JW Black vs Sangsom

[elgenon]

I was wondering which has a higher alcohol content, Johnnie Walker Black or Sangsom? I like both.

[al007]

I generally buy Sangsom by the case and find it very agreeable with plenty of ice and normal water

 

I also greatly enjoy Black Label

 

If the two were the same price I would choose Black Label

 

However Sangsom wins because maybe ten times cheaper

 

The alcohol percentage about the same, actually Samsung is a rum not a whisky

[KhunBENQ]

Sangsom 40%, 70 cl 280 Baht (Rum)

JW Black 40%, 70 cl 1590 Baht (Whisky)

 

(prices from TOPS online)

 

In Thailand the term "whisky" is often used quite generous but erroneously.

[phantomfiddler]

Have you ever heard the phrase "If you are going to drink spirits, drink high quality" ! Believe it or not it is true. I have had a bar in Pattaya for over 34 years and have seen the effects first hand. One guy used to arrive on holiday and go out and buy A CASE of your cheap thai whisky, take it up to his room, and within a week this was not a sane normal human being. Be warned. There are lots of inexpensive scotches out there without risking the damage done by cheap plonk !

[sharktooth]

54 minutes ago, al007 said:

I generally buy Sangsom by the case and find it very agreeable with plenty of ice and normal water

 

I also greatly enjoy Black Label

 

If the two were the same price I would choose Black Label

 

However Sangsom wins because maybe ten times cheaper

 

The alcohol percentage about the same, actually Samsung is a rum not a whisky

Sir, I salute you. Buying Sangsom by the case and no qualms about mentioning it on a public forum. You'll get my vote if you ever run for office!

[al007]

19 minutes ago, phantomfiddler said:

Have you ever heard the phrase "If you are going to drink spirits, drink high quality" ! Believe it or not it is true. I have had a bar in Pattaya for over 34 years and have seen the effects first hand. One guy used to arrive on holiday and go out and buy A CASE of your cheap thai whisky, take it up to his room, and within a week this was not a sane normal human being. Be warned. There are lots of inexpensive scotches out there without risking the damage done by cheap plonk !

I would whole heartedly agree with some of your comments

 

However Sangsom ( a rum) has won many prizes and does not fall into the moonshine categories, that many do, and whilst not of the quality of up market Whiskies and Malts, a reasonably refined and safe product, in moderation , if any spirits are in fact safe

 

As a young man I spent many years salmon fishing on the Spey, and the local catholic priest used to have a supply of beautiful malt whisky in unmarked bottles direct from the maturing areas of the local distilleries

 

Incidentally from Macro by the case it averages about 257 Baht per bottle

[GreasyFingers]

It is too long ago where I read it but it was said that hard grain spirits (whisky, vodka, burbon, gin etc) would kill you sooner that sugar (rum) or wine (brandy) based spirits. So it is easy to like Sangsom and Regency here but when I know I am going to die will upgrade to the expensive stuff as I will not be able to take the money with me.

[elgenon]

Cheers to all you experienced, knowledgeable indulgers.  If they are the same price in a bar I have been choosing Black, but if a 30 Baht difference, I have been choosing Sangsom . A good variety that way. Now that I know Sangsom is just as strong, and it won't necessarily kill me, I will keep on with my plan.

 

I do miss Mekong from the old days though.

[sharktooth]

1 hour ago, phantomfiddler said:

Have you ever heard the phrase "If you are going to drink spirits, drink high quality" ! Believe it or not it is true. I have had a bar in Pattaya for over 34 years and have seen the effects first hand. One guy used to arrive on holiday and go out and buy A CASE of your cheap thai whisky, take it up to his room, and within a week this was not a sane normal human being. Be warned. There are lots of inexpensive scotches out there without risking the damage done by cheap plonk !

"Not a sane normal human being."

What? In Pattaya? What were you using as a benchmark?

[janclaes47]

1 hour ago, phantomfiddler said:

Have you ever heard the phrase "If you are going to drink spirits, drink high quality" ! Believe it or not it is true. I have had a bar in Pattaya for over 34 years and have seen the effects first hand. One guy used to arrive on holiday and go out and buy A CASE of your cheap thai whisky, take it up to his room, and within a week this was not a sane normal human being. Be warned. There are lots of inexpensive scotches out there without risking the damage done by cheap plonk !

