Rank alcohols for me.

[Rain Man]

Okay, I'm not a drinker so maybe this is obvious, but it's not obvious to me.

There are all sorts of alcohol - beer, wine, whiskey, bourbon, rum, scotch, gin, vodka, tequila, port wines, and so on.

I recognize that there are probably big differences in brand quality within those major categories. Bud Light is different than some German monk artisanal brand. But put that aside. Let's just think about categories ACROSS types of alcohol.

What's the hierarchy of quality or prestige or whatever? Is gin generally "better" than rum? Is scotch "better" than bourbon? Is wine "better" than tequila?

Can someone give me a top to bottom rank of the "best" alcohol down to the "worst" alcohol?

[ModSocks]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Though it wasn't going down smooth last night, I'm a yuge fan of Crown Royal Vanilla. Especially if you keep it in the freezer.

You're damn right. It's my go to. Soooo smooth.

They have a new salted caramel flavor im interested in trying, but they only sell it in 5th's and im not interested in keeping that much booze at a time.

[journeyscarab]

1. Gin with the correct tonic.
2. Craft Beer.

[Red Beans]

Beer
Beer
Wine
Beer
Beer
Beer

[kccrow]

1. Wine... I'm not a beer drinker and really never have been. It leaves me bloated, belching and wishing it had some sort of flavor other than disgusting. Wine, however, doesn't do any of those things and the flavors are endless. I prefer reds with meat and on cooler days and whites with fish and on warmer days. If I'm just drinking it to drink, I do love a whipped up Sangria using pinot noir, orange juice, pineapple, blueberries, and peaches.
2. French Vodka (Ciroc, Grey Goose, Pinnacle, Jean-Marc, etc)... For some reason, French vodkas don't give me a next-day headache that other's do and they are far smoother than the American and Russian shit. Pinnacle Whipped and Orange Juice with a touch of cherry juice is absolute heaven on a summer day.
3. Who Gives a Flying **** Because I'm Probably Drunk Already... Seriously though, I really don't drink liquor straight, so it doesn't probably matter and if I had to pick them then they are going to be flavored... #1 would probably be Chambord (Raspberry liqueur), then an Amaretto like Disaronno, Grand Marnier (Orange Brandy), Midori (Melon liqueur), and Southern Comfort. IMO everything is better mixed. I'd be more curious to know the number of people that choke down shitty liquor straight to appear more manly versus those that actually prefer the flavor of it over mixing it.

[Iconic]

I feel like a snob whenever I say this but I've never enjoyed the taste of beer. The smell just instantly makes me go the other way and it's always tasted like cold cow piss to me.

[Easy 6]

There is ONE whiskey drink that I love

Learned it from a fellow bartender when I worked at a 4 star hotel bar

Its called The Godfather... equal parts Crown Royal and Amaretto Disarrano, it is liquid candy

[Amnorix]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I'm really just curious, and wondering if my teetotaler life makes me ignorant on this topic.

They're all variants on the same thing, so logically it seems like one would be at the top of the heap and one would be the slumming version and everything else would shake out in between. But I never really hear it talked about that way.

I'm seeing a lot of comments so far that they're all generally equal and it depends on taste. I guess I can see that, and I like the analogy of comparing types of vehicles.

It just seems to me that if I go into some mega-rich Rothschild guy's mahogany-paneled library, and he opens up his 16th-century world globe and pours some drinks out of a decanter, there should be some type of alcohol that I'd expect and some type that surprises me. But I don't know which ones those would be.

If you're just talking price point/snobbery, then sure, some are more expensive than others on average. Scotch, due to strict rules about aging, etc. tends to be more expensive than a gin, for example.

But yeah, it's all alcohol and it's really personal preference, as well as preference for alcohol by volume. Whiskeys tend to be in the 40% alcohol by volume range, while wine is more like 12% and beer more like 5% (round numbers). That also helps drive the cost to some degree.

Whiskey is a grain based alcohol, while wine is grapes, and beer is from cereal grains (barley primarily).

Within these larger categories are subtypes. Scotch, bourbon, irish, etc. for whiskey for example. And even within these subtypes there will be huge variation. Macallan 12 doesn't taste a damn thing like Laphroiag (sp?). And likely you know about wines -- reds versus whites and dry to sweet, etc.

Not sure what you're really asking. It's all just personal preference.

[Nickhead]

i read this as you only like stank ass ganky alcohol

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by Iconic

I feel like a snob whenever I say this but I've never enjoyed the taste of beer. The smell just instantly makes me go the other way and it's always tasted like cold cow piss to me.

I don't quite understand why anyone likes the taste of beer. I really feel like it's just people tolerate it - and have convinced themselves they like it. Remember back to the first time you tried beer - you were like - holy shit this ****ing sucks.

[Bearcat]

When most were drinking shit beer in college, I was drinking LIITs... then as craft beer started taking off and friends were going to harder liquor and wine, I got really into beer.

In general, great beer is above all else for me... and hell, there's bourbon barrel beer, rum barrel beer, tequila barrel beer, wine barrel beer... it's all good.

As many others have said, it's hard to rate everything else. I like wine and port, but wouldn't drink either all the time. Rum would be up there, but again, it's not close to a daily drinker. Some of the flavored vodka is pretty good (cherry, orange, caramel).

[patteeu]

Gin is at the bottom of the list. It tastes like a liquid Christmas Tree.

Zima and wine coolers are second from the bottom.

I don't drink much, but I'll stick with (red) wine at the top of the list and let everyone else sort out all the others.

[cooper barrett]

Originally Posted by BWillie

I don't quite understand why anyone likes the taste of beer. I really feel like it's just people tolerate it - and have convinced themselves they like it. Remember back to the first time you tried beer - you were like - holy shit this ****ing sucks.

Remember the first time you smelled your fingers after a little time under the bleachers with the fat girl in high school?

[srvy]

Originally Posted by BWillie

I think that is a just something people want to believe. No matter what I drink - beer, vodka, tequila, whisky, wine - the only thing that matters is how drunk I am and what mood I'm in. One type of alcohol doesn't make me do weirder things than others.

Try Mad Dog 20/20

[GloucesterChief]

Drink what you like.

For me:

Whiskey/Whisky: I like it all. Scotch, Irish, Bourbon, Canadian Japanese, etc.
Beer: I prefer the malty, sour, or tart fruity beers. Dark ales, fruit ales, Porters, Stouts, Hefeweizens, Gose, etc.
Rum: Not straight but as a mixer. I love Dark & Stormy and Cuba Libre.
Brandy: Straight or a mixer.
Italian desert liquors: Anything but Sambuca.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

I don't do beer anymore now that i've adapted to whisky.

A half pint of decent whisky will get you better buzz much faster than a 6 pack of cheap beer, costs about the same and you don't get all gassy, beer gut and have to piss 5 times in the process.

What kind of whiskey you drinking?