Adult beverages in the backcountry.

Hi Roger,

> 5 litre casks for as little as $10
"Well, maybe, except that I have never seen one in the last 10 years. maybe I don't look in the wrong places?"

Bottleo in Hervey Bay just before xmas. I only noted it because I was flabbergasted at the price. Obviously a special deal.

I'm a bit anti cask wine because I've never tasted any I liked… some of the stuff I've tasted has been quite unpleasant to drink. But I haven't tried many so I probably shouldn't generalise. It's rare though to find a bottle under $10 that I would like to drink (not through want of trying, because I'm a poor uni student).

Having said that, the Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2007 is a surprisingly good vintage and on special for $8.50/bottle in a six pack at Dan Murphy's today… I'm going to be picking some up. I will keep my eye (and mind) open for some decent cask wine.

Mike, I have never tried that before. Love Islay's…must check this out!

For you single malt guys, consider Glenlivet for the summer (light, refreshing);& for the colder nights, cask strength Laphroiag (peaty, smokey, warming). Cask strength iterations of single malts allow one to carry less whisky & hence lighten the weight. For you Islay enthusiasts, consider Caol Ila, which is similar to Lagavulin but much less expensive. I carry mine in a Nalgene flask which has a 1 ounce measuring cap & graduated indents on the flask so one always knows how much Scotch is available ;) No worries about spoilage or cooling. Just a "splash of H2O & you're good to go"

splash of water???? Neat for me! Nice suggestions.

Mmmmmm. I'd love to get my hands on a bottle of that, michael!!! My go to tequila is correlejo reposado. I'm not a fan of blanco (mostly meant for mixing, which I don't do) and anejo tends to be a bit too aged and carmalized for my liking. but if you havn't tried it, and you like tequila like I do, I would really recommend correlejo. it's not that expensive either, which is always a plus. :-)

that's a great choice for a "go to".
ive already collected that one… a authentic Mexican bottle (NO english) that I brought back from Rocky Point many years ago. Back then, I just liked the bottle. Then about 4 years ago I purchased another for a friends birthday. I helped him drink it :)
some other bargain tequilas are
Cazadores, Rep
El Tesoro, blanco (not a mixer, drink straight trust me)
Trago*, Rep (comes in goofy lipstick looking bottle, but its great)
Zaffarancha, Anejo (kentucky oak, not french)
Corazon, all
Casa Noble, anejo

there are most likely about 40 more bargain (read: low advertising, not by taste) bottles but I cant list them all. Just remember, Cuervo is not tequila and Patron is severly overpriced and they dont even grow their own agave, they buy it! WTF! :(

*Trago is obviously trying to reach a different market, as most tequilas are modern, full mechanical facilities they are still marketed as some tiny farm where a dude picks agave by hand… trago actually still uses the jimador method and disregards that fact by going for the Cosmo crowd. The bottle alone is quite laughable at first, but distinct at least. Check out the "oh-so-hip" website: http://www.trago-tequila.com/htm/home.htm
here's another kickass collector bottle: http://www.beveragewarehouse.com/images/products/2131.jpg hand painted in 24k gold by Guadalahara locals

guy 1: i got sick on tequila once and i still cant touch the stuff!

guy 2: oh yeah? what tequila was it?

guy 1: Cuervo Gold

well, folks there you have it.

Funny, I got sick on tequila once, and I think it was called Bob's. Twenty five cents a shot. Haven't had one since.

At last! Someone who knows and loves tequila as much as I do!!! It sounds like we have very similar tastes when it comes to tequila. I couldn't agree more about the patron! WAY overpriced! On my honeymoon, we went to the mexican riviera and I got a chance to take the tequila tour. All of the tequilas were hand made from start to finish and we got to sample all of it. Delicious!

I like your tequila list. I havn't tried the trago but from your description, I will definately be on the lookout for it.

Couldn't agree more with you on the jose cuervo. It's basically a vodka disguised to taste and look like tequila with artificial flavorings and dyes… If you're going to go with cheap tequila, go with sauza. At least it's 100% agave for about the same price as jose crappo.

Thanks for the suggestions michael! I'm always on the lookout for good tequila.

Ken, Bunnahabhain (bun-a-ha-vain) is not so 'peaty' as most of the Islay malts. It's a nice, smooth and mellow malt, perfect for chillin'. :)

Ken,
I used to drink my scotch neat but over the last couple of years have come to appreciate how a splash of water improves the "nose" & brings out the complexities of the malt, particularly the "finish". When drinking scotch neat, especially at cask strength, the tongue can become quickly "numb" or at the least, less sensitive. Scotch is all about the full spectrum of our senses including sight, smell,& taste. Try the splash of water(never chlorinated)& see what you think. I have been told this is how many Scotsmen drink their scotch. Any thoughts on this Mike?

