Not to be chauvinistic, but both gin (jenever) and brandy (gebrande wijn) originated in the Netherlands. Jenever is still a big thing here and there is old jenever (oude jenever) which has matured 20+ years and can go toe to toe with a good single malt.
In Serbia and Bosnia traditional spirit is rakiya or schnapps, which is basically a fruit brandy. It is made of plums, pears, apricots, apples and one you can pretty much find only in Serbia - quince. Nowdays distillers tend to mature it in barrels more and more, which are almost exclusively new oak, charred barrels, or already used, brady-fill barells and result is some stunningly good plum brandies. My idea is to introduce a whisky that was finished in a ex- plum brandy barrel. Or even better, ex-quince brandy barrel.
Rum does, and always has been a blended spirit, and arguably the best rums are blended from many, many different distilleries Black tot rum that salutes old British navy rum rations can have like a dozen rums in there special yearly bottles-naturally presented
Try Cachaça… the brazilian spirit. Also made from sugar cane, and belongs in rum category, but has geografic denomination and a bunch of rules that apart it of the other types of rum. And the great part, can be aged in any type of wood, like brazilian indiginous trees, like Amburana, Ipê, etc… Realy delicious
It is really difficult to find cachaça that matches quality of the mentioned rums. And, if you find so, it would probably be categorized as "aguardente", since cachaça denomination restricts even the ABV.
Nice list Geoff….even if you are very wrong. 😂 My number two (😂) is definitely Mezcal because it has the largest variety of flavors, second only to single malt, and some varieties also can deliver a smoky punch much like some scotch. My favorites tend to be made from Tepeztate agave. Unfortunately though really good Mezcal is really expensive.
Your favourite armagnac is my favourite armagnac! :) Rums are also cool. I like Foursquare distillery the most methinks. I tried many of their rums. Doorlys 14 is still on my list though. :)
British colony rum is typically molasses and pot still - French colonies typically use sugar cane juice and column still and call it rum ‘agricole’ - Spanish colony rum is usually column still and today I think usually sugar cane juice; because molasses is taxed to force companies to produce ethanol for petrol octane. Caribbean rum uses natural fermentation, sour-mash like yeast that give Jamaican rum that distinct flavour! Brazil has Cachaca pretty much sugar cane rum. Demerara rum if I remember correctly is made from evaporated sugar cane juice ‘Panela’
Good idea for a video Geoff, this was fun to watch. I recently tried a Van Ryns 20 year old brandy for South Africa and absolutely loved it but due to my whisky palate I wanted more abv so your recommendation is the one I'm gonna look for. My list would be: 1- Whisky 2- Raki 3- Brandy 4- Tequila/Mezcal 5- Gin
I've had the 'tequila experience' with rum when younger: high proof, cheap as dirt. I have never again felt so sick in my life. Didn't touch the stuff for years after that, until I tried - and appreciated - the better rums.
Hi Geoff, nice departure from your regular whisky reviews! I mostly agree with your rankings, but would put Mezcal in the #4 slot over Gin. I love Gin as a mixer, G&T is a fantastic cocktail on a hot summer day, but I have yet to have one that I would enjoy sipping straight. The closest thing to a sipping gin I've had is Glenmorangie A Tale of the Forest, truly the love child of whisky and gin. I've had some pretty good Mezcals and excellent Rums and Cognacs. So far my favorite Rum brand is Plantation. I have yet to try a disappointing one and they have some very interesting cask finishes ranging from Burgundy and Sauternes to Calvados and even a peaty Kilchoman cask finish! Finally for the Brandys, I've mostly had Cognac and only tried 1 Armagnac so far. I'd highly recommend trying Hardy Cognac. Their organic VSOP release and XO are excellent!
1. Whisky, 2. Rum, 3. Brandy, 4. Vodka, 5. Tequila, 6. Gin. After whisky, rum is definitely my next most purchased spirit. I've only bought a few bottles of brandy in the past but liked what I have had. I've mostly experienced vodka in cocktails, but my go to cocktail is vodka, lime and soda. I don't have much experience with tequila, but I did have a couple of shots of chili infused tequila at a restaurant some years ago and liked it. As for gin, it doesn't agree with me for some reason. Every time I've tried it in the past, I've ended up crying. It gives me a feeling of depression that I don't get from other distilled spirits. I don't know what it is, but different brands have done the same thing. Cheers!
the last (and only) cocktail i've ever had was in freshman year of college. being younger than 21 it was a chore getting a hookup, so to not run out often, my roommate and i would get 190proof neutral grain spirit called everclear or clearspring. mix a couple shots of that with orange juice and sprite soda for what we named "an electric screwdriver"
Hi Geoff. I think brandy can be made from pomace rather than pumice. Pomace is the left-over "pressings" after making wine from the free-run juice or early pressing(s). Pumice is volcanic rock. Just clarifying, anyone can make typos.
I definitely agree with you on the no. 1! It's why I watch your videos. I'm somewhat into Rum - and most of my friends are. Recently I discovered a liking for Grappa - which is basically an Italian kind of Brandy. I am going to get a bit deeper into that. Gin is something I like, too - however, no matter how weird you think it is, I do like to sip Gin. It's kind of something to sip without having to think about it much, but still have a kind of exciting taste. Vodka is not something I drink. I mean, if you give me a glass, I'll not reject it - but the vodka I want a refill of has not yet crossed my tongue.
I'm trying to get into Rum (as a Scotch fan), but I've been disappointed in my tastings so far. I'd love to get my hands on a bottle of Foursquare Indelible, but it's widely unavailable. If you have any suggestions, they'd be welcome.
1. Whisky/whiskey 2. Rum 3. Craft Tequila Couldn’t begin to rank the rest as they aren’t worth ranking in my humble opinion. Favourite Old Fashion is either with a good Rye or high proof bourbon.
