So I'm gallivanting in China and boozing with the few "locals" who enjoy boozing (*locals is hardly an appropriate term, as southern/western Chinese coming to the North seem just as out of place as a complete foreigner as the rest), without whom I dare not purchase much local brews lest I kill myself or kill my wallet, lacking any knowledge of Chinese jiu brews or Chinese characters. I have however had some luck with some really good Chinese yellow wine. It has a strong flavour of rice and umami, about the same alcohol content as a grape wine, which makes it an absolute godsend for cooking meat and fish!
To trash my own health I've been perusing the stores large enough to stock foreign spirits, where I once even met foreign spirits (the couple hailed from Brazil, and were looking to get trashed. A rare and treasured encounter to be sure, in this crossroads of civilisations).
At this store I've found Japanese whiskies - no Suntory, just Akashi. The Akashi blended whisky reminds me a lot of a bottom or mid-shelf unbranded malt scotch, which may sound ungenerous, but speaks more to my high expectations of even the cheapest Scottish brews. While the Akashi is a bit pricey, it certainly drinks a lot easier than a bottom-shelf scotch, with the former being smooth enough while the latter can be used to clean your nostrils.
I also purchased a bottle of 18 year Glenffidich, which to date is the most expensive non-collector's drink I've ever purchased, coming at a pricetag of 6% my monthly salary. The salespeople were convinced I had limitless pockets; in truth, capital controls in China make it extremely difficult to send money home, so it's easier to buy expensive things in China than transfer cash. As to the Glenffidich, this 18 year whisky was a remarkably easy drink. Very simple, you can taste the time it's spent maturing sweetly in its sherry cask - it's a little sweet and leaves an incredibly faint vanilla aftertaste. It's good, but I disagree with the pricing - in my opinion you can get three better whiskies for the price of the 18yr special reserve. I also search for more complex whiskies with stronger flavours, aftertastes and a bit more kick, so personally I'd actually prefer a no age Dufftown tailfire than an 18 year Glenffidich, or something that feels like you're drinking a fire like Talisker storm. But if you're sharing with friends who don't like whisky, this is the one for them, as it's easily one of the most accessible whisky I've ever tasted and that wins it serious praise. Auchentoshan makes for a cheaper and by no means worse introduction though.
Lastly there's Doctor August, which is an "alcoholic tincture." Tastes of cranberry vodka, very cheap and you can drink lots of it with your m8s. Despite the comparison to vodka it's a really ambiguous liqueur so it's got mass appeal, and I hope it gains more international attention
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Topic: Drunk Thread -(Awesome Thread)- (Read 169978 times)