Sign up with GoogleI only have a soft spot for it because it was my first exposure to scotch (my dad's scotch). I like it a bit more than other cheapies like Bell's, JW Red and Grants but J&B is better. Would love to try the bottom shelfers blind (with at least one wild card in) and see what I prefer.
-
Ask a question and get free supportUnlock new privileges and see hidden discussionsWin prizes and earn reputation
-
Question of the day ~ How often do you braai?
-
Afristay giveaway.Win a 2-night stay for two people at an establishment of your choice with R1,000 in spending money. Enter here.
Whisk(e)y Lovers thread
- Thread starter KleinBoontjie
- Start date
- Status
I only have a soft spot for it because it was my first exposure to scotch (my dad's scotch). I like it a bit more than other cheapies like Bell's, JW Red and Grants but J&B is better. Would love to try the bottom shelfers blind (with at least one wild card in) and see what I prefer.
Toxxyc
Executive Member
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2012
- Messages
- 5,100
Yeah I think I might just remember it better than it is. I haven't had it in years, but it was one of the first whiskies I bought way back when I tried to look cool at parties.
Use regular plastic party cups, or see if you can find a Norlan Vaild set of glasses.
Toxxyc
Executive Member
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2012
- Messages
- 5,100
Yeah I think I might just remember it better than it is. I haven't had it in years, but it was one of the first whiskies I bought way back when I tried to look cool at parties.
Use regular plastic party cups, or see if you can find a Norlan Vaild set of glasses.
Naks
Executive Member
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2009
- Messages
- 7,783
The Whisky Library at Rust-en-Vrede Art Gallery
The Whisky Library at Rust-en-Vrede Art Gallery, Durbanville. 2,750 likes · 15 talking about this · 204 were here. Whisky bar and tasting experience with one of the largest whisky menus in the...
www.facebook.com
dualmeister
Honorary Master
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2005
- Messages
- 51,374
About 15 mins awayThe Whisky Library at Rust-en-Vrede Art Gallery
The Whisky Library at Rust-en-Vrede Art Gallery, Durbanville. 2,750 likes · 15 talking about this · 204 were here. Whisky bar and tasting experience with one of the largest whisky menus in the...
View attachment 931399
Toxxyc
Executive Member
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2012
- Messages
- 5,100
Alriiiiight. Found incoming stock of premium, highly peated malt. Going to make my own version of a heavily peated malt, if it all plays out like I hope it does. Just need to figure out the best oak to use, what toast and how to impart the best flavour over time into the whisky. I can't wait!
TheMightyQuinn
Not amused...
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2010
- Messages
- 31,961
Buy this...unless you do not like Buffalo Trace?
Buffalo Trace Barrel Pack
Own your very own mini Buffalo Trace barrel for further maturing whiskey, bar display or experimenting with cask-matured cocktails. The 5 litre handmade barrel is made from new American White oak with a medium char. The oak is dried outdoors for 18 to 24 months before being finished in a kiln...
www.whiskybrother.com
....then you have the Whiskey AND a barrel to age your homemade stuff in...
OR:
Buy Oak Infusion Spiral Barrel Aged in a Bottle Oak Infusion Spiral, Brown Online at Lowest Price in Ubuy South Africa. B00QSI6SIG
Shop for Oak Infusion Spiral Barrel Aged in a Bottle Oak Infusion Spiral, Brown online at an affordable price in Ubuy South Africa. Get special offers, deals, discounts & fast delivery options on international shipping with every purchase on Ubuy. B00QSI6SIG
www.ubuy.za.com
Toxxyc
Executive Member
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2012
- Messages
- 5,100
That's a bit pricey. I have medium+ toast American oak already, but I don't want to go the bourbon route. I want to aim for Ardbeg, or something like that. I need to go check which toasts and oaks will give the best brine/sea salt flavour, and if that is derived from the peat (I don't know).Buy this...unless you do not like Buffalo Trace?
Buffalo Trace Barrel Pack
Own your very own mini Buffalo Trace barrel for further maturing whiskey, bar display or experimenting with cask-matured cocktails. The 5 litre handmade barrel is made from new American White oak with a medium char. The oak is dried outdoors for 18 to 24 months before being finished in a kiln...
....then you have the Whiskey AND a barrel to age your homemade stuff in...
