Sage advice, but I won't change my evenings, never a dram of malt before 8pm with a nice real ale. Absolutely agree with your comments, but I'm 70 and want to enjoy what years I have left enjoying a my evening dram. It's not the quantity but the quality.
As my wise old grandad used to say... "Two reasons to never give advice: Wise men don't need it, and fools won't heed it".😂. Ralfy, you are the exception! Your whisky advice is always appreciated. Congratulations on your landmark achievement of achieving 1000+ reviews. Keep up the good work!
Well said. Been collecting for several years now, and several times during the year, I wont drink any liquor for over a month. My tastings are far apart and usually limited to a dram, a small fraction of an ounce. I have come to the realization that I wont be able to drink what I own now before I pass, so it will get passed onto my son, but in the meantime, I look forward to the few special occasions when I have friends or neighbors over, or I get invited there and take a few bottles over for people to try. So, I have gotten to that point where I mostly look forward to lotteries a few times a year for the hard to find/acquire bottles. I feel blessed that I dont enjoy getting drunk, so becoming an alcoholic wont be an issue, and never has now I'm into my 60s. Just wanted to say thank you for the wise guidance and advice/direction you have given for and about selections of good quality spirits over the years, and I wish you a happy holiday season and a Merry Christmas this year Ralfy!
Very well said! Whiskey or really any alcohol is a seasonal thing for me. In the cold months I will have a dram a few nights a week, when summer hits I just don't want any alcohol at all.
Taking a break from alcohol is not taken as seriously as needed, it's a great way to stave off alcoholism. That said, I myself don't drink regularly, 2-3 drams per week. I normally go a few days in between drinking any kind of alcohol, sometimes a week. However I do think books are necessary even if to a limited extent. Depending on what you read, it can form a great foundation for future learning. I believe Ralfy once said that Charles Maclean and David Broom have written helpful books especially for those of us just starting out. I have Jim McEwan's new book on my Xmas list, I can only hope I get it (it's pricey), and McEwan is always a good interview, very educational. I recently signed up for Reddit for the whiskey subs, and I have to say I'm impressed so far. Little, if any, trolling. Topic of cigars came up and I recall writing that I can't smoke cigars while drinking whiskey, they seem to clash for me. Another subredditer advised me to pair cigars instead with rum. It never occurred to me to do that, and cigars and rum are a natural fit. So now I want to find a good bottle of sipping rum.
Ralfy, this is why you are so respected and trusted. Recommending that your viewers take a palate break for weeks would be tempting digital death for many Whiskey Tubers who depend on constant fresh content to stay relevant and in agreement with the Google algorithms, but you have the balls to say what needs to be said for the better long term outcomes. Bravo, and thank you! Being mindful of purchases and allowing for rejuvenation and maintenance is critical in the new year, and I will definitely being do that.
Whisky is for drinking, first time a seller asked me if it was for keeping i didnt quite understand the question, i have drunk everything i have bought, even an old port ellen that was quite expensive. But if you dont taste them how will you ever know what it tastes like!
Will certainly be buying less next year. I have about 6 or 7 drams a week on average, so about 200ml a week, let's call it a bottle every 3 weeks, so 17 bottles a year. With around 200 bottles in my stash I've got enough to keep me going for 11 years - ridiculous when you think about it.
I can sympathize as many of us are a victim of accumulating too many bottles. Great math, it begs a question sometimes whether you have enough years to go through those bottles. I recall Ralfy's comments in an older episode or two that you can leave the bottles behind for the next gen.
@@Rohit_M That's my plan with my son actually, re leaving my stash to him when he comes of age. Moreover, I'm thinking of making 2-3 infinity bottles for him (single malt scotches, bourbons, Irish, then maybe ASMs). I have plenty of empty bottles I've collected, washed out and things. So I'll put a few to good use, dress them up with a fancy label with his name on it, may even wax the top shut when one gets full.
Friday night and Saturday night are my only spirits. 2 drams a night 4 in total for the week. Like to mix it up with different ones have over 100 bottles. Try to kill the ones I don't care for and will never replace.
