I'm reminded of the famous comedian who swore he'd make a tape recording that would play each time someone stepped up to his casket - "Don't I look natural?"
The same could be said of Liquorature and its competent whisky reviews, but which featured a single digit reviewer of rum, lol. Liquorature is yet another of those websites where a bunch of friends who like alcohol and after yet another particularly boozy night, decide "Hey! Why don't we put up a website and record our adventures. We could review books too! Wow! Another round!!!"
Why not indeed?
So on they go, the alcohol turning into energy producing sugars and fats to supply the fuel to actually do this way cool thing. The reviews are personal and entertaining, and amateurish but somehow keep pouring forth. This is fun! But then the day finally arrives when the bunch runs out of product, both purchased and freebies, the fun grinds to a halt, the public doesn't really participate and then they too are...
Out of words.
Yup, this fun and bumblingly entertaining endeavor is nearly silent, with the usual "bumps" and self-posted one-liners designed to give at least a little twitch here and there, but for all practical purposes, over.
Don't they look natural?
*******
Special Note: Other factors included a real lack of knowledge in the rum section, with a decided bias toward extreme age and cost, and against any rum of less than 10 years of age (Lance called 'em SDR's - single digit rums). Unlabeled additives went unrecognized and unlamented.
A turnoff for most rum drinkers who might not be able to afford his preferred 25 year olds. Nor did it help that Lance deleted even mildly alternative views however respectfully delivered. Dialogue? Sure, just shut up, listen to mine, and agree was the prevailing modus operandi.
Boring. "It's all good" only gets you so far, and rum drinkers aren't that ignorant anymore.
RIP: Liquorature
-
Capn Jimbo
- Rum Evangelisti and Compleat Idiot
- Posts: 3550
- Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2006 3:53 pm
- Location: Paradise: Fort Lauderdale of course...
- Contact:
-
Capn Jimbo
- Rum Evangelisti and Compleat Idiot
- Posts: 3550
- Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2006 3:53 pm
- Location: Paradise: Fort Lauderdale of course...
- Contact:
And they're not alone...
And they're not alone...
Liquorature's near demise is actually pretty understandable. Readers are more interested in competent and qualified reviews. Personality and clever writing just won't do for long. To be fair, other review sites have come to the same end but for varying reasons.
Coming to mind...
El Machete: absolutely brilliant and competent, but just ran out of steam. He had a life to attend to.
Count Silvio: horror of horrors, his wonderful site came to near naught when he lost his server, was offline for months and his loyal and very intelligent posters wandered away (not that they had anywhere decent to go).
RnD: ran out of rum, faltered, but have gotten back into the game and keep grinding out a few reviews from time to time. Hanging in.
Scotte's: Lovely site, interesting and worthwhile. But he hasn't posted for a long, long time - yet can't quite bring himself to closing his IP account after all that work. Believe me, I understand.
The Dood: On life support, manages to keep it alive with one or two posts a month, but nothing this month yet. He's got a job, and blew his chance to be Tommy Bahama's rum ambassador. He got lucky.
The MOR: on life support with maybe 4,000 members but just a very few regular posters. Many of the other websites started there and left, and post only very infrequently (but usually to link their own stuff). Dominated by such ongoing and fascinating threads like "What did you drink last night?", "What i am drinking!" and "What's your most recent purchase?". No official reviews, and not much debate. The home of "...it's all good".
And therein lies the problem.
If rum truly is "...the noble spirit (and) is all good", then there really isn't much of a point in writing about it, is there? Nope. Readers are offered almost nothing about the styles of rums, the presence of unlabeled additives and flavorings, or how to go about understanding, tasting and appreciating rum. Nope it's all good, so just buy some and drink it. Then buy some more. By the way...
What's your most recent purchase? I really wanna know...
Liquorature's near demise is actually pretty understandable. Readers are more interested in competent and qualified reviews. Personality and clever writing just won't do for long. To be fair, other review sites have come to the same end but for varying reasons.
Coming to mind...
El Machete: absolutely brilliant and competent, but just ran out of steam. He had a life to attend to.
Count Silvio: horror of horrors, his wonderful site came to near naught when he lost his server, was offline for months and his loyal and very intelligent posters wandered away (not that they had anywhere decent to go).
RnD: ran out of rum, faltered, but have gotten back into the game and keep grinding out a few reviews from time to time. Hanging in.
Scotte's: Lovely site, interesting and worthwhile. But he hasn't posted for a long, long time - yet can't quite bring himself to closing his IP account after all that work. Believe me, I understand.
The Dood: On life support, manages to keep it alive with one or two posts a month, but nothing this month yet. He's got a job, and blew his chance to be Tommy Bahama's rum ambassador. He got lucky.
The MOR: on life support with maybe 4,000 members but just a very few regular posters. Many of the other websites started there and left, and post only very infrequently (but usually to link their own stuff). Dominated by such ongoing and fascinating threads like "What did you drink last night?", "What i am drinking!" and "What's your most recent purchase?". No official reviews, and not much debate. The home of "...it's all good".
And therein lies the problem.
If rum truly is "...the noble spirit (and) is all good", then there really isn't much of a point in writing about it, is there? Nope. Readers are offered almost nothing about the styles of rums, the presence of unlabeled additives and flavorings, or how to go about understanding, tasting and appreciating rum. Nope it's all good, so just buy some and drink it. Then buy some more. By the way...
What's your most recent purchase? I really wanna know...
Last edited by Capn Jimbo on Wed Dec 14, 2011 9:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
In a similar fashion, Whiskywhiskywhisky has a bunch of the same types of posts, although it is far from dead or dying.
There is a bit of a "Euro-centric" leaning on that site, which is understandable as many of the members are Scots/Brits/Danes/other Europeans, with a smattering of Yanks (me included, of course).
