3 GREAT 'Malternatives' for 2023
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- Опубликовано: 14 дек 2022
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Armagnac/cognac reviews incoming! ;)
Putting aside your undeniable and vast knowledge of whisky and other spirits... your eloquence is just stunning and your pace is very soothing.... thank you Ralfy, you make the world a better place.
What I like in Armagnac the most, is you can still find small independant producers for very affordable prices making fantastic spirits. Cognac is mainly owned by big companies and it's almost impossible to find an independant producer. Also, the very restrictive regulation makes it difficult to make innovations in Cognac. Some producers do though, especially Anne-Sophie Trijol, Master Distiller at Maxime Trijol house.
Good morning Ralfy happy whisky seasoned everyone .
Always love the RUclips closed captioning. "...enjoying this rum" becomes "enjoying the Shrum"! 😀
My Top 3 Malternativs for 2023:
1. Armagnac
2. Sherry
3. Oak matured Grappa
Great choices, Ralfy 👌🏼
I’m loving where you’re going Ralfy, “Malt Mate”!
Always love these. They give perspective and thoughtfulness. Great job.
I saw a 1976 Armagnac by an indie bottler for around $130 last week. Frankly, if you arent at least trying brandy from good bottlers, then you are missing out. The Rancio that develops in brandy is lovely, and offers a different flavor profile that any whisky. The aging process of the brandy in an oak barrel is what produces the hallowed phenomenon that is rancio. The tannins found in the oak are gallic tannins which transform due to oxidization, producing carbon dioxide and also ketones, which are naturally sweet, similar to glucose. These ketones blend with the aromas of the Cognac to produce notes that many describe as earthy, mushroomy, nutty, or even buttery.
The taste of rancio is dependent not only on how long the Cognac ages, but also on the type of wood used. Limousin oak is favored for Cognac barrels as it has large pores and therefore is richer in tannins, whilst Troncais oak has very small pores, making it more suitable for wine or American cellars.
Regarding rye and experimentation with different wood maturations, there is a new distillery in Sweden called Agitator and they are doing plenty of experimenting. They distill under a partial vacuum, they have different types of stills (short and fat, and tall and skinny) they fill the casks at a lower alcohol strength, they experiment with different grains and different wood. I have been very pleasantly surprised by the Agitator Argument Kastanj, a malt whisky finished in chestnut casks. Really very nice, and it drinks like an older whisky (i.e. 8-10yo, not a 3yo). I will follow their releases with some interest. Cheers!
My go to malternative is a good rum from Guyana. Love the El Dorado 15 and the 21.
Armenian Cognac or brandy, ARARAT is also great spirit! And not so expensive.
The Russell's Reserve rye is marvelous.
Oooh! Oooh! Some new (to me) spirits to look for!
Coincidentally, I recently picked up a bottle of Armagnac. I live deep in the Texas Hill Country far from the madding crowds, but every now and then I'll make the 2-hour pilgrimage to one of the better spirits vendors in San Antonio. I was there about a month ago and they didn't have the Springbank 10 or Knappogue 14 I was looking for, so I wandered over to the brandy section and began browsing there to see if anything looked promising. Picked up a bottle of Delord 25yo Armagnac they had on discount for $69.95. A store employee noticed the bottle I was looking at and made the comment that he thought it was by far the best brandy they had anywhere close to that price, so I decided to take a chance on it - I was not disappointed! This is some seriously good spirit with gentle oak, prune, sandalwood and black pepper notes, and even at 40% ABV it has a lot of flavor. While I didn't find the Scotch I wanted that day, I'm happy about discovering something different and quite good!
Paul M, with the Delord 25 year I also get some fig and walnut notes. Delicious for $80.
@@Hirsine Thanks for the info. With brandies, what is the typical range of ABV for cask strength bottlings?
@@Hirsine Wow! You really pulled out the stops with all that info. I've heard that brandy distills out at a lower ABV than whisky, so was wondering what to expect. You've given me some more brand leads to track down. Thanks again!
I have Armagnac on my list as well as Fortaleza reposado.
I was really impressed by New Riff Rye. Whisky like I never tasted before.
Oh man. Amen. New Riff Rye is spectacular. All of them.
I came across a wee bottle of Armagnac from 1965 and had to buy it-same year I was born. A great taste which I bring out once a year as a special treat.
By the way that Arran 10 year old is delish !
