World Whisky Day Is Coming To A Bangkok Bar Near You

[David48]

World Whisky Day

World Whisky Day is coming to a Bar near you, this Saturday 18^th May.

Raise a glass in honour to this fine beverage.

Whether you be in Pattaya or Patpong, Chiang Mai or the Rai, Udon or Ubon, Bangkok, Bangna or even Bang Poo.

So, while you are enjoying that Singa, Chang or Leo ... chase it along with a Whisky/Whiskey

Cheers ...

.

[BookMan]

Thai Whiskey is okay?

Or is that classified more as a brandy or some such thing?

[David48]

Thai Whiskey is okay?

Or is that classified more as a brandy or some such thing?

Hummm ... not to sure.

We could ask a Scotsman ... they should have some knowledge on the subject

... are there any knowledgeable Scottish members out there?

.

[SeaVisionBurma]

My Dad is a Glaswegian - does that count?

If it does - I don't think he'd be a fan of Thai whisky

For me - anything that isn't a good single malt gets plenty of ice and ginger ale. Scotch and Dry, mmmmmmm

[rgs2001uk]

Thai Whiskey is okay?

Or is that classified more as a brandy or some such thing?

Is there such a thing as "Thai whisky"?

What do you mean by "Thai whisky", crap such as Sang Som I believe is rum.

Mekhong is also I believe a rum.

Other such crap as Hong Thong has blended spirits written on the label.

Just came across this link, I take what it says with a large pinch of salt, love the description for Blend 285.

http://www.thaibev.com/en08/product.aspx?sublv1gID=12

[Baerboxer]

Thai Whiskey is okay?

Or is that classified more as a brandy or some such thing?

Hummm ... not to sure.

We could ask a Scotsman ... they should have some knowledge on the subject

... are there any knowledgeable Scottish members out there?

.

Or even an Irishman. A nice glass of Bushmills please, ice and a spot of water.

I asked for a Glenlivert (they've gone for this instead of Glenfiddich now) and ice on Etihad business class a couple of weeks ago. The nice African crew member poured nearly 1/2 pint on the rocks! Could do with her running the bars on Saturday !!

Seriously, they're are some brilliant whiskeys / whiskys from all over and worth sampling. I've tried loads but always come back to Bushmill's, JW Black Label, Bell's, Famous Grouse, Laphroaig, or Langavulin. Just my personal preference - but there is so much taste variaton to suit different pallets.

[David48]

Thai Whiskey is okay?

Or is that classified more as a brandy or some such thing?

Is there such a thing as "Thai whisky"?

What do you mean by "Thai whisky", crap such as Sang Som I believe is rum.

Mekhong is also I believe a rum.

Other such crap as Hong Thong has blended spirits written on the label.

Just came across this link, I take what it says with a large pinch of salt, love the description for Blend 285.

http://www.thaibev.com/en08/product.aspx?sublv1gID=12

I understand what you say but, may I offer this viewpoint?

I'm a beer drinker (mostly) ... I drink what I can afford, which is usually domestic beer.

However, when I've had a win (tax return in my favour etc) I splash out with some Stella or Newcastle Brown Ale ... or some thing expensive.

Same could be said of Thai Whisky ... most of it is a lower quality then what can be bought overseas but hey, it is what it is. I can enjoy it in Thailand, but not over ice.

Each to their own ...

.

[smokie36]

http://www.bunnahabhain.com/

[Ticketmaster]

It makes hell of lot more sense to associate Bangkok with whiskey than books . . .

[Vinny1967]

Thai Whiskey is okay?

Or is that classified more as a brandy or some such thing?

Hummm ... not to sure.

We could ask a Scotsman ... they should have some knowledge on the subject

... are there any knowledgeable Scottish members out there?

.

Or even an Irishman. A nice glass of Bushmills please, ice and a spot of water.

I asked for a Glenlivert (they've gone for this instead of Glenfiddich now) and ice on Etihad business class a couple of weeks ago. The nice African crew member poured nearly 1/2 pint on the rocks! Could do with her running the bars on Saturday !!

Seriously, they're are some brilliant whiskeys / whiskys from all over and worth sampling. I've tried loads but always come back to Bushmill's, JW Black Label, Bell's, Famous Grouse, Laphroaig, or Langavulin. Just my personal preference - but there is so much taste variaton to suit different pallets.

Have to agree with Baerboxer.Glenlivet and Glenfiddich are lovely whiskeys.Had the pleasure last year of sampling some Jameson 18 year old.Loved it.Too expensive to be drinking on a daily basis,but a treat none the less.

Whenever I'm back home,I always have a glass or two of Powers or Paddy.

