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Spring Forward Spring Time [Spirits] Sthread

JuggernutJuggernut Registered User regular
edited March 2023 in Social Entropy++
We have a beer thread but I don't think we have a thread for spirits.

Spirits! I'm talking hooch, baby. Sauce. Booze, boy I say I said liquor!

For instance tonight I decided to try this

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High West's Double Rye. 2 year blend at 92 proof.

I'm not usually a rye drinker and this seemed like a reasonable starting point. Nose is sort of a grassy pepper. Palate is mild mild vanilla, honey with maybe like, cinnamon? Some sort of spice. I know ryes tend to be "hotter" than bourbon or whiskeys and this is pretty well spicy. I enjoy it well enough but probably not quite enough to buy a bottle.

So which spirits are visiting you and showing you terrible visions this Christmas?

Juggernut on
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Posts

  • JuggernutJuggernut Registered User regular
    The spirits do not encourage you to be a better person they encourage you to call your ex.

  • Houk the NamebringerHouk the Namebringer Nipples The EchidnaRegistered User regular
    My uncle is a big whiskey/scotch/bourbon guy and we're going to over to his place for xmas eve/day, where I imagine he will let/force me to sample whatever new stuff he has.

    I don't know shit for shit about that stuff, but I know what kinds of flavors I like and don't like, and he's really good about picking stuff out based on that. I suspect we will both be getting pretty drunk and going through his old vintage record collection, just like the last two times I was over there.

  • JuggernutJuggernut Registered User regular
    I'm trying to expand my whiskey/scotch/bourbon vocabulary because I want to be that guy but yeah if you asked me to pick something for somebody I'd just have to go with what will fuck you up quickest.

    Which as we all know is Jameson.

    That said the black label Jameson I remember actually being very good Irish whiskey for a reasonable price. Very nutty, woody flavor.

  • PsykomaPsykoma Registered User regular
    I've been drinking hot buttered rums the last few nights before bed to get my sore throat under control.

    It's very nice, using a pretty standard spiced captain morgan, and it's still so good.

  • Houk the NamebringerHouk the Namebringer Nipples The EchidnaRegistered User regular
    Juggernut wrote: »
    I'm trying to expand my whiskey/scotch/bourbon vocabulary because I want to be that guy but yeah if you asked me to pick something for somebody I'd just have to go with what will fuck you up quickest.

    Which as we all know is Jameson.

    That said the black label Jameson I remember actually being very good Irish whiskey for a reasonable price. Very nutty, woody flavor.

    I had to ask my uncle to stop telling me the prices of the liquor he gives me because I feel bad when he's like "okay this is an $80 barrel-aged yada yada" and my reaction is "sweet, this doesn't taste like dirt/damn, this tastes like dirt"

  • JuggernutJuggernut Registered User regular
    I also just tried the Laphroaig Select which is finished in bourbon barrels and Cairdeas which is finished in wine barrels with the 10 year as my control.

    The Selct is bizarre. It's got the iodine and peat smokiness right on the nose just like the 10 year and the Cairdeas but the bourbon barrel aging completely cuts out the heat. The 10 year hits you with the spice and then Cairdeas rachets it up to 11 and adds in the wine sweetness on top.

    If I had to pick I'd say I still prefer the 10 year, especially with just a touch of water to open it up.

  • JuggernutJuggernut Registered User regular
    edited December 2021
    Juggernut wrote: »
    I'm trying to expand my whiskey/scotch/bourbon vocabulary because I want to be that guy but yeah if you asked me to pick something for somebody I'd just have to go with what will fuck you up quickest.

    Which as we all know is Jameson.

    That said the black label Jameson I remember actually being very good Irish whiskey for a reasonable price. Very nutty, woody flavor.

    I had to ask my uncle to stop telling me the prices of the liquor he gives me because I feel bad when he's like "okay this is an $80 barrel-aged yada yada" and my reaction is "sweet, this doesn't taste like dirt/damn, this tastes like dirt"

    A fun thing to do when you get a big selection of liquors (or friends, relatives with such) is to do blind taste tests with them and then rank your favorites and see if you can match them.

    You might be surprised!
    Psykoma wrote: »
    I've been drinking hot buttered rums the last few nights before bed to get my sore throat under control.

    It's very nice, using a pretty standard spiced captain morgan, and it's still so good.

    The next thing on my list when I feel like I've got a good handle on whiskeys and such is rum because I love spiced rum. The problem is I discovered Diplomatico Venezuelan rum early on and I just don't see anybody really topping it.

