The Hard Liquor and Miscellaneous Stiff Drinks Thread

[Adrian II]

Have the same with Berenburg, can't even smell it anymore or I get sick. What kind of schipper can't hold his berenburg? I used to like it but ever since, since........ well I don't really remember. Wonder why.

I remember a sailing week from hell in Frisia: seven days and nights of drizzling rain and almost no wind. Berenburg saved us from going mad, falling ill or becoming depressed. We counted our empty bottles, and by the end of the week it appeared I had drank a bottle a day... Now this was back in the day when Adrian II was a fine specimen of rugged, superior masculinity - 190 pound of muscle, brain and wit with icy blue eyes, the most casual five o'clock shade in the known universe, and he capacity to survive solely on black coffee and a woman's touch.

Aaanyway, it's a miracle I remember that week at all.

[Beirut]

Now this was back in the day when Adrian II was a fine specimen of rugged, superior masculinity - 190 pound of muscle, brain and wit with icy blue eyes, the most casual five o'clock shade in the known universe, and he capacity to survive solely on black coffee and a woman's touch.

Makes me think of a story I read years ago about a kid being invited to a Jewish friend's house for dinner. The kid asked what they were going to have and the mother said Matzo Ball soup. The kid then imagines that Matzos are like cows and is terrified that two huge testicles will be floating in his soup. Then he thinks about the poor Matzos out the field with no cohones and the girl Matzos making fun of them, saying that the men Matzos used to be so virile, but now all they do is talk and act like intellectuals.

Sorry.

[Adrian II]

Makes me think of a story I read years ago about a kid being invited to a Jewish friend's house for dinner. The kid asked what they were going to have and the mother said Matzo Ball soup. The kid then imagines that Matzos are like cows and is terrified that two huge testicles will be floating in his soup. Then he thinks about the poor Matzos out the field with no cohones and the girl Matzos making fun of them, saying that the men Matzos used to be so virile, but now all they do is talk and act like intellectuals.

Sorry.

You certainly know how to spin someone else's joke, Beirut.

I could of course mention a certain moderator here who describes himself as an intellectual chick magnet, but since we're among equals I guess that is superfluous.

[SwordsMaster]

I remember a sailing week from hell in Frisia: seven days and nights of drizzling rain and almost no wind. Berenburg saved us from going mad, falling ill or becoming depressed. We counted our empty bottles, and by the end of the week it appeared I had drank a bottle a day... Now this was back in the day when Adrian II was a fine specimen of rugged, superior masculinity - 190 pound of muscle, brain and wit with icy blue eyes, the most casual five o'clock shade in the known universe, and he capacity to survive solely on black coffee and a woman's touch.

Aaanyway, it's a miracle I remember that week at all.

....so, what happened to this fine specimen of rugged, superior masculinity? Berenburg?

[Uesugi Kenshin]

$90 a bottle here and blisteringly hard to find. Only place I know is a booze store in Ottawa and the bottles tend to be reserved for restaurants. Shmucks.

I don't mind the price, really. First of all because it's worth it and I don't mind paying for luxury items I can actually afford. Second, I can afford it because I rarely buy more than four or five bottles of good whisky a year. I wait until something good shows up on the shelf and then grab it. I love my whisky, but I prefer to love it in expensive moderation.

There's a bottle of 16 year-old Bushmills I've been dying to try, that will probably be next. That's also about $90 a bottle. I've had the 10 year-old single malt Bushmills and the 12 year-old "standard", both are lovely and tasty.

I knew my dad enjoyed expensive booze, but damn!!!

Maybe it's a little bit cheaper here than in Canadaland, but still....Ah well he rarely has whiskey that expensive in the house, unless Glenfiddich is up there too, in which case he fairly regularly has the stuff around. I think I could justify it if I end up making a decent income though, especially since I'd probably drink it very rarely and if you sip a bit of it every now and then a bottle should last a while shouldn't it?

[Mikeus Caesar]

You're all big girls, real men drink this:

[Reverend Joe]

Nah, man...



Canned heat! And real men don't strain out the methanol, either, because real men don't get methanol poisoning.

