The Whisky Thread

[Trailboss516]

Recommendation needed, folks:

My top 3 favorite "reasonably affordable and available" Single Malt Scotches currently are:

- Balvenie 12 year single barrel
- Clynelish 14 year
- Springbank 10 year

Based on these, any recommendations?
- I don't want sweet/vanilla America bourbons
- I don't want sherry bombs (although I do appreciate a good Glendronach or Glenfarclas)
- I DO want something salt, marine, yeasty, barely, but not overly Islay peaty (Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Caol Ila)
- Age statement strongly preferred
- I DO want something relatively available and under $80 a bottle, which the aforementioned trio all are

Any recommendations?

[dkg1616]

I stole a menu today...from a high end BBQ joint because they had more bourbons / whiskeys I have ever seen at a restaurant. ~250 bourbons and whiskeys, although across the board a little higher in price than I would like

Just for a taste here are some prices for 2 oz:

Old rip 10 year-$135
Pappy 15-$190
Pappy 20-$235
George stagg-$165

Btw the menu was a glorified piece of paper...

[yoniman]

Originally Posted by dkg1616

I stole a menu today...from a high end BBQ joint because they had more bourbons / whiskeys I have ever seen at a restaurant. ~250 bourbons and whiskeys, although across the board a little higher in price than I would like

Just for a taste here are some prices for 2 oz:

Old rip 10 year-$135
Pappy 15-$190
Pappy 20-$235
George stagg-$165

Btw the menu was a glorified piece of paper...

They wouldn't mind.
Photo or it did not happen

Or I shall report you to the Whisky ~ Whiskey Police

Cheers

[dkg1616]

This is just the every day menu....






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[fusionstorm]

Damn, those prices across the board qualify as grand larceny!

[yoniman]

Whoa!
Now that's a list.
Haven't tried the Pappy yet.

Is that the Rolex of Whiskey?

Liver, stay strong. Let's do this.

Thanks for posting.


Cheers

[Dubshack]

Originally Posted by dkg1616

This is just the every day menu....






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Damn. Talk about a mark-up.


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[Hogtown Fatty]

Originally Posted by yoniman

Whoa!
Now that's a list.
Haven't tried the Pappy yet.

Is that the Rolex of Whiskey?

Liver, stay strong. Let's do this.

Thanks for posting.


Cheers

I guess in some ways it is the Rolex of bourbons. Super hyped up, with low supply and insanely high demand in recent years. The 23 year which retails for $270 resells for as high as $4k+, so (much) better returns than a Pepsi or cera Daytona! Also, as with the AD model, a lot of shops reserve it for their vip customers, though some do a lottery. I've read that Anthony Bourdain helped popularize them in recent times-- he was a big fan of the 20--, but bourbon in general has been white hot the last few years and allocated bottles are as much a thing as allocated watches if you can believe it. Pretty wild.

FWIW the prices on that menu above are absolutely ridiculous... I'd seen a post on IG by one of the whiskey pages I follow a while back where a guy did an entire flight of Van Winkle (plus a Weller 12) for just $95. Soon as I saw it I told my friend to rush down and take advantage, which he did. To clarify, that included ORVW, Lot B, 15, 20, 23, and Weller 12- all for $95. Even if they were half ounce pours (which I'm assuming they were), that's a helluva deal. Above place has 2 oz of ORVW for $135- what a joke! They're certainly making their money back...

[yoniman]

Originally Posted by Hogtown Fatty

I guess in some ways it is the Rolex of bourbons. Super hyped up, with low supply and insanely high demand in recent years. The 23 year which retails for $270 resells for as high as $4k+, so (much) better returns than a Pepsi or cera Daytona! Also, as with the AD model, a lot of shops reserve it for their vip customers, though some do a lottery. I've read that Anthony Bourdain helped popularize them in recent times-- he was a big fan of the 20--, but bourbon in general has been white hot the last few years and allocated bottles are as much a thing as allocated watches if you can believe it. Pretty wild.

