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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Brown Waters (Whiskey, Whisky and Brandy)
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Try
Shipmate
# 4951
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Posted
Hi, I was thinking of making a thread in heaven where we can talk about how and how much we enjoy the various permutations of brown, oaked spirit. That is to say, brandy- whether from Cognac, Armagnac, or other parts altogether, Irish and American Whiskey, and Scotch and Canadian Whisky. I am personally fond of Cognac, American Brandy, and Canadian Whisky. In particular I enjoy Hennessy, Korbel, and Crown Royal. The thing about these three spirits that attracts me to them is their smoothness. There isn't any ferocious "did I just drink rubbing alcohol" burn with any of them. I like the Hennessy and Crown neat, and I like Crown in a highball with ice and soda. The Hennessy and Korbel both make for good Brandy Manhattans, and Alexanders. I have not tried a Crown Manhattan yet- it's on my to do list.
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“I’m so glad to be a translator in the 20th century. They only burn Bibles now, not the translators!” - the Rev. Dr. Bruce M. Metzger
Posts: 852 | From: Beautiful Ohio, in dreams again I see... | Registered: Sep 2003
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
Enjoy the brown spirit myself on occasion, but there are rules:
Whisky should be single malt - either Bruichladdich or Penderyn Peated - and drunk neat or with a splash of plain water.
Blended whisky is only for use in cooking or to make toddies.
Brandy I prefer armagnac - something like Baron de Sigognac or Sempe Napoleon slips down easily.
Whiskey Lockes or Tyrconnell for preference and drink neat or with a plain splash.
I tasted bourbon once - never again.
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Rara temporum felicitate ubi sentire quae velis et quae sentias dicere licet
Posts: 4950 | From: somewhere in England... | Registered: Sep 2012
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betjemaniac
Shipmate
# 17618
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by L'organist:
Blended whisky is only for use in cooking or to make toddies.
But a blend is an art in and of itself. And a good blend, from Black Label upwards, is far superior to an indifferent single malt. Personally I can think of several single malts I'd cook with....
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And is it true? For if it is....
Posts: 1481 | From: behind the dreaming spires | Registered: Mar 2013
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no prophet's flag is set so...
Proceed to see sea
# 15560
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Posted
I have bottles of Talisker & Lagevulin on the go, dolled out in rather small amounts. Scotch horrendously expensive here.
The best article about scotch I've seen in a long time.
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Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety.
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Posts: 11498 | From: Treaty 6 territory in the nonexistant Province of Buffalo, Canada ↄ⃝' | Registered: Mar 2010
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Firenze
Ordinary decent pagan
# 619
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Posted
I think you're being unfair to bourbon - have you tried Maker's Mark or Woodford?
And only Bruichladdich of all the Islay malts? No Highland or Speyside?
I'd never turn away a Cognac or Armagnac, but I have a fondness for Portugese aguardente and South African brandies - I have a bottle of Oude Meester unopened (albeit not for much longer..)
Posts: 17302 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jun 2001
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Heavenly Anarchist
Shipmate
# 13313
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Posted
We drink single malts neat here, with a preference for peaty ones like Talisker and Laphroaig. I actually bought my other half a bottle of Penderyn yesterday for our wedding anniversary, a very unusual malt, quite sweet and smooth.
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'I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.' Douglas Adams
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Posts: 2831 | From: Trumpington | Registered: Jan 2008
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Ariel
Shipmate
# 58
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Posted
Mmm, brandy. You can keep the whisk(e)ys. I love the warm amber colour of brandy, the aroma emanating from the gently warmed glass in your hands, the deceptive sweetness and rich flavour followed immediately by a chariot and four fiery horses roaring down your throat at the end of a meal. Beats coffee hands down any day. I like Cognac and Armagnac, but my favourite is Calvados.
And I do like Brandy Alexanders. A dessert in a glass.
Posts: 25445 | Registered: May 2001
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A.Pilgrim
Shipmate
# 15044
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Posted
Single malt scotch for me. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
All the Islay ones, Talisker, Jura, Edradour, Macallan, Old Pulteney, Glenkinchie, Dalwhinnie, Glenlivet ... those are the ones I remember that I like just now.
