Favorite Whiskey?

Never heard of it, but I know Texas is starting to do some pretty cool stuff now. Hope it's great!

 

It’s really good stuff! I went to a tasting at the distilleryand was instantly hooked. Even their single malt caught my attention, and I’m not a scotch drinker.

 

Had to get a bottle.

 

Ranger Creek is awesome. The .36 is great but really love the .44 rye.

ZigRig - I know TJ and he gave me a great tour a few weeks ago. I would be there every week if I lived in SA.

 

Awesome man, TJ is a true artist.

Yeah, the .44 is real nice. Fucking great on the rocks or sometimes I make an Old Fashioned.

It’s an awesome brewstillery. I mainly go there for the beer tho, and keep the whiskey and cigars at home.

 

Got this bad boy recently! A couple of buddies and I went in on it together. Like a joint Xmas present

 

I know I'm going to sound like a contrarian prick, but the only Ranger Creek I've had is their Rimfire and it is possibly the single worst whiskey I've ever had. From what I gather, it is a hops-less version of their smoked porter distilled all the way to a spirit, then aged in bourbon barrels. Neat experiment, but I didn't care for the result.

That said, the positive feedback here on the .36 and .44 are enough for me to try those two expressions. I'll give them a whirl soon!

Wow. A 43 year old scotch! What's the story on it and why did you guys choose that particular bottle? I like your style. My brother and I also do a joint present every year, by picking out a nice bottle, but ours is a birthday celebration instead .

 

Nice! Theres 3 of us, so we all put in about $100 per person which gets us a bottle way out of our usual price range. Last year we did the Carsebridge 52 single grain. We loved it so much we wanted to do another single grain. We got that one from. mastersofmalt.com but they recently got bought by anhauser bush and now no longer ship to USA .

This was the runner up. Wish I had the money to get both. It looks like an interesting whiskey.

https://www.thewhiskybarrel.com/girvan-38-year-old-1979-first-editions.html

 

Very cool.

My brother and I each start with $50 in the pot. Then, if we happen to win any money throughout the year (random sports bets, Super Bowl pool, occasional scratch-off, etc.), we put a portion of that in to the pot as well. Some years we end up with just $100, some with a bit more. We only recently started doing it but we've bought:

WhistlePig 10 year
Balvenie DoubleWood 17 Year
Compass Box Spice Tree Extravaganza + Barrell Whiskey Batch 009
Compass Box Circus

This past year, we bought a $70 spot in a raffle for a Booker's Rye....and lost. The other $30 went to a raffle that we won. We got a bottle of Booker's Backyard BBQ and a bottle of Russell's Reserve 10 year. Worth about $100 total anyways, so it was about a wash .

 

I just bought a bottle of the Whistlepig 10. I had it once before, but it was one of those special versions the retail stores get that is cask strength and adds $20. It was damn good. This will be the first regular version I try.

I also had the Double Wood and really liked that as well. The Compass Box iterations are on my list but aren't easy to come by.

 

I've been drinking Jameson for years. But recently I started experimenting with other Whiskeys. Leaning more towards Scotch over Bourbon.
I've find I like the following brands I've bought.
Monkey Shoulder
Macallan 12 year
Balvenie 14 year
Glenlivet 12 year
All These have a light flavor that to me leans toward fruits and honey and light on the smoke.
I am wanting to try the following when the budget (wife) allows.
Ardbeg Uigeadial
Highland Park
Lagavullin
Glenfidditch
Laphoraig
Old Putney
Glencadam
Glendronach
Not that their that expensive but bringing home 4-5 bottles in the last month
and now wanting to try more...... gets me the evil eye if you know what I mean.
I hear some of these like the Ardbeg are heavily smoked and peated. My question is. Based on my liking so far how will my wish list
compare in taste? Any other suggestions based on my current favorites list?

 

I would say see if you can taste some of them before committing to a whole bottle. I haven't had ardberg, but I've tried lagavulin and it is smoke HEAVY. I normally drink Glenlivet, Aberlour, and Glenfiddich, but I did enjoy the Lagavulin and would seek it out next time I'm buying a bottle.

 

I went to the local liquor store and bought several mini bottles of various brands.
Jack
Makers
Knob
Bullet (quite tasty)
Dewers
And others. Basically all the brands I thought I might like. They only had a limited variety. And I've tried getting mini bottles of several brands online.
But I cannot find anyone who will deliver to NC. That's why I'm here asking for advice before I drop another $40-$60 on a bottle I may not like.

 

Lagavulin, Laphroaig, and Ardbeg are all super smokey (all are islay scotches), and completely different from what you've had. I'd recommend only getting one of these and trying it first. If you hate it, you'll know.

Highland Park and Glenfiddich would be nearer to what you might like. Medium peat and varying tastes depending on what bottle you get from them.

Jameson is an Irish, if you fell in love with that try these
Redbreast 12yr
Knoppogue Castle 12yr
Green Spot
Teeling

 

I should have added Redbreast to my list. I have been aiming to try it. I hear it's really goud......

 

Ardbeg, Lagavulin, and Laphroaig are anything *but* light on the smoke. At least if peat and smoke are being used interchangeably (fair enough to associate one with the other in scotch, in my opinion). Ardbeg is among the most well executed peated scotches with a heavy smoke flavor, to me. Uigeadail is good, but I prefer the Corryvreckan by a bit, though you'll pay $20 more. Lagavulin 16 is a crowd favorite. I'd throw Talisker on the list if you're in the peated range anyways.

Based on what you've listed that you say you like, I'd look for Compass Box Oak Cross, Glenmorangie Lasanta, or Glenfarclas 12. The last 2 are finished in sherry casks like the Macallan 12. The Compass Box is a lighter scotch along the lines of Monkey Shoulder, only better (in my opinion). The Balvenie 14 aged in rum casks is kind of unique. Glenfiddich Fire & Cane is a blend of peated and non malts that are finished in rum casks. I had a sample and it is pretty good, but I like Balvenie's expression better.

Everything specific I listed is around $45-65 with the exception of the Corryvreckan ($85) and Lagavulin 16 ($85).

Good luck on the hunt! Scotch is so much fun to explore.

 

Beat me to it on the Lagavulin, Laphroaig, and Ardbeg. Very smokey indeed!

 

Do yourself a huge favor: go to a decent bar and try Lagavulin or another heavily peated Scotch before you buy a bottle. I wish I had. I, like you, was new to the nicer Scotchs and Bourbons and wanted to try different types (still do). Everyone raves about Lagavulin 16 so I thought I'd try the top of the heap for an Islay.

You know how some people love cilantro but to others it tastes like soap? I think peaty Scotch must have something similar going on because to me, it tastes like someone took a box of bandaids, steeped them in hot iodine then strained the liquid into a bottle. It tastes so vile I dumped out the glass I had after 1 sip and now rue the day that I spent $$ on a bottle. I really have a hard time understanding how someone can drink it, other than the cilantro scenario I mentioned. So try before you buy!

My recommendations based on what you like; Balvinie Doublewood and Oban 14.


https://www.smws.com.au/what-is-the-difference-between-peat-and-smoke-in-whisky/

 

Solid recommendations. Love both of those, and they'd be great for what you're into.

Had to add the photo! Just polished off a bottle camping for my big 30th bday. I feel old already...

 

I'd be going with the Connemara. It's a bloodline thing!