Calvin

On 3/16/2021 at 7:53 PM, Danny Bateman said:

 and not awful.

Anybody tried the bourbons from Soldier Valley in La Vista?  I recently bought their three varieties they offer, but haven't tried them yet.  

23 hours ago, Redux said:

Got to do a head to head taste test of Wellers Special Reserve (my bottle) and Wellers Antique 107 (not minr) the other night.

And?  I'd assume 107 would take it, but I'm more wrong than right on these.  I think it's hilarious that Weller insists on the screw tops instead of corks.  So weird. 

Right there with you guys on the Henry McKenna and Colonel EH Taylor.  Two of my favorites, though a lot of places overcharge for them.  I wait to find them in the $45 range and grab 2 or 3.  I also have a bottle of the Belle Meade.  Wasn't overly impressed with it, but I'll give it another shot.  I gifted a few bourbons to friends this Christmas, one being Woodford Reserve.  I hadn't had it in a while and we cracked it open.  Very good.  Another recent one that I keep trying to like is Noah's Mill.  Reviews are great, but just not for me I guess.  

Very nice variety there, Redux.  Haven't heard of Soldier Valley, but familiar with the others.  I have not been impressed with Larceny either.  And Mitchers is top notch for sure.  

Feel the same about Laphroaig.  I know it's immensely popular, but just not my thing.  Way too smoky.  

And Michter's is SOLID!  Will have to keep an eye out for their rye!

What a joke.

On 10/16/2020 at 11:28 AM, Redux said:

 

Impulse buy at the register, Willett Bourbon.  I've heard good and bad.

I have a bottle of the Willett Pot Still Reserve.  Haven't sipped it in a while, but recall that I enjoyed it.  

On 10/9/2020 at 3:26 PM, Xmas32 said:

Has anyone here had any experiences with Japanese whisky?  One of my buddies absolutely swears by it and keeps telling me to pick up a bottle of Yamazaki 12.  I'll have to hit one of the local whisky bars and try a dram or 2.

I hear good things as well.  I have a few samples I have yet to try.  Hibiki is the one I see talked about the most.  

Man, I haven't had a JW since my early 20s.  And it was red label and I thought it was good.  

How smoky is it?  

On 9/30/2020 at 10:00 PM, RedDenver said:

I know a retired liquor distributor who gives me a heads up when stuff I drink goes on sale somewhere.

Very nice!!

10-4.  Will keep an eye out.  At $80, that's probably a steal.  I almost spent that on the 12.  

I'll keep looking then.  

What's a reasonable price on the Macallan 15?  I found a bottle near me for $170.  

Voted for Pink Floyd, but not disappointed at all with Queen.  

On 9/25/2020 at 6:37 PM, RedDenver said:

Aberlour 12 and Macallan 15 are my go to scotch. But a more recent favorite is the Laws Whiskey House 4 Grain Straight Bourbon.

Amen to that!!  AD Laws 4 grain is easily one of my favorite whiskeys/bourbons.  I've since added their bottled in bond to my collection as well.  

Once I finish off the scotch I have on hand, I think I'll pull the trigger on a Macallan 15.  I don't drink scotch often, so might as well have a nice one on hand for when I do.  

I see a lot of love for Glenfiddich among scotch drinkers.  Glenlivet and Macallan the others.  Close friend of mine is a scotch guy, always has Glenlivet 12 on hand.  I gifted him a bottle of Macallan 12 for his birthday.  Turns out it's his favorite, so that worked out pretty well.  

I don't keep a lot of scotch on hand.  I have some Chivas Regal 12 and a Glenmorangie 10.  Nothing fancy, but if I have a scotch drinker over, it's good enough.  

15 hours ago, BigRedBuster said:

Not sure which one you're talking to.

Decked  

That's pretty gross dude.  Might wanna talk to someone.  

6 minutes ago, Minnesota_husker said:

I dont trust 2020.... Knowing our luck he picks Iowa on a Nebraska football show just to dig the knife in more.

You stop it with that!  

54 minutes ago, Danny Bateman said:

 

Haha no doubt! 
 

I have a guillotine cutter and like a fairly healthy draw (sweet irony ) so I go with a straight cut. Punch cuts look interesting, however.

 

I think most of the sticks I've smoked previously were Maduros, as are the Punch ones I got. The milder Mac was definitely a change of pace.

Oh, one that slipped my mind on the milder side, Baccarat.  Have had a few of these and been impressed each time.  Milder cigar, green wrapper, but an easy every day smoker. 

Rocky Patel has a lot of variety and I've found a few I like.  

I only started using the punch cut since it's attached to this torch lighter I bought.  Now I prefer it.  Less chance of a mess and haven't seen a difference in draw.  The lighter I got was pretty cheap.  Has three flames, windproof. But it guzzles up the fuel pretty fast.  

17 minutes ago, Danny Bateman said:

 

Wow, quite the connoisseur! That cooler sounds very nice.

 

I tried one of the Macs last night. It had a very different draw from any of the other ones I had smoked so far. I even had to adjust my cut several times because I felt like I wasn't getting enough through.

 

Liked it well enough. It was very smooth compared to any of the others I've had. I think it's probably because it was in a lighter Connecticut shade wrapper than a lot of my others which have been darker and oilier.

 

Looking forward to testing out the Man O' Wars and Punches as well.

My favorite wrapper is Maduro, so I really enjoy the Macanudo Maduros.  Haven't had a bad one yet.  I've had that experience before, where you're trying like hell to save the cigar.  Not very enjoyable.  Haha!  

Do you prefer straight cut or punch?  I've really like the punch cut.  

I'm definitely no connoisseur, but well on my way to spending too much money on something I'm going to light on fire!!  

Still around!  

I've picked up cigars again as well.  Favorites include Davidoff, Macanudo, Padron, Arturo Fuente, Romeo y Julieta and Ashton.  Draw is such a big thing for me, so if a stick doesn't have an effortless draw, it's no bueno for me.  Because of this, I've tried some other well received brands and haven't been impressed.  These were Oliva, H. Upmann and Montecristo, though recent Montecristos I've had have been good.  Might've just had a bad batch with the first few.  

I have four smallish (10-50) humidors and am finally upgrading to an electric 250 cigar cooler.  Should arrive today actually, so pretty excited to get that seasoned and ready.  

Damn.