Sipping Whiskey (Page 3)

Well, I'm neither Catholic nor Protestant, so I think it should be OK.  That reminds my of my uncle who would only drink Coke because Pepsi "is an Arab drink!"

Oh, it was all me. He'll admit it

Since Straight Whisky. Blended Whiskey, Scotch Whiskey, and Irish whiskey have been covered, my a make a slight derail and suggest a good sippin' rum? ( or two or three)

Golings ( any of the three Black, Gold or Old)

Mount Gay Extra Gold.

Pusser's Navy Rum Trafalgar Bicentenary Decanter, Blended. ( This is oh so fine, the only thing more delicately beautiful than the decanter, is the 15 year old rum inside.)

Rum's a whole 'nother thing

Mount Gay Eclipse or Cruzant dark for mixing into rum punch and whatnot. Cruzan light or ESA Field for mojitos . For sipping rum, you can't beat Old Brigand 10-year-old.

Bacardi is paint thinner. 

Agreed!!!!!

consumer sipping whiskey is rare, but they are out there. I find that for sipping you need to go with a bourbon or Irish whiskey.

for bourbon try Wild Turkey 101, and for getting your Irish on I would recommend ether; Tullamore Dew, or Bushmills. Both are premium Irish whiskey for a low price, between $25-$45. I have more fun with Dew then Bushmills, but both are smooth and rich with the have that spirit that can only be found in the spirit of the emerald isl  

Buffalo trace if you want that bright wintergreen thing

Bookers if you want the deep carmelized thing

Still trying to figure out the new Jim Beam double aged (8 year) -- Don't think its in the same class

Cognacs -- Hennessey XO

Cigars -- Well that gets even more specific

My drink of choice for sipping is cognac

either Louis XIII or Hennessy and I'm good

Bah...  No alcohol for me til mid February. After a hard ride yesterday I REALLY wanted a beer.

When this was first posted three years ago . . . I could only drink whiskey mixed with coke, so I didn't feel like I could comment . . . .

However, at that time I had only been living in the heart of Bourbon country for a year.  My how things have changed.

For me, everyday sipping is Buffalo Trace . . . mainly because I have a big bottle of the stuff.  Also good are Knob Creek, Elijah Craig, and a really good one is Angel's Envy.

A question - since I've started making Manhattans (2:1:.5 Rittenhouse Rye:Antica Vermouth:Cherry Juice - NO NO NO bitters) I've come to realize that bourbon/scotch/whiskey is best enjoyed chilled, but undiluted.

So - what are your thoughts on whiskey stones? (Example)

Oh man, Manhattans! But you gotta have bitters. (I LOVE Angostura bitters) That recipe is a little heavy on the sweet, but rye is not as sweet as bourbon, so that is probably OK. I have never had Antica vermouth before. When I step off the wagon again, I'll have to find some.

I have looked at the whiskey stones, and it seems a good idea on the face of it, but I have always found that a small amount of ice, and the natural dilution that happens as it melts really gives you a range of flavors over the "life" of the drink.

Okay - my palatte must just not be that refined.  To me, it's like adding water to anything else.  It just tastes "less".

I happen to own a cocktail bar in Vegas so over the past 10 years or so, I have had the opportunity to sample literally hundreds of bourbons, ryes and single malts (that I would never have the stones to buy for myself).  Here is my $.02-

If you're looking for a something nice at an entry level price:

Bourbon: Woodford Reserve, Blanton's - Great woody flavor, go down really easy.

Scotch: Balvenie 12yr Double Wood, MacCallan 12yr Sherry Oak - both are around $40 but taste like $80.  If you like the sweeter Speyside scotches, you won't be disappointed with these which both have finished the aging process in either a port or sherry cask.  Really nice.

If you want to enter the world of the whiskey cognoscente:

Bourbon: Bookers Small Batch - it's sooo effing good you want to pour it on your pancakes!  But beware - at cask strength, it goes down like jet fuel. 

Scotch: Highland Park 18yr, Old Pulteney 17yr - both a bit pricier $60-70 but worth it.  Great blend of sweet/smokey

If you are the most interesting man in the world:

Bourbon: Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 20yr - prepare to have your mind blown.

Scotch: MacCallan 25yr, Balvenie Portwood 21yr - Amazingly complex!  Like having a 4 movement symphony on your tongue!  Words fail.

And finally, If you're the kind of person (like me) who fantasizes about sitting in a small wooden shack in front of a coal stove along the Scottish coast during a storm - while smoking an old meerschaum pipe shaped like a mermaid and sipping on something that tastes like tarred rope that's been soaked in sea water for ten years and then wrapped in beef jerky - I have the scotch for you:

Ardbeg or Lagavulin - Distilled in the Islay (pronounced eye-lah) region of Scotland, these are the most Briney, medicinal and smoky scotches out there.  The barley used in the distilling process is dried out by burning peat logs from the marshes on the floor right next to the barley.  It absorbs all that awesome smokiness!