Adding a splash of water is fine if you're drinking cask strength scotch (Macallan As We Get It, mmmmmmm yes please), but if it's at 40% it's been watered down quite enough already. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Angus (whose Scottish roots are showing)
Posts: 434 | From: UK | Registered: Aug 2009
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
I was practically raised on bourbon, but I understand if scotch drinkers turn up their noses at it. I have noticed a divide where those who love scotch dislike bourbon, while those who love bourbon are cool towards scotch. It is like the Coke/Pepsi divide.
But, just like scotch, different bourbons taste different. A 3-year-old bourbon is never going to match a 12-year-old, for example. Personally I find Maker's Mark and Woodford to be more "second-tier" bourbons. They are much better than your table variety Jim Beam or Old Granddad, but they are not the top of the line. Blanton's is wonderful. Santa Claus always gets me a bottle for Christmas! Willet's Pot Still is mighty fine. Very Special Old Fitzgerald 12-Year-Old is my favorite, although the full name is a bit clunky and it is VERY hard to find outside of Kentucky. It isn't all that easy to find IN Kentucky...
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Sir Kevin
Ship's Gaffer
# 3492
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Heavenly Anarchist:
(I)....drink single malts neat here, with a preference for peaty ones like Talisker and Laphroaig.
My other half has tasted whisky but likes none of it.
Her dad and I both like Jameson's and our daughter prefers Old Bushmill's.
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If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Writing is currently my hobby, not yet my profession.
Posts: 30517 | From: White Hart Lane | Registered: Oct 2002
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David
Complete Bastard
# 3
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Posted
I was given a bottle of Arbelour A'bunadh when I left a previous job, now I get a bottle whenever I see it at a reasonable price duty free. Very good stuff.
With regard to blends, some of the very best whisky I've drunk has been a blend. Most particularly, those that used to be called "pure malt" but are now just called blended whisky. These have no grain spirit, and can be really good. I have a strong memory of a bottle of Famous Grouse 18yrold pure malt blend, excellent.
Posts: 3815 | From: Redneck Wonderland | Registered: Mar 2001
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Pomona
Shipmate
# 17175
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Posted
Dark rum and aged mezcal are also brown oaked spirits, as well as the Asian versions I'm less familiar with. I find it difficult to find whisky/whiskey/brandy/rum cocktails to enjoy though - I like sharp or bitter drinks (a favourite is a negroni) and most seem too sweet to me. Anything with grapefruit will go down well, if anyone has any suggestions.
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Consider the work of God: Who is able to straighten what he has bent? [Ecclesiastes 7:13]
Posts: 5319 | From: UK | Registered: Jun 2012
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comet
Snowball in Hell
# 10353
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Posted
I keep a bottle of Jamo for medicinal purposes. it's nicely bland and goes with everything. I prefer Tullamore Dew, though around here it's a bit more expensive and harder to find. Believe or it not, the trashy sounding Alaskan Outlaw ain't bad, unoffensive and easy on the tummy and great in a toddy.
for bourbon, Maker's is acceptable, I'd prefer Knob Creek or Bookers, though I rarely drink bourbon.
I'm a fool for Courvoisier if it's available, and I'd punch an orphan kitten in the kidney for Laphroaig or Talisker.
are discussions of GIN verboten? because I have found the mother of all beautiful gins, made right here in my state, that has stolen me away from Sapphire forever.
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Evil Dragon Lady, Breaker of Men's Constitutions
"It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning.” -Calvin
Posts: 17024 | From: halfway between Seduction and Peril | Registered: Sep 2005
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Firenze
Ordinary decent pagan
# 619
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Posted
Salty Dog is the classic. Vodka (or gin) and grapefruit juice and frost the edge of the glass with salt.
If you like bitter drinks, the Balkans have some doozies. There's Slovenian Brinjevec made from juniper berries - which sources describes as 'medicinal' ie one slug will frighten away just about anything.
Posts: 17302 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jun 2001
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Heavenly Anarchist
Shipmate
# 13313
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Sir Kevin:
quote:
Originally posted by Heavenly Anarchist:
(I)....drink single malts neat here, with a preference for peaty ones like Talisker and Laphroaig.
My other half has tasted whisky but likes none of it.
