They say it's better than Stagg... | Monthly Malternative

Oh yes bourban. I haven't drank it this year, but now I want some. Never heard of this bourban, but we just get popular ones like wt, 4 roses, wr, jack. I would like to see Armagnac review next month. Thanks for the review ☺️

Second! Figures…

MGP/Ross & Squib will & can do pretty much any mash bill or proof point in bourbon, rye, light whisky, & even single malt. (Bulleit’s first single malt is sourced from there)
I don’t know how many people source from there currently but it’s a lot. If anyone hasn’t heard much about them they are worth reading up on.

You might consider trying some rye whiskey in the future. Speaking of MG & Squibb, the brand Bulleit puts out a 12 year rye which is considered by many to be one of - if not the - best values in rye. It's readily available here in the states, so I would imagine Frootbat has it.

From Frootbat's selections I'd be curious to see your take on Yellowstone American single malt (4YO) 54%..

I have a knob creek 9 and a bookers on the go at the minute. Love mixing it up with some malt. Planning a tasting for my brother in law and bookers is second on the list.

Ross and Squibb contract distill for many brands though they have said they will be cutting back on production and contract distilling. They are having issues within their company they fired the CEO and have made a few changes in management. But they will be fine they are the largest distilling company in America and they will continue to supply whiskey to customers who source. The bottle that won the Ascot awards was a high proof bottle I believe it was 136+ where most that I’ve seen on other websites is low 130ish which does make a difference. And I believe they hyped this bottle to generate sales am I wrong probably not. 🥃🥃🥃

I don't really like bourbon, even gave Wild Turkey Rare Breed a try based on the OSWAs, and no, not for me. A tasting note from me that refers to "bourbon" is already damning. Now, American single malts are another beast altogether, the most recent likes being a Yellowstone and Old Soul. The malternative that gets my engine running are non-sugared rums. That would be my suggestion.

If any bourbon fanciers are offended please note that I think bourbons are fantastic in whisky sours.

May try bourbon in a few years...😉
For now, scotch has me well entertained.

For context, the SeH that won the Ascot's was the previous release before there was the 5 year age statement on it. There were varying proofs, so varying batches going around at the time, and I think the 131 proof was the one that beat out GTS. I have one of the old batches and strong consensus is that the NAS version from 2024 is significantly better than the 5 year.

I think it's an impressive bourbon for its age and in a vacuum definitely has Staggy qualities that feels like a similar DNA. But next to a regular Stagg (formerly Stagg Jr), I agree it falls well short, nevermind a GTS. I know they try to simulate more of the age by using a mix of traditional 53 gallon barrels and 30 gallon barrels, then blending them, but it always feels like I can both taste the hyper-oak extraction from the small barrels and the youth from the 53 gallon, and don't quite blend seamlessly.

I also agree with you and even at the time said that on its own, it's a perfectly decent sip, but the Stagg comparisons were not something it was ever going to meet and puts it in a more negative light than it deserves. It happens to be a brash bourbon with intense sweetness, some oak, and cherry bordering on cherry cola that you get from a typical Stagg. But we are talking different barrels, different mash bill, different yeast, different aging climate, different blending, etc. So even if there are some whispers of similarity, nobody should expect them to be a direct comparison.

Do some foursquare or other upper shelf rums. Currently that stuff just replaced all sherry bomb whiskeys for me.

Every video needs an obligatory "that's what she said" joke. I adore it.

Great review Geoff, haven’t really tried bourbons but possibly a plan for the future… 🥃

I never tried GTS so I don't have much to go with however, it took me quite awhile to get a bottle of the Smokeye Hill barrel proof. I found it delicious and now one of my favorites. It surprised me how good it was for only 5 years.
So I have a question for you. If I like this bourbon can you recommend anything I might like in a Scotch?

This one’s definitely a bourbon and it’s definitely a year! It’s about as close to a stagg as cutty sark is to Macallan.

I’d love to see some rum or Armagnac reviews

There is now officially an American Single Malt Standard there may be some good “Malternatives” like Westland Guryana

I picked up a bottle of this about a month ago and I fully agree with your review and comparison with Stagg……and that stopper, damn!!

Please do Hampden Pagos……it’s a banger.

Geoff you've mentioned over the years that you really enjoy Armagnac. I'd love to have you feature one of your picks for this series since it's a spirit I know very little about. I do enjoy Brandy from time to time but Armagnac and even Cognac are not spirits I ever seem to drink

The Question really is how much did Smokeye Hill pay Ascot to say what they said!?!?

Armagnac hits it for me at the Moment.

