XMACRO
Every once in a while, when I am enjoying a cigar, I will pull out Kettle 1 vodka, either on the rocks or neat. Nothing improves a cigar like a nice vodke. Maybe its just my pallet but it can't hurt to try.
Well, you guys really stirred up my curiosity. I hadn't ever heard of Buffalo Trace or Bulleit bourbon before you mentioned them. So today, since I was in Sacramento where there's a BevMo store or three, I stopped in and bought a bottle of each of 'em. The hick town where I live didn't have either of them in any liquor store in town.
Now I can't wait to try 'em. I think I'll start with the Buffalo Trace this evening with a nice stick after dinner. I'll keep you posted.
XMACRO
Every once in a while, when I am enjoying a cigar, I will pull out Kettle 1 vodka, either on the rocks or neat. Nothing improves a cigar like a nice vodke. Maybe its just my pallet but it can't hurt to try.
/// +1 on the Vodka. Enough flavor to refresh but not too much to interfere with the cigar.
I usually have a couple drinks before dinner so I decided to try the Buffalo Trace. I filled an old-fashioned glass (I think bartenders call 'em 'tubs') with ice and then filled it with Buffalo Trace. The glass holds about 4 oz. of bourbon. My first taste was very smooth but also very mild so when I finished that one, I went back to my everyday sour mash for my second one.
After dinner I poured a good-sized snifter of the buffalo Trace and took it and an RP Edge Lite double corona out on the patio. The Buffalo Trace is quite good in the snifter. It's a good sippin' whiskey but IMHO it's a tad mild. I prefer a little more body to my bourbon - Knob Creek is good for that.
Maker's Mark is kinda like that - quite mild. But then, it's a wheated bourbon so maybe that accounts for it.
I couldn't find anywhere on the label where it says Buffalo Trace is a sour mash bourbon but I did see that it says Kentucky Straight Bourbon so it's evidently not sour mash. Anyway, it's good but not great. I wouldn't refuse a drink if someone offered but I probably wouldn't buy it again.
Well, Like the Buffalo Trace, the Bulleit is good. Not great, but good. It's got a little more body than the Buffalo Trace but still not as much as Knob Creek. Of course, Knob Creek is 100 proof and these two are only 90 proof. And neither one of them is a sour mash bourbon. That may have a bit to do with it.
I'm glad I tried 'em and my thanks to those of you who piqued my curiosity. But I think I'll stick to Knob Creek until I find something I like better.
Well, Like the Buffalo Trace, the Bulleit is good. Not great, but good. It's got a little more body than the Buffalo Trace but still not as much as Knob Creek. Of course, Knob Creek is 100 proof and these two are only 90 proof. And neither one of them is a sour mash bourbon. That may have a bit to do with it.
I'm glad I tried 'em and my thanks to those of you who piqued my curiosity. But I think I'll stick to Knob Creek until I find something I like better.
Marty
You tried Knob's Small Batch Bourbons - Basil Hayden's, Booker's, Baker's? I like my bourbon smoother, which is why I like the Buffalo Trace bourbons more than Knob. If you want all out power, try George T. Stagg from Buffalo Trace distillery if you can ever find it. Once yearly release, unfiltered, uncut, and average proof has been around 140.
Well, Like the Buffalo Trace, the Bulleit is good. Not great, but good. It's got a little more body than the Buffalo Trace but still not as much as Knob Creek. Of course, Knob Creek is 100 proof and these two are only 90 proof. And neither one of them is a sour mash bourbon. That may have a bit to do with it.
I'm glad I tried 'em and my thanks to those of you who piqued my curiosity. But I think I'll stick to Knob Creek until I find something I like better.
Marty
You tried Knob's Small Batch Bourbons - Basil Hayden's, Booker's, Baker's? I like my bourbon smoother, which is why I like the Buffalo Trace bourbons more than Knob. If you want all out power, try George T. Stagg from Buffalo Trace distillery if you can ever find it. Once yearly release, unfiltered, uncut, and average proof has been around 140.
Im not sure about all of these, Ive had knob creek & makers, I prefer woodford Reserve to both of those. But for something a bit smoother witha cigar I really prefer Eagle Rare 10 on ice with a stout stick.
