Cruising the AVS Forum while intoxicated... - Page 71

HA!!!

Yeah I'm pretty LIT UP tonite! Been a great holiday weekend. Good food, good drinks, and no annoying family quarrels to deal with.

Not so great, not so bad, but it was in the mixer pack and I thought I'd get it out of the way first.

I've never seen a can of beer like that! What country are you from? Ah! Canada eh? Sleemans (sp?) Honey Brown.

Your spelling is correct. Sleemans is nice, brewed in Ontario if I'm correct. Big Rock is out of Alberta. I'm right in the middle, 500 miles north of Minneapolis.

Tonight I'm drinking Efes Pilsner, a Turkish beer. I was over there for work in October and when I came back we had it in our local liquor stores, so I wanted to see if it tasted the same as it did in Turkey. It does not.

The Captain and I managed to get the tree up and decorated the house inside and out,

(Black and Silver Theme this year)

 

Lately I find that I prefer my fine sprits without mix, and often neat...

Spoiled by the fine Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch that has become my new favorite.

...but the Captains Black Spiced 47% rum is a bit harsh on its own.

So I had to run to the store for some eggnog and it balanced it out perfectly.

 

Also grabbed a bottle of Grey Goose Black Cherry because it was on sale for $10 off,

Straight up its pretty damn good but the G/F prefers it with eggnog and I was impressed with the combo too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday!

 

FYI...

 

Bravo and welcome to the weekend. 4-8" of snow tomorrow, might be a good day to imbibe.

How 'bout this:

2 Parts this...



1 parts this:



And wonna these:



Shaken, not stirred.

I Finally picked up a pair of these today to enhance our Christmas Spirits

 

http://www.finaltouchwine.com/GS300.html

 

I already have the ice balls chillin' in the freezer

Last day at the office tomorrow then I'm off until January.

 

Last weekend I tried Jim Beam's Red Stag cinnamon spiced bourbon. Way too sweet for me.
So today I picked up a bottle of Fireball...Wow that's got some bite!

Currently sipping in my rock glass with 2 parts Coyote Ugly Whisky. Awesome combo, great balance, thanks for the heads up.
Hoping to that will get me to Christmas, I think there's some expensive 100 proof Scotch waiting for me under the tree.

Cheers!

Same here. I was hoping to find a good bourbon that had just a hint of cinnamon, not a blast of cinnamon sugar.

I guess that's about the best we're going to get at this time. The bar tender that turned me on to it mixed it with Angry Orchard cidar and I think something else. Gave my tastebuds an awesome treat of potent cinnamon apple.

Yup, as soon as I leave work it's off to the local discount spirit superstore to stock up for the two-week holiday vacation. Got paid today so... Merry Christmas to ME!

You wont see me in the wine section very often, but on the way home from finishing up my xmas shopping

I picked up a big 1.5L bottle of my favorite little Italian red and a couple takeout pizza's before braving the snow storm to get home.

 

 

 

 

Edited by PioManiac - 12/22/12 at 6:56pm

Merry Christmas my drunken lads. May all your days this coming year be nothing close to sober.

My son gave me a bottle of JW Blue for Christmas. I've never had the 'blue' before so I'm looking forward to cracking this one open. Last summer, my wife's cousin who is in the liquor distribution business gave me this damaged bottle of scotch (on the left) since it was missing a label. I tracked it down using the logo and it's called Old Smuggler and it comes in a plastic bottle. I haven't been brave enough to open it yet.

Happy Holidays!

I've heard that Blue is not as good as Gold for the dollar but I am dying to try the Blue.

Picked up the following at Denver Duty free on the way home:



Currently drinking this fine West Coast Canadian product:

 

Yikes,  JW Blue label is almost $250 a bottle up here, seems pretty steep for a Blended Whisky.

 

I prefer the Single Malt's myself, and usually the ones aged in Bourbon or Sherry casks.

 

I usually browse Ralfy's reviews before making a Scotch purchase,

He's a Hoot! quite an animated character and he also said the JW Blue is not as good as the price tag would have you believe.

 

I'm relatively new to Scotch Whisky, but Ralfy's usually spot on. He certainly was correct about the Glenfiddich I've tried recently.

