Nectar of the Gods...

HighFlyingA380

HighFlyingA380

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Jim F.
As I sit here with a dram of Highland Park 12 year in one hand, a Montecristo White series in the other, and watching barrels get refurbished, I'm curious about y'alls whisky(correct)/whiskey(incorrect) preferences and why?

I guess I just really love the flavor and added complexity of peat, so I much prefer Scotch over the Bourbon, Rye, Tennessee, etc. varieties. Additionally, the wide use Sherry casks in the Scotch aging process adds yet another flavor level.

While I've only just begun my proper Scotch/Whiskey journey, as it stands now this Highland Park 12 is probably my favorite, especially when factoring the cost (only about $45!). It's nose is reminiscent of fresh citrus and honey, with subtle floral and vanilla notes. It drinks quite smooth even with a relatively full body, but not overwhelming. Tastes much like the nose, but now you can begin to make the sherry and peat smoke flavors. It finishes with a strong yet quite smooth and spicy oaky- and peaty-ness.

If any of you have the Barreled app, feel free to send me a friend invite (same username).

Oh, and since mentioned, I'm also on the Cigar Boss app as well, but that topic could probably be a new thread...
 
Not a Scotch drinker, I like Bourbon and other whiskeys. Now, for beer, last week I got hooked on Dreher in Budapest. Very smooth lager. :D
 
Not a scotch man myself,like bourbon wood ford reserve works for me.
 
When talking about Nectar of the GODS, I'd say 40yo Highland Park...

If you like peat, you might want to try Lagavulin 18yo. It's reasonably priced, and very peaty.

For YouTube entertainment, surely you know ralfy?

Bourbon I only drink as an Old Fashioned. Woodford Reserve is perhaps my favorite for that.

Myself, for my daily tipple, I often enjoy Laphroaig Quarter Cask, or Triple Wood. For special occasions, such as days with a letter Y in them, I pull out a Glenmorangie 18yo.
 
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Glenlivet 18 yr at a friend's place is the only Scotch I have tried. It was smooth.
 
Nothing wrong with mixing whiskys either...

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There is a distillery called Watershed in my little one-horse town that makes the best bourbon I've yet had. I've read that its one of the top ten in the United States, and I believe it. And far less spendy than 18-year-old single malt Scotch.
 
Corsair Triple Smoke whiskey is my current favorite. American made, distilled in Nashville. If you like Scotch (as I do), you'll probably love this stuff.
 
Have to picture the whiskey/whisky/bourbon shelf....

Woodford Reserve, 1792, Winchester (gift) and a bottle of Trader Joe's house brand

Humidor runs the range from Connecticut to Oscuro
 
I was smoking a Rocky Patel yesterday (Edge Corojo) while sipping some Bulleit Rye.
 
I might have to try the Bulleit Rye again. Was given a bottle of that and the Bourbon for one of our pool parties - wasn't as fond of the rye as the bourbon.

Milady likes to tell people I've arranged to be buried under the flooring of the small batch whiskey section of Total Wine....
 
I don't always drink single malt. But, when I do, it Laphroaig!

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I prefer bourbon to Scotch, and my everyday bourbon is Makers Mark. My special occasion bourbon is Blanton's.

I can't get used to the heavy peat taste in quality Scotches. However, I've come to really like Irish Whiskeys, which have the same peat taste, without being overpowering.

An everyday Irish Whiskey can be Jamison, but a great special occasion Irish Whiskey is Middleton.
 
Stan, have you tried the Makers Cask Strength? Not an everyday drink - but I liked it
 
Old Fart said:
Stan, have you tried the Makers Cask Strength? Not an everyday drink - but I liked it
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I never have, but I should try it. Thanks!

I've had Maker's 46, and it was fine, but I couldn't really notice much difference in taste to justify a premium over the regular Maker's Mark.
 
I agree. When Outback was pouring Makers or 46 for the same price, I had the 46. Now I just order "double Makers on the rocks"

I think a trip to MY AISLE at TW is in order for this weekend - y'all are making me thirsty :)
 
Glenmorangie, Glenlivet and Glenfiddich (too many glen's...) are all my go to's for scotch.

Balvenie, Islay, Bowmore all good, Islay I recall is like drinking a campfire..VERY smoky/peaty. Aberlour is also a good one, very smooth.

Bourbon I've done Woodford reserve which is good, maker's mark, few others, but I'm definitely more into scotch then bourbon.
 
Big fan of Isle of Jura's Superstition. Oban 18 is my other 'go to', and I'm quite fond of Bunnahabhain and Bruichladdich too. Had plenty of others, of course (I play in a pipe band, so...;)). Not a big fan of Lagavulin or Laphroig (a little too smoky for my tastes), but in general I like Islays.
 
