I love high end Scotch, but I'm not wealthy enough to always drink an $80+ bottle. So I'm always experimenting with bottles in the everyday-drinking price range.
Stranahan's Tin Cup, $25 at the grocery store: A Bourbon-style whiskey from colorado. Clearly related to but different from regular Stranahan's. Smooth, sweet, and lightly spicy. Paired quite well with a few sticks.
Alberta Rye Dark Batch, $29 at Bevmo: I'm not a Canadian fan, but was intrigued by the crazy color and relatively high ABV for a cheap bottle. My friend and I were shocked at how awesome it is. Seriously flavorful, smooth drink, with a lot of dark fruit flavors and spice. Excellent whisky at any price.
If you can find it, Bulleit is cheap and tastes great.
Monkey Shoulder is a popular one on the google herfs. I'm not a whiskey drinker by any means but I found it pretty tasty myself.
I have a bottle of Tin Cup, my second one. Very nice for the price, easy drinking for sure.
Eagle Rare, Ancient Age & Evan Williams Single barrel are my go to bourbons
Monkey Shoulder favorite Scotch thus far
Quoteninfiction - 3/29/2016 10:20 AM
Monkey Shoulder is a popular one on the google herfs. I'm not a whiskey drinker by any means but I found it pretty tasty myself.
I am almost exclusive to monkey shoulder as my bargain drink to keep in the house. Blended but taste like a single malt.
Quoteninfiction - 3/29/2016 5:20 AM
Monkey Shoulder is a popular one on the google herfs. I'm not a whiskey drinker by any means but I found it pretty tasty myself.
Sorry to say, but I hate it. Found it nearly undrinkable. I love Scotch, but that's on my list of maybe five that I simply don't ever want to drink again.
Bulleit is a standard in my house. Costco sells it at a CRAZY low price.
Quotecalvarez - 3/29/2016 3:49 PM
Quoteninfiction - 3/29/2016 5:20 AM
Monkey Shoulder is a popular one on the google herfs. I'm not a whiskey drinker by any means but I found it pretty tasty myself.
Sorry to say, but I hate it. Found it nearly undrinkable. I love Scotch, but that's on my list of maybe five that I simply don't ever want to drink again.
Bulleit is a standard in my house. Costco sells it at a CRAZY low price.
Maybe you're confusing the liquors and because you really do hate Scotch (like Monkey Shoulder), because every bottle you've said you like in this thread is either a bourbon or a rye, but you haven't listed a single Scotch? :confused:
Hah, no, I'm in a pretty serious Scotch-tasting group, so I am confident I like Scotch. I drink way too much of it, really.
In the bargain Scotch category, there just aren't as many. Scotch just costs more. My local Costco always has an awesome Scotch dirt cheap, but that's only some stores in Phoenix apparently. Like right now they have the Laphroiag 10 for $30! I prefer the cask strength, but that's nearly $60. Normally however the non-cask version is around $50. Previously they had Talisker Storm for the same price. Can't wait to see what shows up next.
In bargain Scotch, the things I've found tend to be less available, so it doesn't help anyone to talk about them.
Thanks for the tip on checking Costco.
I usually buy the "five gallon" bottle of Woodford Reserve there, but will keep my eyes peeled.
Five gallon...yeah me too sometimes, along with Bulleit, and their house Bourbon which is excellent too.
Five gallon is a stretch, but not by much.
The bottle they carry is huge. ;)
So based on this you like the peaty scotches. Explains why you wouldn't like the wonderful flavors of Monkey Shoulder. I personally find Laphroiag undrinkable, tastes always vary I guess.
Quotecalvarez - 3/29/2016 6:31 PM Hah, no, I'm in a pretty serious Scotch-tasting group, so I am confident I like Scotch. I drink way too much of it, really. In the bargain Scotch category, there just aren't as many. Scotch just costs more. My local Costco always has an awesome Scotch dirt cheap, but that's only some stores in Phoenix apparently. Like right now they have the Laphroiag 10 for $30! I prefer the cask strength, but that's nearly $60. Normally however the non-cask version is around $50. Previously they had Talisker Storm for the same price. Can't wait to see what shows up next. In bargain Scotch, the things I've found tend to be less available, so it doesn't help anyone to talk about them.
