Drink of choice for serious listening?


This is a frivolous topic but probably won't end up any worse than a lot of more technical threads around here. But right now I'm settling down to listen to music for a few hours. I've got a glass of Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon on two cubes of ice which is a pretty good substitute for when you can't get your hands on a bottle of Blanton's.

I also like Aberlour A'bunadh single malt Scotch. No ice. Usually neat but maybe a few drops of water.

So when you sit down for serious listening do you like to have drink? If so, what? Doesn't have to be alcohol of course.
n80
Dasani sparkling water. Have you ever had Pappy Van Winkle? They raffle off a chance to buy a bottle at 47 Kroger Wine and Spirits. You don't know which year you get to buy until the day of the raffle, the 10,12,15,20 or 23 year bourbon or 13 year rye. 
Another chain, Cox's smoke shop does a better raffle for $10 you get a chance to win all 6 bottles. The proceeds go to charity. I think one of the reasons some of these bourbons are expensive , for instance the 23 year Pappy, is after 23 years the barrel is half empty and in Kentucky distilleries pay a tax on every barrel every year, that adds up. 

I have had Pappy 23. I’m not a bourbon high roller but I have a friend who had a bottle. His wife got it for him years before the Pappy fetish took off. He is totally a Scotch guy and really didn’t care for it.

I had a glass of the Pappy and a glass of my go-to Blanton’s. I would give the Pappy a slight edge over the Blanton’s but only barely. Would never spend that much money for it. Again, I’m not Bourbon connoisseur and am much more into Scotch, but I consider Pappy to be excellent bourbon but its current status is a fad/fetish. Tell people that something is hard to get and they’ll clamor for it. Sadly, Blanton’s is getting hard to get now too and prices are going up.

@slaw Its a fine balance. The drink can make the music better...and vice versa. ;-)

wcfeil, I don’t know much about wine in general. Have gotten into Italian wines over the last 10 years or so. I find that most of the time anything over about $50 is wasted on me, although last April we went to Italy for our anniversary and we splurged on a bottle or Amarone in Verona which was worth every penny.
Agree with 4 Roses single barrel bourbon   That is exactly what I was drinking tonight.
@n80,

"drink of choice for serious listening"?

For serious listening, no drink would be best. Just saying. Enjoy!
For serious listening, not serious listening or not listening at all - French wine only.
@inna Any favorites?

Maybe we should have an alternate thread rather than what do you drink when you're listening to what do you listen to when you're drinking. :-)
I have a few.

Maker's MarkGreen Dot Irish WhiskeyComandon cognac
Theme? Smooth and sweet like my stereo system. :)

Best,
E
What do I listen while drinking ? ...many things.
Prefer red whine. I am not good at French names, what was that, the bottle I was given as a gift ?.. 2001 vintage baron Rothschild Bordeaux ? Yeah, that was a great whine. To my surprise I can easily distinguish good and not so good whine. $50 bottle whine is wasted on me, not good enough, New York prices not Paris prices, $100 usually okay but not always. Since I am a poor man and an audiophile..I can't afford much, rarely really.
That said, I do like good Single Malt with a bite. But I can't listen to any music after drinking it, my imagination fires up and transports me to Medieval Scottish Highlands, and that was a hell of a world. 
Coffee ;-) . For relaxation, I'm no single malt snob; Johnny Walker Black (immortalized by Van Morrison and Richard Manuel in The Band's "4% Pantomime") is good enough for me. Grolsch beer for a chaser.
Cardhu 12 year old single malt or Dalwhinnie Winter Gold is my tipple whith a little water to make it last longer.
Interesting, too many variables for me to pick just one. What I choose for spirits affects my choice of music, factor in the kind of day it was, and my mood.

Cold Becks
Good Bourbon
Moscato
Pappy fetish? This thread could have legs. Joe for me. Always looking to stay in the sweet spot. Not too little, not too much. 😳
Guinness Draught or Extra Stout.
Sometimes a good Pilsner beer from Germany.
Left bank Bordeaux or any old world red - Gigondas is a nice go-to variety for me.

For the occasional bourbon I'm a big Whistle Pig fan.
A nice cappuccino from my  Lapavoni espresso machine made with my home roasted coffee.

@johnto  that sounds incredibly good. I'm a caffeine lightweight though. I usually listen from about 9-11 pm. An espresso or even a regular coffee would keep me up all night. 

