Whisky to show off at £50 a shot

shaldag said:
I get Lagavulin 16 (distillery bottle) for about $60 a bottle, a little less on a good day. Comparing it to Jack Daniels is not a good comparison, but a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 20 year old bourbon (mentioned by Lanza) goes for $80.
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Actually, I kind of guessed Lagavulin and Jack Daniels are not the same : I drink both and I can taste the difference (Still lack practice but I am working on getting better :) ).
However, I used both names in one sentence on purpose.

Here, Jack Daniel's is kind of classy. I know many people who would go for Jack Daniel's instead of better single malt scotch whisky. And they would do so just because of the perceived "coolness" of Jack Daniel's.
Reading about a show off whidky reminded me that.

By the way, this thread has been highly educationnal so far, thanks a lot. :) :)
 
What should a good beer drinker bring back in his suit case? I will be spending two months in Europe so, I can travel a lot of places and pick up good local liquors. What are good values or particularily good varieties that I can't get in the USA? I'm game for travel to a good distillery location anywhere I can reach by train. It looks like my entry to Europe will be Amsterdam so, if that affects anything let me know.

TIA!
Sid
 
Sid, if you're arriving in Amsterdam, then you're only a short train ride from Belgium, where some of the best brews on the planet originate.

http://www.orval.be offers rooms for you to stay at the monastery and chill with the brewing monks. I've been wanting to do that one for a while, but each time I'm over there something else comes up.

And while you're there, make sure you get lots of practice drinking Duvel :thumbup:

In terms of whisky, my favorite is Ardbeg from the Islay region. Most Ardbegs are very peaty, or smoky, so some folks aren't too hip on them, but I love them. Ardbeg 10 can be found in the states easily, and is a superb whisky for about $45/bottle. When you get to Europe, you can get some of the Ardbegs that aren't exported to the US. That would be what I would bring back (and did, a few weeks ago) :)
 
kinzli said:
http://www.orval.be offers rooms for you to stay at the monastery and chill with the brewing monks.
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Wow! That's an awesome idea!

What's even more ironic, I was thinking I would spend Christmas in a hotel somewhere in a European mountain range for that classic snowy Christmas I never see in the Sonaran Desert. I've been thinking about the spiritual side of my life lately and this post appears!
 
And as an added bonus, Orval is actually quite a nice brew :)

If you go, I'd sure like to hear about your travels...:D
 
i've had cristal champagne and wasnt all that impressed, its ok though.

if i drink scotch its gotta be single malts.

i rarely drink these days but when i do its hennesey cognac, all the rappers like it also.
 
Belgium beers are the way to go. Some from North of France are not bad either
The ones I like (I use french names because they are the ones you'll see on the label) :
Chimay ("bleue", "rouge" ou "blanche", the blue one being very strong but still tasty)
Leffe (blonde, rousse ou triple)
Grimbergen (blonde)
Saint Feuillein

If you go in Europe around Christmas, look for special christmas batch : the "Bieres de Noel". Most of the time, it is a red beer, very tasty.

You can also try Kwak and "La Becasse" : those are beers flavored with red fruits (mostly raspberries). All the guys here call it "beer for women and gays" because it is quite sweet but, let's face it, all of them (that includes myself) drink some from time to time and enjoy it :D .


Regarding Champagne, there are a lot of small producers around Reims and Epernay who sell their products for very attractive prices. I pay 12-13 euros per bottle to a producer named Franck Rivière and his champagne is very good. No need to pay for Cristal IMHO.
The Ayala one is also very good and quite cheap considering the quality of the product.
 
belgian beers are excellent. According to friends who have been, while your there i suggest you find yourself Westvleteren Abt 12. Westvleteren Abdij St. Sixtus has the smallest output of all the trappist brewers and makes phenominal beer that is all but impossible to find in the states. Also, St. Bernardus Brouwerij has a very talented brewmaster and they have some beers that are only available at the brewery.

here's the regional page for Belgium on ratebeer
http://www.ratebeer.com/BestInMyArea.asp?CountryID=23
and the Netherlands
http://www.ratebeer.com/BestInMyArea.asp?CountryID=144

Lapinot, Beer for women and queers? No way, most of that stuff is rocking incredibly heavy alcohol content. Trust me, i love the stuff, and if i were a friend of dorothy i'd know for sure after a couple pints of a 14%abv Belgian Strong Ales. Haven't woken up with any men yet.

Anyway, i need to hit belgium and the czech republic and go on beer tours. There's some places in the CR that have a distribution of about a football feild outside the brewery and everything there is still third world pricing. All you can drink beer tours of the best breweries in the world for about 3 euro.

