Favorite bourbon, favorite Scotch?

[Steve Vojtek]

Maker's mark is my favorite - limited selection here in Australia - I love to make caramelized onions with Maker's mark and maple syrup. Sooo delicious... American honey straight from the freezer!!!!!!!!! Mate sooooo good but you gotta be careful - it sneaks up on you!!!

[EdF]

Sounds like a good combo for some home-smoked bacon, too!

[Steve Vojtek]

Great idea @EdF
Now why didn't I think of that....thanks...

[myndcraft]

Not a big Scotch fan, but a big "Hell Yeah!" to bourbon. What I'm drinking will primarily depend on what cigar I'm smoking or what I'm eating, but one of my favorites, and a staple in the cabinet, is Blantons.

[Huskee]

I want to try that, lots of people are talking about it but they don't have it where I shop so I'll have to look elsewhere. I'd heard good things about Rhetoric Orphan Barrel too, have you tried that?

[Steve Vojtek]

myndcraft I have four available here which would you recommend?

https://www.danmurphys.com.au/dm/search/dm_search_results_gallery.jsp?bmForm=search&bmFormID=lI14r.5%2F15b90924bad&bmUID=lI14r.6&bmIsForm=true&bmPrevTemplate=%2Fdm%2Fhome.jsp&bmEditable=searchterm&bmHidden=searchterm&searchterm=Blantons&bmEditable=search&bmHidden=search&search=Blantons&bmEditable=searchText&bmHidden=searchText&searchText=&bmEditable=attribute&bmHidden=attribute&attribute=&bmEditable=value&bmHidden=value&value=&bmHidden=searchSubmitted&searchSubmitted=true&bmEditable=giftLandingPrevPath&bmHidden=giftLandingPrevPath&giftLandingPrevPath=&bmText=searchInput&searchInput=Blantons&bmFields=bmText%2CbmEditable%2CbmPrevTemplate%2CbmForm%2CbmIsForm%2CbmUID%2CbmHidden%2CbmFormID&bmHash=839f34cb2787f65335a50eecf97233ee1bf1c608

[myndcraft]

myndcraft I have four available here which would you recommend?
https://www.danmurphys.com.au/dm/sea...7233ee1bf1c608

Unfortunately the search link didn't work for me, but I browsed through their site and these are what I would recommend in the following order…

Blantons
Russels Reserve
Eagle Rare 10yr

They have some other really, and I mean really amazing juice, but the prices are ridiculous on that stuff so start with the above list. Blantons, IMO, really is the "Gold Standard" of bourbons.

[Steve Vojtek]

Thank you for the reply I appreciate it immensely. I'll slowly work my way through that list and then? I don't mind paying for quality so maybe I'll try some of that "amazing juice" one day. Thank you.
Blanton's is next...

[Huskee]

Steve Vojtek Is American bourbon held in the same regard in Australia as Scotch is to us? The whole 'imported, expensive, really good stuff' thing?

[jacmac422]

for Bourbon - Woodford's Reserve or Boulliet rye
Scotch - Glen Morangie nector d' or
honorable mention Pendelton Canadian whiskey

[Huskee]

I've been digging Glenmorangie Lasanta (sherry cask finish) I love sherry bomb Scotch when I want a break from the spice of Bourbon.

[JMuseum]

Hudson whiskeys - great for the price!

[myndcraft]

I really want to like Hudson, but for some reason it doesn't do it for me... In fact neither does Widow Jane also out of NY.

[JMuseum]

Maybe is an NY thing :P

[Smoking77]

Bulleit bourbon when I'm paying. Blanton's when someone else is.

[Steve Vojtek]

Huskee
To answer your question as best as I can:
Both Scotch and Bourbon are imported here so " level playing field "
I personally wouldn't consider one to be better than the other as I enjoy both. I know people who are scotch only and also know people who enjoy both. My dad for example is " scotch only " he doesn't usually like bourbon but he loves Gentleman's Jack.
When I was young ( and of legal drinking age) me and my friends used to drink cheap bourbon mostly - Wild Turkey, Cougar, Jim Beam......
​​​​​​Later I started enjoying Scotch and now I enjoy both.
I have found out only recently that here down under we have distilleries producing whiskeys. Its not advertised in any way and they are mostly small batch producers but they concentrate on quality rather than quantity. I'll have to try them even though they're quite expensive.
I guess it is personal preference and quality here more than anything when it comes to whiskey.
But there are more than twice as many Scotch varieties available here than Bourbon ...not necessarily a measure of preference but more of availability I think...
Pricewise they both start at just under 30 bucks and work their way up according to quality and name....


