Name your poison: the generic whiskey preference poll

bourbon: at the top of the ballot for a reason

bourbon just ahead of rye

scotch. there are few things more evocative than a good peaty malt.

HURRAH

scotch, but can dig irish or bourbon, no taste at all for any rye i've ever tried.

rye in mixed drinks, single malt scotch when friends are over, bourbon until I die

be more specific about the no of shots involved in that last one pls

and if we're doin it like that:

irish in hot whiskey/coffee
scotch for sippin
bourbon if i'm mixing (shut up sometimes you gotta)
poitin for when you absolutely positively have to kill every last motherfucker in the room

hurrah for all kinds whiskey!
but in order of preference

scotch
bourbon
rye

everything other than canadian and american blended

darragh is poitin what we call poteen?

welsh whisky

I have a strong preference for peated whiskies, so scotch. I drink quite a lot of Irish too, though.

Rye.
Bourbon's too sweet, Scotch is too expensive for a proper alcoholic jag.

pedant in me points out that bourbon need not be from kentucky.

voting bourbon obv.

rye in mixed drinks, single malt scotch when friends are over, bourbon until I die

― Inconceivable (to the entire world) (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Wednesday, November 7, 2012 5:59 PM (42 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this is a good post. rye totally owns in drinks.

Scotch.

In addition to being fine drinking on occasional nights, a nip here and there has been a blessing to me when I suffer bad insomnia. Mmmm.

Scotch, no hesitation. I like the really peaty shit.

Scotch, no question. I've got to learn more about bourbon.

Laphroaig is my jam

And if I'm mixing a cheap scotch is better than anything else, as I find bourbon too sweet. Prefer rum or gin for mixed drinks though.

xpost - love Laphroaig!

I bought mr veg a bottle of laphroaig for christmas but it was just as much for me as for him, lol

Scotch, no question. I've got to learn more about bourbon.

― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, November 7, 2012 6:45 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i would humbly offer to chat bourbon w/you anytime

I supposedly have my name associated with the title to 1 square foot of Laphroaig's peat. A promotion they were running in 2004 IIRC.

I did exactly the same for my dad when I was still living with him in my early twenties. Only he didn't always know I was drinking it.

xpost

scotch is interesting to me. it's like i respect it but i don't viscerally love it--all the barrel finishes and peat and stuff seem fussy to me. when i got my bonus last year i went to a shop that was known for scotch and asked for something as straight-up as they could give me--no peat, no sherry, cask strength--just some fucking scotch. the result was a 16-yr old bunnahabin distilled in '88--it's gorgeous, wonderful stuff but it cost a fortune and i don't really find myself reaching for it very often.

So, to revise my vote, with no budgetary constraints, it would be MacAllan 12 for guests, and Laphroaig 10 for intimates. So Scotch it is.

I don't mind irish whiskey, feels like a nice cousin of scotch.

bourbon I have a harder time with, I don't like the sweetness so much. But I've only had crappy bourbon so that's probably why.

something as straight-up as they could give me--no peat, no sherry, cask strength

Unless it's really fucking rich and boggy I don't find there to be a huge taste difference between a £12 bottle and a £30 bottle, TBH.

it's interesting to me when ppl describe bourbon as too sweet--like, it's sweet but all i get from some scotches is honey and vanilla and sweet fruity notes.

chap that may well be true, honestly it was worth it to pay for cask strength cause 80 proof spirits don't really do it for me most of the time

bourbon, but to be honest it's the only one I've taken the time to educated about.

japanese btw

Bourbon straight and mixed, rye in drinks.

bourbon I have a harder time with, I don't like the sweetness so much. But I've only had crappy bourbon so that's probably why.

VegemiteGrrl, spend a few bucks for any of the MOR standards - Knob Creek, Maker's Mark, Jim Beam, Wild Turkey 101 - and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. The flavor components of bourbon are really complex and diverse though almost always yummy. The cheap stuff is where it gets sweet, and that's not a coincidence.

To be frank I base my dislike of bourbon on JD, which I'm sure isn't fair in the slightest. I haven't felt the need to experiment because all the delicious scotch comes from a couple of hundred miles north of us.

Yeah, basing preference on the cheap stuff always throws of perspective.

The various Wellers are good bargain places to start, too, though maybe not in Europe, where bourbon prices are high.

Buffalo Trace is reeeeeally good IMO.

Oh, shit, forgot BT! Yeah, great value. All the stuff from that distillery is awesome.

Also Bulleit -- both are pretty spicy, BT more so.