Her dad and I both like Jameson's and our daughter prefers Old Bushmill's.
You should try to get hold of some Penderyn Madeira if she has a sweeter taste. It is really quite unlike other single malts I have tried, very sweet and smooth and an easy introduction to whisky.
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'I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.' Douglas Adams
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Posts: 2831 | From: Trumpington | Registered: Jan 2008
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BessLane
Shipmate
# 15176
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Posted
Knob Creek and Eagle Rare for me. And Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey. I can drink that stuff all night (and have occasionally).
Posts: 1388 | From: Yorkville, TN | Registered: Sep 2009
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Sighthound
Shipmate
# 15185
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Posted
My favourite is Laphroaig.
Blended whisky is, I suppose OK if you have a cold and need a hot toddy. When I had greyhounds I had another use for it. It's really great for disinfecting the wound left when a tick is removed from a dog's belly.
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Supporter of Tia Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue.http://tiagreyhounds.org/
Posts: 168 | From: England | Registered: Sep 2009
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
Well, if we're discussing all oak-aged spirits, then GIN isn't verboten—so long as it's New Columbia's newest one, aged in barrels that once held Larid's applejack. Which is also an OAS, come to think of it...
But, as far as the titular spirits go: I love brandy, but can't afford it. At all. Ditto single malt, especially Caol Ila Cask Strength and Blackadder Cask. There's no way I can fork over $60-70 a bottle, even if it is worth it.
So I make do with rye and rye-heavy bourbon. I get a bottle of Bulleit or Four Roses about this time every year (once it turns cold, ya know) and make it last through the winter. I might spring for Catoctin Creek rye this time around—made within a day's biking distance and everything.
As for calvados (even nicer than brandy, not quite as expensive), applejack (almost as nice as calvados, not nearly as pricy), dark rums (all over the place, know what you're doin'), and sweet, delicious Fernet Branca (peppermint, church incense, and death—but in a good way, of course)...well, those are technically other topics. Technically. I may be writing an ode to FB later.
ETA: almost forgot! Yamakaze 12—a Japanese single malt that's quite good. Think bourbon made in Scotland, and you've got the right idea.
[ 25. October 2013, 15:59: Message edited by: Ariston ]
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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Heavenly Anarchist
Shipmate
# 13313
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Ariston:
ETA: almost forgot! Yamakaze 12—a Japanese single malt that's quite good. Think bourbon made in Scotland, and you've got the right idea.
My husband has some Hakushu 12 he brought back from a business trip to Japan, I might have a sip later.
This thread has been terrible for me, I keep browsing whisky websites for potential Christmas presents for him
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'I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.' Douglas Adams
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Posts: 2831 | From: Trumpington | Registered: Jan 2008
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betjemaniac
Shipmate
# 17618
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Posted
I love the prejudice around blended whisky. Like it automatically = Bell's or "old moorhen's speckled sporran."
No. A good blend is better than many single malts. Quite apart from anything else it's a much trickier art to pull off well.
If we're gong to play the single malt snobbery game though, Ledaig, every time. Comes out of the Tobermory distillery without being Tobermory.
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And is it true? For if it is....
Posts: 1481 | From: behind the dreaming spires | Registered: Mar 2013
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
Good to see calvados get a mention but it is so variable. Calvados can be sold at 3 years old but most 3 y.o. calvados is pretty raw stuff. It's an excellent spirit for cocktails but for sippin' you need to wait until it's at least 12 years old: a few years ago we found some 20 y.o. in a hypermarche near Lisieux, and that was awesome: quite sweet, a little like Penderyn, and very smooth indeed.
One of the very best single malts I ever had was Tesco's own Highland Malt from c 2005. Found out afterwards that it had won blind tastings against the best that the Scotch Whisky Association could produce!
As far as blends are concerned they do vary. Some are definitely produced with an eye on the price, but others are very good. Blackbush, for example, is a better whiskey than Bushmills Malt (IMHO of course) while Famous Grouse is entirely acceptable although with that much Orcadian malt in it, it should be.
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
There's a reason people who tie full dress salmon flies always drink Famous Grouse while tying. Good stuff that you can still afford after having bought all those grouse and pheasant bits...though how you can still tie (seriously, click on those pictures to expand) after a wee dram or three is beyond me.
