Food What are you drinking? (2023)

[FowlersFreeTime]

EDIT: this was originally a Bourbon post, but as the thread has taken on a life of it's own, feel free to post photos of whatever adult beverage you're enjoying. Sony pictures a plus, but not a must!

So yesterday in the USA it was National Bourbon Day, which I assume is some marketing hype created by American liquor companies, but I thought I would partake. I took this photo for fun and then finished the bottle LOL.
Had I been more serious, I would have gotten the tripod out, stopped down more to get the drink in focus, and maybe not used the overhead incandescent lights... but it came out ok I think.

• Sigma 56mm F1.4 DC DN | C
• 56.0 mm
• ƒ/4
• 1/125 sec
• ISO 2000

For anyone interested, this is Angel's Envy, a Kentucky straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in Port wine casks.
The cocktail here is a Hot Toddy:
1/2 cup hot water
1.5 oz bourbon
1 teaspoon honey (tablespoon if you're keen on a sweeter drink)
a squeeze of lime or lemon (I used the juice of half a lime)
and a cinnamon stick for garnish.

Cheers!

 

[iamdlewis]

So yesterday in the USA it was National Bourbon Day, which I assume is some marketing hype created by American liquor companies

Yes we like our national day stuff. Your day however was only partially done because you were not in New Mexico (National New Mexico Day), preforming an in the bath (International Bath Day) version of Pop Goes the Weasel (National Pop Goes the Weasel Day) while drinking your Bourbon (National Bourbon Day) and eating your Cucumber (National Cucumber Day) Strawberry Shortcake (National Strawberry Shortcake Day) surrounded by flags (National Flag Day) after giving blood (World Blood Donor Day) with the US Army (US Army birthday).

Today among many things is Nature Photography Day. So go out and photograph a Megalodon (yes it is also National Megalodon Day) to celebrate.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Yes we like our national day stuff. Your day however was only partially done because you were not in New Mexico (National New Mexico Day), preforming an in the bath (International Bath Day) version of Pop Goes the Weasel (National Pop Goes the Weasel Day) while drinking your Bourbon (National Bourbon Day) and eating your Cucumber (National Cucumber Day) Strawberry Shortcake (National Strawberry Shortcake Day) surrounded by flags (National Flag Day) after giving blood (World Blood Donor Day) with the US Army (US Army birthday).

Today among many things is Nature Photography Day. So go out and photograph a Megalodon (yes it is also National Megalodon Day) to celebrate.

David, I am not even going to look some of those up because it sounds legitimate LOL
On a similar note, I did know it was Flag day and my boss told me I missed the mark on my photo saying I should have raised the glass to the old stars & stripes... he's not wrong!

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Sorry, no. That's not Bourbon. It may say Bourbon, it may look like Bourbon, but if it's finished in a port wine barrel, it's some skanky-ass designer booze. Bourbon is aged ONLY in a new, charred, American White Oak barrel. That's by law. Anyone who puts bourbon in anything else to finish it should be shot on sight, their bowels drawn as they watch, and ultimately quartered.

Bourbon, indeed.

I respect your input. I know no better, I'm a Rum fan, and this was a free bottle.
I know some liquors have very stringent rules which govern whether they can be labeled as one thing or another. So I don't mind the learning opportunity.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Chris, without looking it up (be honest!) do you know what the 'Angel's Share' or 'Devil's Cut' is?

YES, as a rum guy, I know Angel's Share as the evaporation of spirits from aging barrels, but I've never heard the term "Devil's cut" perhaps we didn't use that one back in Jamaica.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Sorry, no. That's not Bourbon. It may say Bourbon, it may look like Bourbon, but if it's finished in a port wine barrel, it's some skanky-ass designer booze. Bourbon is aged ONLY in a new, charred, American White Oak barrel. That's by law. Anyone who puts bourbon in anything else to finish it should be shot on sight, their bowels drawn as they watch, and ultimately quartered.

Unless of course it's well-grade Jim Beam or Wild Turkey, in which case it should be poured over the idiot's entrails and set afire. This solves two problems simultaneously.

Bourbon, indeed.

I just noticed this label on the side, it seems they are well aware of their sacrilege LOL

• Galaxy S23+
• 5.4 mm
• ƒ/1.8
• 1/120 sec
• ISO 640

So let's downgrade them to "designer whiskey" since they don't quite qualify as a true bourbon.

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

All good Chrisso, just come over to the scotch whisky side mate, we celebrate all the different styles of barrel aging. Not many rules, we just love great whisky! ️

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

All good Chrisso, just come over to the scotch whisky side mate, we celebrate all the different styles of barrel aging. Not many rules, we just love great whisky! ️

Got a few more of those bottles (Irish and Scottish whiskey) than Bourbon. But next time to be safe, I'm posting a Rum bottle/cocktail.

 

[Unframed Dave]

Can we just drop the "e" please. Whisky is scotch, whiskey is Irish.

Thank you and cheers.

