It's always five o'clock somewhere

Fwiffo,

We already had 10pm closing time - sharp. No drinking up time. Out the door on the dot.

We also had limits of six people in a so-called bubble. Then it went to only people from one household. In some pubs you could ignore this, or they did not check. Some were very officious.
 
Fwiffo,

We already had 10pm closing time - sharp. No drinking up time. Out the door on the dot.

We also had limits of six people in a so-called bubble. Then it went to only people from one household. In some pubs you could ignore this, or they did not check. Some were very officious.

Yesterday the Tamil who runs this place recorded my first name, her bogus first name, my mobile and put double quotations for her mobile assuming we're a couple from the same household.

That said his patio was empty for 2 hours until people saw me lounged there and 3 tables showed up. I should get a referral discount.

I finished a bottle of Tomatin. Never had it before. Not going to buy it again though. There was a scarily cheap single malt called Singleton. I think I remember seeing that bottle as a free pour at an airport lounge in Europe.
 
$60 for a sugar overload, no thank you. I'll keep my eyes peeled for Foursquare or Kill Devil.
 
‘In view of the four week lockdown, rather than waste them, all real ales are now on offer at 99p a pint’

Sign yesterday in local Wetherspoon which was very busy on a Monday afternoon.

They had better beers than at the weekend too. Nethergate mild was still on but they also had Oakham Green Devil, Black Hole, Attila(7.5%) and the session beer Citra.

Very decent behaviour by Spoons owner Tim Martin.

Compare that to O’Leary at Ryanair who is refusing refunds on flights during November - even though Brits will not now be able to use them.
 
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Those sugar stats affirmed that Appleton and Mount Gay is the way to go.
Both the Mount Gay XO and the Appleton 12 are certainly excellent starting points if you are looking for something pure. They are widely available and cheap.
$60 for a sugar overload, no thank you. I'll keep my eyes peeled for Foursquare or Kill Devil.
Foursquare is probably a good idea based on what you like, especially since the Appleton 12 not a typical Jamaica rum. You can try one of the Doorly's or the R.L. Seale's if you want something cheap from Foursquare. If you want to spend more and get something special, have a look at what's branded Foursquare or look at some of the independent bottlers.
 
$60 for a sugar overload, no thank you. I'll keep my eyes peeled for Foursquare or Kill Devil.

Kill Devil's available close to me, 65.5% Navy strength way to strong and at €319.95 it's bordering on Port Ellen territory:


Superb bottle:

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I needed to go to that liquor store today to change a bottle of whisky that was the wrong one in the box. So checked out the above and few more premium priced rums:

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Worthington White Shield £10 for 8 bottles in Sainsbury.

I have not seen this for years I thought they stopped making it.

Better value than Lidl Shepherd Neame Bishops Finger now.
 
Worthington White Shield £10 for 8 bottles in Sainsbury.

I have not seen this for years I thought they stopped making it.

Better value than Lidl Shepherd Neame Bishops Finger now.

Why does it have to be in a non returnable bottle? Because it's already so cheap?
 
its likely a hit with the ladies. the number one panty dropper was vangogh chocolate vodka. you have to play to your audience.

That sounds like a hangover even before getting one.
 
Why does it have to be in a non returnable bottle? Because it's already so cheap?
UK no longer goes in for returnable bottles. There used to be a deposit on pop bottles, like Corona, when I was a kid but then companies could no longer be bothered. Unlike Germany, where you could make a tidy sum collecting discarded empties. Recycling might also mean there is no longer an incentive to pay people to return their empties.
 
Worthington White Shield £10 for 8 bottles in Sainsbury.

I have not seen this for years I thought they stopped making it.

Better value than Lidl Shepherd Neame Bishops Finger now.

Theakston's Old Perculiar use to be the one. Legendary as only fell walkers had ever drank it out in remote tap houses somewhere in the Yorkshire Dales and where you definitely need to stick to the path and keep off the moor:



You can get it pretty anywhere now. Unlike JW Lee's barley wine harvest ale on tap:


Three or four pints of that and you're in serious trouble.
 
interesting plantation. let us know how that turns out.

It's pretty darn good as a mixer, it's got that banana ripeness that I remember from rums in my youth. Better than the entry level Plantation white rum in quality, no musty sugar hit. It's just gone 3am and I can't sleep so I've currently poured myself a large shot with a diet Coke. It seems to be working.
 
