When you buy, what do you buy, and is it as good as yours??

[BoomTown]

So, in the interest of science, I've been buying a bottle of this and that for a while. Several months ago I think I started a thread about store-bought whiskey, but I've lost track of it. Anyhow, the research is now beginning to show some indicators.

First is: When I buy booze from my friend Ken, who runs the state liquor store I visit, I've been buying stuff made by Buffalo Trace. Not actually Buffalo trace, but the satellite brands like Blantons, and now Taylor Small Batch.

Now my favorite store bought (at the moment, of course) is my Elijah Craig 12 year, Cast Strength. Its a full bodied drink, rich in aroma and deep in flavors.

But just opened a bottle of Colonel E.H. Taylor, Small Batch, Bottled in Bond which is definitely worthy of mention. Aside from being this years Double Gold winner in the category of the 50 best Bourbons, It's got lots of nose, a great honey, flower feel in the mouth, and finishes with a slight licorice back flavor that I simply crave. It's bottled at 100 proof, and sold in it's own brown paper tube, so it simply ekes class and distinction.

So, any of you want to fess up about what are you folks who buy, are buying? Truth is, I buy this stuff to compare to what we are trying to do, so I've every excuse to drink a bit of it now and then, though I actually am beginning to think what I make is as good as any of what I'm buying...bragging rights soon to be available for comparison, I hope.

[StillLearning1]

Its soooo hard for me to justify spending the money for anything in the store nowadays. But if I do, its always for comparison sakes. Last things I remember getting are a pint of blantons ( I loved this stuff) and a airplane bottle of a brandy i dont remember the name to. The brandy was because I had never had it and wanted to see if its something I would want to try to make.

The liquor stores around here have a TERRIBLE selection and they are all state owned so I have to go out of state if I ever want to try something new!

[dieselduo]

I bought some Laphroaig 10 yr. Love the smoked peated malt. I make a single peated malt similar to it. It's a toss up to which one I like the most.

[MichiganCornhusker]

I'll second your review of E.H. Taylor small batch, Boom. I had a glass while out to dinner a few months back and it was maybe the first whiskey I've had since making my own that I though was very nicely made. Very smooth, great flavors, no heads, I really liked it.
I don't make scotch (yet) and Laphroaig has been a go-to for many years. I still don't mind going to it.

[Rastus]

I have been off in the fields of Rye Whiskey last year or so....

what pulled me into it was a chance taste at a friends house, they were sipping some Jim Beam Rye. well it was affordable and i had a few bottles over many many months... but when i finally got to a town that had liquor stores and a bar i could try some samples i ended up buying some Bulleit was pretty good, but i couldnt find Michter's which was a nice smooth sip from the shot glass i was sampling, so next trip I take I will be hitting all the big retailers looking for Michter's.... also have a bottle of russels reserve which is almost gone after 9 months i felt there was a little more burn in it than the others... and also i picked up some Old Overholt which isnt too bad for the under $20 price i got it for.

of all of these, I like the sweetness and spiciness and smoothness of the Jim Beam Rye, plus i don't have to break the bank to keep it in stock. I will though reserve my preference till i get to sample a few more brands and i really do want to have several sessions to explore the quality of the Michter's one shot wasnt enough.

Meanwhile i want to wrap up my series of UJSSM and get started on my Rye Bread recipe that Sir Odin has bestowed upon us.

Cheers!!!

[wtfdskin]

Im a huge fan of any spiced rum. Have to buy all of it but getting close to starting my own. Ive been leaning towards the darker rums. Right now kracken is what I hope to reproduce. Rum and coke is all I need. Im a simple drinker.
I have made apple brandy mostly because I have my own orchard. Never had a drink of brandy in my life until now.

[Bigbob]

Since I've been making my own I havent bought anything but wine. Not saying mines top sheaf, just saying I'm cheap!

