someone shoved Johnnie Walker Blue up in my grill AND LEFT IT AT MY HOUSE!!!

[Jay Hemingway]

my

i used to drink everyday. my drink of choice is scotch of course. i do not drink everyday anymore, i actually barely drink now. the only bottles i have left in my house are JW blue, JW gold, JW swing and some balvenie 10 year. all good scotch imo. the blue label is my favorite of course.

for your problem with liking the blue the best but not able to spend that kind of loot on it all the time (oh yea you said $150!! holy shite it cost over $200 here in jersey!) i STRONGLY suggest the gold label man.

IMO the gold label is pretty damn close to the blue and less than half the cost. bottle of JW gold can be had for $60 or so. it is unbelievably smooth. it is very close to the blue for me.

i used to be a black and red fan but after drinking blue and gold so much i can taste the difference, it is a big difference too. black is good if you are mixing it with coke, gold and blue should not be wasted with anything added (except maybe spring water) or ice.

as far as your neighbor being generous, just go with the flow my man!! i have had some really shitty neighbors before that didn't come by with shite. he knows you are appreciative or he wouldn't do it. enjoy it. come through with the good stuff when you can.

[mrreindeer]

Originally Posted by Jay Hemingway

my

i used to drink everyday. my drink of choice is scotch of course. i do not drink everyday anymore, i actually barely drink now. the only bottles i have left in my house are JW blue, JW gold, JW swing and some balvenie 10 year. all good scotch imo. the blue label is my favorite of course.

for your problem with liking the blue the best but not able to spend that kind of loot on it all the time (oh yea you said $150!! holy shite it cost over $200 here in jersey!) i STRONGLY suggest the gold label man.

IMO the gold label is pretty damn close to the blue and less than half the cost. bottle of JW gold can be had for $60 or so. it is unbelievably smooth. it is very close to the blue for me.

i used to be a black and red fan but after drinking blue and gold so much i can taste the difference, it is a big difference too. black is good if you are mixing it with coke, gold and blue should not be wasted with anything added (except maybe spring water) or ice.

as far as your neighbor being generous, just go with the flow my man!! i have had some really shitty neighbors before that didn't come by with shite. he knows you are appreciative or he wouldn't do it. enjoy it. come through with the good stuff when you can.

Thanks Jay....hey, if the JW Gold can be had in Jersey for $60/bottle, I assume it's about $5.50 out here in Cali?

Okay, so I went to, where else, The Beverage Warehouse, yesterday on my way home. I had my list on me and browsed the premium whisky aisle (it's still taking a bit to get used to spelling without the E). Scott, you are one crazy bastage recommending the Balvenie 17....man, that stuff was expensive! $150. So I chose instead Jack Daniels...

Just kidding. Weighing all the options and using all my information that you very helpful fellas gave me, I ended up with kayaker's recommendation of Dalwhinnie 15 for $49.99. I was interested too in Scott's recommendation of Bushmill's 21 but they didn't have it.

I didn't have time to do a taste test of all three (actually four! I found I have Chivas Regal in the cupboard too, a leftover from my Pop who sold us our house..I think there's another full bottle in the garage) last night, but I did have a sip of the Dalwhinnie before heading out for the night.

It certainly was quite smooth, smokey and boy, that little bit really warmed me right up. It packed a whollop. I'm looking forward to lining up a taste of Blue (shhh, don't tell the neighbor), Black, Chivas Regal (pretty sure it's a 12-year) and the Dalwhinnie and see if I can tell the difference.

Thanks again guys! Oh, and Jay, I may just have to reconsider the Gold for next time! Thanks!

[scottw]

Originally Posted by mrreindeer

Thanks Jay....hey, if the JW Gold can be had in Jersey for $60/bottle, I assume it's about $5.50 out here in Cali?

Okay, so I went to, where else, The Beverage Warehouse, yesterday on my way home. I had my list on me and browsed the premium whisky aisle (it's still taking a bit to get used to spelling without the E). Scott, you are one crazy bastage recommending the Balvenie 17....man, that stuff was expensive! $150. So I chose instead Jack Daniels...

Just kidding. Weighing all the options and using all my information that you very helpful fellas gave me, I ended up with kayaker's recommendation of Dalwhinnie 15 for $49.99. I was interested too in Scott's recommendation of Bushmill's 21 but they didn't have it.

I didn't have time to do a taste test of all three (actually four! I found I have Chivas Regal in the cupboard too, a leftover from my Pop who sold us our house..I think there's another full bottle in the garage) last night, but I did have a sip of the Dalwhinnie before heading out for the night.

It certainly was quite smooth, smokey and boy, that little bit really warmed me right up. It packed a whollop. I'm looking forward to lining up a taste of Blue (shhh, don't tell the neighbor), Black, Chivas Regal (pretty sure it's a 12-year) and the Dalwhinnie and see if I can tell the difference.

Thanks again guys! Oh, and Jay, I may just have to reconsider the Gold for next time! Thanks!

The Dalwhinnie will taste completley different. it is a single malt and the others are blends. Maybe do a vertical with the blends and then the Dalwhinnie seperatly and see how he single malt differs. Anyway, I'm jealous. Balvenie went up in price. I used to get the Balvenie 21 for less than $150

[mrreindeer]

Originally Posted by scottw

The Dalwhinnie will taste completley different. it is a single malt and the others are blends. Maybe do a vertical with the blends and then the Dalwhinnie seperatly and see how he single malt differs.