Cheers from Houston! I've been on a Ralfy hiatus for a couple years now so it's great to revisit you and see that you're STILL committed to spreading whiskey knowledge! You've taught me how to take my time and fully appreciate the spirit. Barely anyone here knows how to experience it properly. From using a glencairn, spoons of water to release aroma, to sniffing with your mouth open, your tips have helped me learn about how whiskey can vary. I'm not sure if you've ever had a bottle (being on the opposite side of Earth from me) but there's a 'blue corn' whiskey from Texas that you may find super unique. Called Balcones True Blue. I've only ever had one bottle in my 30 years of being alive (its expensive and inflation is kicking my ass), but boy do I remember those drams well hah! Anyway, thank you for the 14 years of knowledge and congrats for breaking 1000 reviews! That's quite an inspiring feat
What a great advise Ralfy. Take the time to do some whisk(e)y housekeeping at the end of the year and resting your palate early in the new year. Sounds like a great idea/plan.
I’ve been a home brewer since 2013 and have just started trying some whisky. I believe in the quality over quantity concept and am too old to want to feel like crap anyway. Thanks for the tips. RUclips has become a modern journal of sorts for channels like yours, and I appreciate you sharing what you’ve learned over the years.
I'm a similar homebrewer and didn't get into any other product until the past 3 years. Arran, deanston, craigellachie. That he has recommended are great. Go slow with it. Peat beast ardbeg 10 but the quality isn't what it was even just a few years ago.
Hey Ralfy get a load of this: Doritos is betting its nacho-cheese flavored liquor is all that and a bag of chips - for $65 a bottle. The PepsiCo-owned snack food has partnered with drink company Empirical to produce a “savory nacho cheese-imbued beverage experience that smells and tastes just like the real thing,” according to a press release issued Tuesday. Dubbed the Nacho Cheese Spirit, it’s also made with malted barley and Belgian saison yeast, which is known for its peppery, spicy flavor. The essence of real nacho-flavored Doritos is retained “through vacuum distillation” and offers hints of corn tostada, umami and acidity. The liquor, which has 42% alcohol by volume, will “bring a moment of ‘WTF!?’ to anyone who tries it,”
Explore….I tried Jerez Spanish brandy…because of the sherry cask..I was surprised..the best part is that because is not French. It is cheap. Thanks for the advice Ralfy…as usual
Cheers Ralfy! Agree with taking breaks to reset the palate. I take a complete break from alcohol every 2-3 months for at least a week. I find I can't taste the whisky properly after a while and then I know it is time for a palate reset. I've also noticed that since I've started drinking non-chillfiltered, higher abv whiskies, even though I add water to proof them down, my palate gets saturated faster.
Very well advice Ralfy! The FOMO is real when we see a new release nearly everyday but we have to be educated and aware of what we are spending our hard earned cash on. Cheers!
I've got a little advice for the whisky reviewers on RUclips. If you want to enjoy your favorite embibe, don't say on RUclips that it's "really good", has "great depth of flavor", "isn't that expensive", or "is available just about anywhere". If you do, lots of people will take your advice and low and behold has now become "allotted". So therefore in that vein, Blantons really sucks, Colonel EH Taylor smells like canal water, Laphroaig isn't nearly what it once was. Just sayin'...Merry Christmas to all of ralfy's Malt Mates. P.S. I almost forgot ralfy. Merry Christmas!
Wisdom from the bothy 😺....well said Ralfy. Waiting with eager anticipation for your 'Whisky of the Year' 🥃 (and the warm embers of the bothy wood burner 😆).
I'm a lost course 😵💫 Only managed a week without alcohol and often I just take a zip straight from the bottle, because I don't bother to pour it into a glass first. For the first time, did I find high quality rum in France and its very nice, compared to the usual white rum for Margaritas 🍸
Strange this....with so many folk on this site publicly stating they drink moderately & within recommended medical daily/weekly guidelines, why are there so many alcoholics and GP surgeries all over the UK flooded with patients presenting with the enormous range of alcohol related conditions, illnesses & diseases??? Honesty about drinking is what is needed....otherwise drinkers, sippers, quaffers are only & simply kidding THEMSELVES.
Hello Ralfy, my mentoring rectangular magnifying glass manipulating maltmate. As a Dutchman, quite accustomed to its taste, I'm curious how your palate handles black licorice. I don't want to be cruell and talk about the hard double salted kind, or salmiac, but how about the soft and sweet kind. Have you ever given it a try and if so: did you like it?
Agreed. Economic inflation will be under control in 2024, but greed-inflation will last forevermore... Slow-down in purchases started last Xmas 2022 in this Great White North. . .
