Does Anyone Favor Scotch/Irish Because of Lower Abv?

[tarheel]

Kind of a weird thought I've been having but I'd like to get some opinions to let me know if I'm crazy. 

 

I enjoy all whisk(e)ys. But I'm not getting any younger, and don't need more alcohol in my system than necessary. In my years of exploring scotch/irish/bourbon, what seems fairly clear to me is that I can get much more flavor out of scotch/irish at a reasonable abv (let's say 43%), whereas I need something north of 50% usually to really enjoy a bourbon. At that high of proof I feel like I miss the roundness of a scotch/irish because of all of the alcohol. And of course, after a couple drams the alcohol can hit you pretty hard too.

 

Now variety is the spice of life, and I'll never stop enjoying everything. But do any of you favor scotch/irish because of how much flavor you can get at a relatively lower proof? 

[flahute]

Good question and one that I can't help you with because I only dabble in Scotch and Irish. Looking forward to hearing from our members with significant experience with all three.

[Harry in WashDC]

Summer - an 80 proof bourbon in the freezer unless wife needs the space for beef or fish or ribs, wheated/wheat whiskey on hand instead of several rows back or several shelves up (looking at you, MM and Bernheim), Irish (Writer's Tears in several expressions as well as Green and Yellow Spot and Teeling's and a cask strength Redbreast) on the dining room floor under the silver chest mixed in with my 4R SiBs, and my standby bourbons.  Scotch?  Not so much other than a couple Compass Box expressions.

 

I only hit these "other" brown whiskeys three or four times a month in the Summer, but they are there.

[GaryT]

I do find that the whiskies I enjoy that are lower than 45% ABV are overwhelmingly Scotch or Irish.  But the reason I enjoy them isn't due to the lower proof (in fact, my favorites in those categories are higher proof offerings!)  I can't recall the last 40% ABV bourbon or rye I enjoyed, but there are a few single malts and blends at that proof I have enjoyed.  Although in many cases, I wish I could get them at a higher proof   Not that I want more of the alcohol - and there absolutely are some that are "too high" for my liking at cask strength.  But that allows me to dial it in to find my sweet spot - which for some might be 50%, others might be 55%.

[tanstaafl2]

I find scotch and Irish to be just as thin as bourbon at 80 proof. I will take cask strength every time. The county sends water to my house and the store stocks plenty of bottled water so I can decide how much to cut, if any, my whiskey. I don’t need somebody to cut the whiskey for me and tell me what proof to drink my whiskey!

[GaryT]

On 7/19/2020 at 5:17 PM, tanstaafl2 said:

I find scotch and Irish to be just as thin as bourbon at 80 proof. I will take cask strength every time. The county sends water to my house and the store stocks plenty of bottled water so I can decide how much to cut, if any, my whiskey. I don’t need somebody to cut the whiskey for me and tell me what proof to drink my whiskey!

Agreed.  I was scanning over my spreadsheet and couldn't find an 80 proofer that I really liked.  I prefer cask strength, but do have some 86 proof bottles I enjoy - and other than some dusty bourbons, they're all Scotch.  And I definitely find them to have more flavor than bourbons at a similar proof (and a better mouthfeel).  Examples include CB Spaniard, HP 18yr, Lag 16, and Caol Ila 12yr.  Now if any of those were offered at cask strength - I'd take that every time  (John Glaser - a Spaniard LE at cask strength for Christmas please?)