For the price Bulleit is pretty much unstoppable.

Want to say Bulleit is almost $10 more than Buffalo Trace. However, it is pretty rye-forward, I want to say, which makes it pretty versatile.

irish, then scotch

like higher-end bourbons ok but overall not that into it, prefer bourbon and rye in a cocktail if at all

canadian whiskey is nasty

bulleit is cheaper than buffalo trace around me. haven't tried the bulleit rye yet.

irish is vile. i drink scotch more frequently but prefer bourbon.

darragh is poitin what we call poteen?

yep

Rye for mixing and sipping
Scotch for savouring
Irish for drinking from the bottle round the camp fire

hurrah for all kinds whiskey!

this is me - I will drink all the amber colored liquors

Where do you all stand on brandy?

The brandy/cognac family I find as broad as bourbon/rum and as imposing as wine.

Bourbon, but I could probably be swayed to choose Scotch.

I don't even know if I've ever had brandy that wasn't total swill.

i assumed "generic" meant blended stuff, no single malts, in which case Irish then Bourbon then Scotch. but Scotch jumps to the front if you include single malts.

The brandy/cognac family I find as broad as bourbon/rum and as imposing as wine.

― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, November 8, 2012 5:31 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I will drink all the amber colored liquors (except rum)

bulleit still $19 or so at costco here

don't really know/care about the VS, VSOP, XO, XOX, XOXOXOXOXOX whatev classifications

I thought rum and I were quitsville until I discovered dark and stormy cocktails -- hello darkrum my old friend

Hey chap, Jack Daniels is tennessee whiskey which is like bourbon, but filtered differently. It's a different beast.

Dickel is a better Tennessee Whiskey, too

armagnac seems like the shit but i am way too intimidated to buy a good one

I much prefer armagnac, much fruitier and more complex flavour in general and better value. Take a punt on any straight up Bas armagnac and you won't go far wrong. (Chateau de Maniban is cheap and fantastic if you can find it)

prefer armagnac to cognac. I think you could also include Marc, Grappa and other grape based spirits in that list. I had a truly tremendous grappa the other week, but forgot to take a note of the label.

Rum is awesome ... in drinks. Mojitos, mai tais, daiquiris, pretty much all tiki/tropical drinks. There are a million types of rum, and I believe it's produced, like vodka, pretty much everywhere. I have several bottles, and go through a couple of staples with some frequency. However, it's the last thing I'd want to drink straight.

BTW, read in a great book (History of the World in 10 Rums or something) that rum played a vital role in the Revolutionary War. The sugar tax, which preceded the stamp and tea taxes? That was a tax on sugar cane from the French Indies, which the colonists imported in large quantities to make rum (there were something like 80 rum distilleries in Boston pre-Rev. War!), much to the chagrin of the British, who wanted the colonists to pay more from countries they oversaw and, for that matter, frowned on colonists making profits of their own in the first place.

Bourbon & Dickel

Prefer Bulleit if I'm being picky but I also dig BT, Jefferson's, & Blanton's quite a bit. And Rebel Yell.

i drink rum straight on the occasional balls-hot summer evening

Also I don't mix w/ anything b/c fuckit. Neat only.

scottish then japanese

how cheap can u get buffalo trace in the states

I much prefer armagnac, much fruitier and more complex flavour in general and better value. Take a punt on any straight up Bas armagnac and you won't go far wrong. (Chateau de Maniban is cheap and fantastic if you can find it)

― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Thursday, November 8, 2012 5:57 PM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

thanks! i'm gonna do this soon.

rum neat is some ugly shit but guys cmere is gin anything but a poison with alarmingly stupefyin side effects cos fuck that shit hey

buffalo trace is like 25 bucks

Last bottle of Buffalo Trace I got was like $25 iirc.

xps heh

armagnac is not more complex than cognac unless the latter is pretty rudimentary stuff

gin is my best friend

she'd only telling you that

just because she's mean to you

only the once, on a point of pride i don't let ppl close again after that

yr missing out

I don't drink much whisk(e)y, but I do love the Lagavulin on my booze shelf, so scotch.

Still, I think I'm going to drink bourbon tonight.

I've never had a rum I'd buy for myself, but the similar Brazilian sugarcane spirit cachaça is pretty great. Mostly for caipirinha coctails which is more or less a really rustic proper daiquiri.

it's daddy, shithead. where's my BOURBON?