I've never developed a taste for scotch. I think being a volunteer firefighter in a rural area has a lot to do with that. Spending many hours breathing the smoke from burning vegetation leaves a taste that takes a couple of days to fade away. I just can't bring myself to drink something that tastes like a grass fire.

I like Gibson's Canadian whiskey, Jameson Irish whiskey and Bulleit bourbon. I'm a homebrewer so I drink more beer than I do distilled spirits.

Mark
 
Thanks for all the suggestion folks, my wishlist is growing! Obviously I can't just go out and buy them all, so I'm gonna shoot for adding at least one bottle a month to start growing my collection. As I was looking at my stock last night, I realize that after one more bottle I'm gonna run out of space on my current shelf, so I'm working on figuring out where to go from here. For the time being I guess I'll just get a cheap liquor cabinet, but I'm thinking perhaps getting back into a bit of woodworking and building a custom one... It would be pretty awesome to go straight to the source and harvest a White Oak from my farm for the project.

mtuomi said:
When talking about Nectar of the GODS, I'd say 40yo Highland Park...
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If the 40 is anything like the 12 then it must be tremendous. But at nearly $3,500 a bottle, I'm not sure I'll know the enjoyment without doing something, let's say, "morally questionable"... lol

mtuomi said:
If you like peat, you might want to try Lagavulin 18yo. It's reasonably priced, and very peaty.
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I've done the 16 quite a bit, and is in a close second behind the HP12. How's it compare to the standard 16? While delicious, I'd say it's a bit overpriced at $95/bottle (retail after import and taxes)...

mtuomi said:
For YouTube entertainment, surely you know ralfy?
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Hell yeah! For a while I skipped around his videos, but I've recently started from the beginning, watching a few a day. This is gonna take a while...

mtuomi said:
Bourbon I only drink as an Old Fashioned. Woodford Reserve is perhaps my favorite for that.
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Sounds like that's a very popular dram; On my list. I'll definitely start looking to expand my domestic whiskey tastings.
 
GrampaMark said:
I've never developed a taste for scotch. I think being a volunteer firefighter in a rural area has a lot to do with that. Spending many hours breathing the smoke from burning vegetation leaves a taste that takes a couple of days to fade away. I just can't bring myself to drink something that tastes like a grass fire.
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:yikes: :mad2: :nono: Mods, can we delete his profile for such a vulgar comment?

lol

GrampaMark said:
I like Gibson's Canadian whiskey, Jameson Irish whiskey and Bulleit bourbon. I'm a homebrewer so I drink more beer than I do distilled spirits.
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I'm definitely still more one the brews than spirits. A nice beer or two is my daily drink with a meal, but the dram is more of a treat every few days.
 
HighFlyingA380 said:
Thanks for all the suggestion folks, my wishlist is growing! Obviously I can't just go out and buy them all, so I'm gonna shoot for adding at least one bottle a month to start growing my collection. As I was looking at my stock last night, I realize that after one more bottle I'm gonna run out of space on my current shelf, so I'm working on figuring out where to go from here. For the time being I guess I'll just get a cheap liquor cabinet, but I'm thinking perhaps getting back into a bit of woodworking and building a custom one... It would be pretty awesome to go straight to the source and harvest a White Oak from my farm for the project.

If the 40 is anything like the 12 then it must be tremendous. But at nearly $3,500 a bottle, I'm not sure I'll know the enjoyment without doing something, let's say, "morally questionable"... lol

I've done the 16 quite a bit, and is in a close second behind the HP12. How's it compare to the standard 16? While delicious, I'd say it's a bit overpriced at $95/bottle (retail after import and taxes)...

Hell yeah! For a while I skipped around his videos, but I've recently started from the beginning, watching a few a day. This is gonna take a while...

Sounds like that's a very popular dram; On my list. I'll definitely start looking to expand my domestic whiskey tastings.
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I'd suggest having a Woodford Reserve in a bar before buying a bottle. To me, it had a little odd taste to it. I wasn't a fan.
 
Being someone who doesn't drink all this pretty much seems like gibberish. To me nectar of the gods is Mtn Dew Code Red.
 
Oh they call it that ole mountain dew
And them that refuse it are few
I'll shut up my mug if you fill up my jug
With some good ole mountain dew
 
falconkidding said:
Being someone who doesn't drink all this pretty much seems like gibberish. To me nectar of the gods is Mtn Dew Code Red.
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Never been a fan of Code Red, but I've always loved Mtn. Dew. Seems like it's a favorite among pilots, at least in my circle. I think we even have an OpsSpec which makes it a required item for dispatch in our MELs; It can only be deferred if an equivalent volume of coffee is readily accessible from any occupied pilot seat during all phases of flight.
 
falconkidding said:
Being someone who doesn't drink all this pretty much seems like gibberish. To me nectar of the gods is Mtn Dew Code Red.
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Ironically, Mountain Dew was slang moonshine long before it was a bottled soft drink...
 