Rye and Rum I know. And all kinds of grape like drinks, as well - but admittedly, I have not had the really good stuff on that last front. I'll see and maybe have a try in '23.
Rye is definitely making some exciting developments. Especially ones that use malted barley and malted rye in their mash bill!
Merry Xmas Ralfy. Keep up the good work. 💯🌟
The Russell's looks interesting. Thanks for all you do. Merry Christmas Ralfy.
Malternative is the best phrase ever coined
I came to whisk(e)y from rum originally, and have had some phenomenal rum from all over. Once tasted a Barbadian rum from 1977 from a taster sample an acquaintance who's in the rum industry brought. It was mindblowingly rich and layered. Chocolate notes, coffee notes, caramel, cherry, spices, rich vanillas. Absolutely jawdropping. I feel like I may need to dip back into some good rum. Haven't had some in a long while. Good on you for the recommendations.
One malternative I took the liberty of trying recently is Calvados (by Lecompte). The wonderful whiskey journey can sometimes capture a bit too much of our attention.
I think I have mentioned before. Maltmates, Armagnac is the oldest style of spirit drink. So if you want "tradition", that's the drink. (Btw I don't drink every whisky with water, but the Armagnacs do need it, I think. And you really have to let them sit in the glass.)
Speaking of tradition, in Martinique they make rum the traditional way from fresh sugarcane juice rather than molasses. It's called vieux agricole. In my opinion this style is generally not as sweet and better balanced.
As for rye whisky, in Finland they make whisky from malted rye - Kyrö Malt Rye. It tastes like toasted rye bread with honey, it's wonderful and really different than American ryes.
There are some distillers making some malted ryes now in the US. New Riff is one of them.
@@xiamengbaby I have got to try it. Unfortunately New Riff's products are not easy to find in Europe. They are on my radar for some time. There are some awesome stuff coming from the US. I've had a peated Balconas. Can't believe how good it was.
@@xiamengbaby Btw is the malted rye by New Riff distilled with a pot still? Because Kyrö do use a pot still for their rye. And it does make a difference.
@@CharlesOffdensen
They use copper column wash stills. Their malted rye is aged 6 years in Kentucky in toasted new American oak barrels and bottled at 50% ABV (its a bottled-in-bond rye whiskey). They've also come out with a special release that even I probably will never see, their malted rye aged 5 years in new toasted American oak and finished for another year in a combination of PX and Oloroso sherry barrels.
THE KENTUCKY REGIMEN: SOUR MASH, OPEN FERM, COPPER COLUMN, DOUBLER, REPEAT.
We were instructed in the arts of sour mash and swore to maintain this Kentucky whiskey making tradition. But we came to see it as more than simply a mashing technique. We view the entire process of making whiskey in the classical Kentucky method, every step of the way, as part of that regimen. Sour mashing-the reincorporation of a portion of a prior fermentation (after distillation)-is only the best known step. Other important precepts of Kentucky-style whiskey include open fermentation; the permitting of co-fermentation by a microflora distinct to each distillery (with the addition of distiller’s yeast); distillation on the grain in a column beer still; and the use of a continuous doubler for a second distillation. We came to learn this process as a holistic regimen-the Kentucky Regimen of whiskey making. From it became a conviction for us, that not only is this Kentucky’s unique whiskey tradition, but it’s also a fantastic way to make any whiskey, every bit as good as the processes of Scotland and elsewhere. The Kentucky Regimen is unique to our state, and we rigorously uphold it.
That Finnish rye is aged for 3 years? Sounds like it might be overly youthful.
@@xiamengbaby @xiamengbaby it is spirit driven, yes. That's its charm.
I knew New Riff were making interesting stuff. The sherry finnish sounds appealing.
Armagnac : Yep you've inspired me ! I've been toying with the idea of buying a bottle for long time.
I hold sipping rum the the same standards of no added color that I do scotch, so that severely limits my options (but also makes shopping easier). Holmes Cay is my brand - specifically the Belize cask strength (with a little iceberg in the glass:).
Many years ago mid 70's and 80's there was the Danish food centre on Cross st Manchester and you could get Aalborg Akvavit and it sure kept things warm in winter.
Eldorado 15 rum is my all time favourite malternative 👌👌
Very nice! I have to say Ive been enjoying a Rye more so than bourbons over the years. Thanks Ralfy!
J.bally is always nice. Try the brut de fut version. Means cask strength.
