Just saw this article. Quite surprised with the 2023 Best in Show award.

Any comments on this?

 

The Whiskies of the World Awards is a worldwide whisky competition, hosted annually by the Whiskies of the World team. Each year, a variety of whiskies are judged on a 100-point basis with a concentration on aromatics, flavor and finish by a panel of some of the top tastemakers and influencers in the beverage industry. 

 

Full article

 

I have to admit living in Thailand I am happy to get a reasonable whisky which is original - not a 2nd refill of that bottle somewhere in Thailand or China.

 

Back home I used to drink Dimple and Ballantines. Here Black Label seems to be the easiest reasonable option.

 

Who won "Worst Hangover"?

7 minutes ago, 2baht said:

Who won "Worst Hangover"?

I have to admit I am not familiar with the kind of whiskies which are tested at such an event.

I would be surprised if they produce hangover.

 

Personally, when I drink a lot then I drink all night the same. No hangover, even after a lot of the same.

India makes some quaffable whiskies: Red Stag is a solid 7/11 value buy. Imperial Blue Label is as good Chivas Regal. If you see an Indian single malt, it's usually as good as a Waitress brand bottle for half the $$$ (usually around 750 baht).

 

In England, I liked Bell's which you see over here a bit. A lighter, cleaner Dewers.

 

So far, I have not yet had a Japanese whisky that warrants the premium price.

 

I bought a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue in Vientiane at a Covid-sale price ($150) in June, and I still have a big glug of it. So all in,I'm  not much of drinker.

On 10/8/2023 at 1:57 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

I have to admit living in Thailand I am happy to get a reasonable whisky which is original - not a 2nd refill of that bottle somewhere in Thailand or China.

 

Back home I used to drink Dimple and Ballantines. Here Black Label seems to be the easiest reasonable option.

 

 

Absolutely agree with this.... 

 

When out with friends, there is only 'so much' beer I can drink before I've had enough of beer and fancy moving on to Whisky... These are social evenings I don't care for something amazing....  Black Label on ice is absolutely fine for me, except there is so much fake stuff about - I can taste its fake when drinking it neat and that bothers me because I don't want to drink a handful of fake cr@p and suffer a hangover when I can drink 'real stuff' and not face such issues.

 

I've lost count of the amount of bars I've walked out of because they are selling fake swill. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very US centric... but with the Spelling Whiskies, that surprises me as the plural of Whiskey is Whiskeys.... whereas the Plural of Whisky is Wiskies... 

 

 

Not that it matters much - its all good stuff and there are some great Bourbons that I'd like to try (who doesn't like their biscuits !! )

 

 

Got to give that Indri Diwali Collector's Edition 2023 a go if its even possible to get a hold of a bottle. 

 

Could be a great bottle to get through with the family at Christmas.

30 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Absolutely agree with this.... 

 

When out with friends, there is only 'so much' beer I can drink before I've had enough of beer and fancy moving on to Whisky... These are social evenings I don't care for something amazing....  Black Label on ice is absolutely fine for me, except there is so much fake stuff about - I can taste its fake when drinking it neat and that bothers me because I don't want to drink a handful of fake cr@p and suffer a hangover when I can drink 'real stuff' and not face such issues.

 

I've lost count of the amount of bars I've walked out of because they are selling fake swill. 

 

Yes, fake booze is a problem, and it causes headache.

Now I go out less than years ago, but it seems to me now I get almost always the real thing - Black Label.

Years ago, there were always a bar or two or three with headache booze. Now I am pretty sure I didn't drink fake Black for some time.

 

How is your current experience of what you describe? Do you get fake whiskey now? Or was there more fake years ago?

 

My experience is Bangkok nightlife only.

13 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

 

Yes, fake booze is a problem, and it causes headache.

Now I go out less than years ago, but it seems to me now I get almost always the real thing - Black Label.

Years ago, there were always a bar or two or three with headache booze. Now I am pretty sure I didn't drink fake Black for some time.

 

How is your current experience of what you describe? Do you get fake whiskey now? Or was there more fake years ago?

 

My experience is Bangkok nightlife only.

 

'Most' experience is also of Bangkok nightlife...   

Although, recent experience outside of Bangkok saw small group of us go through Black-Label by the bottle - it was real and the issue the following morning was less so of a hangover than it was of still being a little bit too 'bob-smithed-up' !!! (he's surely deserved of his own adjective by now)

 

The last time I had fake Whisky was on Soi 11 (bar beginning with M, watching football) - the Whisky was exceptionally rough and clearly fake, not even tasting remotely similar to the slightly peaty light smokey blend of JW black.

 

Other than that, recently I've not noticed so much and thats because I was either already three-sheets to the wind and was not capable of noticing or I was careful enough to avoid it in that particular establishment - beers are often the safer bet.

