OK, it's the Premium Spirit Alcohol Preference Thread!

[Pert_UK]

Had to get here eventually, eh?

My favourites:

Gin: Tanqueray or Bombay Sapphire (they're both good, but different)
Whisky: Probably Lagavulin, maybe Highland Park
Bourbon: Maker's Mark
Brandy: Oddly, I prefer the cheaper brands of Calvados to anything else.
Tequila: I love Tequila, but have never tried anything outside the bargain basement of Jose Cuervo Gold....
Vodka: I only like it in bloody Marys so it doesn't matter.

Your suggestions?

P.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

1. Oh no..you gotta try Ketel One vodka

Then you'll swig it out of the bottle!

For Tequila, I am a die hard Patron fan! but if you wanna make that Cuervo taste decent, float a bit of Grand Marnier on a shot.

[Misinformed01]

4. OK, you NEED to visit the Yurt next month

So you and Michael can worship the Kettle One together!

jack for me, as usual!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

11. I meant to ask

what's a yurt?

[Misinformed01]

15. Lar's Yurt Page

I don't actually know Lars, but he has a cool Yurt!

http://www.rdrop.com/~glacier/yurt.htm

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bif]

12. Ketel One is a smooth as water!

A friend had me taste his Ketel on the rocks. I though he had been cheated and was given water instead. It really is that smooth.

[Dead_Parrot]

2. If you've done the Laphroaig...

...It must be time to hit the absinthe. Goes well with red Bull, BTW.

Not going out tonight, I take it? :D

[Pert_UK]

16. BAH! Absinthe should be taken neat, with sugar and FIRE!

Did you hear about the alcoholic who got sacked from the Kawasaki factory because Absinthe Makes the Fart go "Honda"?

I'll get my coat....

I'm actually out for a birthday meal tonight......probably.

P.

[Dead_Parrot]

28. LOL...

...I'll have to remember that. Don't get too near the candles if you've been hitting the Pontarlier Anis...

[Pert_UK]

32. I remember one New Year......

Two carloads of my friends were driving to a cottage in a little fishing village in Cornwall.

We got there about 4 hours before them and it turned out that we had all the spirits in our car, they had all the mixers and beers and wine.

We did the only thing we could do......we went for traditional absinthes.

You have a glass of absinthe, and also a spoonfull of it mixed with some sugar. You hold up the spoon and heat it with a cigarette lighter until it bursts into flames, then you stir it into the absinthe in the glass, setting it on fire too.....

This works very well, unless you do this on the balcony and look down to see a crowd of villagers looking up at you heating a mysterious substance in a spoon...............You City-folk and your heroin!!!

[LynneSin]

3. YOU'VE NEVER TRIED PREMIUM TEQUILLA

:spank:

SHAME SHAME SHAME

When you have Herradura, Don Patron or any of the other fine topshelf tequillas, you'll think Jose Cuervo was made by the bartender pissing into a bottle. In fact I think it's an insult to drink fine tequilla with the tacky helpers like Lemon/Lime and Salt because you just don't need that stuff.

BTW - best Vodka is between Grey Goose or Belvedere!

[Wickerman]

6. Pert, I'm seeing a trend

Try some good Russina Potato vodka sometime. I'm not sure what the trendy brands are these days as I don't drink, but it was a nice taste back in the day. Stay premium - avoid the cheap stuff, like drinking cardboard saturated in rubbing etoh.

[GOPisEvil]

7. My sodden list.

Gin: Tanqueray or Bombay
Whisky: Lagavulin when I'm out and feeling rich; Highland Park
Irish Whisky: Bushmill's
Bourbon: Maker's Mark or Knob Creek
Brandy: I've only had the cheap stuff, and usually cook with it.
Tequila: To drink straight, one can't go wrong with Chinaco Anejo or Reposado. To mix? Eh, no matter; just use Cuervo Gold.
Vodka: Tito's (Made in Texas! Good stuff) Skyy is really good too.

