/ck/ - Food & Cooking

based and scotch pilled
me personal top:
- Glen Garioch 12
- Tomatin 12
- Bunnahabhain 12 (and eirigh na greine)
- Bowmore 15 (The Mariner / Gold and Elegant)
- Springbank 10 (havent tryed others yet)
- Glendronach 12 (havent tryed others yet)
- Ardbeg Ten

>>14032772
I’m just concerned accessing a lot of these locally. I live in the American South.

>>14032778
some are harder to get, some are easy af. if you're a cityfag, no problems with all exept the Springbank and Bowmore 15 (and Glen Garioch 12 most likely).

>>14032724
I've been a huge fan of Japanese whisky for a while, but then I had a bottle of Hennessy and I got something about as good, but easily better for a fraction of the price.
Explain why cognac isn't superior to whisky in every way.

I've only had Glen Livet since I'm poor, any recommendations for scotch in that price range?

>>14032991
Cognac seems much more specialized.
>>14033063
The cheapest I recommend is $50-60

>>14033128
>Cognac seems much more specialized.
Really?
I don't think cognac is any more specialized than a single malt scotch.
"ferment these grapes in this area and distill them" vs "malt and ferment these grains in this area and distill them"

this is the booze thread
is dumping brandy into my wine a good solution if i dont like port?

How do you get into whiskey. I bought a bottle of Wild Turkey a few years ago, knowing it would be rough, but it was even worse than I thought. I was rewatching Justified and wanted to reconnect to my white trash heritage lol.

>>14033185
if you dont like port why the fuck are you adding anything to your wine?

>>14032991
Genuinely well crafted bait, just slightly too good IMO. Honestly, if you were roleplaying as somebody even slightly less of a marketing victim I'd believe it.

>>14033651
You're almost certainly taking too big of sips.

>>14033768
Yeah probably, I tend to try and do it like a shot but I'm seeing everyone here saying sip.

>>14033841
>down what should take at least 30 minutes to finish in one gulp
>GEE WHY IS IT SO ROUGH LOL
Whatever you think is too small of a sip... take even smaller than that. You take a wee tiny bit in your mouth and roll it around the tongue and savor it.

>>14033740
to raise the abv

>>14033063
How much was the Glenlivet like $35-40? Glenfiddich 12 should probably be similar price and I generally see people prefer it over Glenlivet. Monkey Shoulders around $30 too and pretty solid for that price. Glenmorangie 10 is also around $40, but im not the biggest fan. Laphroaig and maybe Ardbeg 10 are around $40-50. Bruichladdich Classic Laddie and Bunnahabhain 12 are great but generally are between $50-$60. Keep in mind prices of course vary depending on where you live, I'm just speaking from my own experience.

>>14032724
Lafroog has gotten worse over the last couple years. It'll probably get better again, but the industry moves very slow. For now, buy ardbeg instead.

Scotch brehs?

>>14032724
haven't had it for like 5 years. In my memory it was a strong and very smokey whisky. Drank it recently again and it was smooth as fuck and not that smokey. A pure disappointment. Especially because it got way more expensive over the years.

Can we talk about Big Whisky?

Diageo water down their Scotch.
Any other shitty things they do?
Do the other big whisky corporations do shitty things as well?

>>14035678
The wet sherry barrel shit that is going on. Hard to proof, which companies use that practice though.

>>14035691
>The wet sherry barrel shit
What's that?

>>14035716
As most people know, sherry isn't very popular anymore, but the scotch industry demands high amounts of sherry barrels. To get all the sherry notes out of the barrel you have to age the whisky for a long time, which is too expensive for the distillers. So they just use sherry barrels that still have a little bit sherry in them, which mixes with the whisky immediatly and give the young spirits a nice reddish colour and a sherry taste without aging for a long time. And voila, born is the "finishing" process.

>>14032724
Laphroaig are cucks for the american market, and this gimps their products for the European market

The 10 year old is higher ABV in the US, and the 10 cask strength is not only more readily available in the US, it is also much much cheaper

>>14032991
Japanese whisky is a scam for the prices they charge. You can get scotch that’s better for a fraction of the price

>>14035678
Diago not only sells their scotch at weak-ass ABV, they also color and chill filter everything they put out.
I’m also 100% sure they’re the reason such practices have not been outlawed in the business, since they hold such power over it

>>14035867
Pretty sure that most of the big players defend artificial colouring and not just Diageo. Making a product less attractive could also lead to less taxes for Scotland so why would they ban it?

>>14035727
https://www.whiskynotes.be/2017/whisky-news/sherry-casks-in-the-whisky-industry/
Is this what you're talking about, or are you more specifically talking about the fact that enough sherry is left to make the barrel moist?

>>14035939
It's known that they just produce some cheap ass sherry to get sherry casks. But they still leave a rest of the sherry in the barrel to give the young whiskies more taste and "natural" colour. Those practices, no age statement whiskies, lowering the abv etc. while still increasing the prices says a lot about the whisky industry imo.

>>14036009
If you were a distiller, how would you deal with the massive growth in demand year by year?
Shit still sucks of course.

imagine not just maturing your whisky in beer casks instead

>>14036061
Of course i'd do the same, but the image of scotch as a super natural and honest spirit is just bullshit. And all the fags acting like it would be the most superior spirit out there shows their ignorance and is annoying.

>>14036102
The most natural and honest spririt is 98% EtOH.
I've had analytical grade ethanol, I can't recommend it.

>>14036117
Isn't 96% the maximum abv? Had a shot of it once and that shit dried out my whole mouth and throat within a second. Still better than grappa.

>>14036132
96% or so is the highest you can buy from non-chemical suppliers. HPLC grade goes up to > 99.8%, but the moment you open the bottle it starts drawing moisture from the air.
It's "not good".

>Still better than grappa.
lmao true

i wonder what kind of grappa you had

>>14036187
This one.

>>14036206
certainly not top shelf stuff but definitely not as bad as implied.

>>14035678
>Any other shitty things they do?
bad, really bad cask managment. like true greedy jews they used those beyong any limits.

>>14035678
>Do the other big whisky corporations do shitty things as well?
all nip corp. like suntory should be burnt to ashes for rediculous greed

>>14036061
>If you were a distiller, how would you deal with the massive growth in demand year by year?
I'd be happy as fuck. because there are still vast amount of fresh and cheap ex-bourbon barreks on the market, so you just produce and sell more whisky, thats it.

