Whiskey, Bourbon, Scotch

[Einherjar86]

I'm beginning to get into bourbon and wondered if we might set aside a little area where those of us interested in distilling and imbibing its craft (and hopefully those with more knowledge than me) can discuss and exchange information.

I only recently realized I prefer bourbon over whiskey. Or, at least, my wife realized that I always get Buffalo Trace, that one of my groomsmen bought me a bourbon called Temperance, and that she just recently got me a bottle of bourbon as a gift and I really like it (and I can't remember the name of it for the life of me; I'll post it later). And so she told me that I like bourbon.

Anyone else enjoy sipping whiskey or any of its cousins? And if so, how do you prefer it and which are your favorite brands and/or distillers? I take mine neat if I'm at a bar, but I use whiskey stones at home. I don't mind it at room temperature, but I try not to use ice. I typically default to Buffalo Trace as a good, inexpensive sipping bourbon; but I also recently got a bottle of George Dickel Superior No. 12. Tennessee whiskey, but really good for the price.

 

[Baroque]

I'm not super into whiskey but of the handful i've tried, I like Gentleman Jack on the rocks. Let the ice melt halfway and it's very smooth. Forty Creek is good too but much stronger.

 

[KMADD]

Gentleman Jack is alright but JD how can you ruin a perfectly good bourbon by pouring it over charcoals? (at a time in my life where i liked jd i went to the distillery in TN). I prefer Makers Mark, Evan Williams 1783, JTS Brown 100, Elijah Craig and Springmill Bourbon made in Southern IN.

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

For bourbon I like..
Buffalo Trace
Makers 46
Makers isn't bad
Knob Creek is ok
Gentleman Jack isn't bad
I would love to try some Pappy Van Winkles

For scotch I love peat. Love it!
Laphroaig being my favorite.
The Laphroaig 10, Quarter Cask, and Cask Strength are all great. I think I like the Cask Strength the most. 57%!!!!
Ardbeg is great also. But I've only had the 10.
Talisker
Highland Park 12 is great

 

[Einherjar86]

Is Gentleman Jack a bourbon? I'm ignorant about this. I thought all JD was whiskey, technically(I've heard the definitions can be a bit tiresome and ambiguous).

I typically don't drink scotch, but a couple buddies of mine bought a bottle of Blue Label once for someone's birthday. It was very nice, but unfortunately I had nothing to compare it to!

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

yeah true I guess Jack isnt a bourbon, but close enough.
51% corn makes it bourbon (I think)
There's so much good scotch out there. It's insane
Even cheap stuff like Glenfiddich 12 and Glenlivet 12 are good.
and by cheap I mean $35 or so.
Buffalo Trace is like $22 here, and I love it.
Makers 46 is like $31 or something. Really good. Much better than regular Makers

 

[Einherjar86]

Yeah, Buffalo Trace is my go-to for sipping bourbon. It's a bit more expensive in Boston (about $29 I think); but compared to everything else, it's decent and affordable.

There's a great bar in uptown Chicago (can't remember which neighborhood) called Duke of Perth that has tons of scotch. I ordered a Glenfiddich when I was there because it was the cheapest thing; thought it was pretty good though.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

Bourbon is a whisky.

And although Jack Daniels is a "Tennessee whiskey", its almost identical to bourbon ... only difference being that JD charcoal filters all of their products ... same goes for Dickel.

Bourbons originally had to be from Bourbon county, kind of how all Cognacs have to be from Cognac, France. Congac is a variety of Brandy like Bourbon is a variety of whisky.

That being said, i mainly drink scotch, but i always have a few bottles of bourbon laying around.

Scotch
Glenfiddich 18
Macallan 12
Old Pulteney 12
Highland Park 12
Johnnie Walker Green Label ... which is sadly discontinued =(.

Bourbon
Eagle Rare
Woodford Reserve
Makers Mark and Makers 46
Buffallo Trace
Wild Turkey 101
Jim Beam

I also like some Irish Whiskey's. I oppened a bottle of Bushmills yesterday.

If you like Buffalo Trace than you should definitely give Eagle Rare a shot, made by the same distillery and has won a shit load of medals, i dont think i've met a person who did not enjoy it.

 

[Einherjar86]

I know that bourbon is a whiskey; but not all whiskeys count as bourbons. And I didn't think that JD counted; but I could be wrong, as I said.

