What should I buy when REALLY strapped for cash ?

[SixCats!]

Hi Mo,

Sweet! Nice find on the VOT's. I always wanted to own a pair of A7's or A5's but, when I found the
STEPHENS TRU-SONIC Horn, I stopped looking. A pair of K-Horns would be nice.
I have a BEAUTIFUL nice old pair of JENSEN (circa 1955) TRI-PLEX Cabinets which (use) to house a single 15" Jensen 600 series Coaxial. I only got the Cabinets. The drivers were sold to some guy in Asia (for BIG bucks)!
Anyway, someday, I hope to find some ALTEC 604's Coaxials (or Stephens) for the Jensen Cabinets. "Spirit" wise, that's a really good price on POWERS! I wish POWERS was priced that reasonable in Maine. Powers is about $22.00 in Maine. Mo, if you get a chance, try "The Irishman" (Original Clan) Irish Whiskey (IF you can find it).
"The Irishman" is super smooth, tasty with no burn and not too expensive. I have heard of "Old Smugglers" but don't know much about it. I'll have to do a bit of research on that one.

Regards,
SixCats!

[brettie vedder]

jameson, powers and tullamore dew for me. i have had kilbeggan before and i think its the most awful whiskey i ever tasted. thought the first time there was something wrong with the bottle. tried it again in a pub and my god...i can't explain it. tastes like rotten fish to me and leaves this nasty lingering formaldehyde taste in my mouth. everything i eat or drink for 8 hours afterwards tastes of this. i have never had such an awful whiskey in all my life. but thats just me, lol

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

... i have had kilbeggan before and i think its the most awful whiskey i ever tasted. thought the first time there was something wrong with the bottle. tried it again in a pub and my god...i can't explain it. tastes like rotten fish to me and leaves this nasty lingering formaldehyde taste in my mouth. everything i eat or drink for 8 hours afterwards tastes of this. i have never had such an awful whiskey in all my life. but thats just me, lol

That's gas Brett it really is amazing how individuals taste certian taste profiles and these sometimes totally dominate. In this case negatively for you. I have that problem with ardbeg ... I keep hearing these wonderful descriptions of various ardbegs and yet when I taste them I can't get very far past an acrid almond essence taste

Ahh well ...

[brettie vedder]

... i have had kilbeggan before and i think its the most awful whiskey i ever tasted. thought the first time there was something wrong with the bottle. tried it again in a pub and my god...i can't explain it. tastes like rotten fish to me and leaves this nasty lingering formaldehyde taste in my mouth. everything i eat or drink for 8 hours afterwards tastes of this. i have never had such an awful whiskey in all my life. but thats just me, lol

That's gas Brett it really is amazing how individuals taste certian taste profiles and these sometimes totally dominate. In this case negatively for you. I have that problem with ardbeg ... I keep hearing these wonderful descriptions of various ardbegs and yet when I taste them I can't get very far past an acrid almond essence taste

Ahh well ...

yea, its crazy how our tastes differ. thats what makes the world go round i guess. i let my wife smell the kilbeggan to see if i was nuts and she said it smelled rotten too. and she loves the smell of jameson and powers 12, lol. i dont know what it is about the kilbeggan, but i find it EXTRAORDINARILY offensive. it baffles me that anyone can like it! the only ardbeg i ever had was the 10yo and i liked it. not as much as laph10yo though.

[Fionnán]

i have a similar relationship with tullamore dew. There's this awful metallic feel every time i put it in my mouth that makes it taste like liquid tetnis. Hopefully that'll change under grant and son's stewardship. not really a fan of kilbeggan either though

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

i have a similar relationship with tullamore dew. There's this awful metallic feel every time i put it in my mouth that makes it taste like liquid tetnis. Hopefully that'll change under grant and son's stewardship. not really a fan of kilbeggan either though

That's gas ... I get that from regular Jameson ... how banjaxed is that

[brettie vedder]

the last time i tried kilbeggan, it was out of one of those huge plastic bottles hanging on the wall. i wonder if that had anything to do with it, lol. this is all odd though

i also noticed something else weird. if i have a powers gold and hold the bottom of the glass so it warms up, i get an odd fishy taste finish to it. its happened numerous times to me. has this happened to anyone else? i was drinking out of a glencairn glass. i always make sure to clean my pallet before i drink, so this wasn't the case.

[SixCats!]

