Octopus Overlords

mori wrote: ↑Sun Feb 24, 2019 2:07 pm I wonder if it was Flaming Pig.

Flaming Pig Spiced Irish, a unique, all natural liqueur made from Irish whiskey expertly infused with whole cloves, cinnamon sticks and black peppercorns. The taste is smooth and sweet followed by a spicy kick that puts fire in your belly. Best enjoyed neat or over ice

I remembered to ask today. They still only have nips, but at $1 apiece they're cheaper than buying the bottle. So I bought a couple.

At 100 proof this packs a punch. But it has wonderful fruity flavor and was almost smokey like a Scotch. I think this is the most I have ever spent on a bottle of bourbon at $55 a bottle. I would not think twice about spending a lot more if it was Scotch. But this proved worth it and will last awhile.

"They still only have nips"... so that's what they call those teeny little bottles! Makes sense.

I'm heading to Utah for a week with friends and we always buy a bottle or two of scotch or bourbon. I'm excited to see what new stuff we get this time.

I had a flight of Jameson over St. Patty's day weekend. Their Black Barrel and Caskmates IPA Edition are two of the smoothest whiskey's I've ever had. And Google tells me both are relatively cheap. I will likely be picking up a bottle of one or both to keep around the house.

Thanks to someone I was able to get a pair of my old time favorites from the 90s. I really haven't touched much liquor in many many years. The last I used to get was Pyrat Rum. I looked at it too and it was about $35. Im not sure how I used to buy it. Im guessing my wife just got it and didn't tell me how it cut into our budget. Bless her.

Anyways in the early 90s all I drank was E&J Brandy. It was cheap and still is. But it had a wonderful flavor to me. I recall always drinking it while I read Star Trek books. If Kirk had a drink so did I. And Gentleman Jack I remember sitting on the bed watching The Last of the Mohicans with my wife and drinking a small bottle of it. I used to get it when it came in its original strange shaped bottle. This one is a little strange itself as its flat sided and Im sure prone to breakage.

Of course I got both to remember old times...and most of all my little wife. Still missing her each and every day in every way.

I am a relatively recent convert to both Bourbon and Scotch. Mostly this is because I have been eating low-carb, and none of my preferred beers are compliant with that.

My favorite bourbons have all been mentioned here: Four Roses (excellent!), Woodford Reserve, and Blanton's. My friend at work kept pushing me to try the Blanton's, which I could never find. It turns out the liquor store around the corner from my office carries it so I recently grabbed a bottle. I really liked it, but don't think that it's worth the price differential compared to the other two I named.

Regarding Scotch, I've found (much to my surprise) that I prefer the peatier varieties from Islay, particularly Lagavulin and Ardbeg. My wife does not approve of this as she doesn't like the smell of them (she compares it to "cat box"). To be honest, though, I think I have a couple of dozen empty tubes & boxes around my office here to testify to the different varieties I've sampled, and so far I've not found one I actively dislike. Other non-Islay favorites are Balevenie (both double wood and Caribbean Cask) and Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban.

As for how to drink it, I fear I've become a bit of a snob there. I don't like to mix either Bourbon or Scotch with anything, although I will mix Jameson. I rarely use ice, and occasionally add a few drops of water (especially when I'm trying something new).

Called around a dozen liquor stores in Denver looking for Henry McKenna 10 year and no one has it.

I went to the huge liquor store down the road asking for the McKenna and he said there's been a big run on it after the San Francisco show. The shipments for the next couple of months are already allocated and spoken for, so I doubt I'll get it. He said that it's pretty good, but nowhere near the hype. I ended up leaving with a bottle of MB Roland 113 proof. Not too bad if you like the hotter stuff, which I do.

Hrdina wrote:As for how to drink it, I fear I've become a bit of a snob there. I don't like to mix either Bourbon or Scotch with anything, although I will mix Jameson. I rarely use ice, and occasionally add a few drops of water (especially when I'm trying something new).

There is only one right way to drink whisky, and that’s to drink whisky however the hell you like to drink whisky.

Didn’t realize the Henry McKenna was that hard to find. I picked up a bottle a couple of years ago while in Louisville, and it’s pretty good.

Finally lucked out and got a bottle today. There's a good story that goes with it.

My wife was out shopping and I asked her to drop into our local store and check to see if they have any McKenna. Naturally they didn't and I wasn't surprised since I've been checking 3 or 4 times a week.

My wife felt bad since I've been trying to find a bottle and she wanted to get me something. The fella recommended Eagle Rare (which I love), so she brought that home around 1pm.

I got off early from work today and decided to stop by before I got home. None on the shelf of course, so I grabbed some Bloody Mary mix and head to the register. I figured, what the hell and asked the cashier to check the inventory and see if there happened to be any coming in anytime soon. I peak at the register and I see a 1 and assume it's a mistake. Cashier calls the buyer who happened to be working this afternoon. He comes out of his office with a bottle and says he just got in 3 bottles a few minutes prior. This is the first 3 bottles he has had in 2 months and the bottle he sold me was the last.

