It's always five o'clock somewhere

[Pimpernel Smith]

Surprised you would drink Bushmills Original. You warned me it was like sucking on honey nectar so I have been avoiding it except the ones with the age statement. Even then it goes down too easy.

I bought Monkey Shoulder last weekend and finished it today. Then I said screw it and bought a bottle of Ardbeg. It's winter after all even though it's rarely below 0c.

I only drink Bushmills Original as a mixer or in a long drink. I did half a bottle in no time once, way too easy drinking.

You ever try rye whiskey?

Yes, use to get plenty of that as well. Basil Hayden's and Jim Beam Rye were another fav.

Where you are living - next to Belgium - it should be easy to pick up John Martins Guinness, which is the ne plus ultra of bottled Guinness :-

Guinness Special Export - Brewery John Martin S.A. | Anthony Martin

Alcohol: 8%Colour: Dark ruby redFermentation: TopType: Irish StoutTemperature: 6° – 8°Format: 33cl + 50cl + BarrelBUY →

anthonymartin.be

I can get that over here, but only in one place that specialises in Belgium beers. It's the consistency of treacle and you need to serve as cold as possible.

 

[Arnathor]

You ever try rye whiskey?

Which would you recommend?

 

[Arnathor]

I can get that over here, but only in one place that specialises in Belgium beers. It's the consistency of treacle and you need to serve as cold as possible.

That sounds delicious.

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

That sounds delicious.

It is indeed, but as with all Russian style stouts you need to be in the mood.

 

[Grand Potentate]

Which would you recommend?

bulleit's rye is surprisingly good. i'm not a fan of their bourbon though its very popular. old overholt also very good for cheap. the sazerac brand was my usual drink making choice and michter's for drinking.

 

[güero]

Received this today:

A healthy 96% to prepare various potions

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

bulleit's rye is surprisingly good. i'm not a fan of their bourbon though its very popular. old overholt also very good for cheap. the sazerac brand was my usual drink making choice and michter's for drinking.

Not a fan of Bulleit's rye, I like the bottling. Straight out of a wild west saloon.

Old Overholt was good. I use to like Billy Idol's fav Rebel Yell bourbon, that use to be around Euro 25. Good value I thought.

Might get some rye and bourbon in on Friday. I always drank them with loads of ice. That will work for my palate at the moment.

Received this today:

A healthy 96% to prepare various potions

Make sure you prepare them whilst completely sober!

It will be so pure there'll be no taste and you won't get much of a buzz drinking it. As long as you dilute it, and it is as pure as it states, there will be zero after effects the next day.

 

[Kingstonian]

It’s £60 a litre :-

Navimer Alcool Pur, Spirit of Wine 1.0L (96% Vol.)

<h2>Navimer Alcool Pur - neutral alcohol 1.0L (96 % vol.)</h2> <p>Navimer Alcool Pur is produced in Belgium at the Grandes Distilleries de Charleroi - a producer of alcoholic beverages located in the Walloon region. As a neutral alcohol, Navimer has 96%

www.urban-drinks.co.uk

I don’t like Obstler or Poire Williams anyway. So I would not be looking to fix up a home made version.

 

[güero]

60£ must be a mistake, or Brexit, or something like that. I think I paid about 20€.

I‘ll mostly use it for herbal extracts and maybe a Genever or some liqueur once in a while. Used either Korn or Vodka so far, but higher abv should give a better result, especially for extracts.

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

Replenished my bar today: 7 bottles of superlative South African Wines, Bluecoat American Gin, Herman Jangsen's distillery's Dutch Dry Gin, 12 year old Canadian Club, Jack Daniels Rye, Yellow Rose Rye, 2 bottles of 10 year old Taylor's port and finally 24 cans of Coke Zero. I already have Indian tonic water. Over Euro 750 there which proves my missus right, although not quite, my booze bill is a grand a month.

Bought the American gin and rye in the whisky store here. The customer before me spent over grand on 6 bottles of whiskey. I've been going on and off there for 10 years, so they now me well. I know the business is doing well, and they tell me that since the beginning of the virus it's been Christmas everyday, they're only open Wednesday to Saturday mind you.

Everyday they get several customers spending well over a grand. Also the collector market has changed, whereas in the past they bought the bottle to display and sell on in several years time, they're now buying an additional bottle to drink. Seems a good idea to me.

Edit: The Bluecoat gin is exceptional:

Bluecoat Gin

bluecoatgin.com

Similar to Seagrams, but higher quality, it's very much grain based i.e. it's not overloaded with juniper. So the buzz is more like a whiskey.

 

[Fwiffo]

I never understood wine collectors just holding on to a bottle. Whisky collectors too. Drink it before some inebriated second cousin comes over and opens it up after two bottles of something else for Christmas or someone’s husband starts pouring it into soda.

Carpe diem and all that.

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

I never understood wine collectors just holding on to a bottle. Whisky collectors too. Drink it before some inebriated second cousin comes over and opens it up after two bottles of something else for Christmas or someone’s husband starts pouring it into soda.

Carpe diem and all that.

It's better to be a connoisseur than a collector. Same as the old adage: is it better to be a millionaire, or just live like one?

My brother invested in wines before he realized it was all about provenance with specific reference to cellaring. I've never tasted anything other than young over ripe super market new world wines at his house. Clearly he was not a wine connoisseur, or interested in being one, nor for his guests.

Same with my sister, she has the country living extended cottage in the Wirral stock broker belt and the Maserati to prove it (new money of course), yet you will be getting Yellowtail with your meal and a proud boast about how great and cost effective it is. Her step daughter's no better, they have a wine cellar and it's filled to the brim with cheap and nasty supermarket wines.

I find that attitude to wine somewhat colloquial and strange these days. You don't need to spend that much money to get a quaffable and decent wine and I wouldn't serve anything less.

Edit: I should qualify my slagging off my family's wine taste, you will get Pol Roger champagne in sufficient quantities before dinner at my sister's.

 

[Grand Potentate]

Replenished my bar today: 7 bottles of superlative South African Wines, Bluecoat American Gin, Herman Jangsen's distillery's Dutch Dry Gin, 12 year old Canadian Club, Jack Daniels Rye, Yellow Rose Rye, 2 bottles of 10 year old Taylor's port and finally 24 cans of Coke Zero. I already have Indian tonic water. Over Euro 750 there which proves my missus right, although not quite, my booze bill is a grand a month.

Bought the American gin and rye in the whisky store here. The customer before me spent over grand on 6 bottles of whiskey. I've been going on and off there for 10 years, so they now me well. I know the business is doing well, and they tell me that since the beginning of the virus it's been Christmas everyday, they're only open Wednesday to Saturday mind you.

Everyday they get several customers spending well over a grand. Also the collector market has changed, whereas in the past they bought the bottle to display and sell on in several years time, they're now buying an additional bottle to drink. Seems a good idea to me.

Edit: The Bluecoat gin is exceptional:

Bluecoat Gin

bluecoatgin.com

Similar to Seagrams, but higher quality, it's very much grain based i.e. it's not overloaded with juniper. So the buzz is more like a whiskey.

why did you go for the jack daniels rye over any other choice?

bluecoat is good stuff.

 

[Kingstonian]

Replenished my bar today: 7 bottles of superlative South African Wines, Bluecoat American Gin, Herman Jangsen's distillery's Dutch Dry Gin, 12 year old Canadian Club, Jack Daniels Rye, Yellow Rose Rye, 2 bottles of 10 year old Taylor's port and finally 24 cans of Coke Zero. I already have Indian tonic water. Over Euro 750 there which proves my missus right, although not quite, my booze bill is a grand a month.

Prices are usually best before Christmas and New Year. After that they tend to jack up prices.