That's pretty good considering they add 15g/l to it. You should try their OFTD for mixing, it is very nice as well (and very cheap).

Way too strong for me. I find all those rums 57% above overpowering even when you mix them. At 69% that's straying into Stroh insanity.

Thoughts on Havana Club 3YO?

Had the Seleccon De Maestros a couple of months ago and that was an excellent after dinner sipping rum. On the strength of that I decided to give the lesser Anejo 3 years ago, that was mistake. Dreadful.
 
Way too strong for me. I find all those rums 57% above overpowering even when you mix them. At 69% that's straying into Stroh insanity.
Ok I actually like my drink to taste like rum and alcohol.

Thoughts on Havana Club 3YO?
I personally am not interested. It's what we bought as teenagers: Cheap booze to mix with coke and quickly get everybody drunk. So I haven't tried it in decades. I generally don't think Cuban rums are overly interesting.

Assuming you want something to mix which is cheap, light/unaged and low ABV, maybe try the Hampden Estate Gold from Jamaica. What I would be interested in trying is something from Haiti, either one of the Barbancourt (white, three star, maybe even five star) or one of the Clairins that Velier is selling. Those are all rather cheap but still should be good enough to taste them pure before you mix them.
 
Theakston's Old Perculiar use to be the one. Legendary as only fell walkers had ever drank it out in remote tap houses somewhere in the Yorkshire Dales and where you definitely need to stick to the path and keep off the moor:



You can get it pretty anywhere now. Unlike JW Lee's barley wine harvest ale on tap:


Three or four pints of that and you're in serious trouble.


When I was a student I used to work behind a bar at the weekend. One bloke, every weekend, at about 10:30, just before the nightclubs opened, would come in and order a bottle of Barley Wine mixed with Carlsberg Special Brew in a pint glass. It was the foulest concoction known to mankind. I asked him why he drank it and he said it got him pissed before he went into the nightclub LOL.

Old Peculiar is a fantastic brew but a bit heavy.
 
Ok I actually like my drink to taste like rum and alcohol.


I personally am not interested. It's what we bought as teenagers: Cheap booze to mix with coke and quickly get everybody drunk. So I haven't tried it in decades. I generally don't think Cuban rums are overly interesting.

Assuming you want something to mix which is cheap, light/unaged and low ABV, maybe try the Hampden Estate Gold from Jamaica. What I would be interested in trying is something from Haiti, either one of the Barbancourt (white, three star, maybe even five star) or one of the Clairins that Velier is selling. Those are all rather cheap but still should be good enough to taste them pure before you mix them.
I generally stay away from Cuban Rum for the same reasons - But I thought to ask if they had sipping potential. I have 2 or 3 different Caricom Rums to mix. I was happy to see that HC 3YO has very little added sugar, 0-5. I might try it - it is not much of a hit to the wallet.

I also prefer to drink the stronger stuff neat - 43% Is the minimum for sipping rums for me.
 
Stroh Austrian rum is good stuff on ski holidays - better than schnapps, poire Williams, grappa etc. It has a distinctive, slightly artificial taste to it.
 
Stroh Austrian rum is good stuff on ski holidays - better than schnapps, poire Williams, grappa etc. It has a distinctive, slightly artificial taste to it.
My German workmate always has a bottle of Stroh. I actually look forward to drinking it with him, lol.

Anywhere here drink Slivovitz?
 
I like Rum, my preference is for Jamaican Rums. I find Demerara Rums (Navy Rums) a bit heavy. I'll drink them though.

I'm turned off with this age statement shit though...has the strong whiff of marketing bullshit. Lets hope it doesn't destroy the enjoyment of Rum for the true aficionado like it has of Malt.
 
Stroh Austrian rum is good stuff on ski holidays - better than schnapps, poire Williams, grappa etc. It has a distinctive, slightly artificial taste to it.
Not sure you're supposed to drink it like schnapps. I only know it mixed with tea as Jagertee. Which is actually very nice, just use a good black tea, maybe some rock sugar and your favorite rum.

Anywhere here drink Slivovitz?
I tried it a bit and brought some bottles from when I was working in Belgrade, it was supposed to be the good moonshine stuff. I generally like fruit brandys (or whatever they are called in English), actually like them a lot more than I am able to drink.
 
