Whiskey - Bourbon or Rye?

Sidewinder

Well-Known Member
After reading the thread on best whiskies, I am impressed at all you Brit boys and your fine palates! :cool: It seems like there is a preference for the Islay stuff, especially Laphroaig (which is also my favourite).

Now, when I was hunting Elk in Wyoming I brought a bottle of Laphroaig Cask Strength with me to share with the cowboys. It was good to know that globally, hunters seem to have a preference for something strong after the kill, however to my dismay none of my American hunters liked (or could handle) the peat and iodine taste of the Laphroaig.

They seemed to prefer the Canadian Rye or a straight corn-distilled Kentucky Bourbon (Makers Mark or Woodford). What do you think of that stuff? Do any of you drink it here after a hunt? And what is about Scotch, especially the powerful Laphroaig that is so appealing to us?

Have a Happy New Year!

Just a footnote: Most Canadian Rye whiskies today are blends; straight rye is hard to find. Before WWI, rye was a predominate grain used in whiskey making before farm land in the United States took to growing an abundance of corn through government subsidies (which helped make us so fat). I have a few straight rye bottles around;regarding taste, toffee and spice dominates!
 
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I'm not a fan of bourbon or rye and I'm afraid I view the Islay malts with not much less disdain (though each to their own of course).

You might do better with something like the Speyside malts - Glen Livet & Glen Morangie spring to mind.

ATB,

Scrummy
 
After reading the thread on best whiskies, I am impressed at all you Brit boys and your fine palates! :cool: It seems like there is a preference for the Islay stuff, especially Laphroaig (which is also my favourite).

Now, when I was hunting Elk in Wyoming I brought a bottle of Laphroaig Cask Strength with me to share with the cowboys. It was good to know that globally, hunters seem to have a preference for something strong after the kill, however to my dismay none of my American hunters liked (or could handle) the peat and iodine taste of the Laphroaig.

They seemed to prefer the Canadian Rye or a straight corn-distilled Kentucky Bourbon (Makers Mark or Woodford). What do you think of that stuff? Do any of you drink it here after a hunt? And what is about Scotch, especially the powerful Laphroaig that is so appealing to us?

Have a Happy New Year!

That's because there all big girls blouses ,woman's drinks . Ive taken bottle after bottle of whisky to Canada a couple of Drams and they puggled great watching them trying to preform the next day is excellent .
 
Laphroaig is very peaty with salty seaweed overtones. Not my cup of tea. Not really got into Bourbon and the like but Balveny or Glenmorangie are sweeter and more delicate malts and would probably go down better.
 
Can't beat a good speyside (Singletons is mine, Lorraine likes Glenfiddich) but admit I'm partial to a glass of Jura now and again. Sorry but to my palate Laphroag is like drinking rancid cats ****. It's awful.
 
Laphroiag is not to my liking at all ,this Xmas I received a Talisker ,a springbank a glen moray a ballentines and an Irish jamesones so some to go at !
Norma
 
Can't beat a good speyside (Singletons is mine, Lorraine likes Glenfiddich) but admit I'm partial to a glass of Jura now and again. Sorry but to my palate Laphroag is like drinking rancid cats ****. It's awful.

Nail on head.


Nutty
 
I normally drink Bells or Grouse with 4 spoons of sugar topped up with boiling water and afterwards take a couple of painkillers an hour or so before I pop off to bed.
Santas elves have brought me a litre bottle of Bells and a small box containing 3 bottles of Glenfiddich, 12 year old, 15 years old and 18 years old respectively.

These are sipping, not slurping brews so I may test them in a different manner.

HWH.
 
Well I'm a big fan of Talisker, Laphroaig, Jamesons and even the likes of bourbons, Jack Daniels, I could go on. Can't be on with you picky sorts. A good drink is a good drink. Of course I have my favourites, but really!
 
I normally drink Bells or Grouse with 4 spoons of sugar topped up with boiling water and afterwards take a couple of painkillers an hour or so before I pop off to bed.
Santas elves have brought me a litre bottle of Bells and a small box containing 3 bottles of Glenfiddich, 12 year old, 15 years old and 18 years old respectively.

These are sipping, not slurping brews so I may test them in a different manner.

HWH.
Don't think you will be disappointed with the Glenfiddich, the 15 year old is my favourite, however I've taken to rum at the minute
Wingy
 
I enjoy the the whisky/whiskey of the British Isles.
Sadly, I really don't like anything I've tried from across the Atlantic.
 
Woodford Reserve is very pleasant & at present I have some Knob Creek in my booze cupboard.......however, 18yr old Laphroaig is a great whisky and a bottle of that lurking around for special occasions is good to have. My all time favourite and which goes with my friends & I when we're in Scotland is a 16 year old Lagavulin. Unbeatable for the money in my view. Hope you're all enjoying a great festive season ATB slainte :tiphat:
 
In my experience of the tastings I hosted Scandinavians love the islay stuff and the smokier the better which I guess is down to their palates being used to smokier food.

Americans I always remember prefering speysiders or blends.

I do like a good bourbon and will happily drink buffalo trace or bullit bourbon. Also liked the four roses single barrel.

However in my own hip flask I will tend to have someting smoky.
 
None of the above for me, Ouzo was my favourite, but post Ulcer a new discovery is toffee Vodka.
A good mates home made cider is just the thing for me, and under the influence right now i'm afraid :D

Neil. :)
 
as mentioned by others, lagavulin 16 yo :drool: and singleton are the current favs. I have not got into rye or bourbon but with single malt on the doorstep I don't really need to. If I ever moved to America, Iam sure that would change. regards sbm
 
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Thanks everyone for the replies. I am drinking Kilchoman Machir Bay as I type. Its a new farm distillery on Islay founded in 2005. I hope its legit. Its only aged a few years and has a powerful smoky nose, oaky palate and wow some hell of a iodine finish, perfect when you are soaking wet after a long cold stalk.....The local was out of Laphroaig , so I tried this as it came with two glasses!

Although I love Bourbon (I am from Virginia), I never fancied it while here....I guess when in Rome do like the Romans, I still find it amazing how you can have such a variety of whiskies so close to one another. Scotland is maybe the 8th wonder of the world!
 
Just to chuck another couple in the mix in addition to the other (excellent) Islay mentioned above

http://www.bruichladdich.com/ - they've some really interesting stuff including Octomore which holds some record for smokiness (we usually refere to it as smokey *******)

http://www.ardbeg.com/ardbeg/ - some lovely stuff here. The Blasda is very 'unpeated' if you like it lighter tasting, but some cracking bottles. (cracking as in good drinking rather than poor quality glass....)

It's a great way to spend a few days going round them on the Island and you can see Jura from Caol Ila (another good one)...stalking over there I hear!
 
I enjoy them all. I generally like my spirits done in small batches were the distiller can make his cuts, & not from continious stills. Having said that though, I've thrown more single malts away than corn,rye or molasses spirits because they've smelt like a wet dog, not because they're too smokey or peaty, but because the distiller has added too much tails for flavour.

Got to remember too that the flavours can come from the astringents which also cause hangovers, again this is were the distiller can keep or remove these flavours if he knows his craft. Hangovers are less of a problem from spirits out of a reflux still, but then the flavours are gone & in the large commercial continious ones cuts aren't made so the hangovers can be fierce too.

Great topic, I love all spirits that have spent time on oak, even the refluxed spirit can be ok after being oaked correctly.

Cheers Sharkey
 
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