Quote Originally Posted by Ironman8 View Post
Good thread, I’ll have to try some of these mentioned.

I’m a recent convert to Whiskey/Bourbon from only being a “beer guy” but I’m definitely partial to Rye whiskey. My two favs currently are Basil Hayden Dark Rye and Kooper Family Rye distilled out here in TX. Both very smooth and affordable in the $40 range. For a cheap $20 bottle of Rye, Capmaker is pretty good surprisingly.

Blanton’s bourbon would have to be the best non-rye whiskey I’ve tried. Basil Hayden straight would be a second.

Rum, I usually use for mixed drinks but there’s one that comes to mind that I liked straight. Ron Zacapa XO and RZ 23. XO was slightly better but not 3X better than the price would suggest.

Scotch, I tried a “good” one, but it still tasted like I was sucking on peat moss...it must be an acquired taste once you hit the age of 50+

ETA: to round out my Basil Hayden stash, I got a bottle of BH Carribean Reserve Rye that’s blended with Rum. It’s pretty good too, interesting flavor.
Peated whiskey will have a peat moss taste/smell. Some more than others. Just don't drink/buy those. They're all Islay and it's because they burn peat to dry the barley instead of wood. Ialay is the only type that does that.