i have a whiskey question re. 'burn'
 

what makes a whiskey 'hotter' than another?

i have knob creek, makers mark, and basil hayden's whiskeys. i listed them in order of 'heat'. knob creek is 100 proof, but i don't think that explains why it has so much more bite than makers mark, nor why makers mark at 90 proof has so much more bite than basil hayden's.

any ideas?

plus, i think jim beam rye is pretty damn nice.... not quite as smooth as basil hayden's (also a rye), but pretty good.

This is going to be a long thread ;)

I drank a double shot of Sunset Very Strong Rum recently. Good God...

lord....

St. Vincent Sunset VERY STRONG Rum - Rum Review - Ministry of Rum

Dump them all and move to vodka. Recommend Crystal Head for starters.

There are many reasons why one is "harsher" than another, but you can boil most of it down to quality. A better whisky will be (or at least should be) smoother.

First off, you're drinking bourbon, which is variant of whisky, like scotch or rye. It's basically the same stuff, but the flavour is significantly different. Our Canadian rye is closer to a blended scotch or whisky, whereas bourbon is quite different. It's sweeter, and has a slight fruit to it that a rye whisky or blended scotch doesn't have. It's not necessarily better or worse, just personal preference. I love them both, but in much different ways.

Try some blended scotches next - you'll probably find them a little more harsh, but it's a different flavour. Then step up to a single malt - that's where you're really going to find the ultimate smoothness, but with that comes price.

Whiskies are almost as complicated and varied as red wines, so there's a lot involved in answering your question properly. The best way to find out is also the most fun way - experimentation.

Laphroiag or The Macallan - on the expensive side, but nice sipping whiskey

Oh Lord, Whiskey ! Lotsa brands to tempt your taste. You'll find the one you like. Keep drinking. I was about 60 when I found Woodford Reserve. Like breathing mountain air!

Gonna go out on a limb here and say it has to do with filtering and how much the charcoal can absorb from the spirits during the filtering and the storing/aging process.

There are a few good sites to learn about Whisky but it really comes down to personal preference.

About Whisky; What makes scotch whisky (whiskey), malts and blends today - Scotchwhisky.com

Whisky.com Complete Guide to Scotch Whisky
Scroll to the bottom for the links.

i thought the burn was the alcohol. right?

Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!
That's my favorite Whiskey too!

This is my go to drink when I need a stiff one. Surprisingly cheap for the quality it offers. I recommend all the time.

i like vodka, too. my personal favorite (yes, i've had crystal head) is tito's. very smooth, a 'sweet' finish.

i think this might be the case. perhaps fusel alcohol absorption.

i don't think so, linearly. basil haden's has a little burn (80 proof), jim beam (80 proof) has nearly none, makers mark (90 proof) has some burn, knob creek (100 proof) has a lot of burn.

i think that alcohol content is part of the story, but not all of the story.

i am going to look for this. thanks for the recommendation!

good to know. thanks!

okay. i think i found my answer: fusel alcohols. turns out that fusel alcohols are a big part of what gives a whiskey its flavor.

who knew?

I thought fuel alcohol was for race cars.

OK, what the hell is fusel?

D, recommend anything by The Glenrothes if your looking for a smooth single malt. Cheers

long chain thingies with a -OH on the end of it

long chain alcohols.

Fusel alcohol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia