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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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Old 06-18-2008, 09:48 AM   #11
jazznut
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Join Date: Apr 2003
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Quote:
Originally Posted by casual
Do you ever blend bourbons or American whiskeys?
I've carried out 2 vattings in which I combined a number of Bourbons, and would have to say that the same basic guidelines apply there as when blending single malt Scotches - that is, one has to be very aware of the differing weights, alcoholic contents and overall styles of the individual spirits one is working with, and try to balance the various flavour inputs so as to achieve a harmonious whole.

I know that many here would consider utilizing top-flight American whiskies (not to mention single malt Scotches) in blends a questionable enterprise. But, to cite only one example, it is quite amazing what a few drops of Booker's, Wild Turkey Rare Breed, A.H. Hirsch and George T. Stagg can bring to a melding of 'standard-issue' Bourbons such as Baker's, Basil Hayden, Buffalo Trace, Elijah Craig, Evan Williams Single Barrel, Knob Creek, Maker's Mark, etc.

I've also begun to dabble in more 'international' blends by combining whiskies from America, Canada, Ireland and Scotland together. Here, one has to start by taking into account the grain-makeup of each spirit involved, then move on to assessing the aroma-flavour parameters of the whiskies and deciding upon an overall style to aim for.

One important aspect to remember is that there is no need to use huge quantities. You can easily experiment by vatting, say, 100ml total of your custom blend. If it works for you, fantastic. If it doesn't, then a little further tweaking is all that's required.
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