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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BeltFed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/03/2018 at 09:29
Originally posted by Kickboxer Kickboxer wrote:

I think BF just said he might be related to Ed...

While possible, I hope not.
Do you know how embarrassing that would for a Kentuckian to admit he has relatives from Pennsylvania?
Life's concerns should be about the 120lb pack your trying to get to the top of the mountain, and not the rock in your boot.
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Debilitating...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Son of Ed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/03/2018 at 13:28
There are no more living relatives in Pennsylvania.....except some folks on my brother-in-laws side....

( ...as a matter of fact, Charlie's Mom just turned 100!! ) 



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Son of Ed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/03/2018 at 13:30
...she's from Tipperary, Ireland....

......that's a good Whisky comment!!  LOL
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Scrumbag Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/08/2018 at 07:08

Was sure I had a point when I started this post...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/09/2018 at 18:27
Well...I just tried some Japanese whisky for the first time this evening. Ilya had recommended I try some Nikka Yoishi, and I had been on the lookout for some for several months now, with no success. None of my local liquor stores carry much Japanese whisky, usually only 3-4 Suntory offerings. 

Today, I came across a bottle of Nikka "Taketsuru" Pure Malt, and decided to give it a try. 


It is named after Nikka Distillery's founder, Masataka Taketsuru, is a NAS blended whisky, and is moderately priced. I paid $60 for my bottle.

I was quite pleasantly surprised! I thought it stacks up well with many excellent 12-year old Highland Scotch single malts. To me, it has a similar nose and flavor profile as GlenDronach 12, among my favorite 12YO single malts. I don't know anything about the type of maturation this whisky has undergone or how old the dominant stocks are in the bottle, but obviously a good portion of it spend a fair amount of time in sherry casks, as it shared the typical plum, raisin, almond, cherry, etc. notes you generally expect from a heavily sherried single malt.

On the nose, I get green apples, almonds, raisins, maraschino cherries, and a hint of smoke.

The taste pretty much follows the nose, with green apples, almonds, raisins, plums, cherries, maybe a hint of chocolate, a slight saltiness, and a hint of smoke. If someone told me it was a totally sherry cask aged 12YO single malt Scotch, I would totally buy it without question.

On the finish, I get cherries, malted barley, and maybe a hint of tobacco.

In short, I really like this whisky! As the story goes, founder Taketsuru-san tried to painstakingly duplicate the exact process, equipment, and even environmental conditions of some of his favored Scotch distilleries, and I would say is this blended whisky is any indication, he was very successful in mimicking a very good Highlands region sherried single malt.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/09/2018 at 20:01
The above were my tasting notes of Taketsuru drank neat.

A splash of water brought out more toasted nuts and honey notes, as well as a coffee note that I didn't notice when neat. The difference is very close for me, so close that I might change my mind on a different day, but I think maybe I prefer it slightly better with water than neat.

By the way, a word on the "pure malt" term. This is a term that used to be used in the Scotch whisky industry, but has been dropped in recent years. The term "single malt" means whisky produced from malted barley mash, distilled entirely within a single distillery, not blended with any other whisky from another distillery. "Pure malt" means that it is entirely from malted barley mash whisky, and no grain whisky has been added, but it can be (and is) a blend of single malts from different distilleries. Today, the equivalent in Scotland would be referred to as a "blended malt."



Edited by RifleDude - August/09/2018 at 20:06
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Son of Ed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/09/2018 at 21:30
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Son of Ed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/09/2018 at 21:32
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" Eduardo once did a 'blended malt'..."   









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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/10/2018 at 07:53
After a long test with many ups and downs, I purchased a bottle of Yamazaki to share with the gun crew:

This was rated as "the best whisky in the world".  I wanted to both reward the guys and introduce a number of them to a world of beverages they had never tried.  There were 13 of us, so everyone got a generous "dram".  The general agreement was that it was "the best I ever tasted".  I did not tell them what it was or it's rating until after it was finished.  This is one of the most "selected" whisky's in the world (every aspect of its distilling highly selected and controlled), with the distillers choosing not only the sherry-type but the oak-type the barrels were made from in the aging processes.  It is delicate, fragrant, smooth, just wonderful all the way around.  Flavors are flowery, sweet, spicy, some vanilla, some leather, a very light hint of smoke on the finish.  I understand why it was selected as "best in the world".  Possibly the most complex I've ever tasted.  
I got an amazing deal on it, though I've never paid that much for a bottle of whisky before.  Most expensive bottle I've ever purchased.  I would do it again, but doubt that I will ever find another deal like that again.  
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/10/2018 at 19:33
The "best whisky in the world" thing should be taken with a very healthy grain of salt. This isn't meant to take anything away from Yamazaki, it's just that this is according to one guy's opinion -- Jim Murray, whisky critic and author of the "Whisky Bible." Though Murray is very well-known and respected (by some) in whisk(e)y circles and spends a lot of time writing about and reviewing whiskies, nevertheless, he's just one guy. There are many other respected whisky reviewers who disagree with him, which doesn't discredit his opinions, it's just that, again, his opinion is one man's opinion. Jim gave Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 this accolade in 2015...but he awards a new "world's best" each year, and they aren't the same from year to year. For example, the following year, 2016, he declared Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye as "the world's best."

Really...Crown Royal Rye? 

This year, 2018, he awarded Colonel E.H. Taylor Four Grain Bourbon as "the world's best." Yamazaki isn't even mentioned this year, not even in the Japanese whisky category. He now thinks the best Japanese whisky is Nikka Coffey Malt.

The funny thing is, all of these same whiskies he awards in present day were still in existence when he named something else "the world's best" in a previous year. Did the passage of 12 months suddenly elevate the contents of a bottle above what it was the 12 months prior? 

No doubt Murray has a lot of whisk(e)y knowledge, but let's face it, he's making a living from writing about whisk(e)y and generally being Jim Murray. If he just repeats the same "results" each year, he doesn't sell as many books and doesn't have as many people talking about him. Distilleries of course take full advantage of his "awards" because it's great marketing. 

This is why his "awards" should be taken with many grains of salt.

Again, this isn't meant to discredit Yamazaki at all. I've never tried their whiskies, but Yamazaki's whiskies are generally very well reviewed and have won lots of accolades. It may very well be a deserving candidate for "the best" of something. I just wouldn't place too much stock in what Jim Murray says is "the best" any given year, because it likely wasn't "the best" the prior year and likely won't be "the best" the next year...according to Jim Murray and Jim Murray alone.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Son of Ed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/11/2018 at 12:19
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I LOVE Albert Finney!!!     LOL
 


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tahqua Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/11/2018 at 14:26
..................waiting for Zen-Ray malt
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Son of Ed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/11/2018 at 16:24
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/11/2018 at 17:17
Originally posted by RifleDude RifleDude wrote:

The "best whisky in the world" thing should be taken with a very healthy grain of salt. This isn't meant to take anything away from Yamazaki, it's just that this is according to one guy's opinion -- Jim Murray, whisky critic and author of the "Whisky Bible." Though Murray is very well-known and respected (by some) in whisk(e)y circles and spends a lot of time writing about and reviewing whiskies, nevertheless, he's just one guy. There are many other respected whisky reviewers who disagree with him, which doesn't discredit his opinions, it's just that, again, his opinion is one man's opinion. Jim gave Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 this accolade in 2015...but he awards a new "world's best" each year, and they aren't the same from year to year. For example, the following year, 2016, he declared Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye as "the world's best."

Really...Crown Royal Rye? 

This year, 2018, he awarded Colonel E.H. Taylor Four Grain Bourbon as "the world's best." Yamazaki isn't even mentioned this year, not even in the Japanese whisky category. He now thinks the best Japanese whisky is Nikka Coffey Malt.

The funny thing is, all of these same whiskies he awards in present day were still in existence when he named something else "the world's best" in a previous year. Did the passage of 12 months suddenly elevate the contents of a bottle above what it was the 12 months prior? 

No doubt Murray has a lot of whisk(e)y knowledge, but let's face it, he's making a living from writing about whisk(e)y and generally being Jim Murray. If he just repeats the same "results" each year, he doesn't sell as many books and doesn't have as many people talking about him. Distilleries of course take full advantage of his "awards" because it's great marketing. 

This is why his "awards" should be taken with many grains of salt.