That thumbnail 🤣 Your arms are wider than your head

Would be interested in your thoughts on Chattanooga whiskeys. Most are very affordable - the 91, the 111, the rye, and the BiB are all under $60 USD. I'd be most interested in a review of the Founders 12th Anniversary edition. That has significantly a higher price point ($132 USD on Frootbat). Might be good to have a comparison among 3-4 of them.

Damn it I was so happy for myself when I thought about using the "stagg-ering" pun and leave it in the comments but now....😑😅

Do Decadent Drinks/Whisky Sponge rums 😏

Recently discovered Scotch and Irish after years as a bourbon enthusiast, and Gwhisky has quickly become my 'tube of choice. Insightful content and we share a similar penchant for snartassery. Carry on and keep up the great content 🥃

A fantastic rye from Ross and Squib you might enjoy is the Rossville Union barrel proof rye.

fun switchin it up to bourbon for a change, would hate for the channel to get staggnant

yet to try any sherry, port, brandy, or cognac. might be useful to know if any of them are good for anything besides their used casks. heck, i dont know what brandy and cognac even are. i saw pacino pour cognac in that hollywood tarantio film, looked classy at least. and frasier from cheers liked his sherry, so that seems snobby enough for me

Rum Geoff........ Hampden Geoff...... seriously Geoff....... You gotta just do it........ for the views. Geoff..... and the jokes....... come on Geoff.

Maybe review a Pisco at some point as a malternative. Cheers!

You moved? I’m guessing u have one room setup for whisky in the Taiwan apartment? Do a bts room tour?

Hi Jeff, as a fellow canadian, (you are ? right ?……)… do you have access to Macaloney’s single malt whisky? My favorite from their core is Cath-nah-aven. They are from Vancouver Island. Another malternative for me is Acerum from Québec. It’s distilled maple water. Reminds me of Eau-de-vie or grappa. Keep on posting those great videos. Salutations !

ohhh. not really better than GTS. that was probably a honey barrel sent out to vloggers to hype the stuff. the standard BP available to regular smucks like us is 5yr, stuff that was actually not bad at proof, but diluted the youth showed through … blech! in no way does it even compete w/ regular stagg.

for 85 no, 89 USD, it i ain’t worth a purchase imho. personally, there’s lots better MGP bottles in my collection that cost the same amount… (at the time).

A wrong batch comparison. Smokeye BP 2024 and 2025 batch is very different.

The bottle that says 5 year is the new bottle.

Rum — Hampden, Smith and Cross, Foursquare or Doorly's (which is Foursquare)

Great to see you started with bourbon, can you do a rye like the controversial SirDavis, from Beyoncé it’s apparently only rye and malted barley, or Michters Rye ?

Oh man you’re a Trekkie? I knew you were a top tier scotch reviewer but now you’re just awesome as hell. Live long and prosper 🖖 cheers! 🥃

We indians are not really very fortunate to have most of the Burbons except JD JB and Some Basics Burbon Brands

I'd be interested on your views on (an) American single malt(s).

Hey Geoff, have you ever tried Spanish brandy? There are many even from Jerez ofc with Sherry cask aging. I enjoy them quite a lot. Cheers for the Malternative reviews 🥃🥃

Hello Geoff, I second/third suggestions to review some quality/unsweetened rums, if that's something you'd like to do/try.

I also would like to see you review some IB single malts. You've said before that's something you're cautious about doing/reluctant to do, and maybe I know why. I've been watching some older videos from the Whiskey Vault, and Daniel there talked in one about how he felt that IBs were a bit like DJs, in the sense that once one found one that was enjoyable, it may prompt one to further explore their style, because in some cases one ends up finding a bottler (or also/separately a blender) whose tastes one shares to such an extent that they become/seem fairly reliable. One can learn to trust that they may produce stuff one might not otherwise have considered before, but that it will be made/presented in a way that one can still really appreciate. Yes, single-cask bottlings are necessarily small-scale and so viewers won't be able to get them for themselves--that's true in my market perhaps more than many others, even for OBs--but I think that's a fairly narrow view of whisky reviews, and a misunderstanding of a large part of the market: IBs. I'd be interested to see/learn about IBs as a means of exploring a) distilleries and b) bottlers themselves. Those who get ticked off at reviewers for reviewing something "I can't buy myself" I think haven't really understood the nature of IBs. And that seems quite limiting to me, as it closes off appreciation of a number of distilleries that otherwise don't often feature in many OBs, or in presentations that don't really show the distillate in a positive way. Anyway, just another suggestion for consideration. I'm not asking you to suddenly do a whole lot of IBs, but maybe to just try a few interspersed, and see if your viewers can learn to appreciate them.

I really enjoy the humour you utilise in your videos. Cheers!

I just made a joke a couple of weeks ago while drinking wild turkey rare breed that it will take hair off of your chest… if you spill it

sorry, but malternative is not actually a word.

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