Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Ask Me Anything


One reader suggested I do a Reddit-style Ask Me Anything session. I wasn't sure I would have anything interesting enough to say, but I figured I'd give it a shot. If you have a burning question, serious or not, ask in the comments, by email or social media and if there are enough questions, I'll cover some of them in a blog post next week.


26 comments:

Anonymous said...

ok, sku. great idea!

1. in your opinion are micro-distillers pricing their bourbons too high?

2. is the bourbon renaissance a bubble?

2a. if it is a bubble how bad will the pop be?

3. are "tech" whiskies like cleveland viable? that is, in the long run, can a "whisky" that's aged for an hour really compete on price/quality with a bourbon that's aged for 10 years? in fact, i have seen cleveland priced higher than eagle rare and laughed all the way home.

regards,
dan

Anonymous said...

Awesome. You should do it on Redditt. Here's my question: Years ago, you wrote an article for one of the whiskey magazines titled "Craft Whiskey Sucks." Now, many years later, would you write the same thing? Do you still think it mostly sucks?

Bob Page - Charlotte, North Carolina said...

Why do you believe American consumers are so enchanted by back stories about spirits that aren't true? How could companies craft honest back stories that fulfill both marketing/sales requirements, and the storytelling requirements of consumers?

billyhacker said...

What can you say about your personal preference for whiskey nose and taste? I've read lots of reviews, so I have a rough idea, but wondering if you have a formal idea of your preferences or if you primarily just note your own reaction.

Anonymous said...

Sku - at what point does a whisky that you own become too expensive that you don't open the bottle? For instance, I have a 2012 FR Small Batch that I'm told now sells for over $700 - that seems a ludicrous amount to spend on a bottle, and I wouldn't spend that amount on it and I'm happy I got it at retail back then. But now I find that decision to open is harder and harder, and I might not ever.

Unknown said...

Great idea here's my question.
Are we now in the age of bourbon as a investment. With laws in ky and DC allowing personal bottles for bars and crazy secondary and auction prices on bourbon are we now flush with bottles being sold and traded for investment only and no intentions of drinking or opening and if so can this trend go on as a bourbon stock market type of situation?

Anonymous said...

Hello Sku,

Does MAO still make you swoon?

Yours,

Jealous in Jersey

Anonymous said...

What did you think about the Bourbon Crusaders Charbay pick?

Richnimrod said...

How would you describe the fairly unique approach being taken by Bardstown Bourbon Company as a 'new' "mid-major" distiller of American whiskey?
What success, or lack thereof, would you predict for their enterprise in 4-years (if you'd care to explain your opinion, that would be much appreciated)? ...How about in ten years?

My take being that they seem driven by sound business/finance reasoning, with a strong customer/client orientation, which seems a novel approach for a distillery (at least the customer part) in the last 50-years. My prediction is that they will succeed and prosper, assuming no unexpected reversals arise.

Anonymous said...

Do Armagnac houses/domaines have recognizable profiles? For example are there specific differences in notes between Chateau de Gaube and Domaine de Busquet that you could expect to find despite the vintage?

Anonymous said...

How does it feel to be the dean of American whiskey bloggers? How much longer do you think you'll keep going? Do you think blogging about whiskey is still relevant?

JCR said...

how many spirits bottles do you tend to have in your personal collection at any given time (more or less)? of that group, what percentage consists of whiskey v. brandy v. other spirits at this point? do you have any favorite spirits categories other than whiskey or brandy (e.g. mezcal or Jamaican rum)?

Anonymous said...

Simple: 100 duck sized horses or one horse sized duck?

Anonymous said...

What's the best distillery tour you have been on?

Anonymous said...

Whiskey and lawyers, what's the deal with that?

Anonymous said...

How much should Pappy cost? (Still seeing people charging around $2000)

signde said...

1. What is the next big thing in spirits and why is it Armagnac?

2. Do you believe that dusty bourbon/rye has a familiar profile that you don't find in today's products, i.e. "dusty notes"? If so, do you believe that's due to bottle conditioning or some other factor(s)?

3. Given the current boom and scarcity of anything allocated or limited edition, are there bottles you regret passing on years ago that you wish you would have bought more of?

Anonymous said...

what is the best bourbon, rye, scotch, gin, rum, tequila and brandy for around 25 dollars?
plus:
is there any mezcal worth drinking (or mixing) for 30 dollars or under?

many thanks.

Anonymous said...

Why did the Bears trade up for Trubisky? Is that a reason to drink more bourbon?

FPV said...

We often talk about the downsides of the bourbon boom? From your perspective, what are some of the positive aspects?

Anonymous said...

Why does MaltAdvocate, or I guess WhiskeyAdvocate, or I guess Shanken Communications vertical integration, continue to shit the bed? They didn't even put a url forwarding on whiskyadvocate.com/blog

Anonymous said...

What is your advice to the johnny-come-lately's to the joys of bourbon? (from the perspective of a wine collector)
1) What current production bottles should a new connoisseur have in their collection/under their tasting belt?
2) What should someone put away in anticipation of continued 'enhancements' to core products (e.g., knob creek 9 vs NAS knob creek)


What is your go-to pour for cocktails, and how/does it vary by cocktail?

Funky Tape said...

If I gave $100 and told you to go buy the best bottle you could find and be back in 1 hour, which one would you buy and where would you get it? Tax excluded.

Anonymous said...

Do you ever have any regrets about spending so much of your life on this whisky hobby?

Anonymous said...

Are there any trends in the Scotch industry that you love/hate?

Unknown said...

What is, if any, a favorable small craft whiskey you like? One that is not overpriced.