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PaperclipPerfector  20d ago (text post)   2776 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for April 12, 2024

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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How about another "what are you drinking" thread?

I picked up a bottle of Noah's Mill bourbon based on the recommendation of @yofuckreddit a few months back, and I really enjoy it so far. I usually find the "bourbon" category pretty homogeneous in terms of smell and taste, so I tend to seek out whiskeys with more varied flavors like rye and scotch. But this bottle has some wonderful nutty vanilla notes on the nose with a lingering woody, waxy flavor that helps set it apart from a typical bourbon.

At a friend's place I finally got to try Octomore for the first time. Peated scotch is probably my favorite kind of spirit, and Octomore's claim to fame is having the highest concentration of peat smoke--something like 2-5 times as much as other heavily-peated whiskeys like Laphroaig. The difference is impressive on paper, but on the palate it doesn't really taste much smokier than a Laphroaig or a Port Charlotte; maybe 5-10% smokier. Still an excellent whiskey, and I'm glad I got to try it to satisfy my curiosity, but I don't feel any desire to pay $300 for a bottle of my own.

I'm in a Rusty Nail phase. Just the absolute best cocktail. Trying it with various inexpensive blended scotches.

I wonder what else Drambuie is good in?

I'm honestly surprised I don't see Ardbegs or Bowmores in the list of mottedrinks. The Ardbeg Uiegadil, Corryvrecken and Alligator are all on the same smokiness/mouthfeel/finish curve, with the marginal improvement in quality from Uiegadil to Corryvreckan being just about justified and the Alligator being unreasonably expensive for my thinning wallet. Very light peat flourishes overall, excellent drinkability and flavour, varying smoothness on the finish depending on the variant.

The bowmores used to be my standby, but since the disconitnuation of the Black Rock I've only had the 15 as my economical standby of choice. Like a less smoky Lag 16 with a speyside sweetness.

The last drink I'm partial to is the Kavalan Solist. Prices have come down since they won the awards almost a decade ago so they are now reasonable options.

If simply getting buzzed is the objective though, I drink Chinese or Korean shochus/alcopops. Surprisingly strong and taste really good.

Ommegang Witte

Spring is here. The weather is warming up. Stout season is done and it's time to embrace lighter beers again. The beer is a Belgian white ale, heavy with coriander & orange peel. Just a delight everytime.

Campari spritz, basil smash and other cocktails - the programmer's job market is not what it was so I am into cheap booze now. And the best cocktails are made with the bottom shelf stuff.

Also I am into making big batches of clear ice lately for all kinds of drinks - chopping ice with cleaver is fun. Still trying to find a way to make a proper mini clinebell on a budget. Right now I make a block of clear ice that is 20kg - but I have to sacrifice all my freezer space to achieve it. So looking for something with external power.

I'm unreasonably psyched that you both tried a rec and liked it. I've had an excellent hit rate with that in the past and I'm glad it worked out.

Tonight I'll be having people over for a round of the Dune board game, which means I'll need to be alert enough to teach but then get drunk enough to give someone else a fighting chance. I'll be building espresso martinis on top of some elusive, limited run "Bensa Bomb" Ethiopian from my subscription, or I'll eschew the temperamental light roast for a Counter Culture staple. The homemade coffee liqueur gifted by some of my buddies really steps these up a notch over what I can get at a bar, but finding the right time to fuck up your sleep schedule when you have kids is difficult.

I may take the coward's path and just make margaritas.

When visiting Kansas a few weeks ago I dropped almost $500 on whiskey which should last me a significant amount of time, since I have cut back and largely stuck with it since January. I was able to grab Heaven Hill's 7y BiB for something like $40 and I quite enjoy it. The cheap 6 year expression was never available where I live so I don't have the FOMO that kills the taste for those who did have access.

Speaking of FOMO, I'm still milking my 2017 bottle of Rendezvous Rye from High West. I'm preparing to kill it once I have a small group over of people who actually give a shit and have a developed palate, because holy crap the old version is so much better. It doesn't even have the 16-year-old juice in it like the stuff pre-2016 did, but it's perhaps the most succinct way to explain to someone how fucking hard making great whiskey is and why MGP is such a dominant force. The current version is still drinkable, but when you put it alongside its older brother manufactured by someone else it becomes borderline unpalatable.

I attribute a lot of the homogeneity of modern American whiskey to suppliers like MGP. It's not bad, but it's ubiquitous, and I worry that a lot of potential variety and novelty of flavor is missing because so many brands are just bottling one mega-producer's spirits. If it's not MGP, it's often some other supplier of "sourced" whiskey. I've started following this rule-of-thumb: only buy bourbon or rye that says on the label "Distilled AND bottled by..." instead of just "bottled by..." Whiskey needs to come pretty highly-recommended for me to break this rule nowadays.

How do you feel about esoteric finishing and blending though? Things like what Barrell and Bardstown have done have produced pretty interesting results. I don't want Seagrass all the time, but when I do, it's really good.

...how fucking hard making great whiskey is and why MGP is such a dominant force.

Hilarious that there are people that want to skip out on MGP because they don't like sourced and finished whiskies. More bottles for me!

I've been nursing a bottle of Blender's Pride, a midmarket whiskey here, for about 3 weeks since my breakup.

It's a step up from the true dross, but not considered fancy unless you were a broke med student. Which I once was, so the association with a taste of something better remained.

