What Are We Drinking?

For those of you of legal drinking age, this is meant to be a thread to discuss and disclose what we are currently (or what we wish we were currently) drinking in the way of, as the late, great Alex Trebek would put it, "Potent Potables." For those of you yet to come of age, feel free to watch, or participate with your best non-alcoholic concoction. Participation by underage drinkers is not encouraged, but how the hell are we gonna card you? Just don't try this at home.

For example:

I have enjoyed The Glenlivet single malt whisky for most of my days. I can't consume it too often due to my disability's reliance on pain medication, so a bottle lasts a long time. My latest bottle of 12 year old is about to run dry, and for once I have a desire to reach beyond the Speyside single malts and try the legendary Islay single malts instead. So, today, my wife took me shopping for one. With the help of the store's whisky expert, I settled on the Port Askaig Islay single malt, 110 Proof. Cost about $68. I couldn't wait for the Glenlivet to go empty - I had to try a glass.

First impression: wow. Smoked peat moss. There's whisky under there somewhere ... ah, there it is. Man, does it have a kick. I'm writing this after finishing the glass, so my recollection of the notes is a bit hazy. I do remember a citrusy note at first. After 110 proof, not much else remains. And no, I haven't had a pain pill anywhere near imbibing the glass. The memory of peat smoke does linger, however, and it's not at all unpleasant. I look forward to my next glass ... sometime in the future.

You may begin.

For the longest time I was a slave to The Macallan, aged 12-years in an oaken cask seasoned with cherry brandy. I graduated to the 18-year vintage when I was given a bottle as a gift, and I loved it. Subsequently, different friends have recommended other single-malts, and the ones I've enjoyed enough to go out and buy them have been:

Lagavulin

Laphroaig (smoked peat moss flavor to spare)

Notable Potables that I find more affordable are:

Glenfiddich

The Glenlivet

I had visited the Deanston Distillery in the Scottish highlands and sampled their stuff. Not bad.

[Oh, and lest I forget, White Horse is an excellent blended Scots whisky. And far more affordable than them single-malts.]

I'll drink a guiness on a weekend, but mostly I drink scotch, whiskey just gives me stomach pains.

13 minutes ago, ReX said:

Laphroaig (smoked peat moss flavor to spare)

I considered the Laphroaig, along with the Ardbeg before going to the store. The expert talked me out of both as a beginner (he described his first try of the Ardbeg as "drinking an ashtray") and steered me toward the Port Askaig 110 Proof and the Caol Ila. I chose the Port Askaig after hearing his impression of it.

I've also tried a non-aged-labeled version of The Glenfiddich. Wasn't too wild about it - might have liked an aged-labeled version better.

3 minutes ago, DRM-MAN said:

I'll drink a guiness on a weekend, but mostly I drink scotch, whiskey just gives me stomach pains.

We are discussing Scotch Whisky, you know. ;) What brand do you drink?

Just now, leejacksonaudio said:

We are discussing Scotch Whisky, you know. ;) What brand do you drink?

Just any brand that tastes good enough for me really.

6 minutes ago, DRM-MAN said:

but mostly I drink scotch, whiskey just gives me stomach pains

As @leejacksonaudio indicated, "scotch" is whiskey/whisky. Although not all whiskey/whisky is "scotch". There's Irish Whiskey (I'm fine with Jameson, but I'm generally not much for the Irish stuff), Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey (give me a pour of Woodford Reserve), and Tennessee Whiskey.

I've also quite liked Suntory Whisky, distilled by a Japanese distillery.

Eh, well, I drink it sometimes. The kinds that don't make my stomach hurt to be specific, and that's kinda rare.

Listen to @ReX. He knows much more about the subject than I do. I wish I had your repertoire, my good man.

Call me classy, but Beefeater gin is usually my drink of choice. Or any gin, really. Or anything, actually. I don't really have a discernible palate with alcohol so I can enjoy a good scotch as well as any back-alley jet fuel. It all depends on the night, I suppose.