Location actually has nothing to do with it being bourbon; that's a myth, from what I've heard. Some came from Bourbon County, Kentucky; but what constitutes a bourbon is the amount of corn, as Krig said. It must be made from between 51% and 79% Indian corn, and must be made in the U.S.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

It doesnt make sense to say you "prefer bourbon over whiskey". Should be more like "bourbon is your preferred whiskey". And offourse not all whiskies are bourbons, bourbon is basically american whisky.

Location had a lot to do with it. While some people will try and argue it, it is widely known that bourbon was originated in Bourbon county and like i said ... "originally" had to have been distilled in Bourbon County, Kentucky for them to have labelled it as a bourbon.

edit: Damn, $30 for a bottle of BT? Goes for $20-23 here in So Cal. Glenfiddich and Glenlivet 12 both range from $21 to around $27. Market down the street has Glenlivet 12 for $21.99 right now.

 

[Einherjar86]

Oh goodness, an argument! It draws me... like, like a black hole... and probably equally as crushing...

Anyway, you're probably right, considering that it was first made in the U.S. in Kentucky; but since it was actually created prior to that, the whole essence of originality gets sketchy. But I'm aware there's an institutional recognition of Bourbon County as its "original birthplace."

Yes, I think lots of alcohol is priced up in Boston. But then, most people also earn (on average) higher salaries than in other regions/cities.

 

[viewerfromnihil]

I prefer to drink whiskey neat. I love the flavor of Jack Daniels, but I tend to stay away from it nowadays because of the hangover. That said, I would never turn down a glass of Single Barrel, it's much better than Gentleman Jack.

I had Johnny Walker Blue once and it was definitely the best drink I've ever had, but totally financially unfeasable to drink on a regular basis. Johnny Walker Black is great too and the price isn't half bad, but Jameson is generally my go to. I've joked with my brother about it as my poor man's JWB.

Other than that, I haven't explored too many other brands. Maker's Mark is good, but I wasn't very impressed with it when I had it.

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

If you like Buffalo Trace than you should definitely give Eagle Rare a shot, made by the same distillery and has won a shit load of medals, i dont think i've met a person who did not enjoy it.

Awesome! Totally going to try some of that

 

[Jimmy... Dead.]

White man's burden, Lloyd my man. White man's burden

 

[MasterOLightning]

For volume drinkers like me, Evan Williams black label and Old Crow Reserve are good budget bottles. $20-25 for a 1.75L bottle around here, and EW often has rebates. Both are reviewed much better than a lot of the swill you get at that price point. Cheap enough that there's no regret mixing it, but it's good enough to enjoy with an ice cube or two or in a manhattan. Like anything, if you stay within your limits you won't be hungover any worse than with any other whiskey.

Going up the ladder, Buffalo Trace (and family http://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/brands/buffalo-trace) is a fine choice, likely the very best at that price. I tend to stay away from the Jack Daniel's family, as prices tend to be really inflated due to marketing. It costs too much for the quality. Same with Maker's Mark for that matter. Weller's Reserve is similar to MM but beats it on price. It used to be much cheaper, but demand is starting to kick up prices across the board.

I don't drink much scotch or Irish because the value is just not there compared to what bourbon has to offer right now. There are so many good scotches that you really just need to find out what you like. Many of the $100+ bottles aren't that much better than what you can get in the $60-90 range. Laphroaig, Talisker, and Lagavulin are favorites of mine.

 

[Master_Yoda77]

Does LTD and Kessler count in this thread?

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

Evan Williams is awesome, my go to brand for bottom shelf whisky.

... picked this bottle up for around $18 bucks a few weeks back, very good stuff regardless of the cheap pricetag.

 

[MasterOLightning]

Ugh, LTD? There's got to be something better on the bottom shelf. Upgrade to Canadian Mist if you have to go dirt cheap.

 

[Master_Yoda77]

Ugh, LTD? There's got to be something better on the bottom shelf. Upgrade to Canadian Mist if you have to go dirt cheap.

My friend found a 30 year old bottle of that in his grandpa's basement. It was surprising not so fucking shitty as expected. Still shitty though.

 

[Baroque]

Does LTD and Kessler count in this thread?

Kessler is a decent mixer. Better than generic store brands. Really bad for drinking by itself in my opinion.

Crown Royal is alright, I didn't see it mentioned yet. Not as good as Gentleman Jack though. Anyone else try Forty Creek? It won a bunch of awards.