Intro To Whiskey

Molly Brougham

Molly Brougham

Member
My fiance and I would like to become whiskey connoisseurs, but we do not have much experience as far as tasting goes. I am a beer, gin, and vodka girl. He is primarily a beer drinker. What is a nice whiskey to start with? Any recommendations?
 
That is a very hard question. There are so many different types that it's quite impossible to just predict what would suit your taste.

What I would do is find a pub with a good selection of whiskey. Then just go there, start with a Jameson and work your way from there. I don't know where you are from or how the whiskey culture is there but if you find an Irish pub then chances are the bartender will know a thing or two.

Why start from Jameson? Well for one, it's delicious. The taste is not.. well I don't find it to have any super special characteristics. So I think it's a good base to start from and then find your own way from there.
 
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crimsonghost747 said:
That is a very hard question. There are so many different types that it's quite impossible to just predict what would suit your taste.

What I would do is find a pub with a good selection of whiskey. Then just go there, start with a Jameson and work your way from there. I don't know where you are from or how the whiskey culture is there but if you find an Irish pub then chances are the bartender will know a thing or two.

Why start from Jameson? Well for one, it's delicious. The taste is not.. well I don't find it to have any super special characteristics. So I think it's a good base to start from and then find your own way from there.
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I'm from the Midwest (US) and whiskey/bourbon is pretty popular. Templeton Rye came out of Iowa. I have a few whiskey bars in mind that we could start at. Thanks for the advice.
 
I think going out to different bars might be a good start, that way you can start tasting some whisky types and the good ones will stand out for sure. Bartenders should also be helpful if you tell them your preferences. :p
 
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Hard to say maybe look for tastings for newbs in your area. Good way to feel the waters ... Firewater can get spendy and to buy a spendy bottle that don't do it hurts ...

Just asking....
 
I think the best place to start is a good 15 year old whiskey, they tend to be smoother. I think a good start would be Chivas or Dimple, they will be a good starting point.
 
You could try the cheaper,but still very good whiskeys like Jameson and Bushmills(both are irish whiskeys)-and they say Jameson is usually the first Irish Whiskey that they try and is mildly sweet and has some floral smells as well. Bushmills taste of grain and honey and is a bit smoother than Jameson overall.
 
There are a few brands that you can try that are smoother and not as harsh, which will make it an easier experience in terms of getting more comfortable and aware.
 
Find a bar or restaurant with a good lounge that has a great bartender. Ask him or her for recommendations. Also, ask for suggestions when you go to the liquor store. Read guides. Ask friends. Try free samples (if liquor stores in your area do that).
 
thisnthat said:
Find a bar or restaurant with a good lounge that has a great bartender. Ask him or her for recommendations. Also, ask for suggestions when you go to the liquor store. Read guides. Ask friends. Try free samples (if liquor stores in your area do that).
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Great advise, asking help from various people will give her a more oriented and complete point of view.
 
It would be nice to be able to know more about what you are drinking, but I am not sure I would ever get to that level. I like the idea of taking recommendations though, seems easy enough.
 
rz3300 said:
It would be nice to be able to know more about what you are drinking, but I am not sure I would ever get to that level. I like the idea of taking recommendations though, seems easy enough.
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Yes it's rather easy to searching and trying different drinks.
 
Zero said:
Great advise, asking help from various people will give her a more oriented and complete point of view.
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I think you get better advice from people who are in the business too. They serve a lot of the stuff, so they might know something about it. In the nicer places, the servers are usually taught a bit about the things they serve, or they take the initiative themselves. They want you to eat and drink more. A higher bill (with good service) means a better tip. They're usually happy to help.
 
Molly Brougham said:
My fiance and I would like to become whiskey connoisseurs, but we do not have much experience as far as tasting goes. I am a beer, gin, and vodka girl. He is primarily a beer drinker. What is a nice whiskey to start with? Any recommendations?
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You will get plenty of excellent recommendations. Many of them will be delightful, many of them will have you wondering what's wrong with other people's tongues. This is a purely subjective thing so your best bet is to find a person's whiskey blog and try to identify brands they tried with flavors that sound appealing to you.

Also be aware that experienced whiskey drinkers will usually bloom their drink with a few drops of very pure water. There is an ongoing debate as to whether this is a good idea as finer whiskeys are formulated to take their water quality into account as a de facto part of the recipe. That said there is solid scientific proof that water does create a small, but meaningful chemical reaction that can be enhanced in the glass with just a touch of extra water. Try each brand with, and without to see which you prefer.
 
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