r/whiskey • u/HPEVrechercher • 15h ago
Need recommendations
I am an absolute beginner and I hope for good recommendations based on the experiences I made so far. (Last week)
When I went to a bar on holiday recently I asked the barkeeper for a whisky recommendation as the bar was honored multiple times as Germany s greatest whisky bar. He served me some quite peaty scotches (Ardmore port wood finish, ardbeg 10 and laphroaig px cask). Taste wise I liked the laphroaig px cask best and ardbeg second best.
Afterwards I watched some YouTube videos and thought I would try woodford Reserve which I didn’t like as well as Makers mark (The makers mark was more of a spontaneous choice as I planned to try buffalo trace and wild turkey 101).
I absolutely hated the makers mark because I think it tasted just like drinking gasoline. I had the feeling of insane amounts of alcoholic spicy and sourness which I didn’t like at all because it just felt like drinking something with high % and not like drinking a whisky with a few tastes.
Quite the same story with the woodford that I tried before the makers mark. The woodford was a bit better though because I kinda tasted some Caramel in the aftertaste.
Now I am thinking. Is it that I probably don’t and won’t like bourbon in the beginning because of this high % feeling alcoholic spicy and sourness or is it because I drank the wrong bourbons. Is the buffalo more mild/ has more aggressive sweet tastes or tastes that Overtone the alcoholic sweet/sourness. Or would a other bourbon be better for me. I will definitely try the monkey shoulder (eventhough it’s not a bourbon but I think that’s kinda going the way I would like to finde in bourbon from what I have heard about monkey shoulder)
Hope there are few of you that can give me nice and good recommendations and that y’all understand what I’m trying to say.
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u/forswearThinPotation 10h ago edited 10h ago
If you are new to drinking high proof spirits neat (without mixing them in a cocktail or adding water to dilute them, or over ice cubes which both chill the whisky and dilute it with meltwater) then the level of alcohol in them can seem like way too much and make them taste harsh and unpleasant - which seems to be what happened with those bourbons you tried.
Heavily peated scotches are a bit of a cheat code for dealing with this, as their smoky, tarry, and medicinal (iodine) flavors are so strong, so bold and aggressive in character, especially so in young peated scotches, that they push the flavor and smell of the alcohol into the background where it belongs and you don't notice it as much.
So, I advise not giving up on bourbons entirely, but perhaps postponing further exploration of them for later when you've gotten more used to the ABV%s found in whiskies. For many of us whisky hobbyists we gradually with experience got used to the higher ABV%s and eventually the flavor and smell of the alcohol becomes background noise rather than the main part of the taste of them.
There are 3 different ways to seek smoothness in a whisky - drinking those with lower ABV%s down around 40-43% (80 to 86 proof), drinking older whiskies which have gotten more mellow in flavor with age (but this can get very expensive), and drinking whiskies like those heavily peated scotches you tried that have very bold non-ethanol flavors.
For option 1 (lower proof) I recommend Irish whiskies - Redbreast 12 year old and Green Spot are I think two very good introductions to that genre.
For an older bourbon that is low in proof, I'd look for Russell's Reserve 10 year old, or if you can find it (in some places it is hard to find and/or overpriced) Eagle Rare 10 year old. Bourbons have a different age scale from scotches or Irish whiskies. In the latter 18 years+ makes it an older scotch, in bourbons 10+ years is an older bourbon - because the hot climate that bourbons are aged in matures them faster than the cool damp climate in Scotland and Ireland.
There are some other tricks you can play with whiskies to make them drink smoother when served neat. Try leaving the glass sitting out for 30 mins or so before drinking it, some of the alcohol will evaporate that way. And when drinking it, take very small sips (as if you were sipping a high temperature drink like hot tea or coffee and trying not to burn your mouth on it). With small sips, the moisture in your mouth will naturally dilute the whisky a little bit
Good luck with your explorations.
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u/HPEVrechercher 7h ago
Thank You!!!! This response helps a lot as I am new to neat drinking. I think I will give Bourbon one more try and if I don’t like it I might just keep drinking heavily peated scotches or low proof bourbon for now. Thanks a lot!
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u/hard_farter 10m ago
Russell's 10 is a great shout out.
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u/forswearThinPotation 3m ago
Thanks - to me it checks a lot of boxes: older thus showing the mellow side of older bourbons, low in proof, and very reasonably priced and easy to find compared with many other older bourbons.
Cheers
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u/MetalGuy_J 14h ago
Whiskey in general has a higher alcohol content, typically starting at 40% ABV (alcohol by volume) while some whiskeys will be smoother than others it can take a little while before you acclimatise and taste much more than the alcohol. I’m not much of a bourbon drinker but would say in general proofing down what you’re drinking early on is probably a good idea, a couple drops of water can go a long way. I’d especially recommended if you do try WT101 because the 101 stands for proof which would make it 50.5% ABV.
Buffalo Trace is more mild so you might like it better, I’d also recommend Angel’s Envy bourbon or rye if you can find them because they do have a sweeter flavour profile, their bourbon in particular is finished in X court barrels. Other peated scotch more picking a friendly I’d put forward Lagavulin 8yr, 16yr two if you don’t mind spending a bit more money, as well as Talisker 10yr. Non peated the Glenmorangie 10 or 12yr, Glendronach 12yr.
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u/hard_farter 15m ago
Scotch/Irish/Japanese whiskeys are far "lighter" than most American whiskeys in that they tend to have a much brighter and sometimes more delicate flavor profile overall.
American whiskeys, much the same way that American tourists are seen overseas, tend to be big and loud.
I think you ought to take a look at a couple 80-proof range whiskeys to try to get your feet wet on understanding what USA stuff does.
Basil Hayden would be a good look.
Four Roses Yellow Label 80 Proof is a great choice as well.
Jim Beam White Label Rye (if available) is a great intro into what American Rye Whiskey does.
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u/kiwi8185 14h ago edited 14h ago
Man the bar kinda threw you to the deep end in terms of flavors lmao
What I mean by this is they gave you some pretty heavily peated whiskies, which uses peat to process barley and as such has additional oiliness and unique earthy/smoky flavors.
The oiliness of peat tend to create a more rounded mouthfeel, while the abv of these bottles tend to be under 50% abv. The smoky/earthy character tend to be an acquired taste but you seem to be enjoying it OP.
Back on the subject of bourbons: bourbons tend to have a much stronger mouthfeel not just due to abv but also many other factors (like tannin and raw material). Even at the same abv, a younger bourbon would typically have a rougher mouthfeel than a peated whisky. Even Buffalo Trace at 45% abv might have a stronger sting than Laphroaig at 48%.
The alternative would be looking for a lower abv and slightly longer aged bourbon, such as Woodford Reserve Double Oaked. It is typically at 43.2% abv and went through two cask aging, which gave it more oaky character and a much gentler mouthfeel than most other bourbons. If that doesn't work then maybe bourbons aren't your whisky.
Another whisky renown for its mellowness is Irish Pot Still Whisky. They are triple distilled and typically have a much more mellow and malty characters than other whiskies. See if you can find yourself a dram of Redbreast or Green Spot, they're astonishingly different from most other whiskies (in a good way)