    Juggernut on
  • 3cl1ps33cl1ps3 I will build a labyrinth to house the cheese Registered User regular
    I have a bottle of Little Book 4 that I took to a whiskey party a month ago, it's delicious, I predict by the end of the Christmas season it will be quite low indeed.

  • Captain InertiaCaptain Inertia Registered User regular
    I’ve started drinking non alcohol spirits

    It’s been a very grassy journey so far

  • JuggernutJuggernut Registered User regular
    All I know about NA's is what I've seen from the Good Mythical Morning episode where they tried a bunch of NA liquors and the results were.... not great.

    I feel like gin may be the easiest to try and replicate? But also I don't know shit about gin.

  • BrainleechBrainleech 機知に富んだコメントはここにあります Registered User regular
    I really plan on getting this tonight or tomorrow because I feel I deserve it
    a89ctpfsjk5r.png

  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    The local spirits store was entirely out of Lagavulin and anything but the basic 10-year Laphroaig.

    This is bullshit. It's supposed to be Christmas!

  • JuggernutJuggernut Registered User regular
    I'm about to try the Macallan 12 I will report back in a minute.

  • JuggernutJuggernut Registered User regular
    edited December 2021
    DarkPrimus wrote: »
    The local spirits store was entirely out of Lagavulin and anything but the basic 10-year Laphroaig.

    This is bullshit. It's supposed to be Christmas!

    I actually wanted Lagavulin (I'm at a bourbon bar) and they, too were out!

    That happens a lot when I try to order Lagavulin for some reason. My guess is it's one of the more popular Islays because of its association with Ron Swanson of Parks and Rec.

    Or its just really good and kinda hard to get I dunno.

    Juggernut on
  • sarukunsarukun RIESLING OCEANRegistered User regular
    I want

    Benedictine

    to make Milk and Honeys

    They are Christmas: the cocktail, and I want one.

  • JuggernutJuggernut Registered User regular
    Ok Macallan notes.

    Smokey! One of the smokier single malts I've had. Got some fruitiness in there too. If you let it sit you get some real rich caramel or toffee flavor. I think I still prefer the Glenmorangie 13 year single malt but this is a very good scotch all told.

  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    Juggernut wrote: »
    DarkPrimus wrote: »
    The local spirits store was entirely out of Lagavulin and anything but the basic 10-year Laphroaig.

    This is bullshit. It's supposed to be Christmas!

    I actually wanted Lagavulin (I'm at a bourbon bar) and they, too were out!

    That happens a lot when I try to order Lagavulin for some reason. My guess is it's one of the more popular Islays because of its association with Ron Swanson of Parks and Rec.

    Or its just really good and kinda hard to get I dunno.

    I got on the Lagavulin bandwagon just before the Swanson bump or whatever you want to call it

    Ideally I could get another bottle of Laphroaig 18 Year but ever since I moved to a state that has a monopoly on liquor store operations I have been unable to acquire that as well.

    It's not as though I exclusively drink Islay single malts, it's definitely a "special time" sort of treat for me to sip and enjoy. But I do like to have a variety of whiskeys to choose from, and the lone Lagavluin I have is getting dangerously low.

  • #pipe#pipe Cocky Stride, Musky odours Pope of Chili TownRegistered User regular
    I can't drink anything this Christmas because I'm preparing for a surgery and I'm fucking mad about it.

  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    #pipe wrote: »
    I can't drink anything this Christmas because I'm preparing for a surgery and I'm fucking mad about it.

    The worst part of going under is always the prep and cleanse beforehand.

  • #pipe#pipe Cocky Stride, Musky odours Pope of Chili TownRegistered User regular
    Yeah I can't drink for a year post surgery

  • 3cl1ps33cl1ps3 I will build a labyrinth to house the cheese Registered User regular
    what the fuck

  • sarukunsarukun RIESLING OCEANRegistered User regular
    That sounds like some ass-butts bullshit to me.

  • MagellMagell Detroit Machine Guns Fort MyersRegistered User regular
    I will be making eggnog tomorrow with Fistul of Bourbon and some brandy I need to buy. I think I'll try the bourbon out in an old fashioned while making it.

  • Lost SalientLost Salient blink twice if you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered User regular
    That is TURRIBLE gat damn

    I quite like High West's Double Rye but when it comes down to it here in Singapore I usually default to a few other American rye whiskeys - Uncle Nearest 1856 is my new A #1 fave, although I keep Colonel E.H. Taylor around if I can find it. Old Forester is my default bourbon but can be tricky to get here, weirdly.

