Whiskey Clique

mca47 said:

bbiggs said:

144 is potent. I grabbed a Stagg Jr. today coming in at 131. Looking forward to giving it a spin. 

Love the Stagg Jr.  Hope you got it at retail and didn't spend a bunch.

Yeah, retail only bud.  I refuse to pay secondary for anything.  The last couple batches have been really good to the point that it holds its own with big brother (GTS) at a much lower price.

mcgruff10 said:

bbiggs said:

mca47 said:

bbiggs said:

144 is potent. I grabbed a Stagg Jr. today coming in at 131. Looking forward to giving it a spin. 

Love the Stagg Jr.  Hope you got it at retail and didn't spend a bunch.

Yeah, retail only bud.  I refuse to pay secondary for anything.  The last couple batches have been really good to the point that it holds its own with big brother (GTS) at a much lower price.

Now will you mix that or drink it neat?

Definitely neat with this one.  Too good of a bourbon to mix in my opinion.  Been making some mean old fashioned's with Bulleitt lately.  Perfect mixer. 

Damn, 144 proof is impressive. Hazmat territory. It's amazing how much proof some barrels gain over time. Strongest thing in my cabinet right now is an Old Forester store pick at 134.1 proof.

tempo_n_groove said:

I may have mentioned this before but for your higher proofs do you add water?  I bought "limestone water" to add a few drops in my bourbon if it seems too hot.  It might be snake oil but I use it and enjoy it.

When I first get a new bottle I haven't had before, and esp if it's high proof, I'll take a few sips neat.  I then have a water dropper where I'll add a drop or two, take a couple of sips and repeat.  I like to explore the layers and what the water does.  More often than not, the whisky is best as is.  From time to time I do find some that benefit from a couple drops.

I do think the limestone water is a bit of a gimmick.  I had a buddy give me some and I did a side by side with regular water.  I couldn't tell the difference, but maybe that's just me.

mca47 said:

tempo_n_groove said:

I may have mentioned this before but for your higher proofs do you add water?  I bought "limestone water" to add a few drops in my bourbon if it seems too hot.  It might be snake oil but I use it and enjoy it.

When I first get a new bottle I haven't had before, and esp if it's high proof, I'll take a few sips neat.  I then have a water dropper where I'll add a drop or two, take a couple of sips and repeat.  I like to explore the layers and what the water does.  More often than not, the whisky is best as is.  From time to time I do find some that benefit from a couple drops.

I do think the limestone water is a bit of a gimmick.  I had a buddy give me some and I did a side by side with regular water.  I couldn't tell the difference, but maybe that's just me.

exploderball said:

tempo_n_groove said:

I may have mentioned this before but for your higher proofs do you add water?  I bought "limestone water" to add a few drops in my bourbon if it seems too hot.  It might be snake oil but I use it and enjoy it.

I've wanted to try limestone water, but I've only experimented with tap water. They say a couple drops can help release aromatic compounds, and some people pick up different flavors. Sometimes I can notice a change or improvement, but sometimes not. Eventually I decided that I prefer the rich flavors of uncut bourbon, so I don't bother adding water anymore. It's all about finding what you enjoy.

I tried the limestone water in a pour of BTAC William Larue Weller and it made absolute difference in flavor.  I loved it.  Now of course it was an A+ pour.

Extraordinarily underwhelming....

Bentleyspop said:

Extraordinarily underwhelming....

I keep hearing that....I understand wanting to collect those bottles though for the cork

I always loved Blantons. Was my favorite whiskey when I first started drinking the stuff and you could just walk into the store and get it. I repeat, the bourbon business is stupid 

Lap 10.  Cheers!

Bentleyspop said:

tempo_n_groove said:

Bentleyspop said:

Extraordinarily underwhelming....

Blantons gold underwhelming?  I have read it is a wee bit better than regular Blantons and I enjoy Blantons.

Japanese Blantons only 80 proof.
It tasted okay but no zing to it.

It's been a while since I've tried an 80 proof bourbon; I've found them all underwhelming. Isn't it crazy that the 144 proofer you posted recently is almost twice as strong? Wow. Taste those side-by-side and the 80 proofer would probably taste more like water than bourbon.