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[personal profile] aggienaut

   As you know, I am extremely dedicated to scientific inquiry. As such, when last christmas a friend gave me a $60 gift card for Beverages & More, I naturally saw the opportunity for science!

   Specifically, I was going to buy as many of those little bottles of whiskey/whisky/scotch as I could and compare and contrast until I felt I knew something about the subject!


   From what I've been able to put together, Scotch IS better (imo), though I'm still extremely suspicious of their lack of an e in "whisky."


Whiskeys I noted to be good: (in appx order)
Glenlivet (single malt scotch)
Glenfiddich (single malt scotch)
Kilbeggan (irish whiskey)
Cutty Sark (blended scotch whisky)
Jameson (irish whiskey)
Dewar's (blended scotch whisky)
Johnnie Walker Black Label (blended scotch whisky)
Johnnie Walker Red LAbel (blended scotch whisky)


Whiskeys I can't decide if I like (in no order, because, yeah)
Chivas Regal (? scotch)
Macallan (single malt scotch)

Blegh
Bushmills (irish whiskey)
Wild Turkey (bourbon)
Kessler (american blended whiskey)
Jim Beam (bourbon)
Maker's Mark (bourbon)


   Back in college I thought I hated whiskey, but that was because I'd only tried it as shots or "whiskey and coke." Whiskey and coke has always tasted like asphalt to me. The above research was conducted sipping it straight at room temperature.


Related
Experimenting with Controlling Substances

Date: 2009-06-29 02:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] magsmom.livejournal.com
Next time you are in San Francisco go to William Glenn & Sons on sutter Street. It is a Scottish shop - and behind the kilts and cashmere sweaters is a little something called the Whisky Shop where they have tastings of single malts from around the world. There are some really really good whiskys in there. Not sure how the tastings work, may have to prearrange. I didn't even know it was there until my 19 year old son got a job there. He was excited about wearing the kilt but he couldn't keep the job because you have to be 21 because of all the booze.

Glenn & Sons

Date: 2009-06-29 11:03 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] emo-snal.livejournal.com
Hmm I'll have to check that out! Thanks for the tip! (:

Re: Glenn & Sons

Date: 2009-06-29 11:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] magsmom.livejournal.com
check out the website
http://www.whiskyshopusa.com/

Date: 2009-06-29 02:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] millysdaughter.livejournal.com
Water is the only proper mixer for Scots whisky. And having the water "back" is a much better choice.

Date: 2009-06-29 03:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] emo-snal.livejournal.com
back meaning.. as a chaser?

Date: 2009-06-29 03:57 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] millysdaughter.livejournal.com
Yes. On the side, as a chaser, whichever. Spent too many years tending bar, I guess...

Back

Date: 2009-06-29 11:00 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] emo-snal.livejournal.com
I don't believe in chasers, or things on the side or back or what have you (I don't pretend to be up on the terminology!), but my boss likes to have sprite with his scotch and I found, while it does nothing for my consumption of the scotch, the SPRITE tastes really good following a scotch. ...but I also like to savour the flavour of the scotch in my mouth so I'm still not big on it.

Re: Back

Date: 2009-06-30 12:39 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] millysdaughter.livejournal.com
I think the terminology is very much a regional thing.

Date: 2009-06-29 02:29 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ashmedai.livejournal.com
Chivas Regal is a blended Scotch whisky; it's kind of ... meh. Popular but meh. Totally agree with your "good" and "blegh" lists. :)

Chivas Regal

Date: 2009-06-29 11:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] emo-snal.livejournal.com
Yeah I felt like it was expected to be good, but it just wasn't striking me as too spectacular.

Date: 2009-06-29 03:29 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] phineus.livejournal.com
"whisky" is the Scotch spelling.

i've always been rather pleased with Glenlivet, Glenfiddich and Cutty Sark, for scotches.

Date: 2009-06-29 03:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] emo-snal.livejournal.com
Yeah I noted that, I still think it looks weird without the e though.

Date: 2009-06-29 06:00 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] buscemi.livejournal.com
I had some Glenlivet on Saturday night. Mmm...good stuff. I don't understand the whisky vs. whiskey spelling, either. Maybe the former is Scottish? All I know is it reminds me of the Mr. Badger sketch from Monty Python.

