We BoozeBashers are always on the lookout for good spirits that are easy on the wallet,  so  I dug deeply into my alcohol-depleted memory banks and recalled a delicious vodka I had once consumed while on a road trip to Chicago with college buddies.  I remember stumbling across a half-gallon of vodka called Sobieski in Bobak’s Sausage Company (a Polish grocery store) that was on sale for $15.  I was elated to find any kind of liquor in a grocery store and even more excited to find this brand for such an affordable price.  I was later blown away by the taste of Sobieski that night.  After coming all the way home, I was shocked at how difficult it was to find this vodka.  A few years later, I found myself back in Chicago on business, and I was determined to get back to Bobak’s to get my hands on more Sobieski.  Unfortunately, my journey there failed to produce this vodka.  The trek from my Hilton Suite to Bobak’s began with a naked man on my elevator ride down and ended on a subway train around midnight when a particularly scary man progressed from talking to himself to random groans and eerie looks in my direction.  I decided to turn back before the train made it to my ultimate destination.  I thought I might never see Sobieski again, but to my delight, I noticed it beaming back at me one day from a shelf in a local liquor store!  I was a relatively inexperienced drinker the last time I consumed Sobieski, and wondered if  would I still like it?  How would it fare in a BoozeBasher tasting?  Read on to see.
 
    Sobieski is a Polish vodka named after King Jan III Sobieski and is actually owned by the Belvedere Company of France.  Poland claims to be the birthplace of vodka though the true origin of the spirit is debated.  The people at Sobieski renounce gimmicky trends like making vodka from grapes or distilling it many extra times.  Sobieski is made from Dankowski rye that is harvested from the Mazowse fields of Poland, and water from the Oligocene springs is used to create “one of the smoothest and purest vodkas in the world.”  That certainly sounds appealing to me.

    Sobieski smells and tastes like vodka should.  The scent yields a subtle alcohol smell with no noticeable fruity or sweet bouquets.  Similarly, the taste over ice doesn’t bring any cheap thrills.  There is nothing at all fancy about Sobieski’s flavor.  There is really no noticeable infused taste, but the grain gives a subtle yet deep and almost dark flavor to the vodka.  The incredible smoothness of the vodka almost entirely hides this taste until the exhale after sipping.  There is really no burn at all.  Sobieski finishes dry and succinctly.  It is fantastic!  I have tasted many “ultra-premium” vodkas, but Sobieski ranks among the tops for smoothness and pure enjoyability.  This vodka is so smooth and easy to drink on the rocks that it could prove dangerous in the wrong hands.  Drinking Sobieski with a little Sprite is equally enjoyable.  Although it lacks serious flavor to compliment the soda, it blends almost completely away.  If you concentrate, you can still pick up on a little bit of the grain taste, and you will still notice the dry finish.  Sobieski is the perfect vodka to slip extra booze in the drink of someone who *gasp* doesn’t like the taste of alcohol.  When mixed, this spirit goes from dangerous to deadly.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Mr. Naked Elevator Man pounded down a dozen of these drinks.  It would be frighteningly easy to do, and it might just make you comfortable with walking around naked in public.

    After drinking a good bit of Sobieski, I relished a state of noticeable drunkenness.  It was a functioning yet carefree state that was quite pleasurable.  It brought with the drunk a little kick of energy that would make this a great beverage to start a big night out on the town.  Just be careful not to lose count unless you don’t care to remain clothed.  The next morning wasn’t incredibly friendly.  I had noticeable cotton mouth, and my head was pounding in a very unkind fashion.  Sobieski is a spirit that should be consumed in excess primarily on the weekends.  I don’t think I would have enjoyed working too much after a night with this stuff.  

    You can get your hands on a 750ml bottle of Sobieski for around $12 or so, making it an utter steal.  It mixes extremely well, and the smooth drinking experience rivals that of vodka that costs more than double the price.  You shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a bottle anymore now that they have expanded their US market a bit.  If you are like me and enjoy the taste of good vodka, buy a couple bottles and simply enjoy every drop neat or over ice.  You will be hard-pressed to find any vodka this good anywhere near its price range.

