Anyone know much about whiskey?

[Brazen]

Driving round Scotland with my Dad, we entered the outskirts of a town. "Smell that," he said, as the odour of fermentation permeated the car, "there's a whisky distillery round here."

Rounding the corner, we were, indeed presented with a distillery. For Smirnoff vodka. 

[Capetan Mihali]

Whatever happened to Suntory?

In any case, there are almost no liquors as good as the best single malts.  Some very few cognacs are near them, but cognac is a scam wrapped in a marketing packaged wrapped in a rapper.  Top Irish whiskeys can match top bourbons, but no rye whiskey can match top bourbons.  Some few vodkas are transcendent, but frankly, they are not worth the delta over the midrange.  Vodka is as big a scam as cognac.  The best rums are better than the best ryes, and may equal good bourbon.  If vodka is the crescent wrench of the liquor world, and rum the phillips screwdriver, tequila is the hex wrench.

I don't understand all the hatred I have seen towards rye whiskey.  I guess languish just hates Canadian whiskey.

Canadian (rye) whisky is totally different than (American) rye whiskey and, unfortunately, probably doesn't even warrant mention in the OvB/Scipio world of analysis. 

But I'm never one to say no to a Canadian Club and ginger ale.       I'm also partial to Seagram's 7 as a shot.  Canadian whisky is as smooth as the driven snow of its true North.   

[OttoVonBismarck]

I don't understand all the hatred I have seen towards rye whiskey.  I guess languish just hates Canadian whiskey.

I have nothing against Rye, actually the original American whiskeys distilled around the time of the revolution were all Ryes, and a few companies have revived this whiskey making style in the modern day and produce good products.

I just think most whiskey drinkers think similar to me on the issue. Namely, the best is obviously single malt. I tend to think the highest quality Irish whiskeys come next (Scipio is sort of agreeing when he says the best Irish whiskeys can match the best bourbons), overall I prefer the best Irish whiskeys to the best bourbons, so I rank the Irish whiskeys a slight head above the bourbons. After that you have rye, which are still good and still part of the real whiskey pantheon, but are edged out in quality by the best bourbons and best Irish whiskeys, at least in my opinion.

[OttoVonBismarck]

Canadian (rye) whisky is totally different than (American) rye whiskey and, unfortunately, probably doesn't even warrant mention in the OvB/Scipio world of analysis. 

But I'm never one to say no to a Canadian Club and ginger ale.       I'm also partial to Seagram's 7 as a shot.  Canadian whisky is as smooth as the driven snow of its true North.   

It depends, some Canadian ryes are still 50%+ rye, but unfortunately there are no rules about labeling a whiskey "rye" in Canada. Most Canadian ryes are 9/10ths corn. In the United States the regulations mandate that American made rye must contain at least 50% rye.

Proper rye whiskey can still be very good, but unfortunately most of the ryes on market aren't great. The ones from Canada that are real ryes are good but again they are a minority of the whole. Traditionally America was a rye drinking country drinking proper rye, but bourbons nearly drove rye production to 0 once it became popular nationwide. It's only in recent years you have started to see some distillers that have revived production of high quality American ryes.

[OttoVonBismarck]

There's nothing wrong with corn whiskey of course (that's what bourbon is), but most corn whiskeys that aren't bourbons are not high quality, which is why Canadian corn whiskeys (often presented as ryes) are not usually very good.

It should go without saying the pseudo-whiskeys are of little importance. Southern Comfort was originally a whiskey concoction but now it's not even that, it's actually made from tasteless high proof grain alcohol and then mixed with various flavorings and sold at differing proofs (70 to 100.) I am a liquor snob but I'll cop to drinking certain mixtures on certain occasions that fall outside the appropriate drinks, the unfortunate thing about Southern Comfort is it is just too sweet. Its syrupy taste and consistency actually makes me gag a bit everytime I've ever drank it, so I haven't touched it to my lips in a long time.

[DGuller]

Personally, I find sweetened alcoholic drinks revolting.  I would much rather prefer to taste the alcohol directly, rather than feel it vaguely in the aftertaste. 

[Gups]

I have nothing against Rye, actually the original American whiskeys distilled around the time of the revolution were all Ryes, and a few companies have revived this whiskey making style in the modern day and produce good products.

