The Drunk Thread: Just Look at the Flowers

[A True Kaniggit]

On 3/18/2019 at 10:22 PM, briantw said:

So I tried mixing Laphroaig 10 with Coke and dear god it is incredible.

Dang. I missed a joke here.

 

Edit: ugh.

[aceluby]

On 3/17/2019 at 7:16 PM, The Great Unwashed said:

Oh, if you love the Laphroaig 10 then I've got some suggestions for you! 

I'd definitely go with the Lagavulin first. Then I'd personally suggest the Uigeadail from Ardbeg over the Ardbeg 10. It doesn't have an age profile, but it's a cask strength whiskey and more heavily peated than the 10 year. Both are good buys though if price isn't much of an issue. After that, I'd recommend the Laphroaig Quarter Cask, if just to contrast with the 10 year. I've not tried their 15 year offering but I've heard it's very good. Also, the Talisker 10 and Caol Ila 12 are good choices. 

What are some Irish whiskeys and some bourbons you'd recommend? I've been looking to branch out beyond whiskys but I don't really have any idea where to start.

Don't forget about Talisker  That's another good peaty scotch.

Teeling single malt is an amazing Irish Whiskey, Tulimore Dew also has some decent options.

I 2nd the Knob Creek for a good bourbon, but I think my favorite is Woodford Reserve.  Bourbon's are pretty fun to experiment with because you can find some gems that would be considered in the cheap range for Scotch or Irish whiskey.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

On 3/17/2019 at 5:23 PM, briantw said:

Anyway, if you have another scotch suggestions, feel free to offer them.  In my bar right now, I have Glenfiddich 12, Glenfiddich IPA Cask, Dalmore 12, and Laphroaig 10 and the Laphroaig is by far my favorite, if that gives you an idea of where my preferences go.  I'd probably rank them Laphroaig, Glenfiddich IPA, Dalmore, Glen 12, although Dalmore and Glen 12 are more or less a coin flip for me.

Quick question I've had for a while. Lot's of scotches begin with "Glen." Is that a brand that covers a lot of different scotches or a distilling style? 

[briantw]

2 hours ago, aceluby said:

Don't forget about Talisker  That's another good peaty scotch.

Teeling single malt is an amazing Irish Whiskey, Tulimore Dew also has some decent options.

I 2nd the Knob Creek for a good bourbon, but I think my favorite is Woodford Reserve.  Bourbon's are pretty fun to experiment with because you can find some gems that would be considered in the cheap range for Scotch or Irish whiskey.

I picked up a bottle of Talisker about a month ago.  Like it a lot.  It's like Azor Ahai...salt and smoke.  Of the scotches I've tried, I'd probably rank it behind Lagavulin 16 and Ardbeg Uigeadail for sure, and maybe Laphroaig 10.

Woodford is great at the 30 dollar price point.  One of my go-tos along with Knob Creek.  

Heaven's Door Tennessee Bourbon is fantastic (and has a gorgeous bottle), although a bit pricey at around fifty bucks.  

Finally got my hands on a bottle of Buffalo Trace recently as well and it's as good as I remembered, especially for the 27 bucks it set me back.  Just wish it wasn't like pulling teeth to find a bottle in these parts.

21 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

Quick question I've had for a while. Lot's of scotches begin with "Glen." Is that a brand that covers a lot of different scotches or a distilling style? 

I believe Glen is the Scottish word for a highland valley, much like Loch is lake.  

A google search has confirmed that Glenfiddich and Glenmorangie (the first two glens I thought of) at least are owned by different companies.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Tywin et al. said:

Quick question I've had for a while. Lot's of scotches begin with "Glen." Is that a brand that covers a lot of different scotches or a distilling style? 

@briantw is correct about "glen" meaning valley, but in addition to that, for many of the "glen" whiskys, they're named after the river in the valley that provides the water source for their whisky. So there's a River Fiddich for the Glenfiddich distillery and a River Livet for the Glenlivet distillery, and I know there's at least one or two more that I'm not remembering right now.