Sipability - 7.5

Mixability - 7.5

Drunkability - 8.0

Hangover-ability - 6.0

Bang for the Buck - 10.0

Overall -  7.5   

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    We here at BoozeBasher constantly scour the shelves of every local liquor store in hopes of discovering the perfect liquor.  The Scotch section is usually my first stop.  Unfortunately, my budget usually prevents me from enjoying too many luxurious single malts, but this time payday was afoot, and I decided to splurge on Highland Park 12.  It’s always sort of frightening to me to spend about $53 on a liquor I have never tasted.  However, I remembered that a couple of our forum members had suggested the Highland Park brand, and the description on the box got me salivating to the point of no return.  It was an awesome buy.

    Highland Park 12 is created on the islands of Orkney off the northern coast of Scotland that Highland Park single malt whiskey has called home since 1798.  This Scotch is hand-turned and smoked over aromatic peat and placed in high-quality Spanish sherry oak casks and aged for 12 years in the cool Orcadian air.  After aging, the best casks are “harmonised” (blended together and allowed to settle) for consistency.  This process produces a complex yet smooth whiskey that has been called “the greatest all-rounder in the world of malt whiskey.”

    Highland Park 12 comes in a classy black box that seems to exude exclusivity and confidence.  I like my liquor a bit snooty.  Uncorking the bottle presents the lucky owner with a very soft and inviting honey-sweet bouquet with hints of fruitiness.  In my modest experience, I have yet to smell a Scotch with nearly the same sweet and gentle scent.  If the description on the box didn’t get the saliva flowing, the scent is sure to do just that.  If it doesn’t, you should have your drinking card revoked.

    Even though Highland Park goes so far as to provide an informative lesson on how to properly taste their product, we tasted the 12-year on the rocks for consistency’s sake.  When on ice, the nose takes on a more peaty muscle, but the taste is surprisingly gentle.  Up front, there is a mild to moderate smokiness that then gives way to a very pleasing peaty finish and a slight warming.  The first sips lean towards the smokey side of the Scotch spectrum, but after drinking more of the whiskey, the smokiness gives way to a more peaty taste.  Highland Park 12 seems to slowly morph your taste-buds so that by the time you are on your second or third drink, the Scotch becomes a completely different slightly sweet-tasting, rich peaty concoction with a slight woody and smokey haziness in the finish.  I am personally not a fan of smokey Scotches, but Highland Park 12 gives just the right amount of the flavor to complement and even enrich the other subtleties in the whiskey without drowning anything in smokiness.  The finish is just amazing, and the aftertaste that gently lingers will make you wish that you could afford gallons of this stuff.

    At 86-proof, you might expect the drunk from Highland Park 12 to be rather serious, but that wasn’t the case.  This Scotch gave me a rather quick buzz, and subsequent drinks slowly added to it.  There was never a point of complete intoxication for me, but the hefty buzz it gave me lasted throughout the whole night.  This stuff really seems stick with you for a good while.  I certainly could have gotten sloshed from Highland Park 12, but I really didn’t want to waste the yummy taste on drunken taste-buds.  I wisely chose to stop after the four drinks to save my delicious liquor bounty for another day.  Unfortunately, I felt the hangover after consuming Highland Park was a little unfair.  I never really got drunk, but the headache the next morning was rather punishing.  I also experienced slight nausea after the headache subsided.  Perhaps that’s just the price you have to pay to have such a glorious tasting experience for the extent of an evening.

    Despite the moderate hangover and the somewhat high price for Highland Park 12, I give it my full endorsement.  The truly magnificent tasting experience should be enjoyed by anyone who favors Scotch.  I would put Highland Park 12 in the same league as Oban 14 as far as taste goes, and the price is significantly less.  With another payday right around the corner, I might just have to spring for another bottle.  Not that my current one is empty; I just don’t want to endure a day without Highland Park 12 smiling at me from my home bar.  Do yourself a favor, and treat yourself to a bottle.  You deserve it.     

Sipability - 9.0

Mixability - N/A

Drunkability - 7.5

Hangover-ability - 5.0

Bang for the Buck -  7.0

Overall -  7.5   

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    If George Smith were alive today, I’d shake his hand.  Not that he’d give a damn to shake mine, but I do admire the man’s accomplishment and contribution to society, the society of Scotch drinkers that is.  His distillery is responsible for creating some of the finest single malt Scotch whiskey around.  On second thought, maybe I wouldn’t try to shake his hand.  The Scotsman carried a pistol around for self-defense after receiving threats from other whiskey distillers.  His competition was angry due to the fact that he illicitly distilled whiskey and later was the first to apply for and receive a production license.  So maybe I’ll just keep my distance and enjoy his products.

