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Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

Hard Drinkers, Lets Drink Hard (Spirits, Liquors and Cocktails)

General Chat
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  • M
    Max Power
    Raw and Unwashed
    Joined: 31 Oct 2010

    It's their Basic / core product but a very good and highly reputed peated Malt. 50€ is ok, 70 way too much. You should be able to get it around 40-45€ online if you're lucky.

    @elclintor:

    > I don't care what people say.. The Max Power way is the right way…

    last edited by 27 Jan 2017, 10:08 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
    • S
      Seul
      Joined: 24 Nov 2009

      Yeah it's 40 in the Netherlands, but they have to charge an extra import fee cause alcohol taxes are higher here…  😠

      last edited by 27 Jan 2017, 10:33 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • T
        tvenuto
        Raw and Unwashed
        Joined: 15 Sept 2016

        @Max:

        Damn, I got it for 40€ a few years ago. Pricing for Whisky tops everything These days.

        It sure does.  Bourbon pricing used to cap out at like $80, even for the high end stuff that was commonly available, with the vast majority of it being in the $30-50 range.  I'm not sure what it is exactly.  Probably a combination of things.

        last edited by 27 Jan 2017, 18:57 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • J
          Jett129
          見習いボス
          Joined: 17 Aug 2011

          @tvenuto:

          @Max:

          Damn, I got it for 40€ a few years ago. Pricing for Whisky tops everything These days.

          It sure does.  Bourbon pricing used to cap out at like $80, even for the high end stuff that was commonly available, with the vast majority of it being in the $30-50 range.  I'm not sure what it is exactly.  Probably a combination of things.  Last time I bought Pappy Van Winkle 20yr I paid $70 off the shelf in 2006 These days when I see it in a store it's between $1100 and $1800 a bottle. The old supply and demand combined with a big dose of hype.

          last edited by 27 Jan 2017, 21:42 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • B
            BloodnThunder
            Raw and Unwashed
            Joined: 20 May 2015

            @Seul:

            Is Ardbeg 10yo a good Scotch?.. I'm assuming it's their basic product… I'm just confused cause it costs 50€ here in my local supermarket, and 70 in a local beerstore (where 10yo Talisker also costs 10€ more so...).

            Unless you're talking Ardbeg's Uigeadail I always recommend the Laphroaig equivalent, but if Laphroaig isn't available Ardbeg will not disappoint.

            IG: Shadesofindig0

            last edited by 27 Jan 2017, 23:57 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • N
              neph93
              見習いボス
              Joined: 18 Aug 2014

              The 10yr old Laiphroaig used to be better than the 10yr old Ardbeg but they broke it a few years ago. Started chill-filtering and colouring with caramel. Idiots.

              “Some of those that work forces
              Are the same that burn crosses”

              • Virginia Woolf
              last edited by 28 Jan 2017, 08:55 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • T
                tvenuto
                Raw and Unwashed
                Joined: 15 Sept 2016

                @neph93:

                The 10yr old Laiphroaig used to be better than the 10yr old Ardbeg but they broke it a few years ago. Started chill-filtering and colouring with caramel. Idiots.

                Seriously?  I'm no scotch drinker but I thought the whole thing was purity/locality/tradition of the spirit.

                I recently read about "the man who saved bourbon from itself."  He lobbied heavily for standards regarding what could be called "straight bourbon" and "bottled in bond" when a large number of cheaper producers were operating (and doing things like adding color).  He also invented the distillery tour, as he felt transparency was important in a society that had just read Upton Sinclair's The Jungle.  Of course, I forget his name at the moment, but I'll look it up later.

                last edited by 28 Jan 2017, 14:40 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • N
                  neph93
                  見習いボス
                  Joined: 18 Aug 2014

                  Seriously. They started doing it around 10-12 years ago. Only the standard 10 yr old mind.

                  Their argument was that it had become a globally recognised product and they felt they had to standardise it as there were variations in colour and taste caused by the different oak barrels amongst other things. As I said earlier, idiots.

                  That strategy assumes the customer expects exactly the same product each time they buy it. In the case of Johnny Walker or Jack Daniels that is fine. When it comes to single malt, that is severely underestimating the consumer. I get that they see it as entry level whisky, but do IH skimp on their values and traditions when making 14oz denim? I think not.

                  “Some of those that work forces
                  Are the same that burn crosses”

                  • Virginia Woolf
                  last edited by 28 Jan 2017, 17:19 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • T
                    tvenuto
                    Raw and Unwashed
                    Joined: 15 Sept 2016

                    Yea, I'd agree.  Obviously these things swing back and forth, but I think there's been a trend towards buying fewer well-made/hand-made as opposed to a ton of mass produced junk.  Obviously everyone here values quality.  In the realm of alcohol, in the US there was an explosion of craft breweries and now there is another explosion of craft distilleries.

                    It was E.H. Taylor Jr., btw.  Appropriately, his namesake whiskey is indeed "bottled in bond," which is nice to see in an industry rife with lip-service, faux tradition, and marketing gimmick.

