The Sword and Laser discussion
What are YOU drinking?
Listening to the live episode on delay, while enjoying a warm cider with cinnamon and nutmeg in it.
A gin old fashioned using Monkey 47 gin (the best gin I've ever had).
George Dickel No.12, straight up.
Clyde wrote: "George Dickel No.12, straight up."
I think George Dickel puts out some great product. While I prefer their rye whisky (makes a delicious Manhattan cocktail), I've gone through more than a few bottles of No. 12. :)
Just some mineral water. It has the most bubbles when you first open it.
Lately I've been drinking Leinenkugel's Snowdrift vanilla porter. I'm surprised I like it so much since there's coffee in it as well and I don't like coffee.
Casey wrote: "For episode #196, I enjoyed a dram of Laphroaig 10 year old cask strength with a drop of water. It was like drinking fire, ocean, and peat smoke. "Laphroaig cask strength is beauty in scotch form. I have a hard time finding it locally so I make excuses to drive to where I can pick up a bottle from time to time.
If it is whisky, we've got Jura's Turas Mara, Bowmore's Small Batch & Tempest, and Laphroaig's Quarter Cask open at the moment (all Islay or Islay-adjacent - we'll have to open another whisky for some variety, and I think we're due for opening a special bottle soon). If it is bourbon, Stagg Jr right now. Usually have a wee dram (or two) in the evening while reading, but not while listening to the podcast (that's for walking to and from work!).
Tap water and Mountain Dew.
Olivia, I've done Mountain Dew with Orange Juice, and it was good, but I don't think I'm going to try mixing it with tap water any time soon. ;-)
Dharmakirti wrote: "A gin old fashioned using Monkey 47 gin (the best gin I've ever had)."Oh, I will have to give Monkey 47 a try.
One of my local breweries, Karben4, finally started bottling. Right now, it's only their IPA--Fantasy Factory--so I picked up a six pack at the store.Tasty!
Try Mountain Dew and Absinthe for a good glowing glass look.
Robyn wrote: "If it is whisky, we've got Jura's Turas Mara, Bowmore's Small Batch & Tempest, and Laphroaig's Quarter Cask open at the moment (all Islay or Islay-adjacent - we'll have to open another whisky for s..."The Turas Mara is one of my faves, after picking up a bottle when visiting Oslo last year (curses that it's only available in airports!), although the Diurach's Own is pretty damned fine, too.
This evening, I am having a Bradfield Farmer's Blonde beer (from my local brewery, one of several in Sheffield) although I think a glass of Talisker Storm may be on the cards, as it's been a long week...
You can also get it at the distillery ... not that a visit to Jura is very convenient, though it is so gorgeous! I am really enjoying it, though currently I'm drinking the Laphroaig Quarter Cask while finishing Moon Called (not my favourite of the urban fantasy books I've read recently but at least decently entertaining).
One of my dream holidays is to follow in the footsteps of the great Iain Banks in Raw Spirit: In Search of the Perfect Dram; "apparently a bottle of Scotch should be consumed within a year of it being opened or it may spoil; I am horrified that anyone has discovered this"
I really need to read that. We were on Islay this September, which was truly wonderful - such a gorgeous place. The Bowmore tasting room has Banks quotes painted on the walls! (And .... a year? That's possible?)
Glen Grant 10 for episode #197.It's pretty good. A little delicate and not much on the finish, but still, it's a nice dram. It's not exactly what I'd call a winter's dram though.
Andy wrote: "Laphroaig cask strength is beauty in scotch form. I have a hard time finding it locally so I make excuses to drive to where I can pick up a bottle from time to time...."Yes, Laphroaig Cask Strength is bottled beauty!
I'm excited to pop the cork on the Quarter Cask, but not ready just yet.
Also, I've got a bottle of The Big Peat bottled at cask strength I'm hungry to try.
