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ATOT whiskey drinks: school me please

S

smackababy

Lifer
So, I want to take up whiskey drinking, but really have no frame of reference on what I should be looking at. What is something good for a beginner to pick up? I'd prefer something smooth and tasty. Something I can just sip after dinner or to have a glass an relax. That is particularly hard to do with wine, as if you open a bottle, it will go bad if you don't drink the whole thing. I'd rather not drink a bottle of wine every night.

Price range I would prefer to be something around $50 a bottle. I don't have a preference on much else (age, bourbon / scotch, brand, etc), as I am a noob. I will likely be drinking it neat, or at worse, on the rocks. Just need some suggestions to take a look at, possibly try at a bar before buying a bottle.
 
we already have several threads on this subject.

Is the search function not working tonight?

As for your request: I like Johnnie Walker Black Label.
 
Stick to bottles that are around 80-proof. The 90-110 range will be a bit much.

$50 is pretty high end for bourbon & whiskey. Scotch is another conversation.

Might want to start with a bottle of Basil Hayden, At $45 its very smooth and very drinkable.

If you have a Costco that sells liquor they have a fantastic selection in the $30 - $50 range and even quite a few in the $20-$30 range are tasty.

All are good -

Bulleit
Buffalo Trace
Larceny
Beam Single Barrel
Beam Green Label
Beam Devils Cut
Knob Creek Rye
Hirsch
Four Roses


Canadian blends are super smooth but a bit light on complex flavor-

Seagrams VO
Crown Black (my favorite Canadian)
Pendleton


Irish Whiskey is also very smooth and it too not as complex -

Tullamore Dew (my favorite Irish)
Bushmills
Jameson
 
I'd probably start with regular Jack Daniels no. 7 Black Label and work from there. IMO, Jack is sorta middle/lower-middle road; not absolutely terrible, and not amazing, which makes a fair reference to compare against. Also, pretty much every place stocks it.

I like Stranahan's quite a bit, also Crown Black mentioned above.

Also:
smackababy said:
That is particularly hard to do with wine, as if you open a bottle, it will go bad if you don't drink the whole thing. I'd rather not drink a bottle of wine every night.
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That's not true at all. Wine will be fine for days if you recork it. Maybe not if you're a pro taster, but for most people a glass with/after dinner won't offend even after a few days after you've opened the bottle.
 
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shortylickens said:
we already have several threads on this subject.

Is the search function not working tonight?

As for your request: I like Johnnie Walker Black Label.
Click to expand...

Scotch is a bit of a different animal.

It is a bit of a personal preference, when going there in general I prefer Wild Turkey or Makers Mark.

Seagrams VO was a favorite of mine in the early to mid 80s.

Have always seen Knob Creek recommended, but have never tried it myself.
 
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Gooberlx2 said:
I'd probably start with regular Jack Daniels no. 7 Black Label and work from there. IMO, Jack is sorta middle/lower-middle road; not absolutely terrible, and not amazing, which makes a fair reference to compare against. Also, pretty much every place stocks it.

I like Stranahan's quite a bit, also Crown Black mentioned above.

Also:


That's not true at all. Wine will be fine for days if you recork it. Maybe not if you're a pro taster, but for most people a glass with/after dinner won't offend even after a few days.
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Jack was pretty much always one of the standards of course long ago, but I still think I'd go Wild Turkey for starters over it.

*edit* I didn't mean 101 for sipping for starters on the rocks or straight.

That would be more for mixing, like in a Manhattan.
 
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I'll say this as a moderate to advanced whiskey drinker; don't start with Scotch. Just don't. First off, it's really expensive, so the longer you can put off an appreciation for it, the better. Second, the smoky malty quality that is unique to Scotch is also very much an acquired taste, and it's easier to acquaint yourself with if you're familiar (and enjoy) other whiskeys such as bourbon or Irish. So hold off on Scotch for a bit and get some other whiskeys under your belt.

