Food & Drink The Whisk(e)y Thread

[Andronicus]

Any connoisseurs?

I've recently been really getting into various different Scotch regions and have found after not liking it for years, now I can't get enough of the stuff.

I think my change in attitude came from drinking it properly. At first my only experience was of bourbons, or cheap scotch as a mix. For me, adding a sweet drink was too much. It also added bubbles, where I much prefer the texture of a neat drink.

So, a few questions.

Whats your everyday budget conscious choice?

What would you buy if you were going to splash bit more?

Whats your style? Big peaty hits, or a smoother less full bodied taste?

How do you drink it? Watered down, mixed, on the rocks, neat or some other way?

For me, I love peat. Laphraoig has been my go to drink of late. When the budget allows, I really enjoyed the punch that Bakery's Hill gives, and the only way to get the real taste is neat, and at room temperature.

 

[Doss]

Massive fan of Scotch.

Straight up and without ice always, except if it's filth like Johnnie Red.

Everyday budget conscious choice? Chivas, Johnnie Black, Glenfiddich 12.

Splash out a bit more? Laphroaig, Ardberg, Glenfiddich 18, Chivas 18.

Preferred style is one with big peaty and smoky notes. Laphroaig is my absolute favourite.


Also a big fan of a good bourbon, also straight up without ice. Preferred ones are Jack Daniels Single Barrell, Woodford Reserve and Knob Creek Reserve.



When I was in Vietnam, finding different varieties was, I found, very hard, but Johnnie was everywhere. I therefore came back from there armed with bottles of Blue, Platinum, Gold and Green, for a grand total of around 190 Australian. In Australia, the same would have cost probably around $500. Ah, Vietnam.

 

[Andronicus]

I've never really tried any of the Johnnie range, except when I was younger and had them with coke. I did once try a neat Red, but that was rancid.

Ardberg Ardbog was a great drink if you like smoky tastes. Was like drinking from an ashtray in the best possible way.

In my last couple of months in Melbourne I'm keen to get out and try a couple of whisky bars to try some new names.

 

[Doss]

My rule, pretty much, is that the smokier it is, the better.

Good story about how my love of Scotch started. Back when I was 19, we were out at Rooftop (above Cookie). It was a January night so SHOULD have been warm- and we were all dressed appropriately for those expecting summer.

Except this night was, somehow, bitterly cold.

My mate had the bright idea of all getting naked scotch to warm ourselves up. So up I went to the bar, knowing absolutely zilch about anything to do with Scotch, and just clumsily ordered "four straight Scotches thanks".

Bartender: "which Scotch?"
Me: "ah, just your standard please".

So of course we got four straight, naked Johnnie Reds. It was virtually impossible to drink, I still shudder at the thought of it.

From that day on, I vowed to find out more about Scotch so that never again would I find myself drinking such a horrid concoction. And so I did.

 

[Doss]

I went to the best little Scotch bar when I was in New York a few months ago, called Caledonia Scottish Pub

It was on the Upper East Side, on Second Avenue on the corner of 84th street. The night I went, they just happened to be having a Laphroaig tasting night. Ended up getting full size tastings of four different Laphroaig completely free.

If you get over there, I highly recommend you check when they're having tastings as it is amazing value. Mine was on a Monday night.

 

[Andronicus]

Thats a pretty sweet deal.

Was is mainly scotch or beer?

I've been to Cookie and to Whole Lotta Love in Brunswick and they were both good. Decent selection and on the right night, good atmosphere. Best Whisky bar I've been to though, was in Perth. Place called Helvetica, which is tucked away down an alley in the CBD. Great atmosphere and really good staff. Seems strange as I would have thought Melbourne would be full of places like that. Do you know of any good ones here I'm missing?

 

[Doss]

Thats a pretty sweet deal.

Was is mainly scotch or beer?

