where is everyone from on this group?

I'm retired in the San Fernando Valley, north of Hollywood and west of Burbank in the Peoples' Democratic Republic of California. Mountains and ocean nearby, lots of golf courses and my gun club's range 20 minutes away. Vendome Liquor carries a nice selection of Whiskies.

Oh? I bet that's a big surprise to the state of Florida. 8;)

Old Town Alexandria, VA, here, inside the DC Beltway. Which is why I'm attuned to places that are not part of any state. 8;)

Same old political same old here -- just look at the front page of your local newspaper. {yawn}

-- Larry

Well you can expect me to camp out on your living room floor some day.. You do have some of the best diving going.. And the only problem with diving is that it limits my scotch consumption..

Hello Virginian - or are you a DoColumbian? Anyway, I'm from Lincolnshire in the UK but have visited Richmond VA several times. I'm hoping that my friend from VA will be visiting me this Summer so, if he does:

I've heard about a Virginian whiskey - what's it like, is it readily available and would it be worth getting him to bring me a bottle

or

What's the availability of George T Stagg in VA - is possible that he could get me a bottle of that (or at least Elmer T Lee).

You understand, of course, that malts are my 1st love - but when there's a chance of getting something unusual (or unobtainable in Lincs) the I like to take it.

That would probably be Virginia Gentleman.

Here are excerpts from a couple of reviewers:

"Virginia Gentleman 90 Proof Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey

Virginia Gentleman is made in Fredericksberg, which is located in the deliciously named Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Virginia, you ask? Yes, Virginia, and if my memory serves, A Smith Bowman Distillery, which produces Virginia Gentleman, is the only surviving distillery in Virginia. .... It's aged 6 years in charred oak barrels, and yes oh yes can you taste the oak. I speculate that these barrels are also responsible for the breadth Virginia Gentleman's taste; oak barrels, recall, are often used to age wine and are prized for their ability to offer nuance.

Virginia Gentleman is a good whiskey, and those with a discerning tongue will no doubt gets endless delight swilling it and attempting to deconstruct its manifold flavors, which include a good swath of honey and a sweet nuttiness."

"Won Double Gold and Best American Whiskey at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, besting some of the biggest names in bourbon, including Knob Creek, Woodford, Wild Turkey, Evan Williams and others."

Despite my living in Virginia, I find it to be a pretty pedestrian bourbon. About $20 US for 750 ml.

Elmer T Lee is available in the Virgina ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Commission) stores; the Stagg is not. It might well be available in one of the excellent stores in DC, though.

There is also a Belmont Farms of Virginia "Virginia Lightning Corn Whiskey," which I haven't experienced.

Have you tasted the older Winkle bourbons? Pappy Van Winkle, at 20 and 22 yrs., is the finest bourbon I've ever tasted. Expensive, but well worth it.

-- Larry

On Fri, 09 Dec 2005 23:38:46 -0500, pltrgyst replied: [snip]

I've found Maker's and Booker's fine alternatives to enhance my SMS tastings.

The FIL, he of rock-gut-and-cast-iron constitution, likes Gentleman Jack and Jefferson's. (Don't drink _either_ of these unless your like that first sip from the dram to clean your esophagus [with a horseradish burn] while simultaneously purging your sinuses.) One sip - from either - will hook you.

The Ranger

I can't work out if that was an attempt at humour.

Now, you're making sense.

Ant

thanks for the info

I could get GTS here - well in London - but the distillery told me it should be £70 a bottle whereas the retailer said I could have a bottle for £100+. I just don't have that kind of drinks money. I wondered if it might be more afordable in the US.

No, I'll keep an eye open for them.

Thanks for all the help.

: If I may ask, where are all you guys from and what is happening in your : neck of the woods?

I live in Washington DC (I can see the Capitol from my bedroom window) and I teach mathematics at the University of Maryland. Right now there's a farmer's market going on across the street and I can hear trash trucks. It's touching on 30 degrees and I'm thinking of uncovering my motorcycle for a brief ride.

Justin

Hey, Justin -- are you a dc-cycles reader/poster?

-- Larry (Alexandria)

: Hey, Justin -- are you a dc-cycles reader/poster?

No but I read/post on reeky quite a bit.

Justin '02 Shadow VT750DC '86 Lagavulin Double Matured

I ride one of those myself. Nice one liter package.

-- Larry

Sorry, but I just gotta ask: Wot Da Heck Does that mean???

Do they age it twice as fast?? Do they use Dog's Years? Maybe send it in a time machine? Set the clock ahead in some mega-savings time? I'm really, REALLY lost on this one.

I can almost understand tasting notes that include "old lint" and "turpentine." But "double matured??" Maybe having two (not one) college degrees???

aaaarrrrrggggghhhhh

chuck

pltrgyst wrote:

Portland Oregon

Lew/+Silat

It means it has been aged in two different types of casks -- so many years in one type, then a few more years in another. The type of cask has a huge effect on the ultimate taste.

bill

Wow! I have had several whiskies aged in multiple sequential casks (like Balvenie Double Wood), but I never would have thought of a term such as "double matured." Maybe my fault as an English major, writer, and editor. No matter how you count 'em, it's still only "matured" once, despite the multiplicity of containers in which it is aged.

But I gotta admit, the Balvenie Double Wood is one wondeful dram!

Dublin, Ireland

One might think that as an English major you'd know that words can have secondary meanings. One secondary meaning for the word "maturation" is:

b : the emergence of personal and behavioral characteristics through growth processes

which emergence could certainly occur twice sequentially during the lifetime of a particular whisky.

-- Larry (heavy drinker and freelance editor)

Staffordshire, England. A Scot living south of the border. It's just too damn flat around here..!

Jim