Category: Whiskey Places

Whiskey Places – Blue Line Lounge & Grill

TJ Provost

It was freezing cold when I was in Chicago the first week of January, and when I say freezing cold, I mean cold. My coworkers and I were not actually planning on going to the Blue Line Lounge & Bar, but we were freezing and the lights were on. We went in to get warm and ended up having a few drinks.

I ordered my usual Manhattan and enjoyed some good company and the warm interior of the bar. As soon as I tasted the Manhattan I thought I recognized it. After looking at the menu, I realized they were using Redemption Bourbon, which scored a 40/100 as a sipper. When I made this Redemption Manhattan at home, the Vermouth definitely helped smooth out some of the rough edges, and the score rose to a 53/100.

I’m going to say that the Blue Line Lounge and Bar Manhattan tasted about the same as what I made, so I’m holding to that score of a 53/100. As a whiskey bar, this place doesn’t have a huge selection, and is about as good as any city bar, so I feel like it earned it place in the “If I Had Limited Choices” category.

On the plus side, they had a grilled cheese sandwich with beef brisket that was just amazing. If you are drunk (or getting drunk) I highly recommend adding the grilled cheese/beef brisket sandwich to your order. It was gooey, and the brisket had just the right amount of sweet and salty. It was perfect on a cold Chicago night to help soak up some of the alcohol.

On the price side, the Blue Line Lounge & Bar was low cost if you order a meal and a drink. Just like any restaurant, if you go nuts on the booze the price is going to rise.

Redemption Manhattan

Cost Scale

Up to $30 per person – Low Cost

$31 to $50 per person – Moderate Cost

$51 and above per person – High Cost

WHISKEY PLACES – The Legend

TJ Provost

The Legend is just outside the New Castle County Airport in, you guessed it, New Castle. I had the Reuben, and my wife had a waffle. The food was good, and even better when you factor in the price. Without booze the bill would have been $24 before the tip.

The facilities are okay, but are showing a little age. Get a table over a booth if you can. The booth we were in wasn’t super solid and the people on each side of us were leaning back, making our booth uncomfortable to sit in. We didn’t complain as it started when we were almost done, but it was annoying. Fix the booths!

As you can see, there is not a massive whiskey selection, which left me with trying the Jack Daniel’s in a Manhattan. For me Jack is mean for mixers, but mixers like soda. As a Manhattan is really doesn’t work for me.

I’m giving The Legend a 5/100 as its not a destination to go to if your a Whiskey Snob. My recommendation is go there for breakfast (they do serve mimosas) or a decent, cheap meal, but not for the whiskey bar. If I’m looking for a quality Whiskey drink, this is not the place to go.

Cost Scale

Up to $30 per person – Low Cost

$31 to $50 per person – Moderate Cost

$51 and above per person – High Cost

Whiskey Places – Restaurante Montserrat Manor

TJ Provost

We gave out kids a trip to Punta Cana as their holiday gift instead of buying them a bunch of gifts that they may not really want or need. We are getting older and its harder to actually spend quality time with them because they all have their lives. On our last night in the Dominican Republic we went to the Montserrat Manor for a nice dinner. My idea was to cap off the all inclusive fair with a final night Upscale Dinner.

In the end it wasn’t much better than the all inclusive food. The quality and the price of the meal just weren’t in line with each other. When I asked for a whiskey menu they basically told me they had what I would consider local bar quality whiskey, so I went with my standard Manhattan.

Mystery Manhattan

How was it?

Honestly, I’ve had better at Applebee’s. What was it made with? The waiter told me the house bourbon, so I have no idea.

Given how expensive the food was, the poor quality whiskey selection, and even worse Manhattan, I’ve got to give Montserrat Manor a 35/100, putting it just barely into the If I Had Limited Choices territory. If I didn’t have anywhere else to go, I’d probably go back. I was really disappointed in the Manhattan, and sure, I should have ordered a Rum drink, but by the last day I’d drank so much Rum I just wanted a sip of whiskey for God’s sake.

Cost Scale

Up to $30 per person – Low Cost

$31 to $50 per person – Moderate Cost

$51 and above per person – High Cost

WHISKEY PLACES – The Greene Turtle

TJ Provost

The main reason I wanted to hit The Greene Turtle was I love a good fish taco and they have Spicy Baja Fish Tacos on the menu. My wife had the Spicey Chicken Sandwich.

On the food side we both found the food to be over spiced. The siracha in the fish tacos was so strong it just over powered all the other flavors. My wife ended up scraping some of the sauce off her chicken because it was the same. Maybe we were just there on a bad day for the kitchen staff?

By the way, our waitress was really nice, and all the staff were very friendly.

So on to the Whiskey front. They have what I would consider standard “Bar” level whiskeys. Nothing special and not a huge selection.

Greene Turtle Whiskey Menu

I went with the Bulleit Bourbon Manhattan as my drink of choice.

Bulleit Bourbon Manhattan

The Bulleit makes a nice dryish Manhattan that really lets the bourbon shine through. There are times I want a sweeter, richer Manhattan, and other times a nice dry finish is just perfect. This was one of those times. I will definitely bet getting a bottle of Bulleit to satisfy those dry Manhattan cravings.

When it comes to The Greene Turtle however I think I”ll give it a pass unless I don’t have any other options. There is not a huge selection of Whiskey, and the food was way overpriced for the quality. If I go there again I think I’d stick to just an appetizer and a drink, as we found the food not to our liking, which is why The Greene Turtle is scoring a 40/100, putting it in “If I Had Limited Choices” territory.

Cost Scale

Up to $30 per person – Low Cost

$31 to $50 per person – Moderate Cost

$51 and above per person – High Cost

Silkie Irish Whiskey

matthewpesham
Legendary Silkie Irish Whiskey

If you like Scotch you may like this Silkie blended Irish Whiskey.

If I’d known it was peated when I saw I would have have bought it. Scotch and anything that is peated just reminds my of licking ash trays, so it is really not for me.

Silkie Irish Whiskey

The nose is all smoke and I can’t taste anything but ash tray, so for me, this is sadly I Had To Pour It Out.

Silkie Irish Whiskey earns a 0/100 from me as I literally cannot drink it. Just keep in mind I don’t like smoke, so you might like it if you like Scotch.

Color

Straw gold with hints of amber.

Proof

46% ABV

Pros

  • If you like smoke, this may be right up your alley.

Cons

  • I’m not a fan of smoke or peated whiskeys so this was akin to licking an ash tray for me.

Whiskey Places – Peddler’s Village Cock N’ Bull

TJ Provost

We made our annual trip to Peddler’s Village and had dinner at the Cock’n Bull Restaurant. My wife and I always enjoy heading out to Lahaska, but this was our first visit since Covid-19.

Our server was amazing, and she was running like mad to deal with a lot of tables, so keep in mind that the Cock’n Bull seemed short staffed and they were really busy.

I had two drinks with dinner. The first was a Manhattan, which is my usual go to drink.

Manhattan

Based on the menu, the Cock’n Bull Manhattan is Rittenhouse Rye, Carpano Antica, and an amorosa cherry.

Cock’n Bull Cocktail Menu

Sadly, this Manhattan tasted like bourbon with ice. There was no real flavor, which is actually the reason I moved on to order an Old Fashioned as drink two.

Cock’n Bull Old Fashioned

Do you notice anything about this Old Fashioned? It is almost clear. How did it taste? Well, like sugar water with a twist of orange in it. If there was bourbon in this Old Fashioned it was just a tiny splash.

I’m giving the Cock’n Bull a 26/100, and that is mostly a courtesy as I have had a few good meals here, and they are getting bonus points for being open during Covid-19. Being as expensive as it is, I expect high quality meals and drinks from a restaurant like this. As it stands currently though, the Cock’n Bull is in the “Will Never Go Back” if I’m looking for good Whiskey.

Cost Scale

Up to $30 per person – Low Cost

$31 to $50 per person – Moderate Cost

$51 and above per person – High Cost