LiquorHound's Best Spirits of 2016
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- Опубліковано 14 гру 2016
- It’s almost the end of the year, and that means it’s time for my top spirit picks of 2016! Just as I did last year, I wanted to showcase the bottles that made a real impression on me. While I may have had a couple of better spirits in certain categories than the ones I selected, I tried to choose spirits that are still somewhat available and not insanely overpriced.
As of 12-13-2016, my current bottle count is over 2,400. I am a Certified Specialist of Spirits and have also been certified by the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT). I've been actively collecting for the last two decades and what started as a small basic home bar has transformed (with the help and understanding of my wonderful wife) into what I think is a pretty nice collection. Thank you for watching and sharing in my passion.
Cheers! - Навчання та стиль
Thank you for another outstanding video and keeping us all up to date on the top liquors of the year.
Great thought out review! I'm glad that you added some moderately priced selections as well.
Great selection. I have a few of these bottles and you are spot on.
Great selection and great channel, thank you!I just put my hands on my third bottle of kavalan solist, this time I managed to get a vinho, and can't wait to try it. I just went to the distillery on a trip to Taiwan and was able to grab one of the few bottles of vinho they put up for purchase in the morning.
Great review Bro. One of the best of the year for me was that 66 Tomintoul 40 year :) Love those Compass Box limited releases
Man, I was waiting all year for this :)
Very well put together video. Thank you and cheers!
Great recommendations! Thank you, sir.
awesome review!
just got Foursquares 2004 oak and the Zinfandel cask, can't wait to try them.
came back to watch this again as i wait and hope for a best of 2017. i hope you are well liquor hound.
I’m doing well, and thought I had the video ready to go. Unfortunately, there was a slight audio issue, so I’ll have to correct it and get it uploaded this week. Cheers!
Great video, even all these years later. Some points still stick. Much of it you’ll never see again. I like this guys channel and his presentation.
True, but thank you for the comment and cheers!
love your videos, keep them coming
Great picks as usual.
Looking forward to your best spirits of 2017 video?! Keep up the great videos. Awesome information and reviews. Thanks!!
It’s been shot, and I’ll be uploading it this coming week. Cheers!
Nice to see greenspot in there. Also looking out for the port finish from Kavalan. We can't get it here in Ireland.
I would like to see more videos from you ... especially from whisky tasting ... I like the way you do it
As always, thanks!
Great Video!!
Yamazaki 18 in Bay Area $250 from the place i go to. Not always in stock but comes in once in a while.
I prefer the Compass Box Flaming Heart this year over their other offerings. Your thoughts?
great video as always. just wondering, you're "back-up" rum pick El Dorado 15, does it bother you the fact that they artificially load that thing up with sugar post-distillation/maturation or do you take that into account as kind of a rum-liqueuer?
+rockindrop - I understand the concern over sugar being added (post-distillation), but I also know it's done because many people enjoy those sweet rums. I personally tend to classify them into "pure style" and "dessert style" rums. I know that may not always be technically correct, but that's how I sort them in my mind. For me, I don't enjoy rums that are too sweet or stray too far from traditional rum profiles. So I search for an enjoyable balance in top tier rums. Cheers!
I love your videos and I was with you until the Remy XO. Have you tried Martell or Hennessy XO? They're both way more flavorful than the Remy.
Were you able to try the 2016 Four Roses Elliott's Select?
That Foursquare 2004 should be around $50-60. If it really is $100 in TX, that's pretty sad. Thanks for the rundown!
The Ninety 20 year and the Canadian Rockies 21 batch 001 are basically the same juice and 100% corn (despite the Rye noted on the label) aged in new charred barrels. They both come from the same place Century Distillers in Alberta who source their corn distillate.
Also the Ninety/20 year is less than $50 CAD here and the CR21 is $68 cad and only available in BC and Alberta sadly.
Cheers and Merry Christmas.
+peter white - All true. Thanks for the additional information. Cheers!
What your take on the crazy price of the pappy van winkle these days, I saw a bottle of the 15 years old at my local liquor store going for over 1200 dollars, just a few years ago it was around 250, is the price justified?
Thank you.
that was brilliant
Can you do a reviews of different kinds of Captain Morgan and a Jack Daniel's old number 7 review? if you haven't already
Some great stuff along the board there Hound. Wanted to tell you that I got some Del Maguey and Pierde Almas. Del Maguey Chichicapa and the Pechuga (got that at auction for a good price). Both great but the Pechuga is something else. You can taste everything that's gone into the process including the pechuga. Amazing. Just cracked the Pierde Almas Tepextate. It's a very smooth 55% and better without water. Like to know what you think about these. Cheers. WT
+Welsh Toro - One of my earlier Mezcal purchases was the Del Maguey Chichicapa & Pechuga. I love them both, but you're right, the Pechuga is a top tier Mezcal. I do feel the Pierde Almas line is solid and there's not one I wouldn't recommend buying. Cheers!