Hmm... North Americans always have this blind spot when it comes to fruit brandies. There are local craft traditions all across Europe and an amazing variety. You're really missing out - a lot of complex and delicious stuff. Also there are many more grain spirits - some are really interesting.
Vodka is basically ethanol and water. That's why vodka brands have the highest marketing budgets by far of any spirit. And you can make your own gin quite easily from steeping various botanicals, citrus, etc. in vodka. Tequila and mezcal have always been sipping spirits in their country of origin. This has only caught on relatively recently outside Mexico however. Imo tequila/mezcal rivals Scotch in its' myriad forms of production, distillation, maturation, terroir etc. For instance like peated single malts, mezcals vary tremendously in smokiness, due to the particular way in which the agave pinas were roasted. The best reposado tequilas (aged in bourbon barrels) offer up spicy, fruity, vanilla notes alongside the earthy, minerally, briny flavour of the blue agave distillate. Think Glencadam 10. As the distillate is matured longer (anejo, extra anejo) you get more cask-forward offerings of course. We are starting to see tequilas aged in wine casks, rum casks the list goes on. There are even still-strength expressions. It's a Scotch nerd's second home if you ask me! Cheers!
for me tie for whiskey an Tequila both number 1 then rum then brandy then gin an vodka. lot of people bash tequila cause they start out with Jose Cuervo that is terrible that would be like someone starting on fireball whiskey saying i hate whiskey cause they tried that first. if ya want a good tequila the mention El Tesoro is very good also ocho g4 an fortaleza
Oh and since I'm from Austria I gotta tell you about Schnaps. It really was just alcohol made out of fruit but oh boy is this spirit catching up. Try a parzmair Schnaps and thank me later (if you can get a bottle) it's really tasty and complex
Guess what, Geoff, brandy doesn't have to be made of grapes. Any fruit would do, so Calvados is also a brandy (and a great one!). Highly recommend to try Slivovitz (spelling varies), a plum brandy and, my favorite, Dunjewaca, a quince brandy. Since I grew up in a Central Asian country with abundance of fruit brandy is high on my list. Though, since I started exploring alcohols I did get into whiski(e)s, so they tie for the first place. Rum is boring, though I have a small collection of Foursquares. Not much variety in mezcal/tequila, but I love to sit and smell a dram of a good tequila. If you ever come across a bottle of Fortaleza grab it! They also have still strength expressions. Have you tried any smoky mezcals? And finally I have a thing for juniper since my mountain climbing years, so gin is higher on my list. Here it is: 1. Brandy 1. Whisky 3. Gin/Genever 4.Tequila/Mezcal 5. Rum/Rhum Agricole/Cachaca 100. Vodka Writing this comment while sipping on an XO Armagnac 🙂
1. Whisky obviously. 2. Palinka from Hungary (esp. the apricot and cherry versions) 3. Calvados (Domfrontais especially with pear in it in addition to apple) 4. Gin 5. Armagnac and more boring brandies like Cognac 6. .... I'm ashamed to say this but I haven't even tried vodkas and mezcals so no idea. :D But 1-5 all make amazing spirits. All can equal the best wines in complexity.
If you want a tasty rum that is naturally presented: Plantation O.F.T.D Overproof Rum like 69%. The master blender or owner, I can’t remember, used to produce ferrand cognac
Great theme. I’m a newbie with distilled spirits, I only started 5 years ago as I was mainly a Wine drinker and still am but I fell in love with whisky. Then around two years ago I discovered rum wich became my second spirit. I’m still trying brandy and I still don’t know if I really like it. As for the rest I don’t like. My favorite cocktail is also old fashioned and I really don’t like tonic. Do you also drink wine? For example fortified wines like Port or Madeira? I’m a huge fan of these types of alcohol too. Maybe you don’t find much of it where you live.
Hi Geoff! Long time….. good list but bear with me rum should be on 2nd place. I really tried to make Armangac and Cognac a go by drinking integrity bottlings. I could not get the flavor experience that you get from your examples of Foursquare, Hampden or worth park. Anyway! Whisky is #1 😊
Interesting list and I've never really done the exercise of my favourite distillates... it made me think about it. I would say that after whisky I would put Rum in second place as it is what I have most available here where I live, armagnac (brandy) is something I am very curious about but very rare to see in liquor stores, with tequila like you I don't have the best memories, and vodka is something I would use in mixers and cocktails only, ahh and Gin is simply not for me, I don't have the palate for it. And someone mentioned grappa, I am also looking forward to try it. Cheers 💪🥃
Tequila at #5 is definitely very low. I’m mostly a whiskey drinker (as evidenced by watching this channel), but I find tequila the easiest to dabble in coming from whiskey world. You have some Anejo and Extra Anejo expressions that taste like a cross with a whiskey due to prolonged aging. I hope you get access to more good tequila in the future. Admittedly, I also had to get over the “I got sick from this stuff” factor.
