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Is Woodford reserve double oaked worth the hype?
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Nice ending to the week.
Great way to spend a Friday night!
Best scotch under $70, not too peaty
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Rising Star
Any recommendation for an everyday cognac ?
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Unpeated Scotch is a great place to start.
Consider Glenfarclas and Glen Livet.
But there are so many good ones. The 15 for Glenfarclas is excellent.
Slightly more affordable: the Glenfiddich 15 is great and made in a very interesting way too. Complexity different from the 12.
Glenfarclas got expensive, annoyingly so
Can you get people to come together and share the bottles? Because tasting 5 very different things is more likely to spark interest than gifting everybody one bottle.
A good entry whiskey is Michter’s American - very smooth, very easy drinking, and a very good price point.
For bourbon you can't go wrong with Four Roses. It isn't really anything particularly special, but it's affordable and not too strong for beginners in my opinion. It was the bottle my dad got me when I graduated highschool lol, which mom wasn't too stoked about.
Makers Mark is another approachable bourbon.
Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey
https://vimeo.com/325286687
Redwood Empire Pipe Dream or Lost Monarch are under $50, have an approachable palette, and are beautiful bottles
Not sure where you’re located though
Damn not located in Cali but I'll check it out next time I'm there.
Honestly, some pretty good ones here, but for me, the most approachable Bourbon is Woodford Double Oaked. It isn't super high alcohol like some of the other offerings, but because of all the oak you get a ton of vanilla, which really helps to anchor a flavor for a first time drinker.
You don't get alcohol burn or other more adventurous and nuanced flavors, but the single flavor that you can pick up and then start to see the world as a whole and where you can branch into is a good starting point.
Woodford double oaked is excellent! Just took the Woodford distillery tour Saturday while I was in Kentucky
Eagle Rare - easy drinking
Facts.
Depends what your looking for; drinkable scotches, your looking at most sherry casked highlands or speysides. Not an awful consideration, lismore 21, used to be about $99 last time I bought one; very decent age for price. Other option that is a crowd pleaser balvenie 12yr double wood; sherry casked/bourbon casked aged scotch. In terms of bourbon, michters is my vote, eh Taylor if you can find it too.
Follow up on this, redbreast, or the spot whiskeys are also fantastic
Angels envy port finished or 4 roses small batch select
It’s a bourbon but I’m a fan of Elijah Craig Small Batch.
Agreed. I also just had a bottle of the rye and it was great.
I suppose if you specify Scotch Whiskey vs Bourbon Whiskey then you'd get different recommendations. I... avoid scotch. Just don't enjoy it and I know I don't give it a proper chance. The only one I like is from Milk & Honey Distillery out of Israel. Idk if it's even classified as scotch.
For bourbon though I'd recommend New Riff or Wilderness Trail. Readily available stuff with some really solid flavor. I saw 4R mentioned and I know that's a favorite. I'm always a sucker for a single barrel Knob. Those are pretty easy to find too.
Should have been more specific, though either is fine. Thanks for these recs.
Jameson Irish is another good starter.
Blade and Bow
Loved this actually. Decent price point too and I’ve seen it in multiple stores.
If it's a hand out 1x1 kinda thing and no one will see each other's than just get 5 of the same. I really like the spots from Mitchell and sons (they make Jameson) but if you are doing an event and everyone will do a little tasting then I would recommend getting a variety from a local distillery
I'll probably get five of the same to avoid any "who got what" issues. Thanks for these.
Thought of another one for you, gentleman Jack
You want to gift them the same bottle (x5) or each a different bottle?
Makes sense. I like the Blade and Bow suggestion. Bottle itself makes an attractive gift, solid bourbon, reasonably priced. And there happen to be 5 different ‘keys’ attached (numbered 1-5).
Rising Star
I host a lot of tastings with beginners and here’s some of the ones that tend to be crowd pleasers (in no particular order). I’d say Macallan was probably the most popular one I’ve seen in tastings, but it’s pricey
Bourbon
Woodford reserve bourbon (~$35)
Buffalo Trace (~$30)
Makers Mark (~$25)
Scotch
Glenmorangie 10 (~$40)
Macallan 12 sherry oak (~$90)
Japanese
Toki (~$35)
Wild Turkey is smooth and inexpensive. It is the one that allowed my wife to begin drinking neat.