I've been to Cookie and to Whole Lotta Love in Brunswick and they were both good. Decent selection and on the right night, good atmosphere. Best Whisky bar I've been to though, was in Perth. Place called Helvetica, which is tucked away down an alley in the CBD. Great atmosphere and really good staff. Seems strange as I would have thought Melbourne would be full of places like that. Do you know of any good ones here I'm missing?

Scotch by the bucketload, but they also had plenty of beers- including quite a few English ales.

Whisky and Alement is a good one in Melbourne. 1806 is also a really good cocktail bar that has Scotch by the shed load.

Here's an article with some potential places: http://www.au.timeout.com/melbourne/bars/features/1937/melbournes-best-whisky-bars

 

[eth-dog]

I prefer Irish Whiskey, but Scotch is still good

 

[Doss]

Yamazaki is quite delicious, too.

If you're in the US, also try and get your hands on Hudson Whisky; they make several different types of bourbon and all are extremely tasty.

Still got half a bottle of Lark, too- it's a Scotch distillery near Hobart. Very tasty.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

In in in in in in.

Made it my mission in Edinburgh with a mate a few months back to find a Campbeltown scotch (Campbeltown being the 5th and forgotten scotch region). Glen Scotia was the one we found, lovely dram.

Love me a good Speyside or Highland single malt though. Picked myself up a bottle of Balblair (Highland) and a bottle of Aberlour (Speyside) when I was there. I also have a $150 Dan Murphy's voucher which I've been meaning to pick up another couple of bottles with. Any recommendations? Deanston is one I enjoyed.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

Still got half a bottle of Lark, too- it's a Scotch distillery near Hobart. Very tasty.

No it's not.

/scotchsnob

 

[Doss]

I bought a Bruichladdich a while back, that was quite awesome.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

Taste like fire? The two Islay types I've tried (Lagavulin and Talisker) were very much a powerful taste.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

I feel like a scotch Tanked is on the cards.

 

[Doss]

Taste like fire? The two Islay types I've tried (Lagavulin and Talisker) were very much a powerful taste.

Yeah, sort of.

Yet quite smooth at the same. That was the 15 year old one- I'm told the 18 year old one is a notch better.

Scotch Tanked- in in in in.

 

[Andronicus]

My liking finger got a little itchy with this talk of a scotch tanked.

Can I propose before the 7th of Jan?

I'd also suggest making it at a place other than a bar. By the bottle prices are far more favourable than finger prices.

 

[Old Campaigner]

Talisker is awesome because almost no one likes it so I don't have to worry about sharing it with anyone.

 

[Doss]

I find Talisker very drinkable. Not my favourite, but goes alright.

 

[BrunoV]

Still got half a bottle of Lark, too- it's a Scotch distillery near Hobart. Very tasty.

Been getting into my Aussie whiskies lately and couple of years ago got my head around Bourbon and am now in love with Rye (thanks mainly to a few big sessions at the Kodiak club on Brunswick street - it is basically like Chez Regine's sister bar but American influenced, great food too).


Of the Tassie whiskies I've tried Hellyers Road, they do a reasonably priced sampler of their original, peated and heavily peated which is what I'd recommend as the starting point, is what I consider to be a genuinely "Australian" whisky. It has a very unique flavour, which my old man and I think finishes with a hint of eucalyptus, and a distinct character that you don't find in Scotch or Irish whiskies so it's worth the price for something different and drinkable.

Sullivan's Cove, especially the double barrel, is probably not worth the price unless it's a present for someone who'll appreciate it for being Australian. It is very easy to drink Irish style whiskey that tastes like it was aged in bourbon barrels (which is the point). I find it a bit neat, though, and as a combination of Irish whiskey and bourbon lacking any of the character I'd want from a bottle with the price tag. If it was $50-70 a bottle you'd be hard pressed to find a better, easy to drink whisky of a type which is similar to JW black/green or something Irish.


