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Good whiskey, scotch and rye (anything but bourbon)

To me, scotch and Irish whiskeys are too light in their bodies. It's why I prefer bourbon and cognac.
 
Bubble Boy said:
I would throw High West Double Rye into the best under $45 rye category. I love it in a Manhattan, yet it can hold its own consumed neat. I like Rittenhouse in a Manhattan but am not crazy about it neat. Of course Rittenhouse is cheaper than HWDR. I can usually get the DR for $35; however, when we were on the other side of FL for T-giving, I found a place selling it and the HW Prairie Bourbon for $25/bottle. I loaded up, so now I will be enjoying Double Rye Manhattans for the foreseeable future.
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Reiterating that Rye should be covered in the Bourbon thread, did want to say that I have wanted to be a High West fan but it just doesn't click for me. Have had bottles of Rendezvous, Double Rye, and Son of Bourye. I think Double Rye is the best of those but in my mind, not worth the price.

Rendezvous tasted dusty to me. The whole bottle did, as in, I started rinsing my glasses with water before each pour as I assumed I used a dusty glass, but that wasn't it.

On Double Rye, I hesitate to say this, but some of you may be familiar with the MGP dill pickle note...where every rye distilled by MGP has a distinct flavor of pickle juice. I didn't believe it myself (love the the long-lost Smooth Ambler Rye made by MGP) but sure enough, in the Double Rye I caught the flavor and once I did, it was there forever. Maybe something from High West will work for me but right now it's just not there.
 
Yeah I always get the dill in MGP ryes but I kind of like it. The only double rye I’ve bought before was a store pick that was rested in bourbon barrels for an extra two years or something. So maybe that mellowed the dill because that rye was awesome.
 
I'm drinking more scotch as I age. More opportunities to try different ones. I have really enjoyed red breast ones I had over the last 2 _ 3 years. Not a bad introduction for new drinkers.

One of my favorite dark, aged rums is ron zacapa 23 from Guatemala.
 
deaconson said:
I'm drinking more scotch as I age. More opportunities to try different ones. I have really enjoyed red breast ones I had over the last 2 _ 3 years. Not a bad introduction for new drinkers.
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Not to put too fine a point on this but Redbreast is Irish Whiskey . . . . good Irish Whiskey but Irish Whiskey never the less. Redbreast is a great way to move over from bourbon to Scotch because most Irish Whiskies are milder than Scotch. Irish Whiskies are usually milder because they are triple distilled. Irish Whiskey and Scotch have a lot in common because they are both starting with barley as their main grain.

Scotch is made from malted barley and is usually (but not always) double distilled. Irish Whiskey is made from malted barley and dry barley and is usually triple distilled.

I am a big fan of Irish Whiskey but I drink more Scotch. Generally speaking you are not going to find as many different Irish Whiskies as you will find different Scotches.

I definitely agree with you that the older I get the more I like Scotch. Could that has something to do with our tastebuds?
 
gfspencer said:
Not to put too fine a point on this but Redbreast is Irish Whiskey . . . . good Irish Whiskey but Irish Whiskey never the less. Redbreast is a great way to move over from bourbon to Scotch because most Irish Whiskies are milder than Scotch. Irish Whiskies are usually milder because they are triple distilled. Irish Whiskey and Scotch have a lot in common because they are both starting with barley as their main grain.

Scotch is made from malted barley and is usually (but not always) double distilled. Irish Whiskey is made from malted barley and dry barley and is usually triple distilled.

I am a big fan of Irish Whiskey but I drink more Scotch. Generally speaking you are not going to find as many different Irish Whiskies as you will find different Scotches.

I definitely agree with you that the older I get the more I like Scotch. Could that has something to do with our tastebuds?
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What do you think of Dalmore 12? I don't have the most advanced scotch palate, but a friend gifted me a bottle last year and I have really enjoyed it.
 
Strickland33 said:
What do you think of Dalmore 12? I don't have the most advanced scotch palate, but a friend gifted me a bottle last year and I have really enjoyed it.
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I like it a lot. It is a very good, medium priced single malt. (Most reviewers give it 3 1/2 to 4 out of 5 stars.) I personally like it because it is partly finished in oloroso sherry casks. Also try Dalmore Cigar Malt . . . even if you don't smoke cigar.
 
If you are interested in Peated whiskey/whisky see if you can find the fall edition of "Whisky Advocate". (I have a printed copy but my son tells me that you can read it on-line.) It has quite a bit of information about Peat including a chart that shows you a range of Scotch from mildly peated to extremely peated Single Malts. It even gives you some ideas for whisky/whiskey and cigar pairings.

I am not affiliated with the magazine. :eek:
 
I like Dalmore. Balvenie is probably my favorite. I really like the Caribbean cask. I am also a fan of the Macallan rare cask. I can’t stand Laphroiag.
 
Game of Thrones has come out with a limited edition of eight different Scotches. They are done by eight reputable distilleries. All eight Scotches are reasonably priced. I bought one by Talisker and another by Lagavulin . . . but I haven't tried either. They are getting decent reviews.
 
gfspencer said:
Game of Thrones has come out with a limited edition of eight different Scotches. They are done by eight reputable distilleries. All eight Scotches are reasonably priced. I bought one by Talisker and another by Lagavulin . . . but I haven't tried either. They are getting decent reviews.
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I love scotch. I’ve been to Islay and Skye and visited distilleries there. Both are fucking beautiful places for hiking (and bird watching) not just drinking. The Oa peninsula in Islay will impress, I promise. I loved Islay so much I named my boat after it.

Lagavulin 16 and Talisker 12 or their “Port Ruighe” are my favorite scotches and Highland Park is another really good one. Laphroiag is great and they probably have the best distillery tour of any of the ones I’ve been on.
 
Redbreast 12 Irish Whiskey is delicious. For those who don't like standard issue scotch, Balvenie 14yr Caribbean Cask is a nice twist. I love the stuff. If you like weak but smooth scotch Glenlivet 12 is fine, 14 is way better.
 
gfspencer said:
I like it a lot. It is a very good, medium priced single malt. (Most reviewers give it 3 1/2 to 4 out of 5 stars.) I personally like it because it is partly finished in oloroso sherry casks. Also try Dalmore Cigar Malt . . . even if you don't smoke cigar.
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I've got a bottle of Cigar Malt at home. It's quite nice.
 
Picked up the Glenmorangie 12 year La Santa (bourbon/sherry cask finish) for Christmas sipping. I enjoy all sorts of liquors but in the cold dark months Scotch is my go-to. Bourbon for the spring and fall, gin all summer long.

Speaking of gin, Fainting Goat Distillery in Greensboro makes one called Emulsion that I think is excellent.
 
Deacon923 said:
Picked up the Glenmorangie 12 year La Santa (bourbon/sherry cask finish) for Christmas sipping. I enjoy all sorts of liquors but in the cold dark months Scotch is my go-to. Bourbon for the spring and fall, gin all summer long.

Speaking of gin, Fainting Goat Distillery in Greensboro makes one called Emulsion that I think is excellent.
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The Bruchladdich distillery, who's scotches are gimmicky and over produced, makes a great gin called The Botanist.
 
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