Busses and Whisky

unwisefool said:
I've seen Catoctin Creek in the stores near me. Which bottle are you looking for? There is also a distillery up in Baltimore called old line that makes a good whiskey as well.
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They make a 100% rye- it's a cask strength that's finished out in Maple Syrup barrels - I watched Whisky Vault guys do a review on it and they were kind of blown away by it. It's not what you'd expect - I have a maple bourbon from a distiller close to my sister, who gave it to me. I can drink it but that's about it.
We stay with one of my Aunts in Martinsburg when visiting, but Catoctin Creek doesn't distribute to WVa for some odd reason - That distillery is only on the other side of the Blue Ridge so that seemed odd as hell.
Funny thing, i went to a liquor store up the road called Penn Liquors- First time I've seen someone walking around giving tastings out LOL! They were doing Roku Vodka - I said hell yea I'll try it and then told em I had the gin version and loved it. Next thing you know I had 4 or 5 people all listening to me brag abut it LOL! ~ but I only went there for scotch and bought my first bottle of Glendronach, and it's pretty good! I drank it out of my Aunts Irish crystal she had shipped to the states on her last trip there - - edit - Roundstone Rye is their thing- won a ton of accolades.
 
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Leonardo63 said:
They make a 100% rye- it's a cask strength that's finished out in Maple Syrup barrels - I watched Whisky Vault guys do a review on it and they were kind of blown away by it. It's not what you'd expect - I have a maple bourbon from a distiller close to my sister, who gave it to me. I can drink it but that's about it.
We stay with one of my Aunts in Martinsburg when visiting, but Catoctin Creek doesn't distribute to WVa for some odd reason - That distillery is only on the other side of the Blue Ridge so that seemed odd as hell.
Funny thing, i went to a liquor store up the road called Penn Liquors- First time I've seen someone walking around giving tastings out LOL! They were doing Roku Vodka - I said hell yea I'll try it and then told em I had the gin version and loved it. Next thing you know I had 4 or 5 people all listening to me brag abut it LOL! ~ but I only went there for scotch and bought my first bottle of Glendronach, and it's pretty good! I drank it out of my Aunts Irish crystal she had shipped to the states on her last trip there - - edit - Roundstone Rye is their thing- won a ton of accolades.
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Looks like it's in stock:

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unwisefool said:
Looks like it's in stock:

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So it's called Roundstone Rye- Cask Proof- Maple finish. all their rye's are called Roundstone- And it looks like this may be a special edition, limited release type fill. But man, where you are it should be fairly easy pickings. I'm kicking myself for not going over there as I was only 45 minutes away! But we were there for my grandma's 98th birthday party and I only learned about it the day before- As they say, timing is everything! :D ~ and I had some great scotch timing today as I will share with you all next week :D
 
MadMarkie said:
Thanks for the inspiration.... I'm savoring a (Norlan) glass of Octomore now as I roast some coffee (a wonderful Gesha from Guatemala)! Busse content added to keep things on track.... love that SWATmandu!
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Holy crap, you home-roast too? :cool: :thumbsup: That Gesha from Sweet Maria's? I bought 5#, been home-roasting for ~16 years now... :D (and I use a modified Poppery as well!)

You should come poke your head into our Coffee thread HERE.
 
SpyderPhreak said:
Holy crap, you home-roast too? :cool: :thumbsup: That Gesha from Sweet Maria's? I bought 5#, been home-roasting for ~16 years now... :D (and I use a modified Poppery as well!)

You should come poke your head into our Coffee thread HERE.
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Yep... home roasted coffee has completely ruined me! Most "coffee" tastes like ashtray rinse now... only a few coffee shops that understand a perfect level of roast for a given cultivar can impress me. Kinda goes along with hand-loaded ammo, hand tied flies, home-brewed beer, hand sharpened knives...
Sweet Maria's is my go-to for green beans, and I always grab a big bag of Gesha when it's available! I'm a sucker for anything with tons of flavor... dry process Ethiopia, Kenya, wet-hulled Sumatra... if it says "bold" I'm on it... but the Geshas are amazingly delicate at the same time. My garage probably looks like Cobalt's basement... except it's huge bags of green coffee instead of whisky ;) Nothing like a Poppery either... I have three (back-up for my back-up) and have modified several others for friends.
I will check out the coffee thread... thanks!
 
