NYC | Page 2 | NYC Whiskey Review

2 Whisky Bars to visit in NYC

September 19, 2024 NYC

In New York City, there is no shortage of places to enjoy whisky, however, your mood or need may require a bar with a certain vibe. If you are looking for a good selection of whisky, but you may need the bar for different social reasons I have two recommendations. In addition, all three locations do whisky tasting and classes. Prices range from free to “Holy shit! How much?”

The Flatiron Room, Flatiron Neighborhood

www.theflatironroom.com

Style: Romantic

Location: 37 West 26^th Street (Broadway & 26^th)

A high ceiling space with wooden tables and chairs with an old school lounge type of vibe. The walls are cabinets full of whisky and a moveable ladder for the bartenders to retrieve purchased or stored customer bottles. There is a light food menu available but the focus is the whisky menu. There are around a 1,000 (+/-) bottles on the menu so there is something for everyone. Reservations are strongly recommend as the bar space is very small with limited seating and no television. Several nights a week, there is live music lounge/jazz music.

The Flatiron Room is the type of place you take a date to for drinks or after a nice dinner. A group of friends works fine too, but I find it more a table for two type of place.

The Brandy Library, Tribeca Neighborhood

www.brandylibrary.com

Style: Business

Location: 25 North Moore Street (North Moore St & Varick St)

Wall Street is the first thing I think of every time I walk in the door, but not in the douche bag coked up asshole type of way. A long wooden bar, soft lighting, leather cushioned seats, and cocktail tables set a comfortable business tone. The space is very clean and the staff is well dressed and professional. The walls are shelved and full of all the bottles on the thick leather bound menu. Small bites of food are available and there is not television at the bar. An added bonus is the small outside seating where you can smoke a cigar and enjoy your drink.

The Brandy Library is a good place for drinks with friends, happy hour, or date. Prices are fair but not cheap as you are in a trendy area. I have been recently with a few friends from out of town and they really enjoyed it.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Dead Rabbit (Bar) Grocery & Grog (& Whiskey)

September 12, 2024 NYC

Name: The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog (& Whiskey)

Location: 30 Water Street, New York, NY

Hours: Monday thru Sunday, 11:00am-4:00am

Style: Pub/Cocktail

The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog in New York, NY has been voted the worlds best bar in 2015 and 2016. They also won Best Bar in North America in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. Named after the gang from back in the day in NYC and the name of how an illegal bar (aka grocery) was advertised the Dead Rabbit now has its own whiskey.

As far as all the awards and titles go; I have been in bars that do not have awards that are fantastic and others that are top rated and are shit. It is the owner and the bartender that make the place not the title.

The Dead Rabbit has 3 bars on 2 levels and is a hybrid between a pub and cocktail bar. It is a good place to take a rest when touring downtown or after getting off the tour boats and ferries at the waterfront. Here is my quick review of Dead Rabbit Whiskey:

Name: The Dead Rabbit Irish Whiskey

Color: Gold

Nose: Vanilla, orange, citrus cream

Taste: Cream, vanilla, white pepper

Review:

Basic blended Irish Whiskey supplied by major distillery. Reminds me of a softer Proper 12 but, a bit flat in flavor profile. Whiskey is priced around $45 a bottle or $13 per 2oz pour. Same price as the Famous Grouse so that should tell you something. It was served to me in mini snifter glass. That drives me absolutely bat-shit crazy when I get whiskey in cognac glass. It’s a personal thing. Whiskey goes in whiskey glass.

There was a fire a while back and the bar has undergone some rebuilding. The rebuilt area on the first floor is nice and cozy and still has that new wood smell. The upstairs area small with a few tables and a small bar. There are no televisions so do not go to watch a game. The Irish Whiskey selection is the largest selection on the menu but there is plenty of Bourbon, Scotch and International Whiskeys.

