Whisky

I do like a good bourbon but would always go for malt as a rule. I just fancied a change this time, every now and then I’ll pick up a cognac or a brandy as well. Sorry I’m not trying to derail the whisky thread. :lol:
Peated is always my thing too, my tastes have changed as I’ve gotten older but I prefer things which taste strong. Coffee, beer, whisky etc. I had a lovely wine ale last night from the hopknocker in Durham, it was 13% and I was half cut off one can. 😁
I picked up a bottle of hine grande champagne 1976 for an absolute f***ing steal at auction recently so will be lashing into that over Christmas
 


I finally finished work on Thursday after 10 years in the job and they got me this little beauty to see me off! Not sure if it’ll be too good to drink though!! Not really, I’ll be opening it tonight :D

I’m still getting into my whiskeys though so how’s best to enjoy it? Is it too good to add water?

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I tend to add a little water to anything which is over 46% vol.
 
I always try without ice or water first, in fact I never ever add ice to scotch (have done bourbon) If it's a tad harsh then I'll add 1 or 2 drops of water from a pipette and the difference is noticeable. If it needs more then so be it, you could probably make any whisk(e)y palatable through the addition of water in some form tbf
 
Thanks I’ll try it without water first then and take it from there. There’s no need for any poncey stuff like letting it breathe first is there? Sorry I’m new to all this! :lol:

I can’t wait to try it mind!!
 
Thanks I’ll try it without water first then and take it from there. There’s no need for any poncey stuff like letting it breathe first is there? Sorry I’m new to all this! :lol:

I can’t wait to try it mind!!

I don’t believe any of that pretentious shite tbf mate. Open it, pour and drink.
 
I don’t believe any of that pretentious shite tbf mate. Open it, pour and drink.
Far from pretentious mate, letting a whisky get some air to it is massively important to the nose and flavour IMO, especially early into the bottle.
A minute in the glass for a year in the cask is the mantra I always go by.

Try it next you crack a bottle, have a nose and taste immediately then put it aside for 15/20 mins and try again - I bet you get different things, just as you would with most scotch whisky by adding the tiniest drop of water to help open it up.
We're all different and taste in our own way though 👍
 
Far from pretentious mate, letting a whisky get some air to it is massively important to the nose and flavour IMO, especially early into the bottle.
A minute in the glass for a year in the cask is the mantra I always go by.

Try it next you crack a bottle, have a nose and taste immediately then put it aside for 15/20 mins and try again - I bet you get different things, just as you would with most scotch whisky by adding the tiniest drop of water to help open it up.
We're all different and taste in our own way though 👍
Depends on each whisky and personal taste IMHO. I normally perform the same ritual as you do, a minute per year however have drank some straight out the bottle in the past and found them to be fine, others aren't though

Another thing is some whisky just doesn't do it for me until I'm about a third way into the bottle, then it can turn around completely. I've had a few where I'm less than impressed with them and almost force them down until all of a sudden the penny drops one day and they taste incredible. Had a bottle once (Benromach 15) where I didn't enjoy it at all until the very last glass in the bottle, then I absolutely loved it and was gutted it was gone 🤷‍♂️ :lol:
 
Depends on each whisky and personal taste IMHO. I normally perform the same ritual as you do, a minute per year however have drank some straight out the bottle in the past and found them to be fine, others aren't though

Another thing is some whisky just doesn't do it for me until I'm about a third way into the bottle, then it can turn around completely. I've had a few where I'm less than impressed with them and almost force them down until all of a sudden the penny drops one day and they taste incredible. Had a bottle once (Benromach 15) where I didn't enjoy it at all until the very last glass in the bottle, then I absolutely loved it and was gutted it was gone 🤷‍♂️ :lol:
I wasn’t really enjoying the North Star ”undisclosed Orkney” but from the last third of a bottle I’m enjoying it much more.
Wouldn't replace it but much better than first thought.
 
I wasn’t really enjoying the North Star ”undisclosed Orkney” but from the last third of a bottle I’m enjoying it much more.
Wouldn't replace it but much better than first thought.
I think some of it's due to oxidisation however sometimes I think your taste buds need to adjust to individual profiles. I still find it amazing sometimes how you can get so many differing flavours from what's essentially malted spirit aged in wood. Although obviously distillers now are really clever as to what works well with what and are also constantly experimenting. And of course each distillery's new make spirit is unique, no 2 casks used for aging are exactly the same and the area each is aged in plays a part amongst a host of other things!

Bourbon intrigues me more than scotch in that respect as all (or at least the vast majority) of bourbon is aged in virgin American oak (Quercus alba). However knowing that does goes a long way to explaining how something as simple as the barrel location can play such a significant part, as well as the type of warehouse it's stored in (brick, metal, wood etc) and of course variables such as temperature / humidity

Have a look at this chart of different brands Buffalo Trace makes from each of its mash bills for instance...



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If you've tasted a few of these you could find it quite surprising to think that some of them all come from the same mash bill and are aged on the same site! I know I did...
 

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