164 replies to this topic

[Oleg Bach]

Rot gut pit fermented Port....they used to sell it at the wine store but- company policy dictated that it was bad for buisness to have unsavoury customers come in -----------so for a while they kept it in the back room...and would sell it to the more presentable alcoholics.....just think of it 18% alcohol per volume ---that's pushing towards 20% ....if you do the easy wino math - one bottle of port is equal to a half bottle of vodka....if you can tolerate the first few guzzles.......now they force the winos to drink that shitty tasting white wine made in Ontario...with half the kick - kind of a rip off for the winos....ehhhhhh.

[Oleg Bach]

Grandfather Cameron was a big drinker all his life - One day his grandson noticed a change...he said "Grandpa...I notice you don't drink anymore..why is that?" The old mans answer was simple and concise..."I just lost interest" - in time as you mature you will find that this substance does nothing for you anymore other than sap your energy,,,, you might desperatley try to get booze to perform it's uphoric task but it fails in time...so drinking becomes a habitual thing with no reward ---- I am starting to wonder why I bother.

[Oleg Bach]

Drinking is fun - for about ten minutes then it is a down hill ride to misery and dehydration --- If I could go back in time - I would have never used it as a sedative - men who drink need to use sex as the relaxant....it's healthier.

[Oleg Bach]

Water - good old fashioned clean - well water....now that is the drink that will make you very very strong - but when my bro was building a house high on a hill over looking a little kettle lake - the town stepped in and insisted he dump a ton of cement down his well - with the most pure water you have ever seen...and CONNECT - to town water pumped up from the treatment plant...that gets it's water from the same place where the sewers empty out...no wonder people want to get drunk.

[August1991]

I don't drink Scotch, or hard liquor in general. If forced, I will take a shot of vodka but I barely appreciate its quality.

I prefer wine, and beer sometimes.

Anyway, while I was in (Eastern) Europe recently, the question of whisky arose - Canadian whisky in particular - and fumbling, I had to explain that there are different types of whisky, just like there is different types of hockey. (I know little of hockey and nothing of Canadian whisky.) Thinking some more, I realized that there is Irish whisky, Scotch whisky, Canadian whisky and American whisky.

At most, I know that Canadian whisky is also called rye whisky. Is it made of rye? I reckon that all whiskies are simply fermented grain that is then distilled. I know that slivovitz/raki is fermented plums, then distilled. Most whisky/cognac/hard liquor is a variation on this theme.

Almost any grain/fruit if fermented will produce sugar and then alcohol. Some alcoholic beverages are fermented then drank (wine/beer) or they are fermented/distilled then drank (cognac/whisky/vodka/rum/gin). By distilling, you can remove some of the water and increase the alcoholic content.

I'm still intrigued why you can ferment, for example, raspberries but not salmon.

-----

Returning to the question of whisky (whiskey?), and returning to Canada after my European trip, I decided to buy small sample bottles of different whiskies - duty free. (Duty free is an entirely different issue. Why is it that people who fly frequently get to avoid paying taxes? Europe has rightly shut this racket down. We in Canada should do the same.) I bought bottles of Jameson's, Johnnie Walker's Red Label, Crown Royal and Jack Daniel's. Then, someone explained that Jack Daniel's is not really American whisky. So I bought a bottle of Jim Beam's - not duty free.

I have yet to taste any of these whiskies. The bottles are sitting on a shelf. Should I mix the whisky with water? Soda water? Ice? Should I eat some bread between tasting? Dunno.

[BTW. What is it with these apostrophes in whisky names?]

Edited by August1991, 05 October 2011 - 10:50 AM.

[Wilber]

Why shut down duty free, you are selling to people who are leaving the country. No duty free, they just take that money home with them.

IMO, Scotch at least should be drank with a little water, the rest is optional.

[TimG]

I'm still intrigued why you can ferment, for example, raspberries but not salmon.

Salmon is a largely a mixture of protien and fats. Fermentation requires carbohydrates (specifically sugars).

[Oleg Bach]

Salmon is a largely a mixture of protien and fats. Fermentation requires carbohydrates (specifically sugars).

MMMMM salmon wine....fermentaion consists of bacteria waste product - bug poop - it's a toxin - hence intoxication..the slight poisoning that we get when we drink is as the french say...the little death.....this little death has the odd quality of granting euphoria...I wonder if you get the same little buzz when you take your last breath?

[Shakeyhands]

IMO, Scotch at least should be drank with a little water, the rest is optional.

Rule of thumb is a drop or three, preferably from the source of where the whisky comes. Water can change everything with whisky, it's incredible really. Water can "open" the whisky up and improve it, and sometimes it can make it seem greasy. Some need water to make them drinkable, most notably 'cask strength' bottlings that are incredibly high in alcohol. At tastings, I always try before adding water and then add a few drops, it's amazing what a few drops can do.

I (heart) single malts.

[Wilber]

Rule of thumb is a drop or three, preferably from the source of where the whisky comes. Water can change everything with whisky, it's incredible really. Water can "open" the whisky up and improve it, and sometimes it can make it seem greasy. Some need water to make them drinkable, most notably 'cask strength' bottlings that are incredibly high in alcohol. At tastings, I always try before adding water and then add a few drops, it's amazing what a few drops can do.

I (heart) single malts.

Yup, cask strength definately needs water but there is water and then there is water. Us west coasters tend not to realize how hard and crappy the water can be elsewhere.

[Shakeyhands]

Yup, cask strength definately needs water but there is water and then there is water. Us west coasters tend not to realize how hard and crappy the water can be elsewhere.

You're best off using a spring water of course. If I saw someone using tap water I would slap 'em.

[Wilber]

Suddenly, I'm thirsty.

[Oleg Bach]

After 40 years of wandering in the desert and attempting to quench my thrist with booze - I have come to the conclution that water is better and sustains life...I believe I have lost my interest in this glamified toxin.

[Jack Weber]

Tried Maker's Mark on your recommendation, and find it yucky. While I realize that aging in charred casks is a mandatory part of making bourbon... the burnt wood flavor in Maker's Mark is excessive. It's kinda gross.

-k

Update...

I'm 100% certain you got a bad barrel....

I bought a bottle of Maker's recently (mainly becuse it was on sale) and I can definately say that you got a bad barrel.I have noticed,from the many reviews on Makers Mark that this sometimes tends to happen.This is definately a "Wheater" bourbon and is definately sweet.Not alot of barrel char at all....


Maybe...Give it another try?

[RB]

Drinking can be an expensive sport...

Just saw an add for Johnny Walker Blue Label going for over $250 a bottle...And a Johnny Walker gift set for over 4 grand!!!

I picked up 2 Johnny Walker at Piarco airport while in transit $75 US