“If you like it, drink it!“ – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

McSorley’s Old Ale House

September 11, 2024 NYC

McSorley’s Old Ale House is located in the East Village in Manhattan, was established in 1854, and is said to be the oldest operating bar in NYC. To be a fly on the wall here to see 170 years of people coming and going would have been fascinating. From Presidents drinking, the start and end of Prohibition, to women not allowed to enter until 1970, this place has some history. I recommend you read up on it.

McSorley’s serves only one type of drink which is beer. You can have either a light ale beer or dark porter beer and bother are severed in two smaller mugs. The food menu is limited, and I have tried it but I do not go to McSorley’s to eat. There are no reservations, and it can get very busy, so I recommend you visit in midafternoon.

As the Autumn approaches and the bar hopping scene ramps up and we get more friends visiting in NYC, I always make a point to take people to McSorley’s. Everyone I have taken to this bar has enjoyed the experience, even St. Matthew pictured below!

Location: East Village, NYC: 15^th East 7^th Street (3^rd Ave & 7^th St)
Hours: Monday to Saturday 11am-1am & Sunday 12pm-1am
Children Allowed: No kids after 6:00pm
Payment: Cash Only
Reservations: None

McSorley’s is a historic landmark bar in NYC and worth a visit for a round of beers.

If you like it, drink it! – Chris

If you like it, drink it!

Hudson Whiskey NY – Do the Rye Thing

February 14, 2024 NYC

Name: Hudson Whiskey NY – Do the Rye Thing

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Rye, green fruits, oak, spices

Taste: Rye, spices, dusty wood

Bright Lights, Big Bourbon is from Tuthilltown Spirts Distillery in Gardiner, New York. The distillery was founded in 2003 and was acquired by William Grant & Sons in 2010. The acquisition brought in an influx of cash and changes to the brand from its previous name, bottle style, price, and flavor.

The name of this whiskey sounded familiar to me when I first noticed a marketing push of their whiskeys in the NYC area. This expression as previously titled “Manhattan Rye” is now “Do the Rye Thing”. The name sounds like a play on words from a Brooklyn movie directors classic NYC film. The green label color is based off the 4,5,6 NYC Subway lines to stand out on the store shelfs. This should help with the marketing push but not so much when it comes to the flavor profile.

The mash bill is 95% rye and 5% malted barley. It is aged 3 years in new charred American oak barrels and bottled at 46% abv. The first taste is a very odd dusty-earthy rye flavor. The second taste is more earthy but does taste any better. It tastes cheap and old at the same time which is a weird combination. This is my second and last tasting of Hudson Whiskey NY whiskeys.

Priced around $50 and I am not impressed.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Taconic Distillery Straight Bourbon Whiskey

December 22, 2023 NYC

Name: Taconic Distillery Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Color: Light Copper

Nose: Vanilla, caramel, honey, smoked wood, cherry

Taste: Oak, white pepper, orange

3 Days left before Christmas! Do you have all your bottles yet?!?

Taconic Distillery Straight Bourbon Whiskey is from the Hudson Valley area of New York and was sent to me a gift to review. I received this bottle from the distillery for a review along with their Bourbon Maple Syrup and a few other goodies. This is my first whiskey bottle sent to me to review, I guess I am moving up in the world!

Taconic Distillery is formally the “Millbrook Distillery” and was established in 2013. The expression is “Dutchess Private Reserve” (bottle 12/2082) and is bottled at 45% abv. The bourbon is non-aged stated, the mash bill is 70% corn / 25% rye / 5% barley and aged in new charred oak. The name of the expression (Dutchess) comes from the name of the New York County where the Taconic Distillery is located.

Taconic states that their whiskey is good for sipping and/or cocktails. I have found it better for cocktails than sipping when I tasted it. The whiskey is young, tight, and a bit sharp when drank neat. With a little water or ice, it softens out but I find the flavor profile works better in a cocktail.