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

Almost all Scotch distilleries use old Bourbon barrels to age their whiskey. And yes, there are rules for whiskey to be Scotch too!

https://ward3.com/why-scotch-producers-age-their-whisky-in-bourbon-barrels/#:~:text=Almost all Scotch Whisky is aged in previously,second most common type of barrel in use.

That article is pretty informative, I learned a few things myself.

But hey, it's perfectly ok to like the second best type of whiskey!

Bourbon barrels are basically the standard aging casks used, but there aren't a lot of good whiskies which are aged in them alone. I'd say about 90% of my collection are finished in non bourbon barrels...

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

So then, 3rd best?

You know it..!

 

[Clide]

I do not see an issue here as I like rum, scotch, bourbon, and Irish whiskey.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Its good to see we all share a passion for liquor as well as photography

 

[Unframed Dave]

Whisky is used for Scottish, Canadian, and Japanese, while Whiskey refers to Ireland and US. So while it may be Scotch Whisky, it's Bourbon Whiskey!

So then, 3rd best?

Today I learned a thing....

From Forbes:

"Since Irish whiskey was more popular, was considered by many to be of a higher quality than Scotch whisky and sold at a roughly 25% premium, many American distillers, tried to associate their products with Irish whiskey and adopted the Irish spelling. The practice of spelling whiskey with an e stuck, even after Irish whiskey sales declined.

For many years the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) used the historic spelling of whisky, although it now uses the American spelling in public communications. Many existing US laws, however, still preserve the historic, i.e., 19th century spelling of whisky."

 

[Clide]

Well come on Clide, there's a difference between a connoisseur and a lush!

Well, I like to think I am well rounded and open to opportunities. Fortunately, I do have limits to how often and how much but I like lots of options when I want an adult beverage. It gives me options, I could share a rum with Chris, bourbon with you, scotch with Clint and irish whiskey with all! Then there' Wine! Is there an adult beverage forum and photo option with Alpha Shooters, could be photo opportunity.

 

[Unframed Dave]

Fascinating stuff.

When we were in florida in 2017, I had a tooth abscess. The pain was pretty awful, so I decided to do what any sensible adult does. I headed down to the local offy (which may not be a word outside of these Isles) to purchase some liquid pain relief. It was a heck of a walk. Inside the door was a stack of Bourbon on offer, 2 bottles for $9. I inquired of the stout yeoman behind the counter as to it's quality, " it's nine dollars for two bottles" was the reply. I don't recall the name, but it worked and I slept well on it. It had a picture of a shooting scene with dogs and maybe a game bird.

In the morning I hired a black, convertible camaro and we headed off to Key West via Fort Laudedale. Great trip and I have very fond memories of the area. Nothing beyond 9pm though.

 

[Clide]

That's pretty cool!

When the Scot and Irish (or for that matter Scot-Irish) emigrated here they brought their whiskey making skills with them. Booze was trade, and until the government decided to regulate and tax it everyone was happy. When the government decided there was money to be made, many of them moved from northeastern states like New York and Pennsylvania to the hills of Tennessee and Kentucky, making booze at night (moonshiners) to keep hidden from the Internal Revenue Service (Revenuers, pronounced 'REVnoors'). In order to distribute the moonshine, they would smuggle it around with men wearing oversized, tall rubber boots with the bottles stuffed in the legs (bootleggers). Later on they would hire drivers to haul loads of it on the backroads in them 'newfangled Fords with V-8 engines' that could outrun the cops. These drivers became very skilled and eventually populated the rolls of a young NASCAR.

One of the better regulations the government put in place was Bottled in Bond. Turns out politicians like their whiskey, but even though they eventually got the majority of moonshiners under control from a tax standpoint, there weren't many rules for making the stuff. Since distilled alcohol can be poisonous if improperly handled, they figured there needed to be rules so they could be assured the whiskey they were buying was safe. So, they passed a law which is still in effect today. For a Whiskey to be labeled 'Bottled in Bond', it must meet the following requirements:

• The product of one distillation season (January–June or July–December) by one distiller at one distillery.
• Aged in a federally bonded warehouse under U.S. government supervision for at least four years.
• Bottled at 100 (U.S.) proof (50% alcohol by volume).
• Not blended or flavored.
• Reduced in barrel proof using pure water only.
• Labeled with real distillery name and unique D.S.P. number.

Whiskeys, whether Irish, Tennessee, Texas, or Kentucky Bourbon all fall under the same rules for this. Sometimes it can make the whiskey more expensive, but since 4 years is pretty average these days it's more about the one distiller, not blended, pure water etc. parts that make it special. I have two bottles in my collection that were bottled in bond. Well...two half bottles.

My Grand Father was one of those men. He welded a tank into his truck to haul alcohol out of Canada here to Pennsylvania.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Well, I like to think I am well rounded and open to opportunities. Fortunately, I do have limits to how often and how much but I like lots of options when I want an adult beverage. It gives me options, I could share a rum with Chris, bourbon with you, scotch with Clint and irish whiskey with all! Then there' Wine! Is there an adult beverage forum and photo option with Alpha Shooters, could be photo opportunity.

