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Spirits thread

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Jnor

Peter Fenwicke (45)
Do we have a whiskey/spirits thread around here? I'm quite partial to a decent single malt (been drinking at a place called the Baxter Inn here in Syd http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/70/1632889/restaurant/CBD/The-Baxter-Inn-Sydney) and came back from Mexico with a new-found appreciation for tequila. I never knew you actually sit and sip it just as you would a scotch. Only problem is it's quite hard to find a good one here (recommend Gran Centerario or Herradura - both Anejo) and fuckin exy if you do.

Apologies for non-wineness.
 

MrTimms

Ken Catchpole (46)
Staff member
We do now.

I don't mind the odd scotch, me and the Bro in law knocked off a bottle of Johnny Blue at xmas. I haven't drunk lately (with dry January) bu I have been getting sick of beer lately, especially the bloaty feeling, so have been experimenting with ciders but spirits seems to be better.

Interesting about the tequila, I had no idea, I usually have only used it to induce vomiting.
 
S

spooony

Guest
Mampoer or Witblitz home made
Tequila is Oros compared to it
 

Jnor

Peter Fenwicke (45)
Cheers Timmsy! I guess now that it's offficial a couple of my favourite singles are Oban 14, Aberlour 10, Glenmorangie 10 and a couple of Bowmay Isle ones too.

Not that I know anything about them, I just like them. Anyone care to impart some knowledge?
 

Schadenfreude

John Solomon (38)
Used to go to the basement bar in Edinburgh

Check out their drinks menu http://www.thebasement.org.uk/basement insertsweb.pdf

Some very nice Whisky and Tequila there - including:
jose cuervo collecion......................................anejo................38%...........70.00
the decimal point is in the right place, 70 quid a shot, £2 per millilitre. this is one of only
329 bottles in the world, the pewter and crystal decanter is kept in a locked case. the drink
itself is stunning, so smooth and golden that it tastes almost like an aged malt whisky or
brandy with only a subtle flavour of tequila left.
 

cyclopath

George Smith (75)
Staff member
Just getting into single malts, so not very knowledgeable about them yet. Glenmorangie, Laphroaig are two I have tried. I also had some single malt 10 yo whisky from Tasmania - there are some up and coming distilleries there, and why not, with all that pure water.
I have liked good single barrel or small batch bourbons for a while, emphasis on good. There are more and more around. Woodford Reserve, Eagle Rare and Blantons are all pretty nice neat or with a little ice.
If we're talking whiskey / whisky (there's a whole thread) we oughta mention Gagger's favourite drink - The Old Fashioned. I have been converted as well. Works very nicely using a 12 year old Canadian Club.
 

Gagger

Nick Farr-Jones (63)
Staff member
Nice thread Jnor

Being an ageing fucker like Timmsy and Cyclopath, whiskey has come into the reckoning. In the past I'd always gone for the single malts - Oban is probably my favourites. However - if you're gonna have more than a snifter I find they can just be too powerful - and induce the mothers of all hangovers.

Like Cyclo, I've got into my bourbons and especially rye whiskies - Canadian Club is the dogs. Perfect for Old Fashions. They do a 9yr old version aged in port barrels, and it's even better than the 12yr version IMO.

Photo 22-10-2011 22 53 07.jpg Photo 30-12-2011 13 01 29.jpg

One thing is I really can't get on with blended whiskies - JW being one of those, colour of label regardless
 

MrTimms

Ken Catchpole (46)
Staff member
It's the 1st of February, I'm getting drunk tonight...

Old Fashioned looks interesting, I haven't tried that before, it's on my to do list.

Last cracker I had was a Whiskey Sour, that was great. Unfortunately I got it from a joint in Christchurch that didn't survive the quake. I haven't found one that compares since.

scaled.php


And don't drink this, this is shit.

451475765.jpg
 

Sully

Tim Horan (67)
Staff member
I would have a tequila any day before a scotch. I just love the taste of a good gold. I think the white stuff is crap.
I like an old fashioned as well. Thanks Gagger. Might have to try a tequila old fashioned.


Sent using Tapatalk on a very old phone
 

suckerforred

Chilla Wilson (44)
Agree with the Tequila Gold, however the white stuff does make a passable Margurita. Don't mind a good whiskey or a really really good (read expensive) bourbon, however the bourbon can get a bit sweet. Solidly a rum drinker - yep queenslander so Bundy is the go to, however did get introduced to Appletons in NZ when Bundy not available and quite enjoyed that. Some of the Carribian rums worth a shot as well.
 

Sully

Tim Horan (67)
Staff member
My taste buds disagree. They say it's crap.


Sent using Tapatalk on a very old phone
 

cyclopath

George Smith (75)
Staff member
Agree with the Tequila Gold, however the white stuff does make a passable Margurita. Don't mind a good whiskey or a really really good (read expensive) bourbon, however the bourbon can get a bit sweet. Solidly a rum drinker - yep queenslander so Bundy is the go to, however did get introduced to Appletons in NZ when Bundy not available and quite enjoyed that. Some of the Carribian rums worth a shot as well.
On my recent sojourn to God's Water Feature, AKA Queensland, I relented and sampled a couple of Rum and Cotes. They drink easily, I'll say that. Of course, I'd have to get back to you after a proper session with their namesake sometime...
 

suckerforred

Chilla Wilson (44)
On my recent sojourn to God's Water Feature, AKA Queensland, I relented and sampled a couple of Rum and Cotes. They drink easily, I'll say that. Of course, I'd have to get back to you after a proper session with their namesake sometime...

