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

[mrreindeer]

For the love of God, why am I plagued so??? Seriously, first some British guy takes my cigars and shoves them up his nose & gives them back to me after remarking that they're cheap and smell like ammonia.

Now I have to deal with a sudden urge to drink scotch? WTF!

A little background:

I am seriously new to scotch. I am just getting to know my very generous neighbor of two years. Both of these facts haunt me terribly.

Appropriately, this happened yesterday, on Halloween.

I spent four hours setting up the usual 'Haunted Garden' for the local kids. My wife and I live in my father's old house. When he sold the house to us, he told us that he never got Trick-or-Treaters during Halloween. Of course, that's because he purposely turned off all lights in the house.

No fun at all, so I strive to be 'that house' the kids will always come back to because of the hard work I put into the setup and because of the fact that we also bribe the kids with full-size candybars.

In 2006, we had a whopping 7 T-o-T'ers. In 2007, we had 30!! Surely word is getting around.

Last night, we had a pathetic 18 kids show up. And damn it, it was worth it seeing the faces of those kids, who, like I have done, will always remember Halloween for the way it should be instead of being the holiday where you go to the local mall and T-o-T the stores. What's up with that??

Fortunately, my across the street neighbor and his wife are like us, good people, relatively young, who like a good time, as opposed to the other folks who are relatively old, stuffy and couldn't care less about Halloween and most of us neighbors, except when we're noisy, which we almost never are.

One such time when we were noisy, we were having a party to celebrate the end of the summer (and hoping the market gets better). The across the street neighbor comes over and apologizes for not being able to make the party and tosses a bottle of Patron Anejo tequila my way.

Damn him for being so generous!!

And then last night, as we're sitting around with another couple, waiting for the "next T-o-T'er that never showed up", our neighbor, who we had invited over when his kids came to the house earlier, comes on over with some JW Blue.

Damn him for turning me on to this stuff!

Prior to this, I had only had one glass of $40 scotch at a restaurant taking out clients (it was about 5 years ago & I don't remember what it was and I really wasn't blown away) and then a 'flight' of 6 premium whiskey's at NYC's Hudson Bar & Books most recently (and they all pretty much grossed me out & I didn't finish any one mini-glass). I had also had a glass of Courvoisier with a cigar here & there but never really loved it; I was just drinking it because I've been told that's 'just what you do'.

So there we were, smoking cigars, getting to know the neighbor, playing some Taboo and drowing our Halloween sorrows in glasses of JW Blue.

And I'm left with two issues that I need help resolving.

(and I made this a new post instead of following through on an old one...trust me, I read the latest JW Blue post, so I'm looking forward to what Scottw, Kayaker & JohnnyFlake have to say to me specifically regarding my taste experience!! thanks in advance you guys! )

Issue #1: This neighbor is way too generous; I can't take it. He must be up to something. I figure the only resolution is that he move away, far, far away before he turns me on to other delights.

But if he or I stay, what should I do? I asked the guy to take the previously unopened bottle with him at the end of the evening last night (even though he & my buddy were drinking the stuff like water, there was still about 2/3 left - I resisted and stopped after 1 glass because I kinda knew how expensive this sh!t was). He refused.

I propose to only drink this with him the next time we get together. Or during some sleepwalking incident where I can't really be blamed for drinking it by myself. Hopefully we will be able to get together with the neighbor SOON so I can have another taste of this wonderful stuff instead of letting it go to waste in the cupboard.

Now, over the course of two months, this bastard has probably bought us $200 worth of booze and all I've done is give the guy a cigar (last night). (turns out, he's been smoking for 6 years so it's great we have this common interest).

So I feel I should do something nice for him before the next time we get together. But even though he dropped the $150 or whatever the hell the bloody thing costs on us, I think that what he did was way over the top.

I mean, I don't even spend that kind of dough on wine and we like our wine. I'm just very conservative and know that I've had a $20 bottle of vino that's beaten the pants (or stems....seeds??) off a $100 bottle of vino....so is there something similar in scotch-dom? Would my neighbor appreciate another scotch in the same way he does a $150 bottle of Blue? Would he know how good another bottle is? Would he be pissed I don't spend $150 on it? Man, what a predicament. I never asked the guy to bring the stuff over but it was sooooo freakin' good and it was so nice of him! And now I just feel I owe him. I hate this.

Which brings me to Issue #2

What the heck should I drink now that I've found the love of my life...okay, I exaggerate but it was sure tasty.

So, here's what I liked about the JW Blue. I liked that it went down easy, was smooth and had this great flavor (not to mention that it was so much better than any one of those 6 premium whiskey's in NYC). Obviously, I'm not a seasoned scotch drinker so I probably can't even appreciate this stuff for all it's scotchy goodness but boy did I appreciate it. Really.

So, is there something that I would like that's considerably cheaper, neighbor issue aside?

I'm looking for only one. There must be THE ONE. Well, other than Johnnie Walker Blue (DAMN YOU JOHNNIE!).

[Darrell]

I'll take it if you don't want it.

