[NA] Bourbons

Anthony said:
Rememeber guys, whiskey is already cut with water at the end of the distilling process.
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But it is their water, not what comes from your tap. Whatever's in your water supply will alter the flavor and aroma of the whiskey, and the effect will be different if you use the water out of my well versus the water out of your water supply. Thus, if you intend to drink your whiskey at home with your water, yes, you probably want to choose your whiskey based on its taste with your water. But if you taste Bourbon in Louisville with city water from MMR's taps, be aware that it may taste different when you get home and add your own water.
 
Me thinks I might have to bring home some bottled spring water when we visit Scotland next year... ;-)
 
Ron Levy said:
Helen Arthur, author of "The Single Malt Whisky Companion" (Gramercy Books, 2005, copyright Quintet Books, 1997) disagrees. She recommends that Single Malt Whisky be tasted neat, then...
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I see your Helen Arthur and raise you Michael Jackson:

Whiskey said:
Some zealots resist dilution on principle. Others feel that the texture of the bigger, richer, sherryish malts is spoiled by water. The problem is that neat whiskey can numb the palette. This can be countered by drinking a glass of water after a whiskey. Adding a small amount of water to a whiskey disturbs the molecular composition of the whiskey and can open out the aromas and flavors.
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I'm going to ride the James Beard AND Master of the Quaich award winner on this one.

Hence, for proper tasting of the whisky itself, one should not add water unless, for example, you happen to have a bottle of water from Lochan an Doire-uaine to splash into your Dalwhinnie, or you use distilled water free of all contaminants.
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I am not suggesting a splash of tap; one should be using distilled water, or, at a minimum, appropriately filtered water.

Cheers,

-Andrew
 
Clark1961 said:
While your attention to detail is outstanding as usual, your dogmatism is more than a bit disconcerting. The task for the discriminating drinker is not to honour the purity of the single malt but to find the proper setting and additions such that the individual drinker's experience is maximized. After all, the distiller only offers a product. It is up to each one of us to optimize the value of that product considering our individual tastes.
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:yesnod::yesnod::yesnod: :yesnod::yesnod::yesnod: :yesnod::yesnod::yesnod: :yesnod::yesnod::yesnod:
 
astanley said:
I am not suggesting a splash of tap; one should be using distilled water, or, at a minimum, appropriately filtered water.
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That I'll buy -- and drink, too, although I'd remind folks that "still" water is not necessarily "distilled" water, which is harder to come by.
 
twdeckard said:
For those of you in MSN, is Jolly Bob's Jerk Joint still there? Its an eclectic carribean restaurant that is most notable for the fact that it is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. I used to live not far and would ride my bike there.
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YES!!! I love Jolly Bob's! Probably my favorite watering hole in Madison. They do have lots of good tequilas, and some great house drinks too. Tropical Storm (which counts as a serving of fruit too :D), Sea Foam (which really does look like sea foam, if you move the glass around you'll get waves!), Purple Meanie, and then there's the stuff in the big jar on the back counter. Forget what it's called, but it's to die for.

I figured out how to make Tropical Storms once... I think it was a pair of bananas, some orange juice, some Grenadine, some Jamaican dark rum, and... I forget what else. Yummy tho. :yes:
 
TangoWhiskey said:
So, for early planning of next year's Kentucky Bourbon Flight (sorry, couldn't resist!), how many find mid-October works for their schedules? Say Oct 15-17, 2010?

If we can get about eight to twelve participants, that would be fantastic. Once I have an idea of possible participants, I can start working with Ron's contact to make some firmed up plans.
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I'd be interested but it couldn't be Columbus Day weekend.

Curious why people are aiming to October? Why not in the spring?
 
I was thinking October would be between all the other POA events, nice scenery (fall colors), less chance of thunderstorms, "off season" for hotel rooms, etc. But it's just a suggestion, to get the ball rolling! Let's find out how many want to go, and we can try to hammer out an agreeable weekend.

P.S.--Columbus Day Weekend is Oct 9-11 in 2010, so we're proposing the weekend after that.
 
Ehhh..... neat, with ice, with stilled water (what the heck is stilled water?) really doesn't matter. If it's an enjoyable experience, IMHO, don't make the least bit of difference.

Gary
 
Gary said:
Ehhh..... neat, with ice, with stilled water (what the heck is stilled water?) really doesn't matter. If it's an enjoyable experience, IMHO, don't make the least bit of difference.