6. Vodka, you're right, it's mostly for Cocktails and to get drunk. 5. Gin I've not had many Gins but at least to me their flavor profile is pretty much the same. 4. Tequila, they really ramped up their game the last decade, there are some really nice sippers out there but again, it's not diverse enough, yet. 3. Shock, Brandy, yes I love Brandy and it really is a damn fine spirit but it's not as sophisticated (in terms of flavor diversity) as rum or whisky and imo that's due to its price, oh boy is this spirit expensive, most XOs start at 80-100 and many of them reach 150-300 pretty fast. 2. Rum, there's so many different rums out there it's insane, you have the jamaikan rums with their funk, you have barbados rum which mostly are very fruity. BTW try some recommendations, especially Plantation 3Star, Plantation XO and Plantation OFTD, then you must try El Dorado, 12 or 15 depending on your budget, super nice velvety, chocolatey. Doorly's is also nice, all of them are not the most complex but oily, tropical fruity, oaky, really nice stuff, honorable mention: el diplomatico and if you wanna try good funky jamaican rum appleton estate is a good starting point and you forgot about cachaza which admittedly mostly goes into cocktails. 1. Of course Whisky. It's a journey, it really is. Started with bourbon bc a lot of them are really straight forward, mellow, oaky, vanilla, spices there are some extremely good bourbons out there I'd drink any time. For example Wild Turkey Rare Breed, awesome stuff. Then I took a shot at Irish whisky, bought the Redbreast 12 cask strength and this one blew me away and really got me into scotch. Having tried only cheaper scotch I thought I'd never like it but oh boy was I wrong. I even hated peated scotch but thx to you and other guys I tried PC10 and since then I can't wait for trying Ardbeg or Ledaig or Laphroig (though I don't think I'll like the 10, I really don't like watery scotch. Everyone can tell a story about their whisky journey and that in itself is the reason why it should be number 1 on every list
Some fine Cognacs will work for me occasionally, but otherwise I'm limited to whisk(e)y. Rum has something in it though that I can enjoy for example in sweet cakes or chocolades spiced with rum, but all the rums I've tried have just been too harsh and refused to yield those delicate aromas I was looking for.
Nice to see that Finland(ia) made it to your list😄 Just out of curiosity, do you like negroni? One could assume you do, since it’s a gin based coctail with an orange peel in it.
Nice informative video. For me the number 2 is Cognac. My number 3 is Port, which is not a spirit. But hey it is my list 🤣. And long time ago I did drink Genever. But you are right, whisky is the most versatile drink. Into whisky since I turned 18......
If the tequila category is expanded to include all sorts of agave spirits (i.e. mezcal, bacanora, raicilla) and spirits made from other desert plants (i.e. sotol), then it is a diverse and fascinating category. Ancestral method mezcal is particularly interesting; it is produced using 19th century (and earlier) technology, and it picks up earthy and vegetal notes from the pit ovens, the agave fibers, and the primitive stills. Also, with mezcal and other similar spirits, sometimes they hang stuff in the still to add flavors. This method is called "pechuga." It can be some combination of meat, fruit, and herbs. Turkey is common, and I even found a sotol made with rattlesnake. I also have a mezcal made with pomegranates hanging in the still. I live in California, where a huge selection of these spirits is readily available. Maybe they haven't caught on yet in East Asia. If I were in East Asia, I would be hunting for baijiu. I love that stuff, especially the sauce aroma category. There is a decent selection in California, but I'm sure there is a lot more to be found in China and Taiwan. Judging from numbers of bottles in my collection, whisky is at the top of my list, with single malts in first place among the whiskies. However, I like most kinds of spirits, and I have decent collections of baijiu, rum/cachaça, brandy, agave spirits, gin, absinthe, and ouzo/arrack. I find vodka to be less interesting since there isn't a lot of flavor, but I like to keep a couple good ones around. It has its uses.
According to Wikipedia, brandy is derived from grapes. On the other hand, the Calvados page states that it is an 'apple brandy' . In my previous understanding, I've always lumped distilled spirits from fruits other than grapes (apples, pears, plumbs, cherry, apricots) into the 'brandy' category...
No ranking for baijiu?! The most popular distilled spirit in the world, and you're in Taiwan! I'd love to see you review Luzhou Laojiao's Ming River export bottling, or a local Taiwanese baijiu like Kinmen Kaoliang.
Hi Geoff, I think there are a lot other more interesting spirits than vodca, to put in a generic list. Fruit spirits such as grappa, eau de vie, even small batch schnapps,... I would recommend, as they are closer to brandy than any other thing in the list. Cheers!
I agree there are more interesting spirits. However for this list I limited myself to the 6 biggest and most popular spirits categories. I quite like grappa, far more interesting than vodka! 🥃
@@Gwhisky nice! I had a really interesting grappa some time ago, made with moscato grapes and matures in ex Lagavulin, mortlach and Caol Ila barrels! But from these I've mentioned above, my favorite is still the eau de vie. Some beautiful spirits out there! Cheers
Hang on - didn't we recently learn that whisky is dying and rum is taking over? :D All kidding aside, this is a great list! I agree with your rankings for the most part, with the exception of rum being a tad lower simply because I don't generally drink a lot of it. Perhaps I need to try some of the fancier ones. I certainly had my fair share of GnTs back in the day, but nowadays I'm 100% on the whisky train. Keep the videos coming @gwhisky!
Video 10/10 ------------------- at 12:04 PSA :drink (more) water : priceless ! (btw, BIG war of booze between Spirits suppliers vs ontario monopolizers happing ...)
After watching the episode, I was going through the wonderful comments and finally found one that mentioned Sake. There are so many levels in Japan including Ama Sake (sweet sake), which is usually drunk warm (or rather hot) in the winter. In S. Korea, there is that Soju and Makkoli... I believe there is much more to explore, cheers!
@@SaranWaz I thought it's an interesting counter point. Sake stresses freshness and subtleties in the taste, whereas whisky is a bit of letting age smooth out the sharpness. Both offer unique experiences.
I'm curious: would it be OK to include absinthe? Because - after whisky, of course, and brandy (mainly Armagnac), also of course - I have absinthe tied with Calvados for number of bottles open, whereas I only have one each of rum, Verveine and Eau-de-Vie de Figue... I get very divisive with vodka: there are some I love (like Żubrówka, Kremlyovskaya and Stoli) and some I hate (Wyborowa especially), while others (Smirnoff, Grey Goose etc.) are somewhere in between.
