tanstaafl2

Happy to help. It is important that we all do what we can to support each other from those not blessed with our particular little obsession!

Indeed, marvelous stuff. And if you think that is good imagine the same rye at 10 years old and barrel proof at 117.2 proof! A single barrel exclusive bottling from The Whisky Exchange. Unfortunately very spendy, especially when you add the expensive shipping to the US and I don't know if they have any left but it was everything the Millstone 100 was and a whole lot more!

Will have to give that one a try. I liked the one you posted earlier with AE rye, Cynar, PX Sherry and an absinthe rinse. Didn't know St. James was no longer in the US. I have been finding the Clement Select Barrel to be pretty pleasant. Not quite as good as Clement Single Cask but so far I can't find the single cask in the US unfortunately.

Lillet Reserve finally found its way to my house. Haven't seen it in Atlanta, either it never made it or I missed it. But a friend passing through NYC was kind enough to stop at Astor and get one for me. Not yet had a chance to try it but sounds like it might be best served as is and a bit chilled as the label suggests.

Is this the one you got? It is very light and a bit vodka like despite being cane based so presumably distilled to a pretty high proof. The Ti root does give it an interesting vegetal quality. I aged about a liter for several months (probably a bit too long to be honest) and described it here. A bit tannic but I like it better than the original.

Whiskerexia Nervosa will do that to you! Bit it may be getting ever so slightly out of control...

Some new fun play toys arrived today on the front porch including the Taos Lightning 17yo MGP rye I mentioned up thread. The Blanton's Straight From the Barrel is not available in the US for reason's that mystify me so I had to get that from a circuitous route. Basically regular Blanton's but bottled without any water added. look forward to that one! The other five include two "craft" whiskies that I took a gamble on, a Corbin Cash "Merced" Rye (made from local California grown rye), a Low Gap 4yo Wheat Whisky aged in used bourbon barrels (that supposedly previously held Stizel-Weller wheated bourbon bottled by Jefferson a few years back) that was distilled on the Germain Robin stills normally used for their brandy and an Oban 18. The two Taos Lightning single cask 17yo ryes are originally from MGP that have been aging for the last few years in the dry air of New Mexico. Supposedly barrel proof at a convenient 90 pf each. I was particularly amazed at the difference between the two TL's. They are non chill filtered so the haze in the lighter colored bottle I hope is a result of exposure to the cold in shipment. But its sibling looks crystal clear in addition to being considerably darker. Hopefully with time and a bit of warmth it will settle down. Ah, the mysteries of barrel aging...

Count me in that category! It would not be a matter of if but when for me because I am a complete klutz! Eventually one or more would be hitting the floor. I sacrifice appearance for safety and use a set of basket shelves for my little collection. I think I have posted this here before but I love them. So far nothing has hit the floor! As long as I don't have an earthquake hit I think I am ok.

Those two are certainly at different ends of the sherry spectrum! That should be interesting.

The AE rye is a regular bottling but is getting towards the pricey end these days. I see it on the shelf everywhere. It is indeed a very unexpected whiskey and practically a cocktail on its own. I love it by itself as a post prandial whiskey in the same vein as a nice port. Not the same profile of course but fills a similar niche. Don't think I have seen many cocktails that specifically call for it and it is probably something that would be very difficult to substitute for. I would never have thought of adding PX sherry to this already very sweet, or as you point out, rich whiskey but I definitely need to give this a try!

Do you think the Yellow Chartreuse gave you most of the herbal component you noted? Or was it the combo of the Dolin, PeM and Chartreuse? I ask because the bourbon substitution you made was from a softer wheated bourbon (I presume Old Weller Antique 107 proof? Used to be a 7yo but is now NAS) to a lower proof but older and typically a bit woodier rye based bourbon. I wonder if that would make any noticeable difference?

You are a braver than I am! Not sure I would be likely to purchase either of those young whiskies even if I had access to them. Seems like they might be pretty different in flavor though with the one you used being primarily corn according to the description and the one used in the original recipe being predominantly an unknown mix of malted barley and wheat. Doesn't seem like either would put much punch in that drink though with both being relatively low proof. Is it pretty heavily maple in flavor despite the Montenegro?

A link with a picture of the bottle.

Isn't it here? Towards the bottom of the page.They call it a "reposado" gin. Or is this something different? "We also make a limited-release, barrel-aged version we call Dry Rye Reposado Gin. Rested in French and American oak wine casks, it has a lovely pink hue and a deep, rich flavor that we think of as an offering to the gods of gin, whiskey, and wine!"

Perhaps one of the better current MGPI (formerly LDI) rye bottling's these days is the 7yo Smooth Ambler Old Scout rye at 99 proof. Of course YMMV! I was doing a tasting of ryes the other day and found the Dickel to be a little too soft, probably due to the charcoal filtering it undergoes. Works in cocktails but doesn't make the best rye for sipping to me. And I generally don't even consider Templeton just on general principal even though they appear to slowly admitting their Potemkin status (more or less at gun point). Just recently ordered a couple of single barrel MGPI ryes that are each 17yo. Now that should be interesting! At least I hope so...

Oh, it is most definitely something else! What, is still to be determined. I see it typically referred to as simply a Mezcal Margarita but it really deserves its own name.

And did you arrive at a conclusion???

Thanks for taking one for the team! I wonder if something like a high proof grappa (if such a thing exists) would give you the grape base you note over vodka or grain alcohol?

Scroll to the bottom. Borisal is Drink Up NY and they ship to Florida. Alas no Douglas Fir. They have other Clear Creek stuff. However Binny's in Chicago (in limited quantities) and K&L appear to have it and they appear to ship to Florida. May need to call to confirm. Shipping for one bottle would be pricey for what is already a pretty pricey bottle! EDIT: Forgot to mention I have no idea if a local Orlando store would have it!

You are right, they are different profiles to be sure. I find the JM to be a little more "refined" (I hate saying "smooth"!) and the Neisson to be a bit more vegetal. But that is just my palate. They both have their place.

Something like standard Glenmorangie 10 ought to work unless you just want that bit of peaty smokey flavor that HP has. I think of the Bobby Burns as having more of a sweeter Highland style whisky which Glenmo can easily bring.

Don't know that the different rye makes any real difference (although nobody really knows for sure where the heck the Michter's comes from, other than presumably Michter's, one bottling to the next although it is probably a slightly older rye than Rittenhouse) but the Punt e Mes and the Luxardo might make a difference. But I have no idea how different the Luxardo Sangue Morlacco and the Combier cherry are as I have had neither one. Perhaps not enough to make it unsettling and yet appropriate!

I have generally stuck to the CioCiaro/Everclear/Angostura orange formula the Professor suggested in this post for the most part, which of course uses Amaro CioCiaro, but never having had the original Amer Picon I am just relying on his personal experience with the real thing. The Boudreau recipe just seems like too much work. If I get really lazy I make do with the CioCiaro and a dash or two of orange bitters! As it is finding Angostura orange bitters can sometimes be a challenge in its own right.