Thread: Your favorite brand of or Aging your own wiskey

I am new to whiskey drinking. I know my way around rum fairley well though. I was just wondering what types you gentlemen drink. Right now my brand of choice is from Down Slope Distilery in Denver. I am letting it sit in a 1 liter charred oak barrel to give it a little something extra. It is coming along very nicely.

I'm completely new to whiskey, so far I've only had Jack Daniels, Elijah Craig 12 year old, and Johnnie Walker Black Label. I know, I know nothing top shelf. JD is well Jd and IMHO fit only when the end result is intoxication by any means. The Elijah Craig was ok but just not my favorite. JWB I really liked and has got me looking into the world of Scotch. Best of luck, you'll have to keep us posted on how it turns out.

More of a bourbon man myself, but when I drink whiskey, I usually reach for Jamesons.

I am a BIG scotch and whiskey fan!! I ALWAYS have a bottle of Makers' (either original or 46) and Woodford Reserve in the house! Also try to keep a of Johnny around (i like green, gold and blue but Blue is WAY over priced IMO) I'm also a HUGE fan of Basil Hayden!

Edit: I know Makers is a bourbon but I kinda lump Whiskey, Bourbon and Scotch together a lot!

Originally Posted by BenjamanBarker

I am a BIG scotch and whiskey fan!! I ALWAYS have a bottle of Makers' (either original or 46) and Woodford Reserve in the house! Also try to keep a of Johnny around (i like green, gold and blue but Blue is WAY over priced IMO) I'm also a HUGE fan of Basil Hayden!

Edit: I know Makers is a bourbon but I kinda lump Whiskey, Bourbon and Scotch together a lot!

Woodford Reserve - one of the best bourbons in the world, and good value for the money.

Have recently discovered American rye whisky. Not quite as sweet as bourbon, very complex, fiery and woodsy, interesting stuff. The Sazerac 18yr. old is a stellar example of the breed, as is Stranahan's - an excellent bottle from a small family distillery around Denver, CO.

On my old friends the scotches:

Johnny Blue - Have to agree with you, especially since I've occasionally found it at US $130 in the past few years, vs. the BS $200 most vendors like to charge for it. Good, but not that good, and at that price, there are many single malts that are way more interesting, such as:

Laphroaig 25 year old - I like Laphroaig from the time it's just a wee lad of 10, but the adolescent 15yr. old and fully mature 25yr. old are truly works of art... ah, that brought a tear to me eye, think I'll go have a splash of

Ardbegh - another fine 10year old product from the magical isle of Islay, which I shall have to pay my heartfelt respects to one day!

However, after all these years, my favorite all-round remains the affordable and understatedly elegant 16yr. old Lagavulin... BTW, also owned by Johnny Walker. Black label has a good dash of this stuff in the blend...

ETA: On aging your own - I am quite sure that if I kept a barrel full of whisky in my house, it would not live past its first year

Jameson Irish whiskey and Buffalo Trace bourbon for me.

Where did you find a 1 L whiskey barrel, and did it come pre-charred? Thanks.

Whiskey spans quite a range, so you will have to experiment a bit to see what you like. If you want to try scotch, I think any single malt 10-12 years around $40-$50 a bottle is probably good quality and worth trying. For other types of whiskey, I also tend to try to pick bottles in that price range or ask others for help picking something out. I know price isn't always an indication of quality, but I think it usually is in the middle range.

My girlfriend got it for me for my birthday from down slope distillery in Colorado. It did come pre-charred and with a stopper and a little spout. The whiskey that I have in it now has really picked up some of the oak flavor and is really tasty. I am trying to decide what to put in next

Bushmills Irish. Anything less shows bad breeding. Anything more is a display of unecessary vanity...

Did that sound snarky enough? I was just kidding. I wanted to sound like i knew what I was talking about. But, I do like Bushmills.. It ia affordable and tastes good on the rocks.

Bushmill's Black Bush good sippin......... smoooooth

The Glenrothes Special Reserve single malt yum!