How does this one rank? I really love it

I've had a grappa di nebbiolo as well, it was nice tasting but a bit hairy, not particularly smooth. COuld have been this bottle but cannot remember.

>>14036335
I was wondering about Beam-Suntory. Tell me more. Someone said that Beam is pretty bad with ruining flavors of acquired brands

I typically go blended for my usual sipping stock then on special occasions and small gatherings I'll normally go single malts or specialty stuff. Pic related is arguably the best bottom shelf scotch for regular sipping stock. I also recommend this stuff for beginners to scotch. Cheap and easy to drink.

>>14035939
>https://www.whiskynotes.be/2017/whisky-news/sherry-casks-in-the-whisky-industry/
really good article everyone should read. thanks mate.
>>14036445
Im not particulary into Suntory product but from what I heard they really change the recipe of most whiskey they own. Bowmore under Suntory turned really bad, Laphroaig turned ridiculously expencive (in compare), they've changed the taste of Makers Mark too.

>>14035678
What do you guys think about MGP?

>>14036799
Makes consistently good whisky. It's not their fault bottlers are dishonest about the fact they're selling someone else's product.

Do you guys think Michter's would still be able to charge the prices they're currently charging for their whiskey if they dropped the false image and just advertised themselves as a sourcing company.

>>14037424
Michter's are a minor evil in the bourbon business at the moment.
BT and their Weller's bullshit are the real villains

>>14037434
>BT and their Weller's bullshit are the real villains
Devil's advocate, BT is based because they never pumped up supply at the cost of quality, and have kept their prices low. Their marketing department are evil geniuses and should shoulder the blame, along with Anthony Bourdain and that other guy who blew up pappy.

>>14037461
>Their marketing department are evil geniuses
Did you notice how in reviews and forum discussions Eagle Rare is always being hyped as bourbon that you "better stock up on ASAP before they pull it off the market".? That shit has been going around since years yet I have never seen it happen, despite getting a bottle of it here and there for a decade.
That being said, I love BT products.

Get this

>>14032772
Personally I thought Glen Garioch 12 was more impressive than Aberlour 16. Good distillery. I didn't care for Tomatin 12 at all. It has this weird perry cider and vinegar taste for me that's peculiar in a scotch whiskey. Everything else that's not in parentheses is great (haven't tried the stuff in parentheses). I would also like to add that you should try Glendronach 15 and 21 good LORD that's some good shit.

Arran is pretty underrated

>>14037511
>Glendronach 15
>Glendronach 21

Based.

>>14037496
Regular ER/BT is easy as piss to find on the east coast, but pretty difficult to find everywhere else
Oddly enough, Weller is easy as piss to find in Texas, but not on the east coast.

I'm just glad that the sazerac rye is still slept on

Talisker

after months of looking for it, I finally got a bottle!

gonna pop it open later this week

Peat was yesterday, I'm all about those bourbon varnish vapors desu.

>>14037868
it's good, but very desserty. Should have been proofed at 90

I am a tastlet when it comes to alcohol.

I've tried Talisker and really liked it, contrary to my expectations. Gonna buy a bottle soon. What other thing should I get?

>>14037901
Do you want something similar? A different type of whisky? Or a different type of spirit?

>>14037913
A different kind of whisky would be nice to vary it up. Not completely different spirits for (for now).

>>14037927
Then you should get something sherried probably or some highland whisky

>>14037501
Im quite good with Ten
>>14037511
Glen Garioch 12 really, really needs some time to open up. hard to crack scotch indeed. requiers some expririence (not saying about myself, I can clearly see the potential. but still can't dig deeper into, but oh goy oh goy, thats a good whisky for sure). thanks for the tip about Glendronach 15 and older, I would definitely buy it, but a wee bit too pricey in my area.

>>14037927
Talisker is quiet smokey, so if you want something different, avoid (most) Islays which are also smokey.

Reasonable entry level bottles might be Glendronach 12, Benriach 10, Glen Garioch 12.

Taking it up a level, you could consider something like Balvenie 15 single barrel sherry cask or Glenmorangie 18.

And then if you want to spend more again, then Glendronach 18 or 21 are worth looking at.

And then I dont have the money to be purchasing anything more expensive than those, so thats where i run out of suggestions.

>>14037511
I should have bought Glendronach 21 while I had the chance. Shit went from $180 to $250 after the scotch tariffs.

>>14037927
Oban 14 is a very well balanced scotch and one of my favorites. For something sherried definitely get Glendronach 12. Those two along with the Talisker you're gonna get should cover some of the different flavors/expressions scotch has and you can explore further from there depending on which one you like.

does anyone beside indian and chinese business travellers raiding duty free shops actually like speysiders?

>>14036799
Do they have to make all their rye taste like pickles?

>>14038532
normies

>>14039069
Yeah it's very dill forward. I believe all the MGP sourced ryes are using that same 95% mash bill

>>14036099
Doesn’t Jameson do something similar?

>>14033172

The difference is that you have to ferment grapes from and in that region and distill and bottle it in that region for cognac, and with scotch you can be a bit more loose about where the grain comes from and where you age it.
From what I understand, at least.

>>14039653
The Jameson stout finished is pretty good

>>14039748
Very mellow, and on the front a bit boring. But the finish is good and interesting.

I heard this one from Bunno's is pretty good aye

>>14033063
Loch Lomond 12 and Glen Garioch Founders Reserve are pretty solid for budget single malt.
If you're in the UK, Port Askaig is a good inexpensive range of Islay whiskies if you like more of the smoke.

>>14035678
Diageo make a lot of trash but at least they give a few cask strength options like Lagavulin 12 Year and don't charge too crazily outside of some of their Special Releases (such as that stupidly priced 26 year Mortlach that was £2000 when fucking same aged Brora is half that.)
Edrington and some other big companies I find are way worse when it comes to lack of cask strength and single cask options. Distell are basically the only ones with constant cask strength options that aren't too overpriced.

>>14035727
Except those types of sherry casks have been used in the industry since they started sherry cask maturation in the first place. Very few distilleries buy ex-Solera butts because the costs are exorbitant for the quality. I've had some Bunnahabhain aged in 30 year old PX sherry butts and the quality is good but its very different (almost more Fino-like) then a younger sweet PX barrel which can either work or hurt a spirit depending on the characteristics of the spirit.