I'm surprised by the Laphroaig love on this thread. Maybe it is the Marmite of the Whiskey world (you either love it or you hate it), because to me it tastes like what I imagine you'd get if you poured a nice bit of Glen Ord over a well used ashtray and drank the resulting filth.Actually, I think it was Glen Ord distilleries that said they smoke peat for other distilleries, and I'm sure they mentioned they did this for Laphroaig, for whom it had to be extra smokey. I may be mistaken here though. I visited more than one distillery that day and enjoyed my free samples rather a lot. :)
I thought Laphroaig did their own peat smoking (only dreamed of such a visit :)I do think that Laphroaig is one of those that you either love, or despise. Personally, I love it when I take a sip and have a beach bonfire smoking in my mouth while tasting salty tidal seaweed. If love had a smell, it would be the nose of Laphroaig.
Laphroaig's peat comes from land across from the distillery - they give you a chance to claim your own section of it if you visit. I think Laphroaig does most things in house, though that's certainly not true of all the Islay distilleries.I like Laphroaig but in general I'd prefer other peated Islay whiskies (Lagavulin, Kilchoman, Bruichladdich) - but I do think peated whisky is indeed like Marmite. Just not for some!
Pot of green tea, 1 tablespoon of rakija (Serbian brandy) and 1 teaspoon of honey.
I must say I must be in the minority, I can appreciate Laphroaig, but I don't love it, a little too much smokey bite for me. But then I'm more of a smooth Irish whisky guy. Powers and Tullamore DEW are some of my favs, not as big a fan (but will of course drink) Bushmills, or Jameson.I've also developed a fondness for Makers Mark, in fact a barrel with my name on it is coming of age this spring.
Mountain Dew with grenadine and a maraschino cherry in it.
Robyn wrote: "Laphroaig's peat comes from land across from the distillery - they give you a chance to claim your own section of it if you visit. I think Laphroaig does most things in house, though that's certain..."Out of curiosity, which Lagavulin do you most prefer, the 12 or 16?
Clyde wrote: "Oh, I will have to give Monkey 47 a try."It is a bit expensive, but so worth it.
Casey wrote: "Robyn wrote: "Laphroaig's peat comes from land across from the distillery - they give you a chance to claim your own section of it if you visit. I think Laphroaig does most things in house, though ..."First thought is the 16, but my husband is the real whisky fan in the house and he keeps buying lots of special releases so I haven't had a true chance to really decide which is my favourite between those two.
(We did the warehouse tour when we visited. Thanks to that, I know my absolute favourite is the 21 year old, which I will......never be able to afford.)
Caitlin wrote: "Angry Orchard Hard Cider today"Ever try Portland Cider Company's "Kinda Dry?"
No, I haven't. I'm in a small "city" in Atlantic Canada, so I very much doubt I'll be able to find it, but I'll keep an eye out the next time I'm at the liquor store!
John wrote: "I've also developed a fondness for Makers Mark, in fact a barrel with my name on it is coming of age this spring..."I think there are a few distilleries that do the buy-a-barrel option. It sounds like a lot of fun. Do you know how many bottles you'll end up with?
Wow that's going to be expensive. I think a standard barrel is going to be about 250 bottles. At $50 a bottle that's going to run around $13,000.
AndrewP wrote: "Wow that's going to be expensive. I think a standard barrel is going to be about 250 bottles. At $50 a bottle that's going to run around $13,000."Oh, wow. I was guessing more in the range of 600-700 bottles. But I was thinking of a large cask, maybe when you buy it, you get a quarter cask? I think when you do something like this though; they do the bottling for free? But I'm not certain. Still, if the product is good and to your taste, pretty dang cool if you can afford it.
Whoops, sorry for the confusion. No I was being quite literal, I did not buy a whole barrel of Makers. Makers Mark has a fan club of sorts called Ambassadors. When you sign up, for free, they will place you and several other people's name on a plaque on a barrel. And they then let you know in 6-8 years when it is going to be blended with other barrels to make a batch. You can then go down to the distillery, and buy a couple bottles, that came out of that batch. You also can dip them in wax yourself.