But the names are basically descriptions of places, kind of like how we have so many place names with "valley" in them (Death Valley, Silicon Valley, Napa Valley, etc.).

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

14 hours ago, briantw said:

I believe Glen is the Scottish word for a highland valley, much like Loch is lake.  

A google search has confirmed that Glenfiddich and Glenmorangie (the first two glens I thought of) at least are owned by different companies.

 

14 hours ago, The Great Unwashed said:

@briantw is correct about "glen" meaning valley, but in addition to that, for many of the "glen" whiskys, they're named after the river in the valley that provides the water source for their whisky. So there's a River Fiddich for the Glenfiddich distillery and a River Livet for the Glenlivet distillery, and I know there's at least one or two more that I'm not remembering right now.

But the names are basically descriptions of places, kind of like how we have so many place names with "valley" in them (Death Valley, Silicon Valley, Napa Valley, etc.).

Much appreciated. I picked up one I had never heard of before, GlenDronach, and it’s excellent. A little pricey, but well worth it so long as I can keep my friends from taking shots from it.

[aceluby]

On 4/30/2019 at 8:48 AM, Tywin et al. said:

 

Much appreciated. I picked up one I had never heard of before, GlenDronach, and it’s excellent. A little pricey, but well worth it so long as I can keep my friends from taking shots from it.

You need better friends

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

14 hours ago, aceluby said:

You need better friends

We all have friends that don’t understand the finer parts of life.

[Lily Valley]

Nerds.  This semester is almost over for all my colleagues.

I have a month left.

Was at work from 930-1230am today.  I miss you guys.  Right now, I needed a vodka dinner.

AN ALL THE VODKA DINNER.

Since I didn't want to be declasse, there's a lime wedge in this vodka.  Back in very early.  Love y'all and miss you.

 

[Teng Ai Hui]

British people get drunk more often than everyone else in the world, study reveals

 

Cheers, to all the Britons who frequent this forum. 

 

Quote

According to a report examining the drinking habits of 36 countries last year, Britons reported getting drunk an average of 51.1 times in a 12-month period, which accounts for almost once a week.

 

 

 

 

[Dragons Are Real]

Just stumbled across this thread and reading the previous page I wanna pass a hi five to all my fellow Scotch drinkers.

I'm mostly a bourbon guy since I'm in the states and it's not always affordable, but I love it when I can get it.  I'm a huge Laphroaig nut, and absolutely LOVE the Quarter Cask as a sipper.  I've also enjoyed 10 Year Old, Select, Triple Wood, two different batches of Cask Strength, and currently am sitting on a bottle of Select and one of the exclusives that was finished in a Sherry cask.  If you dig the smoke punch but feel like you roll through a bottle of it too fast, I've learned that you can make cocktails with the Cask Strength that are to die for.  The Scotch Old Fashioned is terrific with good cherries, and the Rob Roy is fantastic and really helps stretch the Scotch out.

That said, just dribbling a bit in a Glenncairn, putting a drop or two of water in it and sipping it slowly with any of them is a true pleasure for a peat/smoke lover.

As far as other scotch, I dig Ardbeg a lot, though have only had the 10 year.  Lagavulin is really nice, but after my love of Laphroaig grew it seems kind of tame to me.  Glennfiddich 12 is a nice smooth one if you're looking for easy drinking.  Had a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue purchased for me for my 40th birthday and that was something for a blend.  Definitely an easy sipper, but with plenty of flavors throughout.  Surprisingly sweet for a scotch as well.  

I'm all over the place with other whisk(e)ys as well.  Love Bushmills Black.  Redbreast is great.  Dig Crown Royal XO for it's amazing flavor profile.  Evan Williams when I'm feeling stingy in the pocket book.  I find Jack Daniels just annoys me too much to enjoy, which tends to really get to my fellow musicans since EVERYBODY is supposed to love Jack Daniels in the rock world.  Meh.  Jim Beam Black was my staple for a number of years.  Wild Turkey 101 is a STUPENDOUS whiskey for cocktails.  I really dig about any barrel proof or 100+ proof bourbon.  Old Grandad 114 trips my trigger every time.  I can sip it, but find it makes terrific old fashions.  Also, Jim Beam bonded is a good cocktail hitter.

