Dobber Sports Wine and Spirits club

[NoWayOut]

Beer lovers (myself included) have long had a spot here to discuss and revel in the glory of that rapturous union of malt and hops. Well it's long past time for lovers of the grape and/or spirits to have a place to discuss those fine examples of alcoholic craftsmanship. It doesn't matter what your into this is the place to discuss and share.

Enjoy talking about a great Cabernet or Pinot fire away.
Got your Scotch or Bourbon on let 'er rip.
Tequila? Check!
Rum? Brandy? Cognac? Check, check, and check!
Straight up, if it's alcohol, and not beer, it's fair game here. I'm sure there's lots of folks that would love to see recipes for mixed drinks as well as discussion of great sipping wines and spirits.

To kick it off I'll share a little background on my tastes. First and foremost when it comes to alcoholic beverages apart from beer I'm a diehard single-malt Scotch lover. I have a particular affinity for malts from the Speyside and Highland regions. I do enjoy a good peaty Islay, but they're all the rage so prices can get out of hand quickly. A bit of Laphroig, Lagavulin, or Ardbeg is great from time to time, but they are the occasional indulgence. Same goes for Highland Park and Macallan. I also dabble in Rum and Tequila as way to expand my horizons and keep from becoming fatigued on the same old same old.

Here's what I currently have on hand to sample from:

Scotch-
Old Pulteney 12 and 17 yo
Ancnoc 12
Auchentoshen 12
Bowmore 12
Benriach 12
Aberlour 12

Tequila-

Don Julio Reposado, Anejo, and Anejo Claro
Cabo Wabo Anejo

Rum-

Mount Gay Extra Old

Currently nursing a dram of that Mount Gay Rum and I think it's a real corker. I'll admit of all the different types of alcohol I enjoy I'm least knowledgeable about rum, but I just get the sense that this one is a fine example of what a great rum should be. No one element dominates over the others and it just transitions through the beginning, middle, and finish seamlessly. Top it off with some Hubert Sumlin in the CD player, some Sons of Anarchy later, and it's a great Friday night friends.

[petegreg21]

I'm no expert when it comes to liquors but I'm working on it.

Currently enjoying a glass of Basil Hayden Kentucky Bourbon.

Others I have stashed away at the moment:

Evan Williams Single Barrel
Bulleit
Glenfiddich 12
Oban 14
Macallan Amber
Avion Silver

+ the only vodka I ever buy, Russian Standard

Now this is a thread I could seriously get into!

[ztking]

As a fairly recent scotch enthusiast I'm going to enjoy this thread.

When I first forayed into it I bought a few different bottles from different regions and a couple I usually have in rotation have been:

Highland Park 12
In my opinion the best inexpensive scotch, great place to start, very aromatic, woody, subtle spice and citrus notes and sweetness.

Lagavulin 16
Brilliant powerful smoky, peaty scotch that had a good bit of oak and subtle vanilla. My favorite Islay at the moment.

Edradour 10
If your a rum fan you'll enjoy this one, complex, fruity (i get a slight apple taste), toasted nut and light vanilla taste. Unique.

[ztking]

Aside from scotch I also love my gin.

Hendricks is an amazing gin and usually my go to for martinis.
Very nice botanicals and has a distinct cucumber taste which I really enjoy. It's perfect for gin cocktails with basil or cucumber in them. I find myself enjoying a lot of Hendricks martinis shaken with cucumber and a crack of black pepper. Might sound weird but if you like gin give it a try.
If I'm drinking a G&T though I really like Tanqueray 10. Just find it stands out with the tonic better.

Hopefully there are some decent recommendations and cocktail suggestions too. I'll be looking here regularly.

[Rylant]

Great thread. I was a bar manager for many years, so regular sampling was something that I did constantly.

