2011 Beer and Liquor Thread (formerly Volmillion's)

[crashcourse]

good scotch you're supposed to mix with a couple of cubes and a splash of water in my experience

[hedge]

Def. a splash of water, but I usually eschew the ice...

[Big Orange Junky]

Maybe that's why I'm not crazy about Scotch, because I didn't know to add water or ice to it. I tasted it the same way I do burbon, nothing added.

I liked it just fine but maybe would like it better if I tasted it the way it was intended to be tasted.

[hedge]

I guess the main thing for me is that the difference b/w almost every bourbon I've ever tried is barely discernible. Granted, there is more difference b/w different bourbons than the difference in different vodkas (which is almost zero), but it is very slight (I am talking about straight corn mash bourbon, not rye or anything else). With scotch, I can tell a very noticeable difference in almost every bottle I've tried. And most of them are very good. I like that kind of variety and clearly discernible character which I really haven't found in bourbon. Don't get me wrong, I like bourbon just fine, it just doesn't have, in general, the character or complexity of scotch...

[Big Orange Junky]

I guess the main thing for me is that the difference b/w almost every bourbon I've ever tried is barely discernible. Granted, there is more difference b/w different bourbons than the difference in different vodkas (which is almost zero), but it is very slight (I am talking about straight corn mash bourbon, not rye or anything else). With scotch, I can tell a very noticeable difference in almost every bottle I've tried. And most of them are very good. I like that kind of variety and clearly discernible character which I really haven't found in bourbon. Don't get me wrong, I like bourbon just fine, it just doesn't have, in general, the character or complexity of scotch...

Dang, hold the presses we agree on Burbon to a tee.

Except Pappys, which I just discovered I noticed very little difference in them either but I noticed a difference in some, most notable Wild Turkey Rare Breed, and Blanton (I think it was). However, Pappy's was on a level of none other. You will have to try it sometime, even if it's only a glass in some bar due to having to be on a waiting list.

[hedge]

I drink alot more wine than liquor and I therefor don't mind spending foolish amounts of money on good liquor, b/c it will be around for awhile (I'm talking years). I frequent some pretty upscale liquor/wine stores in some nicer neighborhoods on my travels, mostly in search of wine. I will be sure to pick up a bottle of Pappy's next time I'm visiting one. FWIW, the bourbons I tended to favor way back when were Rare Eagle, Maker's Mark and, towards the end, Elijah Craig. They seemed somewhat smoother (or something - kinda hard to think of any bourbon I've ever had as "smooth") than the usual stuff I drank in college, but I never really did take a real shine to bourbon. I'm really not a big liquor drinker in general, never have been. I have enjoyed getting into good tequilas and, even more lately, good scotches in the last 7 or 8 years, though. I call myself liking gin, but I can't remember the last time I've had it...

[AlabamAlum]

If you find a bottle of Pappy's sitting on a shelf, let me know. I'll send you the money.

[hedge]

I may be underestimating the difficulty to acquire this Pappy's, but I will certainly be on the lookout. I may have been misled in equating price with rarity (or lack thereof), as I wasn't thinking that $200 was terribly expensive for a bottle of liquor. Johnny Walker blue label if usually more than that and I'm sure you've seen 18 year old Macallans all over the place around that price, I suspect they have older models with a commensurately increased price (not around here). I have tended to find places with large selections of wines older than me that would max out my credit card to buy one bottle tend to have pretty much any type of liquor one would care to procure. But I admit I've never heard of this Pappy's until this conversation. I am intrigued...

[AlabamAlum]

I haven't found any Pappy's for any price in over two years around here.

[hedge]

When I said "upscale" and "nicer neighborhoods" I was talking north of the Mason/Dixon line and west of the Rockies...

Actually, I would guess that high dollar bourbon has a better chaince of flying off the shelf in the more southerly locales, so if you hain't been able to find it, I doubt I will either...

[hedge]

Wally's in LA isn't showing any, but in fairness, they're pretty thin on high dollar bourbons in general...

[hedge]

They do pretty well in the scotch department, however...

http://www.wallywine.com/s-444-scotch-w ... ageSize=20

[AlabamAlum]

Pappy is hot. Celebrity chefs like Anthony Bourdain, David Chang, Alton Brown and many others are singing its praise. Also, it's appeared in several TV shows ("Treme" and "Justified" for example) which has increased its appeal with the general public. Throw in the limited production which has made it a luxury elite item, and it becomes nearly unobtainable from the average liquor store because all the upscale bars want to offer it on their menus at $30 (or more) per serving.

Special orders and waiting lists are what you find. Occasionally, you'll find it at wine and upscale liquor auctions, but I don't want to "win" a bottle of bourbon for $1000 when I can get a 50-year-old bottle of scotch for a third of that.

[hedge]

No doubt. I'm just a bit surprised that such a hot item can be gotten for $200. Sounds like the marketing department did their job, but whoever does the pricing dropped the ball badly...

[AlabamAlum]

It sounds like BoJ has a friend in the business who got him on a list and sold it at retail or close.

[hedge]

That shit must be pretty good for a dude making $9 a hour to shell out that kind of cash for it...

[hedge]

I've got a buddy who buys rather large amounts of wine from a good dealer, I'm going to ask him to look into this...

[AlabamAlum]

If you score some, and you'll share, I will purchase a bottle.

[hedge]

I've got him on it, he has some art opening he's going to tonight, said the largest wine distributor in NC (who he's friends with) is going to be there, he is going to ask him about it. I told him to get a bottle if it's possible. If this guy can't get it, somebody needs to have their ass blistered in Washington Square (or wherever it was that Hizzy wanted to see someone's ass get blistered) for having this stuff priced at $200 a bottle. If he can get it, I'll split it with you...

[AlabamAlum]

If you only get one bottle, you keep it all. If you're able to get multiple, I'm a player for half.