TheSanDiegan Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 It was not too long ago that I bucked convention and openly disagreed with @Wyovanian about what I considered to be nothing more than an issue of colloquial semantics when it came to the differentiation of "whisky" and "whiskey." Well, in the year that has elapsed, as my palate for the former has become more refined and my appreciation of the latter has diminished, and as both my liquor cabinet and my Sin Cabinet have become disproportionately stocked with scotch, I now happily stand corrected. Single malts - and my appreciation of them - have more-or-less ruined my taste and/or preference for aged rums and bourbons. And while at the time there were very few scotches I truly enjoyed, as my palate has evolved the breadth of scotches I enjoy has grown significantly. Sherry bombs, smokey Islays, and peaty Speysides now all have a place both in my cabinet and in my heart. Form here on forward, it's now whisky for me, thank you. And always neat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happycamper Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 24 minutes ago, TheSanDiegan said: It was not too long ago that I bucked convention and openly disagreed with @Wyovanian about what I considered to be nothing more than an issue of colloquial semantics when it came to the differentiation of "whisky" and "whiskey." Well, in the year that has elapsed, as my palette for the former has become more refined and my appreciation of the latter has diminished, and as both my liquor cabinet and my Sin Cabinet have become disproportionately stocked with scotch, I now happily stand corrected. Single malts - and my appreciation of them - have more-or-less ruined my taste and/or preference for aged rums and bourbons. And while at the time there were very few scotches I truly enjoyed, as my palette has evolved the breadth of scotches I enjoy has grown significantly. Sherry bombs, smokey Islays, and peaty Speysides now all have a place both in my cabinet and in my heart. Form here on forward, it's now whisky for me, thank you. And always neat. When I am drinking, beer, scotch, and bourbon are on a spectrum of what I want. Beer is on the "take it easy" side, bourbon is on the "very rough day/wake your taste buds up" side, scotch is in between. I don't want scotch when I want bourbon. Remember that every argument you have with someone on MWCboard is actually the continuation of a different argument they had with someone else also on MWCboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I am Ram Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSanDiegan Posted October 11, 2017 Author Share Posted October 11, 2017 9 minutes ago, I am Ram said: Thank you for that - corrected in the OP. And among those three choices above, I'll take Door #1, thankyouverymuch. Unless I'm hosting a bonfire, in which case I'll take #3 (white meat burns too hot and too quickly). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSanDiegan Posted October 11, 2017 Author Share Posted October 11, 2017 32 minutes ago, happycamper said: When I am drinking, beer, scotch, and bourbon are on a spectrum of what I want. Beer is on the "take it easy" side, bourbon is on the "very rough day/wake your taste buds up" side, scotch is in between. I don't want scotch when I want bourbon. I only drink if I'm also smoking a cigar, and almost always open with a beer while I let my whisky breathe. I used to vacillate between the two whiskies, but as my palate* for whisky has become more refined, it's also become more exclusionary... maybe it's the serial monogamist in me. *Thanks, IaR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I am Ram Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 I recently "discovered" Irish whiskey; prior to that, I was almost exclusively a bourbon drinker. It's not that I don't like scotch, but there are only so many opportunities in the week to drink liquor, and there are so many choices. Bourbon in particular is so accessible it's hard to go really wrong when you get a decent bottle. With scotch things seem more risky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renoskier Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 50 minutes ago, happycamper said: When I am drinking, beer, scotch, and bourbon are on a spectrum of what I want. Beer is on the "take it easy" side, bourbon is on the "very rough day/wake your taste buds up" side, scotch is in between. I don't want scotch when I want bourbon. Never developed a taste for scotch but what the hell was George Thorogood thinking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSanDiegan Posted October 11, 2017 Author Share Posted October 11, 2017 50 minutes ago, I am Ram said: I recently "discovered" Irish whiskey; prior to that, I was almost exclusively a bourbon drinker. It's not that I don't like scotch, but there are only so many opportunities in the week to drink liquor, and there are so many choices. Bourbon in particular is so accessible it's hard to go really wrong when you get a decent bottle. With scotch things seem more risky. With rare exception, I won't buy a 'new' scotch until a friend first brings over a bottle for me to try - this is how I got turned on to both Aberlour 16 and the Hakushu 12. The good stuff in general is just too damn expensive to buy a bottle in the blind... The Balvenie 14 was one such exception, but after reading the reviews on Master of Malt, it was a no-brainer, and it easily lived up to the expectations. I would recommend any of those three for someone looking to pick a good bottle of scotch that is easily drinkable. Even my waif of a wife was able to 'sip' the Balvenie 14 (okay, it was just one sip, but she enjoyed it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSanDiegan Posted October 11, 2017 Author Share Posted October 11, 2017 53 minutes ago, renoskier said: Never developed a taste for scotch but what the hell was George Thorogood thinking? It took several years from the first whisky and water I actually enjoyed to developing both a palate and appreciation that allowed me to requires I drink my scotch neat. Of course, I had to drink a f*ckload of whisky to get here from there, but the journey was worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happycamper Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 3 hours ago, TheSanDiegan said: It took several years from the first whisky