Unfortunately, Ralfy just isn't well-informed about the bourbon world. He makes statements that have been out-dated for many years. In the year 2000, there were fewer than 50 distilleries in the USA -- a smaller number than existed in Scotland at the time. Today there are over 2,300 distilleries in the USA, and over 800 of those distilleries distill their own bourbon (so that is not counting the distilleries that just buy bourbon stocks from other distilleries and then sell them under their own brand). And none of the "big companies" Ralfy has in mind are just targeting the "mass market." All of these companies naturally have cheaper bottlings for that mass market, but they all have more expensive stuff that is aimed at the discriminating connoisseur. That is nothing different than what scotch whisky producers do. Now Ralfy is correct that the best bourbon never (or rarely) leaves the USA, but that knowledge should make him more careful about making statements about bourbon in general that might better apply to the very limited bourbon market in the UK (where the range of choice seems to be terrible).
Well said… Ralfy needs to take a tour of the United States distilleries, restaurants, bars and pubs. There is so much choice that it boggles the mind. And American single malts are already set for a BOOM. It’s all good. Why? It gives whisky drinkers MORE OPTIONS. Every state in the lower 48 has at least one distillery or NDP. And eve try state has their own style of whisky that is distinctive. I know because I’ve been to every state and sampled hundreds of them!
I have my whisky on the weekend, gives me something to look forward to
..hope your regular weekend indulgence isn't a skin full? LOL
Sage advice, but I won't change my evenings, never a dram of malt before 8pm with a nice real ale. Absolutely agree with your comments, but I'm 70 and want to enjoy what years I have left enjoying a my evening dram. It's not the quantity but the quality.
As my wise old grandad used to say... "Two reasons to never give advice: Wise men don't need it, and fools won't heed it".😂. Ralfy, you are the exception! Your whisky advice is always appreciated. Congratulations on your landmark achievement of achieving 1000+ reviews. Keep up the good work!
Well said. Been collecting for several years now, and several times during the year, I wont drink any liquor for over a month. My tastings are far apart and usually limited to a dram, a small fraction of an ounce. I have come to the realization that I wont be able to drink what I own now before I pass, so it will get passed onto my son, but in the meantime, I look forward to the few special occasions when I have friends or neighbors over, or I get invited there and take a few bottles over for people to try. So, I have gotten to that point where I mostly look forward to lotteries a few times a year for the hard to find/acquire bottles. I feel blessed that I dont enjoy getting drunk, so becoming an alcoholic wont be an issue, and never has now I'm into my 60s. Just wanted to say thank you for the wise guidance and advice/direction you have given for and about selections of good quality spirits over the years, and I wish you a happy holiday season and a Merry Christmas this year Ralfy!
Season greetings sir. May 2024 be filled with your hearts desire. Only the best drams to fill your glass
Grateful for this episode of hesitation. Thank you for suggesting this pause. Useful and important.
Very well said! Whiskey or really any alcohol is a seasonal thing for me. In the cold months I will have a dram a few nights a week, when summer hits I just don't want any alcohol at all.
Taking a break from alcohol is not taken as seriously as needed, it's a great way to stave off alcoholism. That said, I myself don't drink regularly, 2-3 drams per week. I normally go a few days in between drinking any kind of alcohol, sometimes a week.
However I do think books are necessary even if to a limited extent. Depending on what you read, it can form a great foundation for future learning. I believe Ralfy once said that Charles Maclean and David Broom have written helpful books especially for those of us just starting out. I have Jim McEwan's new book on my Xmas list, I can only hope I get it (it's pricey), and McEwan is always a good interview, very educational.
I recently signed up for Reddit for the whiskey subs, and I have to say I'm impressed so far. Little, if any, trolling. Topic of cigars came up and I recall writing that I can't smoke cigars while drinking whiskey, they seem to clash for me. Another subredditer advised me to pair cigars instead with rum. It never occurred to me to do that, and cigars and rum are a natural fit. So now I want to find a good bottle of sipping rum.
Ralfy, this is why you are so respected and trusted. Recommending that your viewers take a palate break for weeks would be tempting digital death for many Whiskey Tubers who depend on constant fresh content to stay relevant and in agreement with the Google algorithms, but you have the balls to say what needs to be said for the better long term outcomes. Bravo, and thank you! Being mindful of purchases and allowing for rejuvenation and maintenance is critical in the new year, and I will definitely being do that.
Whisky is for drinking, first time a seller asked me if it was for keeping i didnt quite understand the question, i have drunk everything i have bought, even an old port ellen that was quite expensive.
But if you dont taste them how will you ever know what it tastes like!
Will certainly be buying less next year. I have about 6 or 7 drams a week on average, so about 200ml a week, let's call it a bottle every 3 weeks, so 17 bottles a year. With around 200 bottles in my stash I've got enough to keep me going for 11 years - ridiculous when you think about it.