[Cigary]

God in heaven how I need neighbors like that!! I digress a bit here feeling your pain in that you have a neighbor that is clearly overwhelming you with favors in that you will never be able to compete. I have a friend who tends to act this way as well and will send these expensive gifts and want nothing in return except to have a good relationship and you might realize that their are people out there who tend to overdo like your neighbor does. To them it is worth the effort to do what they do because they get your attention and they appreciate it. They will continue to do this until they either get tired of doing it or they get annoyed with you. For the time being just be honest with him and tell him that you really appreciate his generosity and buy him cigars as a means to repay as it seems he likes that. It should never be a contest in relationships as some are able to do more than others but at the end of the day it's all about the time being spent.

Our place was the same as far as T or Treat peeps. We had all this candy that the wife wanted to buy and we had maybe 4 groups show up. So, who gets to eat all the candy now? I have diabetes and I am watching the Reeses cups like they are little cups of gold, tootsie roll pops are calling me by my middle name. Skittles are jumping up and down in their little bags whining how sweet they are. Ok, almost 24 hours later I am nearly in a diabetic coma with my blood sugars reaching almost 400 and my wife blaming me for eating the candy. Lifes fair!!

[mrreindeer]

Originally Posted by Darrell

I'll take it if you don't want it.

Walk on over here Darrell and take it buddy.... sorry, I couldn't resist, not nice, not nice at all. I'll just myself now please.

Originally Posted by Cigary

God in heaven how I need neighbors like that!! I digress a bit here feeling your pain in that you have a neighbor that is clearly overwhelming you with favors in that you will never be able to compete. I have a friend who tends to act this way as well and will send these expensive gifts and want nothing in return except to have a good relationship and you might realize that their are people out there who tend to overdo like your neighbor does. To them it is worth the effort to do what they do because they get your attention and they appreciate it. They will continue to do this until they either get tired of doing it or they get annoyed with you. For the time being just be honest with him and tell him that you really appreciate his generosity and buy him cigars as a means to repay as it seems he likes that. It should never be a contest in relationships as some are able to do more than others but at the end of the day it's all about the time being spent.

Our place was the same as far as T or Treat peeps. We had all this candy that the wife wanted to buy and we had maybe 4 groups show up. So, who gets to eat all the candy now? I have diabetes and I am watching the Reeses cups like they are little cups of gold, tootsie roll pops are calling me by my middle name. Skittles are jumping up and down in their little bags whining how sweet they are. Ok, almost 24 hours later I am nearly in a diabetic coma with my blood sugars reaching almost 400 and my wife blaming me for eating the candy. Lifes fair!!

You make a very good point that I needed to realize/remember, that it's not a competition. Right you are, thank you. His generosity begs the question, however, of how good a relationship he's lookin' for...cuz while it seems I can be bought and you can shove my cigars up your nose and walk all over me, there are just some things I won't do...

My wife said I wasn't insistent enough about him taking back the bottle. I told her, "Do you know how much it costs?"....I'm kidding but she said I shouldn't have accepted to keep it, that once he sobers up, he'll be out there pounding on our door to get it back.

And I won't f'ing open up, damn it, you can huff & puff &....

Cigary - STAY AWAY FROM THE (CANDY) LIGHT!!! Yeah, I'm with you buddy. I have these 30 full-size bars digesting in my stomach....."no more pie!"

[scottw]

Hey Darrell, I'll fight you for it, kidding of course.

David, I feel awful for you that you have such FREEKIN AWESOME NEIGHBORS. The last gift I got from my neighbor was a visit from the building dept for my shed in the backyard (bastages, all of them). If he is a fan of blended whisky and you want to offer something nice without going for the lungs (again this is not competition, we do what we do out of the goodness of our hearts, not the size of our wallets). Pick up some Bushmills 21 at half the price of the Blue. It is Irish Whisky, not Scotch but it is awesome and if he doesn't like it, stick his cigar up your snot tunnel. I'd say get some Single Malt like was spoke about before, but it is a horse of a different color and I'm not sure if he enjoys SM. If he does, the Balvenie 17 yr Sherry Cask is a great bet. Nice catching up with you before, hope you enjoyed your sushi!

[scottw]

Originally Posted by mrreindeer

You make a very good point that I needed to realize/remember, that it's not a competition. Right you are, thank you. His generosity begs the question, however, of how good a relationship he's lookin' for...cuz while it seems I can be bought and you can shove my cigars up your nose and walk all over me, there are just some things I won't do...

Maybe he likes your hiney (sorry, couldn't resist)

[mrreindeer]

Originally Posted by scottw

Maybe he likes your hiney

maybe he does.....

Hey, Scott, thanks so much for the tips (so to speak). I really appreciate the help and enjoyed talking with 'ya over the weekend. Sorry about having to cut it short yesterday but duty called, if 'ya know what I mean!

[ThreeSheets]

Since your neighbor has set the price bar so high, considerably cheaper is still damn good. I suggest any of the popular 18 year olds: Glenmoranige, et. al.

A great starter single malt, in my opinion, is The Balvenie Doublewood.

[mosesbotbol]

Good neighbor to have!