Hi all,

BV, sorry to hear about your negative experience with Kilbeggan. I thought about buying a bottle
($15.00 a 750ml in Maine) but, after reading about your experience, I think I'll just spend the extra five dollars and buy POWERS. Please note, I have read some positive reviews on Kilbeggan 15 Single Malt. Of course that's an entirely different animal. Mind you BV, if I ever have a chance to try a dram of Kilbeggan, I surely will give it a try and judge it for myself but, for the time being, I am in no hurry to rush out and buy a bottle. I recently tried a nip of KELLAN Irish Whiskey. Dear God, I thought it was AWFUL! I came close to pouring it down the drain of my kitchen sink. I instead added a teaspoon of Spring water to the KELLAN and it was much better. Still, this expression of KELLAN will NOT be something I will be buying anytime soon to say the least. IWC, you seem to be one of the few people who does not like ARDBEG TEN. Due to all the VERY positive reviews, I recently purchase a bottle of A10 in New Hampshire at a very reasonable price. I plan to keep it stored away until Fall. I hope my experience with A10 will be more positive than you experienced. I'll let you know my impressions of A10 come October/November. Fi, I haven't tried Tullamore Dew in a very long time. I should try it again sometime. Oooh, anyone have any thoughts/comments on TULLAMORE DEW 12 or POWERS 12 ?

Regards,
Tom aka SixCats!

[brettie vedder]

six cats, my opinion would be to taste everything at least once for yourself. everyone has different opinions, but now you see how all our tastes vary. you might love kilbeggan!

[brettie vedder]

i never had the tullamore 12, but i own a bottle of powers 12 and i find it to be DELICIOUS. cinnamon/vanilla all over the place for me. jameson 12 is awesome too

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Hi all,
IWC, you seem to be one of the few people who does not like ARDBEG TEN. Due to all the VERY positive reviews, I recently purchase a bottle of A10 in New Hampshire at a very reasonable price.

And that is the moral of the story ... you won't know until you have tried it yourself. I actually have no major issue with Kilbeggan but it is quite light and uninspiring for me and I feel there is much better out there but to BV's taste it is like drinking devils bile . I do get a plasticine nose off it at times which could be something that BV is honing in on.

Hi all,
I hope my experience with A10 will be more positive than you experienced. I'll let you know my impressions of A10 come October/November.
Regards,
Tom aka SixCats!

I'm sure it will ... I'm just strange

I actually don't totally disregard Ardbeg but I certainly need to be in the form for it but I'll never go mad for it. I did have the 17yo which was actually very good.

[brettie vedder]

plasticine is a great way to describe the nose on kilbeggan IWC. also reminds me of when you blow up a rubber tube or something and get that nasty rubber taste in your mouth. you hit the nail on the head though...it is devil's bile to me

[jcskinner]

Two of the greatest things about whiskey are the facts that:
a) they have the most complex taste arrangements of any flavour experience and
b) everyone of us has a unique and individual palate with its own strengths, weaknesses, blind spots and favourites.
I've had universally highly rated and expensive whiskeys I didn't like. Am I wrong or is the world? Nope, nobody's wrong. They simply like it and I simply didn't and that's perfectly fine. And it works the same vice versa too - I like some whiskeys most people tend to overlook.
We're all individuals and there are loads of different whiskeys out there to explore. It saddens me sometimes when people take Jim Murray literally when he calls his excellent annual book, the whiskey bible.
Just because Jim really rates something doesn't necessarily mean you will, unless you find that in general his taste preferences closely match your own.
There's no alternative to jumping in at the deep end and sampling a whiskey yourself if you want to know what it's like.

[brettie vedder]

well said jc. this is why i try to avoid reviews. i like to be a virgin when i experience a new whiskey. and its fun to formulate your own opinions and then read the reviews afterwards to see if anyone else agrees with you.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Very well put JC ...

... but how on earth can you say Bushmills 21yo is one of the best whiskies in the world

Just ribbing you

[jcskinner]

Actually, much as I love it, I agree with you Adrian.
At the price charged, I'd prefer to have a cask strength 21 yo.
By my criteria, which probably account for my bank balance as much as other factors, Black Bush is more of a world class whiskey than the 21 yo, given the quality level it delivers to a wide audience for a value price.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

By my criteria, which probably account for my bank balance as much as other factors, Black Bush is more of a world class whiskey than the 21 yo, given the quality level it delivers to a wide audience for a value price.

Ditto ... and Blackbush is a total winner in my book too. It actually seems sometimes that as a highly rated whiskey it is still slightly undervalued.

In all fairness the 21yo is an excellent whiskey but as you say sometimes you have to justify the price point and you can't beat Black bush for that.

I always seem to get more pleasure from the bargains rather than from the high end whiskies.

[SixCats!]

Hi all,

IWC & JC, I can't disagree with your thinking. I am finding out that I just have to take a chance and try as many as I can afford to buy. I too rate BLACK BUSH as a VERY good value and excellent Irish Whiskey! I have been truly enjoying my bottle of Black Bush ( perhaps too much). Arrrrrr, I could KICK myself for not making a special trip to NH to restock before June arrived. As of today, the pricing has changed at the State of New Hampshire Liquor Stores. "The Irishman Original Clan" went up in price FIVE dollars a bottle! Damn! Oooh well, at least JAMESON 12 went DOWN in price three dollars a bottle (now $31.00) as did "The Famous Grouse Gold Reserve" (now $29.00) a bottle. BUSH BLACK is unchanged at $31.00 a bottle. POWERS GOLD label is down to $18.50 a bottle which is nice. Perhaps the best deal this month is in the State of Maine. Laphroaig 10 is down to $43.00 (plus tax) and the GLENMORANGIE 12 (either LaSanta or Quin Ruban) are priced at $45.00 a bottle. Macallan 12 is also $45.00 a 750ml. Arrrrrr, what to buy, what to buy ?

