What's your drop of choice?

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by dannc

Aussie Port? Do you have recommendations? Not sure we can get it here but I will look.
Dan

Almost any fortified wine from the Rutherglen region in Victoria is above average. Morris in particular produce some good ports.

In my youth I spent a fair bit of time gliding at Benalla and every rainy day was spent touring wineries. I am no longer much of a port drinker (although I would never refuse a glass ), but I know that some excellent ones still come from this region.

SWL

[LakeSuperior]

I found that a good Calvados also revives the spirit.

[DMF Sailing]

Originally Posted by altvetdoc

Currently on board (and on the hard) I have Jefferson's Ocean Voyage #7 and my go to single malt Balvenie Caribbean Cask. Wife won't come near me after a touch of anything peaty (Lagavulin and Laphroaig collecting dust in the basement).

Can't wait to be sitting in the cockpit at sunset with whisky in hand. Some nights I prefer Bourbon, other nights its Single Malt.

Despite having a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle at home, the one bottle I treasure and nurse is the original Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy Whiskey.

As a side note, been reading Cruiser's Forum for many years and this is the first thread to inspire me to contribute. Kudos!!

Thanks for this rich post. I got a question: What does the ocean part of the ocean voyage do for you?

They aged the bourbon in a barrel on a ship, right? I've had this, and while it was good, not sure the ocean part was worth the $30 uptick from your run-of-the-mill Jefferson's.

[Tom_F]

Supposedly the travel conditions age the bourbon more quickly improving flavor. See https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt...n-of-the-ocean. I recently read another article about a “study” that compared barrels of bourbon from the same distillation run that were barreled the same by the same line and then were stored in a typical rack house. At some point some barrels were sent on a voyage down the Ohio River and then by ocean to somewhere on the East Coast. When compared to the barrels which remained in the rack house the flavor of the traveling barrels was supposedly better. True? Who knows, but given the agitation causing greater contact with the barrels it makes some sense.

[bensolomon]

My good friend is a brewmaster here for a local iron Hill brewery. He also makes his private stash of beer. Two summers ago we did an experiment. He made two identical barrels of beer for me, lagers. One we left in his garage and the second one we put on my boat in the Chesapeake as I went on a two-week cruise. The difference in the two barrels was unbelievable, and in a very good way!

The barrel in the garage although tasting great, was more like a light lager. The barrel on the boat was so hearty, and brown and delicious! The kinetic energy put into mixing the brew from the boat in addition to the constant washing and exposure of the entire solution to the barrel changed the character of the beer dramatically.

Also, this was July in the Chesapeake, so the temp was a consistently 80 degrees. I know this thread is about bourbon, but I suspect the same principles apply.

[dannc]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Almost any fortified wine from the Rutherglen region in Victoria is above average. Morris in particular produce some good ports.

In my youth I spent a fair bit of time gliding at Benalla and every rainy day was spent touring wineries. I am no longer much of a port drinker (although I would never refuse a glass ), but I know that some excellent ones still come from this region.

SWL

Thank you! Will have to look for some Aussie Port.

Later,
Dan

[DMF Sailing]

Originally Posted by bensolomon

My good friend is a brewmaster here for a local iron Hill brewery. He also makes his private stash of beer. Two summers ago we did an experiment. He made two identical barrels of beer for me, lagers. One we left in his garage and the second one we put on my boat in the Chesapeake as I went on a two-week cruise. The difference in the two barrels was unbelievable, and in a very good way!

The barrel in the garage although tasting great, was more like a light lager. The barrel on the boat was so hearty, and brown and delicious! The kinetic energy put into mixing the brew from the boat in addition to the constant washing and exposure of the entire solution to the barrel changed the character of the beer dramatically.

Also, this was July in the Chesapeake, so the temp was a consistently 80 degrees. I know this thread is about bourbon, but I suspect the same principles apply.

This thread is about what sailors like. I'm all for expansion, as long as members find it interesting. This is fascinating. Tom F, thank you for your explanation as well.

[dalbright1963]

Originally Posted by Joe Okros

Although this one has been growing on me, the cask strength takes a bit of getting used to.
59.5% proof

59.5 proof is only 30% alcohol by volume. Most commercial liquors are 80 proof or higher. That isn't strong at all. Even at 59.5% abv, that is only 120 proof.

[Buzzman]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Almost any fortified wine from the Rutherglen region in Victoria is above average. Morris in particular produce some good ports.

I'd also take special note of anything by Browns of Rutherglen. They do an exceptional Tokay also.


The Barossa Valley is not bad either, especially the Yalumba Galway Pipe, so named after a former South Australian Governor, who would test the different 'pipes' (500L barrels) and whichever he chose was labelled "Galway's Pipe" and was the wine served at Government House for the following year.

It's a fine drop, and being popular and produced in bulk, is not too exxy either. Even seen it as low as AU$30 per 750ml bottle, but is normally several dollars more.

A fine Tawny well worthy of the label 'Grand Tawny'.


Googlinh it, I've just discovered there is also now a 25-yr-old version for triple the price. Next birthday, or Christmas for that one....



Fortified : Yalumba Galway Pipe Port 750ml

[altvetdoc]

Originally Posted by DMF Sailing

Thanks for this rich post. I got a question: What does the ocean part of the ocean voyage do for you?

They aged the bourbon in a barrel on a ship, right? I've had this, and while it was good, not sure the ocean part was worth the $30 uptick from your run-of-the-mill Jefferson's.

I've had a curiosity about spirits since my High School days. My first book was the "Moonshiner's Manual" by John Barleycorn, copyright 1975. This is where I first heard of aging spirits with some charred wood chips in a bottle anchored in a babbling brook to accelerate the aging process. I don't quite appreciate the "brine" Jefferson's claims, but I do think it is a very smooth and complex Bourbon that holds up well on the rocks as well as neat. Thanks to TomF and bensolomon for added insight.

Anybody ever try "Seven Fathoms" rum? Cayman islands rum aged 42 feet under the sea. Can't find it locally.

Cheers!

[DMF Sailing]

Thanks to this thread, I got inspiration from the many Islay malt aficionados, and purchased a bottle of Laphroaig. And now I own this (click on the picture)! A reason to cruise to Islay.

Cruisers Forum: All it does is give.

When I get there, I'm buying, if you're around.