Spirits, what you drinking...

[bkdc]

Which did you prefer?

For multiple drinks, Yamazaki 18. Balanced and complex. The Glengoyne 25 tastes the most expensive and mature with intensity and complexity but I don’t think I’d drink more than one or two because it really tastes special and has a super duper duper long finish. The longest finish I’ve ever experienced. The Macallan 18 (1996 cask) is oh so close head to head with the Glendronach Allardice.. both are intense sweet sherry bombs. Macallan has that great mouth feel which is hard to replicate. Glendronach is bottled at 46 percent ABV which is better than the 43 of Yamazaki and Macallan but the old Macallan are special and I prefer the Macallan 18. The new Macallan 18 sherry oak is inferior and it is impossible to justify buying it over the Glendronach Allardice which is less than half the price and is a much better dram. I believe anyone who tastes the newer Macallan 18 and buys to drink (not collect) will never buy another bottle of Macallan 18 again given the crazy price increases, quality decline and the existence of the Glendronach alternative.

 

[bkdc]

 

[bkdc]

Rum. Lovely stuff.

 

[ryanosaur]

View attachment 224697

Rum. Lovely stuff.

Diplomatico is excessively drinkable.

 

[bkdc]

Diplomatico is excessively drinkable.

It’s dangerously easy to put down. The 2000 VTG is top shelf stuff. I’m glad I bought three bottles when it came out but I took one to a friend’s party, and it got emptied in 30 minutes. The 2004 is almost there and can still be found. The 2005 is a slight step down but it’s what is widely available right now. The Reserva or Seleccion de Familia is probably much better bang for the buck and so easy to drink.

 

[Laserjock]

It’s dangerously easy to put down. The 2000 VTG is top shelf stuff. I’m glad I bought three bottles when it came out but I took one to a friend’s party, and it got emptied in 30 minutes. The 2004 is almost there and can still be found. The 2005 is a slight step down but it’s what is widely available right now. The Reserva or Seleccion de Familia is probably much better bang for the buck and so easy to drink.

Price point?

 

[DMill]

Price point?

You can get the Reserva around here for about $40 bottle (western New York). I believe the 2000 pictured above is over $1000 bottle? Much too expensive for the amount I drink

 

[Trouble Maker]

You can get the Reserva around here for about $40 bottle (western New York). I believe the 2000 pictured above is over $1000 bottle? Much too expensive for the amount I drink

Reserva and their Single Vintage are different rums that just happen to be from the same company. New Single Vintage from 2005 or 2007 looks like it's somewhere around $125. I'm assuming that the Single Vintage 2000 has gotten crazy on the secondary market and that's why it's so expensive. So on multiple fronts not a good comparison.

The Reserva is good, especially for the price. For me not much in that price range is very sippable on it's own, but the Reserva is.

I got a Single Vintage 2005 bottle for a good friends bachelor party a few years ago. It was really good, very easy to drink on it's own. People at his party that 'don't like rum' really liked it. I'm guessing they had never had even half way decent rum before though. It's since been drank and I made an infinity rum bottle with it at the end of last year. But I keep forgetting to drink some when my friends that like rum are over, I need to get on that.

 

[DMill]

Reserva and their Single Vintage are different rums that just happen to be from the same company. New Single Vintage from 2005 or 2007 looks like it's somewhere around $125. I'm assuming that the Single Vintage 2000 has gotten crazy on the secondary market and that's why it's so expensive. So on multiple fronts not a good comparison.

The Reserva is good, especially for the price. For me not much in that price range is very sippable on it's own, but the Reserva is.

I got a Single Vintage 2005 bottle for a good friends bachelor party a few years ago. It was really good, very easy to drink on it's own. People at his party that 'don't like rum' really liked it. I'm guessing they had never had even half way decent rum before though. It's since been drank and I made an infinity rum bottle with it at the end of last year. But I keep forgetting to drink some when my friends that like rum are over, I need to get on that.

Thank you for clarifying. The $125/bottle you mention is still high but Is at least sane. I have a few Single Malt scotches in that price range and my girlfriend has a great love for Caymus Wines which get pricey. But again we would only open one or two bottles a year. I never thought I liked rum unless mixed until a few years ago when a friend introduced me to something other than captain Morgan’s. Some are quite good. It seems they are gaining popularity much like tequila did years ago. I’ll have to pick up a bottle and give it a shot.