Again, this isn't meant to discredit Yamazaki at all. I've never tried their whiskies, but Yamazaki's whiskies are generally very well reviewed and have won lots of accolades. It may very well be a deserving candidate for "the best" of something. I just wouldn't place too much stock in what Jim Murray says is "the best" any given year, because it likely wasn't "the best" the prior year and likely won't be "the best" the next year...according to Jim Murray and Jim Murray alone.

For what it is worth, I bought a bottle of Nikka Coffey Malt and thought that is best used for cleaning things rather than for internal consumption.

A lot of Yamazaki stuff is good, but since I generally like more robust peaty whiskys, and most Japanese whiskys look to be made in the highland tradition, I do not drink them all that much.

It all really comes down to personal preference.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/11/2018 at 17:42
Originally posted by RifleDude RifleDude wrote:

The "best whisky in the world" thing should be taken with a very healthy grain of salt. This isn't meant to take anything away from Yamazaki, it's just that this is according to one guy's opinion -- Jim Murray, whisky critic and author of the "Whisky Bible." Though Murray is very well-known and respected (by some) in whisk(e)y circles and spends a lot of time writing about and reviewing whiskies, nevertheless, he's just one guy. There are many other respected whisky reviewers who disagree with him, which doesn't discredit his opinions, it's just that, again, his opinion is one man's opinion. Jim gave Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 this accolade in 2015...but he awards a new "world's best" each year, and they aren't the same from year to year. For example, the following year, 2016, he declared Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye as "the world's best."

Really...Crown Royal Rye? 

This year, 2018, he awarded Colonel E.H. Taylor Four Grain Bourbon as "the world's best." Yamazaki isn't even mentioned this year, not even in the Japanese whisky category. He now thinks the best Japanese whisky is Nikka Coffey Malt.

The funny thing is, all of these same whiskies he awards in present day were still in existence when he named something else "the world's best" in a previous year. Did the passage of 12 months suddenly elevate the contents of a bottle above what it was the 12 months prior? 

No doubt Murray has a lot of whisk(e)y knowledge, but let's face it, he's making a living from writing about whisk(e)y and generally being Jim Murray. If he just repeats the same "results" each year, he doesn't sell as many books and doesn't have as many people talking about him. Distilleries of course take full advantage of his "awards" because it's great marketing. 

This is why his "awards" should be taken with many grains of salt.

Again, this isn't meant to discredit Yamazaki at all. I've never tried their whiskies, but Yamazaki's whiskies are generally very well reviewed and have won lots of accolades. It may very well be a deserving candidate for "the best" of something. I just wouldn't place too much stock in what Jim Murray says is "the best" any given year, because it likely wasn't "the best" the prior year and likely won't be "the best" the next year...according to Jim Murray and Jim Murray alone.
A bottle of Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 currently sell for $7599.99, which is why I'll probably never get another.  It was named best in the world in the Whisky Bible 2015, which came out in 2014.  MANY are jealous of his influence on the whisky producing/drinking worlds.  He certainly uses inputs from other connoisseurs… unlikely he can taste 4600 whiskies a year.  Even Ed can't drink that much.  I can't say that it is the "best in the world", but it is clearly one of the best I've ever tasted… and I've tasted more than a few, having worked at some of the best "bars" in the country.  
I guess you agree a lot with Sean Lind.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Son of Ed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/11/2018 at 19:40
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/11/2018 at 20:24
Never heard of Sean Lind, so don't know whether I agree with him or not. I either like something or I don't, and I rely on influence from other people only to the extent their opinions convince me to take a chance on a bottle of something I've never tried before based on their comparisons to something else I have tried before. I've been influenced to try different things based on what you guys have said in this very thread way more than I ever have from some "expert" reviewer. I don't consider myself an expert on anything except on what my own tastebuds tell my brain.

Jim Murray no doubt tries a lot of tipple. According to Murray himself, he claims he samples on average 20 whiskies/day:
Damn, that's pretty extreme!

No matter how big a connoisseur he is or how much experience and influence he has, he's just one man, and he cannot taste stuff for someone else. Different people's taste receptors react differently to the multitudes of complex chemical compounds in things we eat and drink.


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