Hard to watch

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S-Cackalacky
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by S-Cackalacky »

heartcut wrote:All feints vodka is good fodder for folks that need to mix. Avoids the mental anguish.
Hell with the vodka - just pour 'em up a glass of feints if they can't (won't) demonstrate some appreciation for the good stuff. Or, sit them down and give them a lesson in how to drink it - like Woodshed did.
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by Jimbo »

It use to surprise me how few people really 'appreciate' good whiskey, taking the time to savor and explore and all that. Alas, whiskey drinkers are not wine snobs. Which is great, actually. I'll bet 95% of top shelf whiskey sold is chugged back, mixed with coke, or just drank with reckless and clueless abandon.

I guess thats fine. To each his own. If someone knows enough to know the stuff on the top shelf is higher quality than the swill on the bottom shelf, and are ok with spending double for a quality product, whether they are 'whiskey enlightened' or not is ok with me. Given the chance, I do as Wood did, and wax lyrical extolling the virtues of what they have in that glass in front of them.
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by heartcut »

S-Cackalacky wrote:
heartcut wrote:All feints vodka is good fodder for folks that need to mix. Avoids the mental anguish.
Hell with the vodka - just pour 'em up a glass of feints if they can't (won't) demonstrate some appreciation for the good stuff. Or, sit them down and give them a lesson in how to drink it - like Woodshed did.
A neighbor and I got pretty lit up one Saturday night on good homemade bourbon. Good guy, mechanic by trade and hobby. I offered to drop off some foreshots to be used as a degreaser and did so. Later that week, he told me the stuff I left was OK, but not as good as the bourbon.
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by Jimbo »

In theory there's no difference between theory and practice. But in practice there is.
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by FreeMountainHermit »

[quote="Jimbo" If someone knows enough to know the stuff on the top shelf is higher quality than the swill on the bottom shelf, and are ok with spending double for a quality product, whether they are 'whiskey enlightened' or not is ok with me.[/quote]

Jimbo, I'd like to tell you about one of my recent experiments using Kessler blended whiskey billed as "smooth as silk" as a kind of extension of our recent Pizza Hut PM.

Kessler is about as bottom shelf as you can get but is quite popular down in the bowery

Two friends (whiskey snobs) were given samples of Kessler in mason jars embellished with a goodly portion of country bullshit and billed as genuine corn likker from the hills of WV. After much swishing around and Kentucky chewing both friends uttered OMG that is GOOOD. The funny part is that both were serious and wanted some more to take home.

Both friends are fairly affluent as well as being highly educated and couldn't tell the dif.

I guess it was in the packaging. :lol:
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by firewater69 »

FMH,everything taste better in a jar!
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by kiwi Bruce »

Thank you Jimbo, I just sat here and laughed my ass off! !
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by woodshed »

It's cool to see how many here can relate. I accept the fact that I am being led by my deep personal attachment to the product. I have watched many shots of my Smoke Shine go straight down and it never really bothered me.
It is a drink that could go either way. As with all my whiskeys I prefer the sippin approach.

A straight Bourbon is an experience no different than a fine cognac or absinthe approach.
The spirits are optimized through a ritual.
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by jedneck »

I have started getting almost as much satisfaction buy just nosing my spirit and setting the glass down and savoring the aroma. It might be 10 mins till I even sip and taste.
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by Truckinbutch »

jedneck wrote:I have started getting almost as much satisfaction buy just nosing my spirit and setting the glass down and savoring the aroma. It might be 10 mins till I even sip and taste.
Me too :wave: When you are making it yourself you are more inclined to savor the drop and judge your progress than to slam it back to get hammered .
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by raketemensch »

I'm with all of you on appreciating fine liquors. I got a wine education as a young waiter in a high-end restaurant, which led me to many, many places. Stages, individual notes, specific herbs, all that crap. I love it still, it's one of those things that keeps me enjoying life.

