WHISK(E)Y

[Anonymous No.6041653]

I just opened a Caol Ila 12. I'm going to tell you about it.

It reminds me of Laphroaig cask strength, but with the flavors rearranged so that they fit together better. A nice rich smoke, relatively mild peat, a strong smoked meat/fish note, a little peppery, a little pear, and a decent bit of vanilla. Definitely tastes "refined", and pretty satisfying. Based Ralfy says this one is worse than in the past by a bit, but for me who has no experience to compare it with, it seems quite good in its present form too.

[Anonymous No.6041664]

>>6041653
i like alberta premium. it is 100% rye, yet its sweet and delicious

just tried out jameson. its a lot better tha bushmills which is fucking disgusting. its smooth

[Anonymous No.6041702]

>>6041664
The only 100% rye I've tried tastes kind of like cough medicine.

[Anonymous No.6041719]

Ralfy's right on the nail, as usual. It's still a delicious tipple, but I was a bit disappointed with the last bottle I had. Well, not disappointed really. Previously I'd thought of it as my clear favourite Islay malt, but that wasn't obvious now.

[Anonymous No.6041722]

>>6041664
love bushmills, hate jameson for some reason...although both are better than any run of the mill cheap american bourbon like jim beam or old grandad which has a sickly sweet taste that coats the mouth and stinks to everyone around you.

[Anonymous No.6041910]

>>6041722
Nah brah, Jim beam dope.

[Anonymous No.6041924]

>>6041653
Caol Ila 12 yo used to be one of my favorites. I find it little bit lighter and less medicine tasting than Laphroaig.

You could get it for a bit over 30 euros in Finland couple of years back, but now it costs almost 50 euros so I'm not buying it that often anymore, as I think you can get better whisky for that price. How much did you pay for it?

[Anonymous No.6042169]

>>6041924
Probably more than I should have, about $60 (Ameribux) after tax. And that's after some holiday-time reductions, it's typically over $70. But I wanted to try it, so I went for it. Considering its typical price, I don't think I'll be buying another bottle of it, but if it were a little cheaper I certainly would. As it is, in this price bracket I could just get Laphroaig CS or Lagavulin which are a bit more robust, better flavor/dollar ratio.

[Anonymous No.6042174]

>>6041653
Yeah, Caol Ila is often described as a sort of weak Laphroaig.

[Anonymous No.6042177]

>>6041722
At least Jim Beam produces Booker's. Nectar of the gods.

[Anonymous No.6042210]

>>6042174
Is it? Laphroaig's a one-trick pony, I'd take Caol Ila any day of the week.

[Anonymous No.6042416]

>>6042210
They taste almost the same to me, Laphroaig is more aggressively peaty while Caol Ila has more of the other flavors standing out but the same constituents are pretty much there.

[Anonymous No.6042422]

Just got these babies in the mail. Both bought on Ralfy's glowing recommendation.

Very much looking forward to enjoying them some day.

[Anonymous No.6042450]

>>6041664
Try Bushmills Black Bush it is consistently among the highest awarded Irish whiskeys and its relatively cheap.
Jameson Black Barrel reserve is also really good for Irish.

[Anonymous No.6042457]

>>6042422
>>6042416
They are a similar style but you are going to get more wood and peat with Laphroaig, and more grains and fruit with Cao Ila

Also drinking what Ralfy is reviewing is one of my favorite ways to drink something new.

[Anonymous No.6042464]

>>6042457
Ralfy has never reviewed the St. Magdalene 19. He has just stated a few times that it is some of the finest whisky ever bottled.

[Anonymous No.6042470]

>>6042422

[Anonymous No.6042775]

19yo person wanting to get into whiskey.

I grew up in a fairly high end food-restaurant enivoriment, and just recently acquired my SWEN2 / WSET2 certs, wine is fun and fairly easy once you get the hang of it.

But, i cant for the love of god taste beyond the veil and sting of alcohol on most (scotch) whiskeys. I can (barely) distinguish a single from a blended, but dont know where to start looking for the other characteristics. The only whiskeys i've been able to enjoy so far is the suntory hibiki with its intense luscious floral aromas, and lagavulin 16, for its deep peaty and smokey taste.

Some people told me its my age that makes me extra sensitive to alcohol, and that i should wat a few years before trying again. it that true?

[Anonymous No.6042790]

>>6042775
>Some people told me its my age that makes me extra sensitive to alcohol, and that i should wat a few years before trying again. it that true?

No, it's really more about inexperience. One aspect of it that takes time is learning how to sip it and let it roll into your mouth and over your tongue. It's a much more intense liquid so you don't sip on it like you'd sip a wine.

Also, don't listen to /ck/ on the whole GOTTA DRINK LAFROOG nonsense. Laphroaig has its place but it's ridiculous how it gets talked up around here. If you didn't enjoy it, it doesn't mean you don't like scotch. Obviously, from the ones you mentioned, you do have a good palate. Trust that, and not poorfag neckbeards who need to justify their limited purchasing power.

