Are the Manhattans you drink made with rye or bourbon? If traditional and made with a rye, you will probably prefer a more peated scotch. Most blends are more smooth than single malts if you're unfamiliar with scotch. However, lower priced blends like JW Red are meant for mixing, so you may find them surprisingly harsh. I've also found most young scotches are typically more harsh than a mid-range aged scotch. However it really comes down to the peat; Glenkinchie is like drinking water compared to a Laphroaig which will taste like you're licking an ashtray if new to scotch. I usually recommend staying away from Islay brands for new scotch drinkers. A heavily peated scotch will often overwhelm a new drinker.
I definitely prefer Makers Mark to Jim Beam if you're going for a good bourbon. Regarding Scotch - I'm a Macallan's fan, but my everyday Scotch is Johnny Walker Double Black. Once you get into Scotch that actually comes in glass bottles and is aged for more than 6 months, you're heading in the right direction.
Jesus fuck people, if you're looking for Fappening pics, go to the pirate bay or something and look at the top porn torrents - they're fucking everywhere.
And those collections are now containing stuff that isn't even part of the fappening. They've kind of become celeb nude catch all files. And I don't care how they're labeled, that is not Alison Brie.
i Straight Jim Beam brand is decent (bourbon or rye), but they make Bookers and Knob Creek. USA is whiskey paradise so its a treat for me when you can get say, Four Roses because that shits The Bomb and it costs as much as a head transplant here.
I have Buffalo Trace right now. It's pretty nice, for a great price. Makes a good old fashioned. Bulleit should be your wheelhouse. It's cheap, it's smooth, it's flavorful, it stands up to strong flavors. The rye is just as good. It might be my favorite because it's just all around great. There is not one scenario where it sucks. Straight, mixed, on ice, all great. Should be nationwide now. The parent company sank a ton of money into the distillery, marketing, and distribution. They deserve it. Also, God help me, Jesse James Texas Whiskey is... decent. It's as good as Jim Beam for a buck or two less depending on where you get it. I'm actually headed to Charleston tomorrow. On my radar is High Wire Distilling's Sorghum Whiskey. http://highwiredistilling.squarespace.com/our-spirits/ I'm a bit apprehensive when a joint has one of everything. Pick a couple you do REALLY well, then go for the rest. Distilling rum, whiskey, and gin are absolutely nothing alike. Completely dissimilar flavors, bases, and the actual stills are not the same. But one should partake of the indigenous beverage at least once.
I just got some Old Grand Dad whiskey since I heard it is made from the same mash bill as Basil Haden but not over priced. Goes good with coke.
Old Grand Dad scores just 2 points lower than Basil Haden for most of the reviews I have read, not bad considering the price difference. Spoiler Basil Hayden's KSBW 40%ABV 8 Years Old ($38) Nose: Wood heavy with worshop and hot-attic notes. Earthy Beam yeast is definitely here, as are rye and spice notes, especially cloves. Also notable is orange zest, leading to a pomander-like smell with the spices. More faintly chocolate and butter. A bit woody, but a nice nose Palate: Very spicy attack with ginger, cinnamon and cloves, distinct rye as well as oranges. The mouthfeel is very thin and among the driest bourbons I've tried. Wood and yeast here as well. Interesting but also very hot and "angular." Finish: The finish echoes the palate, trailing into spices and butter. Very clean and relatively brief. Overall this is a nice high-rye bourbon. I think that the wood predominates a bit much and it is a little lean and dry for my palate, as well as a bit thin, likely due to the low proof. It's a nice enough drink, but I think the price is higher than Bulleit and Four Roses, high-rye competitors that I find superior. 85/100 Old Grand-Dad KSBW 43%ABV ($16) Nose: Similar, but less intense that the BH with wood notes essentially absent. Caramel here that is not present in the BH. Less yeasty as well but overall a more corny/generic bourbon nose than the BH. It's pretty faint. Palate: Somewhat weightier than the BH, similar heat. Sweeter and more rounded, but also more simple. Oranges and spice are still here as well as a faint mustard note. Corn/popcorn notes here as well. Simple. Finish: The finish is warm and sweeter than the BH. Overall this is a simple, serviceable bourbon that shares an obviously similar flavor profile to the BH, but with overall less intensity and interest. Not really interesting enough to drink straight and I'm not sure it wouldn't get lost in a cocktail. 82/100
If you like Buffalo Trace and you're mixing with Coke, Ancient Age is an expensive decent choice, IMHO. It's not the same mash bill as BT, and has a little more rye, I think. But, I usually drink it with Coke Zero or Diet Coke, and it seems to blend well with the artificial sweetener taste. ETA: I meant to point out that AA comes from same distillery as BT, was my point.
I really want to get into liquor appreciation, I just wish it wasn't filled with long winded overly complicated descriptions of the taste. I did not fucking taste faint notes of MUSTARD when I drank Old Grand Dad, shut the fuck up. Wine people are the worst offenders.
No, people suck at identifying tastes. Ever watch Hell's Kitchen? See when TRAINED CHEFS can't figure out what a fucking basic ingredient is by taste? That's because is usually takes practice... a conscious effort. More and more I find that I try to identify the tastes in various foods that I'm eating because I want to go home and try and make it myself. The more you do that, the better you get at it. Same goes with wine, scotch, or any other thing you taste... if you don't do it then you won't be able to identify the tastes. I doubt most wine drinkers can differentiate the varietals, never mind the different nuances between wineries and vintners and year and location... doesn't mean it's not there, just means that they're not able to tell the difference. That's what is meant by educating the palette. Instead of ragging on the description, maybe try and deconstruct the wine to see if you can taste it. I've seen guys do the exact same shit with beer, so it's not just "wine snobs".
Remove it from its present location, bare handed, and mentally note the temperature before you open it and consume it, regardless if it is perfectly frosty or not... like a man.
These commercials making fun of the gimmicks that the big beer companies came up with are amazing. All from the Breckenridge Brewery.
I can't believe that ad agency didn't get fired for that idea, and that someone at Coors didn't lose their job. How does a beer company publicly acknowledge that the only angle they can possibly find to sell their brand is this: "Coors: When you cool it down, it gets cold" More like: "Coors: Proudly obeying the laws of thermodynamics since 1873"