What should be of particular interest here is Starward which is distilled in Essendon (despite being distributed by a NSW based company). It is a relatively new project and you can taste it which is not a bad thing at all. It's not peated but has a huge and complex flavour and at 43% probably needs a drop of water to break it down a little. Like the Hellyers Road it is has a distinctly Australian feel. I hope that in the years they don't refine it too much trying to make it taste more like something from overseas. It is a potentially brilliant Australian whisky. Dan Murphy's has started stocking it for $70-$80 a bottle. It is probably something I'll always have a bottle of even if I'm not going to drink heaps of it because of the price.

 

[Doss]

BrunoV, Lark is basically the only Australian whisky I've tried. I shall have to give these others you speak of a go. I don't know if I've seen them in bars before though, so I might have to go the full hog and buy them from Dan's or some other boutique bottle shop.

Talking of bourbon and ryes, have you tried the Knob Creek Reserve? I'm not sure how easy it is to get it here, I brought it back from New York. But if you can, it's well worth it, though at 120 proof, it packs serious punch.

 

[Old Campaigner]

Actually I went to a tasting at Dan Murphys the other day and they had a whisky made in Essendon somewhere. It was pretty good. Pity I forget the name of it.

 

[BrunoV]

Actually I went to a tasting at Dan Murphys the other day and they had a whisky made in Essendon somewhere. It was pretty good. Pity I forget the name of it.

It's Starward.

 

[Andronicus]

BrunoV, Lark is basically the only Australian whisky I've tried. I shall have to give these others you speak of a go. I don't know if I've seen them in bars before though, so I might have to go the full hog and buy them from Dan's or some other boutique bottle shop.

Talking of bourbon and ryes, have you tried the Knob Creek Reserve? I'm not sure how easy it is to get it here, I brought it back from New York. But if you can, it's well worth it, though at 120 proof, it packs serious punch.

Ive tried a few Australian drops, and been very impressed. Probably not as pure with the flavours, but they go big with the taste and the hit in the mouth.

On bourbons, I don't like the taste anywhere near as much as scotch, although admittedly, I haven't gone to the effort of seeking out higher quality to the same degree.

I did have a Basil Hayden one night, but as I had ordered an Oban, the taste was not what I was expecting. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I was expecting bourbon rather than scotch.

 

[BrunoV]

BrunoV, Lark is basically the only Australian whisky I've tried. I shall have to give these others you speak of a go. I don't know if I've seen them in bars before though, so I might have to go the full hog and buy them from Dan's or some other boutique bottle shop.

Talking of bourbon and ryes, have you tried the Knob Creek Reserve? I'm not sure how easy it is to get it here, I brought it back from New York. But if you can, it's well worth it, though at 120 proof, it packs serious punch.

Haven't gotten around to Lark yet but it is certainly on the list. Bakery Hill, I think it is, is another highly regarded Victorian whisky but I've not been able to track it down.

As for bourbon/rye, it's now my drink of choice when its warmer as it's a bit lighter and sweeter/fruiter/spicier which I find better suits heat than Scotch does (Scotch is obviously unrivaled in cooler conditions).

Knob Creek (and the Reserve) does stand out because of the name so I can confidently say that I've tried it and remember it being good but probably cant say anything meaningful about it.

In terms of drinking bourbon my preference is for Bulleit. It has a high rye content which you can certainly taste and makes it a bit smoother and richer than other bourbons at that price. It is always cheap too (low $40s whenever I've seen it).

Vintage Cellars on High Street in Ashburton was selling Even Williams Single Barrel, the 2002, for a ridiculously low $41 a bottle. If any other shops are selling it, especially at the price, it is a no brainer (I went straight back and bought another couple of bottles after trying it). It could command twice the price which would still seem cheap.

Rye is a bitch because it is basically all top shelf and hardly any bottle shops stock anything other than Beam (the market basically died post prohibition so it is still very much a boutique drop the demand for which has only recently recovered, or so I've been reading). Everything I've had has been brilliant so I wouldn't bother recommending one.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

Tried the Glenmorangie 10 year and the Balblair 10 year last night. Both Highland scotches, the Glenmorangie is as smooth as anything, while the Balblair goes down like water then kicks you in the throat after you swallow. Massive fan of the Balblair in particular.