Top 5 Premium Liqour Thread

[Flick James]

At Andrew's request. 

Actually, he wanted a whiskey thread, but I thought I'd broaden it. What about your top 5 of the quality hard stuff. Not the Jim Beam you drink on a regular basis, but the stuff you buy when it's time to splurge. No mixed drinks, but you may include liqueurs if you like. I'm with Andrew in that I'm a whiskey man, but I do like a good vodka here and there. So let's hear your favorite "top shelf" choices:

1. Jameson Special Reserve Irish Whiskey (father-in-law bought me a bottle to celebrate the birth of my son recently. I'm now a big fan)
2. Connemara Cask Strength (peated Irish whiskey from an small-time distillery. Hard to find and expensive, and perhaps the finest straight sipping whiskey I've ever tasted. If you DARE use ice you'd better head to confession and do some serious penance)
3. Belvedere Vodka (Yes, Grey Goose is awesome too, but I keep coming back to Belvedere when it's time to splurge)
4. Courvoisier Cognac Napoleon (One of their more premium cognacs, pretty expensive, but talk about a fine digestif for after a particularly fine meal)
5. Macallan 18-year-old Scotch (I'm partial to Irish, but I was given a glass of this once and it was one of the finest I've ever had. You can really taste the oak. Quite expensive)

[Andrew]

For the splurging:

1.  Glenfiddich 18 year

actually a tie on #2:

2.  Glenfiddich 15 year or Chateau de Laubade Armagnac VSOP (funny, I like this better than the XO - it's a bit more lively)

4.  Macallan 18 year

5.  Claude Chatelier Cognac XO and Chateau de Laubade Armagnac XO are about even for me as well.

On the regular, I keep these on hand:

Glenfiddich 15 year
Chateau de Laubade VSOP Amagnac
Glenmorangie 12 year port aged
Maker's Mark
Claude Chatelier XO Cognac

[Rev. Powell]

I don't drink liquor much, mostly bourbon, so I have a hard time finding 5.  But here goes:

1. Knob Hill (bourbon)
2. Elijah Craig (bourbon)
2. E&J VSOP (brandy) - I hear their cheaper "VS" brandy is terrible, this is a step up but I suspect there are better brandies to try if I educate myself.  I still like it.
4. Maker's Mark (bourbon).
5. Malibu Coconut rum.

I've had an excellent Scotch or two but I never remember the names.

[Andrew]

2. E&J VSOP (brandy) - I hear their cheaper "VS" brandy is terrible, this is a step up but I suspect there are better brandies to try if I educate myself.  I still like it.

I cannot stand any of the E&J stuff.  Try to cognac's and armagnacs I mentioned.  They are just the "better" version of brandy.  Remy Martin VSOP cognac tends to be easy to find, not too expensive, and it's not bad - I'd consider it a good introduction.

[Rev. Powell]

2. E&J VSOP (brandy) - I hear their cheaper "VS" brandy is terrible, this is a step up but I suspect there are better brandies to try if I educate myself.  I still like it.

I cannot stand any of the E&J stuff.  Try to cognac's and armagnacs I mentioned.  They are just the "better" version of brandy.  Remy Martin VSOP cognac tends to be easy to find, not too expensive, and it's not bad - I'd consider it a good introduction.

I appreciate your guidance.  I'm no hard liquor expert, except I know a little about bourbon.  I'm just so devoted to beer. 

[Andrew]

1. Knob Hill (bourbon)

Knob Hill or Knob Creek?  I kept looking at your list and something was bothering me, and it finally hit me what.  If it's Knob Creek, I can agree with it being on a short list of bourbon.  Jack Daniels single barrel can be quite good, and I like their 1904 Gold Medal and 1954 Gold Medal varieties.

If you can find the Chateau de Laubade VSOP or XO Amagnac, they are both excellent and not expensive by the standard.  Anyone I've introduced them to has always asked me to procure them a bottle from Beltway Fine Wines & Liquors.  Beltway is amazing.  Their one store near Fort Meade is almost the size of a small Home Depot, and filled with everything you could ever ask.  Quite a lot is wine and beer, of course.  One whole aisle is whisky, bourbon, and scotch.  I'm talking front to back of a large store.  They also have an excellent selection of port.

[Rev. Powell]

1. Knob Hill (bourbon)

Knob Hill or Knob Creek?  I kept looking at your list and something was bothering me, and it finally hit me what.  If it's Knob Creek, I can agree with it being on a short list of bourbon.  Jack Daniels single barrel can be quite good, and I like their 1904 Gold Medal and 1954 Gold Medal varieties.

If you can find the Chateau de Laubade VSOP or XO Amagnac, they are both excellent and not expensive by the standard.  Anyone I've introduced them to has always asked me to procure them a bottle from Beltway Fine Wines & Liquors.  Beltway is amazing.  Their one store near Fort Meade is almost the size of a small Home Depot, and filled with everything you could ever ask.  Quite a lot is wine and beer, of course.  One whole aisle is whisky, bourbon, and scotch.  I'm talking front to back of a large store.  They also have an excellent selection of port.

Knob Creek!  I was mixing up Knob Creek & Heaven Hill in my head. 

We have an excellent liquor store here in Louisville as well, which is unfortunately named "Liquor Barn."  They carry a wonderful selection of cheeses and other gourmet items, too.  Probably about the same size as Beltway.  My friends from Dallas were astounded to find such a word-class liquor store in such a small metro area.  But people here like to drink, ESPECIALLY bourbon. 

Had a glass of Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select bourbon last night and I have to say it's growing on me and could be top 5.

I also recently inherited a half-full bottle of Salignac V.S. cognac that I have not had a chance to sample yet.

[Andrew]

You know who would have some good input for this thread?  CheezeFlixz!  He is the one who prompted me to give Maker's Mark another try, so I owe him a thanks for that.

[Rev. Powell]

You know who would have some good input for this thread?  CheezeFlixz!  He is the one who prompted me to give Maker's Mark another try, so I owe him a thanks for that.

Yes, but CheezeFlix puts coke in his Maker's Mark...

[Andrew]

You know who would have some good input for this thread?  CheezeFlixz!  He is the one who prompted me to give Maker's Mark another try, so I owe him a thanks for that.

Yes, but CheezeFlix puts coke in his Maker's Mark...

I do that with black label Jack Daniel's, but not Maker's Mark or any other whisky (or whiskey) that I consider sipping quality.