Whisky or Whiskey! What's your poison?

I got a taste for whisky as a child. My grandfather would always have a glass of whisky after a Sunday meal. He would let me take a sip... good excuse for my childhood teething pains.

Later in life, during my honeymoon in Peebles - Scotland, I had the pleasure of enjoying a very old whisky... can't remember the name or age. I had a three dram measure and billed it to our room. The cost of that elixir cost me 150 quid... I triple gulped at the bill, but I guess it was in keeping with the situation at the time.

I don't pretend to be a connoisseur and I've seen there is much expertise amongst our ATS community.

Unfortunately, finances don't allow me to indulge in the finer brands. Also, I don't know when to say 'when', especially self-serving, so I try not to keep spirits to hand.

However, this Christmas I wanted to gift myself a bottle. Don't cringe, but I was trying to stay below 10 euro/quids/bucks. I detest Johnny Walker except their Green and Gold labels. Even cheap single malts were outside my budget. I ended up getting a bottle of Ballantine's on offer for under 9 euro. To be fair, I'd forgotten how nice it is; it's an honest whisky... even straight.

Truth be told, I like most spirits straight. Gin, vodka, brandy, etc.; although I'm less keen on sweet liqueurs.

Anyway, here's how I enjoy my favourite poison:

Single Malts: Straight or neat


Blended Whiskys: With ice or on the rocks


Burbons/Sour Mash: Whisky Sour


What are your preferences in brands and method of deployment?

Bourbon neat.

Scots whisky tastes like vomit.

Whiskey neat.

But I also love tequila.

Saki ... but if I have a bottle of red lable I won't have it for long

Evan Williams, when you're broke.

Not bad, and distilled cleanly without much heads or tails in the cuts.

None of that typical next day bad liquor hangover.
Unless you go too far, of course.

Bush Mills and Tullamore Dew are the best for Christmas felonies.

Lagavulin 16 years with a few drops of water.

a reply to: Encia22

Whiskey #s me up. I can't drink it. It makes me real angry and destructive. Last time I drank whiskey I felt the abandoned lot they turned into a dog park, while they were in lieu of building a skyscraper, near a sky train station would be better without signs, so I systematically removed them all and proceeded to hide them in the trees. It took 6 months for them to find them all, they never replaced them. They just reposted them as they found them. I walked past that place every day for work. I also brought a traffic flag home. The time before that I #ed up a golf course in Whistler....

I'll stick to beer these days....

Glenlivet at the distillery in Scotland is a treat you won't want to miss. You can taste two out of three: Old, older, oldest. Naturally, we liked the oldest. We also have a local distillery on the island where we live, and that's not bad at all, though a bit expensive. We always have a bottle around, and with company it does not last long.

Not a connoisseur either but love the stuff and have a funny story about it...

Had the great honour to taste Macallan 57 at a scotch tasting set up by a rather brave friend of mine.

So this friend was bartender at the local canadian legion in our tiny hick town and she had this absolutely mad idea to bring in a bottle of the good stuff, sell raffle tickets for $20 a piece with winners getting a place at an incredible meal catered by fabulous local caterers. It was to be a fundraiser but it may have nearly sunk the legion financially.

To my delight, I won a ticket! Truth be told, I think most folk balked at the price so they were mostly bought by friends of the bartender who as much as they like whisky were concerned about her losing her job. Sure enough, on the day of the event we all seemed to know each other. The whisky itself, in a Lalique crystal bottle, cost around $17,000 and was brought by armoured truck and ceremonially piped in by a piper some days before the actual "tasting".

The day of the "tasting" saw locals in kilts and legion regalia, suits, heels and gowns. Normally, it's mac jackets, jeans, stanfields and crocs around here. The Macallan reps were on hand to give a history and education slide presentation while again the local pipe band and highland dancers entertained us. The legion hall was decked in elegant black crepe and tartans. The food was spectacular and each course was served with an extremely generous shot of lesser whiskies while the reps taught us about the different tastes and what went into the production of each whisky. The idea was to experience the build up to quality.