The bigger issue is the finishing (you can thank Glenmorangie for that practice) making a trend of sweet whisky with barely any time in the finishing barrel (usually 6 months) because these companies care more about quick return on investment then making a good whisky.

>>14040735
>The bigger issue is the finishing (you can thank Glenmorangie for that practice) making a trend of sweet whisky with barely any time in the finishing barrel (usually 6 months) because these companies care more about quick return on investment then making a good whisky.
That's my main problem with it. Not the whiskies that age for years in sherry casks, but the fucking finishes. It's like botteling a cocktail.

>>14040755
That kinda shit is personally why I stick to indie bottlings of scotch now, because they list all the specifics and do a lot of full maturations in anything from sherry to rum barrels without it destroying your wallet.
Cadenhead's and Adelphi are especially good for good long sherry maturation whiskies, I don't know how but they get some really quality sherry barrels.

>>14040755
>>14040735
I know Arran has a cask finish series, and I find that one pretty damn good

>>14040720
>Edrington and some other big companies I find are way worse when it comes to lack of cask strength and single cask options
Can you list them?

>>14040735
>>14040755
Is finishing really all that bad for quality in and of itself? Seems like sufficient times in the right environment would make it worthwhile.

what's up with this sherry meme anyway?

>>14040892

It's not inherently a bad thing, the problem is transparency on the part of the distillery.
You rarely know how long something was "finished", or what kind of barrel it was.
You might think you're getting a bottle that was aged in a sherry cask, but actually be getting a bottle that was aged in a sherry cask that still had sherry in it, and so it tastes differently than you were hoping.

I think Scotland just passed some laws saying that finishing barrels count toward the age statement, so maybe that will convince distillers to start aging their sherried spirits properly.

>>14041223
Most people find scotch that isn't smoky or been aged in fancy barrels boring. You don't see ex bourbon casks only scotchs discussed as much as the peaty or sherry ones. Never understood why the guys that want always stronger fruit flavours not just switch to brandy.

>>14041295
Peat is boring and if I wanted fruit I'd drink cognac.

>>14041299
just drink jerez brandy lmao

Why is it not Whiskey? Because to be Whiskey it has to be Irish. Once it's made outside of Ireland its Whisky, hence the inferior taste and product

>>14041295
Think I'm going to switch to brandy and rum.

What's nice about whisky is that it feels a lot more accessible. I'm having a harder time learning about brandy than I did whisky.

But whisky just feels like it's getting more and more expensive. I find it hard to understand who it's being made for. Obviously theres the low end stuff. Then there are a lot of bottles under £100 that a whisky enthusiast on a normal budget can afford. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. A lot of whisky brands have a wide selection of bottles for hundreds and even thousands. The choice in those price ranges seems as wide as in the lower prices.

>>14041451
quality rum and brandy are even more expensive than whisky. the meme that they're good value compared to scotch was true in 2010.

>>14041451
>I find it hard to understand who it's being made for.
Many.
Why do you think the price is going up?

>>14041451
Switched to rum and brandy too. Rum is often still kinda cheap and gets more and more popular, which leads to a growing range. Feels like it's the next hyped spirit after whisky and gin.
Brandy is expensive (except armagnac) and and not as easy to get. The scene is even more snobbish and hermetic though. But cognac, armagnac, calvados or brandy de jerez just seem like a higher quality product anyways as grapes/apples are more expensive than grain and the french brandies use the more expensive european oak barrels.

>>14041640
I can only hope they get hyped so whisky can go back to being reasonably priced.

>>14041515
But your whisky enthusiast with an average budget isnt driving the demand for £500 bottles of whisky are they? Is it rich chinamen? Collectors? I have a reasonable household income and spending that much on a bottle would still be quite a big purchase. Maybe there is a whole load of demand and im just oblivious to it.

I guess from my point of view, there seems to be lots of demand for the cheaper bottles. And thats why a lot of whiskys that were once good value have now gone up in price and down in quality.

>>14041640
I've not bought any brandy yet, but when I started looking in to it, armagnac sounded more appealing than cognac to me. Why do you think its cheaper? Just a reputation thing or its actually worse?

>people thinking they can escape Diageo shenanigans by switching spirits

>>14041697
>not buying local independent spirits like a huge hipster

you're missing out my man

>>14041657
I'd rather hope that they stop making meme bottles and start focussing back on their main products.
>>14041688
Armagnac had a good reputation a long time ago. Then they stared to adulterate their products and the quality went downwards. Never really recovered from that. But because of that they aren't really attractive for the big players to invest in them, which results in small often family lead manufactures.
I don't know if the region itself doesn't produce grapes in the same high quality as cognac though as i'm not into wine. Armagnac is distilled on column stills and not pot stills like cognac, which could also make it a liitle bit more cheaper.

i gave an acquaintance a bottle of caol ila 18 for his house warming party. he told me he shotgunned it with orange juice to "get over the smoky taste" but that the buzz was great. not what i was expecting when he referred to himself as a malthead earlier on.

>>14041671
Oh you're actually unaware.
Improving economies in emerging markets like China and India have spurred into action a lot of new consumers. This isn't just 'the rich', it's also people that now have enough saved up to splurge every once in a while, or even the guy who's just finally able to afford himself some Johnnie Walker.
I'd argue there was also a strong effect from everyone bouncing back from '07-'08
And the average whisky enthusiast is, simply by buying the damn bottle. Yes there are collectors and investors and all that stuff, but the fundamental fact is that there are a lot of people out there buying whisky now.

On the other hand, do not really not see where strong demand for cheaper bottles comes from?

>>14041734
>Then they stared to adulterate their products and the quality went downwards
Is there anywhere I can read about this in detail?

as a rule of thumb, 500 buck bottles don't land in the hands of people who are going to drink it.

>>14032991
nigger detected

>>14041810
no 500 buck bottle is worth drinking for that money anyway

Name a more talented marketing team than the one of Jack Daniels.
They're able to make trash like JD one of the best selling and most widely known whiskys.
Additionally, they're also able to fool customers into thinking their new releases aren't just the same shit with a new label

>>14041922
Talisker. They waste money on advertising on /ck/.
Oh, MORE talented, not less.