I was "instructed" by the tour guide at the Glenlivet distillery that the preferred method was drink your whisky "neat". If water was desired, then a MAXIMUM of water equal to 50% of the volume of whisky was the recommendation (and never ice…). Having tried it both ways, I observe that the taste is different, not necessarily better or worse, depending on the choice of water.

I also learned that "whisky" is the spelling reserved for single malt Scotch…and "whiskey" is for everything else in the world. =-)

William, I envy you. One of my dreams is to experience the "Whisky trail" in Scotland. My use of a splash of water is a very small amount, certainly not approaching 50% but perhaps maybe only 20%. I agree that putting ice in single malt scotch would be blasphemous! If the whisky is nonchillfiltered, even cold water could turn the malt cloudy. The late Michael Jackson of "Guide to Single Malt Scotch" fame liked to start with the malt neat & then add water to open up new aromas & flavors. He would also cleanse his palate between sips with water. To each his own. If you really think about it, it's a matter of semantics since the typical single malt whisky is 43% alcohol & 57% water. However you drink it, the Benedictine monks had it right when they nicknamed it "Aqua Vitae", the water of life! Cheers!

I don't think it's always right or wrong to add water to whisky. I sometimes do with cask strength Isla whisky as the taste is too strong. With some more delicate Highland or Speyside whisky I think water might dilute an already subtle taste. If I do add water it's never more than 25% of the volume of whisky and it's always fresh Highland water that hasn't been treated in any way (but then I do live in the Highlands and have my own water supply).

I live in Strathspey with masses of distilleries all around, most of which I have still to visit. My favourites are Islay malts however. A few years ago I went to Islay and visited the Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Bowmore and Kilchoman distilleries. Oh, and I also hiked up the highest hill on Islay and the Paps of Jura – it wasn't just a whisky trip!

A few mates an I took a 2ltr cask of Banrock Station Cabernet Merlot on a trip in the KNP last month. They have the same wine available in bottle or cask. You choose the packaging. I'm no wine buff, but we enjoyed it..sitting outside Valentines hut, sipping wine from plastic mugs (GSI Soloist) and eating a nice sharp vintage tasty with bikkies… The only problem was I somehow drew the short straw to carry the bladder up there !!!

well william, that may be true but there are a handful of whiskies in america, bourbon to be exact, that use the name "whisky"
I drink maker's mark, and its right there on the label. mike

Another factoid from the Glenlivet distillery…

As the product ages in the big wooden barrels (generally bourbon barrels from America), it also loses water from evaporation through the wood (around 1-2% per year). The older the product, the higher the "proof" or alcohol content since more water has evaporated.

The most significant action in bottling the product for sale is adding water (!) to reduce the proof to the desired level of 86 (about 43% alcohol).

Cask Strength is just that…no dilution as the product is bottled straight from the cask. The 16 year old Glenlivet cask strength I bought at the distillery is 115 proof and generally too "strong" to be pleasant without some water added.

I wouldn't say there was a right or wrong way to drink whisky, but personally, i prefer a splash of water. Preferably from the mountain stream next to my tent! :)

The word whisky comes from the Gaelic "uisge beatha", literally meaning 'water of life'. Hundreds of years ago, sitting in a freezing 'black house' during an 18 hour winter night, it probably was their 'water of life'! :)

> The only problem was I somehow drew the short straw to carry the bladder up there !!!

He who carries the cask controls the tap.

Cheers

In my last re-supply package during my 2007 Pacific Northwest Trail thru-hike I was pleased to find a gift from the gear shop I worked at – a Snowpeak titanium flask filled with Jameson.

Williams, James, and Chris –

I think we need to undertake a serious, principled study to determine EXACTLY the proportions that best bring out the taste and nose. Strictly for science, of course. I graciously volunteer to participate in this study. Name a laboratory and a time.

Sam, I believe that's the most civilized act I've ever heard of. I'm feeling a little teary eyed right now just thinking about it. (Sniff.)

"I think we need to undertake a serious, principled study to determine EXACTLY the proportions that best bring out the taste and nose. Strictly for science, of course. I graciously volunteer to participate in this study. Name a laboratory and a time."

I agree!! …and we haven't even started to distinguish between the lowland and highland whiskies!! (I'm partial to the smokier/peatier lowland varieties.)

I am more of a Highlands guy myself!

Justin you should try Clas Azul. Nice!!

>As the product ages in the big wooden barrels (generally bourbon barrels from America), it also loses water from evaporation through the wood (around 1-2% per year).

I find this very curious. How is it that the water evaporates and the alcohol doesn't? I usually think of it the other way around…alcohol is a lot harder to prevent from evaporating than water!