 

 

If you're a JW fan and dont add cola/soda to your scotch (like you would for Red or Black)

Go for Green or Gold  (likely the best of the bunch for the price)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7WNdeVcJLY

 

 

I've now tried several bottles of Glenfiddich now and although they can jump in price for the older stuff

for each of the 40% 12-15-18 y/o single malts.  I find the 15 (red box) is actually the Best of the bunch.

 

My present from Santa this year was a Special Distillery Edition 15 y/o (Blue Label)

But the higher alcohol content (51%) is almost cask strength and a little to harsh for me.

 

 

 

Prices in Canada about $35,$60,$80,$70 respectively

 

 

Ralfy's Glenfiddich's 12 y/o review http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmvZQOpdRu0

 

Ralfy's Glennfiddich 15 y/o Solera Reserve (Red Box my current Favorite) review http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miOYin2-p_g

 

 

Sampling this one tonite Glen Garioch... A Highland Single Malt aged 12 years in Sherry oak casks,

It's amazing for the price at just $44 for a 48% Spirit. Much smoother than the Fiddich's 51%

 

 

This ones on my radar,

GlenDronach 15 y/o, just waiting to see it on sale (currently at $75)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_RZjaAxuuY

 

and its little brother (about $60) the 12 y/o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQGJQc7-ZEQ

 

I still havent tried an Islay single malt, I think those come from the western coastline,

but I confess I'm not too excited to experience over tones of Peat Moss, Kelp and Sea Water

 

 

Kipp,

 

How was the Balvenie?

I saw that one on sale today at just $48 and almost grabbed one myself,

I noticed the Double Barrel 12 y/o is first aged in Oak Whisky casks then Sherry casks for the last two months.

Edited by PioManiac - 12/31/12 at 12:02am

"Yikes, JW Blue label is almost $250 a bottle up here, seems pretty steep for a Blended Whisky."

Happy New Year. Well, I had the JW Blue this evening and it's just...OK. I too prefer a single malt and it's pretty good for a blended with a nice flavor and very smooth. My other two sons stopped by this evening and we did a taste test beside a single malt and they actually preferred my Glenfiddich, even though they are not big scotch drinkers. It really is hard to beat a single malt scotch.

PioManiac, I'm over in Winnipeg, so if you think your prices are steep, you should come over to whisky hell (=Manitoba). For your four Glenfiddich you listed at $35,$60,$80,$70 we're running at $47/66/97 and we can't get the Distillery edition at this time. Don't know where you are in AB but I'm proximal enough to Ontario to hit up a liquor store in Kenora, ON (better selection) and am frequently in the U.S. either by flights or driving down to Minneapolis, other parts of MN or North Dakota that I'll buy my Scotch and other hard liquor there. Our prices are simply atrocious.

I do like the Glenfiddich a fair bit but it's not my favorite. I just finished up my most recent bottle of the 12 y/o while I was in Edmonton in November. I do have a couple of bottles of Snow Phoenix stored away in the basement though.

I'm not the biggest fan of blends either, though I've enjoyed JW Black and Green. I usually use the Black when I'm having a Rusty Nail as it tastes a lot better than with Red. Haven't tried the Gold or new Platinum label and I don't see myself springing for the Blue at any point. Mostly I'm a Speyside type, so the Caol Ila is my first real Islay. Cragganmore is my current favorite but at $81 locally and only usually around $48 stateside, I'm running a wee bit short.

I just discovered Ralfy this week ironically enough before seeing your post. He's great but I have the distinct feeling that his definition of moderation is dramatically different from mine.

Slainte!

I've had Canadian Club before.

I'm so sorry.

I have a CC story from grade 10. It didn't end well

Well I finally found my GlenDronach to round out my growing collection
Also found their Speyside Distillery tour on YouTube-> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-4LGp-cncA
The 12 y/o Original, the 15 y/o Revival (Ralfy's best of 2012). $62 and $75
I passed on the 18 y/o blue label at $100 and jumped right up to a Premium numbered batch of Single Cask (54.9%) similar to the one Ralfy just reviewed.
Although it was supposed to be a UK exclusive, I managed to find a special bottling they did for Canada, only available at Co-op. ($104) Distilled in 1994, Bottled Sept. 2012.

http://coopwinespiritsbeer.com/

All stocked up for Robbie Burns Day Jan.25









Bottle# 504 of 568, cask #261.
Rear label ....