The package I received included a label for a Taconic Whiskey Sour. The cocktail requires an egg white when mixing. I have had egg white in a gin cocktail before and did not enjoy it, but this time it worked very nicely with the bourbon. The frothy taste, fresh tang, syrup and bourbon worked very together. This cocktail is a summer time by the pool drink at a BBQ, not really a cold ass NYC night drink. Personally, I prefer an Old Fashioned over a Whiskey Sour, but each have their role to play in my diet. One item of note is the lower proof Dutchess gets a little washed down in the mixing, so carefully on how many of these you drink in the sun.

Taconic Whiskey Sour

3 oz Taconic Whiskey
1 egg white
3 oz fresh lemon juice
2 oz Taconic Maple Syrup
Place ingredients int a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously to emulsify egg white. Stain into two rock glasses. Garnish with a Luxardo maraschino cherry.

Priced around $50 is a good cocktail mixer and worth a try to support a local company.

Many thanks to Taconic Distillery and Bourbon Maple Syrup review coming soon!

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery

October 12, 2023 NYC

As the cooler weather approaches and the season begins to change the time spent outdoors becomes a priority for all New Yorkers. Pumpkin lattes and Oktoberfest beers are nice in the park, but what about something different? How about apple picking, food, and drinks in the fresh countryside air?

The Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery is a one-stop good time place. Located in only 50 miles away from NYC, you can enjoy locally made beer, wine, whiskey, live music, and food. It is located at 114 Little York Rd. Warwick, NY 10990

Upon arriving, there will be parking attendants to help you navigate the lot. Parking is $10 per car and you will park on grass/gravel and walk in.

Picking apples costs $35 per bag and you can pick many apples for that price. There is a tractor ride up to the orchard or you can take a short walk. The price may seem a bit high, but I have been eating the apples all week and they are delicious and better than what Whole Foods sells. The early season apples are fresh, juicy, and have the nice snap when you bite into them. I will be using a dozen Macintosh’s in an apple pie this weekend. The apple trees are not too tall so ladders are not needed but you might have to step into the tree branches to pick them. Also, you may need to navigate damp grass, dropped apples, and occasional deer shit in the orchard so I recommend hiking boots.

The Store & Cafe has tasting bar, dining area, and a gift shop. These areas are indoors but are small so they get crowded. Inside you can buy full bottles of wine, beer, and whiskey. The staff will open the bottles for you and provide glasses so you can enjoy your drinks indoors or outdoors. I did not see anyone with an open bottle of whisky, only wine and beer.

The outdoor Bar & Grille and Tasting Patio is where people spend most of the day. The patio is a stone deck with metal tables and chairs and there is a grassy area adjacent to the patio for lawn seating. I recommend you bring your chairs or blankets just in case you are unable to get a table. The band playing last weekend was good, a bit loud for my taste, but they set the fun easygoing tone for everyone to enjoy.

The Bar & Grille has a variety of food for almost everyone’s taste. They serve burgers, hot dogs, pizza, chili, flatbread, ice cream, soft drinks, etc. It is cash only and there are ATM’s on site. I enjoyed a small bowl of chili and chips before I went to the Tasting Patio.

The Tasting Patio has all the wines, beer, and spirits available for $20 for one sample of each. From memory, I sampled 6 wines, 5 spirits, and 2 ciders. There was more to sample, but I decided not to because I already enjoyed a glass of bourbon when I arrived. As with all tastings, I found things I liked and others that I did not like as much. You will have to judge for yourself.

The crowd that day was a nice mix of families, groups, younger, older, kids, bikers, different ethnicities, races, etc. I saw only smiles as everyone was having a good time. Some people in the Tasting Patio clearly skipped lunch so they were having a “really” good time sampling the drinks. At no time did I see anyone out of control or acting like an idiot.

An important item to note: There are no indoor bathrooms, only outdoor port a potties. Not my preferred type of restroom, but they were new, clean, had sinks with water and soap. There are also hand sanitizing stations.

A day at Warwick Winery & Distillery is a great way to spend time with friends and family. I highly recommend a visit and I look forward to going back in another month when the mid-season apples are ready!

If you like it, drink it!

Drowned Lands Brewery

October 11, 2023 NYC

Drowned Lands Brewery was a lucky find for me via a map search for a place to sit outdoors and have a beer. After spending a few hours at the Warwick Winery & Orchards and had my fill of apple picking. Warwick has downgraded their beer selection and I have sampled their whiskies, so I felt I had earned a beer and a change of scenery.

Drowned Lands is located at 251 State School Rd, Warwick, NY and was established in 2020. The facility is 15,000 square feet and sits on three acres. The surrounding buildings are old brick, which gives the site a rustic appearance. Through my research I learned that the site was a former Reform School/Prison and the owner used to be an accountant.

There is a lot of indoor and outdoor space with seating, a smaller bar area, and plenty of parking. They have beer, wine, a higher end bar menu with pizza, salads, etc., but no liquor. The food menu is noted to be sourced from local farmers and from what I saw being delivered to the tables it looked good. The beer menu looks very interesting, but I could only try a couple of half pints. I sampled Deep Terra and Green Yield.

Deep Terra (8.2%) and has a nice balance, but a little thick and heavy tasting for my preference. Green Yield (6.5%) has a very nice taste with well balanced hops and light citrus. These two half pints quickly showed me that the brewer and owner care about the quality of their beer. I have not been this surprised or impressed since I discovered Bad Sons Beer a few years ago.

I visited in September when the weather was still warm and sunny. I recommend you visit soon before it gets too cold to sit outside. I really liked this place and I look forward to going back, trying the food and sampling more of the beer.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Opinions Vary: Cask Strength Whiskey

September 29, 2023 NYC

So if you read my reviews you might have noticed I have a strong opinion on Cask Strength Whiskey. Let me sum it up for you….I do not want to do the distillers job.

It is the distillers job to add the water to the whiskey. I want to open the bottle, pour it in a glass and drink, preferably without ice. If I need to add ice it probably means your expression is shit.

Cask Strength has always been a strange one when it is marketed to me in Single Malts. Not so much with bourbon as it is used frequently for cocktails. What do I want a 100+ proof scotch? The power of the alcohol can remove all the flavor profile and make it hard to enjoy. Also, I am not in a rush to get shit-faced when I drink Single Malts so what is the point exactly? What Mad Men marketing bullshit are you going to tell me?

There is one exception, I like Cask Strength Whiskey in my cocktails. The high abv keeps the flavor profile intact and not watered down. I only drink two types of whiskey cocktails, Old Fashioned on the rocks or a Manhattan straight up. Both require ice and get watered down in the process of making. However, I am rarely drinking cocktails these days. I feel I have moved on from them.

I honestly have begun to think either I am wrong or everyone who promotes it is a fucking idiot. It is hard to tell since the majority of people promoting online are mainly making creative fun videos instead of giving valuable insight and opinions. You know, like fucking idiots.

I summary, Cask Strength for cocktails, not for sipping in a glass.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Hawksmoor Steakhouse NYC

August 23, 2023 NYC

Hawksmoor Steakhouse NYC opened in September 2021 and is part of a chain founded in East London in 2006. The restaurant is located at 109 East 22^nd (22^nd & Park) in the Gramercy Park. For readers not familiar with the layout of NYC, it is in the Midtown area and 20 blocks South of Grand Central down Park Ave.

The bar is on the left when you walk in the door and dining room is just behind it. The dining room has impressive antique and high ceilings. When I walked in, I assumed it used to be a bank due to grand space. I was told it was a meeting place for Noble Prize winners hosted by JP Morgan back in the 1890’s. So I was kind of right, it was a bank.

On Hawksmoor’s website it states: “Our menu revolves around all-natural beef from family-run farms, many based in upstate New York, Pennsylvania, and New England, simply seasoned with flaked sea salt and seared over live-fire charcoal.”

