Missed the Cured Oak though

I’m about to celebrate a pretty special occasion, and I want to buy myself a really good whiskey for it.

The budget is up to around $400. I’m not saying I want to spend $400 just because, that’s just the top end of what I’m willing to pay. If there’s something a little over that and you genuinely think it’s worth the push, I’m open to hearing about it.

I love tasting new things, and I also just love collecting stuff that isn’t super common. Not necessarily because it’s rare or expensive or has some deep story behind it — I just enjoy the hunt and the fun of having something a bit different.

What I’m really looking for is a bottle that makes me go, “Oh my god, now that’s some goddamn whiskey.”

I don’t have a strong preference on style. Bourbon, Scotch, Irish, Japanese, rye, weird finishes, whatever — I’m open to being surprised. I want something that shows me a new depth of flavor or gives me an experience I haven’t really had before.

Would love to hear your suggestions. I’ll gladly research every bottle people recommend before buying.

It might not be the pest bourbon pour for the money, but it's in the Top3

Same spot that sells Stagg for $399. SMDH

Need help deciding what to get here! Just started collecting bourbon!

Store local to me has Blantons gold for $250 canadian and a Parkers Heritage for around $200 cad.

Im more of a social drinker, or I like to pickup nice bottles to give as gifts.

edit this store has multiple of the bottles, id grab one thats not in the front window*

My grandmother is moving to a smaller place and dropped off some things from my grandfather’s old liquor cabinet. This bottle caught my eye. I know nothing about whiskey/bourbon, and Google isn’t being very helpful. Looking for some advice on what to do with it. Thanks in advance 😃

Do not overpay, but if you find it for $50 ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Somehow this bottle is both underrated and overrated at the same time. I'm really enjoying it especially knowing that I got it for $48.89. If I paid $100+, I'd be pretty annoyed. It's really oaky in the way that I like, the excessive vanilla of the Full Proof is tamed and matured a bit and it's got some really nice caramel/praline/baked apple flavors to it. I will also say it doesn't taste weak or watery at "only" 96 proof. Too bad it's not readily available!

I’m living in Tokyo and had my folks bring me the dark arts and root shoot. I tend to like spicy and sweeter whiskeys rather than smoky or peaty ones. Any recommendations?

Went out looking for Cured Oak and RHFs in Florida today and walked away with this.

Checked my winn Dixie and Publix because I heard they had a shipment today.

Still hanging out with the British Isles products, tonight we turn to Ireland to see what they have to offer the whiskey world, or at least... my meager collection.

Without necessarily doing a deep dive into research, what reading and recommendation hunting I did do inevitably led me right here, by an overwhelming majority. Redbreast 12 is hands down the No.1 recommended entry point into Irish Whiskey, (again, at least by my estimation.) So, here we go...

First pour, so first thoughts:

Nose: mild, pleasant, subtle orange peel. No ethanol whatsoever. One of the rare moments when I can stick my whole schnozz in the glass for a deep whiff.

Palate: subtle. This is the operative word here. Citrus... now more lemon, but still hints of orange; basic (fundamental?) whiskey notes. I don't like using this word, but this is... very approachable.

Finish: finally some heat on the swallow, fades fast. No real hug, but there's definitely that certain something that makes you want to keep sipping.

With water: brings out some pepper.

On the rocks: lemons come back, pepper turns white. Almost a little bit of salt on the tip of the tongue, especially on the finish. That's a real curious note. Subtle but absolutely noticeable.

Well... that was different, but in a much better way. Entirely drinkable, right from the first sip. Kind of feels like the first revisit should go straight to rocks, without that water added step. I sense that that's going to be a great dram.

Hope you're all having a wonderful evening... or morning... or whatever. Cheers to all!

Love the double oaks, wheats, cask strength bourbons. Any scotch recommendation I might like?

Hi all, I recently ran into this interesting and slightly dilapidated looking mini bottle of Canadian whisky in a whisky shop I discovered. It was on sale for $5, so I figured why not and grabbed it amongst other items and drams.

Turns out it's a pretty old bottle, and the bottle seal sticker indicated it was from 1980- the dustiest Canadian whisky I've ever seen, discovered by accident! I knew I had to open it and taste it, so here are my notes:

Canadian Club Classic 12yr, 1980 (40% abv)

*Nose*

sweet and pretty creamy marshmallow;

rye whisky-like baking spices (cloves);

old oak (antique furniture);

umami, caramelized sour fruity (a bit like unsalted soy sauce, with a bit of fermenting fruit)

I know it sounds strange but it doesn't actually smell bad.

