Whisk[e]y-Case

[grawk]

I think the trick is that the older ones aren't from the Stitzel-Weller distillery, so the 17/18 are (reportedly) better than the 25.  Jefferson's is from someone who buys up casks and markets them, rather than from a distiller.

[Hopstretch]

Your wish(e) is my command.

 

Fixed.

[falkon]

I've had both.  My friend owns the rye and I tasted the bourbon at a local bar.  Dan is right in that neither are S-W. Anyway, the bourbon is maybe slightly better than the rye.  Neither is worth the money.  The 21 year bourbon is better than both.  All BTACs and PVW are better.  I'd say they're worth $80, no more.  Also, I think they're bottled at too low proof.  The entire JPS line is overpriced IMO.

 

Edit: The only thing I might be interested in buying from them is the upcoming Ocean 2.  Not because it's good but more for the experience.  And affordable at $70 unlike the previous release.

 

That was fuckin' fast, Admin-Man!  Thanks.  

 

To justify the expansion, has anyone tried either of these elderly whiskeys:

 

 

Edited February 21, 2014 by falkon

[Voltron]

I definitely liked the 18 and compared it head-to-head with PVW 12/15/20/23 and it came in second to the PVW20 in my book.  Naaman started it with a comparo of the J18 and PVW20 and he liked the J18 a bit better.  Now I cannot recall whether or not I also bought the J21.  I had not intention of buying these 25 yo bottles unless somebody claimed one or the other was awesome.  I really wish Willett would dredge up a couple more really old ryes like the Iron Fist and Velvet Glove.  Those were fun.

[Aura]

After Mike Sr, John, and I finished up our last PVW15, 20, and 23 tasting I sampled John's JPS18. It compared most directly to PVW23 but I honestly preferred all three PVW's. 

 

I must agree that all JPS' have been overpriced, especially for those that don't have good provenance.

[falkon]

If you want an older rye, I would suggest that you hunt for the High West 21 Year.  I haven't tried it, but my good buddy has and he prefers it to the JPS.  Still not quite worth the $160 he paid for it though.

 

I prefer my ryes to be younger and hotter.  The exception is the VWFRR but to me, it's not hugely distinct from a bourbon.  All the intense characteristics from rye have mostly been mellowed out.  Delicious but different.  Sazerac 18 for example, is just too mellow for me and bottled at too low abv.  I'd rather enjoy a good older bourbon and look for younger ryes.  I hope Binny's will do another batch of handpicked Willett.  I picked up a young bourbon last time but I'd go for a rye this time.

 

I know I'm in the minority but I find the Parker's Heritage Master's Blend of Mashbills to be sublime.  I love the heat and spice of the rye married so well with the rich, sweet (wheated?) bourbon.

[falkon]

Speaking of ryes, I really really want to try Old Potrero's Hotaling's Single Malt Whiskey.  It's distilled from 100% malted rye which is AFAIK, completely unique.  It is damn near impossible to find, however.  I found a bottle of the 8 year years ago but I had no idea what it was at the time.  Now I regret not buying it.

Edited February 21, 2014 by falkon

[morphsci]

What would Stitzel-Weller provenance have to do with a rye? The bourbon yes but not the rye.

[Aura]

What would Stitzel-Weller provenance have to do with a rye? The bourbon yes but not the rye.

Right. I was talking about the bourbon. And not everything from SW was magic anyway, but I get why Jefferson's would be able to use that to jack up the cost.

Edited February 22, 2014 by Aura

[acidbasement]

American ryes tend not to be available in Canada, so I am not experienced with them. However, I really like some whiskies from the 40 Creek distillery in Ontario. The John's Private Cask blend is particularly good.

[emelius]

I'm passing on a bottle of Booker's Anniversary Fuck Your Wallet Edition unless one of you says it's great...

[falkon]

I just wanted to provide an update on two scotches that have drastically changed my opinion of themselves in polar opposite ways as I delved deeper into the bottle.

 

Port Charlotte 10yo Heavily Peated

This Islay whisky has quite a bit of floral and fruity peat to it.  It's smooth and complex, beyond its years, very much like the Bruichladdich offerings.  But as I get deeper into the bottle, I find myself grabbing for other Islay whiskies instead.  It lacks the character and the boldness of the other great heavily peated Islay offerings like Ardbeg, Laphroaig, and Lagavulin.  It doesn't have the campfire or iodine notes that distinguish each of the other distilleries.  I certainly still think it's a good dram but I would buy it more often if it was near the $50 mark instead of $70.  I understand that they are somewhat of a craft distillery and their lower volumes and more time intensive methods have intrinsic value and are worth the addition cost.  I very respect what Bruichladdich are doing and they are still one of my favorite distilleries but I really think that their subtle, rich, complex whiskies are better unpeated.  On the first couple of tastings, I would have given it somewhere in the high 80s, but now I give it an 82.