Quoteninfiction - 3/29/2016 11:20 AM
Monkey Shoulder is a popular one on the google herfs. I'm not a whiskey drinker by any means but I found it pretty tasty myself.
Used to be a bargain at $29 now you are lucky to find it for $43 or so...
QuoteOtter - 3/30/2016 2:04 PM
Quoteninfiction - 3/29/2016 11:20 AM
Monkey Shoulder is a popular one on the google herfs. I'm not a whiskey drinker by any means but I found it pretty tasty myself.
Used to be a bargain at $29 now you are lucky to find it for $43 or so...
My local Total Wine and BevMo both have it for $29.99 in a 750ml.
I have a fondness for peaty, but also for super sweet sherried Scotch and many other flavors. I love the Port Charlotte unpeated, which is more of a straw and cereal flavor, unique. I'm a Scotch whore, really.
I have a special bottle coming tomorrow that has zero peat and should be crazy sweet sherry, 20 years old.
And actually I recall another issue I have with it. It's just too watered down. I prefer cask strength, and find 46% to be marginal. At 40%, Monkey Shoulder squarely hits my "boring" button.
Now I said almost undrinkable, the two that are firmly in that range are Pendleton and Ardbeg Coryvrecken. The latter is so bad that I served it to unsuspecting people who were already drunk as hell, at 1am, at my boat, and they spit it out. The Pendleton lasted over a year in my house before I'd given away enough "try this awful stuff" glasses to be rid of it. That one was voted the worst whisky ever by my tasting group.
My favorites are:
Balvenie DoubleWood
Balvenie Caribbean Cask
Aberlour 12
Aberlour A'Bunadh
Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or
Quotecalvarez - 3/30/2016 4:42 PM
And actually I recall another issue I have with it. It's just too watered down. I prefer cask strength, and find 46% to be marginal. At 40%, Monkey Shoulder squarely hits my "boring" button.
Now I said almost undrinkable, the two that are firmly in that range are Pendleton and Ardbeg Coryvrecken. The latter is so bad that I served it to unsuspecting people who were already drunk as hell, at 1am, at my boat, and they spit it out. The Pendleton lasted over a year in my house before I'd given away enough "try this awful stuff" glasses to be rid of it. That one was voted the worst whisky ever by my tasting group.
Pendleton is absolutely awful :barf:
QuoteDRuff - 3/30/2016 12:09 PM
My favorites are:
Balvenie DoubleWood
Balvenie Caribbean Cask
Aberlour 12
Aberlour A'Bunadh
Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or
I can't fault any of those. Not sure about favorites, but certainly high on the list. Oh yeah, Glenmorangie...a regular favorite here. Especially since Total Wine has the regular basic one for $27. That's a real bargain.
I haven't purchased Scotch in a LONG time. I used to love it. I think I'll give Bulleit a try.
Always looking for a bagain here as well. Monkey is only 29.99 at my local liquor barn. However I would also like variety at that price range but I think realistically I wont find much variety in scotch.
QuoteJoelala - 3/31/2016 4:13 AM
I think realistically I wont find much variety in scotch.
Depends on where you live. Here in Phoenix we seem to have a pretty huge variety at places like Costco and Total Wine. I've been to areas that have terrible selection and/or awful pricing. I was in a GA town recently where the stuff I pay $30 for was seriously $50 there.
Also, K&L Wine has some amazing deals, if you live where they can ship. Or have people who can re-ship, I have my brother in CA re-ship it to me, which is pretty cheap. For example one bottle I picked up from them for $80 costs $120 here. Total ship/re-ship cost was about $20 for six bottles.
Quotecalvarez - 3/31/2016 9:30 AM
Or have people who can re-ship, I have my brother in CA re-ship it to me, which is pretty cheap. For example one bottle I picked up from them for $80 costs $120 here. Total ship/re-ship cost was about $20 for six bottles.
Just don't get caught shipping through USPS. It is a federal offense both concerning both postal code and 49CFR. They will probably just seize your package and send you a nasty letter. However, if they want to be hard-asses about it, they could impose fines and recommendation for jail time.
:martini:
I would never violate the law. Never. It's just cleaning fluid after all. I think you can ship cleaning fluids?