The thing which makes participation less appealing for me is the above mentioned threads, as well as announcements about "special offers" (aka discounts or sales) of whisky at the nearest Aldi/Tesco/specialist shoppe in the UK (or Norway, Germany, Denmark, etc).
Kind of depressing in a way, that
There is a bit of a "Euro-centric" leaning on that site, which is understandable as many of the members are Scots/Brits/Danes/other Europeans, with a smattering of Yanks (me included, of course).
The thing which makes participation less appealing for me is the above mentioned threads, as well as announcements about "special offers" (aka discounts or sales) of whisky at the nearest Aldi/Tesco/specialist shoppe in the UK (or Norway, Germany, Denmark, etc).
Kind of depressing in a way, that
OH, and a 1 liter of Depaz Blue rhum agricole...since you asked 
*******
Capn's Log: I don't know about you, but if you want the fun (and talent) back in your whiskey surfin two great sites are: Ralfy (here) and the Malt Maniacs (here). Both are mad, both are intelligent, both are scrupulously non-commercial, competent and entertaining. Ralfy's videos are a treasure - best that you go back to his earlier ones and work your way forward.
BTW, both make a real attempt to educate, just not pontificate. Oh, and be sure to visit Whiskyfun, top of the homepage at Maniacs for the amazing Serge.
*******
Capn's Log: I don't know about you, but if you want the fun (and talent) back in your whiskey surfin two great sites are: Ralfy (here) and the Malt Maniacs (here). Both are mad, both are intelligent, both are scrupulously non-commercial, competent and entertaining. Ralfy's videos are a treasure - best that you go back to his earlier ones and work your way forward.
BTW, both make a real attempt to educate, just not pontificate. Oh, and be sure to visit Whiskyfun, top of the homepage at Maniacs for the amazing Serge.
Yup, LOVE Ralfy.com. Very straight-forward reviews, good bit of information...and I've "friended" him on FaceBook a while back, since I had a question about a Scotch blend I picked up from my last trip to Edinburgh for Hogmanay '06-'07 (those Scots don't screw around with celebrating New Year's as they get a 2 night "head-start"!).
The particular blend is Bailie Nicol Jarvie, and it was under the wing of Glenmorangie, but I was having a hard time appreciating it until I caught Ralfy's vlog on it, and that opened the door for me.
Serge's site is another I check out, although to be honest, I get a bit overwhelmed trying to follow the myriad offerings he samples, and even then knowing that they aren't available over here mutes some of the interest and enthusiasm I have for whiskies.
The particular blend is Bailie Nicol Jarvie, and it was under the wing of Glenmorangie, but I was having a hard time appreciating it until I caught Ralfy's vlog on it, and that opened the door for me.
Serge's site is another I check out, although to be honest, I get a bit overwhelmed trying to follow the myriad offerings he samples, and even then knowing that they aren't available over here mutes some of the interest and enthusiasm I have for whiskies.
Uisge wrote:OH, and a 1 liter of Depaz Blue rhum agricole...since you asked
*******
Been shopping at Shopper's Vineyard Uisge? I just ordered a bottle of that the other day at closeout price of $20, as well as some Santa Teresa Anejo for $17, 2 1 ltr bottles of Palo Viejo white for $11 each, and - well, let's say a few other things - all with free shipping for $200 or more.
They occasionally have free ship deals they post on facebook, and some really great prices. Got Zacapa XO there a while back for $49 with free shipping.
Yup, Shopper's Vineyard. I've bought other stuff off them, although nothing with free shipping..yet.NCyankee wrote:Uisge wrote:OH, and a 1 liter of Depaz Blue rhum agricole...since you asked
*******
Been shopping at Shopper's Vineyard Uisge? I just ordered a bottle of that the other day at closeout price of $20, as well as some Santa Teresa Anejo for $17, 2 1 ltr bottles of Palo Viejo white for $11 each, and - well, let's say a few other things - all with free shipping for $200 or more.
They occasionally have free ship deals they post on facebook, and some really great prices. Got Zacapa XO there a while back for $49 with free shipping.
One thing to keep in mind - if you get something they are offering with free shipping, the whole order will ship for free. A couple weeks ago they had Espolon tequila 2-packs for $40 which is a good price to begin with, and to save $25-30 on an order of several bottles is a no brainer. Unfortunately, I missed that deal and the $13 closeout on Plymouth sloe gin - but I did get the other stuff I had my eye on in this order, including another bottle of Scarlet Ibis.
NCyankee, of course Shopper's Vineyard would offer free shipping on Lagavulin OR Oban (or both!) when it's the END of the month and I am without dosh!
Both are on sale at $71.99 each
Both are on sale at $71.99 each
Astor spirits has much better prices on both, $55 for the Lag and $60 for the Oban - the savings will more than cover the shipping after your next paycheck.Uisge wrote:NCyankee, of course Shopper's Vineyard would offer free shipping on Lagavulin OR Oban (or both!) when it's the END of the month and I am without dosh!
Both are on sale at $71.99 each
I got two bottles of Lag 16 last year from them for $48 each.
Merwin's has an even better price on Oban plus free shipping, but you have to buy two bottles for $110. They also have Lagavulin for $67. That would be a better deal by the time you pay shipping, but you have to want 2 bottles of Oban. By the time you pay shipping at Astor your 2nd bottle of Oban would cost around $45 at Merwin's.
it's always a good idea to shop around, Seth at SV claims his price of $74 on laphroaig 18 yr is wholesale, but PA's everyday price is $60. Sometimes state-run stores are better because they don't do demand-based markups - online retailers I shop who have excellent prices on most things are selling Thomas Handy for $100 while PA has it for $60 and NC for $72.