>>14042043
man yall hate talisker so much
what's a comparable salty/martimey/brisket-tasting whiskey so i can talk about it without everyone going nuts

>>14042072
Ledaig 10 I hear is similar, but don't mind the anti-talisker schizo. The talisker shill irreperably damaged his psyche and hes been on some retarded campaign against Talisker or any Diageo drink ever since. Talisker is fairly unique in the scotch world tbqh and there aint too much like it out there. Just keep sippin if you enjoy it.

>>14040892
No, but most companies only do short finishes instead of ones lasting more then 2 years to where there isn't enough of the finishing barrel influence to make it worth the time.

>>14036061
>If you were a distiller, how would you deal with the massive growth in demand year by year?
Raising prices until demand stabilizes, expanding production to make good quality younger and alternative style whiskies as well without damaging the quality of the original line. But mainly, raising prices up to the point people are willing to spend on our whisky. I wouldn’t sacrifice quality cause then I would feel bad making an inferior product.

>>14041801
I might not have been clear.

I understand where the demand for cheaper whisky is coming from. I'm just often surprised at the offering of what I would consider expensive bottles. I very rarely see or hear about people having bought bottles that run in to the hundreds or thousands of pounds.

>>14042107
kinda sucks, i only started trying whiskey recently and a completely non-4chan-browsing friend recommended talisker to me based on my food tastes and despite it only being like the 3rd whiskey i'd ever tried, it was a perfect fit for me. i recently got laphroaig 10 (delicious) and i'll totally grab a bottle of ledaig 10, too.

>>14042658
You seem to like peaty scotch then. Laphroaig is on the upper end of the smoky scale, Talisker is kind of in the middle. Try Ardbeg 10 or any Ardbeg really, Lagavulin 16, Bunnahabhain 12, Bruichladdich classic laddie or port charlotte (classic laddie is unpeated but it tastes like it does have peat). They should be to your liking.

Aberlour A’bundah or Glendronach 15?
Same price.

>>14042072
Old Pulteney, especially if you can find the 15/17

>>14042917
I've only had Abunadh but I hear people say Glendronach 15 is phenomenal

>>14042954
Yeah, but I’ve also heard some trash Glendronach in general for re-re-re filling their casks and even have saved some of these comments. I had the choice between the two the other day, I chose A’bundah because of the frequent Glendronach bashing.

>>14041497
I don't know, a 750ml of Mt. Gay Barbados is still around 20 to 22 USD and I have never really felt motivated to buy a rum any more expensive than that.

>>14042964
The Glendronach 15 Revival was an amazing whisky about 7 years ago. Had much older whisky in there. It was exceptional.

It went off the shelves for a while because they ran out of the right aged whisky. When it came back, it was aged it different types of sherry barrels and generally not as well received. The 15 is still good, just not what it once was. But as an indication of the quality, the old version of the 15 ive seen selling for £250.

Ive never seen anyone knock the 18 or 21 though.

I've never had scotch but want to dive right in to good, classic, patrician scotch right now. Is LAGAVULIN 16 YR a quintessential scotch to sip until I like it? Price doesn't matter, within reason -- just trying to balance good, classic and not too obscure. thanks anons

>>14043177
if your plan is "sip until I like it" and not "I already like whisky and other harsh spirits and want to try a new finer one" you probably shouldn't even buy one.

I've never had scotch before. A friend of mine recommended Lagavulin 16 as his personal second favorite, so I bought a bottle. Is this a reasonable place to start, or should I pick up a different bottle to work my way up to it first? If it helps, I mostly drink rum and bourbon.

>>14043193
Just try it. It's a peated scotch so you'll absolutely notice the smoke first and foremost but it's also sherried so there is some sweetness to it as well.

>>14043223
Thanks anon. I'll post the conclusion later today.

>>14043189
sorry, I drink bourbon currently, just getting bored of it and want to step it up

>>14043223
laga 16 is like $80 a bottle? what else would be in that tier of classic high-end go-tos

>>14043250
Ron Adolfo 88

>>14043193
laga is actually a terrible place to start because of the peat specifically

try something mellow like balvenie/glenmorangie/glenlivet and work your way up to peat.

>>14043250
Yeah that's about the average price for lagavulin 16. Some people get it on sale at costco for like $60 I think but I haven't seen it that low personally. If you're put off by the price you can try Balvenie 12. It's not smoky like Lagavulin so it's a bit more approachable and average cost is about $50. Generally well received by most people. If you want to work your way up to peat smoke later on try Highland Park 12 for something with mild peat or the forbidden whisky: Talisker 10 for moderate peat.

>>14043177
>a quintessential scotch to sip until I like it?
not a good plan, it's expensive and the taste is very particular
for me, it was my first "fancy" whiskey and I loved it, it's very briny, meaty and smoky, like a liquid barbequeue, but be advised it's very strong too

>>14043177
>>14043193
I recommend pic related if you're curious about peated whiskeys but don't wanna spend big for something you might not like
this is around 23€ here, which is crazy affordable for how nice it is
it's not as smokey as any of the islays, but there's plenty peat in it

>>14043250
U I G E A D A I L

>>14043256
could unironically be argie rum

>>14043348
Also, of course, Corryvreckan.

>>14043250
A'bunadh and Glenfarclas 105 for cask-strength, flavor explosion sherrybombs.

>>14043336
looked up whether this was available at my local liquor store out of curiosity... $44 plus tax. zzzz

any americans have recommendations for something peaty/smoky that we can get for, say, $30 or less?

>>14043715
Finlaggan

>>14043715
The lowest priced, actually good peaty whisky you're gonna find in the U.S. is Laphroaig 10 for $37 at Costco.

>>14043730
these laphroaig niggas sure made it way up to the top, huh

>>14043730
Also, many people don't know this, but Costcos in many states are legally obligated to sell alcohol to non-members. They have some crazy low prices on booze, like $60 Lagavulin 16 and $37 Woodford Reserve Double Oaked.

>>14043730
jesus... i've had laphroaig 10 before, looked up the local price to see if it had changed from the $43 or so i got it for last time... they're charging fucking $56 for it now. and i live in WA, so the liquor taxes on top are just short of rape. ridiculous. i'd rather pay the 4 extra bucks for a bottle of ardbeg 10.

>>14043741
Also, Costco's booze stock regularly changes so it's worth it to visit them often to see what new stuff they may have in stock.
>>14043764
Yeah, Ardbeg 10 is absolutely the better purchase if they're similarly priced.