I would have put tequila last. Even the no taste of vodka is better than the bad taste of tequila. I always thought sake was distilled too, but now that I look it up - nope, just fermented.
Love armagnac and got a bottle of tariquet 12 cs open right now. I don't know if I've grown a bit snobbish with whisky, but sometimes when playing a videogame or watching a movie, I feel like I'm "wasting" the whisky by not focusing enough on it. With other spirits like cognac, armagnac or rum, its easier to just enjoy the basic taste and drink it next to a cup of coffee, who cares.
Can't complain about that list buddy, it's your list. You have to delve more into rum though. I would 100% replace Tequila with Mezcal as well. Cheers . WT
My list would be: 1. Whisky 2. Gin & Rum (So many good bottles out there of both kind) 4. Brandy (have not had that many, but what I have tried was pretty good) . . . 5. Vodka (meh) . . . 6. Tequila (No No No)
@@Gwhisky Good, so you learned that in doing the video. 👍 The world of brandy is incredibly diverse. Pliska from Bulgaria is another example. Would be great for you to explore Central and Eastern European brandys at some point. Whisky is of course is far and away number one though.
I'll readily agree with your number one; but having a son-in-law from Mexico, I would put mezcal/tequila second. I good mezcal can have an earthiness and smokiness that compares favorably with scotch. Eminentlty sippable! Finally, I enjoy your sense of humor, but the serious omission of aquavit prooves you have absolutely no Nordic heritage! ;)
@@steveno7058 I understand what you mean, but it's like saying "fruit wine" which can mean many things but wine can only refer to grape wine -in industry terms.. So from a spirit trade industry perspective, brandy will reserved for the grape spirit and eau de vie is the inclusive term for all fruit wine distillate.
@@murgh nah. US label laws literally allow any fruit spirit to be labeled Brandy. Go to the store and you will see dozens of non-grape spirits labeled Brandy
Geoff hi ! Vodka is not distiillled spirits , its rectificated spirit , old russian distilled spirit are " polugar" 38% vol .We , Georgians have national grape distillate "Chacha" .Cheers !
Actually, Brandy is a spirit distilled from any fruit, not just grapes, and don't overlook South America's contribution, Pisco. Canada's contribution? Screech that wonderful Newfie elixir. Question. Why do Scotch makers flavor their product with American Bourbon? 1. Bourbon 1A Rum/Cachaca 1B Tequila 2 Brandy
Yeah if you watch the video I corrected the brandy mistake as I said it. As for the scotch question, bourbon doesn't have as strong of an oaky influence as new oak so it lets the flavour of the scotch shine more. My dad had some stories about that screech stuff. Hah. 🥃
Serious Question: Does RUclips coerce creators into posting thumbnails with that sort of expression? I mean every other video looks exactly the same and it is honestly hard to click on videos with grown men making silly faces.
No 😂. Not the creators I watch and it does make some look ridiculous - you can't add character to damp cardboard with a biro. Others though have a natural, rubbery faced, affinity for silly looks and dry comments. Here being a case in point 🎉
Not to be chauvinistic, but both gin (jenever) and brandy (gebrande wijn) originated in the Netherlands. Jenever is still a big thing here and there is old jenever (oude jenever) which has matured 20+ years and can go toe to toe with a good single malt.
In Serbia and Bosnia traditional spirit is rakiya or schnapps, which is basically a fruit brandy. It is made of plums, pears, apricots, apples and one you can pretty much find only in Serbia - quince. Nowdays distillers tend to mature it in barrels more and more, which are almost exclusively new oak, charred barrels, or already used, brady-fill barells and result is some stunningly good plum brandies. My idea is to introduce a whisky that was finished in a ex- plum brandy barrel. Or even better, ex-quince brandy barrel.
do you mean slivowitz
1 - Whisky
2 - Rum
3 - Cognac
4 - Mezcal
5 - Vodka
6 - Gin
1. Single malt
2. Blended malt
3. Single pot still
Number four craft brew beer.
Rum does, and always has been a blended spirit, and arguably the best rums are blended from many, many different distilleries
Black tot rum that salutes old British navy rum rations can have like a dozen rums in there special yearly bottles-naturally presented
Try Cachaça… the brazilian spirit. Also made from sugar cane, and belongs in rum category, but has geografic denomination and a bunch of rules that apart it of the other types of rum.
And the great part, can be aged in any type of wood, like brazilian indiginous trees, like Amburana, Ipê, etc…
Realy delicious
It is really difficult to find cachaça that matches quality of the mentioned rums. And, if you find so, it would probably be categorized as "aguardente", since cachaça denomination restricts even the ABV.
Caipirinha, love it 😁👌🥂🥂🥂🙋♂️
Nice list Geoff….even if you are very wrong. 😂
My number two (😂) is definitely Mezcal because it has the largest variety of flavors, second only to single malt, and some varieties also can deliver a smoky punch much like some scotch. My favorites tend to be made from Tepeztate agave. Unfortunately though really good Mezcal is really expensive.
Good anything is really expensive. 👍
Your favourite armagnac is my favourite armagnac! :) Rums are also cool. I like Foursquare distillery the most methinks. I tried many of their rums. Doorlys 14 is still on my list though. :)
1 - Whisky
2 - Gin
3 - Brandy de Jerez
4 - Fernet (It is very popular in Argentina)
5 - Vodka
Armagnac is my jam. If whiskey was no longer a thing that’s what I’d go to. Rum and brandy wouldn’t be too far behind.
1. Whiskey
2. Agave spirits
3. Rum/rhum agricole: both aged/unaged
4. Brandy/eau de vie
5. Gin
British colony rum is typically molasses and pot still - French colonies typically use sugar cane juice and column still and call it rum ‘agricole’ - Spanish colony rum is usually column still and today I think usually sugar cane juice; because molasses is taxed to force companies to produce ethanol for petrol octane.