[Brutal]

I've been on a similar search to find a whiskey that I would want to try and duplicate. So far I ain't found none.. They all taste like a kick in the mouth, and an oak graveyard. I pm'd Jimbo about this recently and I have not yet bought the bottle of his recommendation, but I'll wait for him to come in here and share it with you folks. I'm not giving up yet, but I am not sure that a standard bourbon or whiskey is going to be the thing for me. I want to find one that is a pure hearts cut, and very smooth. I have considered recently building a small still, a gallon or two in size, with a small fractioning column built onto it. I would use it to remove the fores and heads only from commercial spirits. The boiler contents afterward would be my product.

I am looking forward to everyone's input on this subject.

[jedneck]

Last I bought was 2 1/2 years ago. Bottle of cheap Ginger brandy. Slowly working on my own recipe using pear cider for the base. Its still young but its better than cheap store bought, hopefully in time it much better. Also working on perfecting my 4 grain whiskey. Not sure what to buy that matches the flavour and to cheap and broke to go look.
Posted with brutal

[DeepSouth]

I have a decent collection of store bought. Just as an aside, I don't have the same attitude that a lot of people on this site have towards commercial liquor. There are plenty of good bottles on the shelf in stores and when folks make blanket statements about how most anything home distilled is better than store bought, I just don't agree. That said, there is still a lot of swill in the shelves too. My personal favorites for whiskey are most of the Four Roses offerings, and most of the brands made by Buffalo Trace.

[aquavita]

As a rookie - I've set my goals rather low... If I could generate something equal to Makers - that is goal #1.

[TINY]

I have quite a collection of different liquor. Dry fly washington wheat whiskey and peabody jones vodka are the ones i keep going back to lately. Both are local to my area.

[moosemilk]

I don't often buy anything. I have a little lately though to try different things. Bought some buffalo trace and actually really liked it. Also had some forty creek I was impressed with. What I didn't care for at all was Bulliet frontier whiskey. Found it to be rather hot and only way I choked down the bottle was over the span of a week with a lot of coke (usually prefer whiskey neat).

[skow69]

I also buy for comparison. Last I got is 1792 Ridgemont Reserve Barrel Select, $40/fifth. It's still on the shelf. Can't drink it. If I ever lose my still I'll be screwed.

[Rastus]

I also buy for comparison. Last I got is 1792 Ridgemont Reserve Barrel Select, $40/fifth. It's still on the shelf. Can't drink it. If I ever lose my still I'll be screwed.

knowing what most of us do, it is hard to accept a lot of what is being passed on to the masses with a fancy label.

and the good thing is, as i realized, if ever the copper sculpture i love so much was lost stolen destroyed or any other unfortunate event that may bring a seperation between copper and I, i have the knowlege in my brain now to start over and fix the little quirky things for an improved apparatus.... and the lack of quality sippin material would definitely motivate me to be a little quicker in construction of it.

Just a thought, I feel the same. comforting in a way.

[MichiganCornhusker]

A good way to explore is to fine a good whiskey bar. They will stock a lot of good stuff, and can be knowledgeable about what might be good to try. (and you can buy an ounce, not a whole bottle)

Another is if you can find a tasting event. I recently had a chance to be a part of a Pappy Van Winkle tasting. They had the 10, 15, 20, and 23 year old bottles.
We only got to taste about 1/2 oz of each, but it was the only way I was ever going to be able to try those 4 bottles! And trying them together was nice to be able to compare them all.
Everyone at my table actually preferred the 20 year to the 23 year. That 20 year was astounding, very special. First time all those descriptions like "leather" "tobacco" "earthy" hit me. It tasted 20 years old for sure.

[BoomTown]

As a rookie - I've set my goals rather low... If I could generate something equal to Makers - that is goal #1.

That's a fair goal, not low at all, given the comparisons available....Try Maker's 46 next time you get a hankering to buy some...it's pretty good.

IMHO

[BoomTown]

I have quite a collection of different liquor. Dry fly washington wheat whiskey and peabody jones vodka are the ones i keep going back to lately. Both are local to my area.