                    I'm getting my info from a quirky book called "Dead Distillers" which briefly catalogs the life, death, and final resting place of some of alcohols interesting characters in the US.

                    last edited by 28 Jan 2017, 23:29 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • S
                      Simon
                      Joined: 5 Mar 2010

                      Any whisky sold at less than 46% ABV will be chill filtered, no matter the cost age or 'quality' if it wasn't the whisky would be cloudy in the bottle and unsalable to 99% of consumers. Colouring is a different matter on the other hand and should not happen, but unfortunately it does now more than ever. Whisky drinkers, particularly in Scotch Whiskys biggest export markets, like whisky to be dark in colour.  :o

                      laphroaig 10 is great whisky and I would recommend it to anyone, but Ardbeg 10 is better, truly one of the whisky greats.

                      Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities - Frank Lloyd Wright

                      last edited by 29 Jan 2017, 23:14 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • M
                        Max Power
                        Raw and Unwashed
                        Joined: 31 Oct 2010

                        All this talk of red breast made me get one. The 12 yo was the first bottle i got but i wanted to try something new. And two great other ones as well.

                        20170211_144959.jpg

                        @elclintor:

                        > I don't care what people say.. The Max Power way is the right way…

                        last edited by 11 Feb 2017, 13:53 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • J
                          Jett129
                          見習いボス
                          Joined: 17 Aug 2011

                          @Max:

                          All this talk of red breast made me get one. The 12 yo was the first bottle i got but i wanted to try something new. And two great other ones as well.

                          .  I like the 12 yr Red Breast a little more than the 15. If you can,taste them side by side. With bourbon being my preferred whiskey it's understandable that I'd like the younger one better.

                          last edited by 11 Feb 2017, 15:12 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • AlexA
                            Alex
                            IHUK Crew
                            Joined: 28 Sept 2009

                            Enjoying a glass of this whilst watching The Night Of, thanks to the recommendations in the TV thread.

                            Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

                            last edited by 11 Feb 2017, 20:13 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • N
                              neph93
                              見習いボス
                              Joined: 18 Aug 2014

                              ^ love that stuff. And that's saying something given that I'm usually sworn to single malt from Islay.

                              “Some of those that work forces
                              Are the same that burn crosses”

                              • Virginia Woolf
                              last edited by 12 Feb 2017, 02:20 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • scooterS
                                scooter
                                啓蒙家
                                Joined: 26 Dec 2015

                                Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.

                                last edited by 12 Feb 2017, 03:48 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • T
                                  tvenuto
                                  Raw and Unwashed
                                  Joined: 15 Sept 2016

                                  ^awesome.  Love finding stuff like that.  That ones gonna be nice and spicy!

                                  last edited by 12 Feb 2017, 04:31 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • organisysO
                                    organisys
                                    Raw and Unwashed
                                    Joined: 24 Mar 2015

                                    @neph93:

                                    ^ love that stuff. And that's saying something given that I'm usually sworn to single malt from Islay.

                                    Great stuff indeed, only problem is the small size bottle!

                                    😛

                                    Pride of Japan :-)

                                    last edited by 12 Feb 2017, 22:05 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • T
                                      tvenuto
                                      Raw and Unwashed
                                      Joined: 15 Sept 2016

                                      Just came in today, gonna be a good night.

                                      last edited by 8 Apr 2017, 23:11 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • T
                                        tvenuto
                                        Raw and Unwashed
                                        Joined: 15 Sept 2016

                                        Leopold MD Style Rye (Denver, CO) ~$70

                                        Eyes/Nose- Hay colored, much lighter drink than I'm accustomed to.  Perhaps I'm unfairly biased, but I really do prefer that copper brown.  The nose was nothing much at first, and I'll admit that this, combined with the lighter color, caused me to worry that my MD pride had allowed a company to swindle me.  However, after about 10 minutes the initial alcohol dissipated and rewarded me with some serious complexity. They spontaneously ferment the initial beer (like a lambic), so there are many fruity notes.  If I had to be concise, the nose is peppered fig.  Awesome.

                                        Drink: I found it somewhat syrupy considering it's relatively low proof (86), and the drink is balanced.  If you were wondering, a Maryland style rye differs from a Pennsylvania style rye in rye content.  PA rye tends to be very high rye, 90%+ of the mashbill.  MD rye includes a larger % of adjunct grains, but usually not corn (might explain lighter color).  Anyway, there's a good amount to explore, atypical for a rye, which is usually rather straightforward.  There's wood and vanilla, some of that pepper from the nose, but while interesting nothing is super assertive, and the drink is pretty good.

                                        Finish: One of the most enjoyable finishes of any rye I've tasted.  Almost better than drinking it, to be honest.  Somehow almonds come through on the finish, none of the side of the tongue tingle that keeps you reaching for your glass again.  As such, this actually took a while to drink, mostly because I was enjoying that finish.

                                        Overall: If you think you've tasted all the rye you care to, this is definitely worth a shot.  While I was worried initially that this wouldn't live up to its price tag, I have to say I stand corrected.  It's clear care has been taken with the details, which is something I can appreciate.  I'm sure this bottle will last me a while, but I will consider re-buying it in the future.

                                        last edited by 4 Sept 2017, 00:38 9 Apr 2017, 00:36 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • GilesG
                                          Giles
                                          IHUK Crew
                                          Joined: 22 Sept 2009

                                          Great review, I wish my drinking was that sophisticated…...

                                          "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                                          last edited by 9 Apr 2017, 00:57 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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