The ED15 really has a lot of sugar additives, much more than the 12 and 21. I do wish I could get my hands on that Four Square Rum in Canada.
Independent rum bottlings for me these days. No messing about.
I wish you'd split "American Whiskey" into at least three categories - bourbon, rye and other. After all, you gave scotch four categories, and Mexican spirits two.
You touched on a problem I have with some spirits (Canadian whiskey, vodka, and rum come to mind) - distillers can add flavors without being required to disclose them. I think it hurts the idea of authenticity and provenance. Maybe not a completely logical thought, but compared to the very strict rules on scotch and bourbon, those other spirits suffer, in my opinion.
Lastly, some of those prices you mention are shocking. I'm looking forward to the day when the current craze over distilled spirits falls off and prices start coming back down. I've already shifted to bourbon and tequila because I can get great quality at a cheaper price.
Great reviews, as always. Someday, I'd like to see a comparison of the old Nadurra 16 year old, with the new Nadurra NAS.
+degmar - Thank you! I guess I can do that next year. But you could kind of say I did it this year. Booker's Rye for Best Rye and Joseph Magnus & Co. for Best Bourbon. For "Other American", I'd have chosen Barrell Whiskey Batch 002. Booker's Rye would still have won Best Overall. Cheers!
have you tried Texas crown
Have you tried Colombian aguardiente?
How much is your inventory worth? Do you insure it?
'I lost my spirit collection in a series of small leaks, please pay out'
Any thoughts on Partida tequila? I had it in Las Vegas and haven't been able to find it again. Is it hard to find in the US or am I simply out of luck?
+PhilDave55 - Hmm. It's here in Texas, so I'm not sure what's happening in Nevada. I'd suggest checking online in California (they get a lot of tequila as well). I tasted the Partida line a couple of years ago. They were all good, but I preferred the Reposado. Cheers!
Surprised to see brandy on your list. Had a killer Texas Grape Brandy the other day at Whiskey Cake in Plano, would be really interested to hear your thoughts on it. Can't remember which distillery it was though.
Remembered called: Ironroot
Do you ever type these out in your comments? I'd love to have it written out - so I can carry around a list when I hit the liquor store.
atandydot So write it down as you watch...?
I agree; I shouldn’t have to watch the whole video to get a list
great review!
what about the balvenie tun 1509 batch 3?
+tolvthomas 12 - Thank you! To be honest about the Balvenie 1509's, I've been somewhat disappointed in the value/quality ratio of them. I mean, their all tasty, but for the money, I believe there's better ways to spend it in the Single Malt category. And it following the delicious 1401's didn't help it out either. ;-) Cheers!
Have you had a chance to sample the 2016 flagship for Garrison Brothers? I have a bottle of the 2015 flagship, and it's not quite as good as the previous releases (my favorite so far was fall 2014, I think). Still excellent bourbon, just not quite at the same level.
+Vykk Draygo - I never had any of their Flagship bottlings. Their best release that I've had, is the original Cowboy release from 2013. Thanks for the information though. Cheers!
*****
I WISH I could have had a bottle of that. Hah.
Could you possible review Roberto Cavalli vodka? Love your stuff
+Jack Pa - If I can find a bottle, I will. Cheers!
it is interesting that hammer & sickle is 40$ by you...it is 20$ here in Phoenix
It might be a spin off version.
Great reviews as always! Do you know what the original release count was for Booker's Rye? You mentioned they are looking to produce a regular release of it? Have you heard anything about Booker's doubling the price of their standard bourbon?
+Jeremy H - There's no official number on the amount of Booker's Rye released, but we do know there were 100 barrels dumped for it. If we use George T Stagg (as example of evaporation), they dump roughly 150 barrels and get only 2,200-2,400 gallons out of them (after 15 years of aging).
If we take the high number and divide it by 3, that's 800 gallons per 50 barrels. So for Booker's Rye, that's 1,600 gallons (8,000 bottles). Of course, Booker's Rye was a bit younger by roughly 2 years) than GTS, so they got more out of those barrels (probably 10,000ish bottles).
As for them doing another Booker's Rye, since this one was a huge success, it only makes financial sense to try it. So I'm guessing they'll be doing a second release eventually.