Gary
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No ripples or waves.
 
TangoWhiskey said:
Me thinks I might have to bring home some bottled spring water when we visit Scotland next year... ;-)
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If you're interested, I have a list of some interesting distilleries to visit. Planning already for our fourth trip in March '10.
Also, there's a number of places that will ship directly to you.
As to scotch whisky, water most definitely changes the flavor. But I was taught not to dilute bourbon. Unlike scotch, adding water to bourbon only makes it wet.
 
Hmmm, sitting here with my "Early Times Kentucky Whisky" with decaf Pepsi and a squirt of bottled lime juice. Am I doing something wrong?
 
catmandu said:
Hmmm, sitting here with my "Early Times Kentucky Whisky" with decaf Pepsi and a squirt of bottled lime juice. Am I doing something wrong?
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Not at all if you're happy.

If you're not happy then by all means, drink just a bit more.:D
 
silver-eagle said:
If you're interested, I have a list of some interesting distilleries to visit. Planning already for our fourth trip in March '10.
Also, there's a number of places that will ship directly to you.
As to scotch whisky, water most definitely changes the flavor. But I was taught not to dilute bourbon. Unlike scotch, adding water to bourbon only makes it wet.
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Yes, please share. Been researching the various Whisky Trails and plan to visit two or three when we're there (a month or two after you, if all goes as planned).
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Er... Windwood?
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Yeah, I just put all of the planned events into a "2010 Flying Budget" spreadsheet I'm working up, as I find if I don't plan for it, the money seems to go somewhere else and I don't fly (I submit the last year as evidence!).

Turns out we're heavy on the summer/fall activities, and spring is wide open:

GASTONS (3M0): The weekend before Father's Day (which falls on the 3rd Sunday in June)
SIDNAW (6Y9): Labor Day weekend (holding 1st Monday in September)
WINDWOOD (WV62): 1st weekend in October
WINGS FLYBQ (KLOM): 3rd weekend of May

Balancing this out might mean scheduling something for early April, hopefully that's far enough out of winter to beat the ice and early enough in the spring to beat the worst of the thunderstorms.

What do you think?
 
TangoWhiskey said:
Yeah, I just put all of the planned events into a "2010 Flying Budget" spreadsheet I'm working up, as I find if I don't plan for it, the money seems to go somewhere else and I don't fly (I submit the last year as evidence!).

Turns out we're heavy on the summer/fall activities, and spring is wide open:

GASTONS (3M0): The weekend before Father's Day (which falls on the 3rd Sunday in June)
SIDNAW (6Y9): Labor Day weekend (holding 1st Monday in September)
WINDWOOD (WV62): 1st weekend in October
WINGS FLYBQ (KLOM): 3rd weekend of May

Balancing this out might mean scheduling something for early April, hopefully that's far enough out of winter to beat the ice and early enough in the spring to beat the worst of the thunderstorms.

What do you think?
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May (Derby time) is usually quite warm in the Louisville/Frankfort/Lexington area; I would imagine late April isn't too bad.

I would be very "in" -- the only caveat is I may have school starting that month, if I get into the program I want. So...

Cheers,

-Andrew
 
TangoWhiskey said:
Thanks for the suggestion on the Woodforest... got it, love it.
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Great, glad you like it. I do need to get some more, working of a gift bottle of the Elija Craig, also quite good and very nicely priced. Perhaps I'm not sufficiently discriminating, but I really can't taste the difference with the really high priced stuff - can't say it is all that much better. Can taste the difference from the cheap stuff.

Gary
 
Everyone knows Evan Williams Green Label is the Cadillac of Bourbon.
 
Ron Levy said:
That I'll buy -- and drink, too, although I'd remind folks that "still" water is not necessarily "distilled" water, which is harder to come by.
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I find distilled water at almost any supermarket or drug store...so far no problems finding it in NY, NJ, OH, or NE. It comes in gallon jugs.
 
Gary said:
Great, glad you like it. I do need to get some more, working of a gift bottle of the Elija Craig, also quite good and very nicely priced. Perhaps I'm not sufficiently discriminating, but I really can't taste the difference with the really high priced stuff - can't say it is all that much better. Can taste the difference from the cheap stuff.

Gary
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Another contestant for the Pepsi Challenge?

Cheers,

-Andrew
 
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