[welsh1]

Doesn't matter how good the Whisky is, Thais will drown it with ice and soda.

[rgs2001uk]

Thai Whiskey is okay?

Or is that classified more as a brandy or some such thing?

Hummm ... not to sure.

We could ask a Scotsman ... they should have some knowledge on the subject

... are there any knowledgeable Scottish members out there?

.

Or even an Irishman. A nice glass of Bushmills please, ice and a spot of water.

I asked for a Glenlivert (they've gone for this instead of Glenfiddich now) and ice on Etihad business class a couple of weeks ago. The nice African crew member poured nearly 1/2 pint on the rocks! Could do with her running the bars on Saturday !!

Seriously, they're are some brilliant whiskeys / whiskys from all over and worth sampling. I've tried loads but always come back to Bushmill's, JW Black Label, Bell's, Famous Grouse, Laphroaig, or Langavulin. Just my personal preference - but there is so much taste variaton to suit different pallets.

Have to agree with Baerboxer.Glenlivet and Glenfiddich are lovely whiskeys.Had the pleasure last year of sampling some Jameson 18 year old.Loved it.Too expensive to be drinking on a daily basis,but a treat none the less.

Whenever I'm back home,I always have a glass or two of Powers or Paddy.

That Pady is a nice drop, so is Jameson and Bushmill.

Personally I prefer Irish whisky, the triple distillation makes it so much smoother.

I tend to go for either cheap whisky for mixing, or decent whisky to drink on the rocks, hence I miss out a lot of mid priced whiskies

[rgs2001uk]

Thai Whiskey is okay?

Or is that classified more as a brandy or some such thing?

Is there such a thing as "Thai whisky"?

What do you mean by "Thai whisky", crap such as Sang Som I believe is rum.

Mekhong is also I believe a rum.

Other such crap as Hong Thong has blended spirits written on the label.

Just came across this link, I take what it says with a large pinch of salt, love the description for Blend 285.

http://www.thaibev.com/en08/product.aspx?sublv1gID=12

I understand what you say but, may I offer this viewpoint?

I'm a beer drinker (mostly) ... I drink what I can afford, which is usually domestic beer.

However, when I've had a win (tax return in my favour etc) I splash out with some Stella or Newcastle Brown Ale ... or some thing expensive.

Same could be said of Thai Whisky ... most of it is a lower quality then what can be bought overseas but hey, it is what it is. I can enjoy it in Thailand, but not over ice.

Each to their own ...

.

David I hear you, however here in Thailand the local beer is crap, so much so i would rather have an iced lemon tea than pour horse piss such as, Cheers, Cheers Extra, Red Horse, Archa or Chang down my throat.

The best of the local stuff to me is Leo, I usually limit that to about 3 or 4 large bottles tops.

I dont hold out much hope for this ASEAN 2015 making any difference to Thai protectionist policies, self interest and tax the shit out of any non Thai product.

Pleny of decent beers available in the region, if others can produce passable beer why cant the Thais?

[David48]

Great replies above.

Have run out of likes (as usual) for the day ... will return soon as my thirst is replenished.

As for my preference in Whisky ... my hands are tied.

I used to live in Ireland so it's Guinness (on tap) and a Jameson chaser.

[StreetCowboy]

Great replies above.

Have run out of likes (as usual) for the day ... will return soon as my thirst is replenished.

As for my preference in Whisky ... my hands are tied.

I used to live in Ireland so it's Guinness (on tap) and a Jameson chaser.

I hate that, when you go into the pub after a dreadful shoelace accident and your hands are tied. On the bright side, it renders it impossible to get your wallet out...

[ivan96822]

I always have enjoyed hanging out at the Hilary Bar on soi 4 after it closes. There, the girls smuggle "Thai tequila" and pass the bottle around.

What glamor lies on soi 4 at five o`clock in the morning.......

[David48]

For those whose appreciation of this fine drop has increased, this instructional Video may help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjrkd_RZFFY&feature=player_embedded

[StreetCowboy]

I hope he's not on his way to Pitoddrie later in the afternoon.

[David48]

theblether is working away on a few things just now but he sent me this post in regards to whisky.

I know Richard Paterson, the gentleman who appears in that youtube clip, and not only have I had the pleasure of being shown by the greatest whisky expert in the World how to drink whisky correctly, I was shown in the room that you can see in the video.

Richard was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Scottish Whisky Association at a big fancy do a few years back, he is incredibly enthusiastic about his job, in fact he's very lucky to be in a job he is so passionate about. His father started a whisky trading business in Glasgow about 70 years ago from memory, and that was at a time when loads of small businesses operated out of back street units swapping and trading their barrels. Richard followed his father into the trade.