I own a bottle of Armagnac en the man that sold it to me (also a great whisky wizzard from the independent bottler the Ultimate) and told me that this taste was the almost same profile of an old Macallan.....so not the new ones 😉
Excellent video as always and a great topic to share your thoughts on.
This is something I have found myself doing as well especially since my wife often prefers aged rums over whiskies; in fact I just got her a bottle of El Dorado Enmore Single Still Cask Strength 12 year old Demerara Rum for Christmas and it could easily go toe-to-toe with any of my whiskies.
Being in Canada, we're fortunate to have access to quite an array of ryes, bourbons, blended whiskies and aged rums due to our domestic production and proximity to the U.S. and Caribbean.
The Russell's Reserve rye is indeed Wild Turkey. Great stuff, as is the Rare Breed rye. If you're looking for less proof, the WT 101 rye is great in a cocktail as well
If someone wants to contrast "Wild Turkey Rye" with Russell's Reserve Rye (which Ralfy did here) it is a good idea to make it clear that Russell's Reserve Rye is literally a Wild Turkey distillery product. It is just a little more expensive and "up-market" than the the regular Wild Turkey Rye that actually carries the Wild Turkey name.
I'd half agree with your statement if you were referring to the green label single barrel. They typically only run their two mash bills, one being rye.
With demand being so high as of recent there's becoming less and less exceptional divergence in the Russell's range, in my opinion. I'd take 101 rye over white label rye given the choice, and rare breed rye or RR single barrel rye as a first pick.
I do have the benefit of availability, but even so both of those ryes are often missing from the shelves.
In Rome 50 years ago, I tasted Tres Vielle Calvados. It was great!
Thanks Ralfy,
I have always a few Bottles of Rum (Most are high Esther) open in my shelf because my Wife rather drinks Rum than Whisky at the Moment. Also we already have some Rye's. In Summer we visited Stauning Distillery in Denmark and saw there MaltingFloors and Warehouse. Delicious Stuff coming from them.
Until now i never had an Armagnac but i want to change that in 2023.
Thanks for Sharing your Knowledge and Opinion.
Hello from Kentucky! Everyone I know loves rye whiskey. I often prefer the younger ones as they display more spice complexity, (spirit driven) and often the older ones I've tasted had taken on so much vanilla that it kills the fact that it's a rye to begin with. that's my outlook anyway
Russels is great especially if you're looking to add an American whisky to your collection
Caught that pun at the end of your review.... The Ralfmaster rules..... Ralfy spank a bottle! Veselé Vianoce a stastia nove rok!
Great to talk about Whisky alternatives. I remember when you reviewed the Grappa by Carlo Gobetti, I bought two bottles and I enjoyed and still enjoy them.
Peerless rye is excellent as well. It is barrel proof, but much more expensive than Russel's Reserve. It also tastes much older than it really is.
I have been dipping into some rye lately. Aged in different barrels....quite good
Agreed...I like to enjoy a cognac or brandy, rum, tequila (extra anejo), mezcal, and a good gin for a change on the palate. And I have found for Rye, my newest favourites are Lot 40 Dark Oak, or Lot 40 Cask Strength 100% rye from Canada
Famille Vallein Tercinier is great also they have great Pineau des Charentes
I love rye at all price levels. Lots of good ones!
I absolutely agree with you, thank you for another awesome knowledge, I also think you have to try different stuff because it's good for your own education in different flavors. I love Armagnac, cognacs, rum and even clear spirits, recently recommended my friend to try eric artiguelongue armagnac xo(15 yo and affordable around $56 to $65) most importantly, it's a natural color and no additives. He absolutely loved it. I'm new to rum and was a great advice from different RUclipsr. I tried Foursquare rums and Mount gay, again no Additives. It's great!. Old spirits are meant to share and that's what makes it a great experience.
Merry Christmas and happy new year Ralfy!
ralfy, great 3. Have been enjoying Armagnac for about 4 years, the Delord 25 year at $80 US. It really needed 6 or 9 months to open up and become so much better. And Doorly's 12 year Barbados Rum at $25. Both so good at very reasonable prices. Love rye, especially finished in toasted barrels. CHEERS!!
Thanks for the tip about letting the Delord 25 sit for some months after opening - I'll put my bottle (first purchase of this Armagnac) back on the shelf now and check on it periodically.