    When it comes to The Glenlivet products, the 12 year is the bottom of the barrel, yet it sits atop of many bars.  That’s just how good this stuff is.  Not to mention, it’s the best selling malt whiskey in the United States.  The Glenlivet 12 is a single malt Scotch whiskey distilled in Moray, Scotland.  At the heart of this whiskey is the pure mountain water, rich with minerals from Josie’s Well, which conveniently lies close to the distillery.  Only the highest quality barley and yeast are used.  Uniquely-shaped copper stills provide extra cleansing of impurities during the distillation process.  The maturing process takes place in oak casks made from American oak that once contained bourbon, giving the whiskey the delicious oak and vanilla flavor.

    The Glenlivet 12 year is the youngest of seven.  We have something in common because I am too.  It’s a good thing my older siblings are not bottles of whiskey or they’d be long gone.  The 12 year is only the second Glenlivet reviewed by the BoozeBasher crew, so we get to enjoy plenty more of these Scottish treats.  Okay, time to focus on the little brother.  Why not little sister?  Because this is a man’s drink!

    One interesting thing we all seem to notice right from the beginning is the character of the bottle.  This may sound strange to you non-Scotch drinkers out there, but to us, the Scotch seems to have slight taste variations from bottle to bottle…not to mention effects.  You might be thinking that it has something to do with the mood of the drinkers.  Well, we don’t think so.   If that is the case, then why do other liquors not provide the same phenomenon?  Whatever the reason is, it’s kinda cool.  Every bottle is good, but once and a while a special one comes along with a more serious, potent taste to it.  Those are the ones that make the evening interesting.  These bottles of Scotch definitely have character.

This is the perfect time to define a new term:

bottlecharacteriality: the theory in which a small percentage of the same brand single malt Scotch whiksey can have highly favorable effects on a drinker or drinkers causing abnormal behavior and greatly increasing the chance of female interaction.

Can bottlecharacteriality be fact?  It’s going to take much more research to determine that.  If you have any experience with bottlecharacteriality please share it with us so I don’t feel like a complete moron.

    For the taste test, we focused on the sipability with a nice poor on the rocks without any water.  There’s nothing like the smell of a good Scotch.  The rich scent of oak, vanilla, and a hint of fruit radiate from the glass.  At first, the taste is more of oak, but a few moments later, the other flavors in the scent come out in the aftertaste.  The aftertaste is fairly light and dry, and it lingers for awhile as well.  It’s damn delicious!

    After enjoying four delicious drinks on the rocks and absolutely sucking at guitar, I was feeling pretty good.  Being the end of a very long work week, I was a bit tired, but to my surprise, the Glen kept me going for awhile.  There’s nothing like a nice pour of Glen on the rocks after a horrible week of work b.s. while being stuck in that damn cube.  I think I had at least five shots worth and later capped it with a few beers.  It was a very clean, relaxing buzz, but when 2a.m. came around, it was time to call it quits.  This bottle was at the lower-end of the bottlecharacteriality spectrum, but it still tasted great.  In the morning, I had a light hangover and minor dehydration.  After a few glasses of water and some bacon and eggs, I was good to go.  This stuff will definitely give you a good drunk, but the hangover can be substantial.  The Glenlivet 12 is highly recommended by the BoozeBasher crew, but it is a bit pricey.  A 750ml bottle averages close to $33.  This is the lowest in the product line of Glenlivet, so the price gets worse for some of the older siblings.  On the other hand, The Glenlivet 12 makes an occasional treat that is well worth the few extra bucks.  If you disagree, we certainly don’t blame you.  That’s currently a whopping seven gallons of gas for the 12 year.  Best of luck scoring high in bottlecharacteriality next time you buy some of The Glenlivet 12!

Sipability - 8.0

Mixability - N/A

Drunkability - 8.0

Hangover-ability - 6.0

Bang for the Buck - 6.0

Overall -  7.5   

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