This subforum is "food" so we could definitely start a new thread for bottle/beverage shots. Anyone who has experience with product photography might have an advantage here, but that's part of the fun too.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

The saleslady tried to get me into a bottle of something finished in a sherry cask, when I told her no thanks she tried to steer me toward a Bourbon made in Oregon. Huh?

See! This is how they lead the uneducated astray!

 

[Clide]

One forum I participate in has a themed thread called "what are you drinking?". It's fairly popular.

• ILCE-7M4
• FE 85mm F1.8
• 85.0 mm
• ƒ/1.8
• 1/640 sec
• ISO 100

Well, the talk of bourbon got me thinking of a Bourbon Manhattan, and here it is. Not sure the photo follows the rule of thirds but I got thirsty and in a hurry.

 

[Unframed Dave]

Well, I've just had a couple of fingers of lidl's malt and some diet lemonade.

It was OK.

I was born on the wrong side of the tracks, and there I shall remain.

 

[Unframed Dave]

Diet lemonade?

Sugar free.

 

[Gaz]

Lidl’s malt I don’t know. Cigar Malt however is an all time favorite if you can get hold of it.

• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro back dual camera 6mm f/2
• 6.0 mm
• ƒ/2
• 1/20 sec
• ISO 400

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

Lidl’s malt I don’t know. Cigar Malt however is an all time favorite if you can get hold of it.

View attachment 41001

That's it! It's on..!

The cigar malt is solid! I haven't had one of those for a couple of years...

 

[Unframed Dave]

With Whisk(e)y? What's Lidl's Malt?

Lidl - Three New Single Malts | Whisky Blog 2024

%

whiskyboys.com

Lidl is a German, privately owned, discount supermarket chain. Absolutely massive concern across Europe.

Whilst many scoff at their malt, I think that comes from the price point more than anything.

I'm no connoisseur, generally I'll add a drop of lemonade to it or some stones ginger wine to make a whisky mac. If I'm feeling really indulgent, I'll add drambuie to make a rusty nail. I've only got one whisky drinking mate and if we get together for a blether, a drop of water is our preferred mixer.

 

[Gaz]

Lidl - Three New Single Malts | Whisky Blog 2024

%

whiskyboys.com

Lidl is a German, privately owned, discount supermarket chain. Absolutely massive concern across Europe.

Whilst many scoff at their malt, I think that comes from the price point more than anything.

I'm no connoisseur, generally I'll add a drop of lemonade to it or some stones ginger wine to make a whisky mac. If I'm feeling really indulgent, I'll add drambuie to make a rusty nail. I've only got one whisky drinking mate and if we get together for a blether, a drop of water is our preferred mixer.

I only add ice. The theory is that room temperature in those old Scottish castles is about 15 degrees Cel lower than my back veranda.

Then of course, I get the full heat from the abv to start, then, as the ice melts, the added water releases all the little nuances from the dram. The best of it.

I try and pair the dram to something suitable. I like dark chocolate for instance with half a bottle of Glenmorangie Signet. I’ve added lemonade to Black Douglas.

Johnnie Walker must own 80% of distillers in Scotland. I like the Johnnie Walker “Swing”, on ice. Quite unique.

 

[Gaz]

For Sherry cask flavors I adore absolutely the Abelour Abunad’h.

I once got hold of a whisky club special… the “alba” variation. Oh man. What I’d pay for another swig of that. All I have left is a photo of an empty bottle!

• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro back dual camera 6mm f/2
• 6.0 mm
• ƒ/2
• 1/14 sec
• ISO 500

I’m also a fan of Jura when it’s available…

• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro back dual camera 6mm f/2
• 6.0 mm
• ƒ/2
• 1/20 sec
• ISO 400

And there’s a very unique Aussie drop out of Adelaide. Only the best Penfold’s grange casks will do? (I made that up).

“Iniquity”

• iPad Pro (10.5-inch)
• iPad Pro (10.5-inch) back camera 3.99mm f/1.8
• 4.0 mm
• ƒ/1.8
• 1/17 sec
• ISO 80

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

Yeeeeeeeah!!!

View attachment 41011

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Ok, this thread has legs. @FowlersFreeTime, how about you change the thread title to something appropriate for a spirits-themed thread and make all welcome?

Now I want to try some of the Scotch and Whisky you guys are posting.

This could get more expensive than a camera review thread!

Done!
As for being more expensive than camera gear, I hear you! One bottle in my house is Louis XIII Cognac, a wedding gift, and if you want sticker shock google the market price!
My usual bottles of booze don't exceed $60-ish, but there's a few premium bottles in the mix.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

• SM-G975U
• 4.3 mm
• ƒ/1.5
• 1/50 sec
• ISO 250

My stash. 90% rum. Some Scotch, Vodka, and Gin in the mix.

More detailed shots of individual bottles to come in the future.