​​​​​​

[Huskee]

Gotcha, thanks. I was meaning more toward image of the two. Here, bourbon is just 'whiskey' to most...but Scotch being imported from far away is, to many, special. I enjoy both for their unique attributes, and some days crave one more than the other. Thanks for your answer!

[myndcraft]

I agree over last decade Scotch was special for those reasons. In the last 3-5 years though Bourbon has had such a boom that in cities like NY/Chicago/Minneapolis/Portland/Seattle/SF bourbon bars have opened like crazy. Juice that I used to be able to get for $30 a bottle are now well north of $100

[EdF]

Both are special. I think maybe the onset of "boutique" bourbons started a couple hundred years later than for Scotch though.

[Steve Vojtek]

I did get a chance to try Johnny Walker Blue a few weeks ago. It was my Boss's 60th birthday and he hired a venue at a hotel with all you can eat buffet and a music band and there was about 100 people there. And an open bar and almost unlimited bottles of JW Blue. At $180 a bottle its not cheap but I must say it was really easy to drink. Lucky I didn't have to drive (had a friend as designated driver) cause that stuff goes down real easy. I liked the thick glass bottle.

[Huskee]

My brother in law and I tried it together a few years ago, it was $25/shot. Yeah, it's awesome but above my economic status. Recently I tried another Scotch, Oban 18yr. Didn't ask the price. Turns out it was $39/shot. Yikes. But it was incredible. The owner then poured me an on the house shot of The Balvenie Caribbean Cask...so I kinda got my money's worth!

[Steve Vojtek]

It was good especially when I didn't have to pay for it but my fondest memory of that night was watching my workmate walk into a glass door which didn't open in time..He drank too much of the JW Blue and at the end of the night we found him on the footpath passed out (sleeping) ....so funny...

[JMuseum]

Kind of an random whiskey fact, but might be interesting for some of you whiskey drinkers.

https://qz.com/697411/a-utah-distillery-proudly-drags-the-whiskey-industrys-dirty-little-secret-out-of-the-shadows/

[kmhfive]

This is true. It's hard to make a profitable distillery. Minimum of three years to get a young whisky. Some try to sell vodka to get by.

[Huskee]

Methinks selling moonshine is another great way to get by until the whiskey's ready.

[Brewmaster]

My new best friend

[Dogman]

Not much for scotch. All in for bourbon. W L Weller, Makers Mark, and another new one I like is Larceny. These are all wheated bourbons. Can't go wrong with any of these.

[kmhfive]

I'm really liking Bunnahabain right now, but there's a brand new Scotch -- Wolfburn was amazing (They "reopened" in 2013, so last year's bottle was the first bottling they could call "Scotch". Can't wait until they've aged a few casks to 10 or 12 years!

[Aimless1]

My every day scotch is Famous Grouse. Probably the best value in a scotch in my opinion. Better than many single malts and among the best of blended whisky. For the money hard to do better.

Never had JW Blue but not much of a JW fan. Can't say as I have a favorite scotch as I enjoy several single malts. Each is unique and appreciated. Isle of jura 10yr, Laphroaig Quarter Cask, Glen Livet 18 yr, Glen Fiddich 15 yr, Bowmore 15 yr just to name a few.

Favorite bourbon would have to be Makers Mark cask strength.

However, I believe the best whisky is the one in your hand

[rodkeary]

I'm not a bourbon guy "yet".

So, scotch is my brown liquor of choice and blended is my preference. JW Blue ( my friends refer to it as "mother's milk") is my absolute #1 choice but oddly enough I don't care for any other JW products.

Should I win the lottery I'd be sipping JW Blue while waiting on my 14 hour brisket cook. My numbers have not come up yet so I'm still swilling White & Mackay.

I've had a fair share of single malt tastings but honestly, I've never experienced one that would make me change my mind.