DA*N! You guys set a hard pace. I still have part of a bottle of Booker's that I save for special occasions, but I haven't yet tried Basil Hayden's, Baker's, George T. Stagg or Eagle Rare 10. I'll have to take out a second mortgage to try all these.........
DA*N! You guys set a hard pace. I still have part of a bottle of Booker's that I save for special occasions, but I haven't yet tried Basil Hayden's, Baker's, George T. Stagg or Eagle Rare 10. I'll have to take out a second mortgage to try all these.........
Marty
The Eagle 10 is smooth as well. Very similar to Buffalo Trace, just a lil sweeter. May be even smoother to me. You want something with some oomph to it, I'd go straight to the Eagle Rare 17 ,but it'll set you back about $55. I thought bourbon mellowed more as it aged, but not that one. I can drink Eagle Rare 10 straight all day, but the 17 was too strong. I had to cut it with a little water. Other than those, the Baker's and Booker's are good, and very much in line with Knob Creek. Woodford and 1792 definitely have more of a burn to them as well.
OK So I went and got some Buffalo Trace.
Lit up a Cocinero Liga Especial (got on a super deal for less than $2 a stick) and the Buffalo made the gar taste better and the gar made the Buffalo taste better....... good combination..... thanks for the suggestion !
I liked it better that Knob Creek.
Thanks !
X-macro. If you like the B&B have you tried Benedictine on the rocks? I like that alot more. I would also suggest Wild Turkey American Honey. It is amazing stuff. Evan Williams honey is also good. Personally my favs are all scotch Glenlivet 12, Lagavulin 16, Macallen 12. I love rum and coke with cigars and I would like to find a rum that is GOOD straight up to try that but everything I have tried so far has been beyond nasty .
Time for someone to toss a turd in the punchbowl.......but I quit drinking hard liquor with my cigars.
I still enjoy a variety of bourbons and scotch, but not while I'm smoking.
(I used to always have a scotch with a cigar............but after some reading/research, and changes to my palette I suppose.....I now only drink a home-made radlermass, coffee, or maybe a Dr. Pepper.)
Balvenie Doublewood is pretty dang good though.............
Rum is a safe choice. If you're into mixing drinks, a Mojito is pretty much the tops for me when enjoying with cigars, but I'm never shy to try a good bourbon with a smoke too. If you're not mixing, make sure to get a nice rum though. Stay away from the captain.
someone resurrected a really old thread here. well, I've been really getting in to single malt scotch as of late and so I'll throw my .02 in here.
Ardbeg Correyvrecken is tops on my list right now. It has smoke, peat, salty air, to the nose. the blast to the palate is so deep it's insane. The sweet, the red pepper, the anise, the whole experience is mind boggling. Works well with a Ruination, Padron anny, or Anejo. Lagavulin 16 is another Islay malt and it's phenomenal. Smokey, peaty, and super smooth. Talisker is another great malt to try with an Opus or something savory.
A couple pics of the Scotch collection as of yet. A friend and I have a joint collection so this is about half of what we have.
Stopped reading through the posts about half way through but I'm surprised for rum that no one has mentioned Zaya. By far my favorite rum at the moment. You can really taste the sugar cane. For bourbons I'm loving bulleit at the moment for more of a budget bourbon and angel's envy for a pricier bourbon.
If you are looking for a whiskey that is DE-licious but wont kill the bank look up Eagle Rare... single barrel whiskey, smooth as glass with dumptrucks full of flavor.
Well I'm goin to go out on a limb here because I didn't read every recommendation, but here is my fav scotch brands that to me is smooth and fits the occasion, but hey I drink to live so I might be out of line here:
at the liquor store if they have it. It's not super rare but it's not a regular release either. In Oregon, it's $85 a bottle but we have high liquor taxes here. If I see a bottle, I usually find a way to get it. Also, if you see Ardbeg Alligator, pick that up. It's around $100 a bottle but it's super rare and supposed to be good. I have a bottle I bought with my buddy that we are waiting to open until New Years.
