(Part 2) Top products from r/whiskey

The Japanese whiskeys are just a weird state now...

It's pretty much a general consensus that the Japanese whiskeys are wonderful and great (I know some people may not agree, but it's extremely hot now...) From a few website I can find like this:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2013/02/20/single-malt-whiskey-from-japan-the-next-big-thing/#7766324a5b15

They were selling at $50-$60 a bottle back in 2013 according to this article.

Years ago before 2013, they were selling for $35-$40 a bottle. I cannot verify that because I only started collecting booze in late 2014. So why are they selling for $100 for the 12 year stuff now when 5+ years, they were supposedly $35-$40? Are they really that scarce?

The answer is no, they aren't that scarce. Suntory is just a smart company and created an increased demand and effectively increased the price of all their whiskeys from around $40 a bottle to $100 and the majority of people discovering this didn't know it. They started winning awards, "getting discovered more" and everyone read that the Japanese whisky/scotch are "beating" the Scottish and that the Scottish need to step up their game, mainly coming from this book from Jim Murray:

> For the first time since the “Whiskey Bible” was first published in 2003, not a single top-five whiskey came from Scotland. Murray called it a “wake-up call” for Scottish distilleries, according to the Independent. Ouch

http://www.amazon.com/Jim-Murrays-Whisky-Bible-2014/dp/0955472989

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/11/05/japan-beats-scotland-to-win-worlds-best-whiskey-title/

The winner of that year was the Yamazaki Sherry Cask, which is extremely rare and costs thousands of $$$. So everyone is "discovering" japanese whiskey and Suntory knew how to exploit the public. You cannot get the Sherry cask, so everyone is looking for "Yamazaki." They cannot get it, but they can get Hakushu.

Suntory had enough money to buy Jim Beam... Their flagship whiskeys are not scarce if they can buy a major American Distillery.

This year, now Crown Royal won with Northern Harvest Rye... the same award.

http://www.mensjournal.com/food-drink/drinks/the-best-whisky-of-the-year-is-crowned-20151120


What does this mean?

It means that award winners get hyped like crazy. It also might mean distilleries could buy awards by paying a guy off like Jim Murray if it means they can sell their product at a higher price. We don't know this, but it's very possible

It means when you win an award, you get a bunch of free press and everyone wants to try your booze. You can create an extra demand by limiting your booze supply and slowly increase the price over time.

Usually the award winners are great, but distilleries exploit this like crazy so they can sell their product at a much higher price if they play their cards correctly. Japanese are the hottest thing in the booze world now and the Japanese know when they have a good thing going, they will exploit it.

As soon as more people figure this out, the hype train will probably end, but it's hard to know if the price will drop back down, or just stay at the higher levels.




So, what I will say to you is just this...

Drink the whiskeys, enjoy them. Know that some distilleries will take advantage of their press and create a fake supply/demand by limiting their release. Don't buy into award winners as much as you should. Find things you like by doing tastings. Gauge how much you enjoy it compared to the price. And really... just enjoy the damn booze, that's what really matters.

> Cool, have fun with it!

Thanks, I'm sure I will. Perhaps a tad too much fun. It's only been a couple of weeks, but I'm already feeling like perhaps I'm drinking a little too much of it. It's just something about each sip of each type, noticing the flavours, nosing the glass before, during and after...

And it's more than just the drinking of it. These past couple of weeks, the topic of whisky is rarely far from my mind. I keep thinking about what to buy next, reading different articles and reviews, I just ordered a book on the subject, and I'm thinking on getting a few different glasses to complement my Glencairn... Yeah, it's safe to say I'm getting quite hooked.

As someone who usually dives deep and headfirst into new hobbies this is nothing new, and I'm really loving learning new things about a new topic like this. I haven't really been this obsessive since I got into home theatre and DVDs back in the late 90s. Fun stuff.

Thanks again. The reddit whisky subs and everyone in them have been great. It's part of what's made this so much fun so far.

I've never used those subscription services, but I absolutely love two different cocktail channels on youtube, How To Drink and The Educated Barfly

Those guys are absolutely amazing, and they've made so many cocktails, you'll be able to find something you like. Start with all the classics. On the How To Drink channel, go to videos and sort by Oldest uploads. His first videos were very simple and straight forward classic cocktails. He's progressed to crazier stuff, but the older videos are excellent

In terms of books, for specific Whiskey Cocktails, Assouline makes awesome books, large photos and simple instructions

Have you tried any scotches? Tennessee Whiskey and other bourbons will have a mash that is made up of at least 51% corn, many are made up of a lot higher % though. The corn makes them sweeter than a rye whiskey or a scotch which uses malted barley. Rye will be a little spicier than scotch. If you are looking for a whiskey with some smokey flavor the two I would look at are Ardbeg and Laphroaig. Irish whiskey and Japanese whiskeys since they are generally less sweet. You might want to check out the book"Whisk[e]y Distilled: A Populist Guide to the Water of Life" by Heather Greene. It is super approachable and informative. I saw some other mention Rittenhouse Rye, which I agree is great Rye to try.

Just tried a whiskey sour: 1-1/2 measure bourbon, 3/4 measure lemon juice, 1/4 measure simple syrup and 1 bar spoon of powdered sugar (from "American Bar" - A fantastic bar book, by the way). Very nice. Will try your version now.

General

• Tasting Whisky: An Insider's Guide to the Unique Pleasures of the World's Finest Spirits
  
  Bourbon
  
  
• Bourbon Straight: The Uncut and Unfiltered Story of American Whiskey
  
• Bourbon Curious: A Simple Tasting Guide for the Savvy Drinker
  
• Bourbon, Strange
  
  Scotch/Malt
  
  

• Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible
  
• The World Atlas of Whisky
  
• Malt Whisky Yearbook 2017

Check out The Joy of Home Distilling by Rick Morris and Craft of Whiskey Distilling by Bill Owens.

And, as everyone else mentioned, absolutely do check out Tasting Whiskey.

Also worth checking out is How to Make Whiskey by Brian Davis.

Try every cask strength and barrel proof whisky you can man. Aberlour abunadh, Glenlivet nadurra, OGD 114, when whisky is proofed down it can really destroy mouth feel. Also try out things that are non-chill filtered, the act of chill filtering actually thins out a whole bunch of lipid chains.

For really interesting malt whisky textures try out anything clynelish. The Craigellachie has some extra weight on the palate too, but that's more to do with their ridiculous condensation setup than the act of aging it. Also Loch Lomond stuff tends to nail it for mouth feel.

Also, for just a great primer on spirits in general without getting too technical check this book out Proof: The Science of Booze https://www.amazon.com/dp/0547897960/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_JIZfAbJP4Q6SD

You need this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002YUH02/ref=s9_simh_gw_d0_g60_i3 plus a lamp harp plus a 3/8" diamond tipped drill hole bit. Use lots of drizzling cold water on the bit as you drill in to the bottle.

Looking again at the spine of Messiah War it appears that you did see Deadpool after all. He's just not in the title.

Perhaps look for a plastic butter dish?

https://www.amazon.com/Standard-Butter-Dish-Colors-Vary/dp/B000BQU5US

If only Platte Valley were on the list...

I have found bottle cleaning beads do a great job getting the stuff you can't reach at the bottom of a bottle or decanter.

Drop the beads in the bottle, add some soap and water, then swirl it around for a few minutes. Dump everything into a strainer to catch the beads, and then just rinse out the bottle.

maybe I'm missing something but this is what I use for my flask:

https://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Stainless-Steel-Funnels-Set/dp/B000FKERMW/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1527734689&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=steel+funnel