To answer your question, I'd start with Buffalo Trace. It's a very easy drinking bourbon, with sufficient bourbon flavor, but not overpowering like some more "advanced" whiskeys. It's also perfect for mixed drinks, like a whiskey sour, old fashioned, Manhattan (ideally a rye whiskey drink, but Buffalo Trace works fine), and the like. Even simple highballs like a whiskey and Coke will work nicely with it. And it's around $25 a bottle, so it's an easier entry point than your budget allows. And, let's face it, high end stuff is wasted on novices, no matter what you're talking about. Beer, coffee, cigars, whatever; a novice doesn't have the background to distinguish what identifies quality, so there's no frame of reference. So don't bother going $50 trying to familiarize yourself with bourbon; start mid-tier and work your way up. In the mid-tier, Buffalo Trace and Elijah Craig 12 Year are solid entries, both for sipping neat or mixing.

-EDIT- In response to what some others in this thread are saying... Jack Daniels is not good whiskey, and not indicative of what basically any other whiskey will taste like. Which is great if you like Jack; but it makes for a poor jumping off point to other whiskeys. Wild Turkey is great, but at 101 proof, it's harsh, and better suited for mixing. It's not a great starter whiskey unless you like your bourbon on the rocks without losing much flavor (which is not a terrible way to drink whiskey no matter what others may say... although I will say I think it's a terrible way to drink whiskey 😀).
 
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Atomic Playboy said:
-EDIT- In response to what some others in this thread are saying... Jack Daniels is not good whiskey, and not indicative of what basically any other whiskey will taste like. Which is great if you like Jack; but it makes for a poor jumping off point to other whiskeys. Wild Turkey is great, but at 101 proof, it's harsh, and better suited for mixing. It's not a great starter whiskey unless you like your bourbon on the rocks without losing much flavor (which is not a terrible way to drink whiskey no matter what others may say... although I will say I think it's a terrible way to drink whiskey 😀).
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Regular Jack Daniels is the only alcohol I have given away. I just didn't like it. I tried Gentleman Jack and it was decent.

I didn't think Wild Turkey 101 was that bad unless you're doing shots. I'm not a shot person and they tend to be one of the only things that give me heartburn. Maker's Mark is also good. I'll have to try your other suggestions.

Canadian blended whiskey is a good place to start. I like Canadian Club Classic as IMHO it tastes a little better than the popular Crown Royal. Both a very good though.
 
Atomic Playboy said:
I'll say this as a moderate to advanced whiskey drinker; don't start with Scotch. Just don't. First off, it's really expensive, so the longer you can put off an appreciation for it, the better. Second, the smoky malty quality that is unique to Scotch is also very much an acquired taste, and it's easier to acquaint yourself with if you're familiar (and enjoy) other whiskeys such as bourbon or Irish. So hold off on Scotch for a bit and get some other whiskeys under your belt.

To answer your question, I'd start with Buffalo Trace. It's a very easy drinking bourbon, with sufficient bourbon flavor, but not overpowering like some more "advanced" whiskeys. It's also perfect for mixed drinks, like a whiskey sour, old fashioned, Manhattan (ideally a rye whiskey drink, but Buffalo Trace works fine), and the like. Even simple highballs like a whiskey and Coke will work nicely with it. And it's around $25 a bottle, so it's an easier entry point than your budget allows. And, let's face it, high end stuff is wasted on novices, no matter what you're talking about. Beer, coffee, cigars, whatever; a novice doesn't have the background to distinguish what identifies quality, so there's no frame of reference. So don't bother going $50 trying to familiarize yourself with bourbon; start mid-tier and work your way up. In the mid-tier, Buffalo Trace and Elijah Craig 12 Year are solid entries, both for sipping neat or mixing.

-EDIT- In response to what some others in this thread are saying... Jack Daniels is not good whiskey, and not indicative of what basically any other whiskey will taste like. Which is great if you like Jack; but it makes for a poor jumping off point to other whiskeys. Wild Turkey is great, but at 101 proof, it's harsh, and better suited for mixing. It's not a great starter whiskey unless you like your bourbon on the rocks without losing much flavor (which is not a terrible way to drink whiskey no matter what others may say... although I will say I think it's a terrible way to drink whiskey 😀).
Click to expand...

The only reason I stated such a high budget was to give room for things and because I'd rather spare myself the truly terrible. If someone came to me and said "hey, I've never had Vodka, what's a good place to start?" I would never recommend any of the cheap garbage, as it isn't representative of vodka as a whole and would likely just turn off anyone that wasn't a college student. And, as such, I prefer to stay away from high balls, as I am not particularly a fan of any of the common mixers.