I can sympathize as many of us are a victim of accumulating too many bottles. Great math, it begs a question sometimes whether you have enough years to go through those bottles. I recall Ralfy's comments in an older episode or two that you can leave the bottles behind for the next gen.
@@Rohit_M That's my plan with my son actually, re leaving my stash to him when he comes of age. Moreover, I'm thinking of making 2-3 infinity bottles for him (single malt scotches, bourbons, Irish, then maybe ASMs). I have plenty of empty bottles I've collected, washed out and things. So I'll put a few to good use, dress them up with a fancy label with his name on it, may even wax the top shut when one gets full.
@@whompbiscuits8930That's a great plan.
Here's to you Ralfy! Joy, good health, peace on earth and prosperity in 2024. Lang may yer lumb reek!
Friday night and Saturday night are my only spirits. 2 drams a night 4 in total for the week. Like to mix it up with different ones have over 100 bottles. Try to kill the ones I don't care for and will never replace.
Cheers from Houston! I've been on a Ralfy hiatus for a couple years now so it's great to revisit you and see that you're STILL committed to spreading whiskey knowledge! You've taught me how to take my time and fully appreciate the spirit. Barely anyone here knows how to experience it properly. From using a glencairn, spoons of water to release aroma, to sniffing with your mouth open, your tips have helped me learn about how whiskey can vary. I'm not sure if you've ever had a bottle (being on the opposite side of Earth from me) but there's a 'blue corn' whiskey from Texas that you may find super unique. Called Balcones True Blue. I've only ever had one bottle in my 30 years of being alive (its expensive and inflation is kicking my ass), but boy do I remember those drams well hah! Anyway, thank you for the 14 years of knowledge and congrats for breaking 1000 reviews! That's quite an inspiring feat
What a great advise Ralfy. Take the time to do some whisk(e)y housekeeping at the end of the year and resting your palate early in the new year. Sounds like a great idea/plan.
Great advice as usual. Blessed 2024 to all here.
I’ve been a home brewer since 2013 and have just started trying some whisky. I believe in the quality over quantity concept and am too old to want to feel like crap anyway. Thanks for the tips. RUclips has become a modern journal of sorts for channels like yours, and I appreciate you sharing what you’ve learned over the years.
I'm a similar homebrewer and didn't get into any other product until the past 3 years. Arran, deanston, craigellachie. That he has recommended are great. Go slow with it. Peat beast ardbeg 10 but the quality isn't what it was even just a few years ago.
Hey Ralfy get a load of this: Doritos is betting its nacho-cheese flavored liquor is all that and a bag of chips - for $65 a bottle.
The PepsiCo-owned snack food has partnered with drink company Empirical to produce a “savory nacho cheese-imbued beverage experience that smells and tastes just like the real thing,” according to a press release issued Tuesday.
Dubbed the Nacho Cheese Spirit, it’s also made with malted barley and Belgian saison yeast, which is known for its peppery, spicy flavor.
The essence of real nacho-flavored Doritos is retained “through vacuum distillation” and offers hints of corn tostada, umami and acidity.
The liquor, which has 42% alcohol by volume, will “bring a moment of ‘WTF!?’ to anyone who tries it,”
Explore….I tried Jerez Spanish brandy…because of the sherry cask..I was surprised..the best part is that because is not French. It is cheap. Thanks for the advice Ralfy…as usual
Cheers Ralfy! Agree with taking breaks to reset the palate. I take a complete break from alcohol every 2-3 months for at least a week. I find I can't taste the whisky properly after a while and then I know it is time for a palate reset. I've also noticed that since I've started drinking non-chillfiltered, higher abv whiskies, even though I add water to proof them down, my palate gets saturated faster.
Very well advice Ralfy! The FOMO is real when we see a new release nearly everyday but we have to be educated and aware of what we are spending our hard earned cash on. Cheers!
I bought a bottle of Glen Moray Twisted Vine yesterday for a good price. After a day off yesterday i had a dram tonight and its very decent for cheap.
A fan of whisky and rum Ralfy; I wonder what your personal thoughts are on the Fire and Cane Gelfiddich??
I've got a little advice for the whisky reviewers on RUclips. If you want to enjoy your favorite embibe, don't say on RUclips that it's "really good", has "great depth of flavor", "isn't that expensive", or "is available just about anywhere". If you do, lots of people will take your advice and low and behold has now become "allotted". So therefore in that vein, Blantons really sucks, Colonel EH Taylor smells like canal water, Laphroaig isn't nearly what it once was. Just sayin'...Merry Christmas to all of ralfy's Malt Mates. P.S. I almost forgot ralfy. Merry Christmas!