 

[ryanosaur]

You can get the Reserva around here for about $40 bottle (western New York). I believe the 2000 pictured above is over $1000 bottle? Much too expensive for the amount I drink

I've had this, and one a little higher up, but not "lock box" category.
Just the reserva exclusiva is dangerous. I can only imagine how many of there upper tier bottle could be.

I know growing up Rum was almost exclusively a mixer... you couldn't sip most of that stuff. I didn't develop an appreciation until I was behind the bar for a while. Of course there is a difference between a friend stealing some Baccardi Silver from his dads cabinet and what's out there now!

One day playing around I made a Rum Old Fashioned with a blend of Appleton and Smith&Cross Navy Strength along with a float of Rhum JM VSOP, a dash of Spice syrup and a flamed orange... My bar manager almost made that a menu item but didn't want to take sales away from our Eagle Rare Old Fashioned.

Now, when I'm out, if I see a Hemingway Daiquiri on the menu, I'm hard pressed to decide between that and my favorite in a Rye Manhattan.

 

[Trouble Maker]

I’ll have to pick up a bottle and give it a shot.

The Reserva is definitely worth trying if you're OK with the ~$40/bottle range for a good regular bottle of liquor.

 

[ryanosaur]

The Reserva is definitely worth trying if you're OK with the ~$40/bottle range for a good regular bottle of liquor.

~40 is sort of the new normal for drinkable liquor. *sighs
I miss the days of 25-30.

I remember when my Scotch was $50... now its $80+ depending on where you are.

 

[AdamG]

When Amir publishes a review of crazy expensive kit on a Weekend. I drink anything I can get my hands on…

 

[DMill]

When Amir publishes a review of crazy expensive kit on a Weekend. I drink anything I can get my hands on…

When all you have left in the liquor cabinet is vermouth you have a problem. This was a saying my stepfather had. I grew up in south Florida and moved into a house with a lime tree. He would often remark how that tree nearly killed him. He was a gin and tonic guy

 

[DMill]

~40 is sort of the new normal for drinkable liquor. *sighs
I miss the days of 25-30.

I remember when my Scotch was $50... now its $80+ depending on where you are.

Agree my favorite Ardbeg Uigeadail is now close to $100 with tax. I tend to stick to Manhattans with Old Overholt Rye if we do cocktails. I do splurge on a $20 jar of Luxardo cherries though.

 

[ryanosaur]

When all you have left in the liquor cabinet is vermouth you have a problem. This was a saying my stepfather had. I grew up in south Florida and moved into a house with a lime tree. He would often remark how that tree nearly killed him. He was a gin and tonic guy

That's why I spring for Carpano Antica.
If I run out of Rye, I can still drink a few glasses of that on the rocks!

 

[ryanosaur]

I tend to stick to Manhattans with Old Overholt Rye if we do cocktails. I do splurge on a $20 jar of Luxardo cherries though.

Fortunately, I can get the 1.75 Bulleit Rye at the local safeway for 40. It's a great price for what I consider drinkable. I take my whiskey neat most of the time.
If I had a bar, that would be my well rye. Makers for bourbon. Ketel one for vodka. Probably Flor de Cana for rums. It may be a sin to some but I still have a soft spot for Tanqueray gin (an old college English professor I had liked Tanqueray... it stuck with me *shrugs).

 

[ryanosaur]

Anybody here use Bittercube?

Bittercube Bitters • Made with real botanicals

bittercube.com

They make some really nice Bitters.

I'll do 10 drops in my Manhattan of the CherryBark-Vanilla, along with a dash of Ango.

The Blackstrap Bitters and the Jamaica no1 are also very good.

 

[DMill]

Anybody here use Bittercube?

Bittercube Bitters • Made with real botanicals

bittercube.com

They make some really nice Bitters.

I'll do 10 drops in my Manhattan of the CherryBark-Vanilla, along with a dash of Ango.

The Blackstrap Bitters and the Jamaica no1 are also very good.

Very popular here as they are about 15 minutes from my house. And I don’t work with them or for them. https://www.feebrothers.com/products

 

[Trouble Maker]

Inspired by the latest conversation here, and my ever so sightly heavier wallet from a bonus, I decide to go fancy rum shopping. But I found something much more interesting, and it's amazing.