And yes, Booker's standard Bourbon has been reported to be jumping up in price to $100 in 2017. I know it won't sell at that price, since it doesn't currently fly off the shelves at $50-$59.
Now this is speculation, but I actually think this may just be a tactic to get the old stocks (that have been sitting on shelves for years) to sell (panic buying). Later they'll either decide not to raise the price, or maybe just back it down quickly after they do. But by then they'll have new stocks on the shelves and will do us a favor by lowering the price from $100 to only $69! Then again, maybe I'm just becoming cynical. ;-) Cheers!
a word to the wise brother, start on your right so it follows your viewers reading pattern. Otherwise great video, my favorites starting with the vodka side first would be 2,3,8,9,10,12,13,14
+Booze Networks - Sounds good. Next time. Cheers!
Any Japanese whisky reviews for 2017 ??
+ravenyzfr - There's one on the way soon. Cheers!
Why are highland scotch and speyside scotch in different categories? Aren't Speyside whiskies a type of highland whisky?
+TomatoShips - You're correct. Technically Speyside is in the Highlands, so you'll see a few of them call themselves a Highland Malt. There no official boundary for Speyside, so it's really up to each distillery to decide what they want to be considered. Cheers!
thanks man, love your videos. Cheers
Do you disagree with lack of age statements? Seems like they can just mix a bunch of young batches, give it cool name and package, and jack up the price
+Socra Tease - I'm not happy about it, but it is what it is. I'm just more careful with my purchases and don't take as many risks in the NAS game. Cheers!
How much would you guestimate you have invested in your 1400+ bottle collection
Joseph Millwood I've got a collection of 420 bottles and I figure I've spent around $25,000. My collection consists of many low cost bottles as well as mid priced bottles. I bet he has spent somewhere between $100,000 to $125,000.
Joesph Magnus is unavailable like their social media team. Been trying for months.
I thought Aberlour was a Speyside as well?
+Aaron Brasher - They do actually call themselves Speyside on their website, but on their bottles, they read "Highland Single Malt". The reason is that there's no official line separating Highland and Speyside. So in actuality, all Speysides are technically Highland Malts and they decide what they want to be known as. Sadly, that leads us (the consumers) to a lot of confusion. Cheers!
Ha! I figured the EUrocrats would swoop down on the nomenclature. Anyway, I got my dad a bottle for Christmas, and I'm pretty sure he'll be happy about it.
liquor hound, you are missing the best bottle of rum ever I think you need to give it a try it's made 20 minutes from where I live let me know if you would like to know what it is cheers.
Del Maguey for the win
Today is 5/17/2019. Cheapest I could find the Booker's Rye "Big Time Batch" in the U.S. is @ $1,000. Halfway thru this video I'm sorry I started watching. These are all for wealthy people not the average guy!
Yep, values increase on rare and great spirits as the years pass. Now I don’t think I qualify (monetarily) as a “wealthy person” but as I do this for a living, I am able to taste thousands of bottles every year and use that “research” to find above average/high quality releases early on (at msrp pricing). I pass that information through my UA-cam and Patreon channels, but my Patreon supporters have been receiving weekly reviews and get the “heads up” much faster. Come check it out and cheers! www.Patreon.com/LiquorHound
@@LiquorHound Your one of my favorite channels. Thank you.
haha the bookers is here in Germany at ebay bout 1400€
+karlheinz paul - Wow, that's crazy! I'd have to pass on it at that price. Cheers!
Is this the exact same bottle as the one you have? I am really intrigued by that whisky! Also seems to be the oldest one in that group? www.scotchwhiskyauctions.com/auctions/108_the-70th-auction/133676_canadian-rockies-21-year-old-batch-1-75cl/
+5litremania - if it's the Batch/Cuvee 001 and 46%, then it is the same one. Cheers!
These are rather expensive?
+Gizmomaster - Of all the ones I show, I believe 9 are over $150 but the other 17 are $100 and under. Cheers!
All Mezcal is not in a barrel. Interesting stuff though.
No wlw?
+Doug doug - WLW and GTS are consistently good every year, but this year my Batch 1 Joseph Magnus Bourbon was just more enjoyable and complex. So it was essentially my "Bourbon of the Year" and Booker's Rye was my "Rye of the Year" (as well as my "Best Overall Whisky/ey"). Next year I'll be sure and separate the American Whiskey categories in the video. Thanks for watching and cheers!
LiquorHound I'll have to track that Magnus down then
I left my liver out.
you must have a really good job lol
Yes people can do what they want, but you gotta be dellusional to spend more than $200 on some alcohol.