Just wondering, does coffee count? Now I must agree it's not the highest proof, but it is also classy when done well.

Another drink I quite like is jim beam black burbon, it tastes great.

Greenfield black tea

Just now, leejacksonaudio said:

I wish I had your repertoire, my good man.

Get on enough planes and into airport lounges (domestically and internationally) and you get a goodly sampling of the Potent Potables. I've found Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines to have the top-shelf goods, while British Airways, Qantas, Air New Zealand, and "western" airlines (including US-based airlines flying internationally) tend to be more chintzy. The Cathay Pacific lounge in Hong Kong and in London are unbeatable, as is the Qantas lounge in Sydney. Incredible, chef-prepared food and high-end liquor.

Domestic US airlines and lounges are not bad, with single-malt whiskies generally being offered.

7 minutes ago, Lippeth said:

Call me classy, but Beefeater gin is usually my drink of choice. Or any gin, really. Or anything, actually. I don't really have a discernible palate with alcohol so I can enjoy a good scotch as well as any back-alley jet fuel. It all depends on the night, I suppose.

Give Aviation gin a try. It's an American gin that makes a mean mix.

5 minutes ago, Gustavo6046 said:

Just wondering, does coffee count? Now I must agree it's not the highest proof, but it is also classy when done well.

Coffee counts! What's your favorite?

Buckets of Captain Bludbeard's rum fermented and distilled from toxic barrels in the finest UAC still formally nice and polished but now rusted corrupted by Hell, with a zombieman's dirty socks in it.

For a few weeks now, just Coffee and occasionally some Amstel beers. I do have liquors but haven't touched them in a good while.

9 minutes ago, leejacksonaudio said:

Coffee counts! What's your favorite?

I do like cappuccino, but my favourite is the creamy kind that is made when you whip instant coffee. I think it's called dalgona coffee. It's so nice and good, and cheap and easy to make, and you can even store it post whipping if you have a freezer.

i just drink soda and juice i really hate alcohol so i guess that means more for you guys

We have a Keurig machine. I vary from brand to brand in my favorites, but my wife has one strict favorite: Organic Drago Espresso Blend from Fresh Roasted Coffee online. She won't drink anything else. One packet of Equal, one scoop of Coffee-Mate. Every single day.

2 minutes ago, omalefico32x said:

i just drink soda and juice i really hate alcohol so i guess that means more for you guys

Hey, you're in on this game, too! What specifically is it that you *do* drink? Soda-wise, I'm a Coke Zero drinker.

Just now, leejacksonaudio said:

Hey, you're in on this game, too! What specifically is it that you *do* drink? Soda-wise, I'm a Coke Zero drinker.

i like coke but if i drink too much i have problems seelping because of the high caffeine on it same reason why i dont frink coffe (though coffe is much worse) i really like grape juice and grape soda my favorite being grape fanta but when money is short is just go with cheap brazilian exclusive soda's that are sold here

1 minute ago, leejacksonaudio said:

I'm a Coke Zero drinker.

Have you tried Coke Life? It's a lower-calorie cola drink with the same sweetness as regular (and diet) colas.

But jumping back on the topic of liquor, I also like vodka very much. My long-time favorite is Tito's (distilled in Austin, TX). I like Belvedere and Grey Goose, but they are somewhat pricey for the amount of vodka I like (read: "drink"). One of my budget favorites is a Polish brand named Sobieski.

What I like about vodka is you can make a cocktail with just about any ingredients. I have mixed salty stuff (like pickle brine, which, I must say was not my favorite) to sweet stuff (like cherry cordial) to neutral stuff (like club soda or Bubly). You can even add coffee! All make the vodka very smooth.

I'm a beer guy mostly, sometimes whiskey. I like tasting new beers especially - whenever I go the grocery store with the intention to buy drinks, I usually pick something I haven't had before.