Edit - here's a site on Tito's Texas Vodka: http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2002-04-19/food_feature.html

[Pert_UK]

24. Whiskey pedantry......Irish Whiskey is spelled with an "e"...

I only know this because I wrote "whiskey" in an essay at university and got a comment back that said "Irish, I assume, as Scotish whisky has no 'e'"

:evilgrin:

P.

[GOPisEvil]

26. One of these days we've got to figure out this common language we share.

:D

[LagaLover]

36. And another pet peeve - BOURBON is Whiskey!

It's not "just another spirit." It's one type of American WHISKEY! Not that you, Pert, said otherwise; this just seemed like the place to make that point.

[SOteric]

8. Tequila: Herradura Silver

I prefer armagnacs and cognacs to brandies, Belvedere is an excellent vodka, and I agree on the Maker's Mark.

[LynneSin]

10. Go Anejo baby

Silver is good for making Margarita, but if I'm drinking straight tequila nothing less than Gold crosses these lips!

[rocktivity]

9. Basically I stick to wine (champagne in particular) and beer

But do not get insulted when served Jack Daniels or rum.


rocknation

[Pert_UK]

21. Then you won't be jealous when I tell you that.....

when I was in Australia for the last year I visited every major wine region to tour the wineries?

Margaret River, Barossa Valley, Claire Valley, Hunter Valley.....

Marvellous!

If you like champagne and you like red wine, try a sparkling Shiraz - some are sweeter, some are drier (find your own preference) but they're all pretty good really, what with shiraz being a really fruity grape.

P.

[Dead_Parrot]

31. Hey, Pert...

...Since you were in the the area, do NZ do any good booze that you know of?

[Pert_UK]

35. No.....NEXT PLEASE!.....I joke of course!

They do some decent beer (quite cheaply).....and Cloudy Bay white wine (Chardonnay I believe) is superb but pricey. There are many other decent wines but we stuck to the Oz ones as we were there.

Didn't make it to NZ (which is actually quite far from Oz) so can't be much more help. Sorry!

P.

[LagaLover]

13. Mine

Scotch Whisky - Lagavulin (obviously)
Gin - Bombay Sapphire
Vodka - Belvedere
Bourbon Whiskey - Bookers

[terrya]

14. You might want to try Knob's Creek bourbon.

I think it's a shade better quality than Maker's Mark.

But both are very good.

Terry

[GOPisEvil]

17. Yes!!! Knob Creek is awesome!

Booker's is very good, too.

[Pert_UK]

18. Tried and enjoyed! Thanks though.....

I like both to be honest.

P.

[Droopy]

19. Crown Royal

I'm no whisky enthusiast, but that's the best stuff I've ever tasted as far as that stuff goes.

[fudge stripe cookays]

20. Pert, you and reprehensor would get along well.

Maker's Mark is like unto gold to my beloved.

The name if Maker's Mark is sacred in our home.

[GOPisEvil]

22. A post just for Texas vodka. Seriously.

http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2002-04-19/food_feature.html

(snip)

Everyone said it couldn't be done. Imagine the suits at Smirnoff or Absolut or Stoli sitting back and laughing over the prospect. 'Texas vodka? Who the hell would buy a vodka from Texas?!' They probably laughed until their faces turned beet-red. Now imagine their chagrin when Tito's Handmade Vodka won the 2001 Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirit Competition, signifying that all of the judges had picked Tito's as the best. It was unanimous. Tito's beat Smirnoff, Stoli, Ketel One, Skyy, Belvedere, Chopin, and every other vodka entered. Or how the mega-companies suffered when Spirit Journal decided that Tito's was the only vodka in the world that rated four stars. Even better, picture how they felt when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms analyzed Tito's vodka and found it to be 'the cleanest and purest spirit ever tested.' The big guns aren't laughing any more.