Glencairn nosing & tasting crystal set with water jug...


Edited by PioManiac - 1/12/13 at 2:04pm

Time to leave my comfort zone of Speyside Shire
and venture over the mountains to Mordor.

Picked up my first two peated Islay single malts.
Ardbeg's 10 year old, and it's bigger older brother, the cask strength Uigeadail
Co-op had them priced at $63/$93.

You guys have gotten all high end on me lately! I drink Canadian Hunter whiskey and love it! Of course I mix it with Dr. Pepper 10 so that kills it for the purist!

Anyway, I'm enjoying a fine Canadian Hunter and DP 10 right now while I'm searching for my first projector.

I'm leaning towards the Mits HC4000, in my dedicated media room. Anybody on this thread have an opinion on this?......

Keep up the boozin and cruisin!

Now that I've developed a taste for the good stuff , I am spoiled. It's like going from VHS to Bluray.
But I do emphasize quality over quantity lately (the key is to never get totally shyte-faced on good whisky, just go for a warm buzz.)
My go to daily dram is now GlenDronach's 12 y/o and my last purchase was only $47. The higher end stuff is just for special occasions.

Now when I see a good $100 bottle on sale for $20 off I grab it without hesitation knowing that it's worth the experience.
Yesterday I added 3 new bottles, one of each of my new favorite higher end, high octane single malts,all cask strength limited runs, that retail for around $100
but can be found on sale for substantially less. I Never thought I would be "that guy" buying from behind the locked glass case, I guess my taste buds are maturing.

Glenfiddich "Cask of Dreams" limited edition (48%) creamy buttery vanilla, nuts and cinnamon (Very smooth but not quite as good as GlenDronnach,)
Grabbed an extra back up bottle of the limited GlenDronnach Single Cask (54%) burnt toffee, caramel, raisins, dark chocolate and spice.
and Ardbeg's Corryvreckan (57%) intense peat smoke peppered steak chili peppers. Wow! ...just Wow!

Those Islay Ardbeg's will sure kick a noobs arse! , It took me four days to get past the 10 y/o's intense peat smoked sea weed notes
...and discover the deeper sweeter layers hidden within a very complex spirit. The Uigeadail is the best one to start with due to more Sherry influence to take the edge off.
All very good once you make the adjustment though... I find it's best to have 3 offerings from each brand to compare the nose/taste, Ardbeg was certainly no exception.

My dream girl, Davinia Small really sells it well... :drool:

Gotta love the Whisky diet, I've lost 3 days already!






Putting my IKEA book cases to good use, perfect size for Scotch tins




a couple more units to fill on the other walls and my HT will look like a Whisky cellar.

BTW, Happy Robbie Burns Day!

Edited by PioManiac - 1/26/13 at 8:19pm

Sure is quiet in here lately, anyone have a Super Bowl party lined up?

It's a beer day for most, but for mid Winter I prefer something with a little higher octane.

 

 

I found out yesterday that my new favorite local store offers a 10% discount for members who spend $500 in one shot.

So I cleaned out their remaining stock of my Favorite limited Single Cask GlenDronach... since it's gone forever soon, and it's payday :-)

One will go to my Dad for his B-Day. The rest are all mine!! Muuuuhhhuuuuhaaahaa </evil laugh>

 

...and for something new, a triplet of Glenfarclas' 17, 21 and 25 y/o. All very smooth drams

 

 

...But absolutely nothing comes close to this Dark Amber 'Dronach nectar of the God's

"Uisge Beatha" ... Gaelic for the Latin "Aqua Vitae"  Water of Life.

 

 

Slàinte!

Edited by PioManiac - 2/7/13 at 1:00pm

Well, while I'm not a scotch fan, I am a fan of fine chocolates. I found this at my local discount spirit mega-store:



It's not at all like that sweet stuff, but instead a very subtle scent and flavor of rich european chocolate. Going to pickup another bottle of it today to enjoy during "the superbowl YEAH!!!"

Edit: Well, it's not european chocolate; it's actually "Southern Artisan", and it's a "mellow chocolate, (Not Sweet) background flavor."
Edited by rich3fan - 2/1/13 at 12:16pm