What's Your Poison?

I am not trying to tell you how you should drink your drinks, but a good scotch should be drank neat. The ice dillutes the scotch. Some people say add just a drop of water in it to bring out the aroma of the scotch, I have done that and its BS, to me anyway. Drink it neat.
We may have differing opinions. Certain scotches especially with high alcohol content are rather tight and needs a drop or two of water to open things including the aroma and flavor. Cask strength is rather formidable without a splash nor high proof bourbons and ryes.
 
I am afraid I disagree with you there. Of course you can do what ever you want, but it doesn't make it right. You can order white wine with steak, but they are not going to compliament one another. You are going to spoik the taste of the wine and the steak. You could order red with fish and have the same experience. You are defeating the purpose of having a good scotch (the taste) by adding ice or water because you are diluting the flavor.
Spoil the taste?! Again, perhaps differing opinions. I wouldn't categorize having white wine with steak spoiling the taste. There are some bolder white wines, Viognier, or Chardonnay's (not the overly oaky kind) that can hold up to certain red meat. Conversely, there are mellower, less fruit forward reds that complement fish, especially fattier fish like salmon.
 

justme

homo economicus
Which isn't to say that you can't totally ruin a bottle of wine with a bad pairing like I recently did with a Pouilly Fume and Ethiopian food.

(I knew I needed something sweeter, but I was being lazy)
 
Spoil the taste?! Again, perhaps differing opinions. I wouldn't categorize having white wine with steak spoiling the taste. There are some bolder white wines, Viognier, or Chardonnay's (not the overly oaky kind) that can hold up to certain red meat. Conversely, there are mellower, less fruit forward reds that complement fish, especially fattier fish like salmon.

Not the wine drinker you must be, I was jut speaking in general terms, you don't drink white with red meat and red with fish.
 
We may have differing opinions. Certain scotches especially with high alcohol content are rather tight and needs a drop or two of water to open things including the aroma and flavor. Cask strength is rather formidable without a splash nor high proof bourbons and ryes.

Don't drink high alch content scotches. Well I should ask ,what are you calling high alch?
 

justme

homo economicus
Cask strength can be anything from 105 or so to 130 or so (proof of course).

I drink (sip) them without adding water, but I don't begrudge anyone for avoiding the burn which could affect the perception of taste.
 

justme

homo economicus
Yes, but that's 86 proof. So a bottle of 127 proof Booker's has close to 50% more alcohol. I know several people who's palates I respect who dilute cask strength brown liquor.

In fact, your J. Walker distiller is adding water to dilute your JW Blue before you even buy it. When the whiskey comes out of the cask(s), it is not a standard proof. The distillers make their blend and then add water (usually spring) to get the liquor to a consistent alcohol content. Same happens with most single malts, only there's no blending process.
 

justme

homo economicus
Speaking of gin, I found myself surprisingly pleased with Bluecoat. It's got a lot more floral notes than most gins I've had and a little more sweetness. I think that a Bluecoat and tonic would be excellent in warmer weather when you need something a little more refreshing then my standard Citadelle and tonic.

(Quintessential is seems good, but I haven't had enough of it to really figure it into my gin lineup)
 

justme

homo economicus
Speaking of wimps not wanting to taste what they're drinking and refreshing summer cocktails, my favorite drink this summer was Poire Grey Goose poured into a tall glass of Arnold Palmer. First summer in a while that wasn't dominated by sugar liquor drinks from Latin America.
 
When I drank socially my main choice was Seagrams VO and water on the rock. I know it's not the most dignified of beverages but it simple and I was always a whiskey on the bar kind of girl. I rarely drink now and when I do it's just very dry sake when I go out for sushi.
 
Not the wine drinker you must be, I was jut speaking in general terms, you don't drink white with red meat and red with fish.
I know what the general "rules" are with wine pairings...but for me...I prefer red wine with anything. To me there is no other wine other than red....whites, roses, blushes whatever not a big fan of. I will drink red with fish...but thats just my taste.
 
This thread has been dormant for almost a decade - just some thoughts to bring it back to life

My liquor of choice has always been scotch drunk neat. The only scotches I find that are acceptable to drink that way are 12 year blends (other than Dewar's 12 that I don't find all that smooth). I'm not a fan of single malts although for something different laphroaig is interesting - has pronounced flavor of peat that some may not like.
Went to my favorite liquor store (Bottles and Values - get on their email list, e.g. this week got 20% off any bottle and their regular prices are easily 10% lower than Stew Leonards - they sell a boatload of Walker Blue during such sales) and they have tastings, always neat. Tried some Bullet -American bourbon at mid $50's for 1.75l. Very drinkable and you are keeping your $ in the US.
My new favorite is The Irishman. Very smooth, on the order of 12yr scotches. Around $30/L. Not advertised - Jameson is heavily advertised and not anywhere as smooth.
 

Mr. Wiggley

But what do I know I'm a bad guy
The Irishman is now my non scotch go to, like the taste even more that the Caskmate version of Jameson. I am a single malt guy and enjoy Balvenie and hate to say the Macallan 15 which would bankrupt me if I became an alcoholic.
 
Ah, now if i changed my name to Uisge beatha, it's good to know more than a few of you would know it without having to turn to Google.
I come from a long line of, shall we say, whisky indulgers ("alcoholics" sounds so demeaning). And of course it's whisky, not whiskey. Having been fortunate enough myself to travel the length and breadth of Scotland on a, again shall we say, "tasting tour", I have to admit that I'm not at all a whisky snob. I'm more comfortable with a good blend than I am with most single malts (they say distilling is a science, but blending is an art. And after all, virtually all blends are heavily reliant, on the order of 80-85%, on one predominant single malt, with the balance being the added malts and grains). So if you find a blend you like, it's often possible to work backwards to the single malt that makes up most of it. I find the west coast and isles to be too peaty for my taste. The highlands a bit heavy on the grains. For me, Speyside is the region that produces the smoothest and most mellow malts, and my single of choice is Glenburgie. But it's far more accessible, and very reasonably priced, in the Ballantines blend. So nothing fancy there. A pretty pedestrian choice. But well suited for high volume consumption. After all, I'd want grandpa to be proud.
On a side note, wifey is strictly JW Black, always neat, never leaves home without at least a tiny flask in her purse. And if you want a real treat, I still have a little left of a bottle of 35 y/o Duncan Taylor that my daughter bought for me with her first (few) paychecks. $300 for a 750ml. It's like drinking honey water. If I could only find a pussy that tastes as good.
 
Be aware - although I enjoy the Bulleit Bourbon neat and it is smooth (although not as smooth as The Irishman) it is 90 proof whereas The Irishman is 80 proof.
You may want a splash of water to tone the alcohol down a tad.
 
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