Caribbean rum uses natural fermentation, sour-mash like yeast that give Jamaican rum that distinct flavour!
Brazil has Cachaca pretty much sugar cane rum.
Demerara rum if I remember correctly is made from evaporated sugar cane juice ‘Panela’
Very professional video. Looked easy, but bet that took a lot of work. Nicely done.
Thanks Joseph! Yeah I wanted to try out a different style. Doubled the edit time, though! 😂🥃
1 - Whisky
2 - Rum
3 - Tequila/Mezcal
4 - Gin
5 - Brandy/Calvados
Great video Jeff! My top 3 distilled spirits are 1 single malt scotch, 2 mezcal, 3 cognac.
I’d go Whisky, then tequila, then Rum, then Cognac, then Gin. F*** vodka.
Good idea for a video Geoff, this was fun to watch. I recently tried a Van Ryns 20 year old brandy for South Africa and absolutely loved it but due to my whisky palate I wanted more abv so your recommendation is the one I'm gonna look for. My list would be:
1- Whisky
2- Raki
3- Brandy
4- Tequila/Mezcal
5- Gin
Raki... That's something I need to explore more. Cheers buddy! Curious where you land on a well-aged Armagnac! 🥃
@@Gwhisky I'll keep my eyes open for one
1.Whisky
2. Rum
3. Mezcal/tequila
4. Brandy
5. Gin
Cheers from the land of Vodka 😉
I've had the 'tequila experience' with rum when younger: high proof, cheap as dirt. I have never again felt so sick in my life. Didn't touch the stuff for years after that, until I tried - and appreciated - the better rums.
Hi Geoff, nice departure from your regular whisky reviews!
I mostly agree with your rankings, but would put Mezcal in the #4 slot over Gin. I love Gin as a mixer, G&T is a fantastic cocktail on a hot summer day, but I have yet to have one that I would enjoy sipping straight. The closest thing to a sipping gin I've had is Glenmorangie A Tale of the Forest, truly the love child of whisky and gin.
I've had some pretty good Mezcals and excellent Rums and Cognacs. So far my favorite Rum brand is Plantation. I have yet to try a disappointing one and they have some very interesting cask finishes ranging from Burgundy and Sauternes to Calvados and even a peaty Kilchoman cask finish!
Finally for the Brandys, I've mostly had Cognac and only tried 1 Armagnac so far. I'd highly recommend trying Hardy Cognac. Their organic VSOP release and XO are excellent!
1. Whisky, 2. Rum, 3. Brandy, 4. Vodka, 5. Tequila, 6. Gin.
After whisky, rum is definitely my next most purchased spirit. I've only bought a few bottles of brandy in the past but liked what I have had. I've mostly experienced vodka in cocktails, but my go to cocktail is vodka, lime and soda. I don't have much experience with tequila, but I did have a couple of shots of chili infused tequila at a restaurant some years ago and liked it. As for gin, it doesn't agree with me for some reason. Every time I've tried it in the past, I've ended up crying. It gives me a feeling of depression that I don't get from other distilled spirits. I don't know what it is, but different brands have done the same thing. Cheers!
the last (and only) cocktail i've ever had was in freshman year of college. being younger than 21 it was a chore getting a hookup, so to not run out often, my roommate and i would get 190proof neutral grain spirit called everclear or clearspring. mix a couple shots of that with orange juice and sprite soda for what we named "an electric screwdriver"
Hi Geoff. I think brandy can be made from pomace rather than pumice. Pomace is the left-over "pressings" after making wine from the free-run juice or early pressing(s). Pumice is volcanic rock. Just clarifying, anyone can make typos.
😂😂😂 oops!
I definitely agree with you on the no. 1! It's why I watch your videos.
I'm somewhat into Rum - and most of my friends are. Recently I discovered a liking for Grappa - which is basically an Italian kind of Brandy. I am going to get a bit deeper into that.
Gin is something I like, too - however, no matter how weird you think it is, I do like to sip Gin. It's kind of something to sip without having to think about it much, but still have a kind of exciting taste.
Vodka is not something I drink. I mean, if you give me a glass, I'll not reject it - but the vodka I want a refill of has not yet crossed my tongue.
I'm trying to get into Rum (as a Scotch fan), but I've been disappointed in my tastings so far. I'd love to get my hands on a bottle of Foursquare Indelible, but it's widely unavailable. If you have any suggestions, they'd be welcome.
1. Whisky/whiskey
2. Rum
3. Craft Tequila
Couldn’t begin to rank the rest as they aren’t worth ranking in my humble opinion.
Favourite Old Fashion is either with a good Rye or high proof bourbon.
Hmm... North Americans always have this blind spot when it comes to fruit brandies. There are local craft traditions all across Europe and an amazing variety. You're really missing out - a lot of complex and delicious stuff.
Also there are many more grain spirits - some are really interesting.
Dutch Jenever. It's the OG gin, but without the botanical stage, which makes it more subtle. There is still a wide variety of different types.
What are good brands besides Zuidam? I have tried some aged Zuidam genever and really liked it, is there more good stuff to explore?
A funky single origin rum, naturally presented, is Hampden estate 8 yr old
46%
You need to open the bottle a few times to get the true flavour!
