Favorite Whiskey?

I'm not suggesting that, for taste alone, a Yamazaki 18 is worth the $300+ it goes for on secondary (or $200+ retailers are starting to charge for it). I am suggesting that there is a commodity aspect to some of the age stated stuff that makes it more coveted because of its limited supply and that the limited supply was driven by so many people buying it at retail because it is so good. Worth it to you or me to pay the extra coin for the privilege of owning are rare-ish bottle? Probably not, but I understand that it is for some people.

I was responding more to the blanket statement about Japanese whiskies. They can't all be lumped together as having skyrocketing prices and overhyped rarity. It is like saying "bourbon is so expensive". Well, that is only partially true. You can walk in to any store and find a plethora of great bourbons at a retail price under $50. However, you can't find a $30 bottle of Weller 12 on the shelf and if you buy it secondary, it's $120. That is what a Hibiki 12 or Yamazaki 18 is like. That said, you can walk in to almost any store and grab a bottle of Hibiki Japanese Harmony, Nikka Coffey Grain, Nikka From the Barrel, and others at retail for $50-65. So is Japanese whisky really expensive or are some Japanese whiskies suffering from the same hype-led inflation that BTAC, Weller, Pappy, etc. are? All I was doing is suggesting the latter.

Gin is another possibility. I rather like gin, I just haven't invested the time/money to try many different ones. I picked up a bottle in Denmark (distilled in Holland, finished/bottled in Denmark) that is absolutely fantastic. I'll have to find it and post up the name.

Everything ebbs and flows. I think the large saturation of "craft distilleries" are accelerating us towards the inevitable bubble burst. Everyone is taking whiskey from the same handful of master distillers, then trying to do the newest, gimmickiest thing with it and put it in a cool bottle. Eventually the novelty will wear off and drinking _____ made the classical way will be the "in" thing and secondary prices on some whiskey will start to suppress. There has been collectable whisk(e)y for longer than this hype, so there will always be more aficionados than there is supply of some limited bottles, but it wasn't that long ago that you could get a Pappy Van Winkle 20 year for $150 (or whatever MSRP was) no problem. That's only about 10-12 years ago. We might be closer than you think to that happening again.

Ha ha...we're all guessing at that question, so I don't think it was mine to answer alone .

And, no, you don't sound like a jerk - I think we were talking about two slightly different things. Your point about there being scotches that are better than Yamazaki 18 at $200-300 is very well taken (my favorite whisky of them all is Glenmorangie Signet @ $190), I was just saying that the point doesn't apply to *all* Japanese whisky when there is some excellent stuff at reasonable retail prices.

As to the variety thing, if you say the variety of *whiskey*, I would agree. But you have to consider that, while scotch, rye, and Japanese are seeing an uptick, there is a really big *bourbon* boom going on and bourbon has a super, super narrow range of flavor profiles. I think that rum's variety of flavor easily matches or exceeds that of bourbon specifically. I could see a lot of the relatively new bourbon fans (mind you I'm only about a decade in myself) being willing to move on to rum and starting the same journey all over again. There are plenty of scotch folks that stick to one side of that spectrum, too, which would be a fairly narrow range of flavor.

Shit. Now I need to go buy a bottle of Diplomatico. My turn to be the guy on the right .

 

My current favorite

 

Grabbed some of this on recommendation of an article I saw by Fred Minnick.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/fredmi...-wins-best-everyday-american-whiskey-of-2018/

 

Not Whiskey but a nice little night cap. And who doesn't need a little extra vitamin C. Here's to your health.

 

Well....the Highland Park was better.(never had it before) but still too much smoke. Guess I'll stick to the Speyside Scotches.

One thing I have noticed as my Whiskey journey progresses. I thought I preferred Scotch, but now I'm leaning more towards the Bourbons.
Over the last couple of weeks when I wanted a little snack. I've had the chip clip off the the Bullet,Elijah Craig and Eagle Rare.
And I've been ignoring the 10-12 year old's from the islands that cost twice as much.

I think a bottle of 4 Roses or Henry McKenna are in my future to try. Think while I'm there I'll try and tip the clerk a few $$ to set me back a bottle of Buffalo Trace the next time a case comes in.