Kinzli, I'm going to have to try you suggestion of Ardbeg. Sounds like it would compliment a good cigar. The smokier and more complex the better. I'm a beer snob first and foremost, and that has really allowed me to appreciate whisky and good cigars. Lagavulin was the other Islay i was told i needed to try.
 
victory said:
Lapinot, Beer for women and queers? No way, most of that stuff is rocking incredibly heavy alcohol content. Trust me, i love the stuff, and if i were a friend of dorothy i'd know for sure after a couple pints of a 14%abv Belgian Strong Ales. Haven't woken up with any men yet.
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;)
It was a joke (everybody here drinks a fruity beer once in a while)

Furthermore, I made a mistake : I was thinking Kriek and wrote Kwak.
kriek : 5.2%
Kwak : 8%
Sorry :foot: :foot: :foot: :foot:
 
victory said:
Kinzli, I'm going to have to try you suggestion of Ardbeg. Sounds like it would compliment a good cigar. The smokier and more complex the better. I'm a beer snob first and foremost, and that has really allowed me to appreciate whisky and good cigars. Lagavulin was the other Islay i was told i needed to try.
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Lagavulin is a very fine whisky. Ardbeg and Lagavulin being my two favorites, but Ardbeg has more releases and more styles to choose from, but most of the ones I've tried have all been in typical Islay form - peaty and rich.

The Lagavulin is a very, very complex whisky, I think moreso than most of the Ardbegs. It's just a delight to sip and try to pull out all of the flavors and things going on in there.

Since I'm an avid beer brewer, I try to keep up to date on the different breweries, but haven't been to that many outside the US. The Orval tour that I mentioned is one I've been wanting to do, just haven't gotten to it yet. I brew a hefeweizen with raspberries, and women just love it, but I find that most guys that consider themselves beer snobs LOVE it too. It's funny, and none of them are gay either (that I know of) :jerkit:

Anyhow, I could talk for days about beer and whisky, sorry to ramble. Fine coffee is another one I shouldn't get started on :D

Slainte!
 
maximus otter said:
Is it about savouring the flavours of hazelnuts, honey, rose petals and oranges, or is it just plain showing off?

maximus otter
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The latter. In the 80's they used to say, "Cocaine is God's way of telling you, you have too much money and not enough sense." See a parallel?

I'm not judging, spend your money on whatever makes you happy :)
 
kinzli said:
Lagavulin is a very fine whisky. Ardbeg and Lagavulin being my two favorites, but Ardbeg has more releases and more styles to choose from, but most of the ones I've tried have all been in typical Islay form - peaty and rich.

The Lagavulin is a very, very complex whisky, I think moreso than most of the Ardbegs. It's just a delight to sip and try to pull out all of the flavors and things going on in there.

Since I'm an avid beer brewer, I try to keep up to date on the different breweries, but haven't been to that many outside the US. The Orval tour that I mentioned is one I've been wanting to do, just haven't gotten to it yet. I brew a hefeweizen with raspberries, and women just love it, but I find that most guys that consider themselves beer snobs LOVE it too. It's funny, and none of them are gay either (that I know of) :jerkit:

Anyhow, I could talk for days about beer and whisky, sorry to ramble. Fine coffee is another one I shouldn't get started on :D

Slainte!
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I always wanted to try homebrewing but i just don't have the time. Philadielphia has quite a few homebrewer clubs. This region is actually great for beer snobs. Tons of world class microbreweries in the area like victory and dogfish.

Well, i found a place that has legavulin 16yo for about $65 per 750mL. Since all my good friends will be in town for the new year i may have to pick up a bottle to go with the Davidoff i have in my humidor.
 
victory said:
I always wanted to try homebrewing but i just don't have the time. Philadielphia has quite a few homebrewer clubs. This region is actually great for beer snobs. Tons of world class microbreweries in the area like victory and dogfish.
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Dogfish Head 120 is supposed to be an amazing IPA, I wish we could get it out here in the west :(
Well, i found a place that has legavulin 16yo for about $65 per 750mL. Since all my good friends will be in town for the new year i may have to pick up a bottle to go with the Davidoff i have in my humidor.
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That's a good price for Lagavulin. Sip it slowly, enjoy the aromas, and drink it neat in a good, small-topped snifter. You'll fall in love :jerkit:
 
kinzli said:
Dogfish Head 120 is supposed to be an amazing IPA, I wish we could get it out here in the west :(
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If you want my opinion, their 90 minute IPA is better than their 120. The 120's 21% alcohol content is to present, at 9% the 90 minute is less harsh and the hops are very well balanced. the 90 Minute is in my top 3 beers ever along with Bells Expedition Stout and St Bernardus Abt 12
 
I've tried many whisky brands, from cheap to extremly expensive. I know many don't like it, and it's not expensive, but my absolute favorite is the Irish Bushmills whiskey, 10 or 12 years single malt. The 10y costs me about $30 a bottle, the 12y about $50. The 16 years old is nice too, but the price difference is too much IMO.
I have tried the blue label JW, it's nice but not really my type.
 
I just purchased a bottle of...........(Don't laugh 'till you try it)........


Wild Turkey 101.

It's really a very good Kentucky Whiskey. (I know, it's bourbon. But "bourbon is a contextual thing anyway).

That and a Padron Delicio Madur......now we're talking relaxation.
 
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