I've a bottle of Dry Fly Wheat Whiskey here too....They are really nice guys, but to be honest, the whiskey could spend a couple more years in the barrel...it's good, but not as good as what they make will get to be if the let it age....but like us all, they gotta a payroll to meet too.

Don't know the Peabody Jones Vodka, just don't drink vodka.

Boom

[Jimbo]

Tried some of this at Windy City's casa. Damn fine. Take small sips, its Damn Preciou$ too.

http://www.lifestylenews.co/wp-content/ ... ourbon.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[Jimbo]

This one is nice too http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 9#p7104099

I set the bar high. haha. Then even if I dont hit it, I still make something that runs circles around most whiskeys on the shelf. In my humble opinion LOL

[Tokoroa_Shiner]

I thought about buying one of these while they were cheap. But now they have gone back up well out of my price range.

[Bushman]

Boom I know you tried it but if you like wheat whiskey and for as short as it is aged I think the Dry Fly Wheat Whiskey has a pretty nice wheat profile.

[BoomTown]

Boom I know you tried it but if you like wheat whiskey and for as short as it is aged I think the Dry Fly Wheat Whiskey has a pretty nice wheat profile.

Hey Bushman, Don't misunderstand. I really like Dry Fly Wheat, but I got to taste it's older brother when I visited out there. I KNOW what it will taste like at 6 or older. And then, it's not just good -- its a great whiskey.

I forgot to mention I trained with those Dry Fly guys for a week in January. They let me taste 6 generations of their stuff, and they have some incredible stuff waiting for market...They are all about timing, Quality, and Excellence. They know what of I speak. And they'll likely not feel criticized by my comments...Don said as much to me himself.

Boom

[RandyMarshCT]

I like the regular Buffalo Trace. The Four Roses small batch is quite good as well, but a little sweet for my taste. I have a bottle of Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select that I feel cost more than it should due to the headiness. I don't mind the Knob Creek Single Barrel or regular Maker's Mark, but I feel like they're just not worth what they charge. I make a pretty conservative heads cut on my bourbon and I think I've learned to love the lack of heads... even though it may mean a lack of "complexity" to many whiskey snobs. I've yet to try any of the Pappy's, but would love to.

Jed, ginger brandy in a cup of hot apple cider is one of my favorite winter drinks. I bet it would be fantastic in a cup of the pear cider it was spawned from. Something to warm you up before going outside to split some wood on days like this... or after you come back in... or both.

[Rastus]

Many years ago i went through my Single malt scotch Phase, I found at the time that my favorite was the Cragganmore label.
the 12 year old was the one i would buy more than any other of the scotch whiskeys. i tried the distillers edition that was distilled in 1993 and bottled in 2006 and it was a very nice caramely vanilla, notes of the oak... wonderful stuff. at the time it was what i regarded as one of the best.

the other Label i have really liked was A scotch called Glengoyne. the only unpeated single malt scotch. they toast the malts with oak as i recall. the 10 year old was smooth and bright flavored. when i travelled overseas to the philippines i found an 18 and 21 year old bottle of glengoyne so i had to have them both and both were very good drink, but the one that nearly got me shot by my wife was when they released the batch that was distilled in 1967. That bottle was cask strength and full of rich flavors and oak vanilla spicey ... oh Man was that wonderful stuff and even came in a nice wooden box... i would only share it on special occasions and lasted me over a year. when she found out how much i paid, my savior was that i told her... baby it was distilled the same year you were born i had to have it!

that was the best of those... now i feel like back then was for me and how i tasted and understood what whiskey was then is kind of like how it was when i was a kid watching the old black and white TV.... i thought what i was seeing was great, only now with the knowlege i have and tasted the difference, is like seeing a Blue ray video on a 50 inch TV... till i saw the difference i didnt have a clue.

sure wish i could revisit some of them old bottles and see if they are still as good as i thought they were. maybe it is best leaving them as legends in my memory rather than dig them up and learn that it wasnt as good... haha Like old girlfriends i guess. dont want to see her mugshots.

shucks!

that dry fly Wheat sure has my interest... i have a cousin that is farming 6000 + acres of wheat in washington... bet i could get a good price for some sacks of that, and have a go at some wheat... hmmmm

add it to the list

[BoomTown]

that dry fly Wheat sure has my interest... i have a cousin that is farming 6000 + acres of wheat in Washington... bet i could get a good price for some sacks of that, and have a go at some wheat... hmmmm

add it to the list

The thing about using wheat is that it converts to higher yield during the mashing, Wheat is higher in carbohydrates than any other grain except maybe rice. The initial whiskey will have a bite to it, like rye, but leave it alone in a white oak barrel for long enough and it comes back dark and rich in taste, with the mellowness of good Irish. For wheat whiskey, I miss the sweetness that corn tosses into a good whiskey.

We get a cherry and licorice essence that eventually emerges in the stuff we are making now...ours is 1/2 corn, with a pretty even split between wheat and barley to fill out the grain bill. Ours has never lived beyond it's 15th month, since it seems to disappear in the presence of my wife and good friends, but I've a little Gibbs that now might make it to 18 months, if it's older brother survives till the end of summer.

Yeah wheat is nice, in our stuff.

Later this year, I'm going to tinker with a Corn/Wheat/Rice AG once this Gibbs gets dry. I'm thinking white rice, white wheat, and white corn....I'm just thinking....It would be a major transition recipe for us, but we are the adventurous sort... BTW, that white winter wheat should cost between $6 and $7 for a 60lb bushel. I'm told the mash will yield between 10% and 12% ABV pretty regularly, without stressing the yeast by adding refined sugar....wondering what to expect from the rice in terms of yield, cost per bushel, and the like. Here, Dent Corn has run between $4.50 and $7 hper 50lb bushel, depending on if I buy it cracked. Not gonna buy cracked corn any more, since we've decided to grind all our grains ourselves to the same size before we cook up.

Sure drifted away from the theme of my thread...but there you go...So what are you drinking tonight?

Boom

[thisguy]

Central standard opened pretty recently in milwaukee. They have a pretty good white dog. I got a bottle of red breast a while ago too. That was pretty tastey.

[corene1]

I think my favorite store bought whisky is Highland Park 12 year old single malt Scotch. Not real pricey but it has a wonderful smooth feel and nice honey and fruit flavors in the finish. I think in time my whisky will be as good but it is still young and hasn't developed all the subtle flavors that years of aging bring out.

[SassyFrass]

I ain't bought bonded likker in quite awhile, about 5years. But before that I was a fan of Makers.

Favorite drink in the winter is warm Apple Pie or warm Peach Pie.

[Rastus]

Yeah wheat is nice, in our stuff.

Later this year, I'm going to tinker with a Corn/Wheat/Rice AG once this Gibbs gets dry. I'm thinking white rice, white wheat, and white corn....I'm just thinking....It would be a major transition recipe for us, but we are the adventurous sort... BTW, that white winter wheat should cost between $6 and $7 for a 60lb bushel. I'm told the mash will yield between 10% and 12% ABV pretty regularly, without stressing the yeast by adding refined sugar....wondering what to expect from the rice in terms of yield, cost per bushel, and the like. Here, Dent Corn has run between $4.50 and $7 hper 50lb bushel, depending on if I buy it cracked. Not gonna buy cracked corn any more, since we've decided to grind all our grains ourselves to the same size before we cook up.

Sure drifted away from the theme of my thread...but there you go...So what are you drinking tonight?

Boom[/quote]

Hey got away from the theme but good info, thanks! so 50% corn 25% wheat and 25% Barley? this summer i want to try some all grains.

I had a friend come back from Sonora Mexico and she handed me a bottle of what they call Bacanora, which as I understand is made from 100% agave. being distilled in Sonora, it is called Bacanora rather than Tequila, so i had a little shot to savour this evening... it is white /Blanco so i can taste the flavours, really reminds me of a islay scotch like a peat kind of flavor.... interesting stuff...definitly not a Quervo and not a Patron, it is a whole other flavor range. i love the exploration.