I wonder if the proper equivalent for American dries would be Wild Turkey 101—a very good, high rye content bourbon that's a fair bit stronger than most, and also tying material related. It's also something you're liable to find at most any remote bar out west after a day of chasing fish, where, after standing in cold mountain streams fed with snowmelt, you might need a little something to restore circulation.
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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Moo
Ship's tough old bird
# 107
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Posted
Hot spiced cider with added applejack is delicious.
Moo
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See you later, alligator.
Posts: 20365 | From: Alleghany Mountains of Virginia | Registered: May 2001
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Piglet
Islander
# 11803
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Sioni Sais:
... Famous Grouse is entirely acceptable although with that much Orcadian malt in it, it should be.
Absolutely, SS.
Although I'm not a whisky drinker (except in toddies, so cooking whisky only), I grew up within sniffing distance of the Highland Park distillery and will always make a point of singing its praises. The 18yo is so smooth that even I would drink it (if I could afford it, which I can't).
They've got 25yo in the local liquor stores here, for about $350. ![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006
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Jengie jon
Semper Reformanda
# 273
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Heavenly Anarchist:
quote:
Originally posted by Ariston:
ETA: almost forgot! Yamakaze 12—a Japanese single malt that's quite good. Think bourbon made in Scotland, and you've got the right idea.
My husband has some Hakushu 12 he brought back from a business trip to Japan, I might have a sip later.
This thread has been terrible for me, I keep browsing whisky websites for potential Christmas presents for him
I take it that you know of this one.
Jengie
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"To violate a persons ability to distinguish fact from fantasy is the epistemological equivalent of rape." Noretta Koertge
Back to my blog
Posts: 20894 | From: city of steel, butterflies and rainbows | Registered: May 2001
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Augustine the Aleut
Shipmate
# 1472
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Posted
Comet's stance that s/he quote:
'd punch an orphan kitten in the kidney for Laphroaig or Talisker.
sounds eminently sensible to me. Even so, I once heard Lagavulin 16-year old as being something God drinks after a particularly good day.
I've been so distracted by single malts that I never explored the land of small-cask Bourbon, but it might happen some day during my mother-chauffeuring south of the border. While I was raised on cognac and armagnac, I have come to appreciate the sweet dark Spanish brandies (Grand Duque d'Alba, anyone?? Carlos III??), although they are hard to find in Ontario. They have been known to nourish a pilgrim and restore them after a day schlepping a pack among the soggy trails of northern Spain.
Posts: 6236 | From: Ottawa, Canada | Registered: Oct 2001
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Eigon
Shipmate
# 4917
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Posted
I used to work with someone who considered himself something of an expert of whisky (he had at one time been a Regimental piper of the Irish Guards) and he used to keep a decanter of cheap Japanese whisky at home to offer to new guests - and they could never tell the difference between that and the single malts.
He also advised me to add a drop of water to my whisky to avoid hangovers - I always have, ever since, and it usually works!
At the moment I have some ten year old Talisker and 18 year old Glenfiddich - and a cheap blend from the Co-op for when I have a bad throat.
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Laugh hard. Run fast. Be kind.
Posts: 3710 | From: Hay-on-Wye, town of books | Registered: Aug 2003
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Eigon:
He also advised me to add a drop of water to my whisky to avoid hangovers - I always have, ever since, and it usually works!
I find sips of water between sips of whisky help at the time and afterwards.
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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Heavenly Anarchist
Shipmate
# 13313
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Jengie Jon:
quote:
Originally posted by Heavenly Anarchist:
quote:
Originally posted by Ariston:
ETA: almost forgot! Yamakaze 12—a Japanese single malt that's quite good. Think bourbon made in Scotland, and you've got the right idea.
My husband has some Hakushu 12 he brought back from a business trip to Japan, I might have a sip later.
This thread has been terrible for me, I keep browsing whisky websites for potential Christmas presents for him
I take it that you know of this one.
Jengie
Yes, several of the Japanese samples ended up in my basket as stocking fillers
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'I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.' Douglas Adams
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Posts: 2831 | From: Trumpington | Registered: Jan 2008
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jedijudy
Organist of the Jedi Temple
# 333
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Posted
What do y'all think of Grangestone 12 y.o.? I have some at home for times of necessity. (I think it smells very nice!)