@@paulm749 Of course sipping a little every few weeks helps. 😉😄
@@paulm749 ive found that grape spirits in general need atleast a month to open up and enhance the flavour.
Been in hospital over a month missing your content but glad to hear your voice again bro
Awesome, thanks!🤍
Much thanks!!!
My malternative for 2022 was Calvados
Fantastic change of pace!!!!...another great RYE option is Peerless barrel proof and single barrel not cheap but solid value.
Love your Patreon channel!
Ralfy... if you can find a Rare Breed Rye, buy it. Non chill filtered and quite a bit more proof. I'm a scorch guy, and still love bourbon, but that rye is friggin DELICIOUS!!
Perhaps it's worthwhile to address the commercial cognac weaknesses, if touching up on armangac?
Thank you.
But Ralfy, that very Russell’s Reserve Rye you are holding is from the Wild Turkey distillery! Hahaha excellent choice in any event, WT Ryes are woefully overlooked. Cheers pal!
I'll have to try to rum. I like the rye pick; most of Russell's whiskey is going to be a good quality product.
That rye whiskey is a Kentucky rye with only 51% rye and a lot of corn, so it’s still very close to bourbon (relatively). If you want a really pungent rye look for a willet or Pennsylvania rye like Dad’s Hat or Liberty Pole (100% rye mash bill). They’re very herbal and menthol forward, not my favorite but an experience.
Change of spirit; just perfect Ralfy! I can highly recommend the Depaz VSOP, also out of Martinique, as a very affordable high quality malternative. It's rum with the soul of a whisky.
Rye is my favourite kind of whiskey. Full of flavour and punchy, spikey, levels. Love the stuff
Love the depth of flavour that you get out of a well presented Armagnac and rum, Calvados is another wonderful and relatively affordable spirit too. I currently have a Cadenhead's Calvados from Dupont open and can't say enough good things about it.
Got to give a nod to Mexican spirits too, really enjoyed a nice bottle of Tequila, Mezcal and Sotol on occasion, very different flavour profiles.
It's been awhile since you've reviewed a malternative, I was starting to think there weren't any good ones left! 🤣
Was wondering what my first Rye buy would be. Thanks, Ralfy!
I think I have tried a Rye whisky before I was pleasantly surprised. Need to try different drink occasionally.
My Christmas 'malternative' is Vallein-Tercinier XO 46° Small Batch Cognac. The first Cognac I've seen that states it's uncoloured and non-chill filtered on the label. Pretty good price too.
Just need the discipline to leave it alone until the big day!
I love a good rye. One of the best whiskeys I've ever had was a 10-year-old bottled in bond rye, which was sadly a very limited edition.
I hope rye will get more attension, it deserves more...I love it.
Always nice to see rum and brandy mentioned along with whiskies as alternatives to them. Personally, I believe these three are the best kinds of spirits.
Rye seems as if it is becoming one of the more popular kinds of whisky/ey over the last decade. Here is my list of favorite ryes from the Americas, not including brands that source their whiskey from elsewhere:
as already noted, Wild Turkey 101 rye (which I believe sometimes has some pretty well-aged whiskey in it) Russell’s Reserve 6, Rare Breed rye, and the truly wonderful Russell’s Reserve single Barrel rye, all from Wild Turkey distillery,
Rittenhouse, and it’s older sibling, Pikesville, both from Heaven Hill distillery,
Alberta Premium cask strength from Alberta Distillers (and found in one of the sourcing “producers” already mentioned),
Lot 40 from Hiram Walker distillery,
Some other good ryes that I did not see include:
Knob Creek rye (which comes in several variations) from the Jim Beam distillery,
Rossville Union, from Midwest Grain Products (MGP), now Ross and Squibb distillery,
Wilderness Trail (the whiskey and distillery name),
New Riff rye, also from the distillery of that name,
Sazerac rye from Buffalo Trace distillery,
Jack Daniel’s single barrel rye
As an American who runs a whiskey bar, I have plenty of experience tasting and sharing and discussing American whisky, Russel's is one of the best kept secrets in American whiskey and I'm very happy to see it here, but Ralfy, if you like innovative rye's I really hope you can get your hands on a bottle of Woodinville 100% rye. Some truly surprising rye. And who doesn't love being surprised by a spirit as it talks to you?
Why not something else? I went to Normandy, France and tried some Calvados there. Also not bad.
Aguardente Velha is a nice malternative too.