As for your suggestion, it seems like Buffalo Trace might be hard to find in my area. The primary liquor store here (with a website, at least) is Binny's and every store in IL is labeled as "Limited Call Store" or "Out of Stock".
 
smackababy said:
As for your suggestion, it seems like Buffalo Trace might be hard to find in my area. The primary liquor store here (with a website, at least) is Binny's and every store in IL is labeled as "Limited Call Store" or "Out of Stock".
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According to the Binny's website, it seems like Knob Creek is widely available in the same price range. Knob Creek is exceptional bourbon, and generally $15 more per bottle than you get it for. It can be harsh for a novice, so a single ice cube or a little water might help, but it's still an extremely high quality whiskey for the money. It mixes well too, though a bourbon of that quality is best consumed straight.
 
You don't need to drink the whole bottle of wine once you open it. Just get a wine pump and stopper so you can store an open bottle of wine. It will last a few days.
 
CraKaJaX said:
The 'what are you drinking' thread turned me to Bulleit. I have not looked back. Delicious stuff.
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Just tried it, now one of my favorite bourbons. I love Woodford Reserve and Knob Creek also. A lot of good stuff out there. OP, you just have to try different brands yourself. Shorty mentioned this guy in other threads - ralfy.com. He's mainly a Scotch guy but has tons of reviews on bourbons and other spirits on youtube, and his own site. Lots of good advice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvhKbk8-44I
 
stargazr said:
Just tried it, now one of my favorite bourbons. I love Woodford Reserve and Knob Creek also. A lot of good stuff out there. OP, you just have to try different brands yourself. Shorty mentioned this guy in other threads - ralfy.com. He's mainly a Scotch guy but has tons of reviews on bourbons and other spirits on youtube, and his own site. Lots of good advice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvhKbk8-44I
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:thumbsup:

Give the rye a shot too. Just as good!
 
smackababy said:
So, I want to take up whiskey drinking, but really have no frame of reference on what I should be looking at.
Click to expand...

If you're doing it right, you should be looking at the sky and be free of any discernible reference frame. 😛

At least that's what I remember about it from high school.
 
JB Black is a good starter
Bulleit if you want higher proof
Dalwhinnie 15 Years
Jap whisky if you like it really really smooth and easy to drink

Stay away from Islay if you don't like smoky favor.
 
Atomic Playboy said:
Jack Daniels is not good whiskey, and not indicative of what basically any other whiskey will taste like. Which is great if you like Jack; but it makes for a poor jumping off point to other whiskeys.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I can see how Jack isn't like other whiskeys. I guess I was going off my old memories, where when I started drinking, the local shop pretty much only carried Jack Daniels or Jim Beam. I remember liking Jim Bean even less. I certainly wouldn't choose to drink Jack now.
 
nakedfrog said:
This was the first thing I thought of given the parameters.

Also very good recommendations in the same line.
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I have a 18 year Highland and 30 year Highland. Single Malt Scotch > all.

When are you going to come see Age of Ultron and try 'em? 😉

(You will have to get over your ridiculous phobia of West-O, it's all one city regardless)
 
I hate the taste of whiskey, but I love the smell of whiskey.

I've infused plenty of cigars with booze (whiskey, rum, wine), and Maker's Mark, by far, is the best aromatic whiskey I've come across.
 
Bourbon - Knob Creek
Scotch - Highland Park 12yr
Rye - Pikesville is *cheap*, and a good, if uncomplicated introduction
Irish - Black Bush

While you're at the the store, get some vodka. Doesn't matter what kind, just pick a price you want to pay. It's good for cleaning the toilet ;^)
 
Virge_ said:
I have a 18 year Highland and 30 year Highland. Single Malt Scotch > all.

When are you going to come see Age of Ultron and try 'em? 😉

(You will have to get over your ridiculous phobia of West-O, it's all one city regardless)
Click to expand...

I'm down to the last bit of my Macallan 18. I may shed a tear when it's gone 🙁
I'm actually going to be at 132nd for a meeting today, but have to head back home afterwards. I do still need to see Age of Ultron though...
 
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