Any whiskey drinkers here?

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Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:34 pm

Just curious, as a friend and I were drinking and I think he's off on some urban myth about whiskey. My favorites are Jameson (the 12 year is very good) and Glenfiddich. Like any bottle of alcohol (such as wine), I open the bottle, and then let it breath for a few minutes. According to my friend this will "let the alcohol evaporate." Now that would be just terrible alcohol abuse (don't want to waste any of that goodness). Personally I think he was drinking to much, as that would mean alcohol would evaporate even in the bottle and get out when you pop off the cap (and I don't hear it open like a carbonated soda bottle).

So I leave it to you more experienced drinkers, should a good aged whiskey be set out to breathe for a few minutes? I know it helps bring out the taste.

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:35 pm

Ahem, Glenfiddich is whisky. Jameson is whiskey. You need to be careful about these things!

But I am a bourbon drinker, so can't answer your question!

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:41 pm

Well types of whiskey. the Glen is a Scotch whisky and the Jameson is an Irish Whiskey. Either way it's all good. What's your brand of choice Hekate?

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:02 pm

Jack Daniels! Laughing

My dad and a few of my uncles are whisky drinkers. When they drink it, they make one 'half' (as it's called in Scotland) last quite a while, so there might be something in the idea that it should be given time to breathe? My dad likes Pinwhinnie, or the Macallan. And is also quite fond of Lagavulin.

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:03 pm

If left open it will evaporate. Not in the way your friend says, but all of the liquid will evaporate. Just to test it, pour a tiny bit of your favourite into a glass and let it set over night. ALL of the liquid will be gone in the morning, not just the alcohol.

When it is aged in the barrel for 12 years some of it does evaporate. This is called the angel's share.

There are people that say using the right glass and what not will open the whiskey like a wine. I am not a whiskey or wine drinker so I don't know. Vodka is my choice.... a good Polish potato vodka.... mmmmmm......

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:07 pm

It was New Years, and we were preparing for the greatest idea my buddy and I had ever come up with: Drinking Chess.

The Bishops, obviously, had to be whiskey - so we headed down to Binny's to find the ideal amber liquid...

I kid you not.

...I thought it tasted lovely.

I WOULD let it breathe, incidentally.

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:15 pm

(Just waiting for the first Scottish dude to pop in and make the obligatory comment about "whisky" meaning "water of life." They always do that - as if it were something new and exciting -, so the countown is on.)

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 2628

Rather than opening the bottle I'd let the whisky warm up and breathe in the glass.
Some of the peatier malts taste better warmer, hence the Scots shuddering at ice in a glass I guess
But I may not be the best source. My hubby has just started talking to me again after I put Pepsi in Glenmorangie at Hogmanay.

I'll try most things to drink apart fron gin- cant stand the stuff, or ouzo, or Pernod
And I'm now very wary of my pal Elspeth's "mead"

Current weekend tipple is Southern Comfort with ginger and a bit lime

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:22 pm

It's probably not so much letting it breathe, as getting it warmed to the extent that the aroma (nose) of the liquor is released,

The worst thing you can do to any good whisky/ey is put ice in it.

It takes too long for it to warm up in your mouth, and you lose all the flavour.

Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg are the ones I prefer, rich peat smoked with seaweed and salty flavours. Laphroaig has a Friends of club, you get a free tour, nice certificates, and a free dram when you visit the distillery

http://www.scotchwhisky.com/english/about/malts/regislay.htm

http://www.laphroaig.com/

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:30 pm

A Scotman dont use ice in there whiskey cuz it waters it down. it should be drunk room temp or slightly warmed in a sniffter. warming bring out a aroma and flavor. the aroma is a lot to do with the favor. try it plug you nose and take a sip. try it again while inhauling slightly through your nose and see the diffrence

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 2628

Quote:

Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg

Nice choices Irish.
But I'd probably still put coke or pepsi in them Embarassed

KD you know what we Scots say about whisky?
It gets you drunk.
Goanny geiz anuther yin

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:48 pm

<br>Anybody that puts ice or even (or should that be Evan?) water in an aged malt whisky should be shot.

BTW. Did you know 'whisky' means 'water of life' in Garlic? Laughing

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 10:11 pm

I'm more likely to reach for tequila than I am for whiskey, but as far as whisky goes, I have Glenfiddich on hand for an occasional shot, and for whiskey I have Jack Daniels.....which I use for a couple of recipes.

EDITED TO ADD:

Here's a BBQ sauce/baste that a friend of mine came up with:

1/2 cup of whiskey or wine (Jack Daniels is what I use)
1/2 cup of virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of allspice
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of garlic powder

These ingredients can be combined in a measuring cup. Stir well, and let sit for a half hour or so. Stir it up again, and then baste the meat as you're cooking it.

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 10:12 pm

I always feel it criminal to add water and barbarious to add ice to a beautifully honed Whisk(e)y. It may be necessary in the cheap stuff, but the good stuff should be kept in the same pure condition the distillers spent 20-odd years getting perfect to drink!