Well I'm goin to go out on a limb here because I didn't read every recommendation, but here is my fav scotch brands that to me is smooth and fits the occasion, but hey I drink to live so I might be out of line here:
Single: BUCHANAN'S DELUXE 18YEAR OLD
Blended: Buchanan's "De Luxe" 12 Year Old
Eric if you are a Scotch man, there is one I personally promise you will fall in love with, based on what you posted above. Cragganmore.... Seriously. It's one of the 7 classic malts... and its a Single Malt Speyside that is super smoky and has a lot of that peat moss flavor, but it finishes on your palate cleaner than any I've tried, and there is ZERO bite. Here is a link, and here in Colorado I can find it on sale often times for less than $50 a bottle: http://whisky.com/brands/cragganmore_brand.html Trust me man, gotta try it if you ever find it! -- Brett
I'm a big fan of both the Knob Creek and Woodford Reserve, but for those special occasions, I'd have to say NOTHING beats 23 year old Pappy VanWinkle Family Reserve on ice. Very smooth, but still has enough umph to it to keep you interested.
http://www.bourbonandwhiskey.com/bourbon_whiskey/Van_Winkle/pappy_vanwinkle.htm
Well I'm goin to go out on a limb here because I didn't read every recommendation, but here is my fav scotch brands that to me is smooth and fits the occasion, but hey I drink to live so I might be out of line here:
Single: BUCHANAN'S DELUXE 18YEAR OLD
Blended: Buchanan's "De Luxe" 12 Year Old
Eric if you are a Scotch man, there is one I personally promise you will fall in love with, based on what you posted above. Cragganmore.... Seriously. It's one of the 7 classic malts... and its a Single Malt Speyside that is super smoky and has a lot of that peat moss flavor, but it finishes on your palate cleaner than any I've tried, and there is ZERO bite. Here is a link, and here in Colorado I can find it on sale often times for less than $50 a bottle: http://whisky.com/brands/cragganmore_brand.html Trust me man, gotta try it if you ever find it! -- Brett
Cragganmore is the only classic malt I haven't tried yet. Good to know.
Well I'm goin to go out on a limb here because I didn't read every recommendation, but here is my fav scotch brands that to me is smooth and fits the occasion, but hey I drink to live so I might be out of line here:
Single: BUCHANAN'S DELUXE 18YEAR OLD
Blended: Buchanan's "De Luxe" 12 Year Old
Eric if you are a Scotch man, there is one I personally promise you will fall in love with, based on what you posted above. Cragganmore.... Seriously. It's one of the 7 classic malts... and its a Single Malt Speyside that is super smoky and has a lot of that peat moss flavor, but it finishes on your palate cleaner than any I've tried, and there is ZERO bite. Here is a link, and here in Colorado I can find it on sale often times for less than $50 a bottle: http://whisky.com/brands/cragganmore_brand.html Trust me man, gotta try it if you ever find it! -- Brett
Cragganmore is the only classic malt I haven't tried yet. Good to know.
gonna try it now....thanks....always lookin for new life.....
Well I'm goin to go out on a limb here because I didn't read every recommendation, but here is my fav scotch brands that to me is smooth and fits the occasion, but hey I drink to live so I might be out of line here:
Single: BUCHANAN'S DELUXE 18YEAR OLD
Blended: Buchanan's "De Luxe" 12 Year Old
Eric if you are a Scotch man, there is one I personally promise you will fall in love with, based on what you posted above. Cragganmore.... Seriously. It's one of the 7 classic malts... and its a Single Malt Speyside that is super smoky and has a lot of that peat moss flavor, but it finishes on your palate cleaner than any I've tried, and there is ZERO bite. Here is a link, and here in Colorado I can find it on sale often times for less than $50 a bottle: http://whisky.com/brands/cragganmore_brand.html Trust me man, gotta try it if you ever find it! -- Brett
Cragganmore is the only classic malt I haven't tried yet. Good to know.
gonna try it now....thanks....always lookin for new life.....
Eric and Dennis.... everyone's tastes are different but at Scotch parties, my Cragganmore never makes it home even if I bring a full bottle, while everyone else's goes home with some left in their bottles. Kinda speaks for itself, but ultimately I think it is probably the most complex and the most character while being the cleanest finish by far, but that is just my 2 cents.