My go to TN whisky is George Dickel #11
Go to Scotch is Balvenie Double Wood
Special occasion Scotch is Glenmorangie Extremely Rare 18yo
 
HighFlyingA380 said:
As I sit here with a dram of Highland Park 12 year in one hand, a Montecristo White series in the other, and watching barrels get refurbished, I'm curious about y'alls whisky(correct)/whiskey(incorrect) preferences and why?

I guess I just really love the flavor and added complexity of peat, so I much prefer Scotch over the Bourbon, Rye, Tennessee, etc. varieties. Additionally, the wide use Sherry casks in the Scotch aging process adds yet another flavor level.

While I've only just begun my proper Scotch/Whiskey journey, as it stands now this Highland Park 12 is probably my favorite, especially when factoring the cost (only about $45!). It's nose is reminiscent of fresh citrus and honey, with subtle floral and vanilla notes. It drinks quite smooth even with a relatively full body, but not overwhelming. Tastes much like the nose, but now you can begin to make the sherry and peat smoke flavors. It finishes with a strong yet quite smooth and spicy oaky- and peaty-ness.

If any of you have the Barreled app, feel free to send me a friend invite (same username).

Oh, and since mentioned, I'm also on the Cigar Boss app as well, but that topic could probably be a new thread...
Click to expand...

I don't believe any of that mess..... Hints of this, notes of that, pallet, bla bla bla.... I think you are looking to justify spending $45 on a bottle of liquor.

Shafers is $6.99 a case.... And swisher sweets are sold in singles. 8 bucks and you end up in the same place. :lol:
 
There was a time when I didn't like Scotch either. But that was because I was poor and bought cheap Scotch. Now however, NOTHING tastes as good as a good Scotch. Truly, nectar of the Gods.
 
Unit74 said:
I don't believe any of that mess..... Hints of this, notes of that, pallet, bla bla bla.... I think you are looking to justify spending $45 on a bottle of liquor.

Shafers is $6.99 a case.... And swisher sweets are sold in singles. 8 bucks and you end up in the same place. :lol:
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Hint of **** with notes of ****, and the Swisher to help purge it all back up... Lol

JOhnH said:
There was a time when I didn't like Scotch either. But that was because I was poor and bought cheap Scotch. Now however, NOTHING tastes as good as a good Scotch. Truly, nectar of the Gods.
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I don't think higher price automatically makes it taste better like some, but it's definitely an indicator. As noted above, in the summer I much prefer the $45 Highland Park 12 over the $95 Lagavulin 16. I've had samples of $500+ bottles that I thought were pretty bad, and occasionally stumble across a good $20 bottle. Not necessarily paying for better, rather different. Everyone's different.

I enjoy buying some cheaper bottles to have fun creating my own one-of-a-kind blends and flavors. Ralfy has a great video illustrating this type of thing, as well as adding some maple syrup, honey, vanilla, or other flavors, and putting toasted woods, such as oak, in the less-than-stellar bottles. First one I did that with (maple syrup and toasted oak) was a bottle of Monkey Shoulder Batch 27 (about a $25 bottle) and it ended quite good. However, I've actually come to enjoy standard Batch 27 after a half-bottle is left for about a year; I think the time and a bit of O2 helps the 3 different batches mellow-out and merry together a bit better...


There's another two-part review doing similar here: http://youtu.be/0zRkoT6nFu0
 
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Talisker here.

Suntory's whiskies for something very different and finely made - The Yamazaki 12 YO Single Malt for example.

Regarding blends; Many are blended for specifically for different global regions despite being branded identically. The US likes their Scotch blends less sweet than European blends. Try Famous Grouse in the US and the UK.
 
HighFlyingA380 said:
As I sit here with a dram of Highland Park 12 year in one hand, a Montecristo White series in the other, and watching barrels get refurbished, I'm curious about y'alls whisky(correct)/whiskey(incorrect) preferences and why?

I guess I just really love the flavor and added complexity of peat, so I much prefer Scotch over the Bourbon, Rye, Tennessee, etc. varieties. Additionally, the wide use Sherry casks in the Scotch aging process adds yet another flavor level.

While I've only just begun my proper Scotch/Whiskey journey, as it stands now this Highland Park 12 is probably my favorite, especially when factoring the cost (only about $45!). It's nose is reminiscent of fresh citrus and honey, with subtle floral and vanilla notes. It drinks quite smooth even with a relatively full body, but not overwhelming. Tastes much like the nose, but now you can begin to make the sherry and peat smoke flavors. It finishes with a strong yet quite smooth and spicy oaky- and peaty-ness.