My favourite rye is new riff rye
With spirit prices these days I’ve turned to buying straight home spirit off a work colleague, and making it in to a strong peppermint schnapps with my wife’s doterra essential oils
-it is like Antarctica in a bottle lol cheap easy simple and smashes the taste buds sideways
Not to mention it’s great for allergies
If you need a good armagnac, try Comte de Lauvia's bottles. They are unchillfiltered and natural color !
It's too bad across the seas your missing out on some great craft distillers with Rye whiskey coming of age now. Even some young stuff is good. But we're seeing some great Bottled in Bond ryes and more age statements approaching 6 years with really good flavors. I could list some out but then I feel like I'd be forgetting some!
Perhaps a series devoted to rye for 2023; these receive a great deal of hype; it would be good to learn if they are, in your opinion, worth the asking price: WhistlePig 10 Year Straight Rye & WhistlePig Old World Rye Aged 12 Years; stay healthy!
The concise presentation of these videos is just amazing.
Ralfy have you been able to try the Australian Rum called Beenleigh? Very nice and way better than the other Aust rum that starts with a B.
Hi Ralfy! I got a couple of questions for you.
Did or do any kilns use for example pine to blend in the peat when smoking/drying the barley?
It could give the whisky some really nice layers of complexity?
Wouldnt you say to any whisky lovers that by really getting into the BAD whiskys you can learn more of what you like in a good one?
If you got a bottle and dont like it, just get into it and try to understand what they did wrong, and then add a teaspoon of Laphroaigh 10yo and it will instantly become a better whisky, haha.
I would like to hear more on it aging in glass.
5:42 I agree. I´m just delving into the world of US whiskeys, and my rather snobby preconceptions are being pleasantly challenged! Rittenhouse rye, bottled in bond, meaning 4+yo, 50% alc., gets 88 / 100 from me. Being widely available for only about €34 easily makes it the most bang for my buck whisk(e)y I know: 2.6 points per Euro!
OSWA winner GS Victoriana in comparison: 91 / 100, but costs ~75 Euros: 1.2 points per Euro...
My top 3 malternatives would be:
1.- Mezcal Pechuga
2.- Mezcal Tobala
3.- Mezcal espadín
There's nothing better after Whisky than Mezcal. You guy who haven't try it, do it.
Great selection of spirits for `maltmates` to try there Ralfy. I can heartily recommend anything from Russell`s their products are top quality ( as you`d expect from Wild Turkey ). I`m drinking a Russell`s Reserve bourbon @ 55% & it`s packed with so much great flavour I need your taste-buds to identify them all! Not tried their rye yet but will do now thanks. I also fancy that J.Bally too!!
Thanks for your comment.Which specific one are you referring to?
They have 10, 13 and 16 year olds, and other varieties.
Joel Deckler
@@joeldeckler3654 I`m talking 10yr old, the 13yr & 16yr are way beyond the average drinkers price range so I haven`t tried them. The only bottles of 10yr I`ve had have been `Private Barrel Selection` ( Ryan Engen ) like a store-pic but by a whiskey enthusiast that I bought at auction. I`m sure the standard 10yr is terrific too. Don`t know about you but as a loyal WT 101 drinker I feel let down that they can`t set aside some better bottles for the UK market so we can at least try them at something close to affordable?!
Thanks for your reply. Since I'm in the US,I'm not familiar with WT 101. Please enlighten.
@@joeldeckler3654 Wild Turkey 101, only the best bourbon for your money period! I think it`s on every supermarket shelf in the US.
With the price in the US of malts in increasingly turn to malternitives. Rums, bourbons, and even blends. All cheaper and a good change of pace.
Love me some rye whiskey
Ralfy have you had Rare Breed Rye? One of my favorites. But perhaps not as much age as the Russell's.
Rally, have you ever done a review of Anerican Single Malts?
Doorly’s 12 is an affordable banger
Is that Domaine de Papolle Armagnac?
Do any of you have any armagnac recomendations? I would love to try some but I really have no clue about what to get
... PIKESVILLE Rye Whiskey 🥃 , I just gonna leave this here :p
Please, which Armagnac is that?
Don Julio Anejo is a great Tequila also
Are you still into mezcal Ralphy? Have you got any tips after your del mageuy mezcal (video)?
Ha...was in the Carribean the other day...cask aged...
Hw about mizunara and tokaji
Ralfy you malty magnificient magical Mermaid
Hello messy mustard monks!