 

Agree with you wholeheartedly.

 

I arrived here almost 25 years ago, and also started on theSangsom ( sangtip in those days) because it tastes well.

 

It didn't take long to find out that it changed the way I behaved, being overly aggressive when drunk, and I never needed to buy a case to find that out.

 

 

[ChangMaiSausage]

Sangsom every day of the week for me.... its not because its cheap its because I like it

 

One thing that does get me though I was in BKK earlier this year, sat outside a gogo bar in Cowboy, why is Sangsom so expensive?  Its cheap to buy but was priced as a top shelf spirit. 

[al007]

1 minute ago, ChangMaiSausage said:

Sangsom every day of the week for me.... its not because its cheap its because I like it

 

One thing that does get me though I was in BKK earlier this year, sat outside a gogo bar in Cowboy, why is Sangsom so expensive?  Its cheap to buy but was priced as a top shelf spirit. 

Everyone to their own, drinks affect different people in different ways

 

I choose Sangsom because I like it and prefer it to 100Pipers,and other low end whiskies; but am also happy to say for me the lower cost, I also very much like, there are those who may think I am addicted, and that is a matter of opinion

 

However addicted to the financial savings definitely without any doubt

[Bangkok Barry]

27 minutes ago, ChangMaiSausage said:

Sangsom every day of the week for me.... its not because its cheap its because I like it

 

One thing that does get me though I was in BKK earlier this year, sat outside a gogo bar in Cowboy, why is Sangsom so expensive?  Its cheap to buy but was priced as a top shelf spirit. 

Because gogo bars offer more than the drink. Like eye candy, entertainment. Etc.

[bbbbooboo]

....hmmmmm.......from my limited experience sangsom is a rum and jack daniel is a whiskey. Given as others have indicated the alcohol content is 40 %, the only other likely variable is the Thai production methods and TIT

[sanukjim]

2 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Sangsom 40%, 70 cl 280 Baht (Rum)

JW Black 40%, 70 cl 1590 Baht (Whisky)

 

(prices from TOPS online)

 

In Thailand the term "whisky" is often used quite generous but erroneously.

All over the world people are in error about the names of alcohols. You would have to be a cheapo to chose Samson over Johnny Walker or just don't have a taste for good whiskey.Of course if you use anything other then water as a mixture in a whiskey you diffidently do not have a taste for whiskey so just drink the cheap stuff as it suits you.

[oldhippy]

Walker, Sangsom, Blend, ...

"You can drink it all right, but it tastes like shiit."

Didn't Paul Hogan say something like that?

 

Not that we have much choice in Thailand, good stuff is either far too expensive or simply unavailable.

That goes for strong alcohol, wine and beer.

 

One of the reasons I travel to Europe every year...

Of course, Saudis and Brits have no idea what I am talking about.

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, sanukjim said:

All over the world people are in error about the names of alcohols. You would have to be a cheapo to chose Samson over Johnny Walker or just don't have a taste for good whiskey.Of course if you use anything other then water as a mixture in a whiskey you diffidently do not have a taste for whiskey so just drink the cheap stuff as it suits you.

 

Just love this kind of snobbery when talking about Black Label... 

 

Its a good enough drink neat, or mixed with whatever you like... its hardly top shelf. 

I drink it instead of Sang Som because Sang Son would give me a ruinous hangover.

 

I drink Black Label mixed with Soda and a dash of coke when out in a club with friends (bottle on the table), or sometimes neat on ice if I'm feeling too full...  I strengthen up to get my sparkle on, and weaken down if I'm feeling 'wobbly' !!!

Very rarely a headachy hangover on just Black label alone... 

 

If sat at home, then perhaps something a little nicer to sip....  

[oldhippy]

2 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Just love this kind of snobbery when talking about Black Label... 

 

Its a good enough drink neat, or mixed with whatever you like... its hardly top shelf. 

