Favorite go to Whisky/Bourbon

[j44ke]

We have at least two distilleries within throwing distance (with a strong arm) of Hillsdale. I don't drink, so I have no idea, but if anyone is looking for an excuse:

Hillrock Estate Distillery

Cooper's Daughter Spirits

I think both are making hand-sanitizer right now, so I don't know what their stock is like.

My wife is a scotch drinker. She likes Laphroaig and Tallisker. And a Hibiki that she got last trip to Japan. No idea on the ages. The Hibiki is in a beautiful bottle though.

[cash05458]

not my go to via price...but Lagavulin...couple bottles a year at least...a solid and good house Irish whiskey is Paddy's...much better than Jamesons and cheaper...times in dublin, only tourists ordered Jamesons...the standard and better is Paddy's...

[Lionel]

For Scotch, especially if you're running low and can't get out, check out single cask Whisky from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. A bit of a black hole for money, but it's hard to go back to the single malts after trying some of these. Only available online, I think, and delivery is fairly quick. Although they can't say where each cask is from, the codes are a very loosely kept secret (The Whisky Portal: SMWS Distillery Codes).

Curious to hear more. What should I order ?

My last bottle is a Macallan 25 here, I am trying not to drink this too fast !

[sk_tle]

Should we thread drift this to Scotch. With the SIP I find myself getting one Scotch most evenings. It helps with the grim news. Macallan 18 last night. Lagavulin 16 the night before, Springbank 15 before that. I am running low actually.

Lagavulin 16 is my goto for scotch but mostly because I'm too lazy and cheap to have more than one bottle at a time and always end up to drunk when I'm tasting others at some friend's place that I don't remember which one I preferred. I once tried a very nice japanese one but I have no idea which one was it.

I can't really help for bourbon as I am more a cognac guy when I don't drink scotch.

[profkrispy]

Port Charlotte Scottish Barley and Caol Ila 12 are my current bottles. About the same price as Lagavulin.

[pmac]

Curious to hear more. What should I order ?

My last bottle is a Macallan 25 here, I am trying not to drink this too fast !

The flavor profiles, described on the web site, put you in the right area. From the single malts you mentioned, I've only had Lagavulin, which would be in the Peated group, either Lightly Peated or Peated. My long time favorites are Lagavulin, Laphroaig and Talisker, and my favorite flavor profiles are all the peated types and the Oily and Costal one to give you a frame of reference. Which bottles you can choose from changes all the time, and I'm not sure how much overlap there will be between the SMWS USA portal and the one you have access to in France. For the USA version there are usually two 'Outturns' each month (first and third Tuesdays?), usually with 4-6 casks and maybe 50-70 bottles for the USA distribution of each cask (some of these get sold out almost right away). I just checked, and there are very few available now, something I've not seen in the 9 months or so since I was introduced to this. Lots of drinking or hoarding going on I guess. Maybe it's better for the France portal. The Scotland/GB portal, when I once checked, had far more choices but I can't order them from the US.

[zetroc]

I like Maker's Mark a lot. If I'm feeling spendy I buy Blanton's.

[ides1056]

not my go to via price...but Lagavulin...couple bottles a year at least...a solid and good house Irish whiskey is Paddy's...much better than Jamesons and cheaper...times in dublin, only tourists ordered Jamesons...the standard and better is Paddy's...

You can't go wrong with Lagavulin or Laphroig.

I lived and worked for a rancher in Northern CA whose wife's father's cellar she inherited. There were cases of spirits with his name on them bottled during prohibition. Jeroboam of cognac from the nineteenth century. She made a toddy for me once after I stepped on a nail to kill the pain. It was marvelous.

[abbeyQ]

Russell’s Reserve bourbon. Do yourself a favor and pick up a fifth.

This is my favorite that can be had anywhere at anytime.

I do love Blandtons though. Because of the Oregon state run liquor Monopoly when you find it, it's $45 which isn't too shabby.

[gt6267a]

This is my favorite that can be had anywhere at anytime.

I do love Blandtons though. Because of the Oregon state run liquor Monopoly when you find it, it's $45 which isn't too shabby.

$45 is kind of amazing. i haven't seen a price like that in > 10 years. Until the last 3-4 years, Blantons was going for $60-65 around here and available. Now its very hard to find. A year ago, I bought a bottle for $75 and thought that was high. Five months ago on a trip in TN, I bought 2 bottles @ $96 and thought that was getting wild. I paid it because its been so hard to find Blantons. Later on the same trip, another liquor store wanted $110 or maybe it was $120. On a trip in Feb, I found some Blantons but they were asking $180.