[cegorach]

You are both wrong.


Bow before the real master peasants !

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Mig 25 is now very difficult to obtain and rather expensive, but Siberian garrisons loved what was in this vessel.

Some ignorant people, though claim it was designed for a different purpose than providing a drink to thirsty soldiers.

[Beirut]

[Sasaki Kojiro]

[Fragony]

Canned heat!

Damned straight! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7Ys2qFinXc

[Beirut]

Gentlemen, please.

[Ser Clegane]

When it comes to hard liquor I mainly go with Islay Scotch - personal favourits being

Lagavulin (16 year)




or Ardberg (Uigeadail)



Hard to go back to other Scotch after you got used to the peaty Islays (also Talisker is quite good as well)

[Geoffrey S]

Now that I can agree with - great drinks indeed. In addition, got a nice bottle of Laphroaig (10 years) and Bowmore (12) here.

[Beirut]

Just found this in the FAQ at straightbourbon.com.

http://www.straightbourbon.com/homepage.html?54,249

6. Is Jack Daniel's a bourbon?

Jack Daniel's, is not considered a bourbon because it is charcoal-mellowed -- slowly, drop by drop, filtered through sugar-maple charcoal -- prior to aging, which many experts say gives it a different character. The process, called the Lincoln County Process, infuses a sweet and sooty character into the distillate as it removes impurities. But up to and after the charcoal filtering, the Jack Daniel's production is much the same as any other Bourbon. Jack Daniel's and George Dickel are two fine Tennessee Whiskeys though neither can be called bourbon.

Interesting.

[Kralizec]

Cognac's always tasted like pure magma to me... is it supposed to burn like the fires of hell, or have I only had bad cognac?

Agreed about cognac. I used to feel the same way about whiskey but the other day I gave it a try and it wasn't bad actually...just not when sober.

Strangely enough I don't have this problem with wodka or even with absinthe.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Just found this in the FAQ at straightbourbon.com.

http://www.straightbourbon.com/homepage.html?54,249

6. Is Jack Daniel's a bourbon?

Jack Daniel's, is not considered a bourbon because it is charcoal-mellowed -- slowly, drop by drop, filtered through sugar-maple charcoal -- prior to aging, which many experts say gives it a different character. The process, called the Lincoln County Process, infuses a sweet and sooty character into the distillate as it removes impurities. But up to and after the charcoal filtering, the Jack Daniel's production is much the same as any other Bourbon. Jack Daniel's and George Dickel are two fine Tennessee Whiskeys though neither can be called bourbon.

Interesting.

Yup--although it's not all that different from bourbon. A nice whiskey though, if it wasn't so overpriced due to it's popularity/image I'd buy it more often.

[Kamakazi]

GO VODKA AND TEQUILA!!!!!!!!! Strait up no chasers i put down 12 shots my last excursion

[Beirut]

Yup--although it's not all that different from bourbon. A nice whiskey though, if it wasn't so overpriced due to it's popularity/image I'd buy it more often.

The problem is the 80 proof Canadian import JD tastes harsher (and not in a good way) than the pure 101 stuff that y'all get down there. Not the same quality it seems.

I had a taste of the JD Single Barrel at the "luxury" booze store in Montreal last summer. Not at all pleasent. It was beyond smokey, it tasted like a burnt piece of wood. Very sad. I was looking forward to something really special. Who knows, maybe the single barrel stuff was cut as well before it came north. Such a perversion if true.

As far as top shelf bourbon goes, Knob Creek is just about only one we see on a semi-regular basis around here. (Quebec is big on beer, wine and vodka, with a good amount of scotch drinkers as well. But the bourbon crowd is fed mostly with luck.)

Tasty.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

The problem is the 80 proof Canadian import JD tastes harsher (and not in a good way) than the pure 101 stuff that y'all get down there. Not the same quality it seems.

I don't think it's ever been 101 proof. Originally was 90 I believe, but they got bought out and the proof was dropped to 86 and then down to 80.

