Damn, those are all a ways from the Upper Upper Midwest. If I get an excuse to hit any of those cities, I’ll ask you about it (and I’ll wear a yellow dandelion in my lapel, in case you’re in attendance).
But I’ll think of you next time I ask the bartender for his next-best recommendation (last time was Teeling’s Single Grain… yum).
Is Vat 69 pretty mediocre? It’s hard to find in the US, and of course like a lot of people I only know it from Band of Brothers.
When I was a teen, I pained a ‘Why yes, I fly’ lamp. I thought there was a bottle of Vat 69 in his locker, but I see now it’s a bottle of VO.
I stopped back by that place tonight (8/19/25) for Whiskey Wednesday. Fortunately the bartendress corrected my calendric confusion before I ordered.
So I took the opportunity to inventory the amber booze sections of the menu.
53 bourbons, 21 ryes, 14 American whiskies, 79 single malts from Scotland, 3 Scottish scotch blends, 7 Japanese, 2 Canadian, 3 French, and 27 irish whiskeys. Thats 209 flavors. That’s a year’s work at 4 per Wednesday w no days off. Good bet there’ll be some new ones before you or I get to the end.
They’re similarly equipped in gins, tequilas, etc., but thats off-topic for this thread.
Ohhh, my aching liver!!! 
Blended swill. Not much current market in the USA:
Did you read the review at the link in my previous post?
Tl;dr: They didn’t like it.
I saw a link to a lamp and to a review of VO. If there was one to a review of Vat 69 I missed it. Sorry.
IME once one graduates to single malts, blended scotches of any nature are meh at best. JW blue, I’m giving you the double stink-eye.
Sorry. I haven’t read your link yet. When the page opened, I assumed it was a review; so I pointed to the VO review for fun/contrast/etc.
I started with single-malt! (Laphroaig.) The Spousal Unit doesn’t drink scotch because… it doesn’t sit well. So mostly I’ve been having bourbon, which she can tolerate. So I’m fine with the occasional JW.
Heh. I have a bottle around here somewhere. I bought it for my mom, and she didn’t open it before she died. Maybe I’ll open it on Mortgage Freedom Day.
Doesn’t taste materially different from JW red IMO.
I’ve seen blind taste tests involving Red, Black and Blue. Very meh results.
I had a Bulliet bourbon today, and i really enjoyed it. It was sweet and rich and smooth, but had a surprisingly complex flavor.
I actually made it to the liquor store today. I picked up some New Riff Malted Rye (love the stuff, almost a bourbon-y scotch or scotch-y bourbon) and finally got myself some Mellow Corn.
Wow, Mellow Corn is delicious stuff at a crazy low price ($18/750ML here). Not quite as buttery and sweet as Baby Blue, but an incredible bargain at the price. Two glasses disappeared quickly.
Just a quick PSA: Do NOT spend $100+ on a few No-Alcohol Bourbons!
Doc told me to cut way back, and my well-meaning sister, knowing I’m a fan of Old Fashioneds, picked me up an assortment.
I gagged. They’re horrible.
As a Reddit discussion had already told me: You can get by with an NA beer (Guiness 0% is great!), but SO much of the flavor of a whisky is from the alcohol…
So I’m pouring the “Swill 0%” down the drain, and looking forward to ONE Angel’s Envy Old Fashioned during Thurs. Night Football, and a Redemption Rye Manhattan during Packers games (only one, even if they go to Overtime).
When I was in Las Vegas last week for (casually name dropping) Ringo Starr’s All-Star band we ate at Buddy V’s Ristorante, A Jersey boy who leans into his roots. For a cocktail I had the “Smoke Show,” a Jerseyism I’d not heard of, with the ingredients,
Bullitt
Amaro
Carpano Antica
Chocolate bitters
Smoked oak wood
That last meant it arrived with a top on the old-fashioned glass trapping the smoke on the surface of the drink. I didn’t know, exactly what the Italian ingredients were but when I eventually uncovered the drink and took a taste, “This is a Mantattan.”
Ah, well. It was only $20, a bargain by LV standards.
I haven’t heard anything good about NA booze. Some of the beers are really good now. Athletic is pretty great, Deschutes is even making it now and they’re one of the most consistent breweries around.
Though I’m pretty sure that “Packers sober” means you only pound regular beer and non-brown liquor one after the other. You see, you’re giving up brandy and whiskey until after Lent.
For those interested in the topic of NA, here’s a recent thread on point. No need to hijack this thread down that line of research: