Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with whiskey

Whisky Me Away

spamguy — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:14:21 -0800

What's a good scotch (or non-scotch) whisky that I can get for $15 - $20? It's Secret Santa season at my office, and my meta-boss is my target. Instructions are to secretly give sub-$5 presents Monday through Thursday, and a more expensive present on Friday. My target enjoys his booze (responsibly!), so I plan to give him $15 to $20 worth of pleasurable scotch whisky or whisky whisky.

I suggest both because, really, I don't know or care. I'm not much of a drinker, and when I do drink, you could convince me turpentine was a fine liquor. This is a double challenge because I realise $20 doesn't go far, and I'd like to avoid the swill water. Even a 300mL flask of something quality would be great.

Which type of whisky should I aim for? What's a good brand that's easily acquired for $15 - $20? By 'easily acquired', I mean I'll probably be hitting up Spec's in town.

Please recommend the best American whiskey.

Help, I can't stop talking! — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:35:32 -0800

Please recommend the best American whiskey. A friend of mine is moving to Colombia for a year. She wants to bring a gift for her hosts, and was told that American whiskey is something that is hard to come by and largely appreciated by the community down there. She wants to do this up proper. What bottle would you bring if you were in her shoes?

Fine Liquor/Cheese, Aged 18 Years

nat — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:53:18 -0800

I want to find consumables that are aged exactly 18 years, and send them to northern California within 2 weeks. For a friend's birthday, I'd like to send some 18 year-old items. (No, he's not turning 18, the number is of personal significance for other reasons).

My first thought was to get some whiskey, e.g. Macallan's 18 y.o. blend. But then I realized other things age (cheese, wine, other kinds of alcohol) too.

Help me come up with ideas for what items might come in a variety aged exactly 18. Also I'd appreciate specific alcohol suggestions, too. Extra credit if you can help me find them from a retailer who will ship to Northern CA (as I can't exactly ship alcohol myself).

Budget could be up to 200$. Ideally, I'd like to find several smaller items so that I present some variety; I'd be okay with one really great item though. I'm in Boston, but I don't know if any brick+mortar stores here will ship from here to CA.

Recommend a rye whiskey

gaspode — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 06:32:33 -0800

Please recommend a rye whiskey. I want to get my husband one or two bottles of rye whiskey for his birthday (he's expressed an interest in trying some, but doesn't know where to start). Any recommendations? Thanks!

Like drinking the best parts of a bonfire...

fake — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 11:48:08 -0800

I just discovered lapsang souchong , which might be the greatest drink I've ever encountered. What other smoky things can you recommend? I'm also interested in non-food smoky things, like pine tar soap. Cedar, pine, and juniper are some of my favorite smells.

Cutting a Thick Oddly Shaped Bottle

Science! — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:27:15 -0800

How can I cut a thick oval glass bottle cleanly? I want to cut the neck and shoulders off of a large Bulleit bourbon bottle. This bottle is oval in shape and seems to be pretty thick. The goal is to be left with only the vertical sides and base which will be used as a wide mouth vase. That wiki picture is at an odd angle, but it shows what I want to remove.

I've read/watched videos on how to cut bottles using a heat and cold shock technique but no results I've seen are clean and even. At worst I can break out a glass cutter and just circle the bottle a few times, but I don't know how this bottle is going to snap when I score it.

I have access to a dremel tool and various hand tools, but no experience cutting anything other than flat planes of glass.

Classic Cocktail

charlesv — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:35:19 -0800

Help me become a better drinker. I turned 30 last year d and have resolved to become a more sophisticated drinker. Specifically, I would like to start enjoying classic cocktails. I saw this post on recipe books but no other useful AskMeFi stuff on classic cocktails.

I have set a personal goal of drinking 50 classic cocktails within the next 12 months. So far I have started working my way through the scotch drinks like the Roy Roy and Rusty Nail and sampled a Mint Julep at Seven Grand.

So: what drinks should absolutely be included on a must-drink list of classic cocktails? Which ones should I leave out? What ingredients should I consider? Is there any particular strategy I should pursue? Any particular bar in LA where I should head to make sure my drinks get made properly?

If I didn't go blind with I was a teenager I'm probably safe now, right?

aspo — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:56:16 -0800

Where can I find good information about making hard alcohol at home? I live in a smallish apartment and would like to try my hand and making small batches of hard alcohol. I'm not too worried about legal issues (I'm not going to be selling anything and it would be very small scale), but I am worried about making a huge mess. I've never tried making beer before, it just seemed like too much work for the results, but for some reason making moonshine sounds like it could be fun. Has anyone tried it? Is there a good website for finding more information? At the very least where is a good source for parts/literature? My online searches have gone nowhere, but that could be because I'm not actually sure what the search for.

What to do with all this whiskey?