I had a taste of the JD Single Barrel at the "luxury" booze store in Montreal last summer. Not at all pleasent. It was beyond smokey, it tasted like a burnt piece of wood. Very sad. I was looking forward to something really special. Who knows, maybe the single barrel stuff was cut as well before it came north. Such a perversion if true.

Yah, JD is very smokey. Matter of taste I suppose. Like I said, the reason it's so popular is that it's so well known and marketed as a manly man's drink. As for quality it's more on the $10 a fifth level. Still good but not as good as makers, wild turkey etc. even though it's priced at that level.

The bottle design is one of the best:

As far as top shelf bourbon goes, Knob Creek is just about only one we see on a semi-regular basis around here. (Quebec is big on beer, wine and vodka, with a good amount of scotch drinkers as well. But the bourbon crowd is fed mostly with luck.)

Tasty.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v.../knobcreek.jpg

I'd like to try it some time. I'm always wary of the top shelf stuff because it's common sense that there's a point where you can't improve the bourbon anymore, and that the companies will push beyond that point just because people will pay for it. I'd like to try the wild turkey rare breed/kentucky spirit stuff as well.

[drone]

Rumple Minze, tastes almost as good coming up as it does going down. Leaves your breath minty fresh!

But seriously, never been much of a hard liquor type. Vodka is about the only kind I'll drink, either straight shots or mixed with Sprite. Don't really like whiskeys or gin, and had bad experiences with rum in college and the taste just turns me off now. Tequila is ok, but vodka is preferable.

I could drive a couple of hours west and get some good 'shine though...

[Beirut]

I don't think it's ever been 101 proof. Originally was 90 I believe, but they got bought out and the proof was dropped to 86 and then down to 80.

Really? Hmmm, I'm going to have to educate myself on the matter.

Yah, JD is very smokey. Matter of taste I suppose. Like I said, the reason it's so popular is that it's so well known and marketed as a manly man's drink. As for quality it's more on the $10 a fifth level. Still good but not as good as makers, wild turkey etc. even though it's priced at that level.

You words fall as from a sophisticated palate.

The bottle design is one of the best:

Indeedely-doodely. It is a great looking bottle.

I'd like to try it some time. I'm always wary of the top shelf stuff because it's common sense that there's a point where you can't improve the bourbon anymore, and that the companies will push beyond that point just because people will pay for it. I'd like to try the wild turkey rare breed/kentucky spirit stuff as well.

Interesting point. I guess what we're looking for is particular refinements of taste, which we (I?) might imagine are best achieved in an expensive bottle. (Perhaps a naive if not ignorant mindset, but an applicable one none the less.) This level of sweetness with that level of gusto, or however you might describe it. Evan Williams Single Barrel is a good example. Right off you can tell its a very well made bourbon, very clean, smooth, light, but too sweet for me as well as my buddy who bought a bottle. A "lesser" bourbon, Jim Beam Black Label, for example, is not as clean or smooth, but I find it tastier and not sweet at all.

On the other hand, you can have a Wild Turkey bourbon which is just damn near perfect in all regards. My buddy tried the ten year-old Russels's Reserve and likes it better than all others, including the Rare Breed, which I have yet to try.

[Adrian II]

The bottle design is one of the best:

Now that's a mighty fine bottle indeed, Sir.

It is a pity that Camus bottles all look like large effeminate perfume vials. Horrible design. But the contents are unsurpassed, nothing can change that. I pour the entire contents into an old crystal decanter and never look back.

[Reverend Joe]

Yup--although it's not all that different from bourbon. A nice whiskey though, if it wasn't so overpriced due to it's popularity/image I'd buy it more often.

Excuse me? Jack Daniel's, not all that different from Bourbon? Were it not for your further words of wisdom, I would be inclined to call you out as a buffoon, sir.

I understand how it could be somewhat similar -- for the most part, it is brewed the same -- but the ending flavor of Jack Daniel's is nothing like proper bourbon, if I may say so myself. It has always tasted terribly sweet to me, to the point of being viscous. In fact, I would daresay that the only other Bourbon-ish drink that is sweeter (and a greater mark of shame upon American liquor) is the abomination known as Southern Comfort. Talk about Bourbon mixed with fruit punch.