Lucky Costco bastards

>>14043777
Well, I WAS lucky before COVID-19. I ain't dealing with the crazy lines and crowds there now. It's all mail-order whisky for me for the time being.

>Having to go to Costco to buy alcohol
>Not just logging on to masterofmalt, thewhiskyexchange or Amazon to find the best price

Jesus, must fucking suck to be American.

>>14043796
I've got several decent mail order options here in California with decent, but not Costco-level prices. The shipping cost is usually at least $15, though, but you can cut that down to $5 per bottle or lower if you order at least three bottles at a time.
Really, REALLY good variety regarding my mail order options.

>>14043796
I've been doing about a 3 mile round trip on foot to go to the good liquor store even though there's a liquor store two blocks from my front door. Buy as much as I can carry/reasonably afford. About a month ago I carried back 20 bottles of wine which was a bitch, but it's a lot more manageable when I go and buy 5 or 6 bottles of whiskey

>>14043842
I have some reasonable options in the average supermarket, and thats where I will find the best prices. But for anything beyond standard big brand tier, online is just the easiest way. Normally its free delivery on orders over £100 I think, and its fairly easy to spend over £100.

>>14043856
Specialist liquor stores are fairly uncommon in the UK. And when you do find one, they are fucking expensive. At least 25% mark up against online prices. It can be nice to taste and sample before buying, but if you know roughly what you like, its much easier to just do it online.

>>14043894
>Specialist liquor stores are fairly uncommon in the UK.
There used to be more. The supermarkets smashed them flat. The stores that are left mostly do the restaurant trade.

>>14043894
>>14044229
That sucks

>>14044229
This is why we don't allow grocery stores to sell wine in NYC. Keeps the good shops in business

is this /ourchannel/?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4agyEFFKJTY

I have so much trouble memorising Scottish names, I don't know why. I have a pretty good memory overall, but the way Scottish is, I can't memorise it at all.

>>14044289
>the plight of Indian men
At least they don't have to commute. They can work at home shilling Talisker for 1 rupee per post.

>>14044289
they took our tech jobs we took their women, will trade any currycel 1 average indian gf for 1 tech job with good pay and benefits.

>>14044289
any amrut fans up in this bitch?

>>14043856
Based

>>14036102
despite all that it still is lol

>>14045270
It's been working out ok. Unfortunately there are some other stores with good selection that I used to go to pre-cov that are just a little too far to walk to. I was about to go buy some Longrow right before things started getting crazy here but I'm gonna wait it out a little longer

>>14044674
amrut and rampur are great

>>14032724
Does anyone prefer the Laphroaig Quarter Cask to the 10 Year? I'm a little less apprehensive about it than other finished scotches because it's a non-sherry finish.

>>14045505
Get the Longrow now if you've never had it. It's quite special and lovely. It has the most non-peat flavor of any heavily peated whisky I have had.

>>14045584
I bought the quarter cask recently and I find it very underwhelming compared to other peated whisky

>>14044298
The romanization of celtic languages is a mess.

>>14045584
Depends what price you can get it for.

Personally I like it. Its It's a bit more rough than the 10, but I quite like that in Lapgroaig. Its also 48% which is a nice bonus. The Ten is probably higher quality but I think I enjoy QC more.

That being said, if one was significantly cheaper, I'd buy that one. Standard price for them is about £40, but quite often you find both on sale at about £25-£30. Given that Ardbeg Uigeadail is only £50, I wouldn't buy either for full price.

What happened to al/ck/?

>>14046770
sadsack blogging isn't food, it belongs in /r9k/

>>14046710
This.

>>14046778
is it there now?

>>14043250
>laga 16, $80
what the next step up for rich men after laga 16 or does laga 16 remain the daily for a lot of rich dudes? i assume pretty diminishing returns past that point

>>14047036
What a stupid fucking question

bunnahabhain? gunna have one desu.

>>14037898
agreed, but I'm still enjoying it right now. It was a bit of a splurge so I'll be on the cheap stuff again for a few weeks.

nothing wrong with some WT101 or Elijah tho!

>>14041756

>>14041922
the crown Royal folks.

special mention to the charlatans at whistlepig

>>14042184
that only works if everyone follows suit. One fucker will figure out that he can eat your lunch by cutting costs and getting more volume.

>>14046787
It's in /trash/ last I remember.

>>14041295
>>14041295
Some bourbon-aged scotch is kino
I'm thinking Glengoyne 12. Longmorn 16 as well, but that doesn't count because there's sherry in there somewhere

>>14042943
Is the 12 year worth checking out?

>>14047219
Lol Whistlepig is such a meme.
Imagine paying that much for rye

>>14035678
Who is the worst Bourbon corp?

>scotland 2050
>two maltheads pour a dram
>ahhh, very nice
>righty-o indeedy my lad, the finest of indian single malt
>did you know our grandfathers used to make these themselves?
>so i've heard, how times have changed...
https://youtu.be/Q92DHIH8yiw

>>14032724
I’ve orders a bottle of laphroaig 10, a bottle of ardbeg 10, and a bottle of amaretto to make godfathers when I’m not in the mood for straight scotch.

Got both because every where I looked said they were peaty and Smokey and I wanted to try a scotch I knew would be both those things and I couldn’t choose between the two so I got both

>>14032724
No idea why anyone likes this. Tastes like fucking shampoo to me.

>>14041295
I like peat but I find it annoying that some people think peat automatically means a whisky is complex.

>>14047690
i just recently got into whiskey and the laphroaig 10 is one i just picked up (after cutting my peat-teeth on taliskers and connemara). someone described it as chewing on a band-aid wrapped piece of charcoal and uhhh i found that to be pretty accurate. it's delicious, though. i'm not much for sweeter alcohols so finding peated whiskeys has been such a trip.
the first time i took a sip of a peated whiskey, i had this flash of walking into a texas bbq joint. it was so rich and smokey and meaty. made me homesick.

>>14047826
Those people are often new to scotch anyways. Or even worse such fags, who think that drinking smokey scotch makes them a man.
But sure. Complexity is more about nuances and not extreme overpowering flavours.

>>14042943
>>14047453
i'm interested to know as i've only got the 12 year around me it looks like, thanks for the recommendation though i'll definitely check it out

>>14032724
I'm slamming teacher's because my brother died today two years ago. Thanks for reading my blogpost.