Keep in mind that the meal had about six courses so that is six extremely generous shots all lined up in front of us. It wasn't long before people were staggering around trading shots they didn't fancy with those they preferred. It quickly become much less formal and quite rowdy and this all before the raffle of the great Macallan 57. Finally, before being given to the winner, the bottle was duly opened and shots were poured into stainless steel flasks for all attendees... one for the road. This worked out to be about $800 a shot, definitely a once in a lifetime experience. The winner still had half a bottle left plus the bottle itself had a value.

This event was legendary in our town. Many of those who attended remember nothing. It was said they poured like whisky out of the hall after the event and down into the rest of the legion to cause much chaos. Most, like me, only sipped from their wee flasks in the coming days once the hangover had lifted and finally tasted the way whisky was meant to be. I can't help thinking of all those fancy wine "tasters" spitting the wine back out... not in our town, never!

That whisky was like nothing else I've tasted and it really was so good it killed all other scotch for me or I should say all scotch within my budget range!

a reply to: Encia22

All those replies and not one flag or star.. on Christmas no less..

What a bunch of scrooges...


Here's one of each for you!


On topic:

I'm a beer man on the surface and have been indulging in some heady topper.. go ahead Google it..

But I am a whiskey man at heart.

So it has to be Crown Royal X.O.

So smooth you might mistake it for ice tea..

And it has to be neat..

Water down my X.O. ... Hell No.

Merry Christmas Fam !

Sincerely,
~joe

a reply to: Mike Stivic
Scrooge here... starred and flagged!

Crown Royal is awesome too. Merry Xmas.

originally posted by: dug88
a reply to: Encia22

Whiskey #s me up. I can't drink it. It makes me real angry and destructive. Last time I drank whiskey I felt the abandoned lot they turned into a dog park, while they were in lieu of building a skyscraper, near a sky train station would be better without signs, so I systematically removed them all and proceeded to hide them in the trees. It took 6 months for them to find them all, they never replaced them. They just reposted them as they found them. I walked past that place every day for work. I also brought a traffic flag home. The time before that I #ed up a golf course in Whistler....

I'll stick to beer these days....

Ah Canada! Those were the days.

a reply to: igloo

The difference between crown royal and crown Royal X.O. is night and day..

It's like the difference between nestle chocolate and Lindt.

They might as well be in two completely different categories.

Honestly, crown royal is a good boilermaker whiskey,
The X.O. is sipping whiskey..

It's guaranteed not to put hair on your chest...

Respectfully,
~joe

Cheap wine. 15 bucks or less the bottle. If not wine, whatever is in same budget.

originally posted by: Mike Stivic
a reply to: igloo

The difference between crown royal and crown Royal X.O. is night and day..

It's like the difference between nestle chocolate and Lindt.

They might as well be in two completely different categories.

Honestly, crown royal is a good boilermaker whiskey,
The X.O. is sipping whiskey..

It's guaranteed not to put hair on your chest...

Respectfully,
~joe

Then it goes on my must try list, since I like the regular one. Thanks

a reply to: Trueman

If you want a decent quality cheap wine I recommend "Rex Goliath" cabernet sauvignon.

At 6 dollars for 750 ml the 47 pound rooster is definitely affordable with a full bodied taste and hints of vanilla and walnut.



Respectfully,
~ meathead

a reply to: igloo

You won't be disappointed, it's worth every penny my friend.

I keep it in the deep freezer under the deer jerky.. because it's good enough to be hidden...



Respectfully,
~meathead

Seagrams seven crown and Canadian club...one of the better ones which I know by sight.

Can't do dark liquors anymore, burned myself on all of them when younger. Unfortunately when I imbibe it's generally in excess, so massive hangovers and illness dictate what I drink. Vodka is my drink of choice, Tito's, Crystal Skull, and Svedka are what I prefer. I was big into Heavy Water until they quit making the stuff unfortunately.