[Anonymous No.6042913]

>>6042775
Add a little water and wait, a glass of whiskey mellows out with a bit of time, and over time you also stop being bothered by the alcohol, allowing you to taste all the nice things dissolved in that alcohol.

>>6042790

>Also, don't listen to /ck/ on the whole GOTTA DRINK LAFROOG nonsense

Nobody here actually says anything like this except when they're blatantly joking. Nobody thinks Laphroaig is the best thing ever, as far as I can tell. However, it gets mentioned a lot because it's a cheapish and readily available scotch.

[Anonymous No.6042933]

>>6042775

Buy a bottle of something Cask-strength and work your way through it.

Then go back down to "normal" malts, and you'll be amazed at how smooth and flavourful they are.

[Anonymous No.6043066]

>>6042790
heh, ty for the info. While i'm still a complete beginner when it comes to whiskey, I do have enough experience with food and wines that I accept the opinions of others without researching it myself.

I do usually compare my tasting notes with established reviews, but if i think something tastes good to me, its perfectly fine for me.

anway, we do have a bottle of Laphroaig 10 at our place, i've tried it, and it tasted slightly 'off' to me for some reason i remember. not sure what is was anymore, but it was strange... I mean, it was quite a bit different from the other oft used whiskeys like oban 14, the glenn's, lagavulins, and the stereotypical dimple and chivas (which seem the blandest to me from all of these?)

>>6042913
i'll try that sometime soon.

>>6042933
what is the best way to dilute something at cask strength? While i did grow up in a fairly high end food/drink enivoriment, i do not exactly have the spending power assosciated with it (since I just moved to a place of my own, as a student). what would be a good/decent cask strength whiksey to start out with?

-----
wow, what a wall of text, anyway, ty for the tips y'all, but i have another question, bourbons/american whiskeys. since i work/live in the netherlands, i do not have much experience with them, but from the ones i did try (a few jack daniel variants and jim beans(?)) which tasted sickly sweet and kinda chemical-y, is that a characteristic?

[Anonymous No.6043071]

>>6043066
to not accept*

[Anonymous No.6043124]

>>6043066
>what is the best way to dilute something at cask strength?

You don't...
That defeats the whole fucking PURPOSE of buying an undiluted cask-strength whiskey.

Aberlour A'bunadh is the way to go.

[Anonymous No.6043137]

>>6043066
Bourbon is going to be sweet, yes, but the chemical taste is just a characteristic of the super mass produced mass market brands like Beam or JD. Personally, although I am American, I don't really like it all that much. What it comes down to is that I don't like the taste of distilled corn. A lot of people do, it makes me sick, personally. I know rye is a big thing now but I don't know, I have come to like Scotch more in the past year I have been drinking it.

[Anonymous No.6043171]

Saving the last drops for a special occasion.

[Anonymous No.6043238]

So out of interest, how does /ck/ pronounce Caol Ila?

[Anonymous No.6043240]

>>6043124
No, the point of a cask strength whisky is that it isn't pre-diluted. However, if the alcohol quantity is too high, you can't taste shit. What you can do is add just enough water so that you're getting the full impact of the flavor without the interference of alcohol.

[Anonymous No.6043251]

>>6043171

shit nigga that much air in the bottle is going to result in whatever's left in there oxidizing to flavorlessness really soon, put it in a smaller container.

>>6043238

[kʌl ˈilə]

[Anonymous No.6043267]

>>6043171
You could die tonight. Drink while you have the chance.

[Anonymous No.6043282]

>>6043240
You're supposed to add only one or two drops of source water, preferably from the source the distillery uses.

[Anonymous No.6043285]

>>6043282
>not diluting it to 35% alcohol by volume

Or you know, just drink however you enjoy it.

[Anonymous No.6043300]

>>6043282
That won't get you down to an alcohol content at which you are able to fully appreciate the flavor, so that's stupid. Very high alcohol levels objectively reduce your ability to taste in detail.

[Anonymous No.6043302]

>>6043285
>Or you know, just drink however you enjoy it.
yes of course. I always drink it pure even when it's cask straight. but adding more watter is like shitting on caviar.

[Anonymous No.6044010]

>>6043238
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-Z9Ve-jQvw

[Anonymous No.6044112]

Favorite.

[Anonymous No.6044280]

>>6042210
Thank you pleb.

[Anonymous No.6044284]

>>6042790
>ridiculous how it gets talked up around here
It gets talked up here? You could've fooled me. /ck/ is full of plebs who whine about expense and "muh crap blended is best".

And people like Laphroaig because it's the best.

[Anonymous No.6044289]

>>6043238
"bleb tier"

[Anonymous No.6044343]

>>6041653

>drinking LITERAL bottled bog shit

No thanks, I'll stick to my Oban.

[Anonymous No.6044349]

So basically whiskey is vodka put into wooden barrels for fucking ages?

What is the point? Tastes like burnt dirt why not just drink it when it's at the vodka stage?

[Anonymous No.6044352]

>>6044349

Vodka is distilled up to around 95% pure alcohol, cut to 40%, and bottled. Whiskey is distilled up to 60%, aged for 3+ years, cut with water to 40%, and bottled.

