Good Cheap Alcohol

[mike in brooklyn]

Following the Jameson thread I thought it might be worthwhile
for us to share any experience with GOOD cheap wine/booze etc.

Here is a link to a blog which rates cheap Single Malt Scotch
$30 Something: How Five Cheap Single Malt Scotch Whiskies Stack Up « Scotchtalk

For blended Scotch I would recommend Famous Grouse 10 or20 year old.

For wonderful cheap Vodka ($20 1.75 liter) I would recommend
Iceberg Vodka - made in Newfoundland with, yes, water from
icebergs. Found it during a hiking trip there this past Summer and
it is now a staple here.

 

[toni1948]

Thanks, Mike, for the tip on Vodka. I'm really looking forward to trying it. Do you have any Gin recommendations?

My standby is Bombay Sapphire.

 

[mike in brooklyn]

Thanks, Mike, for the tip on Vodka. I'm really looking forward to trying it. Do you have any Gin recommendations?

My standby is Bombay Sapphire.

Iceberg also makes a good Gin. I got it in Newfoundland
but can't find it yet in NYC.

As an aside - if anyone has traveled to Canada and bought alcohol
you must have noticed there is an enormous price difference between
them and the US. They are nearly 2X the price of anything, wine,spirits,beer compared to the US. I think it must be very high taxes ?

 

[Scotch]

Teacher's remains a favorite in blended Scotch.

 

[mike in brooklyn]

Teacher's remains a favorite in blended Scotch.

Scotch I defer to you and your screen name but urge you to
give The Famous Grouse a try.

BTW - how do you take your Scotch?

I was advised to take it 50/50 with water and to sip it. This came from
a distillery tour in Nova Scotia(Glenora) where the guide recommended this method and also recommended sipping the mixture like fine wine.
I also saw a documentary of a tour of distillerys in Scotland where they
recommended the same technique.

 

[Scotch]

I've had my share of the Famous Grouse, and it is good. However, the Teacher's beat out two single malts in a recent tasting two college buddies and I conducted, finishing close to Highland Park 12-Year-Old.

I used to drink a lot of Teachers back in the late 60s and early 70s -- discovered it when it was the top-rated Scotch in a Consumers Reports test of a couple of dozen top brands, beating out Chivas Regal and Johnny Walker Black, among others. But it apparently stopped being imported for awhile and is now hard to find.

My current favorite, hands-down, is Highland Park 18-Year-Old. I drink it neat with a touch of water, which brings out the aromatics. But I also like Lagavulin and never turn up my nose at any Macallan's. Not a fan of Talisker or Laphroig, however. BTW, none of these qualify for the subject of this thread, namely cheap booze. This is the good stuff!

I disagree about the 50-50 mix with water. Dilutes it way too much. You need only a few drops. NO ice, ever!

I use either a small Riedel wine glass, like this:

Or if I'm really in the mood, a special Single Malt Glass made by Riedel:

 

[Uncle Bob]

An inexpensive bourbon I like is Old Grand-Dad (BIB) @ 100 Proof....For about $15 for a 750 it's a good buy! It has almost double the Rye in the mashbill of most bourbons, and this is what I like about it...The Rye really comes through...For most people who don't like Bourbon, it is my opinion that the flavoring grain rye in the mashbill is what they find offensive....It can give what some people refer to as a "bite" .... For those people I often suggest one of the bourbons that uses Wheat as it's secondary flavoring grain...Makers Mark would be an example. The Old Grand-Dad 114 is also very good. One tiny ice cube added will make it come alive! I don't recall it's price, but it is not what I would call a top shelf expensive bourbon....

Enjoy... in Moderation!!

 

[Scotch]

An inexpensive bourbon I like is Old Grand-Dad (BIB) @ 100 Proof....For about $15 for a 750 it's a good buy! It has almost double the Rye in the mashbill of most bourbons, and this is what I like about it...The Rye really comes through...For most people who don't like Bourbon, it is my opinion that the flavoring grain rye in the mashbill is what they find offensive....It can give what some people refer to as a "bite" .... For those people I often suggest one of the bourbons that uses Wheat as it's secondary flavoring grain...Makers Mark would be an example. The Old Grand-Dad 114 is also very good. One tiny ice cube added will make it come alive! I don't recall it's price, but it is not what I would call a top shelf expensive bourbon....

Enjoy... in Moderation!!

I never much liked Bourbon until a colleague turned me on to A.H. Hirsch 16-Year-Old Bourbon a couple of years ago:

It was about $70 back then, but it's no longer made and now runs close to $300 per 750ml bottle! Fortunately for me, I bought 3 bottles when it was relatively cheap and still have 1½ left, reserved for very special occasions.

It has been called the world's most perfect Bourbon, and it is indeed the nectar of the gods.

 

[Uncle Bob]

.....and ya gonna send ole Uncle Bob the full bottle!!

Thank you very Much!!

 

[Scotch]

.....and ya gonna send ole Uncle Bob the full bottle!!

Thank you very Much!!

Y'all come on down! We'll sit an' sip a spell and tell lies.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Y'all come on down! We'll sit an' sip a spell and tell lies.

Sounds like a nice evening...

 

[mike in brooklyn]

I've had my share of the Famous Grouse, and it is good. However, the Teacher's beat out two single malts in a recent tasting two college buddies and I conducted, finishing close to Highland Park 12-Year-Old.

Scotch - the next bottle of Scotch I buy will certainly be Teachers

 

[powerplantop]

Thanks, Mike, for the tip on Vodka. I'm really looking forward to trying it. Do you have any Gin recommendations?

My standby is Bombay Sapphire.

If you drink it on the rocks or in a martini stick with Sapphire. But if you drink gin and tonic try Booths.

 

[Bigjim68]

Thanks, Mike, for the tip on Vodka. I'm really looking forward to trying it. Do you have any Gin recommendations?

My standby is Bombay Sapphire.

Of all the gins I have tried, I have now settled on Citadel, a medium priced French Gin. It seem to me to be much cleaner tasting than some of the others. Citadel also makes a Vodka. I have not tried it.

 

[oldrustycars]

I like Jim Beam. Beam Black is even better. The big bottle with a handle is on sale for $20 at Sav-Way today, I'll be there.

 

[mike in brooklyn]

An inexpensive bourbon I like is Old Grand-Dad (BIB) @ 100 Proof....For about $15 for a 750 it's a good buy! It has almost double the Rye in the mashbill of most bourbons, and this is what I like about it...The Rye really comes through...For most people who don't like Bourbon, it is my opinion that the flavoring grain rye in the mashbill is what they find offensive....It can give what some people refer to as a "bite" .... For those people I often suggest one of the bourbons that uses Wheat as it's secondary flavoring grain...Makers Mark would be an example. The Old Grand-Dad 114 is also very good. One tiny ice cube added will make it come alive! I don't recall it's price, but it is not what I would call a top shelf expensive bourbon....

Enjoy... in Moderation!!

Will look for and try it - but yikes 100 proof !

 

[Uncle Bob]

Will look for and try it - but yikes 100 proof !

100 Proof is fairly common for bourbon...You might try adding just a few drops...Yes I said drops of water to a couple of ounces...Sip slowly...

Enjoy!