and water I actually enjoyed to developing both a palate and appreciation that allowed me to requires I drink my scotch neat. Of course, I had to drink a f*ckload of whisky to get here from there, but the journey was worth it. Huh, I went in neat from the get go because when you are 16 you don't know what girls are actually impressed by. It was really rough then... But it happened Remember that every argument you have with someone on MWCboard is actually the continuation of a different argument they had with someone else also on MWCboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTanked Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 15 hours ago, happycamper said: Huh, I went in neat from the get go because when you are 16 you don't know what girls are actually impressed by. It was really rough then... But it happened You are still talking about whisky, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happycamper Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 13 minutes ago, SharkTanked said: You are still talking about whisky, right? As it turns out, nobody notices what you are drinking. My master plan of "abuse my immature palate" resulted in exactly 0 hookups. OTOH it made drinking in college a lot easier. Nobody bums drinks off of you when the answer to "what are you drinking" is "jim beam neat, no, I don't have a shot glass" or any gin neat. Remember that every argument you have with someone on MWCboard is actually the continuation of a different argument they had with someone else also on MWCboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrofade Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 20 hours ago, TheSanDiegan said: It took several years from the first whisky and water I actually enjoyed to developing both a palate and appreciation that allowed me to requires I drink my scotch neat. Of course, I had to drink a f*ckload of whisky to get here from there, but the journey was worth it. I had to start with sherry bombs and work my way up from there, but I've never had whiskey/scotch anything but neat. I'll occasionally add a few drops of water to bring some additional flavors to the forefront. I'm dying for some Lagavulin right now, but I just can't justify dropping $100 on a bottle. Damned NC liquor monopoly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSanDiegan Posted October 12, 2017 Author Share Posted October 12, 2017 3 hours ago, retrofade said: I had to start with sherry bombs and work my way up from there, but I've never had whiskey/scotch anything but neat. I'll occasionally add a few drops of water to bring some additional flavors to the forefront. I'm dying for some Lagavulin right now, but I just can't justify dropping $100 on a bottle. Damned NC liquor monopoly. I'm yet to find a single instance where I enjoy scotch more with a couple drops of water... Idk if it's yet another 'evolution' of the palate I'm yet to experience, or if it's simply a matter of personal preference. $100 for the Lagavulin is insane (assuming we're talking about the 16 yo). $68 at Costco, and that's after a $8 increase about 6 months ago... Can you order online? Below is my local Bevmo's selection - figure there's almost always a $10 coupon in circulation: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrofade Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 1 minute ago, TheSanDiegan said: I'm yet to find a single instance where I enjoy scotch more with a couple drops of water... Idk if it's yet another 'evolution' of the palate I'm yet to experience, or if it's simply a matter of personal preference. $100 for the Lagavulin is insane (assuming we're talking about the 16 yo). $68 at Costco, and that's after a $8 increase about 6 months ago... Can you order online? Below is my local Bevmo's selection - figure there's almost always a $10 coupon in circulation: Nope, no options other than buying it at the ABC store, unless I go out of state. When I was in California for Thanksgiving last year, I brought two bottles home... it had been on sale at Costco for $50. It occasionally gets "discounted" here to $90. Blech. The theory behind a few drops of water is that it can mask the overwhelming alcohol flavor, especially in cask strengths, and allow the more delicate and subtle flavors to shine through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSanDiegan Posted October 12, 2017 Author Share Posted October 12, 2017 3 minutes ago, retrofade said: Nope, no options other than buying it at the ABC store, unless I go out of state. When I was in California for Thanksgiving last year, I brought two bottles home... it had been on sale at Costco for $50. It occasionally gets "discounted" here to $90. Blech. The theory behind a few drops of water is that it can mask the overwhelming alcohol flavor, especially in cask strengths, and allow the more delicate and subtle flavors to shine through. Best advice I ever picked up - and I swear by it - is to let my scotch breathe a minute for every year it has been aged. I think this has the same effect by letting just enough alcohol evaporate to let the profile shine through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrofade Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 Just now, TheSanDiegan said: Best advice I ever picked up - and I swear by it - is to let my scotch breathe a minute for every year it has been aged. I think this has the same effect by letting just enough alcohol evaporate to let the profile shine through. yep, I try to do that, but I usually only make it to about ten minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSanDiegan Posted October 12, 2017 Author Share Posted October 12, 2017 Speaking of Costco... I don't think I could ever enjoy a $3K scotch enough to justify the cost, unless remorse tastes really fn good... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSanDiegan Posted October 12, 2017 Author Share Posted October 12, 2017 3 minutes ago, retrofade said: yep, I try to do that, but I usually only make it to about ten minutes. That's why I start with a beer, but pour my scotch at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrofade Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 2 minutes ago, TheSanDiegan said: Speaking of Costco... Holy shit. When I win the lottery, I'm buying a bottle of that, flying out to San Diego, and we're drinking that entire thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...