If any of you have the Barreled app, feel free to send me a friend invite (same username).

Oh, and since mentioned, I'm also on the Cigar Boss app as well, but that topic could probably be a new thread...
Click to expand...

Try Pendleton's whisky on the rocks(only a few). I have a simple palate and cannot describe as eloquently as stated above other than it's good. Combine with dark oily cigars you can't go wrong!
 
Unit74 said:
I don't believe any of that mess..... Hints of this, notes of that, pallet, bla bla bla.... I think you are looking to justify spending $45 on a bottle of liquor.



Shafers is $6.99 a case.... And swisher sweets are sold in singles. 8 bucks and you end up in the same place. :lol:
Click to expand...


I'm as cheap as the next guy, but there really are some interesting tastes in various good Scotch Whiskeys.

If you ever get a chance to be invited to a Johnny Walker tasting event, go. JW is a blended Scotch and those aren't my favorite so I was skeptical, but what they do is put a flight of various Scotches that they use to blend JW in front of you and explain how to taste them in different ways to see the differences. Then they work their way up to letting you taste the result, usually a mid-range JW "color".

Two things you learn. That there really are different tastes in Scotch, and that if you didn't heed the presenter's warning to sip and taste and instead drank eight shots of Scotch, you're hammered.

I've been to the event, twice. Maybe three times. Hahahaha. I knew I couldn't drive home after the first one, and knew I wouldn't even plan to on the next two. LOL!

They often hold them at high end hotels. Get a room and have a nice spinny nap. Bring some clothes for tomorrow. Hahaha.

Anyway... Little light on Scotch in the house at the moment, but working on an 18 year Craggenmore given as a gift. It's very light. I prefer the lowlands stuff.

And if you want to appall your Scotch drinking friends, and/or just have a really good fishing trip. Find some "Sheep Dip".
 
denverpilot said:
I'm as cheap as the next guy, but there really are some interesting tastes in various good Scotch Whiskeys.
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You are quite correct.
I like Johnny Walker Black as an every day Scotch. Recently my wife gave me a bottle of Johnny Walker Double Black (because she thought it sounded like it would be better and because it cost a little more).

I didn't like it. Many people really do like the smokey flavor, but it wasn't suited to my palette. Which confirms HighFlying A380s comment that higher price doesn't necessarily mean better.

But like almost everything else, it is an indicator of quality, or at least of demand. And there won't be much demand for a high prices, lousy tasting Scotch.

But then again, I read something a few years ago about wine tastings:

People tend to "like" the wines that they think are more expensive. A blind study was done where the expensive wine bottles had cheap wine substituted and vice versa. Both groups said the one with the more expensive label tasted better, no matter which wine was in the bottle.
 
JOhnH said:
You are quite correct.
I like Johnny Walker Black as an every day Scotch. Recently my wife gave me a bottle of Johnny Walker Double Black (because she thought it sounded like it would be better and because it cost a little more).

I didn't like it. Many people really do like the smokey flavor, but it wasn't suited to my palette. Which confirms HighFlying A380s comment that higher price doesn't necessarily mean better.

But like almost everything else, it is an indicator of quality, or at least of demand. And there won't be much demand for a high prices, lousy tasting Scotch.

But then again, I read something a few years ago about wine tastings:

People tend to "like" the wines that they think are more expensive. A blind study was done where the expensive wine bottles had cheap wine substituted and vice versa. Both groups said the one with the more expensive label tasted better, no matter which wine was in the bottle.
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I see prices as indicators of marketing segmentation and hopefully demand in selected markets. Discovering that tastes vary widely makes the whole pricing thing kind of meaningless; one person's lousy Scotch may be someone else favorite. I assume the controls on the Scotch branding maintain a certain level of 'quality'.

I think there are personal chemistry factors that effect taste and that chemistry can vary over time. I've been drinking Talisker as my home single malt but noted with surprise that when I took a certain medication, it tasted lousy. Based on my love of the peaty Talisker, a friend recommended Connemara. It tastes like some inorganic chemical to me. I keep trying but can't drink it at all. Go figure

I started many years ago with JW Red (sweet and easy), later tried and liked JW Black which has recently become my home blend. Not even tempted by double black or Blue and whatever. I figure just marketing noise... but with a free taste I'll check out anything.

There's a <7$ Malbec at Costco that we've been consuming by the case. Great stuff that.
 
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Some values like that in the small batch bourbon world too. Trader Joe's house brand (actually a Barton product) has stood up in several of the "blind taste tests" at my house. Same thing with Costco's house Anejo tequila
 
21 year old Single malt Bushmills.... Nothing like it. Scotch is used to clean my kitchen drains

Irish is triple distilled which creates a smoother finish.
 
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