[Anonymous No.6044571]

>>6044349
vodka is typically made in refractor stills which strip out most of the flavor of whatever was used to generate the ethanol.
Whiskey is done with typically Column stills (I don't think they use pot stills for commercial stuff), which leaves more of the flavors that were in the mash. That plus the aging is the difference.
You can improve vodka through filtration because it makes it closer to neutral, you can't do that with Whiskey

[Anonymous No.6044583]

>peaty scotch

no thanks, I will stick to my Sherry Bombs

[Anonymous No.6044595]

How can anyone find whiskey delicious when the taste is mostly the oppressive burn of high ABV followed by some shitey little astringent hints? I'm convinced it's macho posturing.

[Anonymous No.6044607]

>>6041653
Speyside here. Islay a shit.

[Anonymous No.6044632]

[Anonymous No.6045132]

>>6044583

This post...

On the one hand, most sherry aged stuff is shit-tier.
On the other hand, Glendronach is god-tier...

[Anonymous No.6045288]

>>6044632

NO

[Anonymous No.6045309]

>>6044343
Based on descriptions on the internet, it sounds like Oban has a touch of Literal Bog Shit also.

[Anonymous No.6045317]

>>6044595
Because you're supposed to add water until the alcohol is no longer forefront and sip it in small amounts, and furthermore the more experience with it you get the more you cease to notice the alcohol. At least that's the story for good whiskey.

Shitty shit will taste like burning shit regardless, or have any interesting flavors worth searching for.

[Anonymous No.6045343]

>>6044284
>/ck/ is full of plebs who whine about expense and "muh crap blended is best

This has never been posted in the entire history of ck. Even posting a "good" blended scotch like compass box or the blended whisky company gets derided, let alone something like JW

Also, lafroog isn't anywhere close to the best except with broke ass neckbears, which, coincidentally, are super common here

[Anonymous No.6045707]

>>6044583
What are the best 10/12 yo sherry bomb type scotch? I was thinking of either GlenDronach or Glenfarclas. I heard Aberlour 12 has some cheap, synthetic flavors so I am no so sure.

[Anonymous No.6045713]

>>6045707
Glenfarclas, Glendronach, and if you get Aberlour, make sure it's the A'bunadh.

[Anonymous No.6045723]

>>6045713
A'bunadh is too expensive for me. It would be fine as a special occasion thing, maybe next Christmas or something.

[Anonymous No.6045744]

>>6045707
>>6045713

I second Glenfarclas, I got the 12 on sale awhile ago and was pleasantly surprised. It's fruity and sherry-y, but also sort of toasty and caramely, as well as sort of floral and perfumed in a gin-ish way.

[Anonymous No.6045751]

>>6045707
The Glendronach 12 is better than the Glenfarclas 12. I'd get the Glendronach 15 though if I were you. It's absolutely fantastic and not much more expensive than the 12.

[Anonymous No.6045771]

>>6045751
>not much more expensive than the 12.
Well if that is the case I would definitely get it because it really does sound amazing based on pretty much everything I have heard/read about it. My local liquor stores suffer from inflated NY prices even though they have pretty much any standard bottling I could want.

>>6045751
I will definitely try both of them eventually it is just a matter of which one first.

[Anonymous No.6046623]

What are some good smokey whiskeys that aren't either Islay, Highland Park, or Talisker? I've had or have all of these already.

[Anonymous No.6046659]

>>6046623
I'd recommend Longrow / Springbank if you can find them. They tend to be a bit pricy due to limited supply, but they give some of the best islay malts a run for their money. Longrow 14 is one of the best single malts I've ever had.

[Anonymous No.6046961]

>>6046659
I've had springbank 10, it was pretty good but I found it a bit mild. Longrow is a good idea.

[Anonymous No.6047231]

>>6045751
Fun Fact about the 15. GlenDronach distillery was mothballed between 1996 and 2001. So any 15 is actually older. They won't have have actual 15 year until 2017. If they release any Revival 15 in 2015, it will actually be 19 years aged in barrel.

[Anonymous No.6048577]

bump

[Anonymous No.6049271]

I am new to Scotch, I have posted in these theads before, though. I currently have some Ardbeg 10 which is my third single malt that I chose over Laphroaig because I wanted to try a "craft presentation" single malt, non chill-filtered and all that, but I also wanted to try an Islay. Previously I had Old Pulteney 12 and HP 12, I have liked all of them so far.

I am curious about adding water to scotch, though. I know some people say it will open up the scotch, and some people add a lot, and some people add non most of the time. I have experimented with and without water for the three I have had so far, and most of the time I don't really like it. For instance the Ardbeg 10 I have now, I have been trying it with tiny amounts of water, and it is certainly different, especially after 10 minutes or so, but I still think I prefer it without, even though a lot of people say it is better with water.

[Anonymous No.6049316]

>>6049271
Whatever works. For a lot of stuff, water helps, but whatever.

Also, I recommend the laphroaig cask strength if you ever do get a laphroaig, it's un-chill-filtered and has a lot more detail than the generic 10 year old.