Whiskey Drinkers question

[golf4me2010]

Be sailing on NCL Joy very shortly and looking over the liquor list fleet wide. I enjoy a few Old Fashions every now and again (more often then not). Looking over the list of options what do you enjoy most on an NCL cruise? I've had Makers of course, Bulleit, Elijah Craig, Woodford etc. A few I have not had I see listed. Not sure I need to upgrade to P+ but who knows.

 

Thoughts?

 

 

  

[ChiefMateJRK]

Bulleit is my go to bourbon, and it is now back in the basic package (it was in 2021, and then wasn't in 2022).  They also had Wild Turkey 101 in good supply in April.  Cruising is good again.😎

[YVRteacher]

I’m a whiskey drinker.  My preferred whiskey is Glenfiddich 18 year reserve single malt.

 

On NCL I usually order the Woodford Old Fashioned.  I have never upgraded to Premium Plus but I’m the kind of person who is like “free drinks? OK!”
 

Maltings whiskey bar has the single round ice cubes so the whiskey doesn’t get watered down.  Is there a Maltings on the Joy? They also rim the glass with orange peel so the smell is heavenly.  On my last cruise on the Jewel I tried most of the drinks on the menu at the whiskey bar and had a lot of fun doing so!  
 

On most NCL cruises the kind bartenders have given me “samples” of the premium whiskey for free.

 

Has anyone done the Macallan whiskey tasting?  I absolutely loved it and would recommend it if you have an hour to spare on a sea day. It is a paid activity but you get a discount with the beverage package and an even better discount with the Premium Plus package.

[golf4me2010]

5 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

I’m a whiskey drinker.  My preferred whiskey is Glenfiddich 18 year reserve single malt.

 

On NCL I usually order the Woodford Old Fashioned.  I have never upgraded to Premium Plus but I’m the kind of person who is like “free drinks? OK!”
 

Maltings whiskey bar has the single round ice cubes so the whiskey doesn’t get watered down.  Is there a Maltings on the Joy? They also rim the glass with orange peel so the smell is heavenly.  On my last cruise on the Jewel I tried most of the drinks on the menu at the whiskey bar and had a lot of fun doing so!  
 

On most NCL cruises the kind bartenders have given me “samples” of the premium whiskey for free.

 

Has anyone done the Macallan whiskey tasting?  I absolutely loved it and would recommend it if you have an hour to spare on a sea day. It is a paid activity but you get a discount with the beverage package and an even better discount with the Premium Plus package.

 

Wow that does sound good.

 

Joy DOES have Maltings which I have been before on the Bliss and tried the sampler. I'm going to do it again its been 4 years since I did it last. 

[YVRteacher]

If you get a chance, ask your bartender for a sample of the Screwball

[DCGuy64]

19 minutes ago, golf4me2010 said:

Be sailing on NCL Joy very shortly and looking over the liquor list fleet wide. I enjoy a few Old Fashions every now and again (more often then not). Looking over the list of options what do you enjoy most on an NCL cruise? I've had Makers of course, Bulleit, Elijah Craig, Woodford etc. A few I have not had I see listed. Not sure I need to upgrade to P+ but who knows.

 

Thoughts?

 

 

  

The Old Fashioned is one of my favorite drinks. I'm from Louisville, KY originally, and it was allegedly invented there at the Pendennis Club. Anyway, Maker's Mark works great in that drink. At home I sometimes use Old Forester or Basil Hayden, but MM is my go-to. I've never had a reason to upgrade to Premium + for that. Not a fan of single malts, though, so can't comment.

[ChiefMateJRK]

9 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

My preferred whiskey is Glenfiddich 18 year reserve single malt.

I've bought the Glenfiddich 12 year in the past, but haven't tried the higher end stuff.  I do like Scotch!  At one point, I decided to try all the major players to see what I liked best.  I wound up with Black Label as my go-to.  I probably tried three or four single malts but decided that I preferred the Johnnie Walker blend the best.

[YVRteacher]

Have you ever had the whiskey advent calendar that comes out before Christmas? It costs $300 and contains 24 drams.  I’ve never had one but it’s on my bucket list to do so at some point. 

[CaptainBazz]

17 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Has anyone done the Macallan whiskey tasting?

I have done this twice...first time was with my 3 Scottish buddies...the bartender wanted them to do the talk instead of him...but he did a bang up job...definitely knew his stuff 🥃

[YVRteacher]

I bet that was fun for both the bartender and the attendees!

[CaptainBazz]

32 minutes ago, golf4me2010 said:

I've had Makers of course, Bulleit, Elijah Craig, Woodford

My preference is Knob Creek

[golf4me2010]

4 minutes ago, CaptainBazz said:

My preference is Knob Creek

I don't see Knob as an option

 

Anyone know anything about Ten High or 1792 small batch? 

