Tien Son LifeStyle™ | Men's Style Blog | Men's Style and Fashion Tips Online

The Secret and Wonderful World of Whisky

Can you relate to this dialog from the FX series Louie?<br />
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<b>Louie: </b>Can I get a shot?</div>
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<b>Bartender:</b> Shot of what?</div>
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<b>Louie:</b> Whiskey.</div>
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<b>Bartender:</b> What kind of whiskey?</div>
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<b>Louie:</b> Please, just...can you gimme a shot of that brown liquid that makes people feel different than what they would've otherwise? Please? Thank you.</div>
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Don't let this be you at the bar, please. We at Tien Son want you to look good, not just in our suits, but when ordering drinks. You never know who might be watching. The whisky world may seem like a mysterious and awful place, but it all breaks down into very simple rules. First of all, you may have noticed that I've dropped the "e" in whisky. So, which is it? Whiskey or whisky?</div>
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If it's from the United States or Ireland, it's <b>whiskey</b>.</div>
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If it's from Scotland, Canada or Japan, it's <b>whisky</b>.</div>
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You're not likely to find Canadian or Japanese whisky at a bar, so we're going to stick to the three basics - American (bourbon), Irish and Scotch.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gsoZ1F8IPeLu6ycwuGhC0i5JmeBR9G3pkVp9MpzgNhOhCNwHc_DUNdk48xXuIgh1dViqGAeJx64yCCBSIKYsMyArWczebsnVy5wd9HYOfY1hMPtPx90tV1aVfl2TFNPYPzpaFpoTdvdp/s1600/wooden-barrels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gsoZ1F8IPeLu6ycwuGhC0i5JmeBR9G3pkVp9MpzgNhOhCNwHc_DUNdk48xXuIgh1dViqGAeJx64yCCBSIKYsMyArWczebsnVy5wd9HYOfY1hMPtPx90tV1aVfl2TFNPYPzpaFpoTdvdp/s400/wooden-barrels.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><a href="http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=18435&picture=wooden-barrels">Wooden Barrels</a> by George Hodan</td></tr>
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<b>American (bourbon)</b></div>
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The most common bar offerings are Jack Daniel's, Maker's Mark, Wild Turkey, and Jim Beam. Bourbon typically has less of a "kick" than Irish or Scotch, and has a certain sweetness. It's much better for cocktails than Irish or Scotch because it doesn't overpower other flavors. Can be served in a cocktail, on the rocks (although this diminishes the flavor), with a bit of water (much better for preserving the flavor but reducing burn), or neat.</div>
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<b>Irish</b></div>
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Jameson, Bushmills and Tullamore Dew reign supreme in the United States. This is an excellent place for a whiskey novice to start without looking like a novice, because Irish whiskey has a lovely mildness to it due to repeated distillation and lack of peat that makes it more easily approachable than Bourbon or Scotch, albeit still a challenge for anyone who isn't used to the burn. Don't ever drink this on the rocks - it's not at all necessary and it will ruin the beautiful honey flavor. If you're not a fan of the burn, it's perfectly acceptable, and even encouraged (some say this "opens up" the flavor), to add a bit of water.</div>
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<b>Scotch</b></div>
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The most robust of whiskies, Scotch is viewed as the least palatable to novices for a reason. It is most commonly from the Scottish island of Islay, where barley is dried by burning peat, and thus has a distinctly smokey flavor. Scotch from the Highlands is more mild due to the absence of peat. Your first sip of scotch will most likely feel like dragging your tongue against a charred piece of wood, but with practice and a little bit of water, you will grow to appreciate this highly nuanced, very old whisky. Glenfiddich, Laphroaig, Glenmorangie, and Dewar's are good places to start.</div>
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Scotch, unlike Irish and Bourbon (which are usually blended), is available in both single malt and blended malt (which is just single malt whisky blended with whiskies of other grains).</div>
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So, the next time you hear someone at the bar ask a question like, "What's the difference between whiskey and Scotch?" you can shake your head, laugh with your equally knowledgeable colleagues, and appreciate a good nosefull of the single malt in your hand.</div>

Can you relate to this dialog from the FX series Louie? Louie: Can I get a shot? Bartender: Shot of what? Louie: Whiskey. Barten...

