Whisk(e)y Lovers thread

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I revisited these 2 tonight...

20200218_185428_resized.jpg

The Drum was, well...confusing when I tasted it the first time and I wasn't sure if I actually liked it.

But it started making sense to me and I really enjoyed it this evening.

The Grooves I loved from the start...I'm really glad I took the plunge originally and "invested" in these 2 bottles.
 
axsis said:
I've had the Select Reserve when out for dinner and it was quite different to me from regular Jamesons. There's quite a sherry cask influence to this one. Maybe give the bottle some time to breathe and try a teaspoon of water and covering your glass (ideally use a wine tasting glass if you can) and leave it for 20 minutes. I bought Jameson Caskmates (stout) and didn't find much of a difference, it took me till I was almost finished it to find the difference and realize I didn't actually like it. :D

There's plenty of good interesting whisky in the 300-450 range.

  • Tullamore DEW 12 - Similar to the Jameson's Select Reserve but imo better and better than most Scotches in the price range usually priced at R389~ at Makro.
  • Most bourbons (Bulleit is good but liquor city has Elijah Craig which gets good mentions)
  • Private Barrel no 68. I can't speak for their Irish but this one is a spicy Speyside and at the end of my bottle I really found myself wanting it again.
  • Loch lomond single grain
  • Bells Special Reserve (See review a few pages back, Slightly peated)
  • Johnnie Walker Black/Double black - Actually nice whisky considering how mass-produced it is. (Slightly peated)
  • Dewars 15 - Better than many higher priced Scotches imo.
  • Three ships 5/Bourbon cask and Bains are all great for the price.
  • Liquor city stocks Glen Moray and I love the Peated one but heard good things about the Chardonnay cask at least.
  • Glenfiddich/Glenlivet 12 are both fine drams

This list isn't exhaustive but it all really depends on whether you want something a bit more interesting or something easy to drink. It's important to enjoy drinking whisky, that's why people recommend better whisky because it generally leads to a better experience.

Also ideally try to try before you buy unless you really trust a review or recommendation! It's worth knowing what you're getting and I realize that's not always possible but some bars do have decent selections. Yes this is pricey but better than regretting a whole bottle. But exploring whisky is always a gamble and sometimes a bottle you initially dislike becomes something more as time passes and sometimes something you think is a sure win isn't. For me finding the gems is the greatest prize and experience.
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Add to that:
  • Monkey Shoulder
  • Four Roses
  • Highland Park 10 yo
  • Auchentoshen American Oak
  • Woodford Reserve (Distiller's Select)


+1 on the Bell's Special Reserve and Private Barrel 68
 
eehellfire said:
Add to that:
  • Monkey Shoulder
  • Four Roses
  • Highland Park 10 yo
  • Auchentoshen American Oak
  • Woodford Reserve (Distiller's Select)


+1 on the Bell's Special Reserve and Private Barrel 68
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Four roses? Where can you find that here in sa?
 
Snyper564 said:
Four roses? Where can you find that here in sa?
Click to expand...
www.whiskybrother.com

Four Roses Small Batch

Produced using four different mashbills, each matured independently and then selected by the Four Roses master distiller, "at the peak of maturation", to vat together and create a balanced small batch bourbon. Bottled at 45%. Nose: Mellow spice, rich fruit, hints of sweet oak and caramel...
www.whiskybrother.com www.whiskybrother.com
 
axsis said:
I've had the Select Reserve when out for dinner and it was quite different to me from regular Jamesons. There's quite a sherry cask influence to this one. Maybe give the bottle some time to breathe and try a teaspoon of water and covering your glass (ideally use a wine tasting glass if you can) and leave it for 20 minutes. I bought Jameson Caskmates (stout) and didn't find much of a difference, it took me till I was almost finished it to find the difference and realize I didn't actually like it. :D
Click to expand...

I had a bottle of the Stout and I could taste a distinct difference. Maybe my palate is broken.

I don't drink Rye/Bourbon and hate smokey whiskey.
 
Which bourbons have you tried to date? I was also always pretty indifferent to bourbons, but the other day I got to try Blanton's Gold. It's one hell of an amazing whiskey, that one. It's a bourbon and you can taste it, but it's "different". Think totally not Jack Daniels.