[ChiefMateJRK]

6 minutes ago, golf4me2010 said:

I don't see Knob as an option

 

Anyone know anything about Ten High or 1792 small batch? 

Ten High is lower shelf stuff.  Last fall, it was the ONLY bourbon included in the basic package on the Joy.  I just drank JD and Scotch instead.  Fortunately, they fixed that.

[golf4me2010]

5 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Ten High is lower shelf stuff.  Last fall, it was the ONLY bourbon included in the basic package on the Joy.  I just drank JD and Scotch instead.  Fortunately, they fixed that.

Ouch that's rough

[dbrown84]

I upgraded to P+ on my last cruise and enjoyed Macallan all week.  Went great with my nightly cigar.  I actually usually decline the drink package and just drink in the casino.  but I took the drink package for this cruise just to upgrade to P+, for the Macallan

[graphicguy]

Buffalo Trace (my go to) is available.  Jack, 1792, the afore mentioned Wild Turkey....all included in the regular drinks package.  They actually have a decent selection of whiskeys/bourbons.

 

I like 1792.  It has a bit more character than Jack D.

 

I think I saw Whistle Pig, too. But, I only had it once and found it "meh".

 

[REV_Cruiser]

graphicguy, I think the Whistle Pig is a good rye, but not that impressive to drink neat or on the rocks (Too much of a bite).  Good mixed with cola or ginger ale.  McCallan is a great way to end the evening or with a cigar in the lounge.  As you can tell, I usually upgrade to P+, but I can also live quite well with Jack Daniels. Everyone have fun and keep sampling wha they have!

[RB9643]

Oh how I wish I had the discriminating palate you guys have for whiskey. For me it's like/dislike. Not much in between.

 

My preference is Canadian with Seagram's being my go-to. VO and Coke has always been my favorite, but NCL dropped VO this year. I'll always drink Crown if VO isn't available. Our last cruise had Seagram's 83 American (never seen it before). Didn't try it neat but it's perfectly fine with Coke.

 

I did like all the Mccallen's we had in the tastings. I've done 3, one with my wife where I got half of each of her samples. 😄

[dbrown84]

2 minutes ago, RB9643 said:

Oh how I wish I had the discriminating palate you guys have for whiskey. For me it's like/dislike. Not much in between.

 

My preference is Canadian with Seagram's being my go-to. VO and Coke has always been my favorite, but NCL dropped VO this year. I'll always drink Crown if VO isn't available. Our last cruise had Seagram's 83 American (never seen it before). Didn't try it neat but it's perfectly fine with Coke.

 

I did like all the Mccallen's we had in the tastings. I've done 3, one with my wife where I got half of each of her samples. 😄

I find it funny that you can't get the Macallan tasting with the P+ drink package, but you can order each as much as you want.

[dbrown84]

42 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Buffalo Trace (my go to) is available.  Jack, 1792, the afore mentioned Wild Turkey....all included in the regular drinks package.  They actually have a decent selection of whiskeys/bourbons.

 

I like 1792.  It has a bit more character than Jack D.

 

I think I saw Whistle Pig, too. But, I only had it once and found it "meh".

 

I tried the Whistle Pig, just to try it since I had the package.  It was ok.  I went right back to my Macallan, and Henessy XO

[Erekosse]

59 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

I find it funny that you can't get the Macallan tasting with the P+ drink package, but you can order each as much as you want.

I did my own trio tasting when we were on P+ last trip. 🙂

[Dajbman22]

I'm a Woodford man, although I also love Bulliet. 

[JandC_Cruising]

 

3 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Maltings whiskey bar has the single round ice cubes so the whiskey doesn’t get watered down.  Is there a Maltings on the Joy?

This March on the Joy, there was a healthy selection at Maltings! I took the attached picture...may be hard to see all the choices since I'm still using an Iphone 8 😜

3 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

The Old Fashioned is one of my favorite drinks.

 Additionally, if you enjoy Old Fashions, they had a number of homemade bitters (Coffee, banana, chocolate, etc.).  We went most evenings for pre-dinner cocktails and let them craft us something special each night.   

[Sawhock]

Woodford old fashioned at maltings always hit the spot. With P+ I tend to work my across the top shelf. Always pausing at the Macallens and Talisker.  Haven’t met a bad whisky whilst on a cruise though. 
 

cheers

[Elvis1209]

I've recently developed a taste for bourbon.  Until then martinis were my drink of choice.  On my next cruise in September, I'll be in the Haven.  In the Haven Lounge they make a "smoked old fashioned".  I intend to give that a try!  I'll still drink my martinis, but I'm going to try new things!

 

Elvis