Johnny walker blue label

[lxskllr]

I drink all *brown spirits neat, or if they're over ~90 proof, with a bit of water. Blue is good, but it's a one time purchase just for the experience. When you get to those price tags, the quality jump over more mainstream spirits is too small to justify it unless you have money to burn. My limit is about $250 a bottle just so I can experience something, but not as a repeat purchase. I'd spend the $250 on something different when I had that money for whisky.

Edit:
*had to refine my statement. Almost all I drink is brown spirits, but I like the occasional gin & tonic in the summer. Not a fan of gin neat.

 

[vi edit]

Rye whiskey: Rye is making a comeback in the whiskey world, and some cocktail purists will insist that you need a good rye for older cocktail recipes, as rye was the predominant whiskey of the 1800s when those cocktails were invented. Rye can be sweet, but it generally feels a bit harsher than bourbon (depending on the distiller). Rittenhouse is a great example of a rye whiskey; it's strong, it has a distinct rye character, it's great for cocktails (especially traditional cocktails like an Old Fashioned or Sazerac), and it's cheap. If you don't like Rittenhouse, you probably won't like most rye whiskey.

Excellent write up!

As far as what I quoted, have you tried a local rye whiskey from your neck of the woods? Pendleton Rye has been my most commonly stocked firewater for a couple years now.

http://blog.seattlepi.com/thepourfool/2011/10/24/pendleton-1910-rye-whiskey-s_x-in-a-glass/

This stuff is incredible. Smooth, mellow, yet has that slightly rougher rye undertone you mentioned. If you like butterscotch, you have to try it. That's the main note you get when you stick your nose in a snifter of it.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Excellent write up!

As far as what I quoted, have you tried a local rye whiskey from your neck of the woods? Pendleton Rye has been my most commonly stocked firewater for a couple years now.

http://blog.seattlepi.com/thepourfool/2011/10/24/pendleton-1910-rye-whiskey-s_x-in-a-glass/

This stuff is incredible. Smooth, mellow, yet has that slightly rougher rye undertone you mentioned. If you like butterscotch, you have to try it. That's the main note you get when you stick your nose in a snifter of it.

Last year I went on a rye whiskey kick and went looking for a bottle of it on a couple different occasions. One trip the store I visited was sold out; on another, they had the Rittenhouse in stock (which is rare around here), so I ended up getting that instead. So I've heard the virtues of the 1910 extolled, but I've not yet actually tried it. Maybe I'll pick up a bottle for my birthday...

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Excellent write up!

As far as what I quoted, have you tried a local rye whiskey from your neck of the woods? Pendleton Rye has been my most commonly stocked firewater for a couple years now.

http://blog.seattlepi.com/thepourfool/2011/10/24/pendleton-1910-rye-whiskey-s_x-in-a-glass/

This stuff is incredible. Smooth, mellow, yet has that slightly rougher rye undertone you mentioned. If you like butterscotch, you have to try it. That's the main note you get when you stick your nose in a snifter of it.

Just picked up a bottle, and you're right, this is fantastic. At first whiff, the butterscotch is a little overwhelming, and I worried that it would be cloyingly sweet (which is kind of how I feel about Pendleton's primary offering). Fortunately, the sweetness up front isn't as intense as it first smells, and it quickly gets bolstered by the peppery spiciness of the rye grain. Every sip I take reveals a new level of flavor, and it's all incredibly smooth. I think that reviewer was fair to label it "sex in a glass;" it's spectacular. My thanks for the recommendation.

 

[waggy]

I like whisky but damn some of it is just to damn expensive.

Have a bottle of maker's mark now I got it as a gift from a buddy

 

[Atomic Playboy]

I like whisky but damn some of it is just to damn expensive.

Have a bottle of maker's mark now I got it as a gift from a buddy

Whiskey isn't even the worst offender. A few years back, when I was a complete moron with more dollars than sense, I got into a serious cognac kick. You can get great whiskeys for under $40, and some really high-end offerings for under $100. A great bottle of cognac STARTS at ~$80, and I bought several bottles in the $500-750 range. And they were absolutely amazing, no doubt. But, damn, that is a stupid waste of money, isn't it? And, sure, at the absolute bleeding edge, aged scotch and aged cognac will both stretch into the thousands. But you get more for your money with whiskey, especially at the cheaper levels.

 

[Apex]

Whiskey isn't even the worst offender. A few years back, when I was a complete moron with more dollars than sense, I got into a serious cognac kick. You can get great whiskeys for under $40, and some really high-end offerings for under $100. A great bottle of cognac STARTS at ~$80, and I bought several bottles in the $500-750 range. And they were absolutely amazing, no doubt. But, damn, that is a stupid waste of money, isn't it? And, sure, at the absolute bleeding edge, aged scotch and aged cognac will both stretch into the thousands. But you get more for your money with whiskey, especially at the cheaper levels.