I keep buying rare bottles next year Ralfy,the shelf is half full ;)
The less you drink, the less you look forward to having a dram. It’s a good thing and a bad thing.
Cheers Ralfy! Happy 2024 to you.
Wisdom from the bothy 😺....well said Ralfy. Waiting with eager anticipation for your 'Whisky of the Year' 🥃 (and the warm embers of the bothy wood burner 😆).
By the time I get my research done, all the Springbanks were gone! Ah well, makes it more special when you get a bottle that brings a smile.
Sage advice, thanks Ralfy.
I was at Buckfast Abbey last Sunday, I know Clive likes a drop of the tonic water xx
Ralfy, I.m waiting your whisky of the year choice. 🙂 Wish you all the best!
Ralfy, you have encouraged me to return to my first love rum-I just bought a bottle of plantation oftd.
THOUGH, It’s difficult to find a high proof naturally presented rum!
Excellent advice, Ralfy. Thank you and here’s to a great 2024. 🎉
I'm a lost course 😵💫 Only managed a week without alcohol and often I just take a zip straight from the bottle, because I don't bother to pour it into a glass first.
For the first time, did I find high quality rum in France and its very nice, compared to the usual white rum for Margaritas 🍸
Strange this....with so many folk on this site publicly stating they drink moderately & within recommended medical daily/weekly guidelines, why are there so many alcoholics and GP surgeries all over the UK flooded with patients presenting with the enormous range of alcohol related conditions, illnesses & diseases??? Honesty about drinking is what is needed....otherwise drinkers, sippers, quaffers are only & simply kidding THEMSELVES.
Great advice..... thanks.
Hello Ralfy, my mentoring rectangular magnifying glass manipulating maltmate. As a Dutchman, quite accustomed to its taste, I'm curious how your palate handles black licorice. I don't want to be cruell and talk about the hard double salted kind, or salmiac, but how about the soft and sweet kind. Have you ever given it a try and if so: did you like it?
Agreed. Economic inflation will be under control in 2024, but greed-inflation will last forevermore... Slow-down in purchases started last Xmas 2022 in this Great White North. . .
Finger still on the pulse, Ralfy. Good stuff.
After your video on eagle rare i ended up getting 2 cases. Now it's hard to get and if you do see it the price is climbing up there.
Wise wise words dear Ralfy, I always appreciate the suggestions. For sure a fortnight off is in the cards come….January. Kindest regards, S.
I purchased 2 wolfburn 10 yr olds this is weekend not bat at 79.99
So true i agree 100% with you!!
Ralfy is my spirits animal
Have tried all profiles of whisky over the last 5 years however I can honestly say I cannot stand peated & smokey styles
Great advice Ralfy.
Legend ❤
Great recommendations, Ralfy ❤
There will always be more whisky...
Will your books be coming out as EBooks?
Unfortunately, Ralfy just isn't well-informed about the bourbon world. He makes statements that have been out-dated for many years. In the year 2000, there were fewer than 50 distilleries in the USA -- a smaller number than existed in Scotland at the time. Today there are over 2,300 distilleries in the USA, and over 800 of those distilleries distill their own bourbon (so that is not counting the distilleries that just buy bourbon stocks from other distilleries and then sell them under their own brand). And none of the "big companies" Ralfy has in mind are just targeting the "mass market." All of these companies naturally have cheaper bottlings for that mass market, but they all have more expensive stuff that is aimed at the discriminating connoisseur. That is nothing different than what scotch whisky producers do. Now Ralfy is correct that the best bourbon never (or rarely) leaves the USA, but that knowledge should make him more careful about making statements about bourbon in general that might better apply to the very limited bourbon market in the UK (where the range of choice seems to be terrible).
Well said… Ralfy needs to take a tour of the United States distilleries, restaurants, bars and pubs. There is so much choice that it boggles the mind. And American single malts are already set for a BOOM. It’s all good. Why? It gives whisky drinkers MORE OPTIONS. Every state in the lower 48 has at least one distillery or NDP. And eve try state has their own style of whisky that is distinctive. I know because I’ve been to every state and sampled hundreds of them!
😁🤔😁
Have you ever tried nasal snuff Ralfy?
. . . no, dementia is best avoided.
Top advice ! Thank you Ralfy .