(end snip)

[left_wing_literati]

23. faves

Gin: Bombay Sapphire
Vodka: Belvedere or Ketel One(when I'm slumming it)
Bourbon: Woodforde Reserve -- smooth, rich, and full of vanilla notes
Scotch: Springbank
Irish Whiskey: Bushmill's 16 yr
TEQUILA!!: Sauza Tres Generaciones Plata, Cuervo Reserva de la Familia, and Corazon Anejo
Cognac: Pierre Ferrand Ancestrale

[Whitacre D_WI]

25. Here goes:

-Scots Whisky: Highland Park, Laphroaig, or Lagavulin (Auchentoshan is a surprising dark horse).
-Irish Whiskey: Middleton.
-Rye Whiskey: Pappy Van Winkle's Private Reserve.
-Bourbon: Maker's Mark, or anything Jimmy Russell (Wild Turkey) distills at 101 proof.
-Gin: Probably that stuff (I forget its name) infused with cucumber. Or Tanqueray Ten.
-Vodka: I like Chopin, Belvedere, and Grey Goose, but the true champeen is Stolichnaya.
-Brandy: I love a good Cognac or Armagnac, but I will opt for one of J. Poli's varietal grappas.

On edit: CRAP! I forgot tequila! My favorite is Corrallejo's Reposado. Don Felipe makes a good Anejo (El Tesoro); but most anejos lose too much of the agave flavor to oak for my taste.

[left_wing_literati]

29. mmmmmm...grappa

Malvolti is my current favorite.

[LagaLover]

30. What he HELL is Scots Whisky???

Do you mean SCOTCH?

[Whitacre D_WI]

33. No, I learned to read by looking at a Cutty Sark label.

Get over it, Mr.-I'm-so-Smart. :P

[LagaLover]

38. It's Mrs

or Lt Col to you, since we have not been formally introduced...and unless you are talking about Cutty Shit, then it is Scotch! :-)

[Whitacre D_WI]

41. Sorry, Lt. Col. Mrs. I'm so Smart!

:hi:

[LagaLover]

44. LOL

:-)

[Dead_Parrot]

34. Whiskey that belongs to a Scot

You better ask really nicely before you you have some. Unless you want a Glasgow kiss. :D

[LagaLover]

40. LOL too true!

[Pert_UK]

37. Anything Scottish is referred to as Scots (e.g. a Scotsman).....

Whisky is a Scots product named Scotch.

To clarify:

English, Irish, Welsh and Scots.

P.

[LagaLover]

39. The point is the Whisky made in Scotland

is correctly called Scotch.

[Whitacre D_WI]

42. Whisky made in Scotland is the ONLY thing correctly called Scotch,

excepting, perhaps, "hopscotch" or "butterscotch."

[LagaLover]

43. And I said what that was in disagreement

with that? And to be precise, I guess, Whisky (no e) is by definition Scotch.

[Whitacre D_WI]

45. Wrong.

Look at a bottle of Maker's Mark. They choose to spell their libation's name sans "e." Of course, that is an anomoly among bourbons, but 'tis no less true.

And you said nothing that was in disagreement with that, but I do feel the need to give everyone I meet a hard time. ;)

[LagaLover]

46. In the normal naming converntion

American Whiskey is spelled with an "e." The maker's of MM are just being buttheads! Whisky = Scotch. :-)

[Whitacre D_WI]

47. No, IRISH whiskey is spelled with an "e." There are no rules governing...

...the nomenclature of American spirits (excepting, of course, that bourbon must be at least 51% corn mash, rye 51% rye, and such).

We'd probably find a way to skirt the rules, anyway. ;)

[LagaLover]

48. No! ALL Whiskey except Scotch

uses an "e." We can debate this ALL day! :-)

[Whitacre D_WI]

49. And Burgundy is from Burgundy, Chianti is from Chianti,

and Champagne is from Champagne.

You'll find those terms being tossed around for all sorts of ass-wines in Cali.

The rules observed by the rest of the world just don't apply to us (or to the Japanese, for that matter, who have begun distilling single-malt spirits and calling them "whisky").

[left_wing_literati]

51. bourbon, technically

must be distilled in Bourbon County, KY. Jack Daniels, therefore is not bourbon, but rather Tennessee whiskey.

[Whitacre D_WI]

52. Incorrect. Bourbon County is a dry county.

There are NO (legal) distilling operations in Bourbon County.

Jack Daniels is also charcoal-filtered, separating it from bourbon.

