I don't do single-barrel anything. Not since I learned what 'single barrel' is all about and experienced some horrible booze as a result.
Single barrel is just what the name implies - it all comes out of one single barrel. Consequently, there are going to be variations in taste. The distillery's taster can pick out, say, a dozen barrels that he thinks have a pretty good flavor. That's not to say they all taster alike - far from it.
My first experience with a single barrel booze was a .750 of Elmer T. Lee. I got it home and tasted it and it was fantastic. I had bought it at a liquor store up near the Oregon border. Since the closest BevMo store to where I live is down near Sacramento, the next time I was down there I stopped in and bought 2 more bottles. BIG MISTAKE!
It seems that the entire contents of any given barrel are bottled and sold to one buyer. The contents of a different barrel might be sold to a different buyer, etc. So the bottle I bought up near Oregon came from a different barrel than the 2 bottles I bought near Sacramento. And this particular barrel was HORRIBLE!
Everyday, run-of-the-mill booze is all mixed together - maybe 10,000 gallons at a time, to maintain consistency of taste. It doesn't work that way with single barrel stuff.
And, as far as I know, 'small-batch' stuff is mixed together but in smaller quantities. I'll go for small-batch any day if it's a brand I want but I'm all through buying 'single-barrel' anything.
And don't even get me started on Jack Daniels. You'll get more dissertation than you ever wanted to know about those A**holes.
I don't do single-barrel anything. Not since I learned what 'single barrel' is all about and experienced some horrible booze as a result.
Single barrel is just what the name implies - it all comes out of one single barrel. Consequently, there are going to be variations in taste. The distillery's taster can pick out, say, a dozen barrels that he thinks have a pretty good flavor. That's not to say they all taster alike - far from it.
My first experience with a single barrel booze was a .750 of Elmer T. Lee. I got it home and tasted it and it was fantastic. I had bought it at a liquor store up near the Oregon border. Since the closest BevMo store to where I live is down near Sacramento, the next time I was down there I stopped in and bought 2 more bottles. BIG MISTAKE!
It seems that the entire contents of any given barrel are bottled and sold to one buyer. The contents of a different barrel might be sold to a different buyer, etc. So the bottle I bought up near Oregon came from a different barrel than the 2 bottles I bought near Sacramento. And this particular barrel was HORRIBLE!
Everyday, run-of-the-mill booze is all mixed together - maybe 10,000 gallons at a time, to maintain consistency of taste. It doesn't work that way with single barrel stuff.
And, as far as I know, 'small-batch' stuff is mixed together but in smaller quantities. I'll go for small-batch any day if it's a brand I want but I'm all through buying 'single-barrel' anything.
And don't even get me started on Jack Daniels. You'll get more dissertation than you ever wanted to know about those A**holes.
Marty
Well, as far as my recommendations go, Eagle rare is a single barrel, Buffalo Trace isn't. In fairness though, I have had your same experience, just not with Eagle Rare. There are slight variations in sweetness and harshness, but generally a very similar experience, and I've had at least 15 bottles of it.
Just remembered Bulleit as well. It's a cheap bourbon that's good as well.
I second the Bulleit for a less expensive bourbon option. I'm not a big bourbon fan myself, but this I could drink. I'm more of a scotch man. Johnnie Walker Black pairs well with certain cigars, though Black itself is something that has to grow on you first (I love the finish and nose in particular). The Highland Park line is also fantastic and usually not overpriced. As mentioned before, Glenmorangie is always a winner. Gentleman Jack is great as well for an American whiskey.
Personally, I like 7n7's with most cigars I've had. While Seagram's Seven whiskey is anything but top-shelf, something about the mixture of the 7up/Sprite just seems to highlight the flavors of a cigar. Just make sure the ratio of Seagram's to soda is more Seagram's, less soda. Plus, it is hard for a bartender to screw it up. My two cents.
Not to derail too much here, but Sailor Jerry + Dr. Pepper + movie theater = awesome time.
holly sh-t, yes good combo, though I haven't really tried it while watching a movie.. lol. But yes good combo.
I'm not a huge whiskey fan, but I really like pendleton whiskey, from canada. Also some xo cognac is nice with some cigars too. Though I find that pairing hard stuff with cigars really over powers them. If I have a full bodied cigar I sometimes enjoy a nice port.
Personally, I have been drinking wine with smokes a lot lately. I have found that the 2005 Horton Norton is amazing with milder sticks, for instance... 5V Gold. If you can find any Norton grape wine, especially Horton, you won't regret it.