While you are a member, they also send you a unique Christmas gift each year, and of course emails about what is going on with them, all in the hopes that you will spread the good word about Makers. And I guess that is a bit of what I'm doing here.
John wrote: "Whoops, sorry for the confusion. No I was being quite literal, I did not buy a whole barrel of Makers. Makers Mark has a fan club of sorts called Ambassadors. When you sign up, for free, they wi..."
No problem. I know there are some distilleries that do allow individuals to buy a cask, which sounds cool (and expensive) but then what do you do with all those bottles?
I know a couple of people who have bought a cask, but always as part of a group. It is really cost efficient, and if you're a major fan I could see doing it for a specific whisky!
As a recovering alcoholic I always find this intro bit pretty rough...It always tickles my inner monkey and me want a drink... Ah well...Maybe someone can start a thread on what are you smoking and I can participate there (Royal Raspberry, if you are curious) :)
I don't due it often, but a few times a year I'll load up a pipe with Captain Black tobacco, and enjoy it. I find it super relaxing on a clear night to sit under the stars with a pipe in one hand, and a couple fingers of bourbon or Irish whiskey in the other. For the first "Blood Moon" this year I did that, but I exchanged the pipe for a Cuban cigar I had been gifted a few weeks before. It was a very good night.
G&T for me tonight (nothing noteworthy on the gin - the old reliable Bombay Sapphire) while I read Leviathan Wakes and curse myself for signing up for two hours of work at 9 am on Sunday morning. (Especially sad since I work Saturdays, too!)
John wrote: "I don't due it often, but a few times a year I'll load up a pipe with Captain Black tobacco, and enjoy it. I find it super relaxing on a clear night to sit under the stars with a pipe in one hand, ..."Nice! I just got back from Costa Rica and brought a bunch of Cubans back. There is something about smoking a cigar that is super relaxing, more so than any other form of tobacco.
Opened some Bruichladdich over the weekend.In a word, "Mmmmmm!"
Casey wrote: "Opened some Bruichladdich over the weekend.In a word, "Mmmmmm!""
Ooh, which one did you get? I really like Bruichladdich and the husband just bought two of their micro-releases (forgive me, it was our staff Christmas meal tonight and I might be a bit tipsy, but I think one was aged in a Sauternes cask....and oh, I've definitely forgotten the second one) that I really want to try. We opened up an Octomore from them (so, insanely peaty - even more of an ash tray feel for Ruth!) recently, which was seriously tasty.
All it says on bottle and cylinder is Bruichladdich Scottish Barley Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Let me see... It says, "Matured in used bourbon casks, this whisky is made from casks hand-selected by Bruichladdich's Master Distiller."But wait, is there another way to select casks other than by hand?
I'd love to try their Octomore, but I'll have to save for that one.
The Islay barley one! That's a lovely one; plus I think it's great that they're using barley grown on Islay (not because it tastes terribly different, I'm just a fan of things that keep small farmers employed). And yeah - Octomores are spendy; this one was a present.
For episode #198 I had a very small dram of Glen Grant 10.To me, it tastes like bananas, minerals, and vanilla. It was a nice change.
Robyn wrote: " We opened up an Octomore from them (so, insanely peaty - even more of an ash tray feel for Ruth!) recently, which was seriously tasty.Haha, another one to avoid. The moment I see 'smoky' on a whisky description, I back away.
What I really like is whisky that has been aged in old sherry or port barrels. I like the sweeter notes this adds.
I like sweet ones as well, and I'm a fan of bourbon-cask matured whisky for the caramel/candy notes.Do you like Lapsang Souchong tea, or is that a no-go for you too? I think I might just love smoky things in general (even though I don't enjoy actually smoking...).
The Sword and Laser
Books mentioned in this topic
And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails (other topics)Raw Spirit (other topics)
Often I will listen to the show at home, and enjoy a dram.
But what about you? What are you drinking when listening to Sword and Laser?
For episode #196, I enjoyed a dram of Laphroaig 10 year old cask strength with a drop of water. It was like drinking fire, ocean, and peat smoke.