Favorite Whiskey?

Aha.
It's already been opened; everything in that lineup has been enjoyed previously. Bottles don't last long with unbroken seals in my liquor cabinet.

 

A gift from the wife after our last trip to Ireland in '17. Pretty damn good right out of the bottle, but opens up beautifully with a couple drops of water!

 

I had one bottle of Rare Breed a little over a year ago. I forget the proof on it. I just really did not care much for it at all - strange considering I like the 101 for a value bottle and really enjoy Kentucky Spirit. I'd have thought Rare Breed would at least fall somewhere in between the two for me. Since then, I've had Longbranch, too, and really liked it. Rare Breed is the outlier for me. I gave a few samples out to some folks, then traded the rest to a buddy for a bottle of Rimfire from Ranger Creek (brewery/distillery out of San Antonio). Decent deal for me as that bottle is about $35 for a 375ml. It ended up being the single least enjoyable whiskey I've ever had. I keep it around just to have other people try it. Purely subjective, here, so if it is your style, I totally get it, but I haven't had any takers yet.

Good looking lineup! How is that JP Wiser? I have a bottle that a buddy gifted me. 18 year, maybe? Distinct Canadian whisky taste, but pretty good. I don't know much about their lineup, though.

 

Somebody's going to have a great St. Patty's Day! That looks delicious right there.

 

Eagle Rare is my favorite daily and right now I'm really enjoying the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof batch C918!

 

It's Canadian, lol. I like Rye Whiskies, so it suits my tastes pretty well. This is the triple barrel, but it still has that sharp rye bite on the tongue. Mostly use it for Old Fashioneds and Sidecars, but it's not bad on its own either, or with a dash of bitters.

 

Any one here into Cognac? I had a Sazerac that used Remy 1738 and I loved it. Thought about picking up a bottle of that but wanted to know if there were any other suggestions

 

Asking for a little help here. I'm hosting my 1st Whiskey tasting party/event next weekend for about 6 buddies. So as dangerous as it may be, I'll ask you guy's for some advice.
Here's my plans so far.

• Glencarin Glasses
• Individual water bottles
• Straws for adding water if they wish
• Ice available upon request.
• Dump bucket
• 6 Whiskey's. 1-2 Scotch's. 2 Medium Bourbons like Eagle Rare,4 Roses SB, Russel's, McKenna BiB 2 Medium/upper Bourbons like-Booker's-ECBP-C.Taylor
• End of tasting house selection. (Everyone could choose a tasting from a selection in my collection)
• All pours approximately 1/2 oz.
• I have asked all to bring a bottle of their choice for tasting.
• Snacks/ finger food to be served during the tasting. Cheese, crackers, fruit etc.
• A larger but simple meal to be served at the end of the tasting. Crockpot chili, Pot roast,. ribs etc.

What do you guys think? Any suggestions? Food, accessories? Am I missing or overlooking anything?
All wives have been invited. And 3 of the 6 live on my street. So a DD should not be a problem.

 

Sounds like a great plan. My only suggestion would be to make sure nobody has had anything to drink before you get started... I've made that mistake before and my pallet was blown out by the time I got deep into a tasting event. Also it helps prevent folks from getting sloppy drunk too early.

At my last tasting there were meats and cheeses, and I found that the meats were really good to add a little more filler than just crackers and cheese. Try to stay away from overly spicy sausages and cheeses though, as they may do more harm than good.

Also something that was pretty cool at my last tasting... we used mini taster glencairns which helped prevent over-pours. I'm not sure where my buddy got them and I've been meaning to ask him so I can keep a set around the house for flights (so that my wife can't be too judgmental ).

Speaking of wives... will any of the ones there be interested in the whiskey, or will they be doing their own thing? When I take my wife with me (she doesn't enjoy whiskey yet) it helps to have her engaged in an activity she enjoys so that I can try more whiskey. Of course that's pretty easy to take care of since most women love talking and drinking wine

 

I Googled the mini Glencarin glasses. They're called Angel's share glasses. Amazon at this time doesn't seem to carry them.
As for the wives my Wife will be taking care of them. She has a few select bottles of Wine in a Wine fridge I bought her 2 years ago Christmas.
And the select meats added in is a great idea! Thanks a bunch!