>>14047939
my condolences anon

>>14047937
the 12 year is unapologetically briny, the 15/17/21 have the added benefit of lots of fruit on top of the salt, closer to taffy or salted caramel. They're superior even when factoring the additional cost and are worth seeking out if you can find them.

What do you think of what leprechaun from the leprechaun movies said in leprechaun 2

“The only whiskey is Irish whiskey”

>>14032724
That's my favorite whisky I only allow myself one bottle per year around Christmas

None of my friends, girlfriend or anyone will touch it they think it's disgusting

I love it. The only whisky for me I need not try anything else

>>14048189
lagavulin 16 doe

>>14048631
I tried it once on a camping trip, it wasn't by any means bad but I couldn't justify spending double the price of a 5th of Laphroaig for it

>>14048143
from an irish perspective that's completely legitimate

>>14048143
Well, yeah.
They only really make whiskey in Ireland.

what glassware do you cu/ck/s use?

>>14048969
Glencairn, of course.

>>14048969
Rocks glass
Brandy snifter if I'm feeling gucci

>>14048974
>the meme glass
lol

>>14048969
crystal tumbler, of course.
I wish I had a nice one that diffracted the light into the drink more.

>he dilutes and/or chills his whisky
>he uses a non-tapered glass which doesn't funnel vapors to the nose efficiently

>>14049011
anti-talisker schizo i can recognize you by your shitty posting style.

>>14048009
Thanks anon.

>>14049014
The irony in this post is astounding.
>I think multiple people are all the same person doing things I don't like
>I'll call other people schizo
Also,
>anyone who thinks there's an actual Talisker shill here is the same person and obviously mentally ill since there's clearly not an actual shill here
>>/ck/thread/S14045690#p14045837
>>/ck/thread/S14044444#p14045714
>>/ck/thread/S14042338#p14045548
All from yesterday. All in unrelated threads. There is literally a paid Talisker shill on /ck/.

>>14049081
Will you ever stop posting this in every thread?

>>14049069
dedicating my dram to anons brother tonight

>>14049011
>using anything but an old fashioned glass to drink whiskey

anyone ever tried alcohol free whiskies like Xachoh?

>>14049081
I wonder if you think the "For me, it's the McChicken" guy that's been plaguing this board for years is a paid shill for McDonalds. At this point he's doing it to annoy you, you retard.

>>14048189
>The only whisky for me I need not try anything else
That's just silly. I can't imagine not wanting to try new things. Trying new things is one of life's greatest pleasures.
>>14049406
>alcohol free whiskies
Ahahaha this is somehow even sillier than alcohol free beer.
>>14049081
>>>/ck/thread/S14045690#p14045837
Aaaaaaand deleted. This is the second time this week the based mods have had to bitchslap the Talisker shill.

>>14047036
Octomore.

>>14043715
Islay Mist, if you don't mind blended scotch. Usually around the $30 mark.
Otherwise just tighten your belt and skip the bottle of Jack for a week so you can buy an actual Islay single malt, you dumb alky faghoula.

>>14049011
Nigger, I would drink whisky off of a plate if that were the only option available. Stop acting like a sommelier.

Got some Knob Creek, and I don't know if I like it yet. It's just really fucking sour, and I'm not getting much else besides sourness and burn.

imma let it rain on you niggers

>>14050893
>wasting whisky
This is almost as bad as diluting whisky. Almost.

>>14050953
well you'll really hate that guy cause he dilutes pretty much all his whisky

This just arrived in the mail today. I'm excited but they say wait 24 hours for it to fully freeze. That is a long fucking time for some ice cubes.

>>14050847
Try White Claw it's probably more your speed

>>14050961
based, these fit perfectly up my ass and have no edges to cause injuries

>>14050961

I was going to wait until I had scotch to drink out of this with but I couldn't wait any longer

>>14050958
ralfy was raped by horst in the summer of '92

>>14051176
not gonna lie, that sounds hot af

Hey lads I couldn't find /alk/ anywhere on the entire site.
How fast can I decrease my alcohol consumption without getting withdrawals?
I used to be on 8 standards / week but I went up to 30 for the last 2 weeks.

>>14051329
sugar maybe

>>14051337
...what?

>>14051329
Weaning is a long process.
Is that 4 drinks a day or are you binging?

>>14051391
It was about 11 drinks in a night
Then 5
Then 5 etc etc
It's kind of a binge, then a few days rest.
2 nights ago I had 10
Last night 5
Tonight 0

>>14051389
my uncle is an recovered alcoholic and consumes a lot of sugar and mentioned something about it once i forgot exactly

>>14051546
He's an addict. He replaced one habit with another

Is Garrison Brothers any good? The price seems pretty retarded.

>>14051394
How consecutive are 0 drink nights? Any symptoms?

I've only ever had single malt whisky. If I turned to blended to save money, am I going to puke? Is it even drinkable?

>>14051686
Dont do it anon. These motherfuckers will tell you compass box but its bullshit

>>14036773
>>14036445
They have noticeably upgraded the taste of their budget brand, Old Crow though. I can't really speak to their high end products (I don't but whiskey over $30-40) but they definitely made noticeable improvements to their budget lines in the past 3 years.

>>14051601
It's good AND the price is retarded
their barrel proof is a little less ridiculous and I'll get it every now and then, but I will never pick up the cowboy bourbon for 200 bucks

I've been on a bit of a whisky/scotch and ginger beer kick recently. I got a bottle of Glenfiddich 12 for my birthday in April, that went nicely with both Bickford's ginger beer and Bundaberg ginger beer. Since then I've been drinking Ballantine's instead, which is alright but isn't as great as the Glenfiddich was.

Anyone got any other recommendations for whiskys (either blended or single malt) that go good with ginger beer?

>>14051735
Talisker 10 is a good one for ginger beer

>>14051546
The sugar is just a craving alchos get when dropping their habit off
>>14051677
0 drink nights I get a few per week.
It's usually 1 drink, 3-5 drinks or 8+ drinks.

>>14051686
Johnnie walker green is good, but I honestly haven't seen huge cost savings with actually good blends

>>14051778
Start with cutting down to 24 or less a week and wind down I guess.
Over 4 on consecutive days isn't doing you favors.