And then what my friends lovingly refer to as "hobo scotch," the lower shelf blends.  Dewars and Cutty Sark make the rounds sometimes.

And for cheapo Irish, 2 Gingers is surprisingly tasty.

I find the stories behind scotches to be fascinating.  The storied history between the Laphroaig distillery and the Lagavulin distillery have all sorts of mischief and mayhem.  There's even a story about how one of the brothers involved in Laphroaig's early days turned up dead in one of the vats and it was always suspected one of the people in Lagavulin's employ had done him in.  It sounds like they get along much better these days, but I'd love the chance to travel there and hear it from people that actually know the real history of the places.  Plus fill my own bottles at every distillery on Islay.  Man I love Islay scotch.

I need to get ahold of some Talisker Storm.  I've been told that's pretty fantastic too.

Sorry for writing a book here.  This just happens to be one of my favorite subjects.

[briantw]

8 hours ago, Dragons Are Real said:

Just stumbled across this thread and reading the previous page I wanna pass a hi five to all my fellow Scotch drinkers.

I'm mostly a bourbon guy since I'm in the states and it's not always affordable, but I love it when I can get it.  I'm a huge Laphroaig nut, and absolutely LOVE the Quarter Cask as a sipper.  I've also enjoyed 10 Year Old, Select, Triple Wood, two different batches of Cask Strength, and currently am sitting on a bottle of Select and one of the exclusives that was finished in a Sherry cask.  If you dig the smoke punch but feel like you roll through a bottle of it too fast, I've learned that you can make cocktails with the Cask Strength that are to die for.  The Scotch Old Fashioned is terrific with good cherries, and the Rob Roy is fantastic and really helps stretch the Scotch out.

That said, just dribbling a bit in a Glenncairn, putting a drop or two of water in it and sipping it slowly with any of them is a true pleasure for a peat/smoke lover.

As far as other scotch, I dig Ardbeg a lot, though have only had the 10 year.  Lagavulin is really nice, but after my love of Laphroaig grew it seems kind of tame to me.  Glennfiddich 12 is a nice smooth one if you're looking for easy drinking.  Had a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue purchased for me for my 40th birthday and that was something for a blend.  Definitely an easy sipper, but with plenty of flavors throughout.  Surprisingly sweet for a scotch as well.  

I'm all over the place with other whisk(e)ys as well.  Love Bushmills Black.  Redbreast is great.  Dig Crown Royal XO for it's amazing flavor profile.  Evan Williams when I'm feeling stingy in the pocket book.  I find Jack Daniels just annoys me too much to enjoy, which tends to really get to my fellow musicans since EVERYBODY is supposed to love Jack Daniels in the rock world.  Meh.  Jim Beam Black was my staple for a number of years.  Wild Turkey 101 is a STUPENDOUS whiskey for cocktails.  I really dig about any barrel proof or 100+ proof bourbon.  Old Grandad 114 trips my trigger every time.  I can sip it, but find it makes terrific old fashions.  Also, Jim Beam bonded is a good cocktail hitter.

And then what my friends lovingly refer to as "hobo scotch," the lower shelf blends.  Dewars and Cutty Sark make the rounds sometimes.

And for cheapo Irish, 2 Gingers is surprisingly tasty.

I find the stories behind scotches to be fascinating.  The storied history between the Laphroaig distillery and the Lagavulin distillery have all sorts of mischief and mayhem.  There's even a story about how one of the brothers involved in Laphroaig's early days turned up dead in one of the vats and it was always suspected one of the people in Lagavulin's employ had done him in.  It sounds like they get along much better these days, but I'd love the chance to travel there and hear it from people that actually know the real history of the places.  Plus fill my own bottles at every distillery on Islay.  Man I love Islay scotch.