Weather is cooling down for autumn. 10c and wet today. Just enough to open a window and enjoy sipping on a peaty Islay whisky with a blazer and scarf on.
 
I like Rum, my preference is for Jamaican Rums. I find Demerara Rums (Navy Rums) a bit heavy. I'll drink them though.

I'm turned off with this age statement shit though...has the strong whiff of marketing bullshit. Lets hope it doesn't destroy the enjoyment of Rum for the true aficionado like it has of Malt.
My favourite rum is Smith & Cross and it is a blend of 6yo and 6mo rums. You need to make sure aged rums aren't labelled Solera because those like Zacapa 23 has rum between 6yo to 23yo and we don't know how much of each is in there. At least the Appleton range is nothing younger than what is stated on the bottle. That Zacapa 23 is $70-80, while the Appleton 21 is $150. :thinking:
 
My favourite rum is Smith & Cross and it is a blend of 6yo and 6mo rums. You need to make sure aged rums aren't labelled Solera because those like Zacapa 23 has rum between 6yo to 23yo and we don't know how much of each is in there. At least the Appleton range is nothing younger than what is stated on the bottle. That Zacapa 23 is $70-80, while the Appleton 21 is $150. :thinking:

The Appleton 21 is exceptional, unlike this I got suckered into buying by some serious spin in the whisky store today with tales of explorations in deepest darkest Peru in search of a legendary ''distillery'':


One should always trust their instinct, the bottle and packaging was a dead giveaway. Still it was only Euro 33.00. I've tasted it, before I read the above review and it was very much like Don Papa: initially very clean bubble gum, vanilla essence, very easy drinking and would go down well in a nightclub where the drink isn't really important. For the first hit.

And considering 35 g/l added to this. I've been conned into buying some liqueur posing as rum! And I specifically asked him about added contents.

All is not lost, also purchased: Mount Gay XO, Appleton Especial for mixing (but clearly I have another more exclusive mixer), Bushmills 16 year old and Famille Vallet cognac casked in 1995 with the promise that it is ''resolutely older than it's age''.
 
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Less than 90 minutes before last call and lockdown.

Hallelujah blasting behind me against coronavirus rules.
 
Mount Gay XO, opened the bottle a couple of days ago, but it needed a bit of oxygen to open it out. You get the three wood influence which reminds me of whisky more than rum.

Edit: I'm thinking about my Christmas spirits. Has to be whisky as pre-dinner aperitif and I'm going to get some good stuff in, thinking of - Bushmills 21, Glenfiddich The Original (never tried it), Balvenie 14 Year Cuban Rum finish. In honour of my late grandfather Springbank and maybe the Laphroiag. As a mixer with soda water either Bushmills Original, Chivas Regal (some of the more expensive ones) or William Lawson's 13 year old, or all of them. There's a few hundred Euros worth there already. That should be enough.

The usual Bordeaux's with dinner.

After dinner, got to be Captain Willard's favorite: Martell Cordon Bleu.
 
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I've me Martel Cordon Blue in and a bottle of Midleton Very Rare 2018, think they'll be well gone by Christmas.

Saw this, nice vintage box and bottle, but €240 Euros:
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Actually, it's 2019 edition of Midleton:
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Got vintage Port and 10 year old Tawny from the big Tesco on the Kingston bypass. They only had two bottles of each on the shelves though. Went to Leatherhead and they had none and no sign of space for them.

Topped up with Lidl 10 year old Tawny and Morrison’s 10 year old Tawny. Like Tesco, the Morrison is from Symington but considerably cheaper than their Graham’s branded version. Might even be the same stuff. Will be sound though. I have tasted Symingtons tawnies of various ages on their premises in Oporto.
 
white lightning

I had 50cl shot of the Wray & Nephew with Coke Zero before dinner last night. You certainly wouldn't want to be drinking that neat it was pretty heady stuff: over ripe bananas, ginger and hefty alcohol hit. Excellent mixer, 2 or 3 of them before dinner and you'd be flying. I only had one and that was pretty good.

On the distillery Wiki page it states that Wray & Nephew is the biggest selling rum in Jamaica accounting for 90% of sales there. The also own Appleton.

For drinking with soda water in a long drink I also bought two bottles of whiskey - Jameson's Cask Mates, the IPA and Stout editions. They were pretty nicely priced at Euros 17.95 each. I'll give at least one of the a try this evening before dinner.
 

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