Vodka is basically ethanol and water. That's why vodka brands have the highest marketing budgets by far of any spirit. And you can make your own gin quite easily from steeping various botanicals, citrus, etc. in vodka. Tequila and mezcal have always been sipping spirits in their country of origin. This has only caught on relatively recently outside Mexico however. Imo tequila/mezcal rivals Scotch in its' myriad forms of production, distillation, maturation, terroir etc. For instance like peated single malts, mezcals vary tremendously in smokiness, due to the particular way in which the agave pinas were roasted. The best reposado tequilas (aged in bourbon barrels) offer up spicy, fruity, vanilla notes alongside the earthy, minerally, briny flavour of the blue agave distillate. Think Glencadam 10. As the distillate is matured longer (anejo, extra anejo) you get more cask-forward offerings of course. We are starting to see tequilas aged in wine casks, rum casks the list goes on. There are even still-strength expressions. It's a Scotch nerd's second home if you ask me! Cheers!
I agree whisky is no.1 for me. Versatile ang good for sipping.😊
for me tie for whiskey an Tequila both number 1 then rum then brandy then gin an vodka. lot of people bash tequila cause they start out with Jose Cuervo that is terrible that would be like someone starting on fireball whiskey saying i hate whiskey cause they tried that first. if ya want a good tequila the mention El Tesoro is very good also ocho g4 an fortaleza
Oh and since I'm from Austria I gotta tell you about Schnaps. It really was just alcohol made out of fruit but oh boy is this spirit catching up. Try a parzmair Schnaps and thank me later (if you can get a bottle) it's really tasty and complex
Guess what, Geoff, brandy doesn't have to be made of grapes. Any fruit would do, so Calvados is also a brandy (and a great one!). Highly recommend to try Slivovitz (spelling varies), a plum brandy and, my favorite, Dunjewaca, a quince brandy. Since I grew up in a Central Asian country with abundance of fruit brandy is high on my list. Though, since I started exploring alcohols I did get into whiski(e)s, so they tie for the first place. Rum is boring, though I have a small collection of Foursquares. Not much variety in mezcal/tequila, but I love to sit and smell a dram of a good tequila. If you ever come across a bottle of Fortaleza grab it! They also have still strength expressions. Have you tried any smoky mezcals? And finally I have a thing for juniper since my mountain climbing years, so gin is higher on my list. Here it is:
1. Brandy
1. Whisky
3. Gin/Genever
4.Tequila/Mezcal
5. Rum/Rhum Agricole/Cachaca
100. Vodka
Writing this comment while sipping on an XO Armagnac 🙂
1. Whisky obviously.
2. Palinka from Hungary (esp. the apricot and cherry versions)
3. Calvados (Domfrontais especially with pear in it in addition to apple)
4. Gin
5. Armagnac and more boring brandies like Cognac
6. .... I'm ashamed to say this but I haven't even tried vodkas and mezcals so no idea. :D
But 1-5 all make amazing spirits. All can equal the best wines in complexity.
If you want a tasty rum that is naturally presented: Plantation
O.F.T.D Overproof Rum like 69%.
The master blender or owner, I can’t remember, used to produce ferrand cognac
Great theme. I’m a newbie with distilled spirits, I only started 5 years ago as I was mainly a Wine drinker and still am but I fell in love with whisky. Then around two years ago I discovered rum wich became my second spirit. I’m still trying brandy and I still don’t know if I really like it. As for the rest I don’t like. My favorite cocktail is also old fashioned and I really don’t like tonic. Do you also drink wine? For example fortified wines like Port or Madeira? I’m a huge fan of these types of alcohol too. Maybe you don’t find much of it where you live.
Hi Geoff! Long time….. good list but bear with me rum should be on 2nd place. I really tried to make Armangac and Cognac a go by drinking integrity bottlings. I could not get the flavor experience that you get from your examples of Foursquare, Hampden or worth park. Anyway! Whisky is #1 😊
Interesting list and I've never really done the exercise of my favourite distillates... it made me think about it. I would say that after whisky I would put Rum in second place as it is what I have most available here where I live, armagnac (brandy) is something I am very curious about but very rare to see in liquor stores, with tequila like you I don't have the best memories, and vodka is something I would use in mixers and cocktails only, ahh and Gin is simply not for me, I don't have the palate for it. And someone mentioned grappa, I am also looking forward to try it.
Cheers 💪🥃
Tequila at #5 is definitely very low. I’m mostly a whiskey drinker (as evidenced by watching this channel), but I find tequila the easiest to dabble in coming from whiskey world. You have some Anejo and Extra Anejo expressions that taste like a cross with a whiskey due to prolonged aging. I hope you get access to more good tequila in the future. Admittedly, I also had to get over the “I got sick from this stuff” factor.
6. Vodka, you're right, it's mostly for Cocktails and to get drunk. 5. Gin I've not had many Gins but at least to me their flavor profile is pretty much the same. 4. Tequila, they really ramped up their game the last decade, there are some really nice sippers out there but again, it's not diverse enough, yet. 3. Shock, Brandy, yes I love Brandy and it really is a damn fine spirit but it's not as sophisticated (in terms of flavor diversity) as rum or whisky and imo that's due to its price, oh boy is this spirit expensive, most XOs start at 80-100 and many of them reach 150-300 pretty fast. 2. Rum, there's so many different rums out there it's insane, you have the jamaikan rums with their funk, you have barbados rum which mostly are very fruity. BTW try some recommendations, especially Plantation 3Star, Plantation XO and Plantation OFTD, then you must try El Dorado, 12 or 15 depending on your budget, super nice velvety, chocolatey. Doorly's is also nice, all of them are not the most complex but oily, tropical fruity, oaky, really nice stuff, honorable mention: el diplomatico and if you wanna try good funky jamaican rum appleton estate is a good starting point and you forgot about cachaza which admittedly mostly goes into cocktails. 1. Of course Whisky. It's a journey, it really is. Started with bourbon bc a lot of them are really straight forward, mellow, oaky, vanilla, spices there are some extremely good bourbons out there I'd drink any time. For example Wild Turkey Rare Breed, awesome stuff. Then I took a shot at Irish whisky, bought the Redbreast 12 cask strength and this one blew me away and really got me into scotch. Having tried only cheaper scotch I thought I'd never like it but oh boy was I wrong. I even hated peated scotch but thx to you and other guys I tried PC10 and since then I can't wait for trying Ardbeg or Ledaig or Laphroig (though I don't think I'll like the 10, I really don't like watery scotch. Everyone can tell a story about their whisky journey and that in itself is the reason why it should be number 1 on every list
My list is identical.