It's funny, Flaviar (an overseas seller) ships 100% of its orders via USPS. They come from their postal service (Croatia? Slovenia?) to ours. My friend gets them all the time and has answered a casual question about the contents. The postal person laughed and said it's illegal, here's your package, enjoy.
Quotecalvarez - 3/31/2016 1:08 PM
I would never violate the law. Never. It's just cleaning fluid after all. I think you can ship cleaning fluids?
It's funny, Flaviar (an overseas seller) ships 100% of its orders via USPS. They come from their postal service (Croatia? Slovenia?) to ours. My friend gets them all the time and has answered a casual question about the contents. The postal person laughed and said it's illegal, here's your package, enjoy.
Depends on the cleaning fluid. If it has a flash point equal to or less than 60*C, then it is a no-no (without listing it as a Class 3 hazardous material, and giving it all the proper packaging and labeling according to the Code of Federal Regulations Title 49). The cutoff is somewhere between 5-10% alcohol by volume.
So do you know the story behind why it's a violation with USPS, but not other carriers? I assume it's related to the fact that the mafia still controls interstate alcohol distribution, but why wouldn't that affect the others too?
Quotecalvarez - 3/31/2016 1:19 PM
So do you know the story behind why it's a violation with USPS, but not other carriers? I assume it's related to the fact that the mafia still controls interstate alcohol distribution, but why wouldn't that affect the others too?
I know the law goes back 100 years or so. Probably having to do with bootlegging.
With UPS and Fed-Ex, you have to have someone on the other end, who is 21 or over, sign for it. There are a bunch of declarations that must be filled out, and with UPS, it has to go ground (they won't do DG by air).
I am sure that both Fed-Ex and UPS require class X or Y UN combination packing (Fed Ex most likely variation packaging, because they like to be difficult).
They are 50/50 on having someone actually sign for it. Sometimes it gets left, sometimes not. But you make a good point that if there's no process for 21-up signatures with USPS, then it's a legal problem right there.
Tracking says my cleaning fluid will arrive tomorrow. Can't wait to clean my tongue with it.
Got a bottle of Faultline blended Scotch yesterday. It was surprisingly good, and not watered down (50% ABV). It's a golden straw color and comes in with strong cereal/malt scents and flavors. Easy to drink, you'd never guess it's 50%. At $25 it's a smokin' deal.
Jack Daniels single-barrel rye...mmmmm... And cheap. I'm far from a Jack fan at all, but their single-barrel variations are good. The rye is very spicy, not too watered down, and dirt cheap at Costco.
My favorite cheap whiskey is Weller 107, I love the stuff. I really don't like scotch too much, but the Monkey Shoulder is pretty good. I'm not too picky though, Canadian Club (the reserve is actually pretty darn good for a $20 bottle), Rebel Yell, Old Grandad (Bottled in Bond is awesome), Old Forester, heck, even JTS Brown, I'll drink them all. The local liquor stores (no liquor is sold outside of a liquor store in TX) all have decent cigar selections, the last time I was at one I spent more on cigars than I did on booze.
Copper City whiskey, from right here in Arizona. It has a juniper scent and flavor to it, somewhat like gin, but not so much to mask the whisky flavor. It's damn good. $30-ish.
I am a fan of some good old Clan Mcgregor (sp?). Another one of my favorites was Old Crow. An ex of mine from back in the day gave me a fifth and I decided to drink it over the span of 4 hours. I later then jumped off the front porch and somehow landed on my feet and didn't die. But more recently, I have been paying a premium for Japanese Whiskies/Scotches as well as a bottle of Lagavulin that has been consumed was too fast.
difficult to find a bargain single malt scotch, though sometimes Glenmorangie Original can be found around here for $34-36.
But I got a tip on Glen Moray 12 year Speyside single malt. For $30, a great value. A few drops of water and this is pretty good.
We've been serving a lot of Hellcat Maggie in our lounge, it's a surprisingly good whiskey!
http://www.acespirits.com/hell-cat-maggie-irish-whiskey.html
today, picked up a bottle of Trader Joe's Kentucky Bourbon Straight Whiskey. 45% abv, no age listed on label but must be at least 4 years old.