    That said, this holiday season I was given a box set of 12 whiskies by Drinks by the Dram, so I've been having those as my nightcaps. Real standouts on that so far have been Smooth Ambler Old Scout American Whiskey and Darkness 8 Year Old Single Malt.

    I also picked up a bottle of Procera Green Dot gin from Kenya which is extremely good by itself or in martinis. Would probably be nice in G&T's if I like those.

    And I've been making a fair number of noelgronis, which are negronis with a tablespoon of my homemade double cranberry dried cherry compote at the bottom.

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    "Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
  • JuggernutJuggernut Registered User regular
    Tonight I'm starting out with Rabbit Hole's "Boxergrail" port finished rye.

    95/5 rye mash, 3 years, 95 proof.

    Nose is spice, oak, and something sweet like vanilla or chocolate. Much less heat due to the port barrel aging but still has some pepper there. That said, a rye is a peppery alcohol and it seems a little counterintuitive to reduce it but the result is a very smooth rye whiskey.

  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    #pipe wrote: »
    Yeah I can't drink for a year post surgery

    I got discharged from the hospital on my 21st birthday with strict instructions that I couldn't drink for six months after the surgery, except that I was going back for another surgery at the end of that so it was another six months to wait for that.

    Anyway what I'm getting at is that I never really got around to having an alcoholic drink until a while later, and it wasn't until I discovered social drinking that it really took off for me.

  • JBCJBC Registered User regular
    Ardbeg Uigeadail. Got into Scotch around October. Something about the Halloween period and wanting to connect with Celtic times, I dunno. Lagavulin was good but I prefer less fruity flavors. This particular Ardbeg is very smoky and bacony, not so fruity. Expensive but good for an experience if you’re into that sort of thing. I’m going to have more after dry January is over…

  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    edited January 2022
    There was a Halloween-themed triple-pack of Ardbeg tasters I picked up recently. The 5-Year Wee Beastie lacked almost all of the peaty flavor that I expected - it's a very smooth but somewhat unremarkable whisky that I wouldn't say no to and would recommend to newer/curious Islay drinkers assuming the price of a regular bottle was reasonable. The standard 10-Year Ardbeg was decent enough but didn't distinguish itself from Laphroaig's 10-Year;The Oa has a nice peppery note to it in addition to the peated smoke that makes it intriguing to me.

    DarkPrimus on
  • JBCJBC Registered User regular
    Interesting. I’ll have to keep my eyes open next year. Thanks!

  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    JBC wrote: »
    Interesting. I’ll have to keep my eyes open next year. Thanks!

    I've been eying the various Ardbeg offerings for a bit now, but the price that a bottle runs for made me a bit hesitant to pick one up totally blind, so the three-pack sampler was a nice little end-of-year treat for me. The next time I'm out at the liquor store I'll have to see if the Uigeadail is one of the varieties they have, otherwise I think it's a bottle of The Oa for me... unless they've finally got more Lagavulin back in stock.

  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    When it's not 3-in-the-morning I'll learn y'all some rum.

    For the time being, some quick opinions:
    • Bourbon: for drinking neat, I love wheated bourbon. I somehow found a bottle of Weller Antique 107 at a store a few years ago and it is a minor miracle I still have it, mostly because if I drink all of it will be gone. Fortunately, there's been some easier to find wheaters that aren't Maker's that have hit the market the past few years. Rebel Yell is like $15 and pretty good!
    • Rye: I love rye for basically any cocktail that can be conceivably made with it over bourbon, especially Manhattans. In that space, Rittenhouse is a go-to, but new Old Overholt Bottled-in-Bond is pretty good. For sipping, I tend to like ryes that are spicy and more, well, rye-like, but unlike bourbon finished ryes are pretty nice since the rye can stand up to the finish.
    • Brandy: I love some Cognac and Armagnac. My local store does a fantastic job of getting quality brandies for extremely reasonable prices, and flavor-wise they beat the pants off anything from the big houses (usually because they have way less added sugar).
    • Agave: I live in San Francisco, so there's a lot of people here that love tequila and especially Mezcal. So far my knowledge is limited to broadly knowing what the "good tequilas" are (Tapatio being a particular favorite around here).
    • Scotch: In 2020 and 2021, I finally figured Islay whiskies, thus completing my Scotch journey. My favorites are still un-sherried Speysides (my store is also great for this sort of thing), but since it's relatively cold out right now bring on the peat and smoke.
    • Rum: This is going to be a whole separate post, but let me assure you that there's more to rum than Bacardi, Malibu, Sailor Jerry, and the Kraken.
    • Gin: I don't have strong feelings about gin, but when I order a Martini I always get it with Sapphire. This likely makes me a sucker, but it's what I like, dangit.