I have a shot every time I feel like shit because I miss my ex, but never so much I feel the need to call her, which is why the bottle is yet to finish.

Be warned - the bottle you lean on during trauma can be hurt by association! If it's your daily driver, consider punishing yourself with something worse instead.

I almost lost my taste for Lagavulin 16 after drinking it for my old firm being bought out by a shitty multinational and 2 deaths of close friends. Had to pull it back and reserve it for birthdays and bonuses.

Hope the difficulties from the breakup pass soon.

You really prefer the Lagavulin 16 over other peaty whiskies? I had somewhat fond memories of it from many years ago, but I tried it again a couple of months ago and was not too impressed. It was okay, but it had a caramel aspect or something which I didn't like. It would have been nauseating in large amounts. And not enough pure mossy peat and ocean.

I've generally preferred it to Laphroig for instance but I don't think it's a fair comparison since I only see their 10 year expressions laying around.

I haven't done as much of a deep dive on scotch as I should have at all. I'm in the southeast, so what I can get is the big boys you can see at any grocery or ABC store. I'm headed to scotland in June and plan to be very intentional about expanding my horizons.

I enjoy Lagavulin a lot, although the 16 is absurdly overpriced in my neck of the woods; I don't think I've ever seen it priced below $100. For a similar investment you could get some top shelf Islays like Laphraoig Lore, Ardbeg Uigeadail, or Kilchoman Loch Gorm, all of which I think are better than the Lag 16. Then again, I tend to gravitate towards higher-proof, bolder whiskies generally, while I think Lagavulin is aiming for a smoother, more subdued whisky that's still complex and interesting.

I appreciate the advice, but I don't think you can get that brand of whiskey in the UK, so it's a bit moot haha.

I drank some real trash before, when I was even more broken up over things, and believe me the taste wasn't improved through association.

Thank you, I'm doing okay. Things were on their last legs by the time we broke up for good, so most of the real emotional torment is in the past. I wouldn't go back to her even if she wanted me, as much as I once wanted a life with her. That's what's the drink was for really, to drown my last regrets. Either way, I'm leaving India, and she, through bad decisions I did my level best to mitigate, couldn't tackle the same exam we gave, so it's not like I'll be confronted with her face to face anytime soon.

Presuming she does eventually make it to the UK, it's not too tiny a country, so I can fully expect never to see her again unless I want to. And I don't, we're not even aiming to be in the same specialty. I'm more sad about the hopes and dreams I pinned on her, even if I wish her the best. The only annoying part is that I met a few girls I kinda like here, but I'm unfortunately honest enough to tell them I'll be gone soon, and did so even before I knew I'd matched. That kinda messed up things with a cute med student I could see myself falling for (I was thinking with my dick), but from what I saw for myself on our first date, she's the kind to get drunk and end up making regrettable decisions very very fast, and not necessarily with me (doesn't matter, got uh..). So that would rule out anything serious, but eh, let's see what Scotland holds in store. I do appreciate your kind words.

(I do need to write a salacious essay about the weird and wonderful women I've run into on the apps. Buddy I've seen some shit already, but at least I'm getting laid.)

Any opinions on Paul John whisky? I occasionally look at it on the menu at my favorite whiskey bar or on the shelf with the other less common countries and want to try it, but have never pulled the trigger.

Never heard of her. But I'm the last person you should ask for advice when it comes to liquor, I'd drink pure ethanol if someone gussied it up with soda and a dash of lime.

BP, well, it just had connotations personal to me. I've had MUCH more expensive liquor, and tbh I don't care to refine my palate enough to distinguish better. It's an expensive hobby.

I'd like to say I'm a connoisseur, but I normally go for a good single malt that I can mix with water, or dry ginger ale. Jamesons, Glenfiddich, heck even Chivas Regal.

I learnt a long time ago that alcohol tasting is a sham. Just pick something you like and don't try to compare against others.

I kind of agree, actually. My favorite spirits are those where the smell reminds me of a specific memory or a place from my childhood. That subjective quality is going to be unique to each drinker, and it's far more interesting to me than the proof, or age, or region that the drink is from.

Jameson, on the rocks, is what I always order the first time I try out a new bar. They always have it in stock, it's always smooth and pleasant. It's great when I'm just hanging out and don't want to have to concentrate on what I'm drinking.

If I could find a bottle, I'd be drinking Old Forester 1924, but alas, I cannot find a bottle.

As it is, we're headed for the first really warm weekend day of the year and I strongly suspect that's going to entail an afternoon on the porch with some Foursquare rum (I think I have a few pours of Nobiliary left) and a cigar.

Is Foursquare worth the hype? I've never been much of a rum drinker, although I know plenty of whisky enthusiasts who love it.

Absolutely. I do like rum in general, but Foursquare was a gamechanger for me as someone that's mostly a bourbon guy (Scotch and Irish whiskeys are great too, but I have more bourbon than all other liquor bottles put together). They retain all of the tropical flavors that I love about good rums, but are really expertly aged. I think we have about 5 bottles and I've never been disappointed. The ones that simply have years for names have probably been my go-to favorites - 2008 had a panna cotta sort of taste to it that was just fantastic as a dessert. They're probably my favorite thing for the porch on a hot day because they fit the vibe.

I think the real rum guys are less in because it doesn't have any of the funkiness that you get with Jamaican pot rums and such, but if you're coming from whisky in the first place, that's a feature rather than a bug.

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