 

I've tried 4 Roses single barrel and small batch. I found small batch much better (and it's cheaper). My thinking is a single barrel is either good or not, while the small batch is a mix from several barrels and gets evened out between good/not so good barrels. I base the single barrel theory off of my Blanton's experience and why I don't buy that anymore.

As far as pricey Scotch goes, try Monkey Shoulder (less than $30). It is a blend and a lower ABV than what is popular nowadays but it's pretty darned good. I might get flack for this, but I had it back to back with Oban 14 and all I could think of was "this is Obans little brother". Not the same, but it tastes like they are related. Very much worth the money.

 

Monkey Shoulder was actually the 1st Scotch I bought. I agree it is tasty. My wife has never been a Whiskey fan. She only drinks a shot of Tequila now and then. I did talk her into a little tasting last week of about 5-6 different brands. She actually liked Monkey Shoulder, said it tasted like candy.

 

On the side or maybe bottom? of the small batch bottles you will see a series of letters OESK, OESQ, OBSO, etc. this designates the mashbill and yeast strain of that bottle. So if you find a bottle you particularly like, note the letter sequence and look for it in the future.

 

Scored this limited release just in time for the holidays!

 

Got one of those myself. Haven't opened it yet - have you?

 

I did, I’m not good at holding back. Strong spice, a touch sweet, potent but not too hot. I’m not a huge High West fan but I actually thought this was quite nice, the name suits the whiskey as well.

 

Just got one today, myself! I have one from last year (Act 5) and it is, perhaps, my second favorite rye behind only Whistlepig Boss Hog - The Black Prince. That's saying something.

Mine was picked up by a buddy, so I won't have it in possession for a couple of days, but I'm looking forward to cracking it open.

 

Yeah, I have at least 3 other bottles of rye to open and try before I get to this one. I seem to be acquiring faster than I be drinking! My Monkey Shoulder is almost empty, so Willet Family Estate small batch rye might be next...

 

I’ve been saving a dram as well. It really is hard to not open bc the name is so intriguing. If you’re willing to give high west another try, grab the bourye, one of my fav blends

 

Picked up my MWND tonight. Got two, with one going to a Whiskey Club buddy.



I have Act 5 Scene 7 open on the shelf. I'll have to do a side by side.

As for High West in general, I'm a bit of a sucker for them. I currently have the aforementioned MWNDs, Bourye, Yippee Ki-Yay, Campfire, and a couple of bottles of Silver OMG Pure Rye. I've had the Double Rye and Rendezvous Rye, too, which were good. Campfire is probably my favorite, though. Such a unique and complex whiskey. The only one I don't care for is the Silver OMG Pure Rye. It's a really neat limited release with an interesting backstory, but it isn't very good.

In other whiskey related news, I started putting the whiskey tree back up. Started with the topper and matching ornament. I have about 20 more ornaments like that with different brands on them. It is real whiskey, but not what is on the label. Most will be Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star because it's cheap. Some will be Basil Hayden's Dark Rye because I'm trying to get rid of it .

 

What do you think about the yippee ki ey and the rendezvous rye? Have the opportunity to grab both and wasn’t sure

 

If you like the bold, spiciness of rye whiskies, the Rendezvous is probably your pick. It is a blend of straight ryes with a high rye content mashbill. Quite spicy, like rye is supposed to be.

The Yippee Ki-Yay is like a cousin to the Midwinter Nights Dram - both have a rich, fruity layer that makes the spice a little more subtle. Yippee is a rye blend, that is finished in French oak that once contained vermouth and wine. That finishing barrel imparts a bit of fruitiness that tones down the spice of the rye. It is still a spicy pour, for sure, but muted slightly compared to the Rendezvous.

They're both good. For my money, I like the Yippee Ki-Yay better. I think you can get most of the way to the Rendezvous Rye with their Double Rye, but for half the price. That said, if it's in the cards, snag them both. Provided you're a rye person, you won't be disappointed.

 

So well said. Great advice, I’ll go yippee

 

Current selection...

 

and selection does not disappoint. Much of this I would like to add and some.