But I still appreciate a good Bourbon and Coke. The gooder the bourbon, the better it tastes.
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by thecroweater »

And then there is the
So is your whiskey as good as Jim Beam
.....NO! Pissing in the finished product would be easy enough but I found it to hard to strain the vitimized cockroaches :sick:
OK is this rum like Bundy
that's it pal get the fucking hell outa my shed (arse kicking emicon here)
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by heartcut »

Taking the devil's advocate position... Jack Daniels is a high quality commercial product. So is Budweiser. The stuff always tastes the same and a lot of people buy it. I don't, but did go to college way back when and still remember doing JD shots and drinking shitty beer for a buzz. We on this forum generally strive for better but most likely disagree a bit on the specifics of "better". I enjoy making (in my opinion) high quality spirits and like to help friends and family appreciate what I do but some don't. No worries, but the folks that comprehend my product get to drink it (the second time).
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by jb-texshine »

Hey Budweiser IS great beer......for cooking bratwurst.
I still can't figure the coconut smell in jack Daniels though,I can even taste it.does it come from the oak?
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by Brutal »

Jimbo wrote:
Lol hell yea!
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by Rastus »

Well i finally caught up with this thread, and Shed, i hear you man.... that is one of my pet peeves ... i didnt know how to drink likker, when i was younger JD and yukon Jack where my hangovers of choice if i did drink...
it was when i decided to try single malt scotch in the 90's and i had to pay good money. that is when i learned to slow down and savour. nobody in my world was there to guide me i had to find out by myself. aint no bars in my region of a vast state... so it was even harder...

i always take this stuff serious and a bottle lasts a while. now that i have been making my own, as we here all know, we appreciate our end product that for most started the day we had some copper tube sitting in our workshop.... and slowly built towards the day our first drops of the sweet nectar came out ... we had studied and tried recipes, and oaked and flavored and aged with great care.... no one can realize that when we set a shot before them, what we have invested. and what hurts me is i cannot tell most what it is.

looking at your story, and what you did was a good example, if i was 20 something and choosing some local whiskey at $8.5 a shot, and the distillery owner, whiskey maker came up to me and said in effect whoa boys that no old mare that's a thoroughbred, here is how you handle it.... and he bought me a round to demonstrate.... at first i wouldnt know what to think but the next day i would be pondering what happened... COOL.... and the next time i got a shot of anything the words and thoughts of what was shared would echo and haunt me. and the change in style would start.

in my personal life my best friend who helps me with my supplies of likker i make, he is opposite of me. slam the shot, and he always has to mix. koolaid, lemonade, or lemon iced tea... makes me sick to see but he is appreciative of the buzz. knowing his behavior, I never bring anything that is exquisite to share with him. just the average stuff. anyone else i will observe their habits when drinking commercial and talk to them before i ever offer anything expensive or personally made.

fortunately my sons have all grown with my attitude and example and though they are 28 and 23 they sip it up slow and really examine the delicate nuances of the flavors and profile, in whiskey, rum, beer or what ever. makes a papa proud. i guess at some point i will share a few of my secrets to them... first with the knowledge that if they tell a soul, pops will end up in the clink for a few years ... I aint ready yet.


good topic Shed, keep on !

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Re: Hard to watch

Post by Bigbob »

As a veteran of three meet and greets, I've found that everybody that has provided spirits has done a GREAT job. No spirits where turned down. As I've said before, I have a hard time finding (remember I'm cheap) a comercial spirit that comes close. A very few hit the mark, but I'm very impressed with the group as a whole! :thumbup:
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by rager »

Bigbob wrote:As a veteran of three meet and greets, I've found that everybody that has provided spirits has done a GREAT job. No spirits where turned down. As I've said before, I have a hard time finding (remember I'm cheap) a comercial spirit that comes close. A very few hit the mark, but I'm very impressed with the group as a whole! :thumbup:

i will second that :thumbup:
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by Truckinbutch »