I need to get ahold of some Talisker Storm.  I've been told that's pretty fantastic too.

Sorry for writing a book here.  This just happens to be one of my favorite subjects.

The thing I love about bourbon is that even cheap bourbon tends to be fine.  I've been keeping a bottle of Virgin Bourbon, which is  the source of Old Ezra 7, in my bar.  It's thirteen bucks and 101 proof and it's a perfectly solid bourbon.  It's not exceptional or anything, but it's good, especially at that price and proof.  I'll take it over Wild Turkey 101 and it's half the price, which is nuts.

I've been on a bourbon kick lately, and I've sadly finished most of my Islay scotch bottles and have yet to replace them.  I picked up a barrel select bottle of Knob Creek that is almost fourteen years old and 120 proof and it's one of the best bourbons I've ever had.  It was sixty bucks, but I'm honestly considering going back to this store next week and buying another bottle or two because, as a single barrel release, once it's gone it's gone.  It's a big, warm oak hug that lingers on the palate for minutes after your last sip.  Drinking it reminds me of the first time I tried Laphroaig or Lagavulin where I just wanted to keep drinking it forever.  

My last sip was five minutes ago and I can still feel that oak lingering on my palate.  It's such a great bourbon.  

Also, I know you mentioned Evan Williams, and I think Evan Williams Single Barrel is really good for the price (around 27 bucks where I'm at).  It's also my favorite bourbon to mix with Coke Zero when you factor in the price to taste ratio.  I sat out in the dog park for an hour after work today with an EW Single Barrel and Coke and happily sipped it.

[A True Kaniggit]

On 5/15/2019 at 3:06 AM, Lily Valley said:

Nerds.  This semester is almost over for all my colleagues.

I have a month left.

Was at work from 930-1230am today.  I miss you guys.  Right now, I needed a vodka dinner.

AN ALL THE VODKA DINNER.

Whoa. You and @sologdin both back in such a short time? It's a Louisiana resurgence!

Now go to the cat thread and compliment my queens! 

[Karneol]

I was at aparty. Brought another girl with me. She couldn't walk a straight line after that. Ifeel si guilty. Should have watched her.

[Dragons Are Real]

Who else is a bloody mary fan?  I've got my own recipe which is hard to write down since I just sort of randomly toss things together without paying much attention to how much of any ingredient I put in.  Basic list of ingredients:

• Either a can of tomato juice or the equivalent fresh squeezed tomato juice
• Smoked paprika (a few shakes, more if I want more punch)
• Fresh squeezed lemon juice (one big lemon or two small)
• Tobasco, usually twelve to fifteen shakes, more if I'm looking for more heat
• Celery Salt or ground celery seed and sea salt to taste
• Extra spicy horseradish 1/4 to 1/2 teaspon
• Worcestershire Sauce (couple teaspoons to 1/2 table spoon)
• Brine from a carrot pickle recipe I make involving apple cider vinegar and jalapeno seeds to taste (probably about a tablespoon)
• Vodka or Bourbon to intended potency, though I have been known to do the rest without alcohol on days I just want a recovery drink

Put it all in a big mason jar, pop some ice in, shake shake shake.  Use the lemon peel to wipe down the rim of a glass, put sea salt and a custom spice blend I make myself on a little plate and roll the glass around on it to salt the rim, pour from jar into glass.  Add garnish (Kosher dill spears, previously mentioned carrot pickles, olives, etc.) and go to town.

Seriously so good I can make a meal out of it, and have.  Half recipe is great for a morning pick me up sans alcohol.  In the evening it's a great feel good comfort drink.

Oh, the custom spice mix?  Jalapeno, habanero and serrano peppers, garlic all dried and ground, cummin, dried mustard, white pepper, paprika and a few other little pinches of things all blended together.  Excellent on sammiches and pastas too.