My favorites:
Macallan 12yr(oh shut up...just try it:)
Eagle Rare
Stranahans Bourbon
Rare breed
1860 Pedro Ximinez(sherry...careful what you pair it with...pretty sweet)
Whiskers Blake Port
Elmer T Lee Bourbon
Zaya Rum.....magical with MOW Runination
And if you really want your ass kicked....Bookers Bourbon oer ice.....see ya in the mornin!
rob needs to weigh in on this, he's a liquor guru.
Thanks, Squirrel. Just noticed this post.
So far there have been some good suggestions, especially catering to the fact that you seem to enjoy sweeter types of alcohol over straight up. If that's the case, I'd suggest trying some classic cocktails with some of the booze that you're looking to get into. My theory is: buy top shelf and enjoy it more but a little less often if you don't have tons of cash to spare. When you're drinking booze straight or close to straight as in most classic cocktails, you can taste the quality.
That being said, try something like Eagle Rare in a manhattan or Ron Zacapa or even Pyrat XO in a cuban manhattan (2 parts bourbon, rye or rum for a cuban, one part sweet vermouth, a dash of angostura bitters and I'd add a teaspoon of marachino cherry juice to sweeten a bit). If you're looking to try cognac, try a sidecar mixed with a VSOP as I generally wouldn't recommend mixing an XO, mostly for cost reasons (1 part cognac, 1 part Grand Marnier and 1 part fresh squeezed lemon juice). For VSOP level, I like Hennessy, Hine, Remy, or Pierre Ferrand (PF doesn't have a VSOP, I believe it's just called Reserve or maybe Amber - it's around $40 a bottle in most places).
Scotch can be a tough one to get into if you tend to like sweeter stuff. Also try mixing with some different stuff if you can find it your way such as Chartreuse (a distillate of over 130 herbs and botanicals for the green stuff - less for the yellow - made by monks in the Swiss Alps), Agwa (made from Bolivian coca leaves), or Absinthe. I just recently mixed Chartreuse with B&B and a dash of bitters and some simple syrup for a great classic style cocktail. Good luck and check my review section as I've begun posting my alcohol reviews with my cigar reviews lately.
Ok, so here's the deal - I don't like most scotch or whiskey due to it's harshness, but I still wanna get into it a bit. I've tried:
Wild Turkey 101 - Straight Bourbon whiskey
Bacardi Gold, puerto rican rum
Stock 84 Brandy
Johnny Walker, Black Label
Crown Royal Reserve
Jose Cuervo Especial
Bacardi Select
InverHouse Green Plaid, scotch whiskey
Glenlivet, single malt scotch whiskey
They're all "blah" to me - the only hard liquor I'm fond of is B&B or Yukon Jack
So any recommendations?
Sounds like you're a fan of the sweeter stuff. Have you tried Drambuie? I personally favor Glenfiddich, but when I have a sweet longing, about two shots Glenfiddich to one shot of Drambuie is pretty satisfactory. I think this is called a "Rusty Nail" Also, some of the Porters out there go quite well with a cigar. I know, let's just keep on trying 'till we get it right! Bound to be a good time.
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"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
+1 for Drambuie, but in our case we like it straight. Since Drambuie is made from scotch, you get the scotch effect in a much smoother and sweeter package. My boys can't stand scotch, but they love Drambuie. If it's too sweet for you straight, you can always go with the Rusty Nail suggested above.
haha. it's like crack. And a good alternative to that uber-expensive scotch you like. Again, your welcome. It's one thing you can remember my by when I'm not longer working with ya. lmao
While I know you are talking strictly about the hard stuff, I have always enjoyed sipping a shot of Grand Marnier. That first puff after the first sip is the stuff dreams are made of.
It's a similar sensation to drinking black coffee at the same time as eating a dessert.
I like Grand Marnier as a mixer and was curious about the Cinquantenaire when I saw it at a bar. Knowing it was orange infused cognac with sugar to make it a liqueur, I asked about it. The bartender that was serving us knew nothing but "people love it" but the other bartender insisted that it wasn't cognac but a liqueur. I think I paid about $26 for a shot and felt it tasted too much like orange cough syrup to justify that price. I may revisit it, but I wasn't too impressed. The Navan (vanilla infused cognac liqueur also made by the house of Grand Marnier) is really nice if you like vanilla, but you have to open it up with some ice or water.
I can only really enjoy Grand Marnier with a beer, after a big meal, or with a cigar.
However, I DID throw in on some whiskey and sweet vermouth last night and made Makers Manhattans while my brother and I smoked pipes. Pretty good combination.
That sounds good. I could see the orange and bourbon playing nicely. Maybe a French Manhattan with some decent Cognac instead of the Bourbon. Now I want a drink.
Well, you guys really stirred up my curiosity. I hadn't ever heard of Buffalo Trace or Bulleit bourbon before you mentioned them. So today, since I was in Sacramento where there's a BevMo store or three, I stopped in and bought a bottle of each of 'em. The hick town where I live didn't have either of them in any liquor store in town.