Is home roasting that much better than ones bought at the store? I’ve just gotten a grinder so at least its better then pre ground stuff i usually have
 
Currawong said:
Is home roasting that much better than ones bought at the store? I’ve just gotten a grinder so at least its better then pre ground stuff i usually have
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In a word... absolutely! The flavors of a really fresh cup are a quantum leap above anything available in a store. When properly roasted, all of the subtle flavors of the particular region, growing and processing methods, and even the growing season are highlighted.... go to Sweet Maria's and read some of the descriptions... they really do taste like "chocolate covered berries with hints of jasmine and Earl Grey tea" it's amazing. I don't recall the exact number, but there's something like 5X the natural flavor compounds (mostly esters) occurring in coffee as compared to wine... and you might know how wine flavor profiles go!?! Said flavors start to diminish immediately, so by the time it works it's way thru the supply chain, most store bought coffee tastes totally flat. By comparison, home roasted coffee is as fresh as last night, or 10 min ago! PM your address if you're CONUS and I will send you some, but fair warning: there's no going back! Soon you will be hot-wiring popcorn poppers and raving about that last perfect roast....
 
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MadMarkie said:
Yep... home roasted coffee has completely ruined me! Most "coffee" tastes like ashtray rinse now... only a few coffee shops that understand a perfect level of roast for a given cultivar can impress me. Kinda goes along with hand-loaded ammo, hand tied flies, home-brewed beer, hand sharpened knives...
Sweet Maria's is my go-to for green beans, and I always grab a big bag of Gesha when it's available! I'm a sucker for anything with tons of flavor... dry process Ethiopia, Kenya, wet-hulled Sumatra... if it says "bold" I'm on it... but the Geshas are amazingly delicate at the same time. My garage probably looks like Cobalt's basement... except it's huge bags of green coffee instead of whisky ;) Nothing like a Poppery either... I have three (back-up for my back-up) and have modified several others for friends.
I will check out the coffee thread... thanks!
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Yep, I was lost a LOOOooooooong time ago, lol. Makes it hard when you're out hunting in BFE and need a good coffee fix, gas station stuff just doesn't cut it, lol. :eek: I've tried buying green from other places, but always stick with SM. Tom does a really good job over there, and I've been buying from him nearly since he started. :cool:

MadMarkie said:
In a word... absolutely! The flavors of a really fresh cup are a quantum leap above anything available in a store. When properly roasted, all of the subtle flavors of the particular region, growing and processing methods, and even the growing season are highlighted.... go to Sweet Maria's and read some of the descriptions... they really do taste like "chocolate covered berries with hints of jasmine and Earl Grey tea" it's amazing. I don't recall the exact number, but there's something like 5X the natural flavor compounds (mostly esters) occurring in coffee as compared to wine... and you might know how wine flavor profiles go!?! Said flavors start to diminish immediately, so by the time it works it's way thru the supply chain, most store bought coffee tastes totally flat. By comparison, home roasted coffee is as fresh as last night, or 10 min ago! PM your address if you're CONUS and I will send you some, but fair warning: there's no going back! Soon you will be hot-wiring popcorn poppers and raving about that last perfect roast....
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My roasting setup:

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Fan split off, and wired to be always on. Switch only controls heat. Boost transformer output to fan for full speed control. Extra air holes for boosted fan output, I can do 1/2# per batch with this setup.

Currawong Currawong Do not, I repeat, DO NOT take him up on this offer!!! :eek: You will regret it later! Ignorance is bliss!!! :p lol ;)

Exactly what he said though, and exactly why the coffee thread here that I linked above is now over 3,600 posts.

Sorry for the hiajck guys. To repent for my sins, here's a big Busse with a really big bottle of an easy-drinking whiskey (note the "e") that I rather like! ;)

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MadMarkie said:
In a word... absolutely! The flavors of a really fresh cup are a quantum leap above anything available in a store. When properly roasted, all of the subtle flavors of the particular region, growing and processing methods, and even the growing season are highlighted.... go to Sweet Maria's and read some of the descriptions... they really do taste like "chocolate covered berries with hints of jasmine and Earl Grey tea" it's amazing. I don't recall the exact number, but there's something like 5X the natural flavor compounds (mostly esters) occurring in coffee as compared to wine... and you might know how wine flavor profiles go!?! Said flavors start to diminish immediately, so by the time it works it's way thru the supply chain, most store bought coffee tastes totally flat. By comparison, home roasted coffee is as fresh as last night, or 10 min ago! PM your address if you're CONUS and I will send you some, but fair warning: there's no going back! Soon you will be hot-wiring popcorn poppers and raving about that last perfect roast....
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Thanks MadMarkie, I appreciate it. But I'm in Australia so not quite CONUS. We have pretty good coffee here so I'm sure I can find something. I'll have to have a go at it at some point, you're definitely talking me around :)

SpyderPhreak said:
Currawong Currawong Do not, I repeat, DO NOT take him up on this offer!!! :eek: You will regret it later! Ignorance is bliss!!! :p lol ;)

Exactly what he said though, and exactly why the coffee thread here that I linked above is now over 3,600 posts.