Says "distilled by Bourbon Square Distilling Company, Louisville, KY, so not from the mega factory in Indy...$15.99
easily worth that price...but not much more
That sounds great and others review it well, but unfortunately the Trader Joe's closest to me has no liquor at all. Don't know if the others here do.
Quotecalvarez - 11/20/2016 11:45 PM
That sounds great and others review it well, but unfortunately the Trader Joe's closest to me has no liquor at all. Don't know if the others here do.
really not a sipper but for the $$$ more than good enough for Manhattans or other mixed bourbon drinks
Since my post, I have tried several and like The Famous Grouse. I still have Monkey Shoulder on my list to try.
Bought a real bargain this week that was a real sherry bomb, and at 50% it kept the flavor very well.
https://wineandcheeseplace.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=9414
Quotecalvarez - 11/27/2016 6:51 PM
Bought a real bargain this week that was a real sherry bomb, and at 50% it kept the flavor very well.
https://wineandcheeseplace.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=9414
Surprising to me that it held up actually, since that one is a 5 year. I have found that anything under 10 year is kinda flat to me. But then again, I am huge fan of drinking the peat bog.
Used to hate Glenmorangie, but then got a bottle of the Lasanta and holy smokes, did that change my perception.
Just checked out the place you bought it at though, and they have a great selection and pretty good pricing.
Invergordon 9 year bottled by Battlehill, available at Total Wine. $36 for a very good Islay bottled at cask strength or near it (58%). You'd swear it has chocolate powder in it, the salt and sea flavors are nicely muted but still clearly perceptible, and a few very small chips of ice tames it all very nicely.
I'm not a whisky (or whiskey) guy, but people keep gifting me bottles. Currently on the shelf: Evan Williams Black, Bulleit Rye, and a bottle of Booker's, all of which were given to me by good friends. I'll have a sip now and again, but usually I drink beer, or rarely, soju, sake, or makgeolli. That Booker's is great, but I'm trying to make it last because I'll probably never hav another bottle.
Meaning that you'd never buy it? Why? It's readily available and not expensive.
Also keep in mind that whisky oxidizes, so the flavor will change over time once the bottle is open. The more air space, the more it changes. Now, some get better with a little time and just a little air. Some get terrible. And also, tastes vary. A guy in my Scotch tasting group brought an ancient bottle to a tasting that had a failed cork. It was heavily oxidized. I loved it, he found it undrinkable and gave it to me.
EDIT: To be clear on timeframes... Most will have noticeable changes within a day or two. A month will give an obvious change. After six months or so, you will have a marked change, especially as you get down to half bottle or lower.
QuoteHot Stuff x - 3/2/2017 12:31 AM
. . . That Booker's is great . . . .
:word:
Quotecalvarez - 3/3/2017 5:33 AM Meaning that you'd never buy it? Why? It's readily available and not expensive.
I know it's not really expensive, But I can't get it here in Korea. And I wouldn't bother to buy a bottle in the U.S. and carry it back.
QuoteHot Stuff x - 3/1/2017 11:31 PM
I'm not a whisky (or whiskey) guy, but people keep gifting me bottles. Currently on the shelf: Evan Williams Black, Bulleit Rye, and a bottle of Booker's, all of which were given to me by good friends. I'll have a sip now and again, but usually I drink beer, or rarely, soju, sake, or makgeolli. That Booker's is great, but I'm trying to make it last because I'll probably never hav another bottle.
Bulleit Rye is a good one too :bigthumbs:
This isn't cheap, but it's a bargain for what you get, relative to similar Scotch. I brought this to a Scotch tasting event yesterday, and it scored less than a point under bottles that cost three times. Glendronach Cask Strength special edition. It's like drinking candy. The competitors it almost beat were a Macallan Rare Cask $(280) and Mac 18 ($225). The Glendronach is $99 at Bevmo.
Glenmorangie is my favorite. I guess since I toured the distillery in Scotland I found a fondness to it. Very interesting seeing Jack Daniels casks there. They said on the tour they buy them from JD.
Quoteninfiction - 3/29/2016 10:20 AM
Monkey Shoulder is a popular one on the google herfs. I'm not a whiskey drinker by any means but I found it pretty tasty myself.
This is my go to scotch blend for the house. $30 and delicious