FWIW the prices on that menu above are absolutely ridiculous... I'd seen a post on IG by one of the whiskey pages I follow a while back where a guy did an entire flight of Van Winkle (plus a Weller 12) for just $95. Soon as I saw it I told my friend to rush down and take advantage, which he did. To clarify, that included ORVW, Lot B, 15, 20, 23, and Weller 12- all for $95. Even if they were half ounce pours (which I'm assuming they were), that's a helluva deal. Above place has 2 oz of ORVW for $135- what a joke! They're certainly making their money back...

Hmm...expensive, inflated by market demand and supply cannot keep up with the demand?

I like it already!

I thought the late great Anthony endorsed the Balvenie, hence the series?

https://us.thebalvenie.com/other-crafts/raw-craft/

Your location X,Y and Z reads like a 3D

Cheers

[Hogtown Fatty]

Originally Posted by yoniman

Hmm...expensive, inflated by market demand and supply cannot keep up with the demand?

I like it already!

I thought the late great Anthony endorsed the Balvenie, hence the series?

https://us.thebalvenie.com/other-crafts/raw-craft/

Your location X,Y and Z reads like a 3D

Cheers

Yes, the hype around Pappy is very real... places which sell it on a first come first serve basis will have people camping out for days waiting for the doors to open- crazy!
And just because Anthony did the Balvenie series (which was great) doesn't mean he wasn't allowed to enjoy other stuff. There's a few videos of him mentioning Pappy 20 as his favourite, here is one: https://youtu.be/dRJTKcNYMRs?t=526
Also, my location is YYZ, not XYZ haha

[yoniman]

Thanks for sharing the vid link.

With Eric Ripert, Tony"s bestfriend. Who sadly found him...



Cheers

[thedak]

[s2h904]

My guy in town scored me a bottle in less than two weeks-but he did tax me on it($85)


Oh well, I shall imbibe while I watch Billions tonight.

[thedak]

[ashbaug2]

Originally Posted by thedak

Quite the whiskey bunker you have there...

[ashbaug2]

Originally Posted by dkg1616

This is just the every day menu....






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Those are absolutely ridiculous, and I hope no one pays that much to perpetuate the hype. I paid $15 for a 2-oz pour of ORVW 10 at a local bar a couple of weeks ago, and the Lot B was only $22 for a 2-oz. There's another bar in town here that gets Pappy and all of the "allocated" stuff like this list has, and charges about the same; they're buying their booze on the secondary just to say they have it to offer.

With the vast supply of great booze that's actually available out there, I could never justify spending that much for a marked up product. Just my own 2 cents.

[RobearH]

Gonna be in Las Vegas this weekend for WisCon. Who can recommend a good bar to try some PVW 23 for a reasonable $$ to see for myself what the hype is all about?

[ashbaug2]

Originally Posted by RobearH

Gonna be in Las Vegas this weekend for WisCon. Who can recommend a good bar to try some PVW 23 for a reasonable $$ to see for myself what the hype is all about?

I just got back from Vegas this past weekend and was searching for bars with ANYTHING good. I was surprised at the lack of whiskey selection in the Casinos, even nice ones such as the Wynn/Encore. Lots of Scotch, not so good Bourbon selections.

The only bar I saw with a good selection was at the Cosmopolitan, right past the check-in desk. Their Chandelier Bar probably has a decent selection, as well. I saw several BTAC offerings and a Pappy bottle sitting there. I didn't check prices, though, so be prepared to be disappointed.

Good luck, though. Hunting is half the fun.

EDIT: The MGM had a whiskey bar that looked appetizing with a hefty selection, but I couldn't convince my wife to stop.

[fusionstorm]

Decent pricing on the Strip is nonexistent. There’s too much volume of customers with money to burn for a casino resto or bar not to maximize revenue from allocated bottles.

Here’s an anecdote of how bad it can be. I went to a conference in Vegas back in 2015, and a vendor I was buddies with told me of his dinner the previous night with one of their top customers. When he reviewed the bill, he exclaimed “who the eff ordered a double shot of Pappy 23 for $1500??!!??” One of the lowest guys on the totem pole at that dinner timidly raised his hand. The boss of the boss of that guy reamed him out in front of the entire table.