"I'll have a whiskey for main course and a whiskey for pudding."
"And what would you like to go with that, sir? A whiskey?"
"No, a bottle of wine."

I'm wondering what Coke does go with. I don't like it with rum or whiskey.

Date: 2009-06-29 06:46 pm (UTC)

Whisky

Date: 2009-06-29 08:34 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] emo-snal.livejournal.com
yeah without an e is the scottish spelling, I just think it looks really silly that way though

Date: 2009-06-29 06:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] skitty.livejournal.com
You can't really compare Scotch to Irish to bourbon, though. They're not the same. It may be that you prefer Scotch, but placing single malts, blends, Irish and bourbon from a variety of quality tiers is a bit cacophonous, isn't it?

I'd recommend, rather than including whiskeys like Macallan and Jim Beam in the same experiment, try comparing Macallan to other well-regarded single malts, like Lagavulin or Glenmorangie. Compare Johnnie Walker to Cutty Sark or Chivas. And at least give bourbon a chance: try Blanton's or Booker's or Basil Hayden's. You still may not like it, but what you're doing is like comparing Coors to Guiness and then saying American beer sucks.

Forgive me if I got excited; I am passionate about bourbon, although I acknowledge it isn't for everyone. :)

Date: 2009-06-29 08:49 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] heethen-crone.livejournal.com
Agreed. Scotch is Scotch, bourbon is bourbon.

Date: 2009-06-29 10:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] emo-snal.livejournal.com
As to dividing into categories, maybe, but my goal wasn't really to figure out what was the best of its type, but just what I liked and didn't, seeing as going in I had no opinions at all on the entire class of whiskey/whisky/bourbons... And not knowing anything I didn't know what a good bourbon was -- just got everything they had on the shelf (:

If I have a chance to try such things I certainly won't pass it up though. (:

Date: 2009-06-30 02:09 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] magsmom.livejournal.com
and for another lovely drink try a wee drop of Bushmills (Irish) over ice. Ahhhhhhh...it's relaxing just to think about it.

Date: 2009-06-29 08:54 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] heethen-crone.livejournal.com
I agree pretty much with your assessment, although I really like Macallan. Maybe the difference between drinking 18 year old and whatever they put in those little bottles? Ok. looked at the pic again. 12 year old. That additional 6 years in the cask makes a big difference. Would have been better though, if you'd divided into categories. Single malt is one thing, blended scotchs and whiskys are another animal altogether.

Macallan

Date: 2009-06-29 10:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] emo-snal.livejournal.com
Well I don't have Macallan in a the blegh column either (: I'm not very good at describing flavours for reviews but it tastes rather burnt to me compared to the others. That's not necessarily a bad thing though. Just an interesting direction.

As to dividing into categories, maybe, but my goal wasn't really to figure out what was the best of it's type, but just what I liked and didn't, seeing as going in I had no opinions at all on the entire class of whiskey/whisky/bourbons..

Date: 2009-06-29 10:22 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gringo-in-tj.livejournal.com
Chivas Regal is blended scotch.

Date: 2009-06-29 11:41 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] superhappytime.livejournal.com
don't most people like maker's mark?

jim beam is obviously cheap

wild turkey gets you fucked up.

all this without jack daniels?

Jack Daniels

Date: 2009-06-30 12:01 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] emo-snal.livejournal.com
You know I'm pretty sure I had a Jack Daniels .... but I drank it...

Date: 2009-06-30 12:44 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] klig.livejournal.com
Try any of the Scotch whiskys (single malt or blended) first neat, then with a teensy bit of water, or maybe a teensy bit of ice. See how you like them.

Date: 2009-06-30 01:02 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fsk8ing-judge.livejournal.com
LOL, I guess that means you're telling us you've tasted asphalt. Sorry, I couldn't resist it.

Date: 2009-06-30 01:13 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] emo-snal.livejournal.com
haha mm mm good! :D

Date: 2009-07-01 05:33 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] extoria.livejournal.com
Hahaha everyone around here drinks Kessler when they're getting crazy. They call a Kessler shot a "smoothie" because it goes down so smooth. I've always assumed that was sarcasm but I suppose I don't know for sure. Sure is cheap though!

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