10:57 AM +

Everything You Want in a Suit

It's been a while since we talked about the pertinent <a href="http://blog.tscustomsuits.com/2012/05/bespoke-vs-off-rack.html" target="_blank">differences between bespoke and off-the-rack</a>, so here's a little something to remind you why Tien Son suits you so well:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1C5elKWlW3uC0YFKRrugWBbt45cyiymOQDxMmK79cPBa-XM1093O3xw4Kr1rQHIjoPpIgfpnUACEnICf3YQgR_yt-3qqCz3j3QbNuxqoFFR21tQL1M76nOCVkl0NbfXZ-wHW3QqjAhAw/s1600/tiensoninfographic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1C5elKWlW3uC0YFKRrugWBbt45cyiymOQDxMmK79cPBa-XM1093O3xw4Kr1rQHIjoPpIgfpnUACEnICf3YQgR_yt-3qqCz3j3QbNuxqoFFR21tQL1M76nOCVkl0NbfXZ-wHW3QqjAhAw/s640/tiensoninfographic.jpg" width="529" /></a></div>
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If you haven't already, we'd love for you to check out our <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1843003633/ts-virtual-tailortm-handcrafted-suits-designed-by" target="_blank">Kickstarter project</a>. We have less than 3 days left and we still haven't met our goal. Please consider contributing even a small amount. We need your support!</div>
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It's been a while since we talked about the pertinent differences between bespoke and off-the-rack , so here's a little something to...

3:03 AM +

Another Kickstarter Update

As of now we are at $6,300 from 32 backers, and we only have a little over a week left to meet our goal of $20k. If you haven't made a c...

9:59 AM +

Tien Son Family Tailor Network

In the last 54 Hours our team, including a few new team members, have pounded away at building our new Family Tailor Network.<br />
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What this means for you is that no matter where you are, you will be able to meet with a certified Family Tailor, and buy Tien Son Custom Tailored Suits. This is huge!<br />
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But we can't do it alone. We need your help.<br />
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Our network is built based on demand and reach. We hope to launch 100 New Reseller locations within 2013.<br />
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So tell us, who is your trusted tailor? Or maybe you are a Clothier, Bridal Shop Owner, or Fashion House and want to become a member of our Family. Contact us through our website and we'll talk with you about everything you need to become part of the Tien Son Family.

In the last 54 Hours our team, including a few new team members, have pounded away at building our new Family Tailor Network. What this me...

10:41 AM +

Tien Son Start Up Weekend Evansville

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Tien Son is involved in Start Up Weekend Evansville with our plan to extend our network of Family Tailors across the Midwest!<br />
You can learn more about startup weekend <a href="http://evansville.startupweekend.org/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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But we couldn't do it without help from our friends and valued customers. Let us know about your retail experiences and what you'd like to see from our resellers. While growing our family, we want to make sure your input is taken into consideration because you mean the world to us. Without our family and friends, we couldn't make the world a better looking place!<br />
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Help us out by taking our quick 5 question <a href="http://www.popsurvey.com/s/fzvmxr" target="_blank">survey</a>.<br />
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We are all ears when it comes to improvement. Follow us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/TScustomsuits" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/TScustomsuits" target="_blank">Twitter</a> for Live Updates from Start Up Weekend!

Tien Son is involved in Start Up Weekend Evansville with our plan to extend our network of Family Tailors across the Midwest! You can l...

2:54 PM +

Kickstarter Project Update

As of tonight we have raised over 25% of our $20k goal - that's $5,462 from 23 backers! According to Kickstarter, 81% of projects that...

7:56 PM +

TS Virtual Tailor™ Kickstarter Project

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnCadDz927w8zQh7Or7-rahdP6Wr61-jkT541CKSKTGZg3rp-lv8tEnyQqT49a7kqWs8iCzJdfMAPVOIZ1xdN5BUpyQoGNufcrA7CD85ra9rXLNlP0X0hTHgSVgzzuhH4EF2QR4wCOUYL/s1600/468781023779b90e5fe29abbfe62fe3f_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnCadDz927w8zQh7Or7-rahdP6Wr61-jkT541CKSKTGZg3rp-lv8tEnyQqT49a7kqWs8iCzJdfMAPVOIZ1xdN5BUpyQoGNufcrA7CD85ra9rXLNlP0X0hTHgSVgzzuhH4EF2QR4wCOUYL/s400/468781023779b90e5fe29abbfe62fe3f_large.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /><br />Our <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1843003633/ts-virtual-tailortm-handcrafted-suits-designed-by">Kickstarter project</a> became live at 7 p.m. last night, and as of today we are just over 5% of the way to our goal of $20 thousand!<br /><br />Most of the funds will be going into the development of our TS Virtual Tailor™ and the creation of our Spring Collection fabrics.<br /><br />If you haven't already, take a look at our campaign and the awesome prizes we're offering for pledges of $25 or more. Contribute $500 to get a full custom three-piece suit and a featured photo on our website, or go for the mind blowing Executive deal - two full suits, four custom-tailored shirts, four silk ties, two modal scarves, and two pairs of cotton dress socks for $2,500 or more.<br /><br />Do you even want to know what you can get for $10 thousand? There’s only one way to find out! Even if your pockets aren't quite that deep, you can support us by spreading the word.

Our Kickstarter project became live at 7 p.m. last night, and as of today we are just over 5% of the way to our goal of $20 thousand! Mos...

5:41 PM +