Hard Drinkers, Lets Drink Hard (Spirits, Liquors and Cocktails)
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^awesome. Love finding stuff like that. That ones gonna be nice and spicy!
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^ 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!
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Just came in today, gonna be a good night.
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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.
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Elijah Craig Small Batch ~$27 (Bardstown, KY)
Eyes/Nose- That good ole familiar copper red bourbon. Magical liquid. Nose has noticable alcohol, but beyond that a corn sweetness backed by wood smoke. Like a buttered smoked corn on the cob. I'm biased, bourbon is my drink.
Drink- This one was a special barrel selection for a distributor (Liquorama!). I know nothing beyond that, but it cost me exactly $2 more than the regular Small Batch so the risk was low, and Elijah Craig is a known quantity. Mouthfeel is a bit thinner than the leopold, despite the similar poof. Almost oily, but not in a bad way. Otherwise it's a solid bourbon and all that entails, with more noticeable charred oak.
Finish- Short, with some of that side of the tongue tang I alluded to earlier. I probably finished this glass twice as fast as the Leopold, which is neither good nor bad.
Overall: A nice bourbon for under $30. I would say it's slightly heavier on the corn than I prefer (I'm a high rye guy), but that's merely a preference. If you had this and Bulleit in your cabinet you'd be ready for any bourbon drinking guest.
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I'm guessing that rye might be kind of young. Any idea as to how old it is? My current go to rye is Pikesville,although I have quite a few in my cabinet. Nice review.
No age statement, and I agree it's young. Although I'd say it has wisdom beyond its years.
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Some of the liquor stores in my area also have the Elijah Craig barrels. Haven't tried one as i have some in my cabinet as well as a bottle of the 18yr Single Barrel which is one of my favorites. Bourbon is my drink as well and I think Elijah Craig is one of the best values out there.
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Slaughterhouse - ~$35 (Napa, CA although I'm sure the whiskey is sourced elsewhere)
Eyes/Nose- No doubt your eyes start on the bottle, and I'll admit, I was intrigued by the packaging. This is labeled as an "American whiskey" and is thus not bound to the same rules that a bourbon might be. This is a whiskey aged in Bordeaux bottles, and the ruby red cast on the liquor betrays this dirty little secret. That red wine scent is noticeable on the nose, but not assertively so. Otherwise fairly neutral, not sweet at all. Also there's something unfamiliar there, not unpleasant per se but maybe a bit rubbery, like a pencil eraser.
Drink- Not overly complex, but it's clearly a whiskey. That might sound like a dumb thing to say but I'm always wary of these "aged in…" sorts of things. Truth be told I was half in the bag when I made this order and this was by far the most "out there" selection for me. Anyway, I read somewhere that it's high rye, and I'll back that up. No corny sweetness is present, a tiny bit of spice, but lacking the...hard?...mouthfeel that ryes tend to have. Relatively thin on the mouthfeel, actually, which was a surprise. Perhaps the dark color was prepping me for more of a port-like mouthfeel. Vanilla and a bit of wood, maybe honey, but imagine honey that wasn't sweet at all (which I guess would be mead).
Finish- More wine on the finish. That juicy fruit notion that a red wine elicits, all without being sweet. A pleasant finish, which has a mouth coating notion that is surprising due to the thinness of the spirit. Some nutmeg and cinnamon like notes on the finish.
Overall: Not bad, but probably won't buy again. Dare I say this could actually have benefited from some sweetness? As it is, I feel it straddles the after dinner drink and sipping whiskey zones. That is to say, it's too far from a whiskey if that's what I want, and not truly an after dinner either. In the future, I'll probably skip this and keep a port on hand.
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I hear it's refreshing.
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I'll take a pint
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Just saw @Anesthetist post,and it reminded me of the time my brother had met the race car driver Danica Patrick,and I asked him was she beautiful? To which he replied "I'd drink her bath water"
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Just bought this cool globe decanter from an antique store on the south side.
It has a roulette wheel of shot glasses and when the red button is depressed it dispenses a half shot. It is full of Chivas atm but after I’m sure it works consistently, will probably fill it with some kind of cordial for my missus.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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^^ that’s super rad!
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