>>14037501
Unironically my favorite scotch I've ever had. Only Whisky I like more is Hashuku
>inb4 "reddit"

only scotch I've had is lagavulin 16 when it was on sale at Costco. what are some standard examples of other scotch styles? my grocery delivery has monkey shoulder

>>14052037
Glendronach 12 or macallan 12 for sherry, Laphroaig 10 or ardberg 10 for pure peat

how long does alcohol stay on your breath if you have 1-2 drinks

Should I try Bulleit bourbon or Bulleit rye?

>>14052167
Both are classic and a bang for your buck

>>14032724
there are plenty of islays that are much stronger. if youre really about smoke and peat find yourself some octomore 8.3 and it will change your life.

also dont mind me just your neighborhood alcoholic coming through, there are more bottles but the image becomes more shit if i try to fit them

>>14052638
Top 10?

>>14052638
do you also smoke weed?

>>14052527
i'm currently drinking the rye and it's pretty good value.

>>14052814
my top 10 scotch? or alcohols in general? or best whiskey overall? not sure what youre asking but heres my take on it.

Theres octomore 8.3 and then theres everything else. its leagues beyond everything ive had. The only thing ive had comparable was a cognac that was kept by an old grandma in a buried cask back from when she was the head distiller of a plant during the world war and had to hide all her top shelf booze in the ground for risk of it getting looted. My love for the octomore is probably due to my perverted taste of liking overwhelming flavors and relishing their complexity. I love smoke and dabble in cigars as well, therefore i have a harsh bias to prefer islays over other alcohols.

in terms of top shit i like heres a brief list that i can remember off the top of my head in random order:
scotch:
>ardbeg an oa
>burchladdich laddie
>compass box peat monster
>balvenie 21
>bruchladdich barley
>old man casl 22
>lagavilin 16
>jonnie walker double black
other:
>cabo wabo blanco tequila
>grand marnier cuvee 1880 cognac
>apothic red wine
>filibuster gin
>cannonball blast rum
theres a few cognacs that ive had in europe that i love but i cant remember the names of them for the life of me so rip.


>>14052867
no weed, only cigars

>>14052971
I meant top of the bottles (of anything) that you currently have.
Do you feel the Octomore series is overrated or an acquired taste?
>The only thing ive had comparable was a cognac that was kept by an old grandma in a buried cask back from when she was the head distiller of a plant during the world war and had to hide all her top shelf booze in the ground for risk of it getting looted.
Damn, now I'm wishing you remembered the name.

>>14053035
the only other octomore i had was either 9.1 or 9.2 at a bar and it was so underwhelming and disappointing in comparison that i dont even remember which one it was. they vary so much batch to batch that i would have a hard time describing the difference of taste, its like completely different scotches. do i think of it as an acquired taste? in a way yes. if you havent gotten your pallet grounded in smokey islays it might be hard to handle. I had a tasting with my friends, some of whom are enthusiasts and others who just like to drink. the ones who have had plenty of islay were blown away and the ones who were not used to them could not handle it in their mouth. they said it burned and tasted like a campfire. under the campfire theres this crazy kind of bandage salty toffee caramel thing going on that they could get none of. i think the idea of the octomore being the most peated whiskey is overrated, but the flavor itself of the 8.3 is underrated. I'll go as far as to let you know what i took a small loan after i opened the first bottle and bought the other 6 that were available in my area. it does the trick for me, but might not for you. taste is obviously subjective.

that one had no name cuz it was never bottled. its literally a set of barrels that she has someone help her dig out one at a time and then pours them into unmarked bottles. A good friend of hers was a good friend of ours and we were on a trip driving through her area. She owned rental houses on her street and we got it touch with her to stay at one through that friend. just so happens that she was digging out one of those barrels while we were there got us to help. the cognac we drank was our reward for helping. it was pretty crazy and i count myself really lucky to ever experience something like that. The ones i cant remember were normal frenchy name cognacs that tasted damn good. last i heard she died, sadly, and i have no idea what happened to her collection.

Just finished a bit of Ailsa Bay release 1.2
Discovered a menthol note on the finish, which I only really get in Lagavulin 16 otherwise. Check it out

how much of each whiskers are you putting in your infinity bottle?

>>14055457
Normally 25-50ml from each (non peated) whisky that I get.

>>14055499
why only non peated?

Not a big drinker at all, but managed to drink like two thirds of this last night with some ginger ale without realising
Know it's probably considered dogshit but it was very easy to drink

Got some Longbranch out of curiosity. It's not bad but I can't imagine why anyone would ever buy it when you could just pay a little more for some Rare Breed.

>>14055505
I think that even a single measure of peated would start to take over.the bottle.

At the moment i just have scotch in the bottle. Im undecided what I want to do with bourbon, rum and peated. Considered starting another bottle but undecided.

>>14055457
One shot of every whisky I decide to put in it. I don't put every whisky I buy into it but I put most into it. I try to keep the ratio 50/50 peated/nonpeated. I find this results in a super nice sweet/peat balance.
I keep my infinity blend in an old Knob Creek rye bottle. I highly recommend the Knob Creek bottles for this purpose because they have durable synthetic corks which provide a super tight seal.

>>14055541
Mine has peated scotch, non-peated scotch, bourbon, rye and armagnac in it. It's super interesting and delicious.

>>14055583
Sounds interesting. I lean towards starting a second bottle with one shot of everything. Ive not tried rum and whisky together yet so might give that a go on its own before I commit to a full infinity bottle of it though.

Paid 80 dollars for pic related, is it worth the price? I really like the 10 year and it's smoky flavor.
Also got a bottle of Four Roses Small Batch.
How'd I do?

what's best for old fashioneds?
I've been using cognac lately, it's nice.

>>14055755
>not getting Four Roses Single Barrel
>having $80 to blow on peated scotch and not getting Uigeadail instead

>>14055755
Would be easy to take a cynical view of it depending how you view this business of 'finishing' casks. Its can be uses as a way of putting an artificial finish on a shit whisky to boost up the price and make it sound better. This seems to have gone through that twice.

Also, its non age statement. I get why they do that and perhaps in some cases its justifiable. If you have an old whisky that you want to charge a premium for, but has a small amount of young whisky to liven it up, perhaps no age statement makes sense. I doubt thats why they have done it here though - its probably young whisky. My personal opinion is that young Islay whisky can be excellent though and it makes less sense to leave an age statement off an Islay. The Octomore series proves you can have some top quality Islay whisky at 5 years old.

