Whiskey Snobbery

Joined Jan 2008
79 Posts | 0+
Mississippi
I was recently talking bourbon with a friend of mine, and mentioned, in passing, that Elijah Craig was my favorite. He made some comment about it being low-end and not that expensive. I had to come back with "I don't drink it because it's expensive; I drink it because I like it."

What's with people thinking that because they're drinking their whiskey out of a bottle with a wax seal and a fifty dollar pricetag, it somehow makes both it and them some sort of refined, gentlemanly item?

It's whiskey! It warms you up on a cold day and makes bad movies entertaining. They act like they've found a brand that tastes like liquid Klondike Bar or something. For crying out loud, let's be honest: You don't go to the liquor store looking for something that tastes good; You go looking for something that tastes bad in an interesting way! In fact, if you find something that does taste good, put that stuff back while you've still got the judgement to do so!

Sorry, just a rant I've had on my mind for awhile.
 
Britt E. Gardner said:
It's whiskey! It warms you up on a cold day and makes bad movies entertaining.

LMAO :lol:

I agree that just because something isn't expensive (I'll refrain from using the word "cheap") doesn't mean it isn't good. I have a $10 bottle of Evan Williams that is just fine for a quick shot or making Old Fashioneds. But I also keep a bottle of Knob Creek for daily sippin' and another of Pappy's 20yr for the special occasions. Truth be told, as the price goes up, so does the flavor, smoothness, and complexity. While I could never say the EW is my favorite, for the money it ain't bad. I'd take it any day over a bottle of Jim Beam costing twice as much.

Then again, I'll take a $7 Don Pepin Cuban Classic over a $25 Padron 1926, so what do I know? :wink:
 
I'm right there with you - I choose my booze because it tastes good, not because the bottle is pretty or it has a high price tag.

One of my favorite bourbons is Evan Williams 1783 (thanks Bloof) and my next favorite is Knob Creek. 1783 is/was only $12 a bottle but I'd drink it over many others. Knob Creek is around $30 for a bottle, so it's a bit more expensive, but it's still not $50 like a lot of bad bourbons.

Vodka is the same for me - I'd choose Luksusowa over Grey Goose or Belvedere any day, and at $18 for a bottle, it's a better deal too!
 
I can see it from both ends of the spectrum. Do I like Evan Williams? No. Do I like Black Maple Hill? Yes. It is more expensive, but I am going to pay for what I like. But I do like some of the lower priced Jim Beam rye, Wild Turkey is ok. But my favorite sippin' bourbon is Basil Hayden's 8yr.
 
Although I don't have a great deal of experience with bourbon, I do have some whith Scotch Whisky. And relatively speaking you do get what you pay for to a certain extent. I have had some Scotch's with no age statement which means that the youngest whisky (whether it is a single malt or a blended whisky) in the bottle has to be at least 3 years old. With that being said, if you compared that to lets say a backyard "hooch" made with inferior ingredients and not aged whatsoever, I would have to put my money on the bottled labeled Scotch. Now compare that no age statement to a 12 year old Scotch Whisky, you have now stepped into the realm of very smooth complex tastes and you are going to pay for it.

Tastes are all relative, but quality does have a profound effect on taste and price. This is not to say that a cheaper Whisky/Whiskey
is not going to taste good.

I guess my point is your buddy might not have been Snobbing but may have wrongly assumed the taste would be bad based on price.

I know caviar is very expensive, but that doesn't mean I'm going to like it!
 
Britt E. Gardner said:
...that Elijah Craig was my favorite...

I stumbled across Elijah Craig quite by accident about 15 years ago. My group of friends were all Jack Daniels drinkers and it was my turn to buy the bottle. Well, I was just a bit short on cash and saw this bottle on the bottom shelf covered in dust and was $12. So I bought it. It was one of the most pleasant surprise! Nowadays, EC is almost considered boutique.

I was at a party back in the fall and the birthday girl got a bottle of EC. You would have thought someone had given her some 30 y.o. bottle. It's kind of funny to me...
 
I agree its the taste not the price, my favorite is laugavulin, but it is 70 bucks a bottle, I drink Spayburn all the time about a bottle a week, it is 25 bucks a bottle, & I enjoy , bowmore Islay about the same price, , when I have a rusty nail I go for the blended scotch, no reason to spend the big bucks on a single malt if your going to mix it , I have made a rusty nail with the arblour a'brunda, GREAR flavor , but it is a high proof (121 I think ) , & naturally sweet, but just isnt worth the added expence to mix it, I keep a bottle of dewers for that & in a pinch its not bad all on its own, I like the smokey peetey Islays malts for a evening drink & a highland malt early in the day, walker blue is just out of the question at 200 a bottle , its fine if you want to show some one you have more cash than brians, last week I was at the track & some guy was drinking blue on the rocks with a twist of lemon, well at 28 bucks a shot he might as well be sipping cutty at under 28 bucks a bottle ! , BUT to each his own & I just smiled & watched the marman set him up all night long, I hope he got a great tip I had a glenmorangie t 12 bucks & thought it was over priced, I did manage to keep the chrystal snifter it was served in so I dont feel all that bad about it hahahah, Enjoy, Vince
 
Which Elijah Craig are we talking about? I can remember having one that was quite good but I cannot remember which one it was.

Definitely drink what you like not what is expensive although I must agree that many of the really good bottles are more expensive. I have moved more to Scotch, seems to be smoother, more complex, and there is definitely more variety.
 
I'm talking about the plain, twelve-year-old stuff. I've heard the eighteen is even better, but I can't find it around here.

I'll never be much of a scotch drinker. I tried some thirty-dollar bottle of eighteen-year-old stuff, the brand of which escapes me, and it had a dusty note to it that just killed the whole experience for me, basically for good.

Gave that bottle to a friend, and spent the rest of the night easing through half a bottle of Wild Turkey with him and three others, as we watched "The Thing."
 
Britt E. Gardner said:
I'm talking about the plain, twelve-year-old stuff. I've heard the eighteen is even better, but I can't find it around here.

I'll never be much of a scotch drinker. I tried some thirty-dollar bottle of eighteen-year-old stuff, the brand of which escapes me, and it had a dusty note to it that just killed the whole experience for me, basically for good.

Gave that bottle to a friend, and spent the rest of the night easing through half a bottle of Wild Turkey with him and three others, as we watched "The Thing."

There are definitely some "different" scotches out there, don't let one ruin them all for you. Try GlenLivet, it is a mild scotch.
 
Although I am a bourbon/rye enthusiast, the world of single malt scotches makes the world of bourbon look like a tennis court placed on a football field. One incomplete pass need not turn one off to an entire playing field, and when it comes to single malt scotches, the flavor profiles vary widely, VERY widely.
 
Bloofington said:
Although I am a bourbon/rye enthusiast, the world of single malt scotches makes the world of bourbon look like a tennis court placed on a football field. One incomplete pass need not turn one off to an entire playing field, and when it comes to single malt scotches, the flavor profiles vary widely, VERY widely.

almost as wide as I was a few years ago hahaha