I Chose to be a "Scotch" Guy, but Dang

[Spock]

Buffalo Trace Bourbon is smooth.

Around age 50 (now 57) and prompted by my love of author George MacDonald Fraser; I chose to drink (and learn about scotch. Even though I watched some Whiskey podcasts and such on all types of whiskey-I stuck to Scotch.

It takes me a long, long time to go through a bottle and a while back I bought a bottle of Buffalo Trace. Dang, that is good. i may have to try some more bourbons.

In the interest of science, if anyone wants to buy me a bottle of "Pappy Van Winkle" it will be much appreciated. I would even share it with you.

https://woodencork.com/collections/papp ... KUQAvD_BwE

Pappy seems to be priced from $1,000 and up. Given how slow I go through a bottle-I can justify about $100 a bottle but not $1,000.

[mrkelley23]

Oldest son has become a bourbon snob, so I'm always scouting whenever we go somewhere for anything on his "list." My golf buddies and I took a golf trip to Lexington this summer and every morning before tee time, we would go stand in line at the Buffalo Trace distillery to see what the legacy bottle would be that day. You have to have your driver's license scanned, then they put a security bracelet on you, then if you buy the legacy bottle that day, you can't return to buy another one for three months. (My time in Blanton's jail just expired, but I haven't been back that way yet.) The regular bourbon you're referring to you can buy one bottle of per day, but it's become so popular they're now talking about making it a legacy bottle as well.

If you like Buffalo Trace, you'll love Blanton's. But good luck finding a bottle without making a trip to Kentucky.

My other friend who's into bourbon tells me Pappy is way overrated, in his humble opinion. I wouldn't know.

[themanintheseersuckersuit]

Try Uncle Nearest

[BackInTex]

Buffalo Trace is what United serves, so I get that when I fly.

For my birthday this year, a friend gave me a bottle of Woodford Reserve, Double Oaked. That is my favorite now.

Tried Basil Hayden a couple months ago since I hear a lot of guys ask for that. It was O.K., but did not impress me much.

[silverscreenselect]

Pappy seems to be priced from $1,000 and up. Given how slow I go through a bottle-I can justify about $100 a bottle but not $1,000.

$10 a bottle is more my price range. My rule of thumb is to always look for the ones that are sold in plastic containers instead of glass. You get a better deal that way.

[Spock]

Pappy seems to be priced from $1,000 and up. Given how slow I go through a bottle-I can justify about $100 a bottle but not $1,000.

$10 a bottle is more my price range. My rule of thumb is to always look for the ones that are sold in plastic containers instead of glass. You get a better deal that way.

I think I have only paid $100 a couple of times-but as we are rained out from harvest and I am catching up on bookwork, I am enjoying a splash from my most expensive bottle of Scotch.

I think I will take another splash from a very peaty (and maybe about $100) bottle of Scotch tonight-then move on to a splash from Buffalo Trace Bourbon to end the evening.

My Christmas gift (I asked for them) was a set of the whiskey glasses recommended by the guys at Whiskey vault.

[Spock]

After drinking a splash each of 2 peated smoky Scotches last night.

1) Ardbegh Uiegeadail

And

2) Lagavulin 11 -This was branded with Nick Offerman celebrity stuff. Offerman has long been a big Lagavulin guy-Hell, he might even own part of the distillery now. Lagavulin is a plot line (or whatever) in Parks and Rec.

He has said that during initial prep for the show-one of the TPTB shared his (Offerman's) love for Lagavulin so that made it work awesome for the show.

Then going with a little Buffalo Trace-I still have to say I am a Scotch guy.

Buffalo Trace is great-but not after drinking smoky Scotches.

For the Spocklette's wedding-I am not going to pay for an open bar-the wife mentioned a couple drink tickets for people or else some champagne bottles. However, my heart is to just have a couple of bottles of Buffalo Trace set out. Maybe, a nice milder Scotch bottle as well with a note attached that they have to drink it neat (LOL).