@Beirut: Knob Creek is actually a little too alcoholic for me. It's a damn good whisky, but I find that the 100-proof alcohol content interferes with the flavor.

By the by, how do you (everyone) mix your egg-nog-and-bourbon? I have been told that my personal preference is far too intense; I generally mix about 2-3 parts bourbon to one part egg nog. It lets me taste both the egg nog and the bourbon, and I can drink enough to get loaded without giving myself an instant coronary from all that egg nog.

Edit: Adrian...



You want a bottle? That's a bottle. It is designed in the fashion of old frontier whisky bottles, complete with a cork cap. It also happens to be my favorite whisky, ever, ever, ever. It's really rich and very smooth for its strength. Of course, it's also around $25 a fifth, so it's definitely a special-occasion whisky.

[Beirut]

Now that's a mighty fine bottle indeed, Sir.

It is a pity that Camus bottles all look like large effeminate perfume vials. Horrible design. But the contents are unsurpassed, nothing can change that. I pour the entire contents into an old crystal decanter and never look back.

I just Googled the Camus bottle, doesn't look that bad. Is that the best stuff? $$$? I know very little about cognac.

As for crystal decanters, a few years back our SAQ (Quebec government booze stores) ordered a special series of very old scotch to be put in extra fancy crystal decanters and sold for one arm and half-a-leg. Problem is, once they hit the shelves, they found out the lead was leeching from the crystal into the scotch. Hello toilet bowl! What a waste.

[Beirut]

Were it not for your further words of wisdom, I would be inclined to call you out as a buffoon, sir.

Unlikely in the Frontroom, sir.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Excuse me? Jack Daniel's, not all that different from Bourbon? Were it not for your further words of wisdom, I would be inclined to call you out as a buffoon, sir.

I understand how it could be somewhat similar -- for the most part, it is brewed the same -- but the ending flavor of Jack Daniel's is nothing like proper bourbon, if I may say so myself. It has always tasted terribly sweet to me, to the point of being viscous. In fact, I would daresay that the only other Bourbon-ish drink that is sweeter (and a greater mark of shame upon American liquor) is the abomination known as Southern Comfort. Talk about Bourbon mixed with fruit punch.

Well, on my shelf I have JD, then a few bottles of bourbon, then tequila, rum, gin, vodka, triple sec and vermouth. In that context it's not that different than bourbon--they are both whiskey.

https://img110.imageshack.us/img110/...bourbondw2.jpg

You want a bottle? That's a bottle. It is designed in the fashion of old frontier whisky bottles, complete with a cork cap. It also happens to be my favorite whisky, ever, ever, ever. It's really rich and very smooth for its strength. Of course, it's also around $25 a fifth, so it's definitely a special-occasion whisky.

Heh, that's a neat bottle as well. I find bottle design pretty interesting actually.

[Adrian II]

Unlikely in the Frontroom, sir.

I am sure the Reverend was only joking, dear friend.

Camus is my favourite, maybe Hennesy is better. But I like my familliar tasting and smelling glass now and then after dinner, no need to go hoity-toity about it (um, is hoity-toity a word at all?).

Reverend, your bottle rocks. Image-wise your Bulleit is right on the mark. Now allow me to point out a great cognac in the kind of vessel it deserves: Hine Grande Champagne, bottled and corked by Monsieur LeBrun himself on a sunny Sunday afternoon in 1928 in the Charente. No frills, no girly nonsense, and I can taste it by looking at it.

Until I think of the price tag of 1000 euro ($1800) ...

[Beirut]

I am sure the Reverend was only joking, dear friend.

But of course. I was merely being pro-active in my over-reactions.

If you buy, by God I'll help you drink it!

[Reverend Joe]

That is a marvelous bottle... if only more bottles had such class.

And speaking of which...



Almost makes me want to start drinking tequila again.

And then I recall the taste of tequila... and retch ever so slightly.

@Sasaki: Yeah, I guess in that context it would seem more like Bourbon. I suppose when your palate becomes more focused on a particular type of whisky, you tend to be more choosy about what is and is not included in that category.