I would say this is an accurate description from what I experienced. The bar is set up well, has a nice vibe, and the bartender was very professional. We started night with Michters Old Fashions. The drinks were well made and poured in oversized rock glasses with a oversized clear single ice cube and lemon twist. A well-mixed and served cocktail, but as expected, $18+ drink. I prefer drinks at that price to come with a NYC skyline view but no one gives a shit what I think.

Hawksmoor Bar – NYC

We sat in a curve booth in the back right side of the dining room and share a couple of steaks (T-bone & Strip), along with some sides and wine. The menu is not very large when it comes to the choices of food or wine. This is nice to keep the selections simple and high quality but lends to higher prices. I recommend you check the menu ahead of you visit if cost is a concern. Reservations are strongly recommended and there is no stated dress code, but you should dress up a little bit to dine a Hawksmoor.

Hawksmoor Dinning Room – NYC

I have only one complaint, the noise level.

The high arched ceilings are hard plaster, the walls are hard wood, and the floor and table are solid wood. The chairs are wood with some soft cushioning on the back of the chairs. The interior designer did NOT do a good job with noise control. The space needs some soft panels on the walls or fabric art. Any column or odd low wall needs soft panels or cushioning to absorb noise. As the dinning room filled up the noise raised to a level where it became difficult to hear people at my table who were 2 feet from me. If someone from Hawksmoor reads this, do not rely on the interior decorator, get an acoustical engineer to look at this as well.

Overall, I was very impressed. I enjoyed the drinks, wine, food, and desert. I highly recommend Hawksmoor to anyone looking for a steakhouse styled dinner in NYC.

If you like it, drink it (or eat it)! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Opinions Vary: Old Fashioned vs. Manhattan

January 25, 2023 NYC

Whiskey cocktails have had a massive revival since the first season of Mad Men when we saw Don Draper sucking down those Old Fashioned’s for creative inspiration. Now, 15 years later, the battle of the cocktails continues on every fucking menu in a trendy bar with a “mixologist” behind the counter. News flash…you are a bartender, not a fucking chemist. After all the retro cocktails and new crazy ones created two remain on top. The Old Fashioned and the Manhattan. For the various receipts I recommend you look them up as if you go down the rabbit hole to the 1880’s bartender books they are very different form the 1960’s to modern times.

The Old Fashioned was one of the simpler and earlier versions of a cocktail that dates back the early 1800’s. It has been mentioned from the 1830’s to the 1880’s from NYC to Chicago to Kentucky with various people claiming ownership to the drink with various receipts but all about the same.

The Manhattan was said to originated at the Manhattan Club in New York City in the mid-1870s. Another account it was invented in the 1860’s at a bar on Broadway near Houston Street.

History varies so much that I don’t really care who or when it was created. Just glad someone was creative enough to come up with the drink.

Which one to have? When to have it? How to enjoy it? What to put in it? It all depends but maybe we should consider the overall taste profile of what you get when you order the drink.

Old Fashioned

Served: On the rocks
Smells spic and of oranges
Tastes spicy and rough
Sandpaper but snappy
Overall: Fresh tasting with a little burn, citrus flavors, and not as much flavor or smooth as a Manhattan.

Manhattan

Served: Straight up
Smells sweet
Tastes a bit sweet but sharp on the tongue
Overall: Smooth and sweet, doesn’t burn that much and easier to drink than an Old Fashioned.

In my opinion drink the Old Fashioned for regular drinking and drink the Manhattan when you need class it up a little.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

2 Whisky Bars to visit in NYC

Dead Rabbit (Bar) Grocery & Grog (& Whiskey)

McSorley’s Old Ale House

Hudson Whiskey NY – Do the Rye Thing

Taconic Distillery Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery

Drowned Lands Brewery

Opinions Vary: Cask Strength Whiskey

Hawksmoor Steakhouse NYC

Opinions Vary: Old Fashioned vs. Manhattan

Search:

Newsletter Subscription

Recent Posts

Categories