[briantw]

I picked up a bottle of the new George Dickel Bottled in Bond, which is thirteen years old and 36 dollars.  Definitely worth the price tag if you can find a bottle.  I think it's a limited release, but supposedly it's just hitting shelves now so you may see it in the near future.  I like it a lot.  It's got a nutty smell to it that fades into brown sugar, and the taste is similar, with honey, nuts, and baking spices.  This is, as far as I can recall, the first time I've ever tried a Dickel product.  Might need to try some others now and see how they compare.  

I also grabbed a local single barrel selection of Russell's Reserve nicknamed For Medicinal Purposes Only and it is quite possibly the best bourbon I have ever had.  It's very different from the bourbons I typically prefer, all tobacco and leather, but it just has a way of coating your tongue and the aftertaste lingers forever in a very pleasant way.  I'd recommend it, but unless you live near Fort Mill, SC, you're probably not likely to find a bottle.  

Finally, I bought Maker's Mark Cask Strength.  I'd honestly probably review it more highly had I not just finished trying the previous two bourbons I mentioned.  It's a victim of circumstance.  I will say that I like it a lot better than standard Maker's, which has always been underwhelming to me (I'm a Woodford, Knob Creek, or Evan Williams SiB guy at that thirty dollar price point).  I'd probably rank it above the 46 as well, although I'd probably have to taste them side by side to really compare them and I recently killed the dregs of my 46 bottle making some bourbon BBQ sauce.  It's really good, just not quite as good as the two I mentioned above.  Although unlike them, you can buy it pretty much everywhere all the time, which counts for something.

[The Mother of The Others]

On 5/17/2019 at 12:46 PM, Dragons Are Real said:

I find Jack Daniels just annoys me too much to enjoy.   Also, Jim Beam bonded is a good cocktail hitter.

i'm Not a pro,   but Jack and the basic Jim (downed naked)  were letdowns for me.   I felt like Mr. Beam was scamming me with his talk of winning awards, like when Pizza Hut tries to make claims.   Now that I'm expanding into the world of cocktail, though, it may be time to revisit some of these guys I previously dismissed as not super distinctive, as of course that's more of a plus when it's but one of several ingredients.   Re: gin - - -  Who just sits down at a bar and orders gin?    Airplane fuel.      My things are more along the lines of Captain Morgan, Jaeger (you can smell its wisdom), and the mojito and margarita.   Also, why did grenadine get downgraded to a supporting role when it's usually far better than whatever you're mixing it with?  I say just go full grenadine.   And if you like to see segregation come to an end in your glass, try combining your sweet and dry vermouths.    (Ver-Voltron!)    I don't understand why screwdrivers are a thing (laziness?) but the tequila sunrise now that's classy.   Bourbon tastes best on a burger.   Weird how you run into bourbon sauce but not vodka sauce.   Stopping at this point is my best play, so...

[Prince of the North]

Never...go full grenadine!*

*Don't really have anything more to add - just had to make that lame reference. 

[briantw]

23 hours ago, The Mother of The Others said:

i'm Not a pro,   but Jack and the basic Jim (downed naked)  were letdowns for me.   I felt like Mr. Beam was scamming me with his talk of winning awards, like when Pizza Hut tries to make claims.   

Beam and Jack are what they are.  Budget whiskeys.  They are fine.  Nothing really wrong with them, but they're nothing exceptional either.  Same with the base products for Evan Williams and a bunch of other distilleries in that price range.  I'd rather spend the extra ten bucks for Woodford or Knob Creek (which is a Beam product), or a few less on Evan Williams Single Barrel.

[Dragons Are Real]

Beam Bonded is way better than Beam White.  Beam black is acceptable if you're just looking for something to swig while shootin' the shit with the buds.

If you like Morgan, grab the 100 proof spiced.  Perfect for the coke or pepsi blend.

My latest discovery is Talisker Storm.  Smokey without the peat hit if you're not in the mood for the bid punch of a Laphroaig or an Ardbeg.  Sweet, not too spicy, and incredibly palatable for a higher proof Scotch.  Also one of the cheaper smoky single malts on the shelf.