A change from beer - Glenfiddich 12

[PFP_Dad]

As a lifelong beer drinker I've grown to appreciate a variety of micro-brews with a heavy emphasis on stouts and nut-browns. Unfortunately late last year I began having extreme reaction to the ingestion of anything containing gluten. For those that don't know gluten is a p[FONT=arial, sans-serif]rotein composite found in foods processed from wheat and related grain species, including barley and rye. This means most beer is out.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial, sans-serif]While some beers do exist that are gluten free, and some can actually pass for drinkable beer, I have yet to find anything I particularly enjoy with a good pipe or cigar.

The good news is that most liquor is alright because of the distillation process involved. The bad news, I've always drank beer. As a result I switched from my usual stouts to Crown and Coke as my go-to drink, but I've been hoping for something where I can appreciate the taste rather than mask it with soda.

I tried Woodford Reserve and that was a flop. I have half a bottle left and it'll probably be a gift to someone else. I've been a fan of Jack Single Barrel and recently purchased a bottle to enjoy but wanted to expand my selection to things that I may be able to order when I'm out. While at the liquor store yesterday I came across a sampler pack of one each of Glenfiddich 12, 15, 18 year old. So far I have only tried the 12 but was surprised at the smoothness and lack of bite or burn. I tried it on synthetic ice with just a touch of water. I look forward to trying the 15 and 18 and hope to find more with a similar profile to this or the Jack Single Barrel. I dislike a strong burn but rather prefer something with a complex enjoyable sipping flavor.

On a side note my drink substantially overpowered the flavor of the store brand cigar I was trying, so that could be a consideration.

Bring on the recommendations. I probably average 1-2 drinks a week so cost is not an overwhelming factor.

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[Beerhunter]

I have been going through the whiskey hard lately
Right now I am going through I won't do all my tasting notes on. Everything tonight and any writing errors are due to my ambian so here are some not all of my picks.
*Jim beam black 8 year
Strong Alcohol smell at first. But gets better quickly. Slightly sweet, not too complex.
This is a straight forward Bourbon. A little caramel a hint of vanilla simple Good flavor not harsh at all. I have drank more of this than any other. It is my go to everyday drink.
Crisp finish with no linger to it. A little bite at the end but not much.
Overall: this is my every day drink it's what I will break out for my friends. I find it much smother than JD black (although I liked the original 90 proof JD more). Overall a good value. I have tried woodford reserve, Knob Creek, line up, Bookers, Jefferson Reserve, Basil Hayden I keep going back to My Beam
It's nice


Woodford is my favorite with its cinnamon hints.

*Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 9 100%
Sweet vanilla with charred oak...Fruity..
Vanilla/caramel with spicey oak...The fruitiness from the nose is lamost not here at all.There is the "yeastyness" that Beam whiskey is famous for...
The oak lingers and takes over from the fading sweetness of the vanilla and caramel.It's moderately long but not never ending...
This is very good whiskey.Not as sweet or full of caramel flavour,like Old Forester,but it is simply solid all the way through!Not overly sweet,not overly dry...Worth the effort


*Knob Creek Rye Whiskey, 50% abv (100 Proof),
Color: Light Amber
Nose: Cola, candied ginger, and dusty oak prevail. The rye is fruity and clean (minty) on the nose.
Palate: Far drier than the nose suggests. Caramel and vanilla sweetness up front, then prickly rye spice asserts itself mid palate (mint, chili, cinnamon, and white pepper) on through the finish. Fairly bold and brash.
Finish: Warm and well spiced finish, no doubt boosted by the 100 proof. Caramel sweetness balances dusty oak with some bitter notes lingering as well.
Overall: Knob Creek Rye Whiskey is certainly well made, though missing the dimension and variety that some of the MGP (Formerly LDI) juice has delivered in releases over the last few years. The spice influence is big from nose to finish. after i get the spice in the end tbere is a musty woodsie aftertast this doesnt sit well with me I’d grab this for a great rye based cocktail – the 100 proof provides some dilution prevention. While good, the bottom line is there are more interesting Rye Whiskeys on the market for my tastes
hope this helps you
cheers.

