That's what dad said last night after he uncorked the Woodford Reserve Double Oaked.
He wasn't wrong!

Vastly overrated . Been working on a jug of WR for over a year. There's a reason for that.

This ^^^^^^

I compared to makers side by side...WR was way smoother at least in this house.

Are you talking about their rye, straight bourbon or double oaked? I thought their rye was pretty good but I don't believe I have tried the double oaked.

Step away from the bar and look a the pic above dipchit.

Hell chit head you just said a "jug of WR" which could mean any of their stuff, I know which bottle the OP is referring to. Too early for the bar here right now.

I prefer the regular WR bourbon to the double oaked.

Lord I needed that laugh. Thanks to all involved!

DITTO,and only 19.95 at the BX and no tax!

There is no bad whiskey, only some you like better than others.

A wonderful whiskey or whisky is at least 100 proof but sippin smooth not firewater. Usually $50 and up per bottle.

I'd recommend you try 110 proof Russell's reserve single barrel AND 100 proof Whistle Pig ten year as a base line. Try it at least once.

More and more it seems like producers are bringing out gimmicky line extensions to compete for shelf space with other producers' gimmicky line extensions.

I'm not so sure. I've come across one or two that would test your assertion.

Those are for mixin or cookin but will do in a sippin jam with a splash of water.

I don't think a splash of branch would help one I'm remembering. It wasn't that it was harsh as much as it was just wrong.

Aged in two barrels is smoother.

If that's a general statement then I say not necessarily. If that's between the two versions of WR I'd say that's a matter of taste.

You don't know until you try but a two barrel 110 proof $25 gallon bottle of whiskey might not be as smooth as the marketing hype claims.

Many folk are satisfied with a COSTCO bottle and thats fine. I Have my favorites elsewheres.

The one I'm thinking about was Loch Dhu. It was an attempt to create something different, which it did. Unfortunately it was bad different. I considered it as a waste of perfectly good Mannochmore.

Brother, I know what you are saying but I'm talking about the ones that generally stick to the basic recipe. I definitely ain't into the "sumptin different".

If it was worse than Jack Daniels "Honey", Yuk!

I hate those adulterated abominations. The flavored Crown Royals are more examples of such crap.

I'm inclined to agree with you but the bushmills honey is a good sipper.

All comes down to personal preference. For me I like my whisky neat where the flavors are distinct and crisp. A flavorful bourbon doesn't have to be harsh, but the flavor notes should be distinct. I've had bourbons where they may have been smooth, but I found the flavors to be muted which I didn't care for.

I haven't found a correlation between a good bourbon with distinct flavors and price. I'm young in my education but so far I think in $20-30 a fifth range I've tried Elijah Craig bourbon, Bulleit bourbon and rye, Costco 7y/o small batch bourbon, Knob Creek bourbon and Dry fly wheat whisky and I know I'm forgetting one or two.

I had high hopes for the Costco bourbon, but it was a disappointment due to the muted flavors. The Bulleit rye just didn't do it for my pallet.

For a regular sipping bourbon the Elijah Craig, Bulleit and Knob Creek fit the bill for me. Hopefully Cosco will have the Knob Creek on sale again, $17/fifth you simply can't beat it

Now the Dry Fly wheat, that is nice stuff. I'm just too cheap to spend $40/fifth unless its a special occasion. Well, I do have a bottle of 12 y/o Balvenie double wood that I need an excuse to crack open.

OK, your bed didn't like it, but did you like it?

Try a bourbon from one of the many craft distilleries out there. The big boys simply cannot compete.

Particular recommendations?

Personally I like a little bite most of the time. That's why I'm drinking bourbon and not iced tea.

There's bite, and then there's raw and poorly finished.

I agree, WR is very smooth, but then, I'm no alcohol aficionado either.

Ahhhhh friend mathman, yer not getting off that easy as the joy is in the hunt. Suggest one of the many craft distilleries in Washington state.

This sums it up for Irish Whiskey for me.

Yup, if I'm expecting a peat note I want to taste peat, not a manicured putting green.

My bank account has experienced that joy a number of times over the last three decades.

You would like the cask strength, non chill filtered Laphroaig then.

Yep, great stuff. The limited release Lagavulin 8yr is also excellent. 48%, non chill filtered, solid.

So we're on Scotch now ?

Jeeze Louise

I'm waiting for it to evolve into Kate Upton.

The need for filtration speaks volumes.Poor distillation protocol is the usual culprit .

Tried it. Had to lick my dog's ass to get the taste out of my mouth.

Might as well talk about it since it's, you know, better than bourbon

Bulleit 10 year smokes that one IMHO.

