I am going to go on record and say I am not a fan of a lot of the american whiskey bottling practices. One in particular is the all too famous wax dipped MM bottle. As a visual it is great, but functionally it sucks. Tearing off the tab can get messy if a bottle has sat for a while and the simple process of pouring it can leave dribbles all down in and around the wax (where a bottle without would get a simple wipe of the finger to catch the drop rolling down the side).
I hate to just pick on MM, but it is the most notable. I even hate some of the foil wraps that are even more prevalent than wax dippings. Most of the time I clean off all this junk from a bottle as soon as I get it. Something about a clean topped bottle. Even bottles like Bulleit who stripped down their bottle in an appealing fashion had to go with a unique bottle shape which is appealing till you try to pour anything out of it.
I don't see this much in Irish/scotch varietals. Seems that they let the drink speak for itself a little more. Just step back and look at a shelf of bourbon versus a shelf of scotch. On the bourbon shelf, almost no 2 bottles are the same shape or have the same "topper".
All that being said, American whiskey can't be beat for value and variety (save for some peaty offerings) so I will deal with it.
I need to find a good whiskey decanter to hold any of these main offenders when I partake in them but finding one that has a good seal and doesn't look like something out of a wall street movie where everyone has whiskey in their office is hard.
I hate to just pick on MM, but it is the most notable. I even hate some of the foil wraps that are even more prevalent than wax dippings. Most of the time I clean off all this junk from a bottle as soon as I get it. Something about a clean topped bottle. Even bottles like Bulleit who stripped down their bottle in an appealing fashion had to go with a unique bottle shape which is appealing till you try to pour anything out of it.
I don't see this much in Irish/scotch varietals. Seems that they let the drink speak for itself a little more. Just step back and look at a shelf of bourbon versus a shelf of scotch. On the bourbon shelf, almost no 2 bottles are the same shape or have the same "topper".
All that being said, American whiskey can't be beat for value and variety (save for some peaty offerings) so I will deal with it.
I need to find a good whiskey decanter to hold any of these main offenders when I partake in them but finding one that has a good seal and doesn't look like something out of a wall street movie where everyone has whiskey in their office is hard.