OR:
Buy Oak Infusion Spiral Barrel Aged in a Bottle Oak Infusion Spiral, Brown Online at Lowest Price in Ubuy South Africa. B00QSI6SIG
Shop for Oak Infusion Spiral Barrel Aged in a Bottle Oak Infusion Spiral, Brown online at an affordable price in Ubuy South Africa. Get special offers, deals, discounts & fast delivery options on international shipping with every purchase on Ubuy. B00QSI6SIG
I'm strongly considering taking some oak I have around here and first making a bourbon with it (I have some bourbon wash running right now, actually), and then re-using the oak from the bourbon to make the peated whisky. Essentially using ex-bourbon oak. I can also go buy a cheap bottle of sherry and then dump the sherry in a jar, add some oak and then have a few sticks "ex-sherry" as well, if that makes sense. I can then blend the sticks to get the flavour I want. I think I need to do some research to see what the best peats are vatted in originally, and see if I can mimic that.
EDIT: Man, that was easy. Ex-bourbon for the Ardbeg 10, and then 10% in ex-sherry for the Uigeadail: https://www.whisky.com/whisky-datab...y uses Bourbon casks,famous Lord of the Isles.
Well that seals it then. I've got some medium toast American I'll use for the bourbon, and then save that post aging to re-use in the peated malt. I CAN NOT WAIT.
TheMightyQuinn
Not amused...
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2010
- Messages
- 31,961
Something like https://sawinebarrels.com/product-category/small-barrels/ ?
Edit: Just remember anything involving barrel aging takes time. So probably not worthwhile in terms of aging whisky quickly. A few companies have tried to make synthetically aged whisky like the lost spirits company.
Edit: Just remember anything involving barrel aging takes time. So probably not worthwhile in terms of aging whisky quickly. A few companies have tried to make synthetically aged whisky like the lost spirits company.
Snyper564
Honorary Master
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2008
- Messages
- 15,342
Where you getting this? I want to make a smoked porter something like Ardbegs one maybe but need that malt
Tabarrast
Member
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2020
- Messages
- 18
Has anyone tried Boplaas whisky? They are a local winery/distillery and make some cracking single grain whisky (from 100% maize). Before you dismiss it out of hand for being grain whisky, let me say that the kicker with this distillery is the casks that they use for finishing. They produce everything from port wines, brandy, gin to whisky etc., so they can use their own casks for finishing. This means that they don't need to get casks seasoned with a lower grade or younger wine/liquor from some other place. They can use casks from their stock that actually matured award-winning port or brandy, for example, to further mature and finish their whisky. The only exception to this is a rum cask finish that they make. For that one, they exchanged some barrels of theirs with ones from a rum distillery somewhere, so those may still be some good legit ex-rum barrels.
I bought two of their bottles, the cheapest one, a brandy cask finish (no age stated, but it would be 3 years at least, maybe even 3-5), and the most expensive one, the 8 year old single cask bottling from a tawny port cask.
The brandy one is pretty delicious. I also tried some of their 15 year old brandy. It's pretty good, but it's a bit one dimensional and very sweet. The brandy finished whisky, on the other hand, is just much nicer. Still a lot like the brandy but better. The single cask is just excellent. You even forget that you are drinking grain whisky with that one because the cask influence and strength is just so intense and delicious. I also tasted some of their very old ruby port, and this is a bit reminiscent of that. However, I sadly could not taste their actual tawny port as they were all out, so I don't have a direct comparison for the influence that the finishing might have had like with the brandy. This 8 year old also has a little brother, a 6 year old, also finished in tawny port casks. It's bottled at a regular 43% ABV and not from a single cask (though everything from them will be small batch). I didn't try the 6, but it might also still be good. All their whiskies contain no artificial colouring whatsoever and have not been chill-filtered at all. Not saying this stuff is going to be for everyone. I'm just putting it out there in case someone is reading who has not heard of or thought to try this yet and who might be interested.
It's not produced in large quantities and widely available like say, Three Ships/Bains. They are more like a craft distillery really. If you are ever anywhere near Oudtshoorn, then I would strongly recommend you visit them in Calitzdorp, about 50km to the West. There is also a Boplaas tasting room/shop not far away from Hartenbos right next to Klein Brak at Klipheuwel. You can also check on boplaas.co.za if there is a distributor near you or order from the site directly.
