a bit cheaper than the Glenfiddich, but it's infinitely more interesting IMO. Or, if you're after something more rich, the Cragganmore 12y.o has a really nice, long, malty finish to it and is far "richer" than the Ardbeg.


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## Mattmc74 (Apr 10, 2010)

I'm a big fan of Whiskey! I have not heard of this four roses until today but I'm very interested in it now. I will be going out today to see if there is any place by me that carries it.


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## maliciousteve (Apr 10, 2010)

I've got a Litre of Jack Daniels sitting behind me. Yet I hate it, lol


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## Necky379 (Apr 10, 2010)

s7eve said:


> I discovered Bookers last year and it has been my favourite drink since then, unfortunately I can no longer buy it locally. It is Rare breed on steroids, similar flavour but more intense and it hits you harder as it is stronger yet it is so smooth. If you enjoy Rare Breed you will like Bookers as a result Rare Breed is my Bookers substitute. After Bookers anything but Rare Breed is far too boring.
> 
> My favourite easily attainable Scotch is Glenfiddich 15 but I have been wanting to try some from here for a while now Single Malt Whisky Club, Australia. Inexpensive mail order single malt scotch whisky, cheap.



man, i got to try booker's soon. im getting a fat paycheck next week so maybe i'll treat myself. just bought a bottle of 101 wild turkey for tonight, almost time to get started.


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## SargeantVomit (Apr 10, 2010)

Booker's is Booker Noe's (former heir to the Jim Beam company before passing it on within the family) hand selected barrels from the center of the aging warehouse that he puts his personal name on and ages longer. It started out as his choice barrels to be bottled for friends and family for gifts until 1992 when he started releasing it to the public. It is not overpriced and I wish I could get a bottle in canada. 

Jack Daniels is *not* bourbon, although made in a similar fashion. Don't get them confused. 

I think Makers Mark is my favourite to keep on hand for mixes and social drinks at my home bar. If I'm out getting drunk and drinking a quart in a night, I'll stick to jim beam. 

As for rye (canadian whiskey), Wiser's Deluxe is my favourite.


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## 13point9 (Apr 10, 2010)

Demoniac said:


> Depends on the whiskey though... I've had some younger whiskeys that absolutely smoke certain older ones. Older =/= better.


This reminds me of black books so much (except with wine) go to 11 mins in


Black Books S1E03 - Grapes of Wrath Video by Nicolas - MySpace Video


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## behemoth91 (Apr 12, 2010)

its descent. i know technically its illegal for me to drink it as I am 14 years old but watever. Its not like i excessivly drink it, my uncle offers me some whenever i go over to his house.


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## CatPancakes (Apr 13, 2010)

behemoth91 said:


> its descent. i know technically its illegal for me to drink it as I am 14 years old but watever. Its not like i excessivly drink it, my uncle offers me some whenever i go over to his house.



cool story bro


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## CatPancakes (Apr 13, 2010)

Necky379 said:


> 125 proof, straight out of the barrel, no water. it's 65$ at the local packy, im going to pick up a bottle for when i go up to maine in august.



i got my dad some of that for his birthday. he was QUITE happy with it


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## DVRP (Apr 20, 2010)

this thread is can be summed up with the word, yum


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## Bevo (Apr 20, 2010)

Found a local Canadian made whisky called 40 Creek, won over Crown last few years running.
This was at some whiskey event.

http://www.webcastr.com/thumbnails/videos/40-creek-whisky-part-3-webcastr.jpg


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## Mexi (Apr 22, 2010)

nothing beats a good canadian rye

edit: yes, 40 creek is QUITE good


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## Adam Of Angels (Apr 24, 2010)

I love all breeds of Whiskey, Scotch and Bourbon. I really can't drink anymore, though, save for a few glasses of wine or beer, and maybe a shot here and there.

I think the tastiest stuff I've had was Glenfiddich. For a cheaper bottle, though, you can't beat Gentleman's Jack - that stuff is just so easy to drink its unreal.


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## Vairocarnal (May 18, 2010)

Anyone ever tasted Maotai?
If you have, you won't EVER forget it...


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