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[chewy]

So it is 1am on a sunday here and I have been thinking of a topic brought up amoung my friends many times. I cannot taste much of a difference between more expensive liquors and the cheap bottles. Doing taste tests with the people swearing there was a huge difference showed about equal preference for cheap and top shelf. They then said the difference was felt in the morning and the more expensive resulted in less of a hangover. I still say the expense is mostly in the marketing and they are basically equal, am i wrong?

 

[Seebs]

Thing is taste is a subjective matter... So what you find to be equal tasting drinks can be worlds apart for someone else.

I can tell you from my own personal experience that back when I consumed alcohol; I could pick out the Grey Goose from a sampling of unmarked glasses of Vodka... Then again; vodka is an easy one to pick out since it's not supposed to taste like anything.

 

[beckyblue]

I think this is a good Outside question, chewy. I find myself embarrassed that I don't have a more "sophisticated" palate. I'm not sure how many people know about Trader Joe's "two-buck Chuck", but it's pretty tasty wine. There, I've said it!

 

[chartreuse]

I think it depends on many factors. For example, if I'm fixin' to have a Screwdriver or a Vodka Tonic I'll be happy with any old carp, 'cos the mixer drowns it anyway.

But once we get on to Single Malt Scotch Whisky, it's a very different story. I prefer the Islay malts (an acquired taste), I like those from one side of the island better than those from the other and I have a hierarchy of those. I honestly can taste the difference, but it's not just snobbery - my favourite, Ardbeg, is considerably cheaper than my #2 and #3 choices (Laphroaig and Lagavullan)

 

[harvinstl]

I think it depends on many factors. For example, if I'm fixin' to have a Screwdriver or a Vodka Tonic I'll be happy with any old carp, 'cos the mixer drowns it anyway.

But once we get on to Single Malt Scotch Whisky, it's a very different story. I prefer the Islay malts (an acquired taste), I like those from one side of the island better than those from the other and I have a hierarchy of those. I honestly can taste the difference, but it's not just snobbery - my favourite, Ardbeg, is considerably cheaper than my #2 and #3 choices (Laphroaig and Lagavullan)

I'm a huge fan of Ardbeg. I got to try Supernova in Scotland a couple years ago. Love the peat!

 

[cactus71]

I think this is a good Outside question, chewy. I find myself embarrassed that I don't have a more "sophisticated" palate. I'm not sure how many people know about Trader Joe's "two-buck Chuck", but it's pretty tasty wine. There, I've said it!

Too bad it's three-buck chuck nowadays still a deal - the Merlot is relatively very good IMO. When it comes to Vodka, yes the number of "actual" times it's distilled plays a role in the hangover - Skyy vodka is great, but it's usually overkill. If you're having something straight or on-the-rocks, you'll notice the nuances of top-shelf liquor, but in mixed drinks... just get the cheap stuff.

 

[Iffy]

My vaping palate is much more sophisticated than my adult beverage 'buds'. Guess I need to 'brew' my own alcohol also!

 

[Seebs]

Too bad it's three-buck chuck nowadays still a deal - the Merlot is relatively very good IMO. When it comes to Vodka, yes the number of "actual" times it's distilled plays a role in the hangover - Skyy vodka is great, but it's usually overkill. If you're having something straight or on-the-rocks, you'll notice the nuances of top-shelf liquor, but in mixed drinks... just get the cheap stuff.

On the subject of wines... I was never a big wine drinker, but when I did enjoy a bottle ~ or three ~ I found myself always going for the same stuff. Navarro Correas - Private Collection Merlot... Best $10 bottle of wine you'll ever have.

As for stronger stuff... I was kind of weird there. Always preferred the "cheap" Whiskeys over the top end stuff... My poison of choice was Old No 7 on the rocks for years and years... But when I switched to clear spirits (Vodka); it went the opposite way... It was Grey Goose or Belvedere... Nothing else compared.

Nowadays; the strongest drink I'll have is a 20oz can of Redbull.

 

[cactus71]

On the subject of wines... I was never a big wine drinker, but when I did enjoy a bottle ~ or three ~ I found myself always going for the same stuff. Navarro Correas - Private Collection Merlot... Best $10 bottle of wine you'll ever have.

As for stronger stuff... I was kind of weird there. Always preferred the "cheap" Whiskeys over the top end stuff... My poison of choice was Old No 7 on the rocks for years and years... But when I switched to clear spirits (Vodka); it went the opposite way... It was Grey Goose or Belvedere... Nothing else compared.

Nowadays; the strongest drink I'll have is a 20oz can of Redbull.

Now what kind of fun is a Red Bull I, too, was never a wine drinker and going to a wine festival here in NM put me off it again for years ... got up early (4AM)to go hot-air ballooning with friends and ended going to the wine festival afterwards. You know what doesn't work for a wine festival in the hot afternoon desert sun... no shade and no food that's what! The only "respite" for the heat was more wine, and when you start buying bottles and cases to take home, you know what... they keep on giving you free "samples" (i.e. glassfuls) - needless to say I couldn't drive and my GF couldn't drive a manual - great.

Another friend drove and I ended up painting the side of my Jeep pink and later on crying like Nancy Kerrigan, "Why, why, ohhhh" - got home fine the next day but forever changed - took many years to re-appreciate wine, this time, in moderation

 

[Absintheur]

Personally I think the more complicated a recipe is for alcohol the more the expensive brands tend to get it right. Bourbon is fairly simple, as are vodkas and rums. Rye is a bit more complicated and I can tell the difference between Sazerac Rye and cheaper versions quite easily. Gin is a still more complicated recipe and the difference between cheap gin and good gin is staggering. Absinthe goes a step further with the cheap stuff made from distilled grain alcohol and the good from fruit alcohol like brandy is as well as the way the various herbs are added to it.

Not much for wine tho I do like Mead.