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I'll Drink to That! What is your favorite beverage to have with a cigar? Juice? Cola? Beer? Port? Single Malt Scotch? This room is for the discussion of beverages, especially alcoholic beverages that go well with cigars! |
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05-28-2017, 06:18 AM | #1 |
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Last night's lineup
A bit of a 'mini tasting' with good friends and really delicious food as well...
We started off with Teeling Small Batch Irish (46%ABV). I really like this one for its combination of crisp, spicy freshness and relatively high malt content. It starts off rather sharply, but quickly smooths out before gently tailing off on the finish. A nice beginning. Next up was Balvenie 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask (43%ABV). I've never been a big fan of this version, as I find the Rum cask finishing somewhat detracts from those typically honeyed and spicy attributes (not to mention the complexity) I look for in any really good bottling of Balvenie. Nothing different on this occasion, alas. However, we did return to the bottle much later in the proceedings to pair it with dessert. It seemed quite a bit tastier then. Onto Arran Port Cask Finish (50%ABV). No doubt about it. Arran, despite being in operation little more than two decades, is a great distillery. This whisky was all about sweet fruit (berries and, perhaps, apricots as well) bound to oak derived spiciness and just a tinge of the seashore. Very well done. At this point, we transitioned over to Bourbon by sampling Woodford Reserve Double Oak (43.2%ABV). A mixed bag here. The flavour profile was nice enough... caramelized apples and some perky spiciness lurking in the background. But overall, the whiskey seemed a little flat and uninspiring. A decent session pour for all that. Last, but definitely not least, we went for Booker's (this version aged 6 years and 4 months+ and bottled at over 64%ABV). The Booker's literally blew all of the others away in short order. A massive, yet surprisingly drinkable at full strength, monster. Tremendous complexity, too, and a finish that went on and on. Winner! A good time was had by all.
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05-29-2017, 07:52 AM | #2 |
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Booker's small batch with a Bolivar. Makes one indifferent our trade imbalance with China.
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05-29-2017, 05:05 PM | #3 |
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Buffalo Trace neat with a 2001 Boli CG.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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05-30-2017, 01:35 PM | #4 |
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I had a couple drams of the Caribbean cask Friday night after an exceptional dinner and excellent wine (Stony Hill gewurtz, chard and cab sauv). I liked it more then than I have as a stand alone drink.
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05-31-2017, 08:43 AM | #5 |
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It definitely seems to 'work' better following a meal.
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05-31-2017, 08:46 AM | #6 |
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I really want to like it more, but if I want that profile I am more likely to go for an old brugal
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05-31-2017, 12:35 PM | #7 |
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Did a side-by-side of Baker's and Booker's a few years ago. Booker's blew the doors off of the Baker's.
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06-01-2017, 05:53 AM | #8 |
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No small feat given that Baker's is a pretty decent Bourbon in its own right.
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