EDIT: Oh, and if you can taste differences, your palate is not broken, it's working :D
 
Toxxyc said:
Which bourbons have you tried to date? I was also always pretty indifferent to bourbons, but the other day I got to try Blanton's Gold. It's one hell of an amazing whiskey, that one. It's a bourbon and you can taste it, but it's "different". Think totally not Jack Daniels.

EDIT: Oh, and if you can taste differences, your palate is not broken, it's working :D
Click to expand...

Jim Beam
Jack Daniels


Tastes like perfume.
 
Yeah those are both pretty "harsh" bourbons. I would really suggest you try a more "snobbish" bourbon, if you can. Don't buy, because it can be expensive, but something like Blanton's Gold might surprise you.
 
Toxxyc said:
Yeah those are both pretty "harsh" bourbons. I would really suggest you try a more "snobbish" bourbon, if you can. Don't buy, because it can be expensive, but something like Blanton's Gold might surprise you.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions, but I am not really interested in expanding my bourbon love/hate.
 
axsis said:
  • Tullamore DEW 12 - Similar to the Jameson's Select Reserve but imo better and better than most Scotches in the price range usually priced at R389~ at Makro.
  • Most bourbons (Bulleit is good but liquor city has Elijah Craig which gets good mentions)
  • Private Barrel no 68. I can't speak for their Irish but this one is a spicy Speyside and at the end of my bottle I really found myself wanting it again.
  • Loch lomond single grain
  • Bells Special Reserve (See review a few pages back, Slightly peated)
  • Johnnie Walker Black/Double black - Actually nice whisky considering how mass-produced it is. (Slightly peated)
  • Dewars 15 - Better than many higher priced Scotches imo.
  • Three ships 5/Bourbon cask and Bains are all great for the price.
  • Liquor city stocks Glen Moray and I love the Peated one but heard good things about the Chardonnay cask at least.
  • Glenfiddich/Glenlivet 12 are both fine drams
Click to expand...

That's a really nice list for someone getting into whisky :thumbsup:

axsis said:
Yes this is pricey but better than regretting a whole bottle.
Click to expand...

Sometimes one has to take a chance. I bought a bottle of Paul John Edited last week on a complete whim and I'm loving it. But I've also had purchases that have taken me literally years to get through because I didn't like them. Then there's those that I did not initially like, had a dram or two and left it forgotten in my whisky cabinet only to find it years later, try it again and love it. A case in point being a bottle of Laphroaig PX cask that I bought in duty free about 8 years ago. Hated it. Forgot about it. Found it hiding in the back of my collection end of last year and I'm loving it now. So much so that I will pick up another bottle when next I travel.

The above is also an indication of how one's palate develops/changes/matures over the years. When I started my whisky journey, I was an instant peat head and couldn't stomach anything that even had a hint of sherry influence or sweetness. It was dry peat smoke or bust - Laphroaig 10 was my daily (before I was married with children). Now I love nothing more than sweet peat and I have plenty sherried whisky in my collection.

On the topic of Irish whisky, I've only recently started drinking the stuff but I am, unfortunately, an unashamed whisky snob and I find anything out of the Jameson stable is triple distilled to the point of being completely one dimensional, no character, full of caramel and distilled for the masses. If you want to drink Irish then try Teeling, red/green/yellow spot, Bushmills 10 (even Black Bush) and Conemarra, if you can get your hands on it. But yes, good Irish costs money, unfortunately, but you get what you pay for.
 
dualmeister said:
I've never seen Highland Park 10 for less than R499 :oops:
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www.bottegawhiskey.com

Highland Park 10 Year - Viking Scars§ - Bottega Whiskey Club

Region: Island Nose: Subtle Sherry influence, but balanced by heather-y smoke. Palate: Ginger and waxy orange peel. Earthy peat with a another hint of Sherry sweetness buried underneath. Finish: Sea salt and heather once again. A few herbaceous hints of coriander leaf and crushed black pepper.
www.bottegawhiskey.com
R440.00 at Bottega

hpb.PNG


Disclaimer: I don't work at Bottega nor do I profit from punting them in any way :D
 
Toxxyc said:
Yeah those are both pretty "harsh" bourbons. I would really suggest you try a more "snobbish" bourbon, if you can. Don't buy, because it can be expensive, but something like Blanton's Gold might surprise you.
Click to expand...
Normal Blanton's is also pretty good. As is the Woodford Reserve range.
But then again, I love bourbons (including JD and JB)
 
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