Regards,
SixCats!

[bbbhouston]

Wow! Sixcats I am not sure if i can agree. Tough to get good value in Irish like Scotch whisky unless you find some discontinued brands... I tried the Kellan at a tasting in NY and i thought for the price ($4.00) less than Jameson it put a good fight. It was only a sip, got back to Houston went down to Specs and bought a full bottle and i am quite happy. Still great price over the well-known Irish and i truly like it in ice or cocktails. I would suggest a second try... i really enjoyed the sweetness and fullness of the flavor. Also it had less bit then bushmills or jameson..

thats me... I am happy with my find for an everyday Irish!

[brettie vedder]

Wow! Sixcats I am not sure if i can agree. Tough to get good value in Irish like Scotch whisky unless you find some discontinued brands... I tried the Kellan at a tasting in NY and i thought for the price ($4.00) less than Jameson it put a good fight. It was only a sip, got back to Houston went down to Specs and bought a full bottle and i am quite happy. Still great price over the well-known Irish and i truly like it in ice or cocktails. I would suggest a second try... i really enjoyed the sweetness and fullness of the flavor. Also it had less bit then bushmills or jameson..

thats me... I am happy with my find for an everyday Irish!

lived in austin for a while. spec's was a great store for whiskey. also grapevine. not sure if they had that down in houston. closed last year though

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

... i really enjoyed the sweetness and fullness of the flavor. Also it had less bit then bushmills or jameson..

thats me... I am happy with my find for an everyday Irish!

Good for you bbbhouston

There you go another happy camper ... if we all had the same taste there would probably only be need for one Irish, once Scotch etc and we would all live in a very dull world.

It's always good to hear from the people who like the small brand ... now all we need is someone who really like Kilbeggan to pitch in. There must be someone out there who really really likes it

[JohnM]

I like Kilbeggan. I think it's grand anyway. The 15 yr old is very good, but not everyone would agree.

[SixCats!]

Hi all,

3B, I am please to hear that you are enjoying KELLAN. Recently while discussing Whiskey with an aquaintance, this person mentioned he too enjoys KELLAN. IWC is of course correct when saying..."if we all had the same taste"... 3B, I am going to take your advice and give KELLAN another try. I am wondering if (on any given day) one's taste can change due to any number of factors. In other words, perhaps (for example) what one has eaten may effect the way Scotch/Irish might taste ? I happen to like (and eat) foods such as Onions, Garlic, Cheese, Hot Peppers, etc. Perhaps "meds" have an adverse effect on my taste. This much I can say, I noticed that even "The Irishman" Irish Whiskey (which I just raved about here and elsewhere) tasted "different" to me (not bad, just different) upon my second tasting (only 24 hours later). I also notice that TAMDHU 10 taste "different" (good but different) now that I nearly finished the bottle. I have little doubt that my switching back and forth between Scotch and Irish (about four open bottles) may be confusing the issue. I guess I just need more time (and tasting) before making any "concrete" conclusions. This is the FUN part!

Regards,
SixCats!

[brettie vedder]

another thing is if you drink a certain drink a lot more than others, the taste tends to get "burned" in your mouth. i noticed this a lot with beer and wine in the past. you get so used to a certain taste that you might find something else offensive, but it's really not. you are just not used to it. the same can go for whisk(e)y. my dad is a creature of habit. he drinks NAS tullamore dew 99% of the time. so when i try to introduce something new to him, he usually snarls something like "ugh, i don't like that." but if he is given a few more chances, he will eventually open up to it.

Forgot to mention ... a big welcome bbbH

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Hi all,

... I am wondering if (on any given day) one's taste can change due to any number of factors. In other words, perhaps (for example) what one has eaten may effect the way Scotch/Irish might taste ? I happen to like (and eat) foods such as Onions, Garlic, Cheese, Hot Peppers, etc. Perhaps "meds" have an adverse effect on my taste. This much I can say, I noticed that even "The Irishman" Irish Whiskey (which I just raved about here and elsewhere) tasted "different" to me (not bad, just different) upon my second tasting (only 24 hours later). I also notice that TAMDHU 10 taste "different" (good but different) now that I nearly finished the bottle. I have little doubt that my switching back and forth between Scotch and Irish (about four open bottles) may be confusing the issue. I guess I just need more time (and tasting) before making any "concrete" conclusions. This is the FUN part!

Regards,
SixCats!

I think this is a factor too ... I too would have different experiences with the same whiskey as do most people I would imagine. I suppose a lot depends on many varying factors. Food & Drink are obviously two but I think even mood can do it as does time of day. i.e. first thing in the morning your taste will be very much more sensitive (not that I'm encouraging morning time drinking or anything )