I've put applejack on my shopping list to try Moo's suggestion of spiced cider.
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Jasmine, little cat with a big heart.
Posts: 18017 | From: 'Twixt the 'Glades and the Gulf | Registered: Aug 2001
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mark_in_manchester
not waving, but...
# 15978
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Posted
Recently I've been associating with Poles, who take quite a sophisticated DIY approach to this kind of thing. But the stock is always brewed-up sugar water - anything more complex apparently increases the risk to ones eyesight - meaning that the flavour comes from whatever you include to get it down from the 93-ish percent it comes off the still, to a more palatable 50-ish.
Incidentally, I happened to speak to someone working at Jamesons, who confirmed that their distillate is a similar concentration. It struck me how remarkable the difference is in that 7-ish non-ethanol percent between different distilleries, though of course the water and ageing all contribute a lot.
MiM - seeking scrap stainless-steel.
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"We are punished by our sins, not for them" - Elbert Hubbard
(so good, I wanted to see it after my posts and not only after those of shipmate JBohn from whom I stole it)
Posts: 1596 | Registered: Oct 2010
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Sober Preacher's Kid
Presbymethegationalist
# 12699
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Posted
I have a bottle of Bacardi 8 year old rum waiting for me to get off the meds that keep me from drinking. Maybe next year.
That and Gibson's Gold Label, both decent drinks. My uncle lived in the Bahamas for decades so our family has a soft spot for rum.
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NDP Federal Convention Ottawa 2018: A random assortment of Prots and Trots.
Posts: 7646 | From: Peterborough, Upper Canada | Registered: Jun 2007
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Sir Kevin
Ship's Gaffer
# 3492
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by David:
I I have a strong memory of a bottle of Famous Grouse 18yrold pure malt blend, excellent.
Regular Famous Grouse makes me want to fwow up! It is execrable!
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If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Writing is currently my hobby, not yet my profession.
Posts: 30517 | From: White Hart Lane | Registered: Oct 2002
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jedijudy
Organist of the Jedi Temple
# 333
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Moo:
Hot spiced cider with added applejack is delicious.
Moo
I have just made a batch, and I must agree with Moo! Delicious!
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Jasmine, little cat with a big heart.
Posts: 18017 | From: 'Twixt the 'Glades and the Gulf | Registered: Aug 2001
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Squirrel
Shipmate
# 3040
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Posted
Jack Daniels Old #7 is a favorite. Unpretentious, but damn good.
Amongst brandies I like Remy Martin.
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"The moral is to the physical as three is to one."
- Napoleon
"Five to one."
- George S. Patton
Posts: 1014 | From: Gotham City - Brain of the Great Satan | Registered: Jul 2002
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Hilda of Whitby
Shipmate
# 7341
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Posted
I like brandy (Asbach Uralt from Germany), Calvados, Cognac, Armagnac, and whiskey. For me, these are fall and winter tipples, as they seem a bit too much for hot Washington DC summers. Now that autumn is here, I have a wee dram once or twice a week. DH always gets me a bottle of something nice for Christmas (he is a vodka man himself).
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"Born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world is mad."
Posts: 412 | From: Nickel City | Registered: Jun 2004
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Stercus Tauri
Shipmate
# 16668
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Posted
quote:
...Even so, I once heard Lagavulin 16-year old as being something God drinks after a particularly good day.
I am sure this is true, and it could be the reason why it's so rarely in stock at the Glasgow duty free. I have a bottle that I drink very sparingly. It's one of the reasons why I post here under a nom de plume. I don't want too many people knowing about it.
On a bit of a tangent, we are always told that whisky stops aging in the bottle, but I believe it can change. I once had a bottle of old Bruichladdich from the original distillery, 56 proof if I remember aright, that I had for several years. It seemed to become sweeter and less harsh over time, and the theory was that it was oxidised by the presence of air in the bottle towards the end of its life.