Buy yourself a bottle of JW Black. Start off with a touch off Blue then move to the Black when you are ready to light a cigar. The cigar will kill your pallet, so why waste it on the Blue? You'll stretch out the Blue and still enjoy the moment with cigar smoking the Black.

No need to reciprocate the generosity to his level. We all have different means and can be a sport in different ways. If you got it like him then why not? If you feel the need to be generous, do what you can from the heart, not necessarily the wallet. Being genuine is as important as being generous.

[gonzo]

I agree with what everyone has said about not making this a competition. Just share another fine blend with him that you enjoy and see how he likes it. If you feel more in your element, share with him a favorite wine of yours, the gesture of sharing something special to you with him will mean more than what the actual monetary cost was!

Keep in mind, that he may just be genuienly looking forward to hanging out with you guys!

We were also in a similar predicament when it came to Halloween...we put some effort into creating the proper "spooky" yet fun mood in our house decor, yet hardly anyone showed up for treats...left us WAY too much candy to have to eat ourselves the past few days...

By the way, invite me over and introduce me to your neighbor, I'm craving some Johnnie Walker - red, black, green or blue, no matter! LOL...

Stomp'N'Rock,

Joseph

[ucla695]

Wow, David…talk about problems.

I don’t have much to add here, but I also have some really generous friends (one of whom gave me a very nice box of steaks recently). I think the important thing to do is to express your appreciation and gratitude. That will go further than anything you might throw his way. You can even reciprocate with something you like in the future. It doesn’t have to be on the same level as the gifts you received, but something that you like.

Hah, looks like you also found a new slope to traverse. Enjoy!

[(909)]

Originally Posted by scottw

I'd say get some Single Malt like was spoke about before, but it is a horse of a different color and I'm not sure if he enjoys SM. If he does, the Balvenie 17 yr Sherry Cask is a great bet.

I was going to suggest the same.

You're a lucky man to have such great neighbors, you must be a great neighbor yourself to have that kind of generosity flowing your way!

Balvenie Doublewood or Macallan Fine Oak are good choices in the $40.00 range and are very good Single Malts. Take one to his house, open it share it and leave it!

There's a house for sale down the street, sure you don't want to live in Upland?

[kayaker]

Hey David,

I'll try to throw my regarding what Scotches you should try.

I've only had LWBL once at a JW tasting. I enjoyed it, but as I've said before, I think you can get better for the same money, or comparable for less. I've been asked what, but I don't really know. I would need to compare some more.

It's hard to say what you like, keeping in mind that JWBL is a blend. Nothing against blends, but it's a little different. A single malt is a whisky made from only malted barley, and from a single distillery. A blended whisky has some malted barley in it, but it also has other grain whiskies in it. If you mix several single malts together you get a blended/vatted/pure malt whisky. Have I confused you yet?

So, I tend to like malt whisky best. One blend that I really like is Te Bheag Like like tea bag, but is pronounced Chey Vek). It has a higher malt content than most blends. It's quite a good bang for your buck if you can find it.

I don't know what premium malts you tried. If you can remeber it may help us narrow down the search list a bit.

Some of the smoother malts that I know of would be Dalwhinnie 15, Glenkinchie (10 or 12), and a new one to me Scapa 14.

Auchentoshan is also know for being very approachable.

You may find a Bruichladdie that suits your tastes as well. It's not usually as peaty as the rest of the Islay malts.

Glenlivet 18 or 21 would be quite nice as well.

If you think your tastes go more towards the blended side of things, try the
JW Black Label and the Gold for a few bucks more. My dad always liked Chivas Regal before he found some single malts that he really liked.

You may also want to try some of the single malt Irish whiskies as well. Bush Mills and Tullamore Dew.

Best thing you can do is try a few specialty or higher end liquor stores and look for their resident expert to help you out. Look for someone who is not too stuck up about it all, but will talk plain to you and help you find out what you like. See if any have scotch tastings that you could bring your neighbor to.

Hope this helps. The worse that could happen now is that you will have to spend some time trying out a wide range of whisky.

Cheers,

Ian

[raralith]

I'm like that for my neighbors, I love to bring out cigars and alcohol. I live in an apartment though with 40 other units so a good amount of us come out, barbaque, have a good time. It's not about money or competition; it's about having a fun and fun is cigars and alcohol. Luckily, the wife and I have no children (yet *whew*) so we've got a bit of dispolisble income. Hoenstly, money isn't worth anything unless you spend it, and if I ran out of toilet paper, I'd rather wipe my ass with money then ruin my underwear.

As stated above, Blue Label is a blended Scotch, and after having a few bottles of it, I think it's OK. For $130 duty free, it's not a good value, in my opinion. Black Label is probably my favorite from Johny Walker, and at $25 at my local Rite Aid, I think that's a steal. Out of all blended Scotches though, I prefer J&B. If you liked Blue Label, you most likely will like blended, but I'd give single malt a shot though you may find it less appealing to your taste. For single malt, I drink Glenlivet 18.

[mrreindeer]

Thanks so much fellas; I really appreciate your input. [img]http://www.************.com/forum/images/smilies/good.gif[/img]