Basically, Blantons is getting hard to find and those who have it know people are willing to pay for the rarity. It won't be long before I'm priced out of the Blantons market.

[abbeyQ]

$45 is kind of amazing. i haven't seen a price like that in > 10 years. Until the last 3-4 years, Blantons was going for $60-65 around here and available. Now its very hard to find. A year ago, I bought a bottle for $75 and thought that was high. Five months ago on a trip in TN, I bought 2 bottles @ $96 and thought that was getting wild. I paid it because its been so hard to find Blantons. Later on the same trip, another liquor store wanted $110 or maybe it was $120. On a trip in Feb, I found some Blantons but they were asking $180.

Basically, Blantons is getting hard to find and those who have it know people are willing to pay for the rarity. It won't be long before I'm priced out of the Blantons market.

Oregon and a few other states distribute the liquor and set prices for retail. Our 3 local distillery's have to ship booze to the central hub for them to distribute, even if it's going to wind up a mile from where it was made. Since they also set pricing it works both ways, keeps people from selling dirt cheap liquor and also keeps the market from inflating prices. Blanton's is hard to come by in Oregon but when you find it, it's for a fair price.

[pdmtong]

Curious to hear more. What should I order ?
My last bottle is a Macallan 25 here, I am trying not to drink this too fast !

Single Malt prices have been escalating the past 5+ years. Unless you have $2,000 USD burning a hole in your wallet I'd slow the consumption of that Mac 25

The basic go to for sherried highlands is Glendronach

[pdmtong]

It won't be long before I'm priced out of the Blanton's market.

Yup, Blanton's...sadly, the older bottles were aged more. Now, we pay MORE for younger juice.

Same with Weller (Special Reserve, 107, 12yo)
Same with Hancock
Same with McKenna 10yo (not a fan but hard to get)
Same with ORVW and PVW

Hard to find. If you want them, and can't find them, then you pay. and pay a lot.

For instance, good news: ORVW 10 is on the shelf. Yay! Bad news: It's $700 not the $39 I paid off the shelf when I bought my bottles...

It's desperate times so I've settled on EH Taylor Small Batch BiB ($40) and Eagle Rare 10yo ($26) as my dailies....affordable and obtainable.

I have a small bunker of the unobtanium and with COVID-19 happening what else is there to do when SIP but to consume them?

[Lionel]

Single Malt prices have been escalating the past 5+ years. Unless you have $2,000 USD burning a hole in your wallet I'd slow the consumption of that Mac 25

The basic go to for sherried highlands is Glendronach

Right! The Mac 25 is indeed crazy expensive. Sipping this slowly :)

[gt6267a]

Yup, Blanton's...sadly, the older bottles were aged more. Now, we pay MORE for younger juice.

Same with Weller (Special Reserve, 107, 12yo)
Same with Hancock
Same with McKenna 10yo (not a fan but hard to get)
Same with ORVW and PVW

Hard to find. If you want them, and can't find them, then you pay. and pay a lot.

For instance, good news: ORVW 10 is on the shelf. Yay! Bad news: It's $700 not the $39 I paid off the shelf when I bought my bottles...

It's desperate times so I've settled on EH Taylor Small Batch BiB ($40) and Eagle Rare 10yo ($26) as my dailies....affordable and obtainable.

I have a small bunker of the unobtanium and with COVID-19 happening what else is there to do when SIP but to consume them?

unobtanium is right. Especially for the ORVW. Around here, I only see that in raffles.

Buffalo Trace Mash Bills

Blantons and Elmer T Lee are my top choices. Maybe I like mashbill #2 bourbons. Sadly, I have never seen Hancock or Rock Hill.

[tanghy]

Balvenie 12yo for me!

[deano]

Just remembered the name: JTS Brown is the very good cheap-o I mentioned above. $13. Boom. That's bandana-tied-around-a-stick-over-your-shoulder-in-a-boxcar cheap and it's smoooooov.

[mzilliox]

Caol Ila 12 is my least favorite scotch ever. tastes like gym socks soaked in peat bog

[davids]

Caol Ila 12 is my least favorite scotch ever. tastes like gym socks soaked in peat bog

But it's fun to say!

[mnoble485]

I haven’t had a drink in over 30 years but I keep coming back to this thread. Go figure.

Mike