But we all have individual tastes!

GAG. Someone mentioned having to lick the dog's azz to get rid of the taste.

Poor dawg,........

Popular cosmetic marketing gimmick for non-enthusiasts that want perfect clarity and "smooth" taste...

Haha yeah, I'm working on my palate but I'm still just a poor novice. I'll know I've made it when I prefer the intricacies of my dog's ass-hole over that disgusting Scottish swill

^^^ this.

Scotch, single or blended has a wide range of tastes, from smooth/sweet, like Glemorangie for example, to smoky and "peaty" (my favorite) like Talisker, Lagavulin, etc. Bourbon has a wide range of tastes too, although in my experience not as wide ranging as Scotch Whiskys, specifically the single malts. Taste, like everything else, is a matter of personal preference and of course education of the palate. Like art for example, some think the dogs playing pool on velvet is masterful and prefer it to say, a Velazquez, Goya, or Rembrandt. There's just no telling sometimes.

Sorry, you're wrong about the example I referred to. The filtration I mentioned is not to remove the nasty feints and foreshots that should have been excluded from the middle cut of a pot still distillation run. Instead it is chill filtration that strips out (from perfectly well made whisky) some compounds/molecules that cause chill haze in the glass when people (improperly in my opinion) add ice or otherwise excessively cool sipping whisky. Unfortunately this same chill filtration also strips flavor and body from the spirit along with the haze. The "need" for such filtration arises from marketing and consumers not knowing better, not problems with the whisky.

Four Roses Single Barrel or Four Roses Small Batch are hard to beat....

Agree but at least my tastes seem to change with the seasons. Right now in the summer a Glemorangie is fantastic but in the winter I much prefer a Lagavulin.

Those are two different facets of malt whisky, both good stuff.

Single malt moonshine around here commands a high price.

Although I'm driving Woodford this evening , this is my time for G&Ts (Blue Sapphire East)...

Blue Sapphire East is a great drink. Likely to replace the Tangueray in my locker.

Threads like this are always entertaining, but one needs to understand and accept the fact that the first bullshitter never has a chance. :):)

Haven't tried Blue Sapphire East but prefer Tanqueray to regular Blue Sapphire. Been curious...

Been enjoying a G&T after golf with some orange instead of lime lately. Pretty refreshing this time of year.

So.....we're not talking Bourbon any more are we?

Good because I don't want any of you whisky snobs to find out my daily driver is Wild Turkey.

I like Elija Craig and Bulliet Rye too.

One I don't understand the popularity of is Buffalo Trace. Yuck!

Wild Turkey 101 is a damned good bourbon

Evan Williams 1783 is a very good small batch bourbon whiskey.Worth trying for sure.It surprised me.Here is a review. http://www.bourbonenthusiast.com/forum/DBvd.php?id=238&task=displaybottling

+1. Looking at a 750 on top of the armoire. Good stuff.

Darn tootin' but IMHO it finishes a bit too quickly for my taste. May I suggest a bottle of WT Rare Breed for your enjoyment. 112.

I've tried that as well. Working on WR now mainly because I like it and the BX had it on sale for 19.95 so I bought a case

I like Wild Turkey. I've mentioned before most of my bourbon ends up in an Old Fashioned-I prefer most barrel aged distilled spirits to bourbon generally. Wild Turkey has the appropriate strength and rich flavor profile for me. Drinking this right now:




I think the mint syrup is a nice modification. Mint works with bourbon. No fruit though, just a lime twist.

Looks good to me.
The only things I'd omit would be the bitters, mint syrup, and ice cube.
The bourbon and glass could stay though.

Ah man, for $20 a bottle mix it up a bit!

$20.....I wish.

$24 and change for a 750 and $27+ for a quart.

State run liquor stores suck!

I've heard of these. Criminal.

Can you make out the bottle behind the WR?
WT is also my daily driver. It shares the duties with Kraken rum.

I really like WR it is smooth . But at 76$ per 1.75L locally It is more than I am willing to spend. My regular drinker is Bulleit at 39.99 per 1.75 L

I'm with you on the Buffalo Trace, in general. I do use it for Mint Juleps, but that is the only way it gets used around here.

Basil Hayden is my choice these days.

Oh....there's a lot worse out there.....it's just kinda ho-hum for my taste..

Never tried Basil Hayden....I'll keep my eye out for it.

Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis? We got you beat to the west. We got the highest likker taxes in the country at last count.

It ain't bad when you don't have to pay for it. When you do, it's like a decent $50 .75L bottle.