I just think most whiskey drinkers think similar to me on the issue. Namely, the best is obviously single malt. I tend to think the highest quality Irish whiskeys come next (Scipio is sort of agreeing when he says the best Irish whiskeys can match the best bourbons), overall I prefer the best Irish whiskeys to the best bourbons, so I rank the Irish whiskeys a slight head above the bourbons. After that you have rye, which are still good and still part of the real whiskey pantheon, but are edged out in quality by the best bourbons and best Irish whiskeys, at least in my opinion.

Where do blended scotches come in your pecking order?

I'm not much of a spirit drinker but will tonigth have a small glass of the Glenfidditch which has been hanging around in my drinks cabinet for about 5 years now. That or the 1969 Armagnac

[OttoVonBismarck]

Blended scotch is a lively debate. They can be decent, but it's hard to place them in a hierarchical pecking order.

When people talk about single malt they are talking about (99% of the time) Scotch. But technically the best Irish Whiskeys are also single malt (because they fit the definition of single malt whiskey in that they are prepared from a single distillery from a mash using one malt), and these Irish Whiskeys to my palate are better than any blended Scotch whisky. The good blended Scotch is about on par, to my palate, with the higher quality blended Irish whiskeys, but inferior to single malt Irish whiskey.

[Jacob]

A buddy of mine brought over a bottle of "King of Queens". It was quite passable for blended whisky, I thought, but I have no idea of the provenance.

Do any of you guys know anything about it?

[OttoVonBismarck]

Word Mark:   KING OF QUEENS
Status/
Status Date:   
REGISTERED
12/4/2007
Serial Number:   78752136
Filing Date:   11/11/2005
Registration Number:   3349811
Registration Date:   12/4/2007
Goods and Services:   Alcoholic beverages, namely, scotch whiskey
Mark Description:   NOT AVAILABLE
Type Of Mark:   TradeMark
Published For Opposition Date:   7/18/2006
Last Applicant/Owner:   Gila Tequila, Inc.
Panama
Why is this contact information displayed?
Mark Drawing Code:   Standard Character Mark
Design Search:   (NO DATA)
Register Type:   Principal
Disclaimer:    (NOT AVAILABLE)
Correspondent:   
MANUEL VALCARCEL
GREENBERG TRAURIG PA
1221 BRICKELL AVE
MIAMI, FL 33131

No thank you.

[MadImmortalMan]

My wife got a bottle of Jim Beam Red Stag cherry flavored bourbon to make some dessert recipe she had. I tried a nip, and omg it was awful.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Not a JB fan.

[Admiral Yi]

Jim is my bourbon of choice.  Unpretentious (cheap).  Rough like bourbon should taste.

[Jacob]

Word Mark:   KING OF QUEENS
Status/
Status Date:   
REGISTERED
12/4/2007
Serial Number:   78752136
Filing Date:   11/11/2005
Registration Number:   3349811
Registration Date:   12/4/2007
Goods and Services:   Alcoholic beverages, namely, scotch whiskey
Mark Description:   NOT AVAILABLE
Type Of Mark:   TradeMark
Published For Opposition Date:   7/18/2006
Last Applicant/Owner:   Gila Tequila, Inc.
Panama
Why is this contact information displayed?
Mark Drawing Code:   Standard Character Mark
Design Search:   (NO DATA)
Register Type:   Principal
Disclaimer:    (NOT AVAILABLE)
Correspondent:   
MANUEL VALCARCEL
GREENBERG TRAURIG PA
1221 BRICKELL AVE
MIAMI, FL 33131

No thank you.

Yikes.

Thank you. I'll feed it to guests in mixed drinks then.

[Scipio]

My bourbon of choice has become Ezra Brooks. It's a good balance of smoothness, flavor, and low cost.  However, most of the time at my house we stock Heaven Hill #1, which is not a straight bourbon, since we mostly drink mixed drinks (actually, my wife mostly drinks whiskey and diet Coke). 

But my true preferred daily whisky is George Dickel Cascade Hollow.  There's just something about it.  I used to drink Maker's Mark or Dickel No. 12, but the Cascade Hollow is fabulous for one or two a night after dinner (or before dinner).