Gastro Gnome - Eat Better Wherever

Whiskey

That tree is interesting. Fuels my desire to try Pappy. There is always a bottle of Blanton’s and Buffalo Trace on my bookshelf.
 
Whistle Pig is good Rye. I just picked up a bottle of Woodford Reserve Double Oak for our NL trip...
 
Nobody mentioned Old Crow yet! I actually do some side work for a friend who owns a bar and above my running bar credit he throws a bottle my way every now and then for a tip if some *stoop* has broken a barstool and he needs it fast. At this point I have a bottle of Eagle Rare (don't like), Whistle Pig (a fav), Buffalo Trace (GOOD), Knob Creek Cask Strength Rye (will burn a hole in your socks), Basil Hayden Dark Rye (jury is still out).
 
Nobody mentioned Old Crow yet! I actually do some side work for a friend who owns a bar and above my running bar credit he throws a bottle my way every now and then for a tip if some *stoop* has broken a barstool and he needs it fast. At this point I have a bottle of Eagle Rare (don't like), Whistle Pig (a fav), Buffalo Trace (GOOD), Knob Creek Cask Strength Rye (will burn a hole in your socks), Basil Hayden Dark Rye (jury is still out).

So Eagle Rare is supposed to be Buffalo Trace aged longer. Could be you don't like the oak. I haven't tried it yet. There is a good article on how Age isn't everything on bourbon..
 
Got a Newsletter today with this article in it...

Taiwan emerges as burgeoning leader in the wild world of whiskey
Keep your Kentucky bourbon. Taiwan is the whiskey maker everyone’s talking about. Since its first distillery opened in 2006, Taiwan’s whiskey makers have earned dozens of prestigious awards and produced millions of bottles annually -- capitalizing on a growing “cocktail culture.”
A lot of time and money go into making whiskey
It takes at least 3 years -- and often much longer -- for whiskey to mature, so distillers usually have tons of cash tied up in inventory. Brown-Forman, which owns Jack Daniel's, noted in an annual report that it has $950m sitting in barrels.
So how did Taiwan become such a breakout?
Taiwan’s first whiskey distillery, Kavalan, is part of the food and logistics giant King Car Group. With a power player funding its operations, Kavalan was able to build high levels of capacity and sales in a short time.
Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation, or TTL, is a state-owned entity that previously held a monopoly on Taiwanese tobacco and liquor… so it already had some distilleries as well as an established distribution and marketing network.
Existing infrastructure was important, but geography also played a role in Taiwan’s emergence as a whiskey power. The island’s subtropical climate helps whiskey mature 2-3x faster than it would in more established whiskey regions. And given Taiwan’s proximity to the large Asian markets -- which have an increasing appreciation for whiskey -- there are plenty of people to buy it.
 
Always interesting to see what whiskys are related. I find there are families I like along the Buffalo Trace and Makers Mark line. I like a Wheated Bourbon. If you are in Spokane, Try the Dry Fly Distillery

bourbon-family-tree-large.jpg

Their triticale whiskey is outstanding.
 
My go to is always Makers Mark. But others that I love are Basil Hayden’s, Tin Cup, and Buffalo Trace. That family tree is pretty cool because it seems accurate. Everything I like is in the same grouping
 
I have yet to find a bottle of whiskey, that I did not like-as long as someone else is buying! I generally drink cheap stuff, as I see no justification to waste money on expensive whiskey, when I drink it with water, anyway. If I am drinking scotch, or expensive whiskey, I will drink it straight, but for day-to-day guzzling, I like Windsor Canadian, Black Velvet, or Lord Calvert. Also, they are in plastic bottles, which I can burn, instead of having to haul to the dump! 🥃🥃🥃
 
Just had some Red Breast 12yr Cask a few weeks ago in PA on a work trip. Pretty good.
Finished a bottle of Breckenridge Distillery a few nights ago.

Time to target another bottle in my cabinet.
 
Red Breast is what I was drinking around the fire last week during my bow hunting trip. Down to the last couple of fingers in the bottle now. I had some Governor's Reserve Taos Lightning Rye Whiskey the other night. It was pretty good. I'd never heard of it before.
 
I guess Pendleton and Snake River Stampede are too good to list....

Johnny Walker Blue is the most overrated one on that list, my dad and I damn near poured it out.
 
Depends on which part of the menu. I prefer bourbons to whiskeys. The nuttier tones of Jim Beam Black suits my pallet much better than the Carmel tones of a whisky although Pendleton will do with enough ice. I like the mellower tones of say a Jameson’s Irish Whisky to a scotch. I could probably learn to like the varieties of scotch if presented the opportunity to become a connoisseur! I have no experience with the Japanese whiskey on that menu.
 
Heavens Door Double Barrel Whiskey. I tried a single on a single rock of ice. 🙂 Was very good! I don't drink but every once in a blue moon now-a-days. Happened to stay the eve at a hotel with a whiskey bar. Asked for a quality whiskey and that's what they served.

I used to enjoy an 18yr Jameson's though... Just do not drink enough to enjoy.
 
Echo the Dry Fly - that’s a staple in the tin cup at our cabin.
 
Buffalo Trace has long been on my list of go-to's.

A couple of years ago, my wife's cousin got married. The groom worked for a distributor, and there was ample Eagle Rare that weekend. The groom's boss gave him a wedding present of 1 bottle of Pappy.

I was able to taste the Eagle Rare and Pappy side by side. I like to think of myself as being discerning when it comes to whiskey, but I just couldn't tell the difference. If you can, then that just sucks cause ER is good and way cheaper.

That family tree picture is golden, thanks for sharing.
 
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