On the other hand, there are plenty of good reviews about it. Lots of people seem to enjoy it. It depends on what else you could buy with that $80 and how much you enjoy it before you can determine if it was worth the price.

>>14055873
>My personal opinion is that young Islay whisky can be excellent though
Well, yeah. Of course. Aging tends to weaken the intensity of the peat flavor.

>>14055910
Its only an of course to those with an above average interest in whisky though. The general consensus is that older is better.

If you see this in duty free and it says 5 years old, I would guess it would make the average person less likely to buy it compared to any of the non age statements.

>>14055910
>>14056001
Just bought pic related today. Anybody had it yet?

>>14055755
there are only two laphroaigs worth getting: the 10 year and the 10 year cask strength

Having some of this tonight.

Unpeated malt, triple distilled. They call it "The Breakfast Scotch" because of how smooth it is.

>>14056642
>mmmmmm smooth almost like drinking water! :)

>>14056652
>if it doesn't taste like sucking straight diesel, then it doesn't count as REEEEEEAAAAAAALLLLLLLL alcohol!

>>14056660
Yes.

>>14056356
>hfw

>>14056652
You insufferable tire smoke-swilling cunts make me hate my involvement with scotch.

>>14056642
>WOW IT'S SO SMOOTH BRO
t.normie
Humans describe the flavor. NPCs say "it's smooth."

Bought a bottle of Glendronach Portwood today. So glad it got restocked.

I just ripped the seal off of this baby and gave it a sniff. Smoke, sweet, and a little bit of nuts. Salty? I feel bad like an idiot for spending nearly $80 on this and being unable to put into words what I'm smelling and tasting. Very interesting though.

>>14056897
Funnily enough, no woman has never described your behavior as smooth.

>>14032724
Gah dam I personally love Laphroig. Super smokey, it tastes like you're walking into a bonfire

>>14056889
Shut the fuck up and admit you're a bitch. If you don't like flavor drink water.

>>14056931
>nuts. Salty

>>14056948
I hate you retards.
>If you don't ONLY enjoy thing I like and nothing else, you can't enjoy thing I like at all
The world would be a measurably more enjoyable place if you killed yourself.

>>14056971
>i dont like when ice cream is cold i let it sit in the sun until its nice and smooth
Enjoy whatever the fuck you want just don't be a baby and say you like something because it lacks common characteristics that are found in a product you consume.

>>14056984
>not having your scotch peated until nothing remains but campfire ash in a fine solution of Everclear is like melting your ice cream
Your inability to put together an even-handed metaphor illustrates why, exactly, the world would be a measurably more enjoyable place if you killed yourself.

I know very little about whisky. But I know I like smoky whisky and those are the only ones I'm willing to pay a premium for.

What are my options without getting into ridiculous 100+ a bottle range?

>>14057004
Ardbeg An Oa is good. Laphroaig's triple wood is nice. If you like American-made whisky, Knob Creek's maple-smoked bourbon is fairly good.

>>14057004
For less than $100 your best bets are:
Ardbeg 10
Ardbeg Corryvreckan
Ardbeg Uigeadail
Bruichladdich Port Charlotte
Lagavulin 16
Laphroaig Triple wood

And... Talisker 10.

>>14057019
>>14057008
Thanks thats plenty of selection

Out of curiosity what should I get for over 100

>>14057026
Probably an Octomore or something along those lines. It's probably the smokiest whisky out there.
Could also get Lagavulin 12 and Laphroaig Lore. I would suggest some older peated scotch but peat smoke tends to diminish the older it gets.

In addition to getting the 10yr old cask strength from Laphroaig, they slipped some stupid paper for a lease on a square foot of their property. I don't know what are the perks other than planting a flag on a small piece of dirt and getting a yearly sip if you ever visit their distillery.

>>14056356
Why is this shit only out in some European countries

>>14057173
You get that with all Laphroaig purchases as far as I know.
I got one with a bottle of QC

>>14057004
If you've discovered you're picky why would you raise the stakes on your bets? Value for money is both lower and less consistent as you go into the higher price brackets. Wait out the quarantine and go to a whisky bar.

>>14056660
Smooth means no flavour sticks out.
Not to be confused with balanced, which means multiple flavours stick out with proportional intensity.
But if you like indistinct and unintense whisky, drink distilled water; it's less intense and less distinct.

>>14056001
I found out recently that a NAS I like, 23rd Street Hybrid, is a blend of 5 year old scotch and 2 year old Bourbon. I think I liked it better when I thought it was a youngish single blend.
I'm really starting to agree that NAS is better than a low number.

>>14055873
But putting an artificial finish on a shit whisky does make it less shit.
If you're a shit distillery, absolutely put a finish on everything. There's lots of people who favour sherry flavours to distillery character or wood complexity.

>>14052638
... dude fuck that octomore price.

>>14056853
I want to have a glass like Horst's

>>14055788
Don't know if it's good for an old fashioned, but Woodford Reserve double oaked is real interesting
It has a wooded finish similar to the ones I only really get from XO cognacs, and that's something

>>14057395
i think its an irish whiskey glass

Who here /chivasregal/
Don't care if it's one of the big blends, it's very nice as a daily pick

>>14057402
I've never had it, how does it compare to Johnnie walker?

>>14057004
Laphroaig 10 is the cheapest peaty Islay in my area, try starting with that. That, or the old reliable Ardbeg 10

>>14057408
Definitely no smoke in it. It's malt content comes from a speyside called Strathisla, and that lends it a soft, graham cracker like sweetness. You pair that with the grain alcohol in the blend and you get a nice, friendly blended scotch. Nothing too intense, or complex, but sometimes that's all you need when you reach out for a /sip/

>>14056925
How is it compared to other Glendronachs?

I'm a big fan of Glendronach. Id like to get either 18, 16 or Portwood but cant decide

>>14057582

>>14056925
Seconding this. I love port stuff in my whiskies. I find it more 'reliable' to enjoy, whereas the sherried stuff is hit or miss

>>14057582
>>14058218
I'll share in another thread since this one is dying. Haven't opened it up yet. But definitely get the 18 while you can. I forget the details on it but pretty much all Glendronach 18's at the moment are actually older than 18 years because of when they closed down in 1996. I think this might be the last year for them and 2021-2022 is when actual 18 year old Glendronachs will be released again. It's probably my favorite whisky, it's delicious.