 

Awesome, take lots of pictures so we can all be jealous!

 

I dig the Glencairn glasses. That being said, I attended a scotch tasting when I was in the Highlands and learned a few things. All of our pours were in champagne flutes. Our host said that the Glencairn and old fashioned glasses were great for drinking, but a champagne flute was best for "tasting." Reasons for this is that it easily allowed one to observe the color and clarity, it allowed for the whole hand to wrap around the bottom of the vessel to warm the spirit to the proper temperature, and the tall, narrow body helped with the nosing. He also gave the advice that you hold the first sip in your mouth for 2 sec. for each year it spent in the barrel, so that a) it opens your taste buds and b) it allows the range of flavors to play over your tongue. That part became a little difficult when we tasted the Lagavulin 16! Anyway, just some food for thought. Enjoy and hope everything turns out great!

 

When we do a proper meeting, it goes as follows. Feel free to adapt or disregard as you see fit .

Everyone that is in pays $25 to the pot. We have one guy who is our designated shopper. He knows a lot (knowledge, not some super refined palate) about whiskey, so he is good for picking out based on a theme. He spends all of the money on the whiskey (i.e. there is no take/profit for anyone). The whiskies picked usually follow a theme (sherry cask finished, non-Kentucky bourbons, all Compass Box scotches, etc.). We have done samples of the different types of whiskey, too (bourbon v rye v scotch).

We start with things that are lower proof and/or less challenging to the palate. It is usually non-barrel proof bourbons, but can be Speyside scotches. The tasting then progresses up through to the higher-proof stuff, the spicy stuff (robust ryes), and the heavily peated stuff. If you start with a Lagavulin 16, your palate is possibly wrecked for Eagle Rare.

We usually drink from Glencairn glasses. One loose rule we have is that you aren't allowed to pour your own drink. First, the guy who did the shopping gives some notes on the first bottle. Why he picked it, something he read about it, maybe some of the notes from the back of the bottle. Then it is opened. You pour for the guy on your left, let him pour yours, then send the bottle around the room.

Nothing formal on the tasting. Enjoy it how you want to enjoy it, but we all throw out opinions and observations as they come to mind. After a few minutes, we get back to normal conversation.

Once most glasses are dry, rinse with some water, then start over again with the next bottle.

We keep a little hot sauce bottle with the little shaker top on it full of water. It allows you to easily add water one drip at a time for those who want it. Encourage everyone to try it without water first. Crackers are available for palate cleansers between tastings, but we try to keep some dark chocolate to eat with the whiskey. Dark chocolate covered cherries are a GREAT compliment to whiskey.

By the end of the tasting, everyone has their favorites. Have another pour of whatever you want. We bring little sampler bottles to take home samples of our favorites as well - all of the whiskey gets distributed before the night is over.

With 6 people, you could pull this off. It'd be $150 in the pot, which could get 3-4 nice selections. We usually have 10-12 people, which is a really nice number for the quality of bottles to number of pours ratio . If you had a bottle or two donated, you could get to your 6 bottle goal with the same format.

Otherwise, pot-luck style works great also. I host fairly often and usually end up opening my cabinet at the end of the evening for a raid. The guys are respectful, though .

Have fun with it, snap some pics, and take some notes. I look forward to hearing how it goes. Whiskey is a great thing to congregate over. I suspect you all will have a very fine time.

 

If you could pick your neighbors...

 

You’re not going to let them use your bathroom?

 

Sounds like a blast

 

I think you and I would get along juuuuust fine. Let me know if you're ever through Dallas/Fort Worth. There will be a glencairn glass waiting for you.

 

Same... ever in the Sacramento area...

 

I sure am. Ordered these online this morning.

 

In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day got some Redbreast 12 finally. Tried a quick sip, haven't had a chance to get into it, but at first blush seems like a really nice whisky. Nothing too challenging, but it's made me want to find the cask strength and compare them.