Mind how you go. Moderation is the best policy.

 

[Arnathor]

why did you go for the jack daniels rye over any other choice?

bluecoat is good stuff.

Thoughts on Rittenhouse Rye? Other bib whisky?

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

why did you go for the jack daniels rye over any other choice?

bluecoat is good stuff.

Just thought I would give the rye ago, it's long time since I've had any American whiskies. But other than the Canadian Club 12, they'll be mixers for me.

The Bluecoat is exceptional, I will get another bottle of that.

Mind how you go. Moderation is the best policy.

Aye, I'm generally a good at knowing my limits. But I did have few more Bluecoats when I woke up in the middle of last night.

 

[Grand Potentate]

Thoughts on Rittenhouse Rye? Other bib whisky?

rittenhouse is ok. i'd choose old overholt before that but its just my personal preference.

 

[Kingstonian]

I have a bottle of Jack Daniels rye. It was in the supermarkets at a more reasonable price. You have to go to specialist shops if you want rye whiskey in the UK and it is priced at a premium.

So I see the reviews in the Jim Murray bible and then I see the prices in The Whisky Exchange and I decide not to bother. Scotch and Irish are better value.

 

[Fwiffo]

I don't get why people buy Canadian Club from abroad. Maybe I'm from Canada so I don't rate it much. Plus CC is owned by a conglomerate if memory serves me. I go for it on domestic flights as they only have Johnnie Walker Black on international routes for Air Canada. The only other time besides poverty is at a club because you know 9 times out of 10 it's part of the bar rail.

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

I have a bottle of Jack Daniels rye. It was in the supermarkets at a more reasonable price. You have to go to specialist shops if you want rye whiskey in the UK and it is priced at a premium.

So I see the reviews in the Jim Murray bible and then I see the prices in The Whisky Exchange and I decide not to bother. Scotch and Irish are better value.

The Jack Daniels rye here is pretty reasonable Euro 31. The Jim Beam rye, use to be Euro 15, but that's not been available over here for several years.

I use to really like that Booker's bourbon too. About the same price it was 12-14 years ago Euro 67-75.

Competition in the whiskey world looks fierce to me. Awhile back they were saying the quality had gone as speculators had moved in. There's an element of that, but some will compete on quality. Many more Irish distilleries these days and that Indian one, Amrut, is interesting. I might try one of their expressions.

I don't get why people buy Canadian Club from abroad. Maybe I'm from Canada so I don't rate it much. Plus CC is owned by a conglomerate if memory serves me. I go for it on domestic flights as they only have Johnnie Walker Black on international routes for Air Canada. The only other time besides poverty is at a club because you know 9 times out of 10 it's part of the bar rail.

I don't have any prejudice against the conglomerates when it comes to hard booze. It's the way of it.

A Canadian colleague got me a bottle of Canadian Club 12 about 8 years ago, I thought it was a great improvement on the non-aged blend.

 

[Arnathor]

Fwiffo , Have you tried anything from Stalk & Barrel? That is from Toronto.

 

[Kingstonian]

I don't get why people buy Canadian Club from abroad. Maybe I'm from Canada so I don't rate it much. Plus CC is owned by a conglomerate if memory serves me. I go for it on domestic flights as they only have Johnnie Walker Black on international routes for Air Canada. The only other time besides poverty is at a club because you know 9 times out of 10 it's part of the bar rail.

Canadian Club used to be the only whisky available from outside these islands back in the day.

That was when people drank blends and the Canadian flag still had a Union Jack in one corner.

It was a much better time for the UK whisky industry.

 

[Fwiffo]

Fwiffo , Have you tried anything from Stalk & Barrel? That is from Toronto.

I didn't even know they existed. There was a Toronto whisky distillery or something. It folded up before their whisky made their minimum age target. You knew when they started selling the transparent liquor as a "limited edition" prior to the official launch.