Dare I say that with my immature palate, the Dalwhinnie kinda tasted, well, similar to the blend but I'll follow your suggestion and see what differences I can discover been the blends & the single malt.

[mrreindeer]

Oh, btw, is the Chivas Regal 12 any good? And I know Courvoisier is Cognac but what do you think of that stuff cuz, well, lookie here, I just happen to have a bottle up there in the MASSIVE cupboard too!

[scottw]

Originally Posted by mrreindeer

Oh, btw, is the Chivas Regal 12 any good? And I know Courvoisier is Cognac but what do you think of that stuff cuz, well, lookie here, I just happen to have a bottle up there in the MASSIVE cupboard too!

Chivas is pretty good. I think I like the JW Black better. THe only Cognac that has wowed me so far is the Martel's Cordon Bleu.

[uvacom]

I am a huge single malt fan who is just getting into cigars, so I'll throw in my .

As others have stated, blue is a blend. It's good, it's even a little interesting, but if my first glass of scotch had been a blend, I don't think I would have "gotten it".

I like Islay scotches. Laphroig, Ardbeg, Lagavulin, that stuff. Those scotches are very peaty and smoky, and so I think they pair particularly well with cigars. Lagavulin is the smoothest, oldest, and most expensive of the lot, but my personal favorite is actually the ardbeg uigeadail. It's cask strength so it probably needs a little water (don't feel like a wimp about it, 120 proof is a little extreme and the alcohol will mask most of the subtlties if you drink it full strength).

I also like the aberlour abunad'h. That's another cask strength scotch, but it's from a different region (speyside) so it has different characteristics, it's rather spicy and complex.

As far as cognac goes, I love it as well. I think the cost of admission for a similar quality cognac is a little higher compared to scotch. I like the Remy Martin cognacs the best, they are a grand/petite champagne cognac. The XO is naturally the one to aim for.

If you ever happen to be in Omaha, NE we have a bar called the Dundee Dell which actually houses the second largest private scotch collection in the world. It's like a wonderland of scotch.

[mrreindeer]

Awesome, thanks!

[kayaker]

When you do your comparison have some unsalted, plain crackers or white bread and some spring water to help cleanse your palate between samples.

Also, when you compare the nose (how it smells) don't stick your nose in too close right away. Too much alcohol there and you will burn your nostrils.

I'm with uvacom about the Islay malts. I need to do a big Islay malt comparison.

[docmusolf]

May I suggest a number of great bourbons. Used to drink blue labe all the time until one of my corrupting friends turned me on to bourbon. Now an expensive bottle is $50-90 instead of $220+. Try Woodford Reserve, evan willams single barrel, Blanton's, Jefferson reserve these are our favorites next on the list is Pappy Van WInkle. Also for a nice light drink is Basil HAyden very comparable to a glenlivet 12

[uvacom]

Mmm true. My intuition tells me bourbon might be a little sweet for most cigars, but then again that might really help offset a really bold cigar with lots of spice.

Even Williams single barrel has got to be one of the best values in the spirits world. It's under $30 at my local wine & spirits and it's simply a fine bourbon by any measure. Maybe lacking in the complexity of some more expensive bourbons, but I don't necessarily seek a cerebral experience when I think of bourbon anyway (and I don't mean that with any condescension, I just think that the enjoyment of bourbon should be on a uniquely american visceral level).

[PaleRider]

What a problem to have. I have been lusting after a 1/5th of JWBL for a couple of months now. ($258.00 at the local Fry's Grocery). I've been reluctant to purchase it as I am totally terrified that I won't like it.

I tend to be a single malt kind of guy, not a huge fan of blends. Anyway. I think the rest of the posters are on the right track with this. Just share with him what is special to you as well. I'm sure he will appreciate it.

If not, well, at least you got to enjoy the JWBL! Okay, maybe that is the wrong attitude to take, but hey, I've never been a fan of "keeping up with the Jone's" myself.

As far as SM's go, I really like Laphroaig and the Dalmore.

Hope this helps!

[mrreindeer]

Thanks fellas, your help is much appreciated. I'lll be adding bourbon to the shopping list now.

[scottw]

Originally Posted by uvacom

Mmm true. My intuition tells me bourbon might be a little sweet for most cigars, but then again that might really help offset a really bold cigar with lots of spice.

Even Williams single barrel has got to be one of the best values in the spirits world. It's under $30 at my local wine & spirits and it's simply a fine bourbon by any measure. Maybe lacking in the complexity of some more expensive bourbons, but I don't necessarily seek a cerebral experience when I think of bourbon anyway (and I don't mean that with any condescension, I just think that the enjoyment of bourbon should be on a uniquely american visceral level).

EW Single Barrel is awesome!! Picked some up @ $21 and it is great!

[Lead_Foot]

Well, I personally prefer bourbon to scotch(I like 'em both though ). I would suggest purchasing a bottle of bookers in response, it's not so expensive that it will break the bank, but not so cheap that you'll look like an ass.

http://www.bevmo.com/Shop/ProductDet...?ProductID=565