 

[Beerhunter]

@pfp dad: "I probably average 1-2 drinks a week" well my intake is usually during the work week I will drink 2oz 5 oz but I drink it neat and sip on it for hours. I wonder if that's an "normal" drink pattern for a normal guy. As I don't drink to get drunk.
But that would explain how I have so many reviews in such a small timeframe.
Well I guess life sucks and you gotta drink.
Cheers gents

 

[Beerhunter]

Whiskey reviews part two:
It should also be noted that I start all whiskey neat
at room tmpature I let the bourbon sit for about five minutes before drinking smelling the different offering a particular whiskey has. I feel and the more I read (i may be wrong) that all whiskeys should be drank neat. I base everything on that bottle and its flavors


**Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve, 9 Years Old, 60% abv (120 Proof),
My fave of the knob creeks and to me rivals woodford
Deep Amber w/ glittering orange highlights
The nose is richer, fuller, more earthy and complex than the Small batch. Spicy cinnamon, mint, and floral notes are sandwiched between sweet maple syrup and a dry, clean oak.
This is a sticky, viscously textured bourbon with heaps of maple and marmalade livened with black pepper, clove, sweet spearmint, and a smoky oak quality (BBQ smoke). The char and barrel flavor is very prevalent, but in better balance with the other flavors than in the small batch.
Finish: Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve finishes with sappy wood, mint, sweetness, and rising warmth that lingers.
Overall: This Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve was a real eye opener for me. In fact it is superb. I expected a more intense version of Knob Creek at 20% more alcohol. While I got that to some degree. the flavor is so much better with the Single Barrel. This is a complex bourbon packing loads of great flavor in a more balanced package than the Small Batch. With only about an $8 upgrade in price, the decision for me is pretty easy. The Single Barrel is the hands down winner and a good value at the price. Please do note: As with all single barrels there most certainly will be some variance from barrel to barrel.


*Jameson plain old reg everybody drink me because its st patrick's day. I give you "it's smooth" way to smooth for my taste and a whiskey w/o anything is not worth drinking. I don't even mind the harsh kick of CC,JD, or the cheap but nasty Jim Beam reg. just take you money else ware. Drink a shot while your out sometime if your courisousity is up.


* Red Breast 12 Year Old Irish Whiskey:
this was quite a surprise to me. I was not expecting it to be quite as good as it was well. The complexity its aroma is beautiful. There are so many lovely scents in this drink that I hardly know where to begin, a clean and welcoming nose, it presents a unique fruit basket of banana, peach, apricot, pear and something exotic (perhaps passion fruit) as well as vanilla and caramel. It may be that this all sounds a bit too sweet and sickly, but let me assure you that such is not the case. On the palate it is quite oily and again there’s a beautiful combination of fruity flavors ranging from peach to strawberry, but there is also a spicy element and hints of ginger, licorice and nutmeg. The aftertaste is peppery at first, but soon turns into burnt brown sugar.
Pale gold, Ray of summer sun through a countryside window
A blissful fruit explosion; banana, apricot, peach, pear, perhaps passion fruit, vanilla and caramel.
Oily, fruity (as above, but also strawberry), spice, ginger, licorice and nutmeg. Aftertaste of initial pepper, then burnt brown sugar.


*Bushmills; quite a few nice aromas here a nice sweet vanilla and toffee flavor at first, which gradually drifts into more of a fruit scent (apples) and just a hint of spice. A deeper sniff reveals some floral tones as well, with just a silent mouthing of spice. There’s definitely a bit of citrus in there, too. I was surprised to find an
soft sweetness (ripe apples), vanilla and a definite nuttiness. That caramel, or toffee, and vanilla from the nose is there again. The finish is, in my opinion (what else would you expect to find here anyway?), nicer than the tasting itself. At first I get a hit of chilli, spice and pepper which then mellows into a sweet vanilla.
Not bad so far, then. The palate itself wasn’t quite what I’d hoped unfortunately, though it had a nice feel, but the aftertaste is both nice and refreshing and the nose is most pleasant indeed. I do intend to drink the the rest of the Bushmills.


*Canadian club the worse of the cc line up
The nose is of medium-body with notes of barley sugar and aniseed, notes of cut grass and fennel, a hint of straw and a vegetal freshness. The palate is quite sweet and to me it has a harshness to it, I can take it neat just a warning to you though. There are notes of winter spice and dark sugars, a touch of rum. The finish is of medium-sweetness and of medium-length.