 

Yoichi 15yo

This bottle started out quite unremarkable.  It had very little flavor and a strong alcohol punch even though it's bottled at 45%.  As my palate settled down and the flavors opened up after the bottle had been opened, things became more and more interesting.  It is quite Japanese in character; Very subtle but extremely complex.  It is comparable to many 20 or 25 yo.  It's obvious that care had been taken to both engineer the flavor and produce the whisky.  It has strong oak notes with floral and nutty flavors.  It might be worth noting that I made the purchase in Japan before it was available in the US purely based on perceived scarcity.  After opening, I was disappointed with the investment.  But if you ask me again now, I'd say it's just about worth the $120.  I would liken it to a good Springbank.  Initially, I would have given it no more than low 80s but now I would give it a solid 90.  It is the best scotch that I have open right now; On par with the Uigeadail.

 

Summary: Yoichi 15 - great, Port Charlotte 10 - not so great.

[Hopstretch]

Having some Lagavulin tonight. Will have to think about "campfire". Always interested in building the vocabulary. 

[falkon]

My whisky vocabulary sucks.  And I find general whisky vocabulary to be a little bullshit/subjective.  That's why I try to say as little as possible and summarize it to whether I like it or not.

 

That said, I think Lagavulin 16 is herbal, salty smoke with some iodine/hospital.  It's quite balanced due to age.

 

If you get Laphroaig, I think it's like eating bacon in a hospital.

[Aura]

If anyone cares - I took some very short notes on my comparison today between Aberlour A'bunadh and Glendronach Cask Strength.

 

 

The Glendronach was drier, less rich, much more herbal and ginger with a general sourness to balance some of the toffee and sherry sweetness. A'bunadh is hugely caramel, sweeter oloroso sherry, tons of dark fruit, much richer, and definitely "smoother". 

 

Based on this showdown I'll be happy just sticking with Aberlour and not deal with the hassle of importing the Glendronach (though I suspect we'll see more and more from this distillery stateside in the coming years).

 

 

[falkon]

Thanks for the notes. I agree that we'll be seeing a lot more GlenDronach in the future. I think sherried scotches appeal a lot more to newer, especially American, Scotch drinkers. I'd like to hear your notes on the standard 15yo release.

[Grahame]

http://www.wheretoeat.in/2014-whiskey-rebellion-philadelphia/

[Aura]

Thanks for the notes. I agree that we'll be seeing a lot more GlenDronach in the future. I think sherried scotches appeal a lot more to newer, especially American, Scotch drinkers. I'd like to hear your notes on the standard 15yo release.

I do enjoy sherry cask aging for malts. It's really an appealing palate for anyone coming from bourbon.

Not sure what to do next - I ought to get a bunch of glenfarclas samples before revisiting glendronach. I wish masterofmalt would offer samples for some of the single cask editions of glendronach. Would be worth it even at $10+.

[Hopstretch]

Talisker 10 tonight. I dig it and the price is right.

[Hopstretch]

The recent devaluation of the South African rand means that imported Scotch has jumped up in price by $30 to $50 a bottle in local currency terms. And we were getting hosed pretty thoroughly before. Oban 14, for example, is now R1300 ($120), which is straight bullshit. 

[shellylh]

^Not cool!

[Augsburger]

Drink your great Stellenbosch wine now, wait til the UK move to drink the Whiskey.

 

I would volunteer to ship some booze to you based on a forward currency option to be closed once you migrate to the UK but I would guess the postage cost would negate the currency exchange arbitrage benefit.

 

Currency devaluation sucks when you are on the wrong side of the trade.  

[Grahame]

Best?

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/worlds-best-whisky-2014-revealed--and-its-not-from-scotland-9224547.html

http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/1020911/sullivans-cove-wins-best-single-malt-whisky-at-wwa

 

= Pricy ?

http://www.sullivanscovewhisky.com/plugins/content/external_links/external_links/frameset.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.binnys.com%2Fall%2Fsullivans%2520cove%23%2F%3Fpage%3D1

[mikeymad]

it's okay.... 

[Aura]

Took a month off of buying any new bottles. I think for April I'm going to grab a few budget bourbons. The top of my list includes Old Grand 114 (which I've tasted and really enjoyed), Evan Williams Single Barrel, and the upcoming release of Elmer T. Lee commemorative.

 

Be on the lookout for that last one - I have a feeling it's going to sell very quickly. Hoping we'll see it near the end of the month.