Need to check out Basil Hayden again, but it's hard for me to get excited about 80 proof whiskey, especially bourbon. It works for brandies but in general I like my whiskey rich and flavorful. However Basil Hayden is popular enough...

Derailing from bourbon once again, High West's Double Rye! and Rendezvous Rye are both awesome IMO.

One thing about Woodford Reserve is the wild variability between batches. I really like it when it turns out right, but there are lemon bottles out there. They claimed to have fixed this but they are still turning up sometimes.

Enjoyed some BH neat this evening with some out of town guests. They liked it very much. Proof isn't as important to me as taste and finish.

I know.....I bought a bottle over in Clarkston......once.

Funny thing is though...your liquor tax only pertains to hard liquor, not beer....the Wall Mart across the river has the best prices and selection of beer in the LC valley.

Our problem isn't liquor taxes....6% same as everything else.....it's the gubment monopoly.

Woodford of any flavor is middle of the road, which ain't bad, but there's a lot better....

Damn, I pay $36 a bottle

Yes woodford is smooth, which I dont always prefer, but is lacking in flavor imo. Turkey 101 isnt a bad bourbon. Always seem to have a handle sitting around. Still hard to beat Eagle rare. Varies bottle to bottle with some being absolutely fantastic.

In general I would probably agree. Highland v Skye v lowland etc.

However, you can get increible variations going the single barrel route for bourbons. We recently went to Woodford to pick out a single barrel and they choose 6 barrels 2 done on one day and 4 on another. Each one tasted distinctly different based on where they were in the Rick house, the wood in the barrels, etc. my group was all amazed. Can't wait to get the one we picked out.

I bought s bottle of Elijah craig...i won't buy another.

I do love Blantons

I used to like smooth, prolly wore my taster out. Now been drinking Old Granddad 100 bottled in bond. Good bite, ice don't hurt it. Only thing I like really smooth anymore .....is skin.

"Course it depends where you are , in or on the way to a hunt may require a variety. From blended to at least on bottle of top notch bourbon. However, i have been pleased to have a cup of Rich& Rare.

Enjoying a glass of the 1783 as I write!

Same here cisco. I dont care for smooth much. Prefer a little bite. Why I lean on the higher proofs.

Agreed Gitem. Elijah is not pleasing to my taste buds

Pendlton here tonight..

Pour some likker through this and ya got scotch. I hate the stuff.

Jorge You do realize that single malt will vary slightly in batch to batch that is why they brought out blended to keep the taste constant.I don't trust any whiskeys that have something added for flavor. P.S. did work a liquor store for about 8 years..YLMV Cheers NC

So delicious

And here's to it:

sage advice!

Are you guys talking about the Elijah Craig 12 year old? I haven't bought any in several years, but it used to be great stuff.

Yes I do, and as a matter of fact, if you talk to the folks that make the stuff, Single Malts used to be the drink of the common folk, whilst the blended stuff was for the blue bloods. It's oly been a recent phenomenon the roles have been reversed..

I'm still trying to figure why so many don't like Scotch, 12 year old Glenmorangie is mighty fine sipping to me, could it be a dna deal, i am scotch/irish injun crossbred.

YEP!

Bourbon??? I can drink it, anything more than a shot an I have an incredible headache the next morning.

RUM? My preferred mixing liquor! For me, hangover proof.

SCOTCH??? Oh Yeah! Single Malt and at least a 'Teen'

LOL, gotta believe preferred drink is somehow related to race ;]

Jorge, I'm like muffin with the headaches on the blended varieties, seagrams 7 and crown royal make my head feel like it's been in a shop vise for a week the next morning.

With me, th headaches come from drinking beer.

10-4, I can drink beer till the sun rises at the poker table, all is good, don't know why, but beer doesn't get me falling down drunk, just the relaxed fuzzies.

I'll be right up!

33 at Costco here.

I'm happy that I don't live within driving distance of a Costco.

I dont get headaches from drinking. I think its a super power really. Much prefer scotch too. Single malts with a minimum of 10 year.

Yup. Stuff is fairly chitty these days imo

Thats kinda funny haha. Laphroig is a family favorite here though. Was the common pour on the 4th

Damn, that's a shame.

Not sure how you all are but I only drink bourbon room temp. I only drink scotch on ice. Couple times I may stray, but definitely how I prefer it

YES

NO

Ranger Creek Rimfire. Single malt mesquite smoked. Good stuff.