I don't drink alcohol so it's between coffee and this

I don't drink often and I don't really like it, for reasons. I think my main go-to is rum and coke. Just a little bit of coke in my rum. I'm cheap, so I go with the cheap rums. Spiced rum is good. I used to drink vodka straight, those days are behind me. Beer-wise, I usually default to a local brew.

I'm weird with alcohol. I can't enjoy just a drink or two, I want to get drunk. Even if I do drink enough to get drunk, it is up to chance whether I feel drunk, or just shitty. Also I've grown to not enjoy drinking alone, which is good.

Coffee is great. I buy bags of beans from the grocery store and grind them myself. I've been buying a brand of beans that is local. I like trying different roasts, but in the end I can't really taste the difference.

Tea is great too. I have half a dozen different flavours of loose leaf tea in my cupboard. I like that it gives me something with flavour as opposed to water, but not a crappy drink like juice or pop/soda crap.

Other than that. Water.

23 minutes ago, leejacksonaudio said:

We have a Keurig machine.... from Fresh Roasted Coffee online.

A friend of mine spent big bucks to get a combo outfit including a grinder. He would buy the freshly roasted coffee beans at a gourmet store, grind them at home, and brew a cup daily. It's no wonder that I really enjoyed visiting him [:wink:]

I have a Keurig machine, and I use the single-serve brewer a couple of days a week. I've found that the most aromatic & flavorful brand of the K-Cup pods is Peet's.

28 minutes ago, leejacksonaudio said:

One packet of Equal, one scoop of Coffee-Mate.

For me, it 3 teaspoons of store-brand half-and-half + 3 tsp of Dunkin' Creamer + 6 tsp of organic soymilk in a 12-oz mug topped with coffee. Only milk, cream, sugar, and the soymilk ingredients. Basically, I take a little coffee with my cream. Heh.

14 minutes ago, ReX said:

Have you tried Coke Life? It's a lower-calorie cola drink with the same sweetness as regular (and diet) colas.

 

But jumping back on the topic of liquor, I also like vodka very much. My long-time favorite is Tito's (distilled in Austin, TX). I like Belvedere and Grey Goose, but they are somewhat pricey for the amount of vodka I like (read: "drink"). One of my budget favorites is a Polish brand named Sobieski.

 

What I like about vodka is you can make a cocktail with just about any ingredients. I have mixed salty stuff (like pickle brine, which, I must say was not my favorite) to sweet stuff (like cherry cordial) to neutral stuff (like club soda or Bubly). You can even add coffee! All make the vodka very smooth.

I've never been able to find a bottle/can of Coke Life to try. Wish I could. Do they still make it?

I'm trying to remember if I've ever bought a bottle of vodka, and I think I've only bought one - a bottle of Stolichnaya Crystal, which I promptly shoved in my freezer when I got it home back in the 80s. It was delicious in a nearly frozen state. Other than that, I've only had it as a base in mixed drinks, including one drink with Tito's at a Chuy's restaurant here in the D/FW area.

17 minutes ago, MFG38 said:

I'm a beer guy mostly, sometimes whiskey. I like tasting new beers especially - whenever I go the grocery store with the intention to buy drinks, I usually pick something I haven't had before.

What's the weirdest one you've ever tried? Mine was Best Maid Sour Pickle Beer by Martin House Brewing Company. Managed to make it through one can, then gave the rest of the six-pack away on a dare with some friends.

8 minutes ago, leejacksonaudio said:

I've never been able to find a bottle/can of Coke Life to try. Wish I could. Do they still make it?

It's widely been discontinued, but I've recently bought it at my local grocery store.

6 minutes ago, leejacksonaudio said:

What's the weirdest one you've ever tried?

I haven't really tried any "weird" beers, but I've had some outrageously potent ones. Blithering Idiot is aptly-named; two servings would probably be enough for a responsible-consuming drinker. [Of course, how inebriated you become will depend on your weight/BMI, how fast you drink it, whether or not you drink it with a meal, etc.]