Vodka: You will hear many people say that Grey Goose is the best, and while it is high quality vodka, there is something about it that I find super mediocre. Personally, I prefer Belvedere. Russian Standard is good too
Gin: Gin is something that I have only fairly recently grown a taste for. My recent personal favourites are Bombay Sapphire or Hendrick's
Tequila: Ugh... I had a REALLY bad tequila experience once... who hasn't? I don't drink a lot of Tequila anymore, but when I do, I insist that it be fairly high quality.
Scotch: Scotch seems to be the go to drink for me lately. I usually drink it out of a clean glass neat, but occasionally, I will add a splash of water. I have a bottle of Macallan 12 on the go at all times in my house. I also really enjoy Lagavulin 16, Oban 14, Dalwhinnie 15, Macallan 18, and Glenmorangie. I definitely prefer the single malts, but at a friend of mine's stag, somebody brought a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue, which was pretty awesome too.

Rylant

[ztking]

Great thread. I was a bar manager for many years, so regular sampling was something that I did constantly.

Vodka: You will hear many people say that Grey Goose is the best, and while it is high quality vodka, there is something about it that I find super mediocre. Personally, I prefer Belvedere. Russian Standard is good too
Gin: Gin is something that I have only fairly recently grown a taste for. My recent personal favourites are Bombay Sapphire or Hendrick's
Tequila: Ugh... I had a REALLY bad tequila experience once... who hasn't? I don't drink a lot of Tequila anymore, but when I do, I insist that it be fairly high quality.
Scotch: Scotch seems to be the go to drink for me lately. I usually drink it out of a clean glass neat, but occasionally, I will add a splash of water. I have a bottle of Macallan 12 on the go at all times in my house. I also really enjoy Lagavulin 16, Oban 14, Dalwhinnie 15, Macallan 18, and Glenmorangie. I definitely prefer the single malts, but at a friend of mine's stag, somebody brought a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue, which was pretty awesome too.

Rylant

Definitely agree here. I might catch some flak for this but I think it's just like Stella, a very average product that gets marketed incredibly well so people but it.

And it's good to see someone else that worked in the industry! I'm a student and have been a bartender for the past four years.

[NoWayOut]

As a fairly recent scotch enthusiast I'm going to enjoy this thread.

When I first forayed into it I bought a few different bottles from different regions and a couple I usually have in rotation have been:

Highland Park 12
In my opinion the best inexpensive scotch, great place to start, very aromatic, woody, subtle spice and citrus notes and sweetness.

Lagavulin 16
Brilliant powerful smoky, peaty scotch that had a good bit of oak and subtle vanilla. My favorite Islay at the moment.

Edradour 10
If your a rum fan you'll enjoy this one, complex, fruity (i get a slight apple taste), toasted nut and light vanilla taste. Unique.

Good call on the HP 12. Just recently finished up a bottle and throughly enjoyed it, though HP runs to the higher end of the price range here. In that same vein if your searching out another good inexpensive Scotch, I highly recommend those Old Pulteney malts. I won't say they're top shelf, but I find they are quite under-rated and great value for money. The Old Pulteney 12 tends to be sweeter, with a nutty oak, honey flavor. The 17 brings more of the green fruit, peppery spice with a more subtle sweetness.

Like yourself I'm fairly new to this, last 2 years or thereabouts. If this thread is even 1/10th as informative as the beer thread has been it will be a good informative piece that will help expand our knowledge. I know those who participate regularly on the beer have said it's really made a positive impact on their knowledge and enjoyment of beer.

All that talking up Old Pulteney gave me a thirst for it. Got a glass of the 17 getting limbered up.

[Slug]

Awesome idea for a thread.
Today I picked up a bottle of Sortilege its a Canadian whisky and maple syrup liqueur. Have had it a few times before and really enjoyed it. Never had it with pancakes but I'm pretty tempted to try it out

[Rylant]

Definitely agree here. I might catch some flak for this but I think it's just like Stella, a very average product that gets marketed incredibly well so people but it.

And it's good to see someone else that worked in the industry! I'm a student and have been a bartender for the past four years.

Awesome. Love industry peeps. Here is a video, some vulgar language, but I found it hilarious. Industry people will see it differently, and it rings true to what happens in my restaurant.