The market certainly is geared towards 10 years being the standard minimum but don't limit yourself too much. Quality barrels and quality distillate can make fine whisky before ten years. Lagavulin's recent 8yo release is a prime example. A friend and I were in a bar a few months ago and opened the whisky menu and see the Lagavulin 8yr for like $8/glass. We both love the 16yo and their distiller's edition So We had to try it; any new offering from that distillery is gonna get our attention and an 8yr statement we didn't know what to expect. Well we sat down with our pours and tasted it and before our glasses were empty we were checking bottle prices and availability. Ordered a bottle each the next day. It knocks the socks off of a fair number of 10-12yo whiskies.

Oh, and get that ice outta your scotch and it'll taste better!

Interesting. I'll have to track down a bottle. And as far as the ice I have always enjoyed scotch over ice. Have drank more than enough neat, but seem to be more satisfying to me when chilled.

Never ice?

I started getting side aches from drinking too much JD.


That's when I decided that beer was a safer route.

Just got a text from one of my original party buds.
(like us they don't have kids and still do whatever they want...)

Pic of some big boobed gal holding up two half gallons of JD.


Text reads...


"Her boobs are too big and that's too much whiskey"


Said no man ever.

Googled that sucker and liked what I saw... until they said they will not ship to AK... Hell, I was born in SA!

LOL!!!

I like a cold cocktail, so I will chill and serve an Old Fashioned or a Sazerac with a single cube but with good whisky I hate how the ice mutes the complexity. With mediocre whisky sometimes a single cube is good.

I have a buddy that has a single cube about 60% of the time with his whisk(e)y and I give him hell every time. Doesn't keep him off the ice though

Hahaha classic

Have to admit I do not drink single malts with ice, ever... but I do drink a bit of Costco cheap stuff and ice makes it tolerable... and bitters makes it better.

I'm happy the nearest Costco is maybe three minutes away... Five if traffic is heavy...

God bless you that is it!

laughing

Ice ruins sipping quality whisk(e)y.

The flavor and aroma of whiskey is in the aromatics. Ice, reduces the availability of the aromatics. If you put ice in your whiskey, you are not getting all the flavor and aroma that you are paying for. Also, as it melts, it dilutes the whiskey at an ever increasing amount, making your last sips more diluted and weaker in taste. If you like your whiskey with a little less burn, just add a little water to your taste and enjoy the whole glass of whiskey.

You are right.If you cannot drink it straight,maybe it's not worth drinking anyway.That's what I noticed about 1783,I like it straight.

That's a bit too broad. There are some quality whiskeys that "open up" their flavors with the addition of a small amount of water. Some, like my 140+ proof George T. Stagg, are a mite on the strong side when uncut.

i pity those who do not discern the merit of templeton's rye

It does but a glass rarely lasts long enough to be completed washed out. Its not the watered down flavor I prefer with scotch, its the cooler temp. Have used cold stones a bit on the really flavorful stuff so this is a non issue

It's not the water that ruins it, it's the cold.

I'm agreed

Me too.....

There are some decent ryes out there and Templeton is a better one, for sure. Locally the distributors have stopped carrying Rittenhouse Rye and that is one I really miss.

Our state liquor stores get a ration of Rittenhouse about once a year and it doesn't last long.
It's good bonded rye for sure.

Woodford DOUBLE OAKED is WAAAY better than regular WR.

Price be dammed,... life is too short to drink cheap whusky. Anyone that buys whiskey because it's cheaper should drink the cheap chit with water back or just pour coke in it until it doesn't make them shudder....Or, pay the price for good bourbon, pour yourself three fingers, light a good 50 ring Maduro and enjoy life.

Blantons is a good bourbon too but it's about the same price as double oaked

I was weaned on Kessler's, Got so sick on Corby's 66 years ago that just the smell of whiskey or the sight of a green parrot make me lurch for years after. I was 15 at the time....do the math.

Never been a whiskey aficionado, but I always hear people bragging about aged bottles. Once whiskey is taken from the barrel and bottled, does the age of the bottle really change the flavor, or only for as long as the Bourbon or Scotch is actually aged in the barrel?

Aging stops when it leaves the oak barrel...

Ya Buddy









PERFECT !

It ages in the barrel, not the bottle. The age statement on the bottle refers to how long it was in the barrel.

Only whiskey I have been drinking over the last ten years has been Gentleman Jack. Decided I would give this stuff a try...forget it, not a bottle of Woodford double barrel in this town. Guess it's kind of hard to find?

The "good stuff" has to age longer and it sells as fast as it hits the shelves. My greatest fear is that I'll run out of my favorite booze so I try to keep stocked ahead.

So some put it over ice, other say the ice dilutes the whiskey too much...OK, does anyone keep their whisky refrigerated to be served cold instead of over the rocks?
Or did I just say something satanic?