 

Otherwise... in bars relying on passing custom with 'women' as part of the entertainment, the Whisky is likely to be fake, previous experience has backed that up. 

Any bar which looks cheap (i.e. Soi 22 sports bars), the Whisky is likely to fake, previous experience has backed that up. 

 

'Decent bars' usually charge more for a Shot of Black Label than a beer, so its starts getting expensive... then we're into cocktails territory and I'll have an Old Fashioned or a Negroni - then its more about trust than being able to taste the specifics of the mix and know its 'real or not'.

 

 

Most of my Whisky is drank in my home or the home of friends....  I'm supping a Glenfiddich Reserve cask now.

 

In fact - most of the 'quality' stuff I have, Wine, Whisky, Sake, Steak, Hams etc... is consumed at home or at a friends house.... thats more than likely a combination of both age and taste.... and a lack of tolerance for BS which a lot of the bars pass off.

 

I can sit in a bar with friends, talk the good talk, enjoy company etc... but when the Whisky put in front of me tastes like counterfeit cheap swill, I just want to get out of there. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

 

 Black Label.

 

 

'Tried a bottle of Double Black Label. Like sucking on a lump of charcoal.

 

It required Diet Coke to choke down. 'Don't recall seeing it for sale in America.

I tend to only drink single malt whisky - very occasionally. Usually Glenmorangie in its various forms.

The subtleties of most others costing 4,000+ baht are totally wasted on my 'Thai spices' palette.

I once bought a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label whist on a visa run to Burma. Looked like the real thing except the price of 160 baht gave it away.

Not a bad taste for a rice whiskey. Good enough for the boys in my local pub to sell it as the real thing. (They did tell the customers before they drank it though.)

Some Japanese whiskies are good and I want to try some of the newer Australian ones. I have never seen them in the shops here on Samui and lots of places do have a wide range of foreign brands.

Each to their own of course.

1 hour ago, Prubangboy said:

'Tried a bottle of Double Black Label. Like sucking on a lump of charcoal.

 

It required Diet Coke to choke down. 'Don't recall seeing it for sale in America.

Diet Coke? Really?

And if they don't sell it in America is that supposed to be a negative point?

1 minute ago, Tropicalevo said:

Good enough for the boys in my local pub to sell it as the real thing. (They did tell the customers before they drank it though.)

Did they sell it as the real thing?

Or did they tell the customers?

It can only be one or the other.

Weird line-up.

 

How many of those are available here?

 

 

Current tipples here:

 

Bourbon Woodford Reserve Straight Bourbon, new release 43.2 ABV 1,835 at Tops (75 cl). The previous release (ABV 45.2) is 2,159 in many shops. I think there's a tax/duty threshold at 45 ABV here, or maybe new pricing. The double-oaked version (2,800/75 cl) is over the top for me.

 

Scotch Whisky Aberlour 12-year Speyside Single Malt, Double Cask Matured. ~ 3,100 Central (70 cl).

 

 

Duty-free on arrival offers the best prices, you can get a 1 L bottle for the local price of a 70/75 cl bottle.

 

 

21 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Diet Coke? Really?

And if they don't sell it in America is that supposed to be a negative point?

 

I don't defend drinking whiskey and Diet Coke.

 

Even tho Jack and Coke is the #1 drink by a mile where I come from. For additional white trash status, get a canned, premixed one. Jack in bottled, very sugary lemonade is another world wide success.

 

Lot's of diff flavored booze variants don't make it to the states. Prob down to import details and the further consolidation of the big booze companies. Grey Goose Rose'-flavored vodka (so far, a hard pass) and Raspberry-flavored Tanqueray Gin (bad, not awful) are available here but not in the states. 

 

How much smoke or mothball taste in a whiskey you like is a down to age. I did focus groups a long time ago for booze brands. Overwhelmingly, the young want lighter flavors. You'd have to be about 105 to want to drink Double Black Johnny Walker. 

6 minutes ago, Prubangboy said:

You'd have to be about 105 to want to drink Double Black Johnny Walker.

I tried it when I was about 50 years old. It was drinkable. But nothing to remember.

 

One of the things I learned early in Bangkok was that going out drinking is better to stick with solid brands, but not the most popular in Thailand.

Doubt anyone will bother faking a Jameson or a Bushmill, for example. Could be wrong, don't tell me.

 

It is surprising about them Indian made bottles - spent a few years there (late 90's and bit after 2000), and all I tasted was horrid. Even when mixed with the equally disgusting Thumbs Up. Developed an aversion to the point that haven't tried since, now curious.

 

Since we moved out of Bangkok it's more of a drink at home thing, and what with flying out of the country less, selection  took a hit. Whereas before it was single malts and Hibiki, now it's mostly Monkey's Shoulder, Jameson, and lately the Jack D. Apple one (not Calvados, but alright).