@cleeds I love a good G&T. I'm a cheap date when it comes to gin. I've tasted a lot of them and always come back to low-buck Gilbey's. I drink gin mostly in the summer. 
Filtered water from my fridge. Used to do single malts with a porter or stout as a chase but no longer drinking EtOH.
TIE:

- 37 year-old single malt scotch that I received as a gift
- Delamain XO cognac

Miller Lite bottles ice cold as long as I stop at 4 or 5. If more, then the listening is not so serious. Based on other's responses maybe I am a 'redneck' beer drinker. I never thought so before?
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A little cannabis, and some nice quality Rum preferably Dark and Spiced. I live in Canada FYI Cannabis is legal here so don't flame me please.
A large cup of green tea and a couple of B complex vitamins.  

Definitely aids "focus".
Smokin weed smokin whizz doin coke drinkin beers drinkin beers beers beers. Rollin fatties, smokin blunts. Whos smokes blunts? We smoke blunts. Rollin blunts and smokin...
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say I'm probably the only Master Sommelier on here. As such I normally have something in my hand but not always wine. Gin in the summer, Bourbon in the winter and Tequila always. but if wcfeil is pouring '90 Angleus I'm gonna hang with him...

jbmac75, that’s pretty low end even in the 7 Eleven beer world, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Drink what you like. Its all alcohol. But sometimes I love an ice cold Bud....not Lite....on a summer day.

@stevecham Nothing wrong with abstinence either. EtOH is a dangerous drug. I like to drink but try to be always aware of where the boundaries should be and hope I recognize if I ever cross them. It can become a fool’s game.

@akg_ca How is the 37 year old Scotch? I’ve had some 17s and a 20 and they did not impress me beyond their 12 year old cousins. They say that most good Scotches are 12s for a reason: that’s the optimum age. I’ve always been suspicious that anything beyond that is marketing or opportunism. Not that I’d turn down a glass of 37 if it was offered to me; Scottish blood will never turn down a freebie.

@thepigdog I like a good IPA. But it seems like most IPAs and not good IPAs. All hops and nothing else. Taste like Pine Sol. Love a good, thick coffee/chocolatey/roasty stout on a winter’s day.
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To n80, yes low end like my small system. Sounds quite good with 3 Miller's though. Enjoy! 
The Buffalo Theory as told by Cliff Clavin (Cheers):  ... "Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. ... In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."
I wonder if we also hear more acutely?
This post got me wondering if there's a parallel universe in a bourbon forum where they discuss if there's really any difference between a $20 bottle of bourbon and a $2500 bottle or is it all just "snake oil"?
@geoffkait said:

Pappy fetish? This thread could have legs. Joe for me. Always looking to stay in the sweet spot. Not too little, not too much.

Gee, Geoffy, I heard you only drink out of the toilet 🚽. 
No, they were taking about you, 💩🧠 They also said you liked eating out of the toilet. Bon appetit! 
@wcfeil Really? May I ask how often you really drink that? Pretty awesome choice but if it's your drink of choice you either bought extremely heavy or are fantastically wealthy or both! Cheers!
I am a single malt scotch guy, like many different ones.  I can go smooth or peaty.

Laphroig is not for the meek, LOL.  Glenkinchie is very smooth, excellent for those just dipping a toe in the single malt pool.

I also enjoy Johnny Walker Black, it is my house scotch for visitors who are not single malt lovers.

Great thread
Geoffy, (or shall I say “Toiletbreath”?) I heard correctly. They said Geoffy the Fuse Troll very specifically drinks out of the toilet. 
gwbeers, great Clavin quote. And I’m sure there are debates about super pricey Scotch and bourbon. On my street the guys have The College Avenue Scotch and Philosophy Club. We meet every few months and sample 3 single malt Scotches. We’re up to about 100 different Scotches. 

We, as a group have found some inexpensive single malts ($40) that we like as much as some $150 bottles. We have not found any blends, even fairly pricey ones that compete with single malts. We have not sampled anything above $200. So we cannot speak to the super pricey ones. 

But it as I said regarding Italian wine. Most of the time I spend more than $50+ on a bottle it doesn’t seem any better than a $40. I’ve chosen not to try to change that. And that is probably a good analogy for my hi-fi experience.