I used to drink Booker's for $45.00 per bottle at Walmart but since that ended I have become a Blanton's drinker. Its $65 per bottle up here and they only get 2 per week but I just fill the bottle part of my bourbon glass and let the smooth warmth work its way through.

Try Pendleton 1910 rye whiskey pretty good stuff. But I mix my stuff with Coke. I know I'm horrible drinker

Serve your firewater how you like it. Anyone who tells you that you have to serve your drink in a particular manor is an a-hole, so screw them.

Personally I like the flavor of a good bourbon and I find the most enjoyable way to experience that flavor is served neat at room temperature and sipped. As mentioned previously, cooling the whiskey will slow the evaporation of the aromatics which will affect how it will taste. I figure if a whiskey needs to be adulterated with water, ice or cooling then it just isn't a suitable sipping whiskey and I'll replace it with a suitable one. But I sip whiskey to please me, not to live up to some blowhards standards of how to properly serve whiskey.

As far as chilling spirits, I store vodka in the freezer, but I don't sip it or consume it to enjoy its flavor.

You said something satanic.

Signed,
Your friendly blowhard.

Rocks glass. No rocks.

I'll drink to that!

Damnation

See now 458 it's not all black and white, there's a time and a place for everything. If that refrigerated whisky dispenser is filled with Pappy and located in a Motel 6 lobby then it's blasphemous but if it's filled with Jim Beam and located in your bedroom closet for when your mother-in-law visits then it's just handy.

J.T.S. Brown......no glass ...no ice

Not necessarily so IMHO. A lot of the "craft" distilleries don't know what they're doing yet (and may never learn, the market being flooded like it is.) I've had some of the most gawd-awful stuff from some of these places. The "big boys" have been at it a long time, have the resources and know what they're doing.

I have been trying to buy Blanton's for a few weeks. Hope to pick some up today.

I haven't seen Blanton's on the shelf around here for maybe a year. I love Weller 12-yr, but haven't seen any of that, either.

Eagle Rare gets the nod nowdays as far as bourbon....because I can find it and because it's only $28/bottle.

Hornito's Black Barrel tequila is now my favorite sipper. Neat. Love the stuff.

If it's legal in your state, shipping it is often cost effective especially on a few bottles at a time. Last time I saw Blanton's on a store shelf it was over $100 plus tax. Just ordered a bottle for a buddy, $85 shipped.

Myself, for that price I'll drink something else. Should have bought a bottle or two back when it was $50.

Found 4 bottles of Weller Antique 107 this afternoon!! SCORE!! And at $25/bottle cash....it's the best deal out there.

cra1948 mentioned
The "big boys" have been at it a long time, have the resources and know what they're doing.

But I'm betting some of them hire pencil necks nickel savers in the main office with a myriad of ideas how to save a nickel.
When they prevail there are some consequences and they are hard to hide.

No. You talk to the manager of the liquor store and get them to put them aside for you.

Its just like have a call list at the LGS so if an old Sako Vixen or a Pre-64 come in that they call you first.

veiled reference to mathman

See if they have Old Forester BIB...outside of scotch, the best whiskey I've ever had (which is no great claim).

Somebody has to uphold standards.

About a year or so ago, somebody posted on here about aging cheaper whiskey in fifth sized oak barrels. He said load in a bottle of Jim Beam for about 8 weeks.
Been meaning to do that....

Sil got a new job yesterday and momma returned from a mini vacation. Thought some celebration was in order

T bone steaks vue cliqot (sp? ) champagne and woodford double oak $56

Dayum I'm worried their sprinkling something addictive in woodford. That stuff is good

Not at all, it's a general statement about elitist in any endeavour that insist that there is only one proper way to do something whether it be dry fly fishing, stick and string archery, whisky drinking etc.

I personally think a whiskey should stand on it's own served neat at room temperature. But if someone prefers a dash of water, ice cube, chilled, or some other way to please their taste buds I'm not about to correct them or belittle them.

mathman: you should write a whiskey, whisky, bourbon Rules Of Engagement primer

I'm 100% with you, but when I'm drinking with good friends I'm gonna bust their balls once in awhile.

The manager of one store told me if he had anything interesting, he would put it in back for me. I've been in his store probably 20 times since then and not once has he said...."Hey....I have something in back for you". And he knows what I'm looking for.

I bet there's 100 customers he's told the same thing.

Mathman is finest kind. I have always appreciated him, even though he does not approve of my drinking good Bourbon with a lime and Coke.

Picked up fresh bottles of Bookers, Bulleit, FourRoses Small Batch and Larceny today.