[LagaLover]

53. Actually he is CORRECT (technically)

You are wrong (technically)...

kentucky bourbon whiskey -
Kentucky bourbon whiskey is America's only native spirit. It is distilled from a minimum of 51% corn and a blend of barley and rye or wheat. For a product to be called 'bourbon" it must be produced in Bourbon County, Kentucky. That is what makes it different from sour mash whisky. The bourbon county that matters is the old Bourbon county. When you see a label that says "Old Bourbon" it is referring to the old county in Kentucky and not the age of the drink. The old kentucky bourbon county encompasses about 30 plus modern counties in Kentucky.

[LagaLover]

55. I apologize - I was wrong

upon further examination I found this:

Consequently, the question "what is bourbon?" is usually answered with a definition enshrined in federal law. The definition you usually see combines the legal definition for straight whiskey, which all bourbon whiskey must be, with the additional requirements for bourbon.

According to the feds, "straight whiskey" must be made from a mash of grain, distilled at no higher than 80% alcohol, and aged in new charred oak barrels for a minimum of two years. It must be at least 40% alcohol when it is bottled. To earn the name "bourbon" the whiskey must be made from a mash of at least 51% corn and meet the requirements for straight whiskey.

Tennessee Whiskey is legally the same as bourbon, except it must be made in Tennessee. Bourbon, contrary to popular belief, does not have to be made in Kentucky unless the producer wants to say Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey on the label.

[Whitacre D_WI]

57. No apologies necessary.

I love meeting people who are so passionate about a tipple as to lead to arguments over arcana! Cheers!

[Whitacre D_WI]

56. OLD Bourbon County is way different from the current map,

on which "Bourbon County" doesn't distill nothin' ('cept shine).


And look at a bottle of A.H. Hirsch bourbon. The bottle says "bourbon."

Hirsch is from Pennsylvania.

[LagaLover]

59. Yep, I guess they can say that

they just can't say "Kentucky" Bourbon.

[Redleg]

63. That's right- I live in Kentucky and love the Bourbon.

Believe it or not, I had never had Bourbon until I came here. I still like single malt Scotch and Irish whiskey better but Bourbon is a solid third place.

[everythingsxen]

27. Let's get this party started!

Gin: Never touch the stuff. :shrug:
Whisky: Usually somethng smooth, like Southern Comfort
Bourbon: Maker's Mark
Brandy: Asbach (sp?)
Tequila: Jose is good.. but try Tres Generaciones(sp?)
Vodka: mmm Vodka. All vodka is good.
Schnapps: Rumplemintz, Aftershock, Goldschlager
Rum: Captain Morgan
Other: Jagermeister

[XNASA]

50. This is the only Bourbon good enough for my friends & I.

Rip Van Winkle. If you can get passed the cheapo plastic cap, you'll find Heaven inside.

Knob Creek and Evan Williams will also do.

I love Ketel One when I'm in the mood for Vodka.

[BiggJawn]

54. Jameson's is all you need....

On those RARE occassions when i do drink, I drink Jameson's...

OK, so I drink Southern Comfort, too. Can't find Jerimiah Weed anymore....

[LagaLover]

60. Have a military friend near an Air Force base pick you up some

It's MANDATORY in the AF!

[sweetheart]

58. lagavulin of the Islay malts

you already know... :-)

I've got a dram right 'ere.

[Burma Jones]

61. Mine

Gin: Tanqueray
Whisky: Jamison's
Bourbon: Jack Black
Brandy: You're a fine girl, what a good wife you would be.....
Tequila: Silver de Patron.... ALTHOUGH I have seen strange things when I have drunk Monte Alban Mezcal.....
Vodka: Grey Goose or Stoly or Ketel.

[Redleg]

62. Redbreast Irish whiskey, The Macallan single malt Scotch whisky,

Maker's Mark Kentucky bourbon, Bombay Sapphire gin.

I also love Highland Park single malt Scotch. Powers is an excellent and affordable Irish whiskey.

[TX-RAT]

64. Mideltons just can't afford it

Crown royal works just fine.