Some fine Cognacs will work for me occasionally, but otherwise I'm limited to whisk(e)y. Rum has something in it though that I can enjoy for example in sweet cakes or chocolades spiced with rum, but all the rums I've tried have just been too harsh and refused to yield those delicate aromas I was looking for.
Great idea! That was a fun list. For me it's clearly Whisky. I would have put tequila at the last place. I had some bad memories. Cheers
Whisk[e]y, rum, mezcal/tequila, gin for me. Vodka doesn't rank, and I need to try brandy. You've sold me.
Nice to see that Finland(ia) made it to your list😄 Just out of curiosity, do you like negroni? One could assume you do, since it’s a gin based coctail with an orange peel in it.
I do like negronis! Easily in my top 5 cocktails. 🥃
Nice informative video.
For me the number 2 is Cognac.
My number 3 is Port, which is not a spirit. But hey it is my list 🤣.
And long time ago I did drink Genever. But you are right, whisky is the most versatile drink. Into whisky since I turned 18......
If the tequila category is expanded to include all sorts of agave spirits (i.e. mezcal, bacanora, raicilla) and spirits made from other desert plants (i.e. sotol), then it is a diverse and fascinating category. Ancestral method mezcal is particularly interesting; it is produced using 19th century (and earlier) technology, and it picks up earthy and vegetal notes from the pit ovens, the agave fibers, and the primitive stills. Also, with mezcal and other similar spirits, sometimes they hang stuff in the still to add flavors. This method is called "pechuga." It can be some combination of meat, fruit, and herbs. Turkey is common, and I even found a sotol made with rattlesnake. I also have a mezcal made with pomegranates hanging in the still. I live in California, where a huge selection of these spirits is readily available. Maybe they haven't caught on yet in East Asia. If I were in East Asia, I would be hunting for baijiu. I love that stuff, especially the sauce aroma category. There is a decent selection in California, but I'm sure there is a lot more to be found in China and Taiwan.
Judging from numbers of bottles in my collection, whisky is at the top of my list, with single malts in first place among the whiskies. However, I like most kinds of spirits, and I have decent collections of baijiu, rum/cachaça, brandy, agave spirits, gin, absinthe, and ouzo/arrack. I find vodka to be less interesting since there isn't a lot of flavor, but I like to keep a couple good ones around. It has its uses.
According to Wikipedia, brandy is derived from grapes. On the other hand, the Calvados page states that it is an 'apple brandy' . In my previous understanding, I've always lumped distilled spirits from fruits other than grapes (apples, pears, plumbs, cherry, apricots) into the 'brandy' category...
No ranking for baijiu?! The most popular distilled spirit in the world, and you're in Taiwan!
I'd love to see you review Luzhou Laojiao's Ming River export bottling, or a local Taiwanese baijiu like Kinmen Kaoliang.
Not a fan tbh. Matter of time until the Taiwanese deport me for that opinion. 😬
Hi Geoff, I think there are a lot other more interesting spirits than vodca, to put in a generic list. Fruit spirits such as grappa, eau de vie, even small batch schnapps,...
I would recommend, as they are closer to brandy than any other thing in the list.
Cheers!
I agree there are more interesting spirits. However for this list I limited myself to the 6 biggest and most popular spirits categories. I quite like grappa, far more interesting than vodka! 🥃
@@Gwhisky nice! I had a really interesting grappa some time ago, made with moscato grapes and matures in ex Lagavulin, mortlach and Caol Ila barrels!
But from these I've mentioned above, my favorite is still the eau de vie. Some beautiful spirits out there!
Cheers
Hang on - didn't we recently learn that whisky is dying and rum is taking over? :D
All kidding aside, this is a great list! I agree with your rankings for the most part, with the exception of rum being a tad lower simply because I don't generally drink a lot of it. Perhaps I need to try some of the fancier ones. I certainly had my fair share of GnTs back in the day, but nowadays I'm 100% on the whisky train.
Keep the videos coming @gwhisky!
Try our Lambanog from the Philippines. Taste Atlas ranked it higher than whisky, which is bonkers (I don't believe it myself) but it's worth trying
Video 10/10 ------------------- at 12:04 PSA :drink (more) water : priceless ! (btw, BIG war of booze between Spirits suppliers vs ontario monopolizers happing ...)
Whisky - 1. I don't care about others. 😅 My number 2 would be fortified wine, but it's not distilled
The Botanist is a great sipping gin!
It's either a whisky or a nice Sake
After watching the episode, I was going through the wonderful comments and finally found one that mentioned Sake. There are so many levels in Japan including Ama Sake (sweet sake), which is usually drunk warm (or rather hot) in the winter. In S. Korea, there is that Soju and Makkoli... I believe there is much more to explore, cheers!
@@SaranWaz I thought it's an interesting counter point. Sake stresses freshness and subtleties in the taste, whereas whisky is a bit of letting age smooth out the sharpness. Both offer unique experiences.
I agree with No1 :)
I also like Jagermeister
I'm curious: would it be OK to include absinthe? Because - after whisky, of course, and brandy (mainly Armagnac), also of course - I have absinthe tied with Calvados for number of bottles open, whereas I only have one each of rum, Verveine and Eau-de-Vie de Figue...