Scotch, followed by Irish, followed by Rye.

i love bourbon the most, but it's dangerously easy to drink
as is jack daniels
i do love scotch too, but drink it less

ironically, I did try the newish honey jack daniels and despite not liking bourbon bc it's too sweet that brew was terrifyingly drinkable. I made a note to myself to avoid. Killer hangover with all that sugar i bet

but oh it was yum

i finally found some Bulleit a couple of weeks ago in my government-sanctioned neighbourhood liquor store - in the glass cabinet where the more $$ scotches etc are! it's only $4 more than jack daniels. lol canada and/or quebec.

bourbon. here's how I break it down:

for Manhattans (makers manhattans are my drink), drinking straight (on ice) & for overall utility - Maker's Mark
for sipping neat - Basil Hayden's
for taking shots of - Wild Turkey 101
for mixing w/ coke or gingerale or Faygo Rock & Rye - Jack Daniels (not technically bourbon, but cmon)
for reliably delivering pangs of nausea & nostalgia, in equal measure, w/ even just a whiff of its sour-mashiness: Jim Beam
underrated & affordable: Old Grand-Dad (not to be confused w/ Old Crow, which should rightly be ignored & avoided)
overrated & overpriced: Knob Creek
not worth the repercussions, regardless of how broke one might be at a given time: (tie) Evan Williams & Early Times
if you're feeling fancy & want to splurge on a small-batch - Booker's or Bulleit or Woodford Reserve or something else delicious & high-falutin

Elijah Craig 12 is my go-to bourbon, but I've found a lot to like/sip in everything Wild Turkey 101 to Weller 12.

Bought a bottle of Old Fitz, heard good things ...

Bulleit has such rad bottles

http://uncrate.com/p/2009/03/bulleit-bourbon.jpg

i need to give bulleit another shot, i was not a fan last time

Elijah Craig 12.. Old Fitz

duly noted!

The former over the latter, by far. Old Fitz is sort of a nice, cheap, rough around the edges standby, though by all accounts not what it once was.

yeah old fitz is not remotely what it once was

What it once was, the old Old Fitzgerald - Old Old Fitzgerald? - goes for hundreds now. Direct antecedent of the Van Winkle stuff, from the same S-W distillery.

http://www.celticwhiskeyshop.com/shared/preview_product1012.jpg

this is current. not great.

http://www.staustellbrewery.co.uk/whiskey

http://www.glannarmor.com/home.htm

xxp it was very very old fitzgerald, and yeah that was the s-w stuff. i know a guy who has some....hopefully we kick it and he opens a bottle someday.

Rye.
Sipping: Rittenhouse BiB (Bulleit if Rittenhouse not available)
Mixing: Pikesville Supreme, the Natty Boh of distilled beverages (Old Overholt if Pikesville not available)

No contest for me. BOURBON. Some people claim the Irish helps you dodge a hangover, though.

i hadn't noticed

Single Malt every time especially all the Islay ones.

Dodge a hangover me arse. The only way to dodge a hangover is to stay drunk.

pro tipsy

Malt > Irish blends > Scotch blends > Bourbon > Canadian

So I'm voting Scotch.

I have one of these at home I really need to get around to opening
http://www.jurawhisky.com/uploads/shop/shopitem/thumb/thm_Superstition%5B1%5D.jpg

if you're feeling fancy & want to splurge on a small-batch - Booker's or Bulleit or Woodford Reserve or something else delicious & high-falutin
--suggest butt (Pillbox)

How in the hell is bulleit small-batch or hoghfalutun'?

haha, I was going to ask that, but figured I'd let it go for now

btw i am not sure how my phone translates "high-falutin'" to... gaelic? probably drinkin' that Four Roses.

What it once was, the old Old Fitzgerald - Old Old Fitzgerald? - goes for hundreds now. Direct antecedent of the Van Winkle stuff, from the same S-W distillery.

― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, November 8, 2012 8:01 PM (Yesterday)

I might have made it up but I swear that one time I saw an "Ancient Ancient Age" for sale.

I didn't make it up!

http://sourmashmanifesto.com/2012/06/07/review-ancient-ancient-age-10-year-bourbon/

Ancient Ancient Age is a great bargain, if you can find it! Not all states get it, and there are two confusing bottles: the 10 Star and the 10 Year. Obviously you want the 10 year.

ancient ancient age rules, highly recommended.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

How in the hell is bulleit small-batch or hoghfalutun'?

thought it was. I've only had it once or twice. I usually stick to my normal repertoire, as listed above. carry on, then!

perhaps I was deceived by the old-timey boutiquishness of the bottle.

bulleit is all made at the four roses distillery iirc. not boutique or small-batch, which actually should be selling points!

btw Talisker is amazing y'all

I think once u go 100 proof u cant go back

talisker is p good it's true

thought it was. I've only had it once or twice. I usually stick to my normal repertoire, as listed above. carry on, then!

