Summer whiskey...

[DitchPanda]

So I'm trying to find some whiskies I enjoy during the brutal heat. This weather just screams cold drink to me unfortunately. For you whiskey heads out there, what ones do you reach for in summer?

[MN Fisher]

There is only one...

[Darth-Baiter]

same whiskey...just a bigger ice cube and I drink it faster.

@MN Fisher  have you tried GreenSpot?  its a great Irish version.

[MN Fisher]

Haven't tried that one, DB, If I can find a small sample-bottle I will...don't want to dish out the cash for a fifth and find out it's not to my liking.

[casts_by_fly]

Go lowland and young for scotch. Glengoyne is unpeated and crisp.  Auchentoshen triple wood isn’t a bad choice. Further north, glenmorangie nectar d’or is a lighter one. 
 

also, Irish pot still is a great sipping choice as noted above. 

[DitchPanda]

20 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

Go lowland and young for scotch. Glengoyne is unpeated and crisp.  Auchentoshen triple wood isn’t a bad choice. Further north, glenmorangie nectar d’or is a lighter one. 
 

also, Irish pot still is a great sipping choice as noted above. 

I should get a light scotch...sounds good.

I will say I agree with you guys about going Irish...Redbreast is the only whiskey I've really enjoyed on a hot day thus far.

[DitchPanda]

One I keep seeing mentioned in articles as a great summer whiskey is Barrel Seagrass Rye. I'm very intrigued but all I've seen are YouTube reviews, no practical ones from anybody I know. It runs $85-$100 a bottle so not sure I wanna take a chance on it.

[casts_by_fly]

I have the sea grass rye and also the bourbon from amaro and two other barrels. Both are great, but they are big for summer. Neat they are 57-59%.  If you like your whiskey over a couple ice cubes then that’s okay as it needs some water anyway. The flavor profile on the rye is also pretty big. Lots of spice and complexity. 

[DitchPanda]

19 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

I have the sea grass rye and also the bourbon from amaro and two other barrels. Both are great, but they are big for summer. Neat they are 57-59%.  If you like your whiskey over a couple ice cubes then that’s okay as it needs some water anyway. The flavor profile on the rye is also pretty big. Lots of spice and complexity. 

If its that powerful I'm not sure why people are saying its a good summer whiskey. I did hear it has some citrus notes and apricot sweetness...maybe people think its kinda tropical.

[casts_by_fly]

15 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

If its that powerful I'm not sure why people are saying its a good summer whiskey. I did hear it has some citrus notes and apricot sweetness...maybe people think its kinda tropical.

 

I just went outside in the 80 degree heat and 85% humidity of this morning to refresh my palette on it.  It has a fruity nose and if you pour it over a glass of ice cubes I can see where it would work for some.  If it were ice cold and diluted well it would still have some of the spice from the rye and the fruity nose. 

 

My bottle is 59.11% alcohol so unless you're a regular barrel strength neat whiskey drinker you're not going to be drinking it straight too much, and in this heat I wouldn't at all.  Its rum, madeira, and apricot brandy casked.  It certainly pulls the fruity sweetness you'd expect from that cask set.  I don't know how long in each, but I will say that they've done a good job on the blend.  On the nose, the alcohol drives off the fruitiness.  Apricot/stone fruits for sure, certainly from the apricot brand barrel.  Its clearly high proof Rye to start.  You get the typical rye spiciness.  On the tongue you feel the alcohol- its bitey.  After its in your mouth a second or two you get a lot of barrel type flavors- sweetness, caramel, some oak- plus the rye flavor.  The aftertaste gives a lot of the madeira cask.  It almost goes to a vermouth flavor with oak/wood and earthiness on top of the madeira wine which kinda sticks around in your mouth a minute.  Overall its a really nice whisky and I like it a whole lot.  Mine was a gift so I don't know the price but at $50-60 it would be well worth it.  Its just not that light and easy summer drinking whisky that you asked about.

 

That said, if you like a manhattan served on the rocks then I think this is the whiskey for that.  I prefer mine up and it will be great for that too, just not in the heat of summer.

[DitchPanda]

7 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

I just went outside in the 80 degree heat and 85% humidity of this morning to refresh my palette on it.  It has a fruity nose and if you pour it over a glass of ice cubes I can see where it would work for some.  If it were ice cold and diluted well it would still have some of the spice from the rye and the fruity nose. 

 

My bottle is 59.11% alcohol so unless you're a regular barrel strength neat whiskey drinker you're not going to be drinking it straight too much, and in this heat I wouldn't at all.  Its rum, madeira, and apricot brandy casked.  It certainly pulls the fruity sweetness you'd expect from that cask set.  I don't know how long in each, but I will say that they've done a good job on the blend.  On the nose, the alcohol drives off the fruitiness.  Apricot/stone fruits for sure, certainly from the apricot brand barrel.  Its clearly high proof Rye to start.  You get the typical rye spiciness.  On the tongue you feel the alcohol- its bitey.  After its in your mouth a second or two you get a lot of barrel type flavors- sweetness, caramel, some oak- plus the rye flavor.  The aftertaste gives a lot of the madeira cask.  It almost goes to a vermouth flavor with oak/wood and earthiness on top of the madeira wine which kinda sticks around in your mouth a minute.  Overall its a really nice whisky and I like it a whole lot.  Mine was a gift so I don't know the price but at $50-60 it would be well worth it.  Its just not that light and easy summer drinking whisky that you asked about.

 

That said, if you like a manhattan served on the rocks then I think this is the whiskey for that.  I prefer mine up and it will be great for that too, just not in the heat of summer.

Thank you for the info,its greatly appreciated. Based off what you said it doesn't sound like a hot weather sipper to me, it does sound very good however. I think the price is typically around $85. A little steep but I may still give it a shot.

[NYWayfarer]

Black Velvet. It’s basically Crown Royal without the fancy glass bottle and velvet bag. Half the price.

 

Definitely a mixer, I like it over Diet Pepsi with a twist of lime juice.

[casts_by_fly]

Crown apple over a bunch of ice is a good summer sipper 

[DitchPanda]

13 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

Crown apple over a bunch of ice is a good summer sipper 

I'm not a big fan of flavored whiskey...too sweet for me.