Which Water of Life Did You Pass Up Today? - Winter/Spring 2014

[ChainWhip]

I really liked PC10 though.

Which PC10? (There were two versions)

[Jwilly019]

PC10 Tro Na Linntean.

[theglobalguy]

Arran Devils Punchbowl 2, The General and a Macallan 25 all at MSRP. I only chuckled as I could have grabbed the first two and case of 4R SB and still had money left over as opposed to buying the Macallan.

[tanstaafl2]

Arran Devils Punchbowl 2, The General and a Macallan 25 all at MSRP. I only chuckled as I could have grabbed the first two and case of 4R SB and still had money left over as opposed to buying the Macallan.

We tried the Punchbowl I and II at the GBS Dark Side event a couple of weeks ago. Both were nice but I was much better than II. Unfortunately that is the cheapest of the bunch. But The General is pretty darn good despite the excessive cost. As for the Macallan, I would definitely take the case of Four Roses!

[garbanzobean]

Compass Box The General at two different stores, priced a little generously at $450. Generous to the stores, that is. The second store actually had the bottle laying on its side. My conversation with the cashier at that store as I was checking out: "Sir, I hope you don't mind me giving you a piece of advice, but if you are going to charge nearly $500 for a bottle of scotch, you might not want to store the bottle on its side. It'll start to disintegrate the cork and ruin the whisky in a few days." Clerk response "Oh sh!t, I'll find a better shelf to put it on. Thanks." And surprisingly, he moved it, setting it upright. No telling how long it had been sitting like that, though. So if any Maryland folk living in the DC/Baltimore area are considering purchasing a bottle of The General and want to know which store NOT to buy it at, please PM me and I'll tell you where that was.

[bourboNcigars]

I came so close to buying the glenmorangie 18y gift box for $100, but I had already bought 3 other bottles today and did not plan on spending that much has it was...

[MtnDew]

Compass Box The General at two different stores, priced a little generously at $450. Generous to the stores, that is. The second store actually had the bottle laying on its side. My conversation with the cashier at that store as I was checking out: "Sir, I hope you don't mind me giving you a piece of advice, but if you are going to charge nearly $500 for a bottle of scotch, you might not want to store the bottle on its side. It'll start to disintegrate the cork and ruin the whisky in a few days." Clerk response "Oh sh!t, I'll find a better shelf to put it on. Thanks." And surprisingly, he moved it, setting it upright. No telling how long it had been sitting like that, though. So if any Maryland folk living in the DC/Baltimore area are considering purchasing a bottle of The General and want to know which store NOT to buy it at, please PM me and I'll tell you where that was.

How sure are you on that? It was my understanding that it would take months or years before any noticeable difference to the whisky could be detected. Though that doesn't mean the actual process of eating through the cork does not start immediately.

[garbanzobean]

How sure are you on that? It was my understanding that it would take months or years before any noticeable difference to the whisky could be detected. Though that doesn't mean the actual process of eating through the cork does not start immediately.

I am not sure at all, to be honest. I have some subjective evidence. For example, I set a Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix on its side for a few days recently, and the cork was so bloated and fragile that it took quite a bit of muscle to get it out of the bottle, and I had to find a different cork to replace the one I pulled out. What I do know is that if someone is going to pay $450 for a bottle of anything, they deserve to have it treated respectfully, which this particular store is not known for doing (long and very different story). Would you pay a $150 premium for a bottle that you knew for a fact wasn't treated within the recommended guidelines for its type?

[holdtheice]

What I do know is that if someone is going to pay $450 for a bottle of anything, they deserve to have it treated respectfully

Amen to that. I was in a small, privately owned store late last year and was horrified to see a Port Ellen 8th Edition OB lying on its side in a glass display case. I politely informed the saleslady that storing the bottle like that could damage the cork and taint the whisky. She gave me a filthy look and proceeded to tell me that's how they've always displayed their 'premium' bottles. I replied that it's their bottle so they can display it however they like, but it just cost them a sale. Then I walked out and have never been back. It really annoyed me to see something which is so hard to come by (and which could provide someone with a good degree of pleasure) being ruined by pig-headed ignorance.

[jvd99]

I recently went into a cruddy strip mall store which had basically nothing but bottom shelf offerings. The only bottle of interest was a Balvenie 21 Portwood. The clerk saw me looking at it and said he had another bottle of "expensive" whiskey. He the showed me his glass case, and there was a bottle of Mac 25, laying on its side and in direct sunlight, for $499 with a big 33% off sticker on it. I asked him how long its been in the case like that and he replied, for 3-4 years. I didn't say anything and left, despite the price. There was no point in advising him that the bottle shouldn't be on its side or right by the window because if he stood it up/moved it, some other hunter might drop 5 bills on a potentially ruined bottle. If a shop owner doesn't know enough about whiskey to display it properly, just let them continue to be ignorant because it puts potentially bad bottles in the market for later purchasers

[squire]

I think these corks are a good deal tougher than we credit but I also believe storing a bottle of whisky on it's side is akin to driving a car without ever changing the oil. Eventually it catches up.

[bourboNcigars]

Why would he put it on its side? Was there a ship inside? Lol that's such a waste of good malt

[garbanzobean]

I think these corks are a good deal tougher than we credit but I also believe storing a bottle of whisky on it's side is akin to driving a car without ever changing the oil. Eventually it catches up.

To expand your analogy, this would be like driving a maserati without ever changing the oil. Based on the fact that the bottle wasn't there the last time I went to the store, it is unlikely that the bottle had been lying on its side more than a couple weeks and was probably fine. But maybe the next time they need to find shelf space for an expensive spirit, they will think twice about setting the bottle on its side.

To be honest, I probably wouldn't have cared as much if it was a Macallan or something else I'm not interested in. I have a soft spot for Compass Box, as my wallet will attest. The only negative thing I have to say about Compass Box is that the last time the Brand Rep was in town doing tastings, he noticed the plethora of 2010 Flaming Heart on the shelf at my bottle shop and took most of it home with him. That was my honey hole, dangit. At any rate, I literally felt a pang of sadness for that bottle, laying there on its side all pitiful. Maybe I should stop anthropomorphizing bottles of whisky.

[AaronWF]

The bottle on the side thing is awful. Every time I check out at a liquor store and the cashier puts my bottles on their side in a bag, I stand them up and bluntly tell them that whisky should never be stored on its side. I'm a nice guy so I can be blunt and charming at the same time, because if you don't at least try to charm them, they'll never learn.

[bourboNcigars]

I can see you now, hey cmon baby, don't put it on its side..If I see you do that again I will go buy a $10 bottle of blended scotch and gently lay you on your side with ok sweets? By the way your perfume smells good, full bodied, I detect notes of citrus and rum oaks..ok now have a great day sugar and don't forget about the $10 bottle of blended scotch next ; )

[GaryT]

Passed on a good amount of tax stamped blended Scotch (none of the names apparently stuck). Not being familiar with blends, I didn't think twice about passing them up.

[MtnDew]

I am not sure at all, to be honest. I have some subjective evidence. For example, I set a Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix on its side for a few days recently, and the cork was so bloated and fragile that it took quite a bit of muscle to get it out of the bottle, and I had to find a different cork to replace the one I pulled out. What I do know is that if someone is going to pay $450 for a bottle of anything, they deserve to have it treated respectfully, which this particular store is not known for doing (long and very different story). Would you pay a $150 premium for a bottle that you knew for a fact wasn't treated within the recommended guidelines for its type?

My apologies if I came across implying it was no big deal, I'm very anal about keeping my bottles upright and won't buy something that is sitting on it's side, even if they claim it's only been that way for a few days. I was just curious if anyone here know anything more concrete about how long a bottle can go on it's side before there is noticeable taint. Or if it's like most things and just depends on a large number of factors. I'm going with the assumption that a couple of days won't hurt anything, something I have to believe since I ship and receive bottles and I know they were on their side for at least some of their multi day journeys. I'm just curious about peoples experience with the time factor.

I'm thinking it might be fun to do an experiment and buy some cheap blend that has a cork, or pour something into smaller corked bottles, and lay one on it's side in the dark, one on it's side in the light, one upright in the dark, and the last upright in the light. And then taste those weekly over a few months. Hmmmm.... I think I will set that up this summer.

As for the topic at hand, I passed on a bunch of WAY overpriced bottles at a Bevmo in Phoenix. Glenmoranagie Companta for $150? Lag 16 for $100? No thanks!

[AaronWF]

I was just curious if anyone here know anything more concrete about how long a bottle can go on it's side before there is noticeable taint. Or if it's like most things and just depends on a large number of factors. I'm going with the assumption that a couple of days won't hurt anything, something I have to believe since I ship and receive bottles and I know they were on their side for at least some of their multi day journeys. I'm just curious about peoples experience with the time factor.

All corks are not created equal. I stored a bottle of WLW on its side for about 17 hours before I noticed the cork had bloated, the wooden top warped and bourbon had started leaking out. The Stagg next to it was fine, but that is what turned me into a staunch uprighter for corked bottles. You just never know what you're going to get in any given bottle, so better to be safe than sorry.

Also, my understanding is that cork taint can happen in any situation, whether the bottle is stored on its side or not.

[garbanzobean]

My apologies if I came across implying it was no big deal, I'm very anal about keeping my bottles upright and won't buy something that is sitting on it's side, even if they claim it's only been that way for a few days. I was just curious if anyone here know anything more concrete about how long a bottle can go on it's side before there is noticeable taint. Or if it's like most things and just depends on a large number of factors. I'm going with the assumption that a couple of days won't hurt anything, something I have to believe since I ship and receive bottles and I know they were on their side for at least some of their multi day journeys. I'm just curious about peoples experience with the time factor.

I'm thinking it might be fun to do an experiment and buy some cheap blend that has a cork, or pour something into smaller corked bottles, and lay one on it's side in the dark, one on it's side in the light, one upright in the dark, and the last upright in the light. And then taste those weekly over a few months. Hmmmm.... I think I will set that up this summer.

As for the topic at hand, I passed on a bunch of WAY overpriced bottles at a Bevmo in Phoenix. Glenmoranagie Companta for $150? Lag 16 for $100? No thanks!

No offense taken, my apologies if I came off as snippy. The Lagavulin 16 for $100 is ridiculous. I have a store up here that's still selling it for $49.99. It went on sale 6 months ago, and seems to have just stayed that way.

[BigRich]

Passed on a good amount of tax stamped blended Scotch (none of the names apparently stuck). Not being familiar with blends, I didn't think twice about passing them up.

Shoot me an IM or email next time and I'll give you the skinny. Sam does it all the time.

[ChainWhip]

You 404 boys sure have some fertile hunting grounds...

[GaryT]

You 404 boys sure have some fertile hunting grounds...

Only when I'm hunting in 313 apparently

[fishnbowljoe]

Had to post this even though I'm not a scotch drinker. I passed on the Mackinlay's Shackleton Rare Old Highland Malt Whiskey.

[amg]

Passed up a Glenfarclas 40 @ $439.99.

[tanstaafl2]

Passed on Exclusive Malts Bladnoch 21yo and Glencadam 22yo, both at cask strength around 100 proof. Tempted but a bit pricey and I already have several older Bladnoch's which tends to be a lighter style given it is a lowland whisky. The Glencadam is interesting just because it is an unfamiliar distillery. Apparently shows up in a lot of blends.