There is a fashion for colder and colder drinks, with pubs offering 'ice' versions of lots of beers, ice in cider, etc. Good pubs in the UK sell ales which are served much closer to room temperature than the lagers etc - so they all have individual flavours that you can discern.
As a rule, the colder the drink, the less of it you can taste, so it's used as a way of making the tacky stuff saleable!

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 10:17 pm

The man is right.. you don't need to let whisky breathe. Just make sure it's at room temperature. I have two bottles on my bookcase, a Blair Athol from Pitlochry, and a Highland Park from Kirkwall in the Ornkneys. I don't drink them much, just a single glass now and then. I usually buy new stuff whenever I'm up there, Highland Park is �23-�28 in London, but �17 in Kirkwall.

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 2628

Isn't it funny how whisky is even cheaper in Greece.
1st time I went to Rhodes with my sister I ended up stuffing my suitcase full of malts to bring home Wink

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 11:10 pm

I love scotch, actually more than vicodin. I used to drink it on the rocks until I visited Scotland and found out it's much better just by itself, as packman said. My favorites are Oban and Glen Ord -- great for sipping.
If I find myself on a mission to get blotto drunk and don't want to waste the good stuff, I'll go for Dewars - which is my favorite blended scotch.

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 11:18 pm

manbiteslion wrote:

As a rule, the colder the drink, the less of it you can taste, so it's used as a way of making the tacky stuff saleable!

Except for Vodka. Best drink on the planet.... place bottle of VERY good vodka in freezer, wait 24 hrs, drink.

Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 11:46 pm

Tommo Shanter wrote:

BTW. Did you know 'whisky' means 'water of life' in Garlic? Laughing

Some big guy in a dress looking like Mel Gibson with blue face paint will be along to take care of you soon. (ducks under the desk due to the empty bottles being thrown at me by the Scots-Irish grandmother after she saw what I wrote).

@ Nanny Ogg: Hmm I'll start letting it breathe in the glass then. I never have the whisk(e)y on the rocks, it does mess up the flavor quite a bit. Thanks for the info Nanny.

@ Mugatu: So you don't let it breathe in the glass for a minute or so? Maybe it's in my head but it seems to bring the drink out a little better.

edit:

@ The others: Yeah I can see it warming up bringing out the flavor. Might not be the air at all... either way it tastes better out of the bottle for a few moments.

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 12:46 am

argh can't help bein a smartass: it's originally called Uisge Beata (Celtic).. then the name evolved to Usquebaugh, then Uisge and finally Whisky... so.. yeah still it means aqua vitae, wich also translates to water of life.. Razz

Also in Scandinavia there's a drink called akvavit, akevitt or aquavit, wich does not in any way resemble whisky, whiskey, Uisge, Usquebaugh or Uisge Beata... It is like vodka, often distilled on potatoes, tho some of them are also distilled on grain. IMO it tastes horrible compared to a good whisky tho. Gimme a good Glenfiddich any day.

Elite Baiter Joined: 02 Jul 2006 Posts: 1702

Science lol

Alcohol boils at 72'C so for all the alc to evaporate you would need to boil it, normal room temp will evapourate some, but certainly not enough to make any difference between it being open and drank.

A good bottle of glenfiddich can cost around �10,000 and at that price you wont want the angels to get any share they can go figure and drink nectar and leave us with the glen lol.

From weights and measures - pub trade see as they have open whisky all the time, the bottle has around 49.8% 24 hours later it has 49.8% (someone drank the bottle lmao) nah it does not lose enough to reduce itself the neck of the bottle keeps the airflow low enough only a tiny fraction - what you can smell is escaping - if you poured it all out however then more surface is exposed and it will evap quicker - but who is going to do that?

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 1:14 am

Reprob8 wrote:

I'll go for Dewars - which is my favorite blended scotch.

A blend is a blend is a blend. Honestly, there's no point in having a favourite.

I was in the liquor trade for 15 years and can tell you that 99.9999999999% of people would not have a clue which blend they are drinking. You can have a guy who drinks Bells every day and swears it's the best blend, but give him a Grouse and he won't know the difference.
I've lost count of the number of people that have given me gyp because I didn't have their blend in stock but when given another brand and told it's theirs' (I found a bottle in the stock cupboard), drank it without batting an eyelid.

I honestly couldn't name a single customer who could tell the difference between a supermarket blend and a big name blend. So save your money dude!!!

Malts, Irish and Bourbon are a different story.

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:41 am

^^^I've thought that for years.

@Full Auto, if you have any questions regarding the alcohol content you can trust me and my team of professionals (the Major). Send us your wiskey and we will put it through a comprehensive test which will determine the quality, or lack of. We will provide you with the results at no charge, as soon as we sober up

NOTE: any similar offers by Obi Wan should be considered scams.

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 4:26 am

@ B. A. Ware: Ok that sounds good... but my room mate and I require that testing be done in our own college laboratory facilities for quality assurance reasons. Feel free to stop by anytime. Very Happy

Also feel free to bring Obi Wan too... we can get some interesting trophy pictures.

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Feb 2005 Posts: 2301

Jack Daniels....and I'm a Tennessee Squire. Very Happy

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