[silverscreenselect]

For the Spocklette's wedding-I am not going to pay for an open bar

Guess I'm not going to that wedding.

[Spock]

For the Spocklette's wedding-I am not going to pay for an open bar

Guess I'm not going to that wedding.

Did your invitation get lost in the mail?

[Spock]

I made an impulse purchase of my first allocated whiskey yesterday.

I had an errand to a nearby town and after posting on it a couple of nights ago I had to check out the whiskey selection at the liquor store.

1) I bought a bottle of "Classic Laddie" an unpeated, Islay single malt Scotch whiskey from Bruichladdich.

2)I went in specifically looking for a bottle of Elijah Craig (Bourbon) as it is a favorite of one of the guys at The Whiskey Vault-my main whiskey podcast or Youtube watch or whatever.

However, the guy saw me pick up a bottle of Elijah Craig and upsold me to an allocated bottle of single barrel Elijah Craig. He said they got 6 bottles and this was the last-maybe so, maybe no-whatever. I was in the mood for an allocated bottle so he caught a willing fish.

So I walked out of there with a $164 bill so I think the Elijah Craig was about $100.

After I got home I looked on the internet and many of the whiskey people think that bottle of Elijah Craig is the best ever bourbon.

Because of rain again-I had a little more than a splash of the Elijah Craig. That bottle will last me a long time as it is higher in alcohol than most bourbons and part of my whiskey thing is that I don't even want to start "feeling" it. I don't have enough experience with bourbon to say whether it is the best ever or not.

[silverscreenselect]

I made an impulse purchase of my first allocated whiskey yesterday.

However, the guy saw me pick up a bottle of Elijah Craig and upsold me to an allocated bottle of single barrel Elijah Craig. He said they got 6 bottles and this was the last-maybe so, maybe no-whatever. I was in the mood for an allocated bottle so he caught a willing fish.

So I walked out of there with a $164 bill so I think the Elijah Craig was about $100.

"Allocated whiskey" = Whiskey they keep hidden in the back so they convince gullible consumers to pay $100 for a bottle of it. How much do you want to bet the next guy in the door got the same "opportunity" to buy their "last bottle"?

This thread keeps getting more interesting because it's getting close to the time I need to go buy another bottle of spiced rum. (My other favorite besides bourbon.)

[Spock]

I made an impulse purchase of my first allocated whiskey yesterday.

However, the guy saw me pick up a bottle of Elijah Craig and upsold me to an allocated bottle of single barrel Elijah Craig. He said they got 6 bottles and this was the last-maybe so, maybe no-whatever. I was in the mood for an allocated bottle so he caught a willing fish.

So I walked out of there with a $164 bill so I think the Elijah Craig was about $100.

"Allocated whiskey" = Whiskey they keep hidden in the back so they convince gullible consumers to pay $100 for a bottle of it. How much do you want to bet the next guy in the door got the same "opportunity" to buy their "last bottle"?

This thread keeps getting more interesting because it's getting close to the time I need to go buy another bottle of spiced rum. (My other favorite besides bourbon.)

You said in so many words-almost exactly what I said-hence my use of "Maybe So-Maybe No"-but as I also said it will last me probably a year (or more) so not really a big deal. I want to enjoy my splash of whiskey when I have it.

I have Mrs Spock well-trained when it comes to travel.

I said I want to visit the Buffalo Trace Distillery and she said are there any Civil War battlefields near there that we haven't been to? Also she has been with on 3 Africa hunting trips and is open to more.

I did tell her that she will get me to Scotland. It will be a distillery heavy trip but that is the only area of Europe I really want to go to.

[Spock]

The only Scotch that I have absolutely hated on my whiskey adventure was probably the cheapest.

Cutty Sark which is mass produced swill that tastes like vomit. I am glad that I did not start with this or my adventures with Scotch might have ended early.

And yes, I finished the bottle.