I drink it instead of Sang Som because Sang Son would give me a ruinous hangover.

 

I drink Black Label mixed with Soda and a dash of coke when out in a club with friends (bottle on the table), or sometimes neat on ice if I'm feeling too full...  I strengthen up to get my sparkle on, and weaken down if I'm feeling 'wobbly' !!!

Very rarely a headachy hangover on just Black label alone... 

 

If sat at home, then perhaps something a little nicer to sip....  

JW Black Label is not a whiskey.

It is a marketing trick.

 

[GreasyFingers]

1 hour ago, elgenon said:

Cheers to all you experienced, knowledgeable indulgers.  If they are the same price in a bar I have been choosing Black, but if a 30 Baht difference, I have been choosing Sangsom . A good variety that way. Now that I know Sangsom is just as strong, and it won't necessarily kill me, I will keep on with my plan.

 

I do miss Mekong from the old days though.

Have been coming here for over 10 years and promised myself that one day i would drink Mekong but that day never came.

[Baerboxer]

2 hours ago, janclaes47 said:

 

Agree with you wholeheartedly.

 

I arrived here almost 25 years ago, and also started on theSangsom ( sangtip in those days) because it tastes well.

 

It didn't take long to find out that it changed the way I behaved, being overly aggressive when drunk, and I never needed to buy a case to find that out.

 

 

 

Are you suggesting that other alcoholic drinks don't make you aggressive when drunk?

 

I've always found rum, I used to drink Captain Morgan's or Lamb's, tends to have that effect too. Whereas the white rums, like Bacardi don't.

[Baerboxer]

1 hour ago, oldhippy said:

JW Black Label is not a whiskey.

It is a marketing trick.

 

 

JW not a whiskey?  Indeed it's a whisky.

[HooHaa]

2 hours ago, janclaes47 said:

 

Agree with you wholeheartedly.

 

I arrived here almost 25 years ago, and also started on theSangsom ( sangtip in those days) because it tastes well.

 

It didn't take long to find out that it changed the way I behaved, being overly aggressive when drunk, and I never needed to buy a case to find that out.

 

 

Sangthip was an epic beverage indeed.

[oldhippy]

2 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

JW not a whiskey?  Indeed it's a whisky.

Can we compromise on: JW is a whisky AND a marketing trick?

 

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Names and spellings (SOURCE: WIKI)

Much is made of the word's two spellings: whiskey and whisky.^[3][4] There are two schools of thought on the issue. One is that the spelling difference is simply a matter of regional language convention for the spelling of a word, indicating that the spelling varies depending on the intended audience or the background or personal preferences of the writer (like the difference between color and colour; or recognize and recognise),^[3][4] and the other is that the spelling should depend on the style or origin of the spirit being described. There is general agreement that when quoting the proper name printed on a label, the spelling on the label should not be altered.^[3][4] Some writers^[who?] refer to "whisk(e)y" or "whisky/whiskey" to acknowledge the variation.

The spelling whiskey is common in Ireland and the United States, while whisky is used in all other whisky producing countries.^[5] In the US, the usage has not always been consistent. From the late eighteenth century to the mid twentieth century, American writers used both spellings interchangeably until the introduction of newspaper style guides.^[6] Since the 1960s, American writers have increasingly used whiskey as the accepted spelling for aged grain spirits made in the US and whisky for aged grain spirits made outside the US.^[7] However, some prominent American brands, such as George Dickel, Maker's Mark, and Old Forester (all made by different companies), use the whisky spelling on their labels, and the Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits, the legal regulations for spirit in the US, also use the whisky spelling throughout.^[8]

"Scotch" is the internationally recognized term for "Scotch whisky".

 

 

[Baerboxer]

1 minute ago, oldhippy said:

Can we compromise on: JW is a whisky AND a marketing trick?

