What is your favourite "Regular" Sipping Liquor - (Neat No Mixers Except Perhaps Ice)

[disneysteve]

I didn’t really give any detail to my answer when I said bourbon. One thing that I’d point out is that as a straight sipper, I always go for the higher proof options. We have a lot of single barrel cask strength bottles in our collection. Many are private barrel picks from our bourbon club. Some are store picks. A couple are straight from the distillery. I’m talking proofs in the 105-140 range.

The higher the proof, the smoother and more flavorful the whiskey since it hasn’t been watered down to lower the proof. If I’m drinking it straight, I want something that lets me enjoy the flavor. I’ll also use the higher proofs for whiskey-forward cocktails like old fashioneds. I save the low proof stuff (80-100) for mixer-forward drinks like bourbon and Coke or Kentucky Mules. For those the subtle flavors of the better whiskey would be lost anyway.

 

[grasshopper]

In my bourbon (whiskey) drinking days from 1973-1980 there weren't the bouquet distilleries that you have today, at least none that I knew of. So for straight up I drank Wild Turkey 101, with a little water Jack Daniels (which isn't really a bourbon), and Early Times (isn't called bourbon any longer) with coke and ice.

 

[SumDay]

DH loves Gentleman Jack. I don't drink any liquor straight, but do enjoy a Moscow Mule or a Gin & Tonic, or a Margarita, or.......

 

[SALTedOut]

Bevmo was out of Don Julio 1942. Whatever should I do? Can't leave empty handed eh?

Cincoro Anejo was there for the same price, in the same impressive tall bottle. Now cracked.

Really good tequilas are sorta like cognac. Don't even taste like tequila.

This stuff is velvet smooth and tastes like vanilla. I don't know how they do this.

But I like it -

Another tequila vote here. My second would be bourbon/rye in an old fashion or Manhattan

BTW, they don't taste like tequila and taste like vanilla and caramel because many/most brands include additives to make them sweet to appeal to the masses. DJ (including their 1942), Cincoro, Casa Azul, and most others are doing this.

Additive free tequilas are gaining popularity and actually taste much better, IMO. Try brands like G4, Fortaleza and El Tesoro de Don Felipe, among others. If you like more of a bourbon taste go for the repos and anjeos as the aging process adds some of the bourbon profile. My favorite right now is the El Tesoro extra anjeo.

Lots of great tequila information at TequlaMatchMaker (.com and an App). You can look up tequilas by brand and see how the experts rate them.

 

[kingkarmann]

I like to have a couple of bourbon on the rocks before bedtime.
Seems a waste to sip my favorite which Angels Envy Cask Strength. My go to is Evan Williams. Palatable and inexpensive enough that I can sip the Envy when the mood and occasion strikes.

 

[KenZ71]

When I did drink...

Sambucca Black was a favorite. Strong black licorice flavor that would clear the sinus better than anything at local pharmacy.

If not available Jack or Tequila would suffice

 

[slowsaver]

I prefer cocktails my DH makes, but when I do occasionally drink something neat, I prefer Lagavulin scotch.

 

[Choosehappy]

I voted “other” as I’ve recently been introduced to SanTan Sacred Stave CaraMellow Salted Caramel Whiskey and Screwball Peanut butter Whiskey. I leave both bottles in the frig. On occasion, I like to sip a bit at night after dinner while watching a show.

 

[doneat54]

Best sippers would have to be (typically after a fine meal, for dessert) Grand Marnier. Other one is Clas Azul Reposado tequila when I am feeling particularly decadent.

 

[RedFox]

Amaretto and cognac, heavier on the amaretto. Very nice in cooler weather.

 

[pacergal]

wow, some of the booze you all are listing sound pretty tasty!

 

[disneysteve]

Amaretto and cognac, heavier on the amaretto. Very nice in cooler weather.

When not drinking bourbon or rye, one of my wife's favorite drinks is a Godfather, equal parts Johnny Walker Black and DiSaronno Amaretto.

 

[mickeyd]

Southern Comfort

 

[Luvtoride]

wow, some of the booze you all are listing sound pretty tasty!

Most of our preferences are an “acquired taste”. Why some enjoy Whiskey vs Vodka vs Tequila or sweet liquors is based on what we have come to enjoy the taste of. Just because a whiskey drinker loves the taste of a certain brand or type of whiskey doesn’t mean a tequila drinker would even be able to drink it let alone enjoy it.

If you’re not a drinker now I wouldn’t start (or change) based on our preferences here.

 

[RedFox]

When not drinking bourbon or rye, one of my wife's favorite drinks is a Godfather, equal parts Johnny Walker Black and DiSaronno Amaretto.

Yes! Courvoisier + DiSaronno here. The good stuff!

 

[pb4uski]

Ouzo. Forgot that one.
How about Sambuka?

I like black coffee with a tablespoon of Sambuca.

 

[MichaelB]

I like black coffee with a tablespoon of Sambuca.

I line Sambuca with a tablespoon of coffee beans, fired.

 

[MarieIG]

Other - I do not agree that the choice not to imbibe alcohol renders one boring.

 

[pb4uski]

Other - I do not agree that the choice not to imbibe alcohol renders one boring.

Perhaps, but often less entertaining. [emoji3]

 

[MichaelB]

I do not agree that the choice not to imbibe alcohol renders one boring.

I share that view and many others do as well.

 

[NanoSour]

Speyside Scotch is my preferred vice

Favorite sippers include: Balvenie Carribean Cask 14, Abelour 12, Glenfiddich 14

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Other - I do not agree that the choice not to imbibe alcohol renders one boring.

It was a joke, it is the holidays after all. Some folks here do not seem to appreciate posts that are less than serious.

Perhaps I should have made the choice:

"I am on the 12 step program and do not drink alcohol .... anymore". Only Joking ... again.

Happy New year.

 

[MarieIG]

Perhaps, but often less entertaining. [emoji3]

 

[disneysteve]

Favorite sippers include: Balvenie Carribean Cask 14

I second that one.

 

[NW-Bound]

Here are the bottles that we compared on Christmas Day, after lunch and sitting outside in a balmy 60F.

From the left, we have Marie Duffau Napoleon Armagnac, ABK6 VSOP Cognac, Remy Martin VSOP Cognac, and Courvoisier XO Cognac.

Napoleon means at least 6 years of aging in a cask, while VSOP means at least 4 years, and XO means 10 years minimum.

The consensus was the XO was best, followed by the Napoleon Armagnac, then the ABK6, then the Remy Martin.

Personally, I kept switching between the XO Courvoisier and the Napoleon Marie Duffau, tasting a tablespoon at a time, and decided that they were comparable. And the XO bottle was 3x the cost of the Marie Duffau.