The Whiskey/Bourbon/Rye/Scotch Thread

MC2 5678F589 wrote

I like the Peach Bourbon/Arnie Palmer combo at the golf course.

That’s awesome. I’m sure it’s delicious

Brownski wrote

MC2 5678F589 wrote

I like the Peach Bourbon/Arnie Palmer combo at the golf course.

That’s awesome. I’m sure it’s delicious

Peach is actually another flavor that the industry keeps going back to because the damn fuzzy navel was a thing in the 90s. Back when my company was still trying to convince us all that they were high rollers, they got Joe Klecko to show up for one of our flavor launches. He got drunk as hell on peach flavored vodka and started threatening to fight all the Giants fans in the room. It was fucking hilarious.

Lol, that's hilarious!

Booze is such a funny biz. Lots of celebrities show up. Fif’y actually called me out cause I wasn’t clapping hard enough at the end of his snoozer presentation.

I’m turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so!

Picked this up for a change of pace, I like Japanese whiskies more than Scotch.



Brownski.....can we put this connection to good use, beyond your valued and pleasant contributions here?  I picked up a couple of bottles of Nikka From The Barrel when we were in Europe a few years ago.  Great stuff, haven’t seen it here.  What’s a guy gotta do to get a case through you?  Wishfully thinking....

In years past, I would have been the man for Nikka but I don’t sell it anymore. I’m not much of a hookup nowadays. Nikka  is one of those producers that make about twenty or thirty different products, disco and invent new stuff all the time and most of them are genuinely tiny production. If you can find the coffee malt locally count yourself lucky. As far as liking Japanese better then scotch, maybe you haven’t tried the right scotch. Scotches are very diverse. Many years ago, when it was still hard to sell Japanese whisky, I attended a training with the Suntory people and they told us that the original goal in creating Yamasaki was to duplicate the flavor of mcCallan 12 yr. Maybe you just need a more subtle scotch. I would say to try Ballantine 12 yr but you’ll probably have to get your retailer to order it. Nobody knows how good Ballantine is. All that being said, I tried to PM you a good whisky source. I don’t know if I convinced Nabble that I’m not a robot though.

Thanks!

Part of my problem with Scotch is that I’m reluctant to open that Pandora’s Box.  Too many different distillers, from too many distinct regions, each with their own character.  I’ve had a few Scotches I’ve liked, and some I didn’t.  I suppose if I settled on the right Lowland Scotches I could be plenty happy, but I don’t want to have to put in that much work to know whether I’m likely to enjoy what I’m buying.  Give me just about any bourbon or rye....Kentucky, Tennessee, or otherwise...and I’ll enjoy it.  With Scotch, if I get an Islay, or the wrong Speyside or Campbeltown, not so much.  I’m definitely not a fan of smoke/peat, and salty Scotches that taste of the sea (which is a lot of them, right?) don’t do it for me either.  Talisker Storm tasted like a pirate ship that burned and sunk in the sea.  Took a while to choke down that whole bottle.  Even the Scotches I’ve liked, they all seem to have the same undertone that I’m not a huge fan of.

Yet, at least.

The Amador Hop Flavored whiskey I got a couple years ago had that similar undertone and reminded me of a Scotch.

Sounds like you need to avoid Islays entirely. I don’t think Lowlands are the answer though. Speyside and Highlands that see less sherry oak might be your thing. Not everybody likes sherry flavors. The Glenlivet 12 yr First Fill is a good one to try if you like American whiskies. And the high quality blends can be good too, like the Ballantine, or maybe Monkey Shoulder or Sheep Dip. This is how whisky guys end up with huge bottle collections.

Thanks again.  Scotch is just too complicated for me.

Maybe the sherry flavor is the general undertone that I don’t care for in many Scotches.  The Amador Hop Flavored Whisky is heavy on port flavors, which is why it may have reminded me of some Scotches.  An argument could be made that if all I want is a Scotch that is similar to American whiskies....why bother with Scotch?  I mean, Scotches are complex and should be embraced for their character, rather than me trying to find a Scotch that is less Scotch-y?  Does that make any sense.

Booze, and it’s flavors and nuances, is pretty fascinating.

I’m not a wine guy, either.  Another Pandora’s Box I avoid!

I got 3 old fashions from the Green Arch w/ our takeout tonight. I've said it before, they simply are the greatest.

I spent 27 years in the, uh, adult beverage business.

I don't want know about no stinking flavored whiskies.  The barrels provide flavoring.  It's not my price range at the moment, but I like Springbank single malts and good grappa.

Peter Minde wrote

I spent 27 years in the, uh, adult beverage business.

I don't want know about no stinking flavored whiskies.  The barrels provide flavoring.  It's not my price range at the moment, but I like Springbank single malts and good grappa.

Ha, grappa is another rabbit hole. Might as well get into akquavits and amaros. There’s no end.

Which tier did you work in Peter?

Agreed, I’m it a fan of “flavored” whiskies, where they add artificial flavoring.  The Amador Straight Hop Flavored whiskey I mentioned isn’t such a thing.  “Hop Flavored” is a bit of a misnomer.  The hop flavor comes from the 40% of the blend of whiskey distilled from Racer 5 IPA.  The Tabasco whiskey I like is aged in Tabasco barrels, so it gets some of its character that way.

Brownski wrote

Which tier did you work in Peter?

For 5 years, I worked in retail.  After that I was in wholesale distribution, first as a sales rep, then data reporting, then purchasing.  I ordered everything from boxcar loads of white zinfandel to small batches of burgundy where then producer was like, "eh bien, you just pick this up between August 9 and August 14."  Fortunately, the freight forwards could accommodate.

I don't recall all the specifics because I've been out of the business for many years.  Amaros are a digestivo, and I believe they have aromatics added.  Grappa is distilled from pressed wine grapes, as is marc in France.  Like whiskey, grappa comes in all quality levels from rotgut to awesome.

I still remember the owner of Winebow going, during my first year in the company, <cue Italian accent> "If you want to get ahead in this company, you must drink Tiefenbrunner's grappa!"</end Italian accent>  Tiefenbrunner... from Sudtirol, wore liederhosen while speaking Italian with a German accent.  His grappa was on the raw side.

Don't know anything about acquavit.

Winebow is a good company. A guy who used to be my winebow rep when I was in retail left winebow for opici and got me in there before I ended up where I am now. We probably know at least one or two folks in common from back then

Speaking of Japanese whisky, my family zoom call with my 8 siblings and elderly parents drove me to kill my  last 50 ml on Yamasaki 12. Considering what's happened to that market it's probably the last time I drink that stuff ever. It was good.

Brownski wrote

Speaking of Japanese whisky, my family zoom call with my 8 siblings and elderly parents drove me to kill my  last 50 ml on Yamasaki 12. Considering what's happened to that market it's probably the last time I drink that stuff ever. It was good.

Pertinent detail, 7 of my 8 siblings are sisters

Peter Minde wrote

I spent 27 years in the, uh, adult beverage business.

I don't want know about no stinking flavored whiskies.  The barrels provide flavoring.  It's not my price range at the moment, but I like Springbank single malts and good grappa.

Why am I just finding this thread. I spent 17 years behind the bar and I like drinking.  Not much of a flavored whiskey guy. Bounce back and forth between Irish and scotch