I’ve begun experimenting with whiskies, below is a chart of some that I’ve tried and what I think of them. Five stars means it’s really fantastic. Three means it’s fine. One means I’d probably drink something else if offered it.
This was day four of my advent calendar. This one surprised me. I tend to like strong, bold island whiskies, and I find Speysides to be be fine but bland. This one had a strong smell of apples, but wasn't sweet, and VERY smooth. This is probably the best Speyside I've ever had.
I found this to be a very pleasant dram. Day three of my advent calendar. It smelled quite sweet, like carmel, but it didn't taste all that sweet. I quite enjoyed it, and would buy it again, especially for a new drinker.
This was the second day in my advent calendar. My first impression was that it was a bit harsh, ethanol-y. I believe the correct term is "spicy", but I didn't like it.
This is a blended scotch in the style of Islay. I did some reading online and the distributor tends to be considered as a bit of a hack. That said, I found this one to be AMAZING. My whole family thought it smelled like bacon. Much more smoke than peat.
This one was part of my advent calendar, so I emptied the bottle in one glass. I found myself smelling the bottle long after the drink was gone, the smell was that good as well.
I recently went to a local pub anticipating trying several new whiskies. I started with the best, Lagavulin, and never made it past that. It's a great Islay Scotch that defines the stereotype. Super smokey, super peaty, ust fantastic. Expensive too, $16 a glass. I think it's really odd they don't have a web site.
This was pretty good. A little hot for my taste, but enjoyable nonetheless. I generally prefer smokier whiskies, so I probably wouldn't order, but I'd certainly enjoy it if it were given to me.
I found this to be absolutely wretched. There have been some other whiskies I didn't prefer, and I gave them away. This was so vile I poured it down the drain without a second thought. It's obviously not just whiskey, but mixed with sweeteners, spices, etc. If it billed itself as a mix, I could appreciate some people liking it. But it's not a whiskey.
This is a really delightful whiskey. It has a hint of smoke, but I wouldn't call it smokey. It has a hint of sweet, but I wouldn't call it a sweet whiskey. It's incredibly smooth. It wasn't crazy expensive, but not dirt cheap either. I would say this one hits the mark in the middle on nearly everything, and would probably be enjoyed by absolutely anyone who likes whiskey at all. I was very impressed.
This was really great. The folks at Jura wanted to add the flavor of Brooklyn to a whiskey. I don't think my palate is sophisticated enough to taste the bits that are Brooklyn, but it's still an excellent whiskey. It's just as smokey as their regular island stuff, so be prepared for that. Also, it was a limited run, and it's almost gone, so if you want some and you see it, grab it.
I got this from the liquor store across the street not knowing anything about it. Apparently it's considered pretty cheap stuff, but I found it to be just fine. It's not great, it's not terrible. It is indeed inexpensive, and being Not Terrible I think it would be great as a mixer.
I don't remember a lot of specifics about this one, it was my 6th or 7th whiskey of the afternoon. I do remember taking one sip and saying "Oh wow, this is GREAT".
This is from a distillery local to me, and can only be purchased on Mackinac Island. I didn't really like it, but this is the whiskey that helped me understand that I don't like corn whiskies, and that explains why I don't really like bourbons.
My personal taste aside, I could tell it was well made, and someone who likes bourbons would probably really enjoy this one.
This was a very intense whiskey. For the first time ever I put some water in a whiskey, and actually cut it in half, and it was still really strong. It was tasty, but this would get you drunk VERY fast.
I almost bought a $70 bottle of this just to try it, and I'm glad I didn't. Not because I didn't like it, but because I didn't like it $70 worth. I was at Graydon's Crossing and noticed they had it by the glass. I honestly couldn't tell the difference between it and MacLeod's Islay Scotch. It's quite good, I liked it, but it's very intense. If you like Islay Scotch, you'll like this.
Jameson is a classic, it defines the genre for Irish whiskey. I like it quite a lot. I still prefer really smokey whiskies, and this isn't, but it's still very smooth and flavorful. I'd absolutely pick it many times.
This is what I think of when I think of an average good whiskey. It doesn't have strong unique flavors like an Islay, but it also doesn't have any "cheap" flavors. It just tastes like good whiskey. Personally I like the unique flavors, so this gets a 4 instead of 5, but it's still a solid win.
I really didn't like this one. It seemed very harsh to me, and it had an overwhelming cinnamon taste to me. As far as I know there isn't any cinnamon in it, so I don't know where that came from. Oak and Eden's schtick is to put a coil of oak in each bottle, to help keep imbuing oak flavor after it's been removed from the barrels. I think this is interesting, but it didn't help me like the flavor.
I'm not crazy about bourbon, but in this case this particular batch was influenced by the folks at my local spirits store, and I wanted to support them.
I like this one quite a lot. I really appreciated that they sell a half sized bottle, so that I could try it without spending the full amount. It didn't have a strong alcohol taste, felt really good on the tongue, and smelled really great. It's not as great as some of the Scotches I love so it's got 4 stars instead of 5, but I liked it better than their Strait American whisky.
When I went to buy whiskey from Long Road, I was told they have Wheat, Corn, and Rye. I wanted to try the wheat and the corn. What I found was this Straight American Whisky. I inquired and they said this was the corn whisky. They don't even have this type on their website, but they do have a "Corn Whisky". I'm going to have to find out what's going on.
I liked the wheat whiskey better, it has a warmer flavor. This Straight American has a stronger alcohol taste. It's not bad, not harsh or anything, there are just other whiskies I like better.
This came highly recommended by the guy at my local store because it has a super high quality taste for a relatively low price. $18, and it's REALLY good.
This is what I think of when I think of an average good whiskey. It doesn't have strong unique flavors like an Islay, but it also doesn't have any "cheap" flavors. It just tastes like good whiskey. Personally I like the unique flavors, so this gets a 4 instead of 5, but it's still a solid win.
I really didn't like this one. It seemed very harsh to me, and it had an overwhelming cinnamon taste to me. As far as I know there isn't any cinnamon in it, so I don't know where that came from. Oak and Eden's schtick is to put a coil of oak in each bottle, to help keep imbuing oak flavor after it's been removed from the barrels. I think this is interesting, but it didn't help me like the flavor.
I'm not crazy about bourbon, but in this case this particular batch was influenced by the folks at my local spirits store, and I wanted to support them.
I like this one quite a lot. I really appreciated that they sell a half sized bottle, so that I could try it without spending the full amount. It didn't have a strong alcohol taste, felt really good on the tongue, and smelled really great. It's not as great as some of the Scotches I love so it's got 4 stars instead of 5, but I liked it better than their Strait American whisky.
This was a good whiskey, but not remarkable. I enjoyed it, but I couldn't tell you what made it special.
This came highly recommended by the guy at my local store because it has a super high quality taste for a relatively low price. $18, and it's REALLY good.
This was my first "peaty" whiskey, and I was afraid I wouldn't like it, since I have a strong sweet tooth, but I really loved it.