*Canadian club 10 year
Nose: Citric notes, dried grain, flinty rye notes, then fruity. It smells slightly floral and remains vaguely citric, and just a little bit meaty. The nose changes over time, developing loads of fruity rye notes including hints of sherry, rich ripe black fruits, and sweet fruity aromatics.
Palate: Sweet and fruity with a pleasing bitter zest. Soon there’s hot pepper, a slight astringency like walnut skins, and lots of concentrated fruit. Under it all, a very pleasant rye bitterness keeps everything under control. It’s sweet, creamy, almost buttery, with lots of flavours yet somehow it seems quite simple. There are lots of hot spices, hints of fresh water plants – the earthiness of rye, then cinnamon, pepper, and maybe a hint of salt. It has nice weight and the slippery creaminess feels good in your mouth. It’s very fruity, but nothing really sticks out except maybe some stewed prunes. The vague hints of ginger and cinnamon are typical of whiskies with a high rye content. And slowly it develops a pleasant warming glow under all that peppery heat.
Finish: Medium-long. It becomes quite hot, then fades slowly and sweetly away with the typical underlying almost bitter-lemon rye zest that cleans the palate as it fades, leaving behind a few notes of cinnamon and ginger, carmel, toffee, brown sugar, sweet cereal, fruit juice, slightly floral with cloves, mint, and dried fruit.
Canadian Club Reserve 10 year old is not just the regular Canadian Club aged for a few more years. No, the folks at Canadian Club have created a range of different whiskies, each one the result of tweaking Hiram Walker’s original recipe by changing the ratios of grains, using different types of barrels, and of course, varying the ageing times. The recipe for this version, Canadian Club Reserve, includes about 30% rye and rye malt. These, along with corn and barley malt distillates, are blended together as new spirit before being put in barrels to age.


*Canadian club 100 proof
For me this and cc 8 year old is a good whiskey for the price.


*Jack Daniels: I don't like this whiskey for a marinade for steaks.
Let me say this what I drank in my youth lots of it. I only remember a bad hangover. Drinking it neat i only remember my mouth burning and my skin falling to bits and pieces. Not a good thing.


*Makers mark: I used to like this quite well and worked wonders in my BBQ sauce but since they screwed with the original recipe I won't be buying this stuff ever again. If it ain't broke don't fix it.


*Jim Beam another whiskey I drank way to much of. I thought it was better than JD. And this also goes into my BBQ sauce.
Sweet oak, light brown sugar, a bit of organic cherry notes with super subtle cinnamon. A second attempt at nosing the glass gives me the defined vanilla, something that usually comes along with the oak and some slightly burnt caramel.
lots of creamy oaks with hints of black cherry, caramel, butter and a bright burn around the mid-palate with a finish that leaves behind a bit of wood and light burn. Unfortunately the finish begins with a slight sourness before it mellows out and end; it’s just not as “clean” as I was hoping from a Bourbon Whiskey. I’d not classify Jim Beam 4-Year as smooth, but it does hold a good weight if not a bit rougher around the edges.
Is this the best Bourbon in the world? No, not even close to the best bourbon but to it is probably one of the best bourbons for the price.


*George dickel
maple sugar, honey, citrus, a hint of spice


delicious oak, with prominent maple sugar. This is refined, sweet, and elegant. Vanilla and a little caramel from the wood are apparent. The spices are much more apparent in the mouth than in the nose. These are mostly high and middle notes here, without much bass
rather long, with the wood and spice holding up very well together


this is a whisky whose elegance is unusual in Tennessee, in fact, the only Tennessee whisky that I really like. Dickel # 8 is rather rough and crude by comparison i do not like the bite on that one. I am not a big fan of Jack Daniels for the same reason
I hope this helps
cheers
Chris

 

[buca3152]

macallan 18. 150 a fifth but it the best ive ever had. the 15 and 12 are excellent imo.

 

[PFP_Dad]

Thanks guys.

 

[Aristeros]

I would say if you are doing well with Speysides, to continue browsing them. The Glenlivet 15 and Balvenie Doublewood are very approachable.

There are several very good blended Scotch whisky offerings.

Another thing to consider is brewing your own in small batches--not sure how to degluten malts, but now I am curious. I thought gluten was only in wheat, not barley.

 

[Aristeros]

Alright; I read a little and it looks like you have some options for grist--Sorghum beer, for one. If brewing is a bridge too far, maybe try one of these--http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/badaily/2013/02/gluten-free-beer-tastes-good.html

 

[Heron]

If you can find Fox Tail Ale, give it a try. It comes in a black and green can and it is by far the best GF beer I've had. For liquor, I like Laphroaig.

 

[arghblech]

I quite enjoy the sorghum beers even though I'm not avoiding gluten

 

[PFP_Dad]

I'll give the Fox Tail a try but I have yet to really be impressed by any of the beers. It looks like I also have quite a few liquor selections to try, guess I'll just have to drink more often.