...

perhaps I was deceived by the old-timey boutiquishness of the bottle.

― mod is my co-pilot (Pillbox), Tuesday, November 13, 2012

ha - fair enough. that bottle is def slicker than the price point requires.

bulleit pretty much replaced wild turkey as my go-to non-premium bourbon. fwiw i've never really gotten maker's mark. i know it's supposed to be the premium nonpremium but it's never really done much for me.

I prefer Knob Creek to Maker's Mark, yet I consistently buy Maker's; will have to try Bulleit

Irish because it's cheap
Canadian because it's delicious and cheap if you get the good stuff (Alberta Premium Dark Horse, i.e.)
I have never met a whiskey I haven't liked tho

That said if I'd have to rank some liquors, whiskey ranks above gin, below tequila and far far below brandies

I prefer Knob Creek to Maker's Mark, yet I consistently buy Maker's; will have to try Bulleit

― I loves you, PORGI (DJP), Tuesday, November 13, 2012 11:28 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

tbh try four roses small batch before you try bulleit

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

otm

Voted "scotch" but felt bad about tacit approval of a term that is acceptable in Scotchland.

Poll reminds me I have never tried rye, Canadian, moonshine or "blended American" (although I'm a bit confused about Jack Daniels - that's not technically bourbon, right? Is that "blended American"?).

I voted hurrah for all whisky, although I probably should've voted scotch since that is what I drink most regularly. But that's cos it's cheaper here. If I'm in the US I'm more likely to drink bourbon.

Blended would be a best-of-barrels blend rather than restricting to one type, I believe. Instead of mixing barrels of the same recipe you're blending different types.

A lot of great blended scotches out there.

rye is nasty

rong

"blended whiskey" prob refers to the practice of blending actual whiskey with unaged grain spirit to make cheap hooch

oh, that too. not repping for that, generally

Jack D is Tennessee Whiskey

^which is a pointless distinction

it is and it isn't, but both it and the few other tennessee whiskies have a distinct flavor profile that no bourbons have

A bartender I know at one of those Milk & Honey places cites Scotch whiskey as being her least favourite liquor, in that its flavours are too inflexible and dominating for use in anything but a handful of specific cocktails. (One of those specific cocktails is my favourite mixed drink, their Penicillin.)

imo the only thing that makes it worth noting is that tenn. only allows two distilleries by law. I'm p sure pritchard's distills in KY and barrels/ages in TN, which is some horseshit, also pritchard's is awful

xp

oh, certainly. other than walker red, I can't think of any other scotches advertised for mixing that aren't lower-mid or bottom shelf

tbh I always forget there are tennessee whiskies other than JD/Dickel

iirc the distinction b/w bourbon & TW has to do w/ the oak barrels in which TW is aged having charred interior surface, no?

filtering post-distillation

rye is nasty

Whenever I hear someone say "gin is gross," or "tequila makes me sick," or "rye is nasty," that usually means the person has either never had a drink with those ingredients that was prepared properly, or is flashing back to college when all that was available/purchased was the cheapest swill equivalents of the aforementioned, typically then just dumped into a jug of juice or something.

I am surprised to see anybody repping for Japanese whiskey. I haven't had a Japanese whiskey that I'd prefer to any inexpensive Irish blend like a Bushmill's.

Josh otm, and I assume that people who rate Canadian so low are basing their judgement on unfortunate Canadian Club experiences

hah, or the fact that Black Velvet has dumped "canadian whiskey" on middle america for a few decade

The tastable differences between Tennessee Whiskey and Bourbon are a lot smaller than those between, say, any two fancy-ass gin brands.

Very true. People don't differentiate between gin styles well, though, and there's definitely fewer categories.

the rye i tried was recommended from the ilx whiskey thread, and iirc i tried two or three different of em.- at quite a hit to my wallet and enjoyment of my evening. rye irs naaaasty.

try them in a manhattan, imo

Very true. People don't differentiate between gin styles well, though, and there's definitely fewer categories.