As the owner of Forty Creek said, all whisky makers start off as wine makers because you need the barrels and you need to sell something whilst you wait for your first batch of whisky to mature.

 

[Fwiffo]

Canadian Club used to be the only whisky available from outside these islands back in the day.

That was when people drank blends and the Canadian flag still had a Union Jack in one corner.

It was a much better time for the UK whisky industry.

Must be like people being enamoured with Carling when I was working in London. No one really drank that back home

Union Jack. That's when we changed the national anthem from God Save the Queen. Way before my time. It's still the royal anthem for the Governor General. People were confused when God Save the Queen played after O Canada during the Vancouver Olympics when the PM and GG were in attendance.

 

[doghouse]

Fuck those #menswear guys. Going to enjoy my Negroni tonight guilt free.

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

Canadian Club used to be the only whisky available from outside these islands back in the day.

That was when people drank blends and the Canadian flag still had a Union Jack in one corner.

It was a much better time for the UK whisky industry.

The 12 year old is pretty much excellent, much better than those rye's I bought, which are going to linger untouched for quite sometime I think.

Bought a bottle of the French Grey Goose vodka at the weekend. I've seen it over the years and get's a mention in Morrissey's autobiography. Great with Coca Cola Zero in long drink. I've missed out there, but it should be good at Euro 38 for 70cl.

Must be like people being enamoured with Carling when I was working in London. No one really drank that back home

Union Jack. That's when we changed the national anthem from God Save the Queen. Way before my time. It's still the royal anthem for the Governor General. People were confused when God Save the Queen played after O Canada during the Vancouver Olympics when the PM and GG were in attendance.

Carling is a staple back in Blighty amongst the toiling classes. The very epitome of a proletariat lager.

Still enjoying exploring South African wines and this mountain estate is producing quite exceptional reds and a very minerally Bourgogne style Chardonnay:

Legal Page | Uva Mira Mountain Vineyards

uvamira.com

 

[Arnathor]

Question for my fellow forumites:

My folks are celebrating their 40th anniversary this month, what wine recommendations do you distinguished gentlemen have? Thank you in advance!

 

[Fwiffo]

Question for my fellow forumites:

My folks are celebrating their 40th anniversary this month, what wine recommendations do you distinguished gentlemen have? Thank you in advance!

Pick by price range.

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

Question for my fellow forumites:

My folks are celebrating their 40th anniversary this month, what wine recommendations do you distinguished gentlemen have? Thank you in advance!

Depends on the food. Do you know the type of food the will be having?

Are they regular wine drinkers?

 

[güero]

My wine recommendation is champagne

e. in other alcoholic news, I have signed up as a commercial customer with various wholesalers and importers, in order to get some limited rums for a reasonable price (or at least at all).

 

[Kingstonian]

Question for my fellow forumites:

My folks are celebrating their 40th anniversary this month, what wine recommendations do you distinguished gentlemen have? Thank you in advance!

Are they wine lovers? If so get a better version of what they prefer.

Otherwise, guero’s advice is sound. Champagne signals celebration.

Ostentatious clarets or burgundies might suit too.

 

[Arnathor]

Thank you!

 

[Fwiffo]

Apparently I just get free pours of Johnnie Walker Black when I pick up lunch downstairs even though all indoor dining is closed and hard liquor outside of an entire bottle isn't sold for takeaway at restaurants.

 

[Dropbear]

Apparently I just get free pours of Johnnie Walker Black when I pick up lunch downstairs even though all indoor dining is closed and hard liquor outside of an entire bottle isn't sold for takeaway at restaurants.

Cool. Makes life worth live, right?

 

[Fwiffo]

Cool. Makes life worth live, right?

Thanks for the concern. I doubt I will see this Swiss owner for long because my company can't afford the lease for this branch and we're leaving in three months.

 

[Dropbear]

Thanks for the concern. I doubt I will see this Swiss owner for long because my company can't afford the lease for this branch and we're leaving in three months.