MaryDellamorte — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:40:40 -0800

What to do with all this whiskey? My boyfriend has bottles of unopened whiskey, but doesn't drink the stuff and I don't either. He has accumulated them as gifts from friends. He was thinking of cooking with it, but the catch is, he's vegan and he's never cooked with whiskey before. Can anyone suggest delicious vegan dishes that involve whiskey?

Songs about drinking whisky?

xmutex — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 19:08:28 -0800

Name good songs about drinking whisky. The sadder the better.

Whiskey glassware

gaspode — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 07:16:57 -0800

Recommendations for whiskey/old fashioned glasses? I broke the last of my husband's favourite whiskey glasses. He's had them forever, and I'd like to get him some equally as nice, but I have no idea what brand they were. Does anyone have any recommendations for whiskey/old fashioned glasses that are feel heavy and solid in your hand? He likes square-ish ones better than round ones.

I Need Schwetty Balls

sonofslim — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 06:03:25 -0800

Good bourbon ball recipe? I am attending a bring-your-own-food-pairing thing. I was thinking of bringing bourbon and bourbon balls. Does anyone have a good recipe? What bourbons work well for cooking? I prefer dry, dry bourbons with a lot of heat; should I use something sweeter? Also: not a good cook. Instructionals and general tips welcome. Thanks!

What foods to pair with whiskey?

schroedinger — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 09:41:54 -0800

I'm having a whiskey party tonight. There will be a mix of scotches, bourbons, and other whiskeys, single-malt and blended. It will not be a dinner party but I'd like to provide some hors d'oeuvres and possibly desserts. I've heard sushi is good with whiskey so I thought lox might work, and this Honey and Whiskey ice cream looks good, but does anyone have any other ideas?

What's a great scotch for father's day?

icollectpurses — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 16:35:00 -0800

My dad drinks scotch and I've gotten him some single malt ones, which I prefer, and he didn't like them too much. I am looking to get him a great high-end scotch. He likes johnny walkers so I've gotten him a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue once and he liked that a lot. So I am hoping to get him something else that's similarly high quality. I am hoping to spend perhaps $75-$500 or so. Don't know much about scotch, esp. blended, so your suggestions would be appreciated.

What is this indie rock love song?

holdkris99 — Thu, 24 May 2007 09:59:02 -0800

NamethatSongfilter: Male singer, indie rock, the general gist of the song is that he is good enough for his lovers best whiskey or alcohol, something like that.

Why is Maker's Mark whisky and not whiskey?

neilkod — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 11:07:19 -0800

Why is Maker's Mark labeled whisky and not whiskey? I thought the absence of the 'e' is only for Scotch Whiskys. Other Bourbons have the e. What gives?

Roll out the barrel

sonofslim — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 08:31:06 -0800

I'm looking for a unique bourbon or whiskey-themed wedding gift for some friends. Maker's Mark ambassadorship is lame, more specifics inside. Ideally I'd love to get them their own cask of bourbon that will mature in, say, 25 years. They're both big whiskey people and I like the idea of getting them something that represents the passing of time and their future life together. But I'm not sure it's possible, or economically feasable, to buy an entire barrel. Are there small barrels one can buy and have stored? Other suggestions welcome, thanks!

future designated driver

jak68 — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 19:08:55 -0800

Is there such a thing as non-alcoholic brandy or whiskey? (or other types of 'hard liquor')? How do they taste? They taste okay?

Beginner's single malt Scotch

mendel — Mon, 05 Dec 2005 10:37:59 -0800

Scotchfilter! What's a decent, inexpensive and readily available single malt or good blend for a brand-new scotch drinker whose current dram of choice is a good dark sipping rum? The intended recipient tried the Glenlivet after he'd had a lot of other things and was surprised by the strength but otherwise seemed to enjoy it and was interested in trying other Scotches. I could just get another bottle of Glenlivet, but it's a bit ordinary and generally-available, and besides, he's already tried that.

I don't want something pretending to be bourbon, but I don't want to overwhelm with iodine and peat either. Probably some sort of Speyside or Lowland, I guess. My own tastes head toward the spicy and peaty and I sometimes have a hard time telling the difference between a good mellow scotch and a boring one.

Also, any suggestions on how to safely mail/ship a bottle of Scotch are welcome too.

Which Kentucky Bourbon distillery has the best tour?

Tallguy — Mon, 11 Jul 2005 11:17:28 -0800

Which Kentucky bourbon distillery has the best tour? My wife and I are considering a small overnight trip to Kentucky Bourbon country in August. We have looked into some of the tours offered by a few of the distilleries. The Bourbon Heritage Center and the Woodford Reserve tours both look impressive (at least online), but we would love to get some first-hand recommendations about which tours are worthwhile. Which distillery(s) are the best to visit? Bonus points if you have tips on other good places to visit or excellent restraints or B&Bs we should go to in the area. (Bardstown, Versailles, Frankfort, etc.)