So not only did I get a bottle of Eagle Rare today, I finally scored Henry McKenna. It's going to be a good Memorial weekend.

I haven't seen ANY McKenna in stores since they won gold and all hell broke loose. The guy at my liquor store said "I mean, it's okay and all, but it's not THAT good."

I still want to see for myself.

If you don't mind me asking, has the price gone up? I believe it was going for < $30 six months ago.

McNutt wrote: ↑Fri May 24, 2019 11:35 pm I haven't seen ANY McKenna in stores since they won gold and all hell broke loose. The guy at my liquor store said "I mean, it's okay and all, but it's not THAT good."

I still want to see for myself.

If you don't mind me asking, has the price gone up? I believe it was going for < $30 six months ago.

It has. Internetwines.com has it for $60 now and I got some a few months ago for less than $40.

McNutt wrote:I haven't seen ANY McKenna in stores since they won gold and all hell broke loose. The guy at my liquor store said "I mean, it's okay and all, but it's not THAT good."

I still want to see for myself.

If you don't mind me asking, has the price gone up? I believe it was going for < $30 six months ago.

$50

Lee's Discount Liquor in Vegas had several bottles on the shelf for $50. They have one fewer now. I like it much better than the Four Roses Single Barrel that was about the same price.

I've been making some Old Fashions and McKenna has been my favorite.

CNN

A Jim Beam warehouse caught fire late Tuesday and firefighters struggled to contain the massive blaze, partly because of alcohol in the debris.

The warehouse, in Versailles, Kentucky, caught fire around 11:30 p.m. Police Lt. Michael Fortney said a security guard called to report the fire.

Forty firefighters from five counties helped battle the blaze. A second warehouse also caught fire, but that blaze was controlled.

The warehouse where the fire started has collapsed. It held approximately 40,000 barrels of spirits.
...
"It's purposefully being allowed to burn for several more hours," [Woodford County Emergency Management chief Drew] Chandler said. "The more it burns, the less distilled spirits are in the debris."

That will also help ensure any runoff from the firefighting efforts don't pollute nearby sources of drinking water.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Wed Jul 03, 2019 2:44 pm

A Jim Beam warehouse caught fire late Tuesday and firefighters struggled to contain the massive blaze, partly because of alcohol in the debris.

I wonder if they raise prices at the liquor store like gas stations would raise prices if a refinery burned?

em2nought wrote:

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Wed Jul 03, 2019 2:44 pm

A Jim Beam warehouse caught fire late Tuesday and firefighters struggled to contain the massive blaze, partly because of alcohol in the debris.

I wonder if they raise prices at the liquor store like gas stations would raise prices if a refinery burned?

Competition says no, or at least not much. To many substitute products.

The article that I read quoted a Beam representative as saying the fire happened in a building containing fairly young barrels, so it's not expected to affect production all that much.

Yesterday was my last day at work. Here is my going away gift.

Ugh, blended Scotch. Didn't they like you?

Hulu has two documentaries that you might enjoy:

Neat: The Story of Bourbon
Scotch: A Golden Dream

From the ones Ive had over my life I much prefer blended scotch and Walker is a great one.

Try some good Tennessee Whiskey. Its bourbon thats charcoal filtered.

Z-Corn wrote: ↑Sat Jul 20, 2019 1:06 pm Ugh, blended Scotch. Didn't they like you?

There are plenty of good blended Scotches. Compass Box makes really good ones and while I'm not fond of Monkey Shoulder it tends to rate pretty highly among Scotch Drinkers. Johnny Walker Blue is good. WAAAY overpriced, but it's good. If I got a free bottle, I'd be quite happy.

Blended whisky can be great and I love some of the higher end Johnny Walkers.

I'm not much of a scotch drinker, but Blue Label really is good.

There are two main reasons to make a blended Scotch.

1. To make a bunch of bad scotch taste better.

2. To create a consistent product in large quantities year in and year out.

#1 is self explanatory. #2 is a bit more nuanced but it's why Walker is so popular worldwide. Black is Black is Black. Blue is Blue is Blue. And you can get them no matter where you are.

I prefer single malts but I've learned to appreciate blended scotches. I've never not drank a bottle of Walker.

LiveScience

If you've fantasized about dropping a few thousand dollars on a bottle of rare Scotch, you might want to re-think that investment. Scientists have found that half of the bottles of aged single malts they tested were not as old as their labels suggested.

