TMPHBITEU
Starting Strength Coach
On whisky glasses:
I have a few snifters (that I bought for IPAs and higher alcohol craft beers), but I've read that the Glencairne glass is recommended for whisky (and other spirits). What are your thoughts on the Glencairne glass? Is it worth it for someone who already has appropriate glassware?
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Goddamn, I miss being able to buy single barrel Willett. The big liquor store in Bloomington would go down and pick out barrels, and bottle them for sale at the store.
I bought a bottle of their 12 year old, barrel strength rye (64%) for $60 in 2010 or so. I have never seen a bottle of Willett in Seattle.
There's a lot of things I didn't like about living in Southern Indiana, but you can get damn near everything there, in terms of American whiskey.
Also, I can't speak to Canadian whiskey, as I don't buy it.
But I am enjoying a bottle of Irish whiskey pretty well (besides the Connemara, which remains the best Irish whiskey I've had to date): Teeling's Small Batch. 46%, non-chill filtered. No Age Statement (it's a blend, I think), but finished for six months in rum casks. It's pretty young, sweet, a little wood, a hint of pepper and spice. It's still not nearly as complex as most Scotch (no peat, no sherry casks, etc), but is a step in the right direction for Irish whiskey, certainly.
They apparently also make/finish/blend a single malt and couple other things (including a poitin), but I haven't seen them around as yet.
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Just finished listening. Damn fine dram. Would love to share a couple with you should we meet again.Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe
About glasses. You are on the money. Certainly not $0.25 but have you seen the Norlan whisky glass? I was skeptical, but damn if it doesn't improve the nose and experience over a standard snifter.
TMPHBITEU
If you can't get your nose directly over the vapor column, the glass doesn't work.
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Rip and I part ways over the Glencairne. I think it is fine for drinking whiskey, personally. It works very well for nosing, and when you drink, the vapor column lands directly beneath your nose.
If you drink high proof liquor without adding much water (as I tend to do) this works out pretty well.
Are they worth the rather high price tag? Eh. A brandy snifter works just fine, and can be had for much less.
I don't see the point of the Norlan, other than to take your money in exchange for something pretty. The warmth from your hand is good for helping the whiskey open up, and the shape is not much better than a tumbler.
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I sell wine for a large wholesaler, but I've been around and can provide a little insight into the locked up bottle of Eagle Rare 10 year old (I agree with the recommendation, by the way):
First of all, no distributor (that I know of) directly controls pricing in their accounts. I work in Virginia where it's a little odd, but it boils down to a pretty simple vendor-customer relationship. If a state has regulations about pricing for retailers they usually concern pricing below cost.
Secondly, consider this: of all the facets of the booze business, liquor is the most brand loyal and, as a result, price competitive. People will drive half an hour to get a better price on Johnny Walker. They'll try to haggle the shit out of you because your Jim Beam is more expensive than the big box store down the street, even though you're making a buck on it.
Because of this, margins are quite low and you make your (little) money by taken advantage of deal pricing. Get a free case on a 25 case purchase of Jim Beam 1.75s, for example, and you can make more margin. This is also how they allocate sought after products like small production whiskey i.e. big buyers get a shot at buying a 6 pack of old Grumbly's Reserve or whatever.
Now, since sought after American whiskey has a growing secondary market, why not charge more for them and get rid of the allocation process? Well, they are starting to, and it is happening more and more (see Pappy, the price increases over the past 8 years are STAGGERING) but they are still, believe it or not, price sensitive at the retail level. On top of that, even a large retailer is allocated so little that it sort of doesn't matter how much money they make on them, as they are really just a jewel in the crown and are better used to get you coming back to buy higher margin goods than making big bucks on one sale. Hell, when I worked at a liquor store reps would often throw us free bottles of high end stuff just for helping them make their numbers.
Having said that, it's a new world for cult spirits and I'm sure the market will change in the next few years. Plus, not everyone is super savvy so I wouldn't be surprised if some bottle shops just don't know what to do in the situation. Great podcast, though!
Member
great video. have you signed up for bottlebluebook.com yet? i love tracking secondary prices on there.
Member
I'm not a fan of the Norlan glass. It doesn't concentrate the aroma to the nose like it should...mostly it seems gimmicky.
I do like the Libbey perfect whiskey glass though as well as a brandy snifter. Glencairn is my 3rd choice.
I had about four glasses of Tomintoul 16yr at a wedding last Saturday and it made the event much more tolerable (I'm a wedding photographer). It's some of my favorite stuff.
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