+3 :thumbup: :wave:
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by aircarbonarc »

Every night before bed I pour myself a glass of something and enjoy it. Some nights I have 2 glasses but its something that I look forward to after a night at work. Liquor is one of civilizations greatest inventions.
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by piratekev »

Steve, on a much smaller scale it makes me pain when someone gets gift from me and later tells me how much that they enjoyed the shine, yea, mixed with soda or juice.
Once you give a gift to someone you no longer control it.
My dad always said," Some people". And I know why.
I would like to meet you to share a sip, or three.
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by Hillbilly Popstar »

Danespirit wrote:I can imagine how you feel Woodshed..
The toes almost crumble in ones shoes, seeing how they just flush that good drop "down the drain".. :wtf: :cry:
Just saw a video the other day, that brings this subject to a point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVG1U-faqHY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
Not all whiskey is best neat.

Thus guy needs a swift kick to the nutz.
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by midwest shinner »

I can't imagine having to swallow something like that Shed, at least without making some form of negative comment. Although I have seen Windy handle a similar situation without a word and it still makes the wife and I laugh our asses off just talking about it. But you are right though IMHO, because you are a young distillery and realistically it $$$ in the bank either way. It certainly don't make it esdy to see though.Rest assured my bottle of Eagle Mt. and Apple Shine were enjoyed neat or on a rock by anyone at my house :D Granted everyone has their own tastes but there's a reason they make things like BacArdi or Jack Daniels if you know what I'm saying
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by BoomTown »

Well, we finally turned about 24 bottles of some fairly good whiskey out of a barrel, bottled and labeled. Getting approval for the label was painful, and we wanted enough product out to represent what we are trying to do. We made 24 (750ml) bottles of Good whiskey, and son clancy took a case and I took a case. He lives in the Pennsylvania, and I took mine back to VA. Have been serving it at various community functions, but not selling those bottles, only demonstrating from them and then letting the guests drink during the social events. The point is, I do a time little dog and pony show about tasting, usually as an introduction, and talk about the whiskey. We've now pre-sold that entire barrel's contents, and plan to bottle it early March.

I know this isn't a realistic marketing approach, to limited a scale, but it's fun. And the people get excited about tasting the whiskey, some who've been drinking for years, seem to experience actual tasting of whiskey for the very first time.

And, once they taste the whiskey, and want to order a bottle, they don't even blink at the price. Still, as each bottle in my case turns empty, and we draw closer to the date when we will bottle that whole barrel, I'm getting separation anxiety...what happens if the those other barrels don't turn out as good as this first one?
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by conejo148 »

I know the feeling. It annoys the hell out of me when someone buys a bottle of mine (corn whiskey, 116 proof,) and asks how I mix it. I say in a glass, straight from the fridge. I do have an advantage of being one of the very, very few distillers to have a DSP in my personal backyard. Literally-it's 100ft from my house. Took a lot of waivers and legal wrangling, but the feds made it happen for me. I can sell a bottle, then walk out the the door to my pond or sit on the porch and talk away. (My permit is for off-premise consumption only, Ohio A3A up to 10,000 gallons annually.) If they want to mix it up I will. Don't like to, but I will. Anyway...part of me knows I should introduce some fruit flavors for the hipsters and whoever carries their balls for them, but I'm so proud of the product that I make I don't want to diminish it. But as a business man I need to make what sells, not what I like. Doesn't mean I can't educate folks.