Rare bottles of vintage Scotch whisky are highly prized by collectors and connoisseurs, and command outrageous prices. As such, counterfeit single malts have become a problem. Enter an unusual solution: Fallout from nuclear bomb tests conducted during the 1950s and 1960s could help experts to detect fake antique whisky.
...
One bottle, a Talisker with a label indicating it was distilled in 1863, was likely distilled between 2007 and 2014. A bottle of Ardbeg from 1964 was probably distilled after 1995, and a Laphroaig labeled 1903 dated to 2011 or later.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Sun Feb 16, 2020 8:54 pm LiveScience

If you've fantasized about dropping a few thousand dollars on a bottle of rare Scotch, you might want to re-think that investment. Scientists have found that half of the bottles of aged single malts they tested were not as old as their labels suggested.

Rare bottles of vintage Scotch whisky are highly prized by collectors and connoisseurs, and command outrageous prices. As such, counterfeit single malts have become a problem. Enter an unusual solution: Fallout from nuclear bomb tests conducted during the 1950s and 1960s could help experts to detect fake antique whisky.
...
One bottle, a Talisker with a label indicating it was distilled in 1863, was likely distilled between 2007 and 2014. A bottle of Ardbeg from 1964 was probably distilled after 1995, and a Laphroaig labeled 1903 dated to 2011 or later.

Rats, that priceless 100-year bathtub hooch I made this morning has been exposed! There goes the retirement fund.

Enter an unusual solution: Fallout from nuclear bomb tests conducted during the 1950s and 1960s could help experts to detect fake antique whisky.

I think they used that in TV shows like Leverage and White Collar

I've gotten lazy lately and just buy the Jim Beam Extra Aged. I think a 1L bottle is about $32 and I really enjoy sipping it.

McNutt wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2020 11:02 am I've gotten lazy lately and just buy the Jim Beam Extra Aged. I think a 1L bottle is about $32 and I really enjoy sipping it.

I prefer the black, but at the price point, either of them are very good.

Edit: Also at the end of March, I'm going on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail!

That should rock. I'd love to do that.

Took a tour of the Jameson facility in Ireland and I'm now a convert. I just love the Black Barrel.

noxiousdog wrote:

McNutt wrote: ↑Fri Feb 21, 2020 11:02 am I've gotten lazy lately and just buy the Jim Beam Extra Aged. I think a 1L bottle is about $32 and I really enjoy sipping it.

I prefer the black, but at the price point, either of them are very good.

Edit: Also at the end of March, I'm going on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail!

I did a portion of the bourbon trail with my wife and a couple friends a couple years ago. It really does make for a cool trip. Maker's Mark has one of the best tours and tastings, and it's amazing to see that such a small facility can produce so much bourbon every year. It's also cool to hand-dip a few of your own bottles in the red wax to bring home.

Buffalo Trace is another great stop, but very different than Makers...more of a look into a massive scale production/aging facility, but still a great tour.

Woodford Reserve is a beautiful facility tucked into the heart of Kentucky thoroughbred country. It's worth a visit just to drive through the horse farms in the area, but the tour is great too (although it can be very busy).

If you're in Louisville, there are a couple neat stops downtown on Whiskey Row. Old Forester has a nice new facility and tour that teaches a lot about the production process and their history. They also do one of the more diverse tastings I've tried... lots of different products to sample, and good discussion of the differences. The Evan Williams Experience is kind of neat, but not as good as Old Forester. Lastly, look into the Urban Bourbon Trail, a program that highlights some of the best bourbon bars and restaurants in downtown Louisville.

It all makes for a really fun time. Enjoy!

Bought a bottle of Wild Turkey Rare Breed. I have always thought of Wild Turkey as poor man bourbon for some reason. But some Google suggested article led me to this bourbon and then purchase. Other being really hot in alcohol, it is not really that impressive. I much preferred the Old Forester I shared a couple months back.

Wild Turkey 101 is a good bourbon at a good price. I've never been that fond of their other offerings though.

Well here I am, just a couple of years after everyone else.

I have started to enjoy bourbon lately and decided to try to get slowly more sophisticated in my drinking after watching a lot of Bourbon YouTube.

So far I’ve gotten some whiskey glasses and I’ve started my journey by getting some of the good, inexpensive bourbons. I feel like I can’t properly discern a lot of the subtle flavors yet.

I’ve gotten a bottle of Buffalo Trace, Wild Turkey 101 and Old Forrester 100 proof. I like them all. I also have a list on my phone of another 10 or so I would not mind trying.

I also enjoy the occasional mixed drink or cocktail and none of these are too precious to use as a mixer. For me, though, cocktails are for socializing but there’s something really nice about slowly sipping on a neat bourbon after a long work day. I find it relaxing.

This past Saturday was my birthday and I went with my wife and another friend couple to the Yellow Rose distillery in Houston for a tour and tasting. They are very small but they do make their own mash and own products. My friends bought me a bottle of their Harris County Bourbon that was my favorite at the tasting. The tour was a lot of fun.


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Enjoy the journey.

What I love about bourbon is that I can drink inexpensive stuff (like what you bought or Jim Beam black) every day and never get tired of it. I appreciate really nice bourbons, but thankfully I don't have to spend a lot of money to get something that I really enjoy.