Back in the day, it was a long journey to get out to the Islands in particular, and the traders devised an "accounting" method for "scoring" the whisky. That was essential as not all blends work together, hence the need for a master blender like Richard. He would know that a certain barrelage for example in Aberdeen would match well with a barrelage in Wishaw, so he would order them up, draw them altogether, test and verify the "score" so to speak, and proceed to blend.

Whisky cannot be sold as whisky before two years, and quite frankly two year old is fire water. Most companies wouldn't entertain putting anything out unless it was at least 3 years old, and Whyte and Mackay don't sell any whisky less than 4 years old. A little known fact is that there can routinely be as many as 25 to 30 separate whiskies in even the cheaper blends. It's essential that a consistent product gets to market every year and that's what tries the skill of the blenders. They are constantly on the case seeking out barrelage that ensure that this years blend tastes the same as last years blend. That is the burden of the blender.

Another point is that the age of a blended bottle of whisky is decided by the youngest whisky used in the blend. It's possible, in fact it's common, for a 10 year old blended whisky to have a lot of 15 to 18 year old whiskies within it. Not all aged whisky can be released for drinking as a stand alone, but can be perfect for blending. So that glass of 10 year old may be majority 15 year old, but the fact that there is a singular 10 year old in the bottle decides the age on the label.

Single malt is another matter, someone mentioned Laphroaig, I enjoyed Laphroaig back in the late 80's, however it's gone over to being a bit too medicinal for my taste now. It's possibly my taste buds that have changed but I do get the impression that the recent releases have been a little bit poorer than before. Just my opinion though. There are many issues that affect whisky, including the atmosphere in which it is kept, there are plenty of examples of whisky being ruined by musky odours or excessive saltiness in the air on the islands. When that happens it's only fit for dumping.

However the most important factor is the barrel used. The Scots whisky trade routinely imports the used American Oak barrels used in the production of bourbon. These aged barrels have lost some of the rawest " woody " flavouring and they retain some of the aroma from the bourbon.
It can be the case at times that the barrels have "flipped over the edge" and they can contaminate any whisky left within them. Really there's no way of knowing as oak is a natural product, so there are times when a master blender will open a barrel for scoring and have to write it off. That's really disappointing if the barrel has been maturing for 10 years plus as is often the case with single malts.

The whisky trade also imports used port barrels, mainly for the upper end malts. You'll find the single malt being decanted from an American Oak barrel after say 10 years and allowed to spend the last two years of it's life in a port barrel. It's all to do with making sure the whisky is alive, breathing, and absorbing influences. That's what Richard is talking about when he says the whisky can taste chocolately or like a christmas cake. It's taking in flavours from many sources.

The 30 year old Whyte and Mackay is the greatest blended whisky I have ever tasted, it actually tastes spicy, like mulled wine, it's just unbelievable and delightful. Anyway........here's a little secret for you.....

Richard says you can drink Whisky any way you like as long as you enjoy it. If the Thais like to water it down then that's fine, There's far too much snobbery and elitism by some people when it comes to Whisky.

Personally, I do exactly what Richard says, I rinse the glass with a drop and throw it away.

I stick in two cubes of ice, hold it to my nose three times and sniff heavily. This awakens the senses. Richard talks about dropping a wee tad of water in, by the time I sniff three times the ice has melted a wee bit so I get the same effect. That wee touch of water awakens the whisky too.

Another tip is when you take a sip, hold it in your mouth for the age of the bottle in seconds.......be polite.

If the whisky has waited 12 years to get in to your mouth, you can allow it the courtesy of swirling around your mouth for 12 seconds before swallowing.

Swallow, and enjoy.

I suggest you try it........you'll be amazed at the difference it makes to your enjoyment, especially of the better whiskies.

I was at the Old Bell in Chiang Mai back in February, there was an assembled company of about 10 people there, including Americans, Canadians, Australians, Englishmen and of course Pedr, the owner, who is Welsh. I took the company through the correct way to drink whisky (incidentally, I paid for it, the idea that Scots are tight is BS ) and they could not believe the difference to the taste. I'll pm Pedr and ask if he'll post his thoughts on this thread.

Anyway I could ramble on for hours on this subject, drink whisky the way YOU like, mix it the way you want, the only thing that matters is that you enjoy it.

Slangevar gents, Slangevar.

....from theblether

[David48]

I hope he's not on his way to Pitoddrie later in the afternoon.

Nah ... he's no chance ...

Go Wakefield Warrington.

.

[SeaVisionBurma]

Slangevar gents, Slangevar

Jolly good. Slangevar to yourselves too. *raises glass*