Not to derail too much here, but Sailor Jerry + Dr. Pepper + movie theater = awesome time.
hehe, I second that one! Sailor Jerry is a nice rum, the 100 proof stuff is what I get, but I usually don't drink it with cigars. I personally enjoy stouts more with cigars than HL. However Pendleton whiskey is nice to have neat with an ice cube (well then it wouldn't be neat but I never put more than one in a drink, to open it up). Ron Zucappa is a nice rum too, the XO is fantastic however not as sweet as the regular one.
I run into the same issues too. For me I have no places to try scotch or whiskeys. I have to go off reviews and in some cases find people with similar tastes. I want to really give Rob props here, he has led me to many liquors I have really enjoyed. Scotch is really the only one who I am getting into. It's fun to find the good ones, however it can get really expensive unless you really do research or actually try samples.
Give Irish Whiskey a try. Irish is in my opinion far superior to Scotch. There are reasons why, and Irish is much smoother. My fave is Midleton, but that is a treat for special occassions. It aint cheap. But there are several really good ones without breaking the bank. A few of my favorite choices are Red ***, Black Bush, and my wife's choice is Tullamore Dew.
I have converted several hard core scotch drinkers to Irish. You may be suprised. Good luck.
Stopped reading through the posts about half way through but I'm surprised for rum that no one has mentioned Zaya. By far my favorite rum at the moment. You can really taste the sugar cane. For bourbons I'm loving bulleit at the moment for more of a budget bourbon and angel's envy for a pricier bourbon.
Zaya is absolutely fantastic if you're not making a mixed drink. If you take your drinks neat or on the rocks, it's pretty much the tops.
Comments
+1 on the Vodka. Enough flavor to refresh but not too much to interfere with the cigar.
After dinner I poured a good-sized snifter of the buffalo Trace and took it and an RP Edge Lite double corona out on the patio. The Buffalo Trace is quite good in the snifter. It's a good sippin' whiskey but IMHO it's a tad mild. I prefer a little more body to my bourbon - Knob Creek is good for that.
Maker's Mark is kinda like that - quite mild. But then, it's a wheated bourbon so maybe that accounts for it.
I couldn't find anywhere on the label where it says Buffalo Trace is a sour mash bourbon but I did see that it says Kentucky Straight Bourbon so it's evidently not sour mash. Anyway, it's good but not great. I wouldn't refuse a drink if someone offered but I probably wouldn't buy it again.
I'll probably try the Bulleit tonight.
Marty
I'm glad I tried 'em and my thanks to those of you who piqued my curiosity. But I think I'll stick to Knob Creek until I find something I like better.
Marty
Marty
I still enjoy a variety of bourbons and scotch, but not while I'm smoking.
(I used to always have a scotch with a cigar............but after some reading/research, and changes to my palette I suppose.....I now only drink a home-made radlermass, coffee, or maybe a Dr. Pepper.)
Balvenie Doublewood is pretty dang good though.............
Ardbeg Correyvrecken is tops on my list right now. It has smoke, peat, salty air, to the nose. the blast to the palate is so deep it's insane. The sweet, the red pepper, the anise, the whole experience is mind boggling. Works well with a Ruination, Padron anny, or Anejo.
Lagavulin 16 is another Islay malt and it's phenomenal. Smokey, peaty, and super smooth.
Talisker is another great malt to try with an Opus or something savory.
A couple pics of the Scotch collection as of yet. A friend and I have a joint collection so this is about half of what we have.
recently ive been drinking four roses single barrel.
i was at a friends house and he had me try disaronno while smoking a punch punch. alittle sweet for me but it wasnt bad
Single: BUCHANAN'S DELUXE 18YEAR OLD
Blended: Buchanan's "De Luxe" 12 Year Old
I run into the same issues too. For me I have no places to try scotch or whiskeys. I have to go off reviews and in some cases find people with similar tastes. I want to really give Rob props here, he has led me to many liquors I have really enjoyed. Scotch is really the only one who I am getting into. It's fun to find the good ones, however it can get really expensive unless you really do research or actually try samples.
I have converted several hard core scotch drinkers to Irish. You may be suprised. Good luck.