― under minnesota shakedown (mh), Thursday, November 15, 2012 11:29 AM (33 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

in america the rules governing gin are pretty loose, there are some gins out there that really should be called something else

92% of thread voters can't be wrong

Good scotch isn't for mixing with anything but water, won't even work in a hot toddy ime. Maybe rye does!

countertop disinfectant, pinecone air freshener, etc xp

I still can't stand really peaty scotch, just seems nasty

i feel like drinking it about once a year but it's kind of a drag

i tend to avoid the very peaty stuff myself, laphroaig is just too much, for instance

that would be the one that definitively turned me off, yes

re: japanese, 10 year yamazaki is my favourite (tho i don't get it often), and quite clearly superior to a standard bushmills/jameson imo- tho standard japanese malts probably aren't as good as either of those

that yamazaki might well be my favourite full stop, i mean, better than even yr redbreast or glenfiddichs

I'm mentioned it before, but I have blended Scotch and peaty stuff on hand just for these:

Penicillin

2 oz. any favorite single malt or blended scotch (lighlty peated)
1/4 oz. Laphroaig

3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
3/4 oz honey-ginger syrup (1:1 honey and water + large slices of fresh ginger, reduced)

Garnish with candied ginger

Combine ingredients in shaker with ice, serve with large cube

had a 'scottish blazer' in L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon (london cocktail week yo): 18 yr old macallan, port, orange peel, served hot. amazing.

Thanks darraghmac, I will try it. I don't remember the various kinds I tried but the prevailing internal feeling was "why am I drinking this instead of some delicious shochu"

The Penicillin is my favourite whiskey-based cocktail and is the part that Laphraoig was born to play

hey that pencillin sounds like good timez

The Penicillin sounds SOOOO good.

srsly does, but tbh it's 5pm and everythin sounds good right now

I am surprised to see anybody repping for Japanese whiskey. I haven't had a Japanese whiskey that I'd prefer to any inexpensive Irish blend like a Bushmill's.

― in an English way (flamboyant goon tie included), Thursday, November 15, 2012 11:23 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah the ones I've had have been very 'polite'

I love the peatier malts, insert yr dealwith.gif here.

Will happily drink bourbon or Irish but don't think I've ever knowingly tried a rye. Any suggestions?

rittenhouse or one of the newer willett bottlings to start.

old overholt is the classic, available pretty much everywhere rye and i think it's pretty good, especially to mix with.

Not really sure I would drink either of those ryes straight, tbh. Maybe the new Knob. I mostly mix with rye. Bulleit, I understand, is a very "rye-forward" bourbon, so it might be a good place to start.

(ri)1 is good for cocktails, and enjoyable straight by people who like the idea of rye but reality has been too harsh so far. I think it's fine stuff, won't get macho about it.

Is (ri)1 still a thing? I felt like it has been less of a presence on store shelves. I bought some when it was discounted from some normally ridiculous price (I think I got it for $28?) but have no impulse to normally buy

it's def been de-emphasized but not sure beyond that. with the big push for knob creek rye, beam doesn't really need to keep it around.

It's still being made (it's a Beam product). I don't own any, but I live in Europe and get a locally (Austrian) made rye that's quite nice -- but I'd have a bottle of (ri)1 in my bar set-up if I lived in the States in addition to a more old fashioned rye.

How is it particularly different from an old-fashioned rye?

Less spicy, very smooth, slightly sweet without being sugary/liquory.

ri1 is about as old-fashioned as it gets other than the name!

i don't even know if it's aged more than old overholt

I was going to say, it tasted like many other ryes I've had, just with novelty branding

I've never had the anchor distillery vintage-styled ryes, though. Don't they make different varieties that are supposed to correspond to time periods?

yeah, i've never been able to pull the trigger on one of them.

Beam says it is; it's a blend, the youngest of which is 4.5 years -- OO is 4 years.

No ice. No stirrer. No glass. We're redefining how whisky can be enjoyed. Introducing The Glenlivet Capsule Collection #noglassrequired pic.twitter.com/F4MGErsfZM

— The Glenlivet (@TheGlenlivet) October 2, 2019

I predict this new product, however weird and silly it may seem to fans of Glenlivet or scotch whichey in general, will not prevent traditional Glenlivet drinkers from purchasing and drinking Glenlivet as they have done in the past, which is probably why it doesn't matter to the Glenlivet management that this idea gets ridiculed as weird and silly. All they care about is expanding their market and their profits. It might do that, but who knows?

congrats to glenlivet for inventing the nip

they're just trying to appeal to hip millenials who favor tide pods

lol

*sips Old Forester and shakes head ruefully*

i had the tide pod thought!

what an awful awful piece of footage