I bought two of their bottles, the cheapest one, a brandy cask finish (no age stated, but it would be 3 years at least, maybe even 3-5), and the most expensive one, the 8 year old single cask bottling from a tawny port cask.
The brandy one is pretty delicious. I also tried some of their 15 year old brandy. It's pretty good, but it's a bit one dimensional and very sweet. The brandy finished whisky, on the other hand, is just much nicer. Still a lot like the brandy but better. The single cask is just excellent. You even forget that you are drinking grain whisky with that one because the cask influence and strength is just so intense and delicious. I also tasted some of their very old ruby port, and this is a bit reminiscent of that. However, I sadly could not taste their actual tawny port as they were all out, so I don't have a direct comparison for the influence that the finishing might have had like with the brandy. This 8 year old also has a little brother, a 6 year old, also finished in tawny port casks. It's bottled at a regular 43% ABV and not from a single cask (though everything from them will be small batch). I didn't try the 6, but it might also still be good. All their whiskies contain no artificial colouring whatsoever and have not been chill-filtered at all. Not saying this stuff is going to be for everyone. I'm just putting it out there in case someone is reading who has not heard of or thought to try this yet and who might be interested.
It's not produced in large quantities and widely available like say, Three Ships/Bains. They are more like a craft distillery really. If you are ever anywhere near Oudtshoorn, then I would strongly recommend you visit them in Calitzdorp, about 50km to the West. There is also a Boplaas tasting room/shop not far away from Hartenbos right next to Klein Brak at Klipheuwel. You can also check on boplaas.co.za if there is a distributor near you or order from the site directly.
dualmeister
Honorary Master
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2005
- Messages
- 51,374
Jameson Cold Brew – Jameson Irish Whiskey
Jameson Cold Brew combines the smooth taste of triple distilled-Jameson and the richness of natural Aracica bean cold brew coffee flavor into one bottle.
www.jamesonwhiskey.com
Toxxyc
Executive Member
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2012
- Messages
- 5,100
Right, so exactly like that, just not virgin oak. And yes, barrel aging takes time, but the general rule is that the smaller the barrel, the faster it goes. That's because the surface area inside the barrel in relation to the volume of liquid drastically increases. Whisky also ages SIGNIFICANTLY faster in SA than in places like Scotland. Our temperature fluctuations are wilder. That's also why whiskeys from places like the USA are aged to smoothness so much faster. For something to be called a "straight bourbon" it only need 2 years in a cask. That's all. But thanks for that link. It's not exactly what I'm looking for, but it's nice to see I might just get what I want somewhere.
The stuff I'm getting is still on ships, so it's only coming laaaaaater. You can get peated malt now at BrewMart though, they have a few kilos in stock.Where you getting this? I want to make a smoked porter something like Ardbegs one maybe but need that malt
View attachment 931689
After thinking about the peated malt I also figured I want to make a peated stout with some of that malt. Not a lot of peat, but enough to make you identify the whisky. I want to make it at least a double, maybe even a triple, perhaps even touching the double digits in ABV. Then I want to see if I can bulk age it, around 20l or so at once, with ex-bourbon oak in the mix as well, just for additional complexity. I think aging it raw for a few months and then bottling and conditioning it for a further year should produce one hell of a nice beer.
Flavour profile I'm aiming for is peat, oak and bourbon flavours without the associated bitterness of too much roasted malts. I did see you get some specialty dark malts these days that impart colour and sweetness without too much of the roasted malt bitterness. Because I'm not a fan of the roast malt bitterness. I'd much rather boost the colour with some chocolate malt and carahell perhaps. Get that smokey sweet chocolate that Ardbeg is known for...
TheMightyQuinn
Not amused...
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2010
- Messages
- 31,961
Glenlivet does it again with their "secret code" Whisky:
Not bad when you see prices in the UK of R 1 800...
Not bad when you see prices in the UK of R 1 800...
| Spectra is a limited edition from Glenlivet that follows similar releases in previous years; Alpha (2013), Cipher (2016), Code (2018), and invites whisky enthusiasts to unlock the mysteries of the whisky by not disclosing any tasting notes, age or cask information. The Spectra pack contains a set of three 200ml whiskies, all bottled at 43%, and showcases the range of styles the Glenlivet distillery is able to produce. Via a QR code on the box, you are invited online where you can compare your notes against master distiller Alan Winchester. |
- Status