Back in my college days, I saw our small town doctor buying a case of Cutty Sark in Fargo which was about 120 miles from his small-town practice. I got a kick out of that.

The next Scotch I have on my list to find is some iteration of Port Charlotte.

[mrkelley23]

I made an impulse purchase of my first allocated whiskey yesterday.

However, the guy saw me pick up a bottle of Elijah Craig and upsold me to an allocated bottle of single barrel Elijah Craig. He said they got 6 bottles and this was the last-maybe so, maybe no-whatever. I was in the mood for an allocated bottle so he caught a willing fish.

So I walked out of there with a $164 bill so I think the Elijah Craig was about $100.

"Allocated whiskey" = Whiskey they keep hidden in the back so they convince gullible consumers to pay $100 for a bottle of it. How much do you want to bet the next guy in the door got the same "opportunity" to buy their "last bottle"?

This thread keeps getting more interesting because it's getting close to the time I need to go buy another bottle of spiced rum. (My other favorite besides bourbon.)

You said in so many words-almost exactly what I said-hence my use of "Maybe So-Maybe No"-but as I also said it will last me probably a year (or more) so not really a big deal. I want to enjoy my splash of whiskey when I have it.

I have Mrs Spock well-trained when it comes to travel.

I said I want to visit the Buffalo Trace Distillery and she said are there any Civil War battlefields near there that we haven't been to? Also she has been with on 3 Africa hunting trips and is open to more.

I did tell her that she will get me to Scotland. It will be a distillery heavy trip but that is the only area of Europe I really want to go to.

I don't know of any Civil War sites of interest around Buffalo Trace, but there are several good distilleries within a relatively short drive of each other, including Woodford Reserve, so you could try BiT's double oaked (I currently have a bottle of that in my cabinet, as well.) Lots of impressive horse farms very nearby, as well. The tour of Buffalo Trace is worth booking -- and they throw in a tasting at the end of the tour. The gift shop is pretty incredible, if you like that kind of thing.

Here's a pretty authoritative page about CIvil War history as it pertains to Kentucky.

[Spock]

"Allocated whiskey" = Whiskey they keep hidden in the back so they convince gullible consumers to pay $100 for a bottle of it. How much do you want to bet the next guy in the door got the same "opportunity" to buy their "last bottle"?

This thread keeps getting more interesting because it's getting close to the time I need to go buy another bottle of spiced rum. (My other favorite besides bourbon.)

You said in so many words-almost exactly what I said-hence my use of "Maybe So-Maybe No"-but as I also said it will last me probably a year (or more) so not really a big deal. I want to enjoy my splash of whiskey when I have it.

I have Mrs Spock well-trained when it comes to travel.

I said I want to visit the Buffalo Trace Distillery and she said are there any Civil War battlefields near there that we haven't been to? Also she has been with on 3 Africa hunting trips and is open to more.

I did tell her that she will get me to Scotland. It will be a distillery heavy trip but that is the only area of Europe I really want to go to.

I don't know of any Civil War sites of interest around Buffalo Trace, but there are several good distilleries within a relatively short drive of each other, including Woodford Reserve, so you could try BiT's double oaked (I currently have a bottle of that in my cabinet, as well.) Lots of impressive horse farms very nearby, as well. The tour of Buffalo Trace is worth booking -- and they throw in a tasting at the end of the tour. The gift shop is pretty incredible, if you like that kind of thing.

Here's a pretty authoritative page about CIvil War history as it pertains to Kentucky.

Perryville seems to only be about an hour from Buffalo Trace. I started to re-read Shelby Foote's massive trilogy on the Civil War and volume 1 is from Sumter to Perryville-so every time I look at the cover I see Perryville.

I first (and last) read them in about 1991 when I jumped on the Foote bandwagon following the Ken Burns doc.

Have to eat some BBQ-if we go that way. I can't think of the town now-but there is one town in western KY that is known for mutton BBQ.

I have read somewhere that our troops in WW2 were fed a lot of mutton so when they came home from the war they never wanted it again and it killed demand for the meat.