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Thay haif said. Quhat say thay, Lat thame say (George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal)
Posts: 905 | From: On the traditional lands of the Six Nations. | Registered: Sep 2011
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Stercus Tauri:
On a bit of a tangent, we are always told that whisky stops aging in the bottle, but I believe it can change. I once had a bottle of old Bruichladdich from the original distillery, 56 proof if I remember aright, that I had for several years. It seemed to become sweeter and less harsh over time, and the theory was that it was oxidised by the presence of air in the bottle towards the end of its life.
I have to agree with you. A 10 y o Calvados which we bought at least five years ago, and started drinking four years ago is noticeably darker, sweeter and smoother now.
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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Matt Black
Shipmate
# 2210
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Posted
I like peaty island single malts with a single drop of water to break the meniscus and release the 'nose'. I can enjoy it anywhere, anytime but in front of a log fire or woodburner in the bleak midwinter after a hearty meal or long walk is best IMO.
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"Protestant and Reformed, according to the Tradition of the ancient Catholic Church" - + John Cosin (1594-1672)
Posts: 14304 | From: Hampshire, UK | Registered: Jan 2002
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Og, King of Bashan
Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562
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Posted
I was back in Tennessee last week, and was amazed to see that young clear corn whiskey (AKA moonshine) is getting to be hot. Having learned to drink in that part of the country, I generally stick to Bourbon, and typically buy Bulleit, which is tasty without costing too too much. Our old place had no yard, which meant that our ancient dog needed to be walked around the block before bedtime, sometimes in sub-zero temps. A nice Bulleit hot toddy was always the trick to that walk.
That said, if I sidle up to the bar and want to drink undiluted spirits, I have a taste for Irish whiskey. I have probably said this before, but the peppery notes that you frequently find in the Irish stuff were a good way to get me back into drinking tequila after a long break. A good Irish whiskey and a good gold tequila are not that far off from each other.
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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy
Posts: 3259 | From: Denver, Colorado, USA | Registered: May 2005
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A.Pilgrim
Shipmate
# 15044
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Sighthound:
Blended whisky is, I suppose OK if you have a cold and need a hot toddy. When I had greyhounds I had another use for it. It's really great for disinfecting the wound left when a tick is removed from a dog's belly.
I find that cask strength scotch is excellent for toothache. The problem is that you can only get top quality single blends at cask strength, and using Aberlour A'bunadh as a mouthwash seems rather wasteful.
Angus
Posts: 434 | From: UK | Registered: Aug 2009
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Sioni Sais:
quote:
Originally posted by Stercus Tauri:
On a bit of a tangent, we are always told that whisky stops aging in the bottle, but I believe it can change. I once had a bottle of old Bruichladdich from the original distillery, 56 proof if I remember aright, that I had for several years. It seemed to become sweeter and less harsh over time, and the theory was that it was oxidised by the presence of air in the bottle towards the end of its life.
I have to agree with you. A 10 y o Calvados which we bought at least five years ago, and started drinking four years ago is noticeably darker, sweeter and smoother now.
On a related note, I have often suspected that Woodford Reserve (bourbon) grows worse (less sweet, less smooth) the longer it is open. I only get it at my neighborhood pub and when the bottle is freshly opened I quite like it, but if the bottle has been opened for a time and they are near the bottom it tastes much harsher. I have not noticed this with any other bourbon, just Woodford Reserve.
Of course, the simple solution is not to let the open bottle get any older, but that can be a little rough on the liver.
Still, has anybody else noticed something like that? I often wonder if I am just imagining it. I reject the possibility that there has been spirit tampering by the pub. I know the bartender. He is honorable.
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Og, King of Bashan
Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562
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Posted
Oxidation is real. Once you expose any booze to oxygen, it changes what you experience and taste. In the short term, it can be desirable, as with red wines and cask ales. In the long term, it can be bad. They also say that the less liquid there is in the bottle, the more exposed it gets to oxygen. If you have that one sip of a special bottle sitting in the cabinet for a special occasion, you might not be doing yourself any favors.
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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy
Posts: 3259 | From: Denver, Colorado, USA | Registered: May 2005
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Sandemaniac
Shipmate
# 12829
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Posted
I actually had a bottle of Edradour become undrinkable - the only time I've known whisky go off.
There was probably an inch and a half in the bottom, and it tasted strongly of soap. Not nice.