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Names and spellings (SOURCE: WIKI)

Much is made of the word's two spellings: whiskey and whisky.^[3][4] There are two schools of thought on the issue. One is that the spelling difference is simply a matter of regional language convention for the spelling of a word, indicating that the spelling varies depending on the intended audience or the background or personal preferences of the writer (like the difference between color and colour; or recognize and recognise),^[3][4] and the other is that the spelling should depend on the style or origin of the spirit being described. There is general agreement that when quoting the proper name printed on a label, the spelling on the label should not be altered.^[3][4] Some writers^[who?] refer to "whisk(e)y" or "whisky/whiskey" to acknowledge the variation.

The spelling whiskey is common in Ireland and the United States, while whisky is used in all other whisky producing countries.^[5] In the US, the usage has not always been consistent. From the late eighteenth century to the mid twentieth century, American writers used both spellings interchangeably until the introduction of newspaper style guides.^[6] Since the 1960s, American writers have increasingly used whiskey as the accepted spelling for aged grain spirits made in the US and whisky for aged grain spirits made outside the US.^[7] However, some prominent American brands, such as George Dickel, Maker's Mark, and Old Forester (all made by different companies), use the whisky spelling on their labels, and the Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits, the legal regulations for spirit in the US, also use the whisky spelling throughout.^[8]

"Scotch" is the internationally recognized term for "Scotch whisky".

 

 

 

Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky is available in various label colors denoting age, blend and their single malts etc. Some very expensive tipples.

 

The alcohol industry, wine, spirits, beers even ciders were one of the first industries to really use the full marketing mix to position their products. That inevitably means some products command a higher price perhaps than they might otherwise. But as long as people are willing to pay that price, and enjoy the product and consider the value for money acceptable then it will continue.

 

Draught lager beer was much cheaper to produce than traditional bitters and milds in the UK. But lager was sold at the highest price and produced the highest margins. Because clever marketing fully exploited the younger man's association with this type of beverage and it's taste. The same as French wines often enjoy a price premium over excellent "new world wines" of the same grape variety.

 

Everything we buy has marketing now. Why do you consider JW "clever"? Do you consider the price difference between red and black labels to great for the increase in quality?

[oldhippy]

QUOTE:

Everything we buy has marketing now. Why do you consider JW "clever"? Do you consider the price difference between red and black labels to great for the increase in quality?

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Unfortunately you are right, the cost price  of many products now mainly comes from their marketing (and taxes).

 

I am old school - I buy a product for what is in it, not for what some slick marketing manager has enhanced it with.

 

The difference between red and black JW? No idea, I seldom drink whisky, and if I do, I prefer the better stuff. Unless I want to get drunk - happens occasionally, in that case the cheapest available will do.

[bazza73]

IMHO the quality control of imported Johnny Walker would be significantly better than that of Sangsom. While many Thai manufacturers proudly display their ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 credentials, I suspect they would not recognise quality control if it bit them on the bum.

The source of hangovers is usually congeners in the distillation process, such as methanol, acetaldehyde and acetone. Plus excessive consumption.

Johnny Walker is simply a Scotch whisky blend. Palatable enough, but the distillers of single malt whiskies in Scotland would turn up their noses at it.

[Fulwell53]

Drinking is neither big nor clever

[Khon Kaen Dave]

38 minutes ago, Fulwell53 said:

Drinking is neither big nor clever

And its all very funny, until someone loses an eye

[oldhippy]

40 minutes ago, Fulwell53 said:

Drinking is neither big nor clever

How about drinking in moderation?

 

[Khon Kaen Dave]

1 hour ago, bazza73 said:

IMHO the quality control of imported Johnny Walker would be significantly better than that of Sangsom. While many Thai manufacturers proudly display their ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 credentials, I suspect they would not recognise quality control if it bit them on the bum.

The source of hangovers is usually congeners in the distillation process, such as methanol, acetaldehyde and acetone. Plus excessive consumption.

Johnny Walker is simply a Scotch whisky blend. Palatable enough, but the distillers of single malt whiskies in Scotland would turn up their noses at it.

I stay away from Sangsom, It doesnt sit well with me. I tend to get argumentative, and quite acidic, in my humour.

I like JW, but i also like 100 pipers. But, today, in the local 7/11 i saw a 70cl bottle of Bells. The label is different. Its got the union Jack on it, but its 349b a bottle.If its pukka then its cheap,or maybe a promotion.