At least it can be consumed by the finger and kept indefinitely in the bottle.

Wine, on the other hand, gets comparatively stupid expensive. Gotta finish the bottle within a few days, and loads of wines out there cost thousands or tens of thousands.

 

[BikeJunkie]

Costco has it for $140!

That's a helluva price. I like Blue - not for $250, but definitely for ~$150.

I am typically a "single malt snob," but there are some blends out there that are quite good. I was really disappointed when JW discontinued Green, as it was probably the most underrated blend I've ever had.

 

[BikeJunkie]

What do you guys usually drink whiskey with? On the rocks? Or what do you mix with it? Total whiskey noob.

Neat and, depending on the dram, maybe with a (very small) splash of water. Careful with that, though - it can really "open up" some (Balvenie Doublewood) while absolutely destroying others (Talisker, Laphroaig).

For peatier malts (such as Talisker, Laphroaig, and Oban), I actually like to warm up the glass a bit (and a good glass goes a long way... glencairn). I've found this helps open it up when a splash of water would do damage.

Guys who poor their scotch over more than one or two ice cubes should be drinking pina coladas instead.

 

[DigDog]

i dont mind drinking JW if it's offered, but its ridiculously expensive for the quality.

my way of judging price/quality is: "if it costs more than Ardbeg, does it taste better than Ardbeg?"
generally, the answer is no.

 

[waggy]

Whiskey isn't even the worst offender. A few years back, when I was a complete moron with more dollars than sense, I got into a serious cognac kick. You can get great whiskeys for under $40, and some really high-end offerings for under $100. A great bottle of cognac STARTS at ~$80, and I bought several bottles in the $500-750 range. And they were absolutely amazing, no doubt. But, damn, that is a stupid waste of money, isn't it? And, sure, at the absolute bleeding edge, aged scotch and aged cognac will both stretch into the thousands. But you get more for your money with whiskey, especially at the cheaper levels.

yeah..that's insane. heh and i thought a $40 bottle of makers mark was expensive shit.

 

[evident]

I'd take a Hibiki 17 Blended over Johnny any day... all Johnnys i've tasted seem way too overpriced IMO. I'm still new to drinking scotches, but that's my opinion

 

[rstrohkirch]

Like mentioned above, I'm also saddened that they discontinued JW Green. I've tried around a dozen and a half different scotchs in my price range of up to $125 a bottle. Personally, I've always found JW Green to be my favorite tasting one. Most of my friends don't really care for Green label but I really enjoy the flavor.

 

[Nebor]

That's a helluva price. I like Blue - not for $250, but definitely for ~$150.

I am typically a "single malt snob," but there are some blends out there that are quite good. I was really disappointed when JW discontinued Green, as it was probably the most underrated blend I've ever had.

I'm not sure they really discontinued it. There was an announcement a couple years back, but it's still widely available and JW's website still has a page for it with no sign of it being discontinued.

I bought a case of it when I heard it was going away, and still have 5 bottles left. There's a couple of bottles at the shoppette across the street from my office right now, for $38. They also have JW Blue for $172.

I don't think JW Blue is worth the money over gold. And I rarely drink the gold over the black. I have multiple bottles of all of them. I'd like to try some of the trade winds varieties.

 

[zCypher]

I've always hated whiskey, but I think I've simply been doing it wrong... Thanks for all the great info in this thread. Going to give it a try the right way.

 

[Imported]

I like whisky but damn some of it is just to damn expensive.

Have a bottle of maker's mark now I got it as a gift from a buddy

I get e-mails from K&L all the time with these limited batches and stuff they release.. Wish I could keep a whole cabinet full of the stuff.

 

[Jay5]

Whiskey isn't even the worst offender. A few years back, when I was a complete moron with more dollars than sense, I got into a serious cognac kick. You can get great whiskeys for under $40, and some really high-end offerings for under $100. A great bottle of cognac STARTS at ~$80, and I bought several bottles in the $500-750 range. And they were absolutely amazing, no doubt. But, damn, that is a stupid waste of money, isn't it? And, sure, at the absolute bleeding edge, aged scotch and aged cognac will both stretch into the thousands. But you get more for your money with whiskey, especially at the cheaper levels.

id become a cognac drinker if the stuff wasnt so expensive.i bought a bottle of hennesey on vacation once and it was actually really good

 

[Ns1]

I'm partial to diet blue myself.

That's JW Blue and diet Pepsi. In the same glass.

