The Waxhole: Speakeasy & Whisk(e)y Lounge

Splunders said:
Ok, tonight is starting out with this gem. By Islay standards/my experience, its pretty tame in the briney, smokey, peaty dept. A great value at ~$60 round these parts. Lil heavier 100 proof than most scotch. Nice gateway whiskey for the Islay curious, as it's not too heavy handed in any one direction, while retaining some sweetness for balance. Nummers.

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I’ve never had the Classic Laddie (unpeated!) but I love Port Charlotte, Bruichladdich’s big peaty mass market whiskey. I need to get a bottle of this.

Over the course of the week with my grandmother’s slow passing, my father and I have been working at a few bottles, all of which I’ve enjoyed: Jack Daniels Triple Mash, a blend of bottled-in-bond Tennessee whiskey, rye, and American Single Malt whiskies; Old Forester 1910, a double-barreled expression; and Laws Four Grain Bourbon, a rowdy, slightly weird bottle that I keep taking another nip at.

Whiskey is great.
 
kvetcha said:
I’ve never had the Classic Laddie (unpeated!) but I love Port Charlotte, Bruichladdich’s big peaty mass market whiskey. I need to get a bottle of this.

Over the course of the week with my grandmother’s slow passing, my father and I have been working at a few bottles, all of which I’ve enjoyed: Jack Daniels Triple Mash, a blend of bottled-in-bond Tennessee whiskey, rye, and American Single Malt whiskies; Old Forester 1910, a double-barreled expression; and Laws Four Grain Bourbon, a rowdy, slightly weird bottle that I keep taking another nip at.

Whiskey is great.
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That Jack triple mash is tasty.
 
Also, I dunno if y’all have ever had Ale 81, but it’s a ginger and citrus soda from Kentucky that is ridiculously good as a bourbon mixer. It’s worth hunting down.
 
This one is fine. I got it at retail ($55?), rather than the ~$150 it appears to be going for on the secondary market. I think the tannins are more forward on this one than the tasting notes listed on the bottle.

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While in Tennessee holding vigil for grandma, I picked up and sampled a handful of bottles with my father and uncle. Nothing super exotic, but:

Jack Daniels Triple Mash: I liked this! I don't hate regular JD to begin with, but this is probably the best expression I've had from them. Certainly better than the standard Bonded. For a $10 premium, I say yes.

Old Forester 1910 Old Fine Whiskey: Double barrelled Old Forester. It's more refined than the sledgehammer 1920, with lots of lovely dark notes from the extra wood. It finishes a touch drier than I'd have expected based on the nose and the front of the palate, but I still think it's rather good.

JD Laws Four Grain Bourbon: Cowboy whiskey. Tasty and weird, with a fun malt barley funk that reminds me of some of my favorite American single malts.

Compass Box Hedonism (Batch MMXVI): All lovely sweet vanilla cake grain whiskey notes, waves of honey and caramel. Dessert whiskey.
 
Oh, and there was also a bottle of Old Hickory Hermitage Reserve Bourbon, which is apparently a 10 Year old Barrel Proof MGP (99% corn, 1% malted barley). I liked it, but I guess that's no surprise. MGP makes a damn fine whiskey, macro or not.
 
kvetcha said:
While in Tennessee holding vigil for grandma, I picked up and sampled a handful of bottles with my father and uncle. Nothing super exotic, but:

Jack Daniels Triple Mash: I liked this! I don't hate regular JD to begin with, but this is probably the best expression I've had from them. Certainly better than the standard Bonded. For a $10 premium, I say yes.

Old Forester 1910 Old Fine Whiskey: Double barrelled Old Forester. It's more refined than the sledgehammer 1920, with lots of lovely dark notes from the extra wood. It finishes a touch drier than I'd have expected based on the nose and the front of the palate, but I still think it's rather good.

JD Laws Four Grain Bourbon: Cowboy whiskey. Tasty and weird, with a fun malt barley funk that reminds me of some of my favorite American single malts.

Compass Box Hedonism (Batch MMXVI): All lovely sweet vanilla cake grain whiskey notes, waves of honey and caramel. Dessert whiskey.
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I need to try the 1910. Had a couple bottles of 1920 and got a little tired of the cherry codial notes.

Compass Box is great. Hedonism is my fave by tem that I've had, but thats as far up the ladder I can afford.

While the reason for your family visit is no doubt sad and upsetting, there's something lovely about having whiskey with your family members. I got my start in my grandpa's basement (An Evan Williams man), and have so many great memories of sharing a glass with him - and also at his wake, right there in his basement.
 
Splunders said:
I need to try the 1910. Had a couple bottles of 1920 and got a little tired of the cherry codial notes.

Compass Box is great. Hedonism is my fave by tem that I've had, but thats as far up the ladder I can afford.

While the reason for your family visit is no doubt sad and upsetting, there's something lovely about having whiskey with your family members. I got my start in my grandpa's basement (An Evan Williams man), and have so many great memories of sharing a glass with him - and also at his wake, right there in his basement.
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It was nice to spend time with family, though the reason we came was sad.

I liked but did not love the 1920. You’re dead on with the medicinal cherry observation. I think I have heard some people blend 1910 and 1920 and speak quite highly of the resulting “1915” chimera. I could kinda see that working. The 1920 feels like it would add that lingering sweetness that the 1910 lacks.

The Hedonism was my first Compass Box! The entire lineup is very hard to find in my home state. I saw it behind the counter and convinced my dad it was worth the splurge.
 
Anyone have any spooky Halloween drink recipes they really like? Bonus if they don't use more than like 2 different liquors
 
Splunders said:
Local store pick. My first Cigar Blend (i.e. Congac finished) bourbon. An added layer of rich, slight sweetness, and a touch more wood. Really good, as every Barrell item has been for me.

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I’ve had and enjoyed both the Seagrass and the Armida, but haven’t had any Barrell expressions past that. This can’t have been cheap!

Tonight’s pour was an Ardbeg BizarreBQ.
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kvetcha said:
I’ve had and enjoyed both the Seagrass and the Armida, but haven’t had any Barrell expressions past that. This can’t have been cheap!

Tonight’s pour was an Ardbeg BizarreBQ.
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About the same price ($100) as prettty much anything else Barrell puts out, minus their grey label or beyond offerings.

I like Ardbeg a lot, but only had their standard bottle. Is this sweeter or more smokey than normal? I see other Ardbeg special releases, but due to how heavy on the smoke/peaty they get normally, I assume the unusual stuff is extra...
 
Splunders said:
About the same price ($100) as prettty much anything else Barrell puts out, minus their grey label or beyond offerings.

I like Ardbeg a lot, but only had their standard bottle. Is this sweeter or more smokey than normal? I see other Ardbeg special releases, but due to how heavy on the smoke/peaty they get normally, I assume the unusual stuff is extra...
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This one has a nose almost exactly like BBQ potato chips. It's typical Ardbeg on the palate, I think, but has a bit more spikey smoke on the finish. There's a sweetness running through the midpalate that's nice.

Oddly, as far as Ardbeg goes I've mostly had these special releases, at least recently. I should really try some of their core lineup as a basis of comparison. I tend to be more of a Laphroaig guy.
 
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