I get very divisive with vodka: there are some I love (like Żubrówka, Kremlyovskaya and Stoli) and some I hate (Wyborowa especially), while others (Smirnoff, Grey Goose etc.) are somewhere in between.
I would have put tequila last. Even the no taste of vodka is better than the bad taste of tequila. I always thought sake was distilled too, but now that I look it up - nope, just fermented.
Love armagnac and got a bottle of tariquet 12 cs open right now. I don't know if I've grown a bit snobbish with whisky, but sometimes when playing a videogame or watching a movie, I feel like I'm "wasting" the whisky by not focusing enough on it. With other spirits like cognac, armagnac or rum, its easier to just enjoy the basic taste and drink it next to a cup of coffee, who cares.
Can't complain about that list buddy, it's your list. You have to delve more into rum though. I would 100% replace Tequila with Mezcal as well. Cheers . WT
Geoff you have to try italian grappa,its a pomace italian brandy,
Grappa can be very good! 🥃
Whisky as no. 1 ofcourse. Jenever as second.. Third will be Pastis. After that no preverence.
We’ve all needed some liquid courage now and then
You should definetely try a well produced brazilian Cachaça!
My list would be:
1. Whisky
2. Gin & Rum (So many good bottles out there of both kind)
4. Brandy (have not had that many, but what I have tried was pretty good)
.
.
.
5. Vodka (meh)
.
.
.
6. Tequila (No No No)
Sleeping on tequila. Good craft, additive free tequila is 🔥. It's climbed up my rankings to number 2, very close behind scotch.
Interesting list, Geoff, ...
... but for others (duh..., #What'sNew)
Slàinte mhath
Whisky and brandy from Jerez, the others... Well, they're great as cleaning products😂. Best regards Geoff!
I will pretty much agree with your ranking, but I would have to sneak in Aquavit in third place, and kick vodka down to 7 or to he11 for that matter 😂
Given where you're from, is it safe to say that perhaps some of those youthful misadventures occurred at the hands of Tequila Bang Bang?
You know brandy can be made from fruit other than grapes right? Schnapps from apricots, Slivovica from plums, and on and on and on.
Yes that was added as text within the video.
@@Gwhisky Good, so you learned that in doing the video. 👍 The world of brandy is incredibly diverse. Pliska from Bulgaria is another example. Would be great for you to explore Central and Eastern European brandys at some point. Whisky is of course is far and away number one though.
As an Indian we are not having many options in the realm of Tequila..you will get some basic brands...beyond that..maybe you will get in duty free
Same in Taiwan... 🥃
I'll readily agree with your number one; but having a son-in-law from Mexico, I would put mezcal/tequila second. I good mezcal can have an earthiness and smokiness that compares favorably with scotch. Eminentlty sippable!
Finally, I enjoy your sense of humor, but the serious omission of aquavit prooves you have absolutely no Nordic heritage! ;)
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 2:38
Brandy can actually be distilled from any type of fruit: apples, peach, cherry, ect
Yeah that shows up as a correction within the video.
Not what I have been taught. Brandy must be from grape base. An Eau de vie can be from a wide variety of fruits.
@@murgh people been making Apple brandy for centuries. Same with cherry
@@steveno7058 I understand what you mean, but it's like saying "fruit wine" which can mean many things but wine can only refer to grape wine -in industry terms.. So from a spirit trade industry perspective, brandy will reserved for the grape spirit and eau de vie is the inclusive term for all fruit wine distillate.
@@murgh nah. US label laws literally allow any fruit spirit to be labeled Brandy. Go to the store and you will see dozens of non-grape spirits labeled Brandy
Hi Geoff. I only drink and buy whisky/whiskey. 🤷♂️Not really interested in other spirits. Apart from that it’s beer for me. Slàinte Geoff 🥃
finlandia is fantastic
I thought maybe you were going to throw a curveball and your cocktail was a Wisconsin old fashioned.
sweet or sour?
@@mtpanning Sweet for me. I like to use ginger ale when I make one myself.
1. Whisky
2. Brandy (Cognac)
3. Calvados
4. Rum (Rhum Agricole)
5. Vodka
Geoff hi ! Vodka is not distiillled spirits , its rectificated spirit , old russian distilled spirit are " polugar" 38% vol .We , Georgians have national grape distillate "Chacha" .Cheers !
Actually, Brandy is a spirit distilled from any fruit, not just grapes, and don't overlook South America's contribution, Pisco.
Canada's contribution? Screech that wonderful Newfie elixir.
Question. Why do Scotch makers flavor their product with American Bourbon?
1. Bourbon
1A Rum/Cachaca
1B Tequila
2 Brandy
Yeah if you watch the video I corrected the brandy mistake as I said it. As for the scotch question, bourbon doesn't have as strong of an oaky influence as new oak so it lets the flavour of the scotch shine more. My dad had some stories about that screech stuff. Hah. 🥃
.
It´s pomace, not pumice. 😁
Lol oops! 😂
1. whisky
2. whisky
3. whiskey
4. gin
5. tequila
6. brandy
Try a gin gimlet sometime. It'll give you G&T a run for it's money.
1. Whisk(e)y
2. Gin
3. Tequila
4. Rum
5. Vodka
Don’t have enough experience with Brandy
Serious Question: Does RUclips coerce creators into posting thumbnails with that sort of expression? I mean every other video looks exactly the same and it is honestly hard to click on videos with grown men making silly faces.
No 😂. Not the creators I watch and it does make some look ridiculous - you can't add character to damp cardboard with a biro. Others though have a natural, rubbery faced, affinity for silly looks and dry comments. Here being a case in point 🎉
Amen. Just another stupid form of clickbait.
Bourbon is NOT on this list!?! Bro yous be trippin’
I'm sure it's included under the whisky umbrella for most, at least for me it is clearly.