Rylant

[ross10019]

Great thread. I was a bar manager for many years, so regular sampling was something that I did constantly.

Vodka: You will hear many people say that Grey Goose is the best, and while it is high quality vodka, there is something about it that I find super mediocre. Personally, I prefer Belvedere. Russian Standard is good too
Gin: Gin is something that I have only fairly recently grown a taste for. My recent personal favourites are Bombay Sapphire or Hendrick's
Tequila: Ugh... I had a REALLY bad tequila experience once... who hasn't? I don't drink a lot of Tequila anymore, but when I do, I insist that it be fairly high quality.
Scotch: Scotch seems to be the go to drink for me lately. I usually drink it out of a clean glass neat, but occasionally, I will add a splash of water. I have a bottle of Macallan 12 on the go at all times in my house. I also really enjoy Lagavulin 16, Oban 14, Dalwhinnie 15, Macallan 18, and Glenmorangie. I definitely prefer the single malts, but at a friend of mine's stag, somebody brought a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue, which was pretty awesome too.

Rylant

Vodka: Love Chopin, although it's pricey. Belvedere pretty good too.
Scotch: Can't go wrong with Lagavulin 16, but i love the Glenlivet 18m although again it's pricey. Talisker's a good little scotch and underrated, great for a typical scotch. Scapa, I've had incredible Scapas,and I've had terrible Scapas. My all-time favorite is indeed the Johnnie Walker Blue, you can get it for something like $130 at duty free (at least the last time I bought it) and it's incredible.
Tequila: Was at a work party last October and little did I know a colleague of mine, from the company soccer team, hails from a prominent Mexican tequila distiller family. We had the Sauza "Tres Genecariones" and it was incredibly smooth, best tequila I've ever had in my life, smoother than the highest premium vodka. And I too had a horrible experience with tequila when I was 20 or so and swore off it for the most part!

[Savvy1982]

Was just at a whisky tasting last night.

Of what was on offer, I really loved the Duncan Taylor Glentauchers 24yr. - Just a lovely, deep, spicy dram - with a surprising amount of fruitiness for an older scotch.

[Vanek! at the Disco]

Vodka - Kettle One usually, I'm not a big vodka guy but this is the one I like the best
Tequila - Patron always, it's so smooth compared to the others I find
Rum - Appleton Estate 12 yr is exceptional (and I'm not even a rum guy either)
Whisky - my drink of choice, they're all good in their own way but here are my favorites:

Scotch - Macallan 12 is my staple, Laphroig 10 for smoky peat, Talisker 10 is a favorite too but more pricey, I have a Glenfarclas 15 too that is delicious
Rye - Old Overholt and Redepmption Rye are both really tasty
Bourbon - good old Makers Mark is my go to bourbon, but if you ever get a chance try Hudson Baby Bourbon, it's great

[yougo]

Awesome idea for a thread.
Today I picked up a bottle of Sortilege its a Canadian whisky and maple syrup liqueur. Have had it a few times before and really enjoyed it. Never had it with pancakes but I'm pretty tempted to try it out

Sortilege is awesome. You should try to do some "crepe flambe" with it. Basically flamed pancakes, it's just crazy good.

[wlussf]

I'm a big Scotch fan. A few of my favourites are Lagavulin, Caol Ila, Ardbeg, Highland Park, Amrut Fusion and cask strength Macallan. I really like the bold peaty flavour in my scotch.

[Bomm Bastic]

Tended bar for 10+ yrs. It allowed me to cultivate a palate for the finer spirits. Pretty much like it all, depending on my mood. My fav drinks are:

• Grey Goose soda lemon
• Bombay Saphire xtra dry dirty martini up shaken
• Glenlivet neat
• Makers Mark neat
• Grey Goose gimlet shaken up (just a dash of lime juice)
• Knob Creek manhattan dry rocks twist
• after dinner...love me a port wine or amaretto di saronno (spell?)
• shots...Ouzo - shit puts hair on your huevos

Oodles more but those are the basics for me.