AG
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"It becomes soon pleasantly apparent that change-ringing is by no means merely an excuse for beer" Charles Dickens gets it wrong, 1869
Posts: 3574 | From: The wardrobe of my soul | Registered: Jul 2007
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Curiosity killed ...
Ship's Mug
# 11770
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Posted
Alcohol oxidises to vinegar in air, doesn't it? But there are other aromatics in whiskies that would create other oxidation products.
Another one for Laphroaig, but if I'm not playing expensive malts (90% of the time), the Irish blends are not a bad compromise - Black Bush for preference.
Not sure it's still there, but does anyone else remember the snug at The Windmill on Clapham Common and the selection of whiskies they had in there? (The pub is still there, but I'm not sure about the snug selection). There's still quite a good list on their menu.
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Mugs - Keep the Ship afloat
Posts: 13794 | From: outiside the outer ring road | Registered: Aug 2006
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Og, King of Bashan
Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Curiosity killed ...:
Alcohol oxidises to vinegar in air, doesn't it?
Acetic acid bacteria is what turns alcohol to vinegar, although you probably need oxygen to get it going (brewing means I play around with a lot of bio chemistry without understanding any of it). However, I think that distilled beverages probably don't have the right chemistry for acetic acid to thrive. I have at least one cookbook which suggests putting leftover wine into clay crocks with a vinegar mother (a slimy skin containing the bacteria) to make your own wine vinegar. I have been aching to try it, but I have been expressly forbidden by my otherwise very patient and understanding wife, who doesn't want the whole house smelling like vinegar. (Reasonable enough.)
If you really want to gross yourself out, this video explains how you can make a vinegar mother with your own terrroir by leaving sugar water and a banana peel in a container outside for two weeks. The more I learn about basic foods that we take for granted, the more I realize that we wouldn't have a lot of wonderful things if it weren't for brave people like my brother who will open a long-lost jar that most of us would throw away, take a whiff, and declare it OK to eat.
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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy
Posts: 3259 | From: Denver, Colorado, USA | Registered: May 2005
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Augustine the Aleut
Shipmate
# 1472
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Posted
Having just allowed a bottle of Georgian brandy to slip through my hands at the LCBO, shattering but producing a lovely caramel perfume, I felt obliged to buy a bottle and found that a dram of it last night helped me watch the coverage of our dear Prime Minister.
While not a brown spirit, I would recommend orujo blanco, a fine Spanish version of marc/grappa. I am currently sipping from a glass of the home-made stuff (in Spain, one is allowed to distill a certain amount for household use) which a Californian writer bought for me. When he asked the shop assistant what proof it was, she replied with a burst of laughter.
I hope to pass through duty-free returning to Canada in a few weeks' time from family responsibilities south of the border, and hope to pick up a bottle of Lagavulin 16-year old, which has been described to me as what God drinks after a particularly good day.
Posts: 6236 | From: Ottawa, Canada | Registered: Oct 2001
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John Holding
Coffee and Cognac
# 158
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Posted
Much as I love Lagavulin, of any age, I was introduced to Highland Park when dining recently with friends in Inverness. If I had to make a choice, it would be the Highland Park.
John
[ 30. October 2013, 23:36: Message edited by: John Holding ]
Posts: 5929 | From: Ottawa, Canada | Registered: May 2001
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ArachnidinElmet
Shipmate
# 17346
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Posted
Not being a whiskey drinker (aged pale rum for me please) all my knowledge is from books. Highland Park is the favoured drink of Dalziel of Dalziel and Pascoe fame and you wouldn't argue with him.
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'If a pleasant, straight-forward life is not possible then one must try to wriggle through by subtle manoeuvres' - Kafka
Posts: 1887 | From: the rhubarb triangle | Registered: Sep 2012
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balaam
Making an ass of myself
# 4543
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Posted
Both the Orcadian malts are very good. For me Scapa has the edge, but Highland Park is very good too.
As for mixing, a sour or bitter flavour is a good contrast to the sweetness of the added ingredient. Bells or Jack Daniel's both fit this description, depending on which side of the pond you are. Unless you are mixing with dry ginger, when you want a rye, just about any rye.
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Last ever sig ...
blog
Posts: 9049 | From: Hen Ogledd | Registered: May 2003
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