[RobearH]

Originally Posted by ashbaug2

I just got back from Vegas this past weekend and was searching for bars with ANYTHING good. I was surprised at the lack of whiskey selection in the Casinos, even nice ones such as the Wynn/Encore. Lots of Scotch, not so good Bourbon selections.

The only bar I saw with a good selection was at the Cosmopolitan, right past the check-in desk. Their Chandelier Bar probably has a decent selection, as well. I saw several BTAC offerings and a Pappy bottle sitting there. I didn't check prices, though, so be prepared to be disappointed.

Good luck, though. Hunting is half the fun.

EDIT: The MGM had a whiskey bar that looked appetizing with a hefty selection, but I couldn't convince my wife to stop.

Originally Posted by fusionstorm

Decent pricing on the Strip is nonexistent. There’s too much volume of customers with money to burn for a casino resto or bar not to maximize revenue from allocated bottles.

Here’s an anecdote of how bad it can be. I went to a conference in Vegas back in 2015, and a vendor I was buddies with told me of his dinner the previous night with one of their top customers. When he reviewed the bill, he exclaimed “who the eff ordered a double shot of Pappy 23 for $1500??!!??” One of the lowest guys on the totem pole at that dinner timidly raised his hand. The boss of the boss of that guy reamed him out in front of the entire table.

I’m gonna be in quite a few hotel bars on Thursday including the one at Cosmo. Also gonna check at Casa Fuente and Davidoff.

[wantonebad]

Originally Posted by RobearH

Gonna be in Las Vegas this weekend for WisCon. Who can recommend a good bar to try some PVW 23 for a reasonable $$ to see for myself what the hype is all about?

if it's your first time having Pappy and especially if it's your first Bourbon over 20 years old, don't start with the 23. Aged Bourbon is unique and high ABV (proof) spirit takes on unique wood like characteristics and they aren't always the most pleasant for a beginner or someone who isn't used to ++proof older spirits. You would end up trying it, be put off by it and be one of the 100,000 people who say, "Kinda harsh, don't know what the big deal is" and actually not truly know what you've just tried.

I know this post makes me sound like a pompous know it all ( and I certainly can be) but actually if you are trying older bourbon for the first time and Pappy for the first time, go for the 15 year. Much more approachable. JMHO

[JMtimes5]

I’m taking a flyer on this...




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[thedak]

Originally Posted by ashbaug2

Quite the whiskey bunker you have there...

Def not mine.

A friends amazing collection.

[ashbaug2]

Originally Posted by thedak

Def not mine.

A friends amazing collection.

The company we keep says a lot about us...

My friends are mostly beer drinkers and their whiskey enthusiasm doesn't extend further than Wild Turkey 101 or Jack Daniels Ol' No. 7... Both perfectly fine bottles, but not too adventurous.

My only friend who really drinks whiskey is deep down the Scotch path, of which I am currently unable to appreciate. Maybe at a later time; I just like my bourbon too much right now.

[dkg1616]

Picked this up on my way home yesterday




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[tmo8320]

Originally Posted by dkg1616

Picked this up on my way home yesterday




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Very nice!!!
I know everyone heaps praise on the Yamazaki 12...but I really appreciate the approachability of the Hibiki ⭐️


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[JMtimes5]

I opened this today. Have a glorious Sunday everyone.




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[RobearH]

Originally Posted by tmo8320

Very nice!!!
I know everyone heaps praise on the Yamazaki 12...but I really appreciate the approachability of the Hibiki ⭐️


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Great description and a really good choice whiskey to pair with a mild/med cigar.

[Malak]

Rosebank 21







Meanwhile bottles cost 1000 Euro.

[dkg1616]

Originally Posted by JMtimes5

I opened this today. Have a glorious Sunday everyone.




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Nice pick up! I have a single barrel on the way; chose that over the small batch, but can always get small batch shipped.

I decided to pick up makers cask strength today (never had it)...not bad!