Re-Burns-I am pleased to see he has a buffalo documentary coming out any time now and even more pleased that he chose to call them buffalo in spite of all the pedantic nerds who will be sure to let him know that "Actually, the right name is bison."

[silverscreenselect]

Perryville seems to only be about an hour from Buffalo Trace. I started to re-read Shelby Foote's massive trilogy on the Civil War and volume 1 is from Sumter to Perryville-so every time I look at the cover I see Perryville.

Perryville is pretty much the only battle of note in Kentucky and ended Confederate efforts to take (or retain depending on how you look at it) the state. After that, Bragg's army returned to Tennessee where it continually lost ground thereafter. If you're going to see a Kentucky battlefield, that would be the one.

A non-political note on the naming of forts. If I were in the United States Army, I would not want to name forts after Braxton Bragg or John Hood, two of the most inept generals in military history.

[Spock]

Perryville seems to only be about an hour from Buffalo Trace. I started to re-read Shelby Foote's massive trilogy on the Civil War and volume 1 is from Sumter to Perryville-so every time I look at the cover I see Perryville.

Perryville is pretty much the only battle of note in Kentucky and ended Confederate efforts to take (or retain depending on how you look at it) the state. After that, Bragg's army returned to Tennessee where it continually lost ground thereafter. If you're going to see a Kentucky battlefield, that would be the one.

A non-political note on the naming of forts. If I were in the United States Army, I would not want to name forts after Braxton Bragg or John Hood, two of the most inept generals in military history.

I think I read Catton's history of the whole war before I read Foote's, but both of them were eye-opening as the hugeness of the western theater (including the Atlanta campaign) even for someone who had previously known a lot about the Civil War.

[Bob Juch]

Perryville seems to only be about an hour from Buffalo Trace. I started to re-read Shelby Foote's massive trilogy on the Civil War and volume 1 is from Sumter to Perryville-so every time I look at the cover I see Perryville.

Perryville is pretty much the only battle of note in Kentucky and ended Confederate efforts to take (or retain depending on how you look at it) the state. After that, Bragg's army returned to Tennessee where it continually lost ground thereafter. If you're going to see a Kentucky battlefield, that would be the one.

A non-political note on the naming of forts. If I were in the United States Army, I would not want to name forts after Braxton Bragg or John Hood, two of the most inept generals in military history.

I, too, laugh about Forts Bragg and Hood.

One of my great-great-grandfathers, Pearly Green Brown, was a member of the 18th Ohio Infantry who fought their way through Tennessee until Chickamauga. His unit twice encountered former V.P. Brekenridge's cavalry division, the first at Stnne's River and the second at Chickamauga. They pushed them back both times.

[earendel]

Have to eat some BBQ-if we go that way. I can't think of the town now-but there is one town in western KY that is known for mutton BBQ.

That would be Owensboro.

[Spock]

Have to eat some BBQ-if we go that way. I can't think of the town now-but there is one town in western KY that is known for mutton BBQ.

That would be Owensboro.

Thanks.

Re-Hood and Bragg

I used to read on Twitter a handle called "Civil War Humor"-but I think you now have to be approved to get his stuff-but anyway, he had a bumper sticker that read "Confederacy of Dunces" with pictures of Bragg, Hood and Jeff Davis on it.

Re-Bourbon V Scotch

My understanding (from YouTube Videos and such) is that the universe of Bourbon is narrower than the universe of Scotch (in taste or whatever). Both obviously have an infinity of options within their respective universes but Scotch just gives you more options.

I did a side by side last night of the Elijah Craig vs the Buffalo Trace and my guess is that the Elijah Craig (with its higher alcohol content) will be more of an acquired taste as I think I liked the Buffalo Trace slightly more.

After that I took a sip of my Ardbeg Uigeadail, a heavily smoky peated hardcore Scotch and I decided I am still a Scotch man.