What's more important to me though is taking it on the road to parties, relatives in NE TN/SW VA, and sharing with others that make the stuff in the woods. I don't introduce a bottled product, usually a mason jar or hip flask. When they genuinely say that it's smooth, tastes good, and has a corn flavor and smell...that's what makes me smile and say yeah, I make that, and then hand 'em a business card. If they say it sucks I still say I made it and ask 'em why think that. Usually they'll say it's too harsh, to strong, burns..etc. Then find out they usually drink martinis or whiskey sours or apple pie. And I say "oh, that's too bad." This past Thursday my brother was sharing some in the woods with some buddies and one guy said it was awesome, some of the best he's ever had. Didn't know he came from a 4 generation bootlegging family around Gatlinburg. Admiration from my peers means more to me than whatever some punk at a bar says. THAT lets me know I'm doing it right. But I've said things to people I see in bars throwing it back, whether mine or somebody else's. It's not fair to whiskey.
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by Hillbilly Popstar »

I was proud of my first batch. I usually drink hard likker on the rocks. So, to me, my shine was clean and sweet and perfect companion to a pair of ice cubes. I had an old friend over to share it with and he never even took the time to search for complexity. He immediately gave a knee jerk reaction and said "this tastes like rubbing alcohol, I can't drink this stuff." I watered it down a bit and tried to teach him how to appreciate it, but he's not one to indulge beyond his initial judgment. He accused me of not knowing what I was doing and he's never even had moonshine, much less ever drink hard liquour.
I don't even want to let him try the SPD now.

There's something to be said for throwing your pearls to swine.

I need to find someone to libate with.
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by conejo148 »

Hillbilly Popstar wrote:
I need to find someone to libate with.
I know the feeling. In my neighborhood (*within an hour's drive) there are 6 distillers...and only 2 are full-time. Another one is due to open in a few weeks, but he also runs a winery and microbrewery. He's 10 minutes from me and we talk a lot, but I don't think he drinks liquor. Just sees the business opportunity. I do think he makes awesome beer & wine, and is well-known throughout the state in the micro- circuits. We talk mostly business but there is rarely time to kick back and relax with a drink for either of us. We both have young kids, I have a 60+ hour straight job and he's running 3 separate TTB operations (nightmare!)

Course, the neighbors are always open to get "free" drinks--which aren't free by any stretch of the imagination. I just hate telling the same story over and over again.
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by GrassHopper »

I can really appreciate what you're sayin' Woodshed. A little over a year ago, before I first came here, I wouldn't have a clue what your were talkin' about. For me, a shot of Jack on coke did the job. Tasted good enough. Everyone I know drinks the same. Boy, what a difference a year of distilling your own makes. Not that I even think I match up to the rest of you guys. I know I don't. But, what matters is, that I like what I make. And I like it a lot! Especially the stuff that's been in a barrel for a year now. I like it mixed with ginger ale, but I also like it neat on ice. I smell things now, I sniff every drop. My nose has improved, I sense odors and chemistry I have not noticed before. My taste has also improved. You guys have taught me to appreciate good whiskey. Not that I have tasted a lot of the best.....I haven't, but I sure would like the opportunity. I hear of you guys gettin' together to sample each others stuff. Wow!, am I jealous. I hope to have that opportunity someday, to meet some of you and sample the best there is in the world. Although all those I know may not appreciate what I make....who f....cking cares? I have learned to appreciate it. Thanks for sharing Woodshed.
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Re: Hard to watch

Post by JoeyZR1 »

We


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Re: Hard to watch

Post by Kareltje »

A lot of years ago I found myself on a whisky nosing and tasting event.
Got some 10 different glasses before me and someone at the front of the room to guide us. He did well: had it not been for his guiding and explaining, I would not have tasted the differences. Now I was lucky to taste them.
I got the same effect with tasting of beer, or of bread. Or the appreciation of paintings.

To experience something to the full, you have 1) to direct your attention to it. And, of course, 2) your senses have to be active.
On the first thing you can focus and you can train the attention. On the second you have to be lucky. I seem to have less active senses since I use some medicins: less taste, smell and feelings.

The point in your story is: these men were focused on other things than the taste of their whisky and beer. Did you give them a training on their beer as well as on your whisky?
I understand it hurts to see that. But I think it is the fate of everybody who makes something with craftmanship: most people are not able to really notice it.
Do you really appreciate the masoning of your house? The removal of your garbage? The growing of your food?
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