Well drink up then!

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

Thanks for the concern. I doubt I will see this Swiss owner for long because my company can't afford the lease for this branch and we're leaving in three months.

Looks like you're a step away from the managed office solution. Welcome to the exclusive club.

I've just made myself a hot toddy for bedtime: Yorkshire tea blend (always a winner), honey and brown sugar (most important), organic lemon and a good slug of JW Red. The Famous Grouse is probably a better quality to price ratio, but JW Red was on offer for a litre bottle. And I only wanted it for a long drink hot toddy. Two of these and you will sleep very soundly indeed.

JW Black I've never really got into. A couple of times with a one ice cube I've thought this is a great dram, but when I've followed-up, nah. JW always had a bit of cache in the UK, as they took it off the UK market in the late 1970's. So like Lacoste was a little bit rare.

JW Red smells terrible, but for a long drink it delivers on what it promises. The Explorers edition from the Duty Free range a little while ago was a big step up in terms of similar expression, but much higher quality. One would expect that at double the price.

 

[Dropbear]

Local breweries are always about three months early on their calendar. The whole city is shutting down for three days due to freezing temperatures and icy roads ... and I’m drinking a seasonal Spring Bock dark lager, hahah. Tastes very German and good!

 

[Fwiffo]

Looks like you're a step away from the managed office solution. Welcome to the exclusive club.

I've just made myself a hot toddy for bedtime: Yorkshire tea blend (always a winner), honey and brown sugar (most important), organic lemon and a good slug of JW Red. The Famous Grouse is probably a better quality to price ratio, but JW Red was on offer for a litre bottle. And I only wanted it for a long drink hot toddy. Two of these and you will sleep very soundly indeed.

JW Black I've never really got into. A couple of times with a one ice cube I've thought this is a great dram, but when I've followed-up, nah. JW always had a bit of cache in the UK, as they took it off the UK market in the late 1970's. So like Lacoste was a little bit rare.

JW Red smells terrible, but for a long drink it delivers on what it promises. The Explorers edition from the Duty Free range a little while ago was a big step up in terms of similar expression, but much higher quality. One would expect that at double the price.

No, we still have a massive head office - single floor about 100km away. We won't have any branch offices by this summer. Of course I am due to be in Paris yeah by the end of the year.

I drink Johnnie Walker Black because it's in every hotel and airport bar. It's consistent - at least the formula since the 2000s so it is easier than guessing which single malt you might have hiding in the back of your bar and God knows how it was used or kept.

I will probably go to a co-working space until my next assignment. The thought of working at home gives me shivers.

Local breweries are always about three months early on their calendar. The whole city is shutting down for three days due to freezing temperatures and icy roads ... and I’m drinking a seasonal Spring Bock dark lager, hahah. Tastes very German and good!

I just got off a video call with an industry event organizer and she said Portland was shut down because of the snow. Really? Portland? You would think they would be more hardy. I get it Texas isn't equipped similar to my old home state Georgia.

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

No, we still have a massive head office - single floor about 100km away. We won't have any branch offices by this summer. Of course I am due to be in Paris yeah by the end of the year.

I drink Johnnie Walker Black because it's in every hotel and airport bar. It's consistent - at least the formula since the 2000s so it is easier than guessing which single malt you might have hiding in the back of your bar and God knows how it was used or kept.

I will probably go to a co-working space until my next assignment. The thought of working at home gives me shivers.



I just got off a video call with an industry event organizer and she said Portland was shut down because of the snow. Really? Portland? You would think they would be more hardy. I get it Texas isn't equipped similar to my old home state Georgia.

That co-worker stuff was going on back in the 90s by the way: turn-up, be assigned your hot bedding work station, do not leave any trace of ever working there. How soul destroying. Very big Perth now, which doesn't surprise me.

Exactly. JW is the Big Mac of the whisky blend world. Same stuff wherever you go.