So, I guess I am a Scotch nerd (us whiskey types prefer nerd to snob-LOL) who dabbles in bourbon.

Oh, and I really want to try Port.

[Bob Juch]

https://broadjam.com/songs/dmarksmusic/bourbon-trail

[Spock]

It was George MacDonald Fraser in his Private McAuslan stories that got me started on the Scotch trail.

In one of the short stores, he (an officer in a Highland Regiment) was invited into the sergeants' mess for a drink. The sergeants had a far superior mess and whiskey selection compared to the officers (for various and sundry and fun reasons).

But anyway, he said the way Scotch is enjoyed by the true aficionados is take separate glasses of whiskey and water and taking alternate sips from each.

I haven't seen that on any of the whiskey stuff I watch-they generally add a few drops of water to see how the taste (and smell) changes.

I haven't experimented with that much-but I am open to playing around with the alternate sip thing first-I am doing that now.

[Spock]

It was George MacDonald Fraser in his Private McAuslan stories that got me started on the Scotch trail.

In one of the short stores, he (an officer in a Highland Regiment) was invited into the sergeants' mess for a drink. The sergeants had a far superior mess and whiskey selection compared to the officers (for various and sundry and fun reasons).

But anyway, he said the way Scotch is enjoyed by the true aficionados is take separate glasses of whiskey and water and taking alternate sips from each.

I haven't seen that on any of the whiskey stuff I watch-they generally add a few drops of water to see how the taste (and smell) changes.

I haven't experimented with that much-but I am open to playing around with the alternate sip thing first-I am doing that now.

The paragraph from Fraser

>>>"He watched jealously as the batman poured out the very pale antiquary and gave me my water in a separate glass (if you want to be a really snob whisky drinker, that is the way you take it, in alternate sips, a right 'professional Highlander' trick). Then we drank, the three of us, and the pipe-sergeant discoursed on whisky in general-the single malts and blends and 'the Irish heresies', and strange American concoctions of which he affected to have heard, called, 'Burboon'.

[silverscreenselect]

To show Spock how the other half lives... and drinks, I went shopping for some liquor yesterday. I only buy two things, bourbon and spiced rum. When Mrs. SSS was drinking, I'd get a bottle of regular rum because she like frozen daiquiries and mai tais and the like. Now, I don't mess with frozen drinks any more. At a bar, I'll order an occasional gin gimlet after I read some Raymond Chandler and Phillip Marlow kept mentioning in The Long Goodbye that the gin gimlet was the only real man's drink.

I don't buy flavored spiced rums. I don't want something that tastes like pineapple or coconut fountain syrup with a slight kick to it. For me, I go by the three P's:

Price
Plastic
Proof

The first two go together. The better bargains are in plastic bottles, so I try to avoid the glass ones, which are too heavy and too expensive. A good price to pay is $15-$20 for a 1.75 liter bottle. No need to get the real expensive stuff either. I also want a drink that's got some kick to it. Most spiced rums are either 42 or 70 proof. That's less than bourbon or regular rum. (I saw a bottle of 120 proof Elijah Craig bourbon at that liquor store. Needless to say, it was priced out of my range.) So, I buy rums ranging from 92 to 101 proof. And last night, I found the perfect sweet spot. Admiral Nelson 101 Proof Spiced Rum. Why mess with Captain Morgan when you can get an admiral for only $15.99 a bottle? Ahh, the pleasures of imbibing. I'm going to pour myself a nightcap now.

[Ritterskoop]

This doesn't fit this thread exactly, but I went to the ABC store on Tuesday (delivery day) for some boxes, and thought it would be polite to purchase something, so I found that Tanqueray has a Sevilla Orange flavor now, and bought it. We will try it tonight with tonic and lime, with grapefruit juice in reserve.

We have been going through a ton of small bottles of Gatorade and water here lately (roomie is now 87, and I do anything I can to get some hydration in him), and I use the boxes to take the bottles to the recycling center, is why the visit to the liquor store.