*Palate*

marshmallow fragrance and sweetness;

brown sugar earthiness;

old oak (antique furniture-like);

a bit of dark choco bitterness;

a hint of baking spices (cloves)

*Finish*

Medium-short.

marshmallow

dark choco bitterness

hint of oak

*Conclusion*

Man, it's kind of wild how good this thing is. 

It tasted a bit similar to an old bottling of Old Overhold from around the 1970s~1980s I tried once at a bar, but this one had a much stronger (and pleasant) old oaky character alongside more complexity on the nose (that odd umami fruity mix). Compared to modern Canadian whisky I've tried (modern Crown Royal at a similar proof point), this thing tasted almost magical.

And for $5? I'd grab a dozen if I could lmao. Too bad this one seemed to be the last one on shelves!

I'd love to know everyone's experiences with Canadian whiskies! Cheers!

Anybody else love their stuff? It's the leather and the crazy oak that do it for me. The high proof stuff is ridiculous.

One was $79.99 and the other was $83.99 (before taxes.) Opened one on Saturday and very decent. Definitely not worth secondary though.

Cracking them “as we speak.”

I was not the biggest fan of the special reserve and the 12 year was only mildly better but the CYPB is fantastic. Sweet spicy and fruity. My problem was the the prior two had much more bitter earthy notes, but after I got a taster of antique 107 and saw these prices, I figured I’d pull the trigger

Hi Everyone,

I’ll be visiting Pittsburgh from Los Angeles and would like to pick up a Pennsylvania-made barrel-proof whiskey while I’m there.

I’m a big fan of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof and have enjoyed every batch I’ve tried, so I’m looking for something with a similar profile: full-bodied, oak-forward, rich, and high proof. I’m open to either a regular release or a distillery/store pick.

What Pennsylvania distilleries or bottles should I look for while I’m in Pittsburgh? I’m more interested in something genuinely good than something that is simply local. I had Dad's hat and thought it was pretty good.

I'm in Tokyo rn and I've heard that these two are relatively new but solid brands. I was curious what people's thoughts are on them

I'm also open to other recs for what to bring back. I like Irish as well and some people told me the Spots were cheaper here. I like scotch but not peaty ones like Talisker. But I like Dalmore, Glenmorrangie, Gold Label, etc

So yea generally like Irish, sweeter non-peaty Scotched, Japanese and Kavalan (Taiwan). I like bourbon alite but kinda meh on it. Same with rye

So yea mostly want to know about the two brands above and what your recs for bottles are here. But also general recs while I'm here in Tokyo. I'm from LA btw for the frame of reference

Hi all, I'm here with another whisky from MARS- and this time, it's one of their very old, pre-closure Komagatake single malts!

I happened to run into this bottle during a Japanese whisky event a short while ago, and just knew I had to get a dram of it! Since the event was more of a fair and didn't have the proper tasting setup, I stored the dram in a sample container and did the tasting elsewhere (pic 2)

I've written a bit about Hombo Shuzo MARS and their Komagatake Distillery before (such as their newer single cask and their 40th anniversary special), but here's a brief background summary:

Hombo Shuzo (aka MARS') founded their Komagatake Distillery in 1985, in a valley amongst the Japanese Alps in Nagano Prefecture. The location, at an elevation of 798m above sea level, has cool summers and very cold winters, which provided an aging profile much more similar to Scotch distilleries.

However, due to the market crash in Japan during the late 80s and major recession in the 90s, the distillery ceased operation in 1992 and remained dormant until its revival in 2011. 

In 2011, with the economy and the liquor market warming up again, MARS revived their whisky making, and began producing new whiskies while also selling blends and single casks of their very old barrels stored in their Komagatake cellar from the 1980s. These real, old Komagatakes were rather stand out in quality, with one extra old blended item winning the world's best blended whisky award from WWA in 2015. 

This bottle here is precisely one of such releases: it's a 30 year old, American White Oak aged Komagatake whisky, distilled in 1986!

Details in comments!

These are just references - these places are notorious for inflated prices and expensive shipping.

Let's not use "MSRP" because you are able to find it for MSRP, does not mean that everyone has the same ability to do so. I'm curious. Sure, I can look for a post asking the same question, but I rather just ask.

ETA: Current Batches