  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    Ron Zacapa is a good rum.

  • The JudgeThe Judge The Terwilliger CurvesRegistered User regular
    Current status
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    Last pint: Turmoil CDA / Barley Brown's - Untappd: TheJudge_PDX
  • MagellMagell Detroit Machine Guns Fort MyersRegistered User regular
    Plantation 5 year has been my go to rum for cocktails since How to Drink recommended it in a video.

    If its just Cuba Libre time I just grab a local rum. Its amazing how much better a rum and coke tastes with a glass bottle coke and a squeeze of lime.

  • pookapooka Registered User regular
    General recommendations rather than tasting notes.

    Gin: The Botanist, opens up nicely with fizzy water. Roku, neat.

    In New Zealand: so much local booze, and tasty!

    Imagination BB1201 tastes like a smooth light whiskey, so I have a bottle for my beau who is Celiac and misses his whiskeys; their Reikorangi dry is far too easy to drink neat. They've also got several fruit-infused gins that just work; I did not like the seaweed gin, but I respect it. The Bond Store Kawakawa Gin is sipping gin, lovely -- "the good gin."

    Whisk(e)y, bourbon, and scotch: Laphroaig, Oban, and EH Taylor Barrel Proof are great but not everyday affairs -- Colonel EH Taylor Small Batch is still highly indulgent, but was more affordable at our liquor store. Between my beau's diagnosis in 2019 and my sister likely also being Celiac, I haven't explored much recently; given my parents seem to do better sans gluten, I'm just now rethinking the tiny souvenir bottle of NZ whiskey I got for Dad...

    Vodka: The White Sheep Co. Sheep Milk vodka: surprisingly drinkable, as a non vodka fan; tastes pleasantly of chevre. We killed one bottle, and I've picked up another to share some with my pa. So keep an eye out for that kinda thing, if that appeals. I initially bought it because I liked the label, and I'm intrigued by novelty; it had an illustration of stockinette stitch fabric, yes, I am an obsessed knitter and a complete sucker for cool liquor labels. I bought yet more gin the other day because it has a lucky cat on it (and also it sounded delicious, bc despite my proclivities, I'm not purely buying for looks -- National Distillery's Meow Lucky.)

    Liqueurs: Amarula, yum. I had a shake with it a couple days ago, but it's not overly rich, just a nice sweet, light, creamy dessert digestif from South Africa. Treat it like an ever so slightly fruity Bailey's.

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  • MagellMagell Detroit Machine Guns Fort MyersRegistered User regular
    I got a cocktail shaker set for Christmas that I need to break in and I'm not sure what to go with yet. I love Old Fashioneds, but I don't need the shaker for that.

    I'm currently leaning toward martinis paired with a movie with my gf, but I need to nail down the details of drink and movie.

  • sarukunsarukun RIESLING OCEANRegistered User regular
    I've been watching "How to Drink" here and there and there are some fun cocktails I wanna try but my girlfriend is very selective about what we keep in our apartment and she doesn't want us to buy the necessary bottles to have on hand to mix a cocktail when the mood strikes, and the whole world is infected with zombie virus so nobody comes over to give us an excuse.

    I want to buy a bottle of maraschino because I learned that aviations are tasty, but no go. :(

  • 3cl1ps33cl1ps3 I will build a labyrinth to house the cheese Registered User regular
    wait why doesn't she want to keep options to hand for drinks, a well stocked bar doesn't take up that much space.

  • MagellMagell Detroit Machine Guns Fort MyersRegistered User regular
    Have the house to myself tonight so I'm going to make some old fashioned's and play video games.

    I need to steal the recipe from a local place that makes an old fashioned with pear simple syrup and cardamom and put a dried pear or apple slice in the drink. It was amazing.

  • sarukunsarukun RIESLING OCEANRegistered User regular
    3cl1ps3 wrote: »
    wait why doesn't she want to keep options to hand for drinks, a well stocked bar doesn't take up that much space.

    She is extremely particular about “clutter” and what constitutes “too much” clutter.

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