Sorry for the hiajck guys. To repent for my sins, here's a big Busse with a really big bottle of an easy-drinking whiskey (note the "e") that I rather like! ;)

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Trying to keep the good stuff to yourself are you ;)

And no worries about hijacking. Whisky in this thread is just code for 'liquid INFI'. Anything that's on the theme of good things in life done to maximum quality fits within the philosophy around here :thumbsup: :cool: Coffee is included.
 
So I'm sitting here drinking a glass of Laphroaig 10, and remembered this video. There is no such thing as an unhealthy focus on good whisky, but if there was, this guy would have it :D

Foodquig reviews whisky while his wife leaves him.
 
Currawong said:
So I'm sitting here drinking a glass of Laphroaig 10, and remembered this video. There is no such thing as an unhealthy focus on good whisky, but if there was, this guy would have it :D

Foodquig reviews whisky while his wife leaves him.
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Sounds like the whisky or the reviews might be some sort of coping medicine. Definitely not normal behavior. Ha but neither is amassing a pile of knives either, I suppose.
 
Currawong said:
You're trying to catch up to Cobalt! A worthy mission :thumbsup: I bet you're going to enjoy that one.
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He was clearly the inspiration on this one make no mistake :D He's been quite helpful and even offered to help me acquire one had I failed in the attempt that procured this bottle, the last in inventory by the way from this particular source. I was literally at a dead end if this one had not worked out.
 
Leonardo63 said:
A long awaited ending to an adventurous journey for a hard sought obsession. I'm almost afraid to open it because as the saying goes, "It's not the destination as much as the journey"
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The journey is NEVER over.... so sip and enjoy, and start researching/looking/obsessing on the next one!

SpyderPhreak said:
Fan split off, and wired to be always on. Switch only controls heat. Boost transformer output to fan for full speed control. Extra air holes for boosted fan output, I can do 1/2# per batch with this setup.
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NICE! I've been doing the fan split internally and disabling the thermostat, but I like the fan boost idea! There is a huge temp variation here in AZ, so my batches run from 1/8lb in the summer, to 1/4 in the winter... fluid bed mass being the best process control variable (and yes, I did a full designed experiment to analyze the process). I would love to do a 1/2lb or even a 1/3lb batch... will have to look into that! Thanks my friend!

And the obligatory thread drift repentance... although I like the liquid INFI concept :D
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That Forsaken Gemini pairs amazingly well with Cask Strength Laphroaig... thanks for the inspiration unwisefool... Cheers!!!

PS: I will bring you some coffee when I visit Australia Currawong... it's high on my hit list (fantastic rock climbing)!

PS2: (no, not that PS2)... SpyderPhreak... the Starbucks Vias are actually kinda OK iff (math nerd for if and only if :cool:) you can seek out the Veranda "light roast" or Colombian "medium roast." Nothing beats fresh, but nothing at all is the worst of all!
 
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MadMarkie said:
The journey is NEVER over.... so sip and enjoy, and start researching/looking/obsessing on the next one!
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Oh, I am enjoying it this evening - No Regrets! It was all worth it and that was the one comment from Cobalt that has been stuck in my head for months and I agree, it was. And oh yes, the next one- In a recent message when I told him I had secured "The Ice" at last he said - Oh, you know another good one is..... and I was like, I see what you did there! LOL! But seriously, he's been an inspiration. He knows his shit and I appreciate the piglet guidance.
 
Leonardo63 said:
Oh, I am enjoying it this evening - No Regrets! It was all worth it and that was the one comment from Cobalt that has been stuck in my head for months and I agree, it was. And oh yes, the next one- In a recent message when I told him I had secured "The Ice" at last he said - Oh, you know another good one is..... and I was like, I see what you did there! LOL! But seriously, he's been an inspiration. He knows his shit and I appreciate the piglet guidance.
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Yep... "The Ice" is now on my list (should be spectacular when compared to Bowmore Devil's Cask... Fire & Ice?!?!).... along with a few others that I learned about from this thread. Cobalt's recommendation of Octomore was spot-on for a peat-head-flavor-mongor like me, and I tip my glass in appreciation as well!
 
To Mr Cobalt, I salute you Sir! CHEERS! :thumbsup:
This is "IceManDu" :D And no Jerry, it won't be on my deck after dark. Ti's going to be buried deep into the belly of my little compound LOL!

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