Now I can't wait to try 'em. I think I'll start with the Buffalo Trace this evening with a nice stick after dinner. I'll keep you posted.
Comments
another thing i like is Grey Goose on the rocks with a tiny bit of fresh lime in it (aka Grey Goose Gimlet)
generally speaking though, i dont drink liquor with cigars. i feel it drowns out the cigar most of the time.
Single barrel is just what the name implies - it all comes out of one single barrel. Consequently, there are going to be variations in taste. The distillery's taster can pick out, say, a dozen barrels that he thinks have a pretty good flavor. That's not to say they all taster alike - far from it.
My first experience with a single barrel booze was a .750 of Elmer T. Lee. I got it home and tasted it and it was fantastic. I had bought it at a liquor store up near the Oregon border. Since the closest BevMo store to where I live is down near Sacramento, the next time I was down there I stopped in and bought 2 more bottles. BIG MISTAKE!
It seems that the entire contents of any given barrel are bottled and sold to one buyer. The contents of a different barrel might be sold to a different buyer, etc. So the bottle I bought up near Oregon came from a different barrel than the 2 bottles I bought near Sacramento. And this particular barrel was HORRIBLE!
Everyday, run-of-the-mill booze is all mixed together - maybe 10,000 gallons at a time, to maintain consistency of taste. It doesn't work that way with single barrel stuff.
And, as far as I know, 'small-batch' stuff is mixed together but in smaller quantities. I'll go for small-batch any day if it's a brand I want but I'm all through buying 'single-barrel' anything.
And don't even get me started on Jack Daniels. You'll get more dissertation than you ever wanted to know about those A**holes.
Marty
Just remembered Bulleit as well. It's a cheap bourbon that's good as well.
Personally, I like 7n7's with most cigars I've had. While Seagram's Seven whiskey is anything but top-shelf, something about the mixture of the 7up/Sprite just seems to highlight the flavors of a cigar. Just make sure the ratio of Seagram's to soda is more Seagram's, less soda. Plus, it is hard for a bartender to screw it up. My two cents.
I'm not a huge whiskey fan, but I really like pendleton whiskey, from canada. Also some xo cognac is nice with some cigars too. Though I find that pairing hard stuff with cigars really over powers them. If I have a full bodied cigar I sometimes enjoy a nice port.
You're welcome.
Also, Amaretto is my favorite to drink with cigars :-)
Macallan 12yr(oh shut up...just try it:)
Eagle Rare
Stranahans Bourbon
Rare breed
1860 Pedro Ximinez(sherry...careful what you pair it with...pretty sweet)
Whiskers Blake Port
Elmer T Lee Bourbon
Zaya Rum.....magical with MOW Runination
And if you really want your ass kicked....Bookers Bourbon oer ice.....see ya in the mornin!
So far there have been some good suggestions, especially catering to the fact that you seem to enjoy sweeter types of alcohol over straight up. If that's the case, I'd suggest trying some classic cocktails with some of the booze that you're looking to get into. My theory is: buy top shelf and enjoy it more but a little less often if you don't have tons of cash to spare. When you're drinking booze straight or close to straight as in most classic cocktails, you can taste the quality.
That being said, try something like Eagle Rare in a manhattan or Ron Zacapa or even Pyrat XO in a cuban manhattan (2 parts bourbon, rye or rum for a cuban, one part sweet vermouth, a dash of angostura bitters and I'd add a teaspoon of marachino cherry juice to sweeten a bit). If you're looking to try cognac, try a sidecar mixed with a VSOP as I generally wouldn't recommend mixing an XO, mostly for cost reasons (1 part cognac, 1 part Grand Marnier and 1 part fresh squeezed lemon juice). For VSOP level, I like Hennessy, Hine, Remy, or Pierre Ferrand (PF doesn't have a VSOP, I believe it's just called Reserve or maybe Amber - it's around $40 a bottle in most places).
Scotch can be a tough one to get into if you tend to like sweeter stuff. Also try mixing with some different stuff if you can find it your way such as Chartreuse (a distillate of over 130 herbs and botanicals for the green stuff - less for the yellow - made by monks in the Swiss Alps), Agwa (made from Bolivian coca leaves), or Absinthe. I just recently mixed Chartreuse with B&B and a dash of bitters and some simple syrup for a great classic style cocktail. Good luck and check my review section as I've begun posting my alcohol reviews with my cigar reviews lately.
If anyone else has any suggestions, I'm all ears
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
It's a similar sensation to drinking black coffee at the same time as eating a dessert.
Now I can't wait to try 'em. I think I'll start with the Buffalo Trace this evening with a nice stick after dinner. I'll keep you posted.
Marty