 

[Tiamat]

I'd take a Hibiki 17 Blended over Johnny any day... all Johnnys i've tasted seem way too overpriced IMO. I'm still new to drinking scotches, but that's my opinion

Check out nikka taketsura 17 if you have access to it. Mad expensive in the States ($130) but inexpensive in Japan ($50). It is my favorite Japanese whisky so far. I haven't had a chance to try yoichi single malt yet. I found it when I was vacationing in Japan this past year and bought it cheaply in Tokyo. My wife and I took an evening during our stay in Kyoto and hit a whisky bar and tried hibiki 12, 17, 21; and teketsura 12, 17, 21. Out of the six, we really liked the 17 yr teketsura the best. It is a pure malt like jw green, but has a semi sweet flavor. I didn't care for hibiki as much due to the flavor profile being a bit too earthy/sticks/bark/dry tree leaves kinda similar to why I don't care for highland single malts (as opposed to Speyside which I prefer).

 

[MongGrel]

I like whisky but damn some of it is just to damn expensive.

Have a bottle of maker's mark now I got it as a gift from a buddy

I still like maker's mark myself, but don't drink whiskey that often these days.

Still one of my favorites, that and Wild Turkey for Bourbon.

For Scotch, which I used to drink too much of Glenfiddich I figure.

Just not a Whiskey drinker myself these days, if I'm going heavy I prefer a good martini straight up with a few olives.

But if we go out and I do that it's usually a seafood restaurant and I like martinis and calamari or seafood in general myself.

Had a bottle of Martell Cognac we bought on our honeymoon and opened up on our 20th anniversary, wasn't bad but just not my thing I guess.

 

[Tiamat]

id become a cognac drinker if the stuff wasnt so expensive.i bought a bottle of hennesey on vacation once and it was actually really good

Cognac is interesting when mixed with certain liquours. If you like amaretto, 1 part disaronno to 2 parts Hennessey vs brings out the almond flavor of amaretto while masking the meh after taste with a more pleasant cognac flavor and subdues the sweetness slightly. Served neat, the alcohol is slightly subdued from straight cognac and doesn't burn.

Like excellent whiskeys, cognacs are slow drinks. In the time it takes a person to down 4 cocktails, these slow drinks are still be cradled in your hand and enjoyed slowly both in taste and aroma. In the end, the bar tab is the same as the fast drinkers. They are for relaxing rather than excited social events.

My bottle of Remy martin Louis xiii has only been tapped twice. My 30th birthday and my promotion to a senor level position at work. Is it worth 2200$? Not to most people. However, if you are familiar with high end liquor and enjoy the nose and the taste, you won't turn it down. When ordered at highly rated establishments, it is the kind of drink respected by the head pastry chef as well as the wait staff and sommelier and is often accompanied by a dessert made impromptu by the pastry chef to provide a perfect pair. If you are the kind to eat out for the experience rather than simply a meal, these high end liquors will suit you. Otherwise they are a waste of money.
/tangent

 

[MongGrel]

Yes I drank the Cognac neat myself and it lasted awhile, I wouldn't turn it down ever if offered.

As a regular thing definitely not personally.

Have been in may high end restaurants myself over time in various settings, it always did seem to be an after dinner drink to me.

I'm still a martini fan myself I guess

 

[evident]

Check out nikka taketsura 17 if you have access to it. Mad expensive in the States ($130) but inexpensive in Japan ($50). It is my favorite Japanese whisky so far. I haven't had a chance to try yoichi single malt yet. I found it when I was vacationing in Japan this past year and bought it cheaply in Tokyo. My wife and I took an evening during our stay in Kyoto and hit a whisky bar and tried hibiki 12, 17, 21; and teketsura 12, 17, 21. Out of the six, we really liked the 17 yr teketsura the best. It is a pure malt like jw green, but has a semi sweet flavor. I didn't care for hibiki as much due to the flavor profile being a bit too earthy/sticks/bark/dry tree leaves kinda similar to why I don't care for highland single malts (as opposed to Speyside which I prefer).

yoichi single malt is very good, brought a bottle back from japan a few months back. I remember it being ridiculously cheap at the airport, like 50 bucks or something for the 15 year. I started off my single malt drinking career with alot of the japanese stuff, only recently started to have stuff from scotland, go figure. I've started with Yamazaki 12 year, then hakushu, hibiki (blended but i think i prefer this over many single malts tbh), nikka's, ichiro's malts, etc.. out of all the scottish stuff, I'm a big fan of macallan, glenmorganie, hate glenfiddich and dewars, haha. i still have alot more scotches to try and i'll give teketsura a shot next time i'm over there. i've only been drinking this stuff for about 2 years

 

[QueBert]

My roommates brother is a whiskey snob. He was over last month so I mixed Buchanan's Red Label with Sprite & apple juice right in front of him just to upset him. Needless to say he damn near started to hyper ventilate.

 

[Tiamat]

Yes I drank the Cognac neat myself and it lasted awhile, I wouldn't turn it down ever if offered.

As a regular thing definitely not personally.

Have been in may high end restaurants myself over time in various settings, it always did seem to be an after dinner drink to me.

I'm still a martini fan myself I guess

Martinis before meal cognac/scotch afterwards why settle for one