I have a friend who's nick name is Bundy. Would you like her number?
 

Swat

Chilla Wilson (44)
And don't drink this, this is shit.

451475765.jpg

My girlfriend bought me a bottle of this in duty free when she was coming back from Brazil (not realising I pretty much only drink scotch - I guess it's my fault for always paying for her drinks). You are right on the money, it's bloody rank.

Also, has anyone got a port barrel going? I'm thinking of getting one this year.
 
S

spooony

Guest
Call me a party pooper, but I can’t help but think that a bottle of alcohol that comes wrapped in barbed wire should be approached with at least a bit of caution. I mean, seriously, you could injure yourself before the stuff even touches your lips — which says a lot about how much damage the actual drink could do…

Mampoer, a white spirit distilled from fermented fruit is the South African equivalent of moonshine. You’ll find Mampoer distilleries to tour from Pretoria to Prieska. The Marico tourism office runs a tour, which includes up to 3 farm visits, and Mampoer tasting sessions, after which you may never be quite sober. It is usually God-fearing Afrikaans housewives who are responsible for this lethal brew. Tackle it sparingly.


Fermenting Process:
Use a 200 litre plastic drum.
Take a fruit like peaches, crush enough of it and fill the drum up to half with it.
Fill up the drum with water and leave for about two weeks. No sugar or yeast must be added, as the natural content of these ingredients already inside the fruit, is high enough.
Inspect your concoction often. As soon as you see small bubbles forming on the surface, it means that the fermenting process has started. When the fermenting process stops, it is time to prepare the concoction for the next process. Bale out the fermented liquid into 20 litres plastic containers through cheesecloth.
Steam Kettle Process:
Find enough 750 ml or litre glass bottles, which can be sealed, for your final product to end up in.
Get a pressure cooker or a water boiler of about ten litres capacity and about five metres of 15 mm to 25 mm of copper tubing. Convert and modify the cooker or boiler so that the copper tubing can be fastened and unfastened to the top lid by means of male and female brass ferrules. You may need a capable person for the threading or brazing task. Roll the copper tubing into coils. The cooker or boiler must be of good quality stainless steel, so as not to chemically react to the process or heat.
steam-kettle-process.jpg


When your equipment is ready it must look like something as illustrated below:
The lid of your boiler or cooker must have a tight seal, not allowing any evaporation, except through the copper tubing.
The idea is now to pour the fermented liquid into the cooker and boil the liquid. The principle here is that during the evaporation process through the copper tubing, the alcoholic content of the liquid will cool off first, to form a liquid, while the water content will escape through the tubing as steam.
The secret here, to get a quality product, is to boil the alcohol a second time, to get rid of all possible harmful impurities.
You can now start to fill up your bottles and treat your friends to one of the most exquisite alcoholic drinks available, but beware – it is tasty and extremely potent, with or without mix, and may floor you if you do not use it slowly and in moderation.
Adding sugar at the start of the process will increase alcoholic content of the end product, which is totally unnecessary.
Adding some yeast at the start of the process will hasten the fermenting time.
You can repeat the process with any type of fruit, ending up with a variety of MAMPOER types and tastes (“MAMPOER” is the Afrikaans name for this type of strong alcoholic drink, traditionally brewed by moonshine brewers and fruit farmers in South Africa – nowadays only licensed brewers may produce it for commercial purposes).
Before the steam kettle process, the fermented liquid can be used as a beer; if you store it long enough, it becomes wine.
 

Jnor

Peter Fenwicke (45)
Ig
Nice thread Jnor

Being an ageing fucker like Timmsy and Cyclopath, whiskey has come into the reckoning. In the past I'd always gone for the single malts - Oban is probably my favourites. However - if you're gonna have more than a snifter I find they can just be too powerful - and induce the mothers of all hangovers.

Like Cyclo, I've got into my bourbons and especially rye whiskies - Canadian Club is the dogs. Perfect for Old Fashions. They do a 9yr old version aged in port barrels, and it's even better than the 12yr version IMO.

View attachment 1942 View attachment 1943

One thing is I really can't get on with blended whiskies - JW being one of those, colour of label regardless


If you're ageing fuckers for drinking whiskey then what does that make me? Just a fucker?

V interested in trying some nice bourbons and rye whiskies, the best I've had I guess would be Gentleman Jack - which I don't mind.

@cyclo What was the Tasmanian one? Would love to give it a go.

As for the tequilas, some of the gold stuff may well be mezcal which is quite nice but apparently a different drink I think due to both distilling (much simpler than tequila) and possibly different cactus. Jose Cuervo Tradicional (different to the regular) is another, and probably one of the cheaper of my fave tequilas.

I've been a fan of sours for a while but it's hard to find a decent one, that's for sure. What's in an Old Fashioned btw?
 

cyclopath

George Smith (75)
Staff member
The Tassie whiskey I had was Sullivan's Cove, from memory 12 yo, but I think they do an older one. Very smooth on a little ice, I'm sure it would even finer neat.
 

MrTimms

Ken Catchpole (46)
Staff member
V interested in trying some nice bourbons and rye whiskies, the best I've had I guess would be Gentleman Jack - which I don't mind.

Gentleman Jack, I haven't tried that, but I did get a bottle of the single barrel JD one duty free trip, did not like it, far too harsh. Interestingly, I watched a doco on the JD factory (Megafactories on discovery) and it is all one brew